The Upland Social

Today on The Upland Social, we are going to take a different approach. Because the upland community is so awesome, we recently hit 1,000 followers on Instagram. To celebrate, we hosted an "Online Upland Party" where participants could discuss their plans for the upcoming fall. Join us for the party!

Topics Covered:

• ​The subtle beauty of Iowa
• ​The varied upland game of Kansas
• ​Recently coming to the upland lifestyle
• ​Hunting numerous states in the Plains and Midwest
• ​A love for the American Woodcock
• ​The endless opportunity in Vermont
• ​Taking your child cross country to hunt

PROUD SPONSORS:

https://gundogcentral.com/

https://www.huntredi.com/

Jim Burris is a passionate outdoorsman who recently relocated from North Carolina to Wisconsin.  He’s hunted with bird dogs for over 25 years going back to his time grouse hunting the Appalachian hills of West Virginia with his Ryman English Setter.  Currently, he has a pudelpointer named Manu that he travels the country with hunting any upland bird they can find.  He is a lover and collector of rare upland hunting literature and fine shotguns.

Jim is the founder and chairman for the Bird Dog Society, a non-profit dedicated to providing education, outreach, and events to bird dog owners to support an enriched and healthy lifestyle with their dogs.  Professionally Jim is the director of a large aquaculture research center studying the physiological processes of fish.  If there is anything that can top Jim’s passion for upland hunting it would be his passion for fishing, but it’s a close competition for his time.

Topics Covered:

• Jim's recent move from North Carolina to Wisconsin​
• ​The hunting style of a pudelpointer
• ​The thrill and challenge of hunting snipe and rail
• ​Simple methods for cooking dark meat birds
• ​Jim's heart and mission behind The Bird Dog Society

Check out The Bird Dog Society:

https://birddogsociety.org/

Follow Jim and The Bird Dog Society on socials:

https://www.instagram.com/birddogs.and.flyrods/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/birddogsociety/?hl=en

Proud Sponsors:

https://gundogcentral.com/

https://www.huntredi.com/

Today on the Upland Social, Josh Tatman joins us for some great conversation. A Wyoming resident, Josh is an avid bird hunter, dedicated outdoor writer, and a strong advocate for conservation. With a deep passion for the landscapes and wildlife of the West, he brings a wealth of experience and perspective to the field, both in the uplands and on the page. 

Topics covered include:

• ​Josh’s upbringing in upland hunting
• ​The intersection of Josh’s love for archaeology and hunting
• ​Effective methods for sage grouse hunting
• ​The magic of sage grouse leks in the spring
• ​The importance of engagement locally and afar in conservation
• ​The joys of hunting with our family members

https://www.instagram.com/josh_tatman/?hl=en

Mike Neiduski is the owner and operator of Ugly Dog Hunting Company, an online bird dog supply shop, providing serious gear for serious bird hunters and dog trainers. He is a NAVHDA senior judge, published writer, and spends most of his fall traveling across bird country with his wirehair, Nash and shorthair, Mack.

Topics covered include:

• ​Mike's recent venture with Ugly Dog
• ​Creating a safe environment for dogs/people alike
• ​Public land advocacy
• ​Making hunting gear affordable for all budgets
• ​Mike's unwritten rules in the uplands

Connect with Mike's company:

https://uglydoghunting.com/

https://www.instagram.com/uglydoghuntingco/?hl=en

Connect with Mike on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mneiduski/?hl=en

In December 2008, 21-year-old Kyle Kamp weighed 270 pounds and experienced chest pains while opening Christmas presents. That moment sparked a major life change. Over the next year, he lost more than 140 pounds and became deeply invested in understanding nutrition and exercise.

Frustrated by conflicting information online, Kyle pursued a degree in Dietetics, completed his residency, and became a Registered Dietitian in Idaho. There, he discovered how proper nutrition fuels outdoor performance, especially in the mountains he grew to love.

Kyle founded V2P to cut through nutrition fads and misinformation. His goal is to deliver science-based guidance that helps people reach their physical and performance goals—especially in demanding outdoor pursuits.

Topics covered include:

• ​Kyle's transformative weight loss that led to a passion for outdoor pursuits
• ​Well-rounded nutritional science
• ​How extreme, overly exhausting training isn't as helpful as we think
• ​Proper fuel during demanding hunts
• ​Training that prepares us for the rigors of hunting

Connect with Kyle:

https://www.v2pnutrition.com/

https://www.instagram.com/v2pnutrition/?hl=en

Heath Seiner is a self-proclaimed average dude in constant need to escape to wide open spaces. Driven by the hunt, he is ever nudged to explore new landscapes and continuously tinkers with gear to further enable those pursuits. And now with the founding of Hunt Redi upland vests, he equips others to explore those landscapes as well.

Topics covered:

• ​The fun of variances within dog breeds
• ​His great-grandma's influence in a love for the outdoors
• ​The moment Heath became a "bird hunter"
• ​The origin story and heart behind Hunt Redi upland vests
• ​Heath's "Pave the Way" program to get youth involved in hunting

https://www.huntredi.com/

https://www.instagram.com/hunt.redi/?hl=en

Jake Bartells and his family reside in Eastern Pennsylvania with his now five French Brittanys. His story is anything but typical in the sense of his now wife, but then high school sweetheart introduced him to bird dogs. The introduction blossomed into a passion for training, testing, and hunting his dogs all over the country. He's a senior judge for the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association, a past board member of the Club de l'Epagneul breton of the US, and an avid conservationist. He considers himself quite blessed to share these passions with his family and friends, and is always excited to take on the next adventure.

Topics covered include:

• ​Getting into bird hunting in a unique way
• ​The training method Jake has come to love
• ​The fun in hunting overlooked, fringe places
• ​Jake's fondness of the French Brittany
• ​How the uplands are his home

https://www.instagram.com/jakebartells/

Brian Maze has spent over a decade guiding clients through memorable outdoor adventures, beginning with turkey hunting, and later diving into fly fishing. But his true passion emerged with the arrival of Miss Rebel, a German Shorthaired Pointer whose first point ignited his love for bird dogs and upland hunting.

With the addition of a second dog, Miss Luna, his obsession with Ruffed Grouse hunting took root, shaping the vision behind Amaazen Outdoors. At its core, Amaazen Outdoors is about the simple joy of running bird dogs and sharing the woods with others who cherish the same experience.

Brian is also a dedicated advocate for public land conservation, working with organizations like the Ruffed Grouse Society, American Woodcock Society, and Pheasants Forever to protect the wild places that fuel his passion.

For Brian, it’s all about the dogs, the birds, and the land—and creating space for others to experience that same deep connection.

Topics covered include:

• ​Leaving the corporate world to have a more dog-centric life
• ​The hidden language we can have with our dogs
• ​Brian's transformation from a "partridge hunter" to a "grouse hunter"
• ​Wisconsin ruffed grouse drumming survey results
• ​The fulfillment Brian has in making memorable moments for people

https://amaazen.com/

https://www.instagram.com/amaazen_outdoors/#

Chris Midgette is an avid bird hunter, lifelong waterfowler, Boykin spaniel owner, a self-proclaimed bourbon snob, gas station pork rind connoisseur, and the worst duck caller east of the Mississippi.

He's also an outdoor writer, whose stories are equal parts heart and humor have appeared in the Upland Almanac, Wing and Clay Magazine and more.

Topics covered include:

• The versatility of Boykin Spaniels

• Chris's protection of the integrity of the breed
• Waterfowl hunting among hundreds of toilets
• Authentic outdoor writing
• Taking our dogs hunting as much as we can

https://www.thehuntingtraveller.com/

https://www.instagram.com/thehuntingtraveller/?hl=en

Drew Conner is from a small town in South Carolina named Edgemoor. God comes first in his life with his family close behind. Hunting and work constantly battle for that third position with fishing inching its way there, especially in the spring and fall. He has a wonderful wife who deals with his constant hunting and fishing trips. He has a two year old daughter and a 13 year old son that he drags along with him every chance he gets. He has an English setter and a black lab and they hunt all over the Southeast on a regular basis. While he spends most of his time chasing bobs and woodcock, Appalachian ruffed grouse are by far his favorite.

Topics covered include:

Hunting with flushers and pointers

Bobwhite quail management

Healthy fires on the landscape

The unhealthy stigma of fire

Appalachian grouse advocacy

https://www.instagram.com/alconner84/?hl=en