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.

Jeff Smith and Carson Odegard sit down with waterfowl historian Yancey Forest-Knowles to unpack the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta—its island clubs, levees and tides, and the public access that still lets you chase mallards and specks on big water today.

What you’ll hear

• How the Delta was built — from early private island claims and hand-built levees to today’s twin pressures of saltwater intrusion and export pumping.
• Club lore & big names — Twitchell Island’s first club (1880), Venice and Mandeville’s eras, and the “Mallard Hole” stories tied to Barron Hilton and Hollywood guests.
• Flood risk is real — why peat islands subside and how Jones Tract’s 2004 failure floated a clubhouse away.
• Public opportunity — boat-in spots and state-permitted floating blinds at Frank’s Tract (plus Big Break, Stone Lakes, Decker & more), and the on-water etiquette that keeps it working.
• Access rules that matter — anchor next to levees to hunt, but don’t set foot on them.
• Today’s mix of ag & restoration — CWA ownership on Quimby and habitat work across Medford, Sherman, and sister islands.

From 19th-century market hunts to modern floating blinds, this one maps the Delta’s history and gives practical pointers for anyone looking to do it right on big water.

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

Jeff and Carson sit down with Terry Denmon, CEO of MOJO Outdoors, for a nuts-and-bolts look at modern motion decoys—why the Big Blade matters, how to run spinning wings around pressured ducks, and where water-motion tech is headed. Terry also walks through MOJO’s newest gear—the reengineered Mallard Machine, the diving Dabbler decoy, and the 25th-anniversary Silver Mallard—plus the season outlook that’s shaping early hunts.

In this episode:

• Big Blade, built for the flash game — quiet design, ~700 RPM target speed, and why wing speed matters for long-range pull.
• Running spinners on pressured birds — treat them as attractors, not finishers; move the unit ~75 yards off the hide to keep birds working.
• What’s new from MOJO — the lithium-powered Mallard Machine (buoy design, hard water push), the diving Dabbler duck, and the Silver Mallard anniversary decoy with a QR-code weekly giveaway; now hitting stores (~$99).
• Big Blade availability — delayed by trade issues but shipping to retailers within weeks; a few prototypes already proved out last season.
• Season notes — early teal framework trimmed to 9 days and pushed later into September; what that means for timing and travel.
• Behavior & weather — more nocturnal use and mid-season shifts demand flexible spreads and better water motion.

If you’re tuning your spread for pressured birds—or deciding which motion tool to add first—this one’s packed with field-ready detail and clear takeaways.

🦆 Enjoy the show? Hit follow, drop a quick review, and share it with your blind crew—your support keeps these conversations rolling and the flyway thriving.

Southern California Duck Country: History, Habitat, Tradition

Waterfowl historian Yancey Forest-Knowles joins Jeff and Carson to map the rise and fall of Southern California’s coastal duck country—from the artesian-fed ciénegas of the Los Angeles plain to the estuaries of Ballona, Bolsa Chica, and Newport, and on to the Salton Sea and the San Diego reservoirs. It’s a guided tour through clubs that once dotted the coast, the culture that filled their cookhouses, and the policy and development pressures that eventually shut most gates. We close with what’s still huntable today and the conservation lessons worth carrying forward.

Topics include

• How artesian water and heavy winter rains built a maze of natural marshes across the L.A. basin
• The Orange County era of managed wetlands—and why city growth and water rules ended it
• Coastal club culture: famous names, strict house rules, and why Point Mugu still matters
• Salton Sea 101: accident to flyway magnet, depredation history, and what changed on the landscape
• San Diego’s reservoir hunts and old-school duck-boat drives
• What remains today (San Jacinto, Wister, select coastal/military marshes) and the takeaways for modern habitat work

🦆 If this history hits home, tap follow, drop a quick review, and share the episode with your blind crew—your support keeps these conversations moving and the flyway thriving.

Senior Environmental Scientist (Specialist) Melanie Weaver joins Jeff and Carson to explain how California’s Breeding Population (BPOP) survey is flown, what this year’s numbers say, and how those data drive next year’s hunting frameworks. Weaver details the fixed-wing transect method, why multi-year wet cycles matter, and why harvest regulations follow a structured, flyway-wide model rather than gut checks.

In this episode:

How the survey works — nine strata statewide, low-altitude fixed-wing transects, and trained observers reading birds at speed.

2025 headline numbers — total ducks up ~27% from 2024 but still ~11% below the long-term average; mallards up ~49% yet ~16% below the long-term average.

From data to regulations — California’s counts feed the Western Mallard AHM model, which sets next season’s duck frameworks across the Pacific Flyway.

Harvest vs. habitat — average bags run ~2–4 ducks per hunt, so changing limits from 7 to 5 rarely moves the needle; habitat and weather are the bigger drivers.

Whether you’re planning opener or following policy, this conversation gives a clear, data-driven picture of where California’s ducks stand and how decisions get made.

🦆 Enjoy the show? Please follow, leave a quick review, and share it with your hunting crew—your support keeps these conversations (and the flyway) moving.

Regional Biologist Greg Heydeman (California Waterfowl Association) joins Jeff Smith and Carson Odegard for a deep look at habitat work and hunting realities in the high desert of Modoc, Klamath and Shasta Valley.

In this conversation you’ll learn:

• Why the 2025-26 season starts with optimism—heavy snowpack and strong water deliveries are putting more acres back under flood across the Northeast Zone
• The Butte Valley makeover—over 2,000 acres of former ditch water converted to managed seasonal wetlands and improved hunter access
• Public-first project strategy—roughly 80-85 percent of CWA habitat dollars in Greg’s region go to state and federal areas, not private clubs
• How ice drives every decision—from property acquisitions to draw systems, one hard freeze in early December can shut an entire ranch down
• New migration quirks—summer-resident snow geese and specks are now common sights, underscoring shifting flyway patterns

Pull up a chair and hear how smart engineering, targeted grants and on-the-ground hunting experience combine to keep birds—and opportunity—on the landscape.

🦆 Like the show? Tap follow, leave a quick rating, and share this episode with your blind partners. Your support helps California’s wetlands—and the conversations that protect them—keep thriving.

A deep-dive with Chadd Santerre (Director of Wetland Programs & NAWCA Coordinator) and field-rep Chad Thomas

Carson Odegard sits down with Chadd Santerre for a data-driven look at the engineering, funding, and on-the-ground work now reshaping waterfowl habitat from San Jacinto to the Colorado River. In the back half, Chad Thomas details the banquets, workdays, and youth hunts that let Southern California hunters roll up their sleeves and keep the momentum going.

Episode highlights

• Funding surge fuels action – NAWCA and California Wildlife Conservation Board grants have steered $18.9 million since 2022, locking in projects through 2029
• Imperial (Wister) overhaul – miles of buried pipeline and consolidated units are cutting evaporation losses and speeding flood-ups for managers and hunters alike
• San Jacinto recapture system – a new storage complex is designed to recycle 700-1,000 acre-feet each year, creating reliable brood water and a much-needed sanctuary
• Palo Verde Ecological Reserve – 500 acres of former cropland now function as seasonal wetlands and high-yield dove plots after full pipeline and grading upgrades
• Public-land priority – more than 70 percent of CWA habitat dollars land on refuges and wildlife areas every year, keeping improvements accessible to everyone
• Get involved – summer banquets, August habitat days at San Jacinto and Wister, and the unique San Vicente Reservoir draw hunt where hunters pick their own dates from a boat

Whether you’re chasing teal at Wister, volunteering at a San Jac workday, or planning your first San Vicente boat hunt, this episode lays out the roadmap—and the resources—to keep Southern California’s flyway thriving.

🦆 Like what you’re hearing? Follow the show, leave a quick review, and share the episode with your hunting crew—your support powers these conversations and the conservation work behind them.