This week, Jeff sits down with Kevin Azzopardi and Jason Cline of Pardi Calls (Yuba City, CA) to trace how a family machine shop that built industrial turbocharger parts turned its precision tools toward duck and goose calls. Kevin and Jason break down the design choices that make their calls easy to run—and easy to maintain—plus what’s next from the shop.

What’s inside

• Machine-shop roots → call-making: from trains and tugboats to tone boards, why precision machining shaped their sound and reliability.
• Field-first design: threaded speck call guts and user-friendly assemblies you can take apart, clean, and reassemble to the same tune.
• Materials that matter: early aluminum bodies, today’s acrylic & wood (with anti-swelling sleeves), and a whistle designed to cover teal-to-pintail notes.
• New gear coming: a snow call in testing, composite/brass options, and limited custom engraving runs.
• Family operation: the move from the Bay Area to Yuba City (1998), in-house machining, and local anodizing that keeps tolerances tight.
• Where to find them: online and at the Bridge Street showroom—pick up a call, run it in person, and choose the look you like.
• Hunting talk: Gray Lodge stories, public-land realities, and why today’s “adult-onset” hunters are raising the calling bar.

If you’re chasing a call that’s easy to blow, tough enough for rice country, and built by folks who hunt, this conversation gets you under the hood at Pardi Calls.

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Jeff sits down with Mike Cole—CWA Gold Benefactor, rice grower, lifelong duck hunter, and serious decoy collector—for a grounded, from-the-bootstraps story of how passion turns into habitat, community, and a legacy worth passing on. From carving lessons after school to developing clubs in the Butte Sink, Mike maps the moves, mistakes, and mileposts that shaped his waterfowl life—plus why he and his wife poured so much into Chesapeake Bay retrievers and California Waterfowl.

What’s inside

• Roots & mentors: the early days that hooked him on ducks—and the carver who lit a lifelong fascination with working decoys.
• Chasing birds north: leaving the Delta for the Butte Sink, joining a club, and learning the realities of leases, partners, and pressure.
• Building ground the hard way: second mortgages, burn requirements, summer refuge negotiations, and the year-round grind it takes to keep wetlands producing.
• Dogs that do the work: how Mike and Julie went all-in on Chesapeakes, from weekend trials to national-level success.
• Decoys with stories: cross-country hunts for classic blocks, how to spot originality, and the pieces he’s still chasing.
• Why give back: on becoming a CWA Gold Benefactor, supporting hunt programs for years, and making sure the next generation has a place to learn.

If you care about ducks, dogs, and doing things the right way, this is a blueprint—equal parts inspiration and practical wisdom—for building a life around waterfowling.

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Jeff Smith checks in with three boots-on-the-ground voices to break down how California’s opener really went—and what to expect as November weather finally shows up. Guests include Garrett Spann (Manager, Yolo Wildlife Area), Derek Seweck (Wildlife Habitat Manager, Upper Butte Basin), and Orlando Rocha (Environmental Scientist, Grizzly Island Wildlife Area).

What you’ll hear

• Opener by the numbers — solid starts in spots, soft elsewhere; teal and wigeon led many straps while mallards were patchy.
• Why it felt “quiet” — late rice harvest, limited flood-up in key zones, and a streak of 80°+ bluebird days that scattered birds.
• Flood-up status & timing — which units are online now, what’s filling next, and how that will shift day-to-day bird use.
• Local patterns — Yolo’s steady trickle of new water holding birds, Upper Butte’s wood-duck swing not materializing (yet), and Grizzly Island’s east vs. west marsh differences.
• Youth & access intel — how the Howard Slough youth area and nearby rice options are structured (free roam vs. blinds), plus what to expect on busy Saturdays.
• Pintail reality check — 3-bird limit is on the books, but most hunters haven’t hit it… yet; watch for classic December–January rice flights.
• Hunt smarter in the lull — read wind and pressure, pivot units as new water comes up, and be ready when the first real fronts push fresh birds.

If you’re lining up your next reservation or boat-in plan, this roundtable gives you a clear read on conditions, timing, and the moves that’ll matter when the weather finally flips.

🦆 Dig the intel? Hit Follow, drop a quick review, and text this episode to your blind crew—your support keeps these conversations rolling and the flyway thriving.

Jeff sits down with Brian Huber and Jason Coslovich to unpack this summer’s banding push and preseason pintail work—what changed with more water on the landscape, how night-lighting in the Klamath Basin actually happens, and why your band reports keep California’s harvest models honest.

What’s inside

• Sac Valley bounce-back: swim-in traps, summer water, and a strong run of molting mallards and wood ducks.
• Klamath after dark: airboats, spotlights, big crates—plus what red-painted bands mean and how crews avoid re-capturing fresh birds.
• Transmitters 101: what they reveal about nesting and molt, the tradeoffs for different species, and why units keep upgrading the tech.
• Preseason pintail nets: how state/CWA crews coordinate shots, handle big mixed flocks, and keep mortality low.
• Oddballs & highlights: redheads and ruddy ducks in force, shorebirds with tiny tags, and a handful of long-lived recaptures.
• Do your part: how to return a transmitter, why reporting every band matters, and how those data feed adaptive harvest decisions.
• Get involved: Aleutian trapping help, the Colusa Dinner, college camps, and the Rice Levee nesting program (with grower payments).

🦆 If this helps sharpen your season, tap Follow, drop a quick review, and share it with your blind crew—your support keeps these conversations rolling and the flyway thriving.

Jeff sits down with a panel of California wildlife refuge managers to lay out what hunters can expect this season—water deliveries, flood-up timelines, food on the landscape, and how weather and pressure will shape bird movement from the opener through the late split.

What you’ll hear

• Water & habitat status across key refuges: unit-by-unit flood-ups, moist-soil production, and sanctuary plans to hold birds after the first volleys
• Access updates: road work, blind repairs, closed-zone adjustments, and any changes to check-station flow or shoot times
• Species timing: teal on the front end, mallards and wigeon mid-season, specks/snows and divers as winter builds
• Weather game plans: how managers react to storms, fog, and hard freezes—and how hunters can adapt to keep birds finishing
• After-season priorities: projects queued up for spring/summer that pay off next fall

🦆 If this helps you plan your hunts, hit Follow, drop a quick review, and share the episode with your blind crew—your support keeps these conversations rolling and the flyway thriving.

Director of Fundraising Jason Minsky joins Jeff Smith to break down how California Waterfowl keeps the lights on and the wetlands wet—banquets, sweepstakes, merch, and a statewide volunteer network that turns passion into real habitat, hunter access, and youth programs. From the 80th-anniversary celebrations to new “bingo + Let’s Make a Deal” nights, this one is a clear map for anyone who wants to help.

Episode highlights

• Why fundraising matters: where event dollars go across conservation, hunts, education, and advocacy—right here in California.
• Volunteer pathways: join a local banquet committee, help “night-of,” or step up to start a new event in your town.
• ELP (Event Leadership Program): a 5–6 month training track building state, regional, and district leaders from our volunteer base.
• Ways to give beyond banquets: sweepstakes entries, the gun-a-week calendar, and a refreshed merch line (limited hat drops, fall gear).
• Membership 101: attending most CWA events includes your annual membership—plus youth Sprig options and life-member perks.
• Find your fit: upcoming banquets across the state, plus new, high-energy bingo nights that bring in friends who are new to CWA.

If you’ve ever said “I should get more involved,” this is your step-by-step. Pick a lane, bring a buddy, and help keep California’s waterfowl future strong.

🦆 Join the crew: Hit Follow, drop a quick review, and share this with your blind buddies. Ready to plug in? Head to calwaterfowl.org → Get Involved to volunteer, enter the sweepstakes, or find an event near you.

Waterfowl historian Yancey Forest-Knowles closes the series with a tour of California’s fog belt and beyond—Humboldt Bay, the lagoons north and south of Crescent City, Laguna de Santa Rosa, and the Central Coast from Elkhorn Slough to Morro Bay. We trace how tides, eelgrass, railroads, and reclamation shaped these marshes—and what that means for today’s hunters.

Episode highlights

• North Coast primer: why this stretch is a critical coastal link in the Pacific Flyway and how fog, rain, and working pasturelands still hold birds.
• Humboldt Bay traditions: public-forward Brant hunting, the roots of sculling, and the gear and etiquette that make it work.
• Access that remains: boat-in opportunities on flood years, small state parcels, and farm-pond possibilities when conditions line up.
• Club lore & culture: from early island and bay clubs to the stories of trains stopping at clubhouses—what’s gone, what survived, and why.
• Central Coast check-in: how most wetlands were converted a century ago, and where hunters still find openings around Elkhorn Slough, Salinas, and Morro Bay.

If you’re curious where coastal waterfowling came from—and how to approach it with respect today—this finale ties the history, access, and conservation ethic together.

🦆 Like the series? Tap Follow, leave a quick review, and share this one with your blind crew—your support keeps these conversations rolling and the flyway thriving.

Carson and Jeff sit down with John Veon (UC Davis PhD candidate, wetlands & waterfowl) and Andy Atkinson (manager, Bird Haven Ranch) to unpack a five-year experiment in integrated wetland management—using swales, shorter irrigations, and year-round connectivity to cut mosquito production while boosting macroinvertebrates and duck use.

What you’ll learn

• Why the Valley needs a reset: California flipped its natural water rhythm and now only ~7–10% of naturally functioning wetlands remain—so managers are rebuilding function, not replicas.
• How the system works: keep wet swales connected through summer and swap 10-day irrigations for ~5-day (or less) pulses to protect annuals (think Timothy), grow food plants, and starve mosquito cycles.
• Predators, not spray: longer access to water (≈140 days vs. ~20) grows dragonfly/other predators that hammer larvae—nature doing the heavy lifting.
• Public health partnership: day-to-day coordination with Butte County Mosquito & Vector Control aligns human health (West Nile) with better wetlands.
• Running cheaper, smarter: timing pumps at night avoids brutal demand charges and still feeds the swales—biology and the power bill pulling the same way.
• Water source matters: colder well water slows bug production; lift-pump or warmer sources can change bird use patterns.
• Measuring results: wood-duck fecal DNA diet work, USGS telemetry, and game-camera grids track how birds and wildlife actually respond.

If you manage a club pond, volunteer on public ground, or just want sharper habitat instincts, this episode lays out a clear, field-tested blueprint you can scale to your place.

🦆 Like the show? Tap follow, leave a quick review, and share this one with your blind crew—your support keeps these conversations rolling and the flyway thriving.

We’re celebrating 100 episodes of Save it for the Blind with a friendly, fast-paced trivia throwdown. Our hosts Jeff Smith & Carson Odegard welcome a stacked CWA panel—Brian Huber (Wood Duck Program Coordinator & Waterfowl Biologist), Jason Coslovich (Egg Salvage Program Coordinator & Waterfowl Biologist), and Kevin Vella (Regional Biologist & Land Trust Coordinator)—to test what we all think we know about ducks, geese, history, and the laws that shaped American waterfowling.

What you’ll hear

• CWA origins and early club lore—plus the real first name of the organization.
• Record-breakers: oldest banded birds, the highest-flying duck, and the fastest verified flight.
• Law & policy classics: MBTA (1918), the lead-shot ban (1991), and the first federal duck stamp (1934).
• Tools & traditions: the NES Duck Hunt effect, why sink boxes got outlawed, and sound IDs from the sea duck world.
• Lightning round stats: IOC’s current species count and other numbers every waterfowler should know.

MOJO Blade Giveaway (Episode 100)

• Go to our Instagram or Facebook and find the Episode 100 reel.
• Like, comment, and share that post to enter. Do it on both platforms to double your chances.
• Deadline: Enter by September 19. Winner notified: September 26.
• No purchase necessary. U.S. residents, 18+.

🦆 Thanks for riding with us to 100. If you enjoy the show, tap Follow, leave a quick 5-star review, and share this episode with your blind crew—your support keeps these conversations (and the flyway) thriving.

Karl Gunzer, Director of Purina’s Sporting Dog Group, joins Jeff and Carson to trace his path from Montana duck hunter to California trainer to industry leader—and to lay out clear, field-tested basics for keeping a retriever healthy, steady, and ready for season. We also talk California’s under-appreciated waterfowl culture and public access opportunities that still produce strong hunts.

Episode highlights

• Fuel that works: why performance diets (e.g., 30/20) prioritize fat as a dog’s primary energy source—and how that translates to stamina in the field.
• Who feeds what: Pro insights from major championships where a large majority of starters are on Pro Plan.
• Grain-free vs. science: Purina’s take on grains, “novel proteins,” and choosing formulas based on evidence—not marketing.
• Feeding for performance: why Karl favors one evening meal before work, plus simple hydration tips like floating kibble.
• Weather & calories: how cold snaps change energy needs (rule-of-thumb adjustments).
• Tests decoded: the real differences between field trials and hunt tests, and why both can make better gun dogs.
• Why Purina backs conservation: connecting dog nutrition, rice country, and on-the-ground habitat work with groups like CWA.

🦆 If this one helps your dog work better this season, hit follow, leave a quick review, and share it with your blind crew—your support keeps these conversations rolling and the flyway thriving.