The Upland Social

Dave Mayers is a Pennsylvania native, where he cut his teeth bird hunting behind his friend's close working black labradors. He hunted ruffed grouse and wild pheasants in the PA hills before moving to Missouri in 1986. Dave also spent a couple of years in central Wisconsin. 

Since 1996, he has walked behind his own german short-haired pointers and has been fortunate enough to travel with them to several Midwestern and Western states, chasing pheasants, woodcock, bobwhite quail, ruffed grouse, and a few sharp tails. Dave retired as fisheries biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation in 2014 and has had more time to devote to his dogs and see what awaits them over the next rise.

Topics covered include:

• ​Living with bird dogs in the house
• ​Hunting the woodcock migration in the Ozarks
• ​Fish habitat overlapping with upland bird habitat
• ​Making "micro hunts" out of large group hunts
• ​The mysteries of the American Woodcock

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

Andrew M. Wayment (Andy) graduated from law school in May of 2001. He is currently a partner at Tolson and Wayment PLLC in Idaho Falls, Idaho, focusing on estate planning, probate, business, and real estate. His favorite area of practice is in conservation, working with numerous land trusts in the great state of Idaho to create conservation easements. Andy is also a freelance writer and has written numerous articles for various magazines and published three books:

Heaven on Earth: Stories of Fly Fishing, Fun and Faith, Idaho

Ruffed Grouse Hunting: The Heartbeat of the Woods

Idaho Upland Days: Reflections on Bird Dogs, Banner Days, and Other Roadside Revelations.

His fourth book, Idaho Grouse Fever, has just been accepted for publication with the History Press and is expected to be released in 2026. Andy has a wife, Kristen, and his six children, four daughters and two sons, ranging in age from 28 to 13. He also has two bird dogs, Rainy, a French Brittany, and Aki, a golden retriever. Andy is the assistant coach for the Skyline High School trap shooting team that took second in state last year.

And Andy loves the outdoors. When he's not working or hanging with his family, he's either chasing grouse or some kind of fish on the fly or writing about his misadventures. You can find some of his work online at www.uplandways.com.

Topics covered include:

• ​Hunting with a pointer and a flusher
• ​Encounters with moose and hornets
• ​Writing about hunting spots and taking readers to those places
• ​Mexican grouse recipes
• ​The peace that Andy feels in the uplands

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

https://uplandways.com/

Robb Moore is a ninth generation Virginian, angler, bird hunter, and an active registered Maine guide with the Maine Upland Guide Service. He lives in Brunswick, Maine with his wife, Heather Krajewski, and their American Brittanys Lincoln and Rooster. Moore has written for a variety of publications, including The Virginia Sportsman, the print and online versions of Project Upland, and its sister print publication, The Hunting Dog Confidential, and The Ruffed Grouse Society. You can find Lincoln, Rooster, and Moore on Instagram @amanandhisbirddog.

Topics covered:

• ​Becoming a hunter later in life
• ​Dogs choosing us, not us choosing them
• ​Walking 200 miles before harvesting a grouse
• ​The rigors of becoming a Maine guide
• ​The awe and reverence we should feel for wildlife
• ​How hunting keeps us young

https://maineupland.com/

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

Today I am joined by Justin Berkley. A native Michigander, Justin now lives a nomadic bird hunting lifestyle, spending the months of August through February on the move, chasing whatever birds he and his string of bird dogs can find. You can follow along with his adventures on Instagram at Northern Forest Gun Dogs. 

Topics covered include:

• ​The genetic traits Justin is looking for in a dog
• ​The enchantment and struggle of an upland nomad
• ​Healthy competition with our dogs
• ​The magic of quail coveys
• ​Potential negative impacts of pen raised gamebirds
• ​Pheasants in downtown Detroit, Michigan

Rob Hubble runs the "Northwest Wingshooters" Youtube channel. He's 37 years old, hails from Washington State, but currently lives in Idaho. Rob has been married for 14 years to his awesome wife, Katie, and together, they have an 11 year old daughter, Sidney. He works as an airline pilot, but when he's not flying planes, he enjoys taking long walks with his dogs, especially when birds and shotguns are involved. Some of his other favorite hobbies include fishing, snowboarding, and mountain biking.

Topics covered:

• The variety of gamebirds in the Pacific Northwest
• The loving affection of Brittanies
• Pheasant hunting in the Northwest compared to Midwest

• Ruffed grouse behavior in different regions
• Type 2 fun bird hunting

Edgar Castillo is a retired law enforcement officer for 27 years, where he worked for a large Kansas city metropolitan agency. He also served in the U S Marines for a decade. Edgar was born in Guatemala and upon arriving in the U S he discovered his affinity for wing shooting. His passion lies in the uplands, wherever the dirt roads take him to hunting open fields, walking tree lines and busting through plum thickets in a never ending search for wild birds in wild places.

Topics covered include:

• The hunting scene in Kansas
• Edgar's origins as a hunter
• Hunting culture in Guatemala compared to the U.S.
• Hunting ptarmigan in Colorado and Alaska
• Relationships with other people's dogs
• Edgar's outdoor writing career

You’re listening to The Upland Social, a podcast dedicated to the bird hunting community. I’m your host, Ryan Lynton, an artist, writer, and lover of all things dogs and birds. We’ll gear up and hit the field with some of the most engaging and compelling voices on the bird hunting scene. Each week, we will hear from seasoned hunters, dog trainers, storytellers, wild game specialists, to everyday uplanders just like you and me. Their insights, experience, and stories will inspire and equip you to explore, conserve, and celebrate the wild places we all love. The landscape is truly limitless. So load up, drop the tailgate, and let’s go. 

This is The Upland Social.