Upduck Podcast

The divers have arrived in Wisconsin. Bluebills, canvasbacks, redheads, buffleheads and even scoters are showing up on Green Bay and the big inland lakes, while puddle ducks across the state are getting stale in warm, calm weather.

This week's Wisconsin duck hunting report covers waterfowl migration, green-winged teal, mallards, goose numbers, low water and the north winds coming midweek across Northwest, Northeast, Southwest and Southeast Wisconsin, plus a North Zone closing reminder.

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Wisconsin Waterfowl Association: wisducks.org

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Warm, calm weather left stale ducks across Wisconsin this week, and every region is waiting on a cold front. This Migration Report covers Wisconsin duck hunting in the Northwest, Northeast, Southwest and Southeast: mallards holding tight, wood ducks and teal thinning out, divers and bluebills building on big water, and Canada geese stacking up on fresh-cut corn. Plus the late-October waterfowl migration outlook.

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Wisconsin Waterfowl Association

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Ever wondered what it actually takes to get on a hunting pro staff or why your out-of-state duck trip keeps coming up short? Jon Braun, Drake Waterfowl's Regional Pro Staff Coordinator for the northern Mississippi Flyway, has answers for both.

Jon oversees about 40 pro staffers across Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota and has made DIY North Dakota duck trips since 2003. He explains how his group scouts 3–4 hours every day, how to get permission on private land in North Dakota and Canada, what Drake looks for in pro staff (and what gets you cut), and the waterfowl gear new hunters should buy first. Plus: tundra swans , a lab with 1,500 retrieves, and North vs. South hunting culture.

For more on Drake Waterfowl, check out:
Website · Jon Braun on Instagram · BMF Waders · Non-Typical Whitetail Gear

For more on Spoonie by Drake (sold at Walmart), check out:
Spoonie Waders

For more on Soggy Acres Retrievers, check out:
Website

For more on the Waterfowl Hunters Expo, check out:
Website

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The cold front brought the first real migrators into Wisconsin, but the hunting was hit or miss. Canvasbacks, ringnecks, wigeon and gadwall pushed in, wood ducks thinned out, and Canada geese are everywhere in the south. We cover the Southern Zone reopener, the Open Water opener on Green Bay, the Mississippi River and the Northwoods across Northwest, Northeast, Southwest and Southeast Wisconsin.

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Wisconsin Waterfowl Association

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hy is day two of duck season always slower than opening day? Tyler and Matt grade Wisconsin's first duck split and break down how fast opening weekend pressure changes the birds.

From a three-man teal limit in under an hour to a Sunday bust after the ground around it got hunted, they dig into how hunting pressure moves ducks on public land, why downed ducks vanish in small timber holes, and a real-world poison-bird drill on a crippled green-winged teal. Plus: why you shouldn't shoot over a breaking dog, keeping a four-year-old happy in a layout blind for five hours, and motion decoys for light walk-in spreads.

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Heat stalled Wisconsin's duck hunting before the Southern Zone split, but the first divers are showing up. This week's Migration Report covers Northwest, Northeast, Southwest and Southeast Wisconsin: ringnecks, bluebills and buffleheads in the Northwoods, wary local mallards and wood ducks, building Canada geese and low water from the Mississippi River east. Plus a cold front arriving just in time for the October 17th reopener.

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Wisconsin Waterfowl Association: wisducks.org

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Upland seasons are opening, so we're bringing back one of our best-performing episodes. Eric Forrester of Ghost Point Wirehairs is a self-taught Indiana bird hunter who breeds German Wirehaired Pointers, runs NSTRA field trials, and lives out of his truck chasing sharptails, Huns, chukar and quail across the West.

We get into:

• How one lunch conversation turned into a wirehair kennel
• NSTRA field trials explained: braces, scoring and breaking on the flush
• Why breeding matters more than training
• DIY upland hunting out West: where to start, in-person scouting, snakes and porcupines
• Filming solo hunts and keeping it real with sponsors

For more on Ghost Point Wirehairs check out:

Ghost Point Wirehairs website

Eric Forrester on YouTube

Ghost Point Wirehairs on Instagram

Ghost Point Wirehairs on Facebook

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Get more bird dog content every Monday in the Upduck Newsletter.

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Wisconsin's duck opener belonged to the wood ducks.

In this week's Migration Report, hunters from Northwest, Northeast, Southwest and Southeast Wisconsin break down opening weekend: woodie limits, scattered teal, building numbers of Canada geese and heavy pressure, even away from the big marshes. Plus what warm weather means for fresh birds, and a reminder that the Southern Duck Zone closes after October 11 for the split.

Presented in partnership with the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association.

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Wisconsin Waterfowl Association: wisducks.org

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Duck season is upon us here in Wisconsin and various seasons are open or opening across the country. We are just a little excited over here. We went back through the last 18 months of Upduck and pulled some of the best advice our guests have given us into one 20-minute episode.

You'll hear Wisconsin DNR game bird ecologist Taylor Finger explain why hunters who scout three or more times a year shoot three times as many birds. Rusty Creasey discusses rest areas, and Chance Gotsch says to hunt every front this season. Then it's duck calling mistakes, overhead concealment for boat blinds, spinner decoy strategy, and patterning your shotgun at 20, 30 and 40 yards. Plus: why most misses are behind the bird, and getting kids into the marsh.

Featured guests: Taylor Finger (WI DNR), Brian Halbleib (Migration Waterfowl), Rusty Creasey, Chance Gotsch, Braden Shull, Phil Kahnke, George Parker (Bluebird Waterfowl), Ryan (Pattern Pros), Phillip Jones (GAIM) and Michael Hagerty (Outdoor Dad Life). Every full episode is in the feed.

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Tired of scrolling past piles of dead ducks on Instagram while your own season comes up short? Brian Halbleib, host of The Migration Waterfowl Podcast, has a fix: hunt your own hunt.

Brian hunts half of Pennsylvania's duck season plus six road trips a year, mostly on public land. He explains why your hide matters more than your duck calling, how scouting seven hours for one hour of hunting produced 3 limits of blue-winged teal, and why open water holds mallards late in the season. Plus: river gauges for scouting, real expectations for weekend warriors, and what duck hunting social media never shows you.

For more on Migration Waterfowl, check out:
Website · YouTube · Instagram · The Migration Waterfowl Podcast

For more on The Gear Roost, check out:
The Gear Roost™ Foundation Pack

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