FowlWeather Podcast

The long awaited first weekly duck migration forecast, a weather severity index recap, plus we dig deep into how El Nino does or does not affect your duck hunting. All today and more on the FowlWeather Podcast.

Last episode we detailed the 4 types ducks hunters, the Homers, the Haters, the Conformists, and the Skeptics. Today we jump into defending yourself against the same old fake news, hen harvest matters, we can’t do anything about habitat, we can’t do anything about the weather, and the problem is that there are more hunters than ever before. We also have an update about the assault on duck habitat that continues, proposals being introduced by members of Congress that look to sell off permanent easements, all today on the FowlWeather Podcast.

In a social context there are 4 types of duck hunters, which one are you? Do you believe everything you hear, the true Homer Duck Hunter (Homer Syndrome), are you at the other end of the spectrum as a Hater (Hater Syndrome), or do you fall in between, either just needing information to fit your narrative, the Conformist Duck Hunter (Conformist behavior), or are you the Skeptic Duck Hunter (Skeptic behavior) that needs a real body of evidence to believe what you hear. Are you all about vibes or do you get to a place where logic prevails? In this episode we explain The Blind Leading the (Duck) Blind.

The numbers are in and we have the initial reaction of DrMike coming at you today. What species are up, what species are down and where did it all go down. DrMikebreaks down the numbers with his initial reactions to the 2026 Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey. What does it mean for your coming waterfowl season?

Is anti-science the new norm? With all the ongoing anti-science chatter, we have definitely emboldened the conspiracy theorists. That has certainly bled over into the duck world. But we also just saw the conservation community come together and support science when the ducks are really in trouble; when the Prairie Pothole Region, the Duck Factory was in jeopardy; when duck habitat once again saw a troubling trend, we came together and over 200,000 people supported the science and commented for the ducks. Today we digest and dissect how we talk science at the coffee shop, in the duck blind, and in the waterfowl science world. We also have an update on the coming El Nino and a hint at the weather for the coming season. 

Agriculture is the number one reason for wetland and grassland loss in North America, but it is also a necessity, feeding the planet is a necessity and farm policy also plays a huge role in keeping duck habitat and the ducks with us. Today we visit with Dr. Mark McConnell of Mississippi State University’s Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture. Mark is the James C. Kennedy Endowed Chair in Upland Gamebird Ecology and Bryan Endowment for Bobwhite Restoration. His work may center around upland gamebird conservation, but his breadth of knowledge about ag policy affecting conservation for all wildlife is his real gift. Dr. McConnell is well-known for his understanding of precision agriculture and trade-offs and compliments between healthy farms and healthy wildlife populations. Join us today to learn more about how ag policy is affecting grassland and wetlands habitat across duck country USA and beyond.

My friends across duck country, I ask you one question, are the duck done for? Are you willing to let duck populations fade into oblivion. We talk about the weather and how it affects duck migration a-lot on the FowlWeather Podcast, but we know one thing for sure, if ducks are never produced, it does not matter what the weather does, ducks that don’t hatch can’t come south each duck season.  We also know that ducks need wetlands to produce more ducks. But here we are, the USFWS for some reason isadvancing a proposal that could reduce the 1.7M acres of wetland easements that they hold. And remember these are wetland easements paid for with your Duck Stamp dollars, and as far as we can see, they may be gone in the coming years, wetlands possibly gone forever. With over half of the prairie pothole wetlands already gone and duck numbers struggling, we don’t want to lose more acres. As noted on the FowlWeather social media posts and on this Monday mornings episode, we were working to get waterfowl experts on to dissect and help us learn about what is happening with FWS prairie pothole wetland easements and we aimed high because we have both Dr. Scott Stephens, Senior Director of Conservation Strategy and Dr. Mike Brasher, Senior Waterfowl Scientist with us tonight. Both of Ducks Unlimited, these men are passionate duck hunter-conservationists and we are honored to have them on the FowlWeather Podcast to help us learn about this important topic. The way I like to state it when people ask about this potential FWS policy change…… the FowlWeatherPodcast position and what we tell them is this “this all could be worse than bad”.

In this episode we are going to talk to you through 3 lenses, why you should be curious, why you should be concerned, and why you should be excited about the coming duck season. Among the general themes you will hear about breeding ground conditions, the coming El Nino, policy surrounding waterfowl conservation and management, more local state policies about draw systems and habitat management, and the state of waterfowl education and science in US.

Montana is a destination for many, but it doesn’t run on its own. Heather Harris is the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks as Grassland & Wetland Coordinator for the state. She received her bachelor’s degree in biology from Trent University, that’s in Canada, and her M.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from Mississippi State University. She grew up in Northern Ontario where she spent most of her time outdoors. She spends a good portion of her spare time hunting turkey, waterfowl, upland birds and big game and training her bird dog Riggs. She also happens to be DrMike’s sister-in-law so this one is fun! Join us for another great interview on the FowlWeather Podcast.

Chesapeake Bay is the birthplace of American waterfowling. The bounty…the abundant fish, shellfish, and waterfowl made being a waterman a reality, but the bounty of the bay and its watershed, also made it a place to live and thrive. As populations grew in the Chesapeake watershed so did the pollution and other environmental problems; waterfowl are still abundant in the bay, but are the hay days of the bay gone forever? Can we bring it back to its glory days? Today we meet with two great guys from the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, that know a lot about the Chesapeake Grayson Haynes, Government Affairs Advisor, and Jim Kauffman, Pennsylvania Field Representative and Wildlife Health Coordinator.