Midwest Flyways Podcast

https://www.ducks.org/events/du-national-trip-auction

This week on the Midwest Flyways Podcast, Joey and Cal sit down with Scott Anderson of Ducks Unlimited at Game Fair to talk about what DU actually does for ducks, where conservation dollars go, and why habitat remains the biggest piece of the puzzle when it comes to producing more waterfowl.

Scott breaks down why the Prairie Pothole Region remains such a major focus for Ducks Unlimited, how wetlands are restored, and why hunters may not always see the work happening behind the scenes. The guys also discuss a common misconception surrounding DU: its mission is to create and conserve waterfowl habitat—not necessarily to create better hunting spots.

The conversation gets into the natural wet and dry cycles of the prairies, how drought can actually help rejuvenate wetlands, and the surprising ability of wild rice and other vegetation to return when the right conditions come back. They also discuss the cost of producing ducks, the challenge of funding conservation, and why getting more hunters and volunteers involved matters for the future

Later, the guys dive into Scott's own style of duck hunting, wild rice marshes, divers, goldeneyes, changing migration patterns, and the ongoing research into domestic mallards and duck DNA. Scott also shares the story behind DU's National Trip Auction and some of the hunting, fishing, and outdoor trips available around the country and beyond.

Topics Covered:
•What Ducks Unlimited actually does
•Where DU conservation dollars go
•Prairie Pothole Region habitat
•Restoring wetlands and producing more ducks
•The cost of waterfowl conservation
•Domestic mallards and duck DNA
•Ducks Unlimited's National Trip Auction

Thanks for listening to the Midwest Flyways Podcast! Be sure to check out the Flyways Hunt Club for even more exclusive content every week.


 

Join Flyways Hunt Club and get 1 month free! Flyways Hunt Club

New Waterfowl Film out now! Out West | Waterfowl Hunting in Montana

Stay comfortable, dry and warm: First Lite

(Code MWF20) Go to OnXHunt to be better prepared for your hunt: OnX

Learn more about better ammo: Migra Ammunitions

Weatherby Sorix: Weatherby

Support Conservation: DU

(Code: Flyways) Stop saying "Huh?" with better hearing protection: Soundgear

Live Free: Turtlebox

Add motion to your spread: Flashback

Better Merch: /SHOP

In this episode of Ten Minute Tuesday, Cal dives into the history of Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge—the nation's first refuge created specifically for waterfowl. In the early 1900s, the Klamath Basin held nearly 88,000 acres of lake and wetlands, attracting enormous numbers of ducks, geese, and other birds. But market hunting and the lucrative feather trade were putting incredible pressure on the resource, setting the stage for one of America's earliest major waterfowl conservation battles.


The story follows conservationist and photographer William Finley, whose images helped convince Theodore Roosevelt to protect Lower Klamath in 1908. But creating the refuge was only the beginning. At the same time one part of the federal government was protecting the marsh, another was working to drain it for agriculture. Within years, the massive wetland had nearly disappeared, leading to dust, peat fires, disappearing bird colonies, and a decades-long fight over whether water should ever return. Eventually, restoration efforts brought portions of the marsh back and with that came incredible concentrations of migrating waterfowl.

For anyone interested in duck hunting history, waterfowl conservation, refuges, or the ongoing battle over wetlands and water, Lower Klamath is an incredible example of how complicated protecting a resource can become and why those decisions still matter today.

Thanks for listening to the Midwest Flyways Podcast! Be sure to check out the Flyways Hunt Club for even more exclusive content every week.

 

Join Flyways Hunt Club and get 1 month free! Flyways Hunt Club

New Waterfowl Film out now! Out West | Waterfowl Hunting in Montana

Stay comfortable, dry and warm: First Lite

(Code MWF20) Go to OnXHunt to be better prepared for your hunt: OnX

Learn more about better ammo: Migra Ammunitions

Weatherby Sorix: Weatherby

Support Conservation: DU

(Code: Flyways) Stop saying "Huh?" with better hearing protection: Soundgear

Live Free: Turtlebox

Add motion to your spread: Flashback

Better Merch: /SHOP

This week on Sports Guyz Only it's a two-man show as Cal and Nathaniel hold down the fort while Carter celebrates his birthday, Gavin is out, and Nathaniel gets ready for another soccer season with expectations already set at a completely reasonable state championship.

 

From there, it's all about the Vikings and what the move to Kyler Murray means for J.J. McCarthy. With Kyler taking over as the starter and reports suggesting McCarthy's days in Minnesota could be numbered, the guys debate how the Vikings got here after spending a top-10 pick on J.J. Is Minnesota giving up too quickly, could another NFL team take a chance on him, and what does the situation say about Kevin O'Connell's reputation for getting the most out of quarterbacks? They also pump the brakes on the Kyler hype, looking at Minnesota's offensive line, his training camp performance, and why this could have all the ingredients of a classic 10-7 Vikings season.

 

The quarterback talk continues around the NFL with Cleveland's situation involving Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson. The guys make the case for giving Shedeur his opportunity, revisit his bizarre fall to the fifth round, and question how Cleveland ended up with one of the most intriguing young quarterbacks in the draft sitting behind Watson. Then it's over to Atlanta, where Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. give the Falcons a quarterback room with plenty of talent—and even more injury concerns.

 

The conversation turns into a bigger debate about what actually separates the NFL's best quarterbacks. From Caleb Williams creating something out of broken plays to Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen seemingly never being out of a game, the guys discuss why improvisation has become such an important part of playing quarterback in today's NFL.

 

Finally, how much of Baltimore's playoff frustration actually belongs to Lamar Jackson? The guys debate Lamar's postseason reputation, the Ravens' failure to surround him with an elite receiving corps, and whether Baltimore has spent years asking one of the league's most talented quarterbacks to do too much on his own.

 

Plus:

•Reliving the Vikings' chaotic 13-4 season

•Eric Bieniemy's coaching career

•Why Brian Flores remains in Minnesota

•The Vikings' turnover problems

•Kyler Murray behind Minnesota's offensive line

•An NFC North race that feels completely up for grabs

•Michael Penix Jr.'s injury history

•Zay Flowers and Baltimore's lack of receiving weapons

 

It's Vikings uncertainty, quarterback arguments, training camp reactions, and plenty of NFL hypotheticals as the season gets closer. Thanks so much for listening to Sports Guyz Only and be sure to subscribe and review!

 

Join Flyways Hunt Club and get 1 month free! Flyways Hunt Club

New Waterfowl Film out now! Out West | Waterfowl Hunting in Montana

Stay comfortable, dry and warm: First Lite

(Code MWF20) Go to OnXHunt to be better prepared for your hunt: OnX

Learn more about better ammo: Migra Ammunitions

Weatherby Sorix: Weatherby

Support Conservation: DU

(Code: Flyways) Stop saying "Huh?" with better hearing protection: Soundgear

Live Free: Turtlebox

Add motion to your spread: Flashback

Better Merch: /SHOP

This week on the Midwest Flyways Podcast, Joey joins some of the biggest voices in waterfowl for a special roundtable recorded at the Delta Waterfowl Expo. Ramsey Russell, Jeff Stanfield, Jon Sandvik, Billy Campbell, and Joel Brice sit down alongside Joey to talk about something that affects every duck hunter—the need for a stronger, more unified waterfowl community.

 

From public land competition and social media negativity to declining habitat and hunter recruitment, the group digs into why duck hunters can be so hard on each other and what needs to change. They discuss the unwritten rules of public land hunting, respecting other hunters, helping newcomers instead of running them off, and why the way we represent waterfowl hunting matters for its future.

 

The conversation also explores how duck hunting has changed over the decades. Better gear, shrinking habitat, increased pressure, fewer secret spots, and easier access to information have changed the experience—but the guys agree that treating each other better can go a long way. Joey also shares why introducing new hunters and getting kids into the field has always been such an important part of Midwest Flyways.

 

At the end of the day, everyone at the table shares the same goal: more ducks, more hunters, and a waterfowl community that's worth passing on to the next generation.

 

Topics Covered:

•Unifying the waterfowl hunting community

•Public land hunting etiquette

•Social media's impact on duck hunting

•Hunter competition and pressure

•Declining waterfowl habitat

•Introducing new hunters to duck hunting

•Getting kids into the outdoors

•Respecting other hunters and the resource

•Passing hunting traditions to the next generation

 

Thanks for listening to the Midwest Flyways Podcast! Be sure to check out the Flyways Hunt Club for even more exclusive content every week.

 

Join Flyways Hunt Club and get 1 month free! Flyways Hunt Club

New Waterfowl Film out now! Out West | Waterfowl Hunting in Montana

Stay comfortable, dry and warm: First Lite

(Code MWF20) Go to OnXHunt to be better prepared for your hunt: OnX

Learn more about better ammo: Migra Ammunitions

Weatherby Sorix: Weatherby

Support Conservation: DU

(Code: Flyways) Stop saying "Huh?" with better hearing protection: Soundgear

Live Free: Turtlebox

Add motion to your spread: Flashback

Better Merch: /SHOP

In this episode of Ten Minute Tuesday, we dive into the surprising legal battle that helped shape modern waterfowl hunting in America. The story begins in 1914 with an Arkansas hunter, a few coots, and a federal government attempting something brand new: regulating migratory birds across state lines. What started as a relatively small hunting violation quickly turned into a much bigger constitutional question—who actually has the authority to protect a duck that refuses to stay in one state?

The episode follows the early Weeks-McLean Act, the court cases that challenged federal waterfowl regulations, and the confusion hunters faced when state and federal seasons didn't agree. After federal judges ruled the original approach unconstitutional, the government changed strategies entirely. That eventually led to an international migratory bird treaty, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, and the Supreme Court's landmark Missouri v. Holland decision. It's a fascinating look at how duck hunting regulations, states' rights, conservation, and even international diplomacy became connected through the birds traveling America's flyways.

If you've ever sat in a duck blind and wondered why migratory bird regulations are federal in the first place, this history lesson explains how we got here—and how a handful of hunters and court cases helped build the waterfowl conservation system we still hunt under today.

Thanks for listening to the Midwest Flyways Podcast! Be sure to check out the Flyways Hunt Club for even more exclusive content every week.

 

Join Flyways Hunt Club and get 1 month free! Flyways Hunt Club

New Waterfowl Film out now! Out West | Waterfowl Hunting in Montana

Stay comfortable, dry and warm: First Lite

(Code MWF20) Go to OnXHunt to be better prepared for your hunt: OnX

Learn more about better ammo: Migra Ammunitions

Weatherby Sorix: Weatherby

Support Conservation: DU

(Code: Flyways) Stop saying "Huh?" with better hearing protection: Soundgear

Live Free: Turtlebox

Add motion to your spread: Flashback

Better Merch: /SHOP

This week on the Midwest Flyways Podcast, the guys keep it short as they get ready for one of the biggest outdoor events of the year—Game Fair. The crew shares everything attendees need to know before heading out, including where to find the Midwest Flyways crew, what's new this year, and all the giveaways, merch, and events planned throughout the weekend.

The guys introduce The Pit, a brand-new collaboration with Molt Gear on Waterfowl Hill featuring exclusive Midwest Flyways and More Mallards merchandise, daily giveaways, and a chance to hang out with the crew each afternoon. They also talk about the newest More Mallards apparel drop, Migra Ammunitions, Ducks Unlimited prize packs, Turtlebox giveaways, OnX memberships, and everything else happening around the booth.

The conversation wraps up with stories from Delta Waterfowl's recent event, why building a stronger waterfowl community matters, and, as always, a few completely off-the-rails conversations about TV shows, recurring nightmares, and the strange things that somehow end up on every Midwest Flyways Podcast.

Topics Covered:

•Game Fair 2026 preview

•Introducing The Pit on Waterfowl Hill

•Daily giveaways and exclusive merchandise

•More Mallards apparel launch

•Flyways Hunt Club updates

•Delta Waterfowl event recap

•Building a better waterfowl community

•TV shows, dreams, and random tangents

 

Thanks for listening to the Midwest Flyways Podcast! If you're heading to Game Fair, be sure to stop by The Pit and say hello. And if you want even more behind-the-scenes content, join the Flyways Hunt Club.

 

Join Flyways Hunt Club and get 1 month free! Flyways Hunt Club

New Waterfowl Film out now! Out West | Waterfowl Hunting in Montana

Stay comfortable, dry and warm: First Lite

(Code MWF20) Go to OnXHunt to be better prepared for your hunt: OnX

Learn more about better ammo: Migra Ammunitions

Weatherby Sorix: Weatherby

Support Conservation: DU

(Code: Flyways) Stop saying "Huh?" with better hearing protection: Soundgear

Live Free: Turtlebox

Add motion to your spread: Flashback

Better Merch: /SHOP

In this episode of Ten Minute Tuesday, the guys explore the origins of America's legendary duck clubs and how simple hunting camps evolved into some of the most influential places in waterfowl history. Long before modern lodges and managed properties, these clubs became gathering places where business leaders, politicians, and passionate hunters came together to experience some of the greatest duck hunting the continent has ever seen.

The episode highlights the rise of iconic clubs like the Chicago Gun Club, the incredible waterfowl habitat that once lined the Illinois River, and the traditions that helped shape modern duck hunting culture. From hand-carved cedar decoys and wooden boats to train rides into the marsh and mornings spent waiting on endless flights of canvasbacks and mallards, it's a fascinating look at a time when the experience of the hunt mattered just as much as the birds themselves. Along the way, the guys reflect on why the idea of a classic duck club still captures the imagination of waterfowl hunters today.

If you enjoy waterfowl history, legendary hunting destinations, and the stories that built today's duck hunting traditions, this episode is one you won't want to miss.

Thanks for listening to the Midwest Flyways Podcast! Be sure to check out the Flyways Hunt Club for even more exclusive content every week.

 

Join Flyways Hunt Club and get 1 month free! Flyways Hunt Club

New Waterfowl Film out now! Out West | Waterfowl Hunting in Montana

Stay comfortable, dry and warm: First Lite

(Code MWF20) Go to OnXHunt to be better prepared for your hunt: OnX

Learn more about better ammo: Migra Ammunitions

Weatherby Sorix: Weatherby

Support Conservation: DU

(Code: Flyways) Stop saying "Huh?" with better hearing protection: Soundgear

Live Free: Turtlebox

Add motion to your spread: Flashback

Better Merch: /SHOP

This week on Sports Guyz Only Brian O'Neill's contract extension sets the tone for another lively episode as the guys debate whether the Vikings made the right move, leading to plenty of passionate opinions and a few memorable rants. Along the way, they swap stories about brutal fantasy football losses, gambling heartbreak, and the broke-college meals that somehow tasted like five-star cuisine at the time.

From there, the conversation shifts to the NBA as LeBron James' reported move to Philadelphia sparks a debate about what could be his final superteam. The crew breaks down whether the 76ers become instant championship favorites, where the Timberwolves stack up in the title race, and why Anthony Edwards and Minnesota could be poised for another deep playoff run. They also rank their biggest contenders and discuss whether stars can truly change the culture of a team.

The guys also dive into the Vikings' offseason, reacting to Jamal Adams signing in Minnesota, Harrison Smith's uncertain future, and whether Aaron Rodgers can still lead a team back to the playoffs. Plus, they brainstorm a punishment for this season's NFL pick'em competition that could leave the loser sporting some questionable gear.

To close out the show, it's a rapid-fire round of buy-or-sell predictions before the conversation turns to FIFA, UEFA, and whether the growing commercialization of the World Cup is pushing international soccer in the wrong direction.

Plus:
•Fantasy football gambling disasters
•The best broke-college meals ever created
•NFL betting rules everyone should follow
•Which professional sports team they'd buy with $20 billion
•The best investment in sports ownership
•Will MLB finally adopt a salary cap?
•Could the NFL expand internationally?
•The future of FIFA and the World Cup

As always, it's NFL hot takes, NBA offseason debates, soccer talk, and enough laughs to keep the group chat going long after the microphones are off. Thanks so much for listening to Sports Guyz Only and be sure to subscribe and review!

 

Join Flyways Hunt Club and get 1 month free! Flyways Hunt Club

New Waterfowl Film out now! Out West | Waterfowl Hunting in Montana

Stay comfortable, dry and warm: First Lite

(Code MWF20) Go to OnXHunt to be better prepared for your hunt: OnX

Learn more about better ammo: Migra Ammunitions

Weatherby Sorix: Weatherby

Support Conservation: DU

(Code: Flyways) Stop saying "Huh?" with better hearing protection: Soundgear

Live Free: Turtlebox

Add motion to your spread: Flashback

Better Merch: /SHOP

This week on the Midwest Flyways Podcast we dive into one of the hottest waterfowl topics in Minnesota: the DNR's proposed optional three-duck bag limit aimed at making duck hunting more approachable for new hunters. While everyone agrees that recruiting the next generation of duck hunters is critical, the crew debates whether simplifying regulations is really the solution, or if the real problems lie elsewhere.

The conversation explores the biggest barriers facing new waterfowl hunters, from learning duck identification and navigating regulations to finding quality places to hunt. The guys also discuss public land access, habitat management, declining duck production, and whether conservation dollars are being spent where they'll have the greatest impact.

Before the debate heats up, the crew shares stories from the goose calling competition world, including judging contests, sticking notes on stage, and the pressure of competing against the best callers in the country. They also wrap things up with another round of Say What?!

Topics Covered:
•Minnesota's proposed optional three-duck bag limit
•Will simpler regulations recruit new duck hunters?
•Duck identification and hunter education
•Public land access and waterfowl habitat
•Goose calling contests and judging stories
•Another round of Say What?!

Thanks for listening to the Midwest Flyways Podcast! Be sure to check out the Flyways Hunt Club for even more exclusive content every week.

 

Join Flyways Hunt Club and get 1 month free! Flyways Hunt Club

New Waterfowl Film out now! Out West | Waterfowl Hunting in Montana

Stay comfortable, dry and warm: First Lite

(Code MWF20) Go to OnXHunt to be better prepared for your hunt: OnX

Learn more about better ammo: Migra Ammunitions

Weatherby Sorix: Weatherby

Support Conservation: DU

(Code: Flyways) Stop saying "Huh?" with better hearing protection: Soundgear

Live Free: Turtlebox

Add motion to your spread: Flashback

Better Merch: /SHOP

In this episode of Ten Minute Tuesday, the guys take a step back from tactics and gear to talk about something even more important: what it really means to be a waterfowl hunter. As duck numbers face ongoing declines and wetlands continue to disappear, they discuss why every hunter has a role to play in protecting the future of the sport and why conservation is about much more than simply improving hunting opportunities.

The conversation explores the realities facing waterfowl today, including declining wild mallard populations, wetland loss, and the importance of organizations like Ducks Unlimited and Delta Waterfowl. Rather than focusing on controversy, the episode encourages hunters to become students of the resource, understand the challenges facing ducks, and recognize how small the waterfowl hunting community really is compared to the rest of the country.

Whether you're a lifelong waterfowl hunter or just getting started, this episode offers an important perspective on the responsibility that comes with the sport and why protecting ducks today ensures future generations will have the same opportunities we enjoy.

Thanks for listening to the Midwest Flyways Podcast! Be sure to check out the Flyways Hunt Club for even more exclusive content every week.

 

Join Flyways Hunt Club and get 1 month free! Flyways Hunt Club

New Waterfowl Film out now! Out West | Waterfowl Hunting in Montana

Stay comfortable, dry and warm: First Lite

(Code MWF20) Go to OnXHunt to be better prepared for your hunt: OnX

Learn more about better ammo: Migra Ammunitions

Weatherby Sorix: Weatherby

Support Conservation: DU

(Code: Flyways) Stop saying "Huh?" with better hearing protection: Soundgear

Live Free: Turtlebox

Add motion to your spread: Flashback

Better Merch: /SHOP