Navigating giant ships was not only a dream come true for John Dunaway, it was destiny. His family had done similarly for generations. An avid Texas wing shooter and creative story teller, Dunaway puts on his pilot’s hat today, recalling high seas adventures to include middle-of-nowhere wildlife, dangerous pirates, storms, being stuck in countries due to crazy circumstances, cargo escorts, and other things seen, experienced. Ships ahoy!
The sky overhead is filled with more decoying snow geese than stars, birds are cleaned, scouting’s completed and it’ll soon be time to start dinner. For Tekton Game Calls maker, Joey D’Amico and world champ decoy carver, Luke Costilow, it’s just another day in paradise. They brought their full-time regular jobs along with them to Saskatchewan, too. They describe all that goes into guiding geese and ducks on the prairies and why they’d have it no other way.
Mornings turn into seasons turn into years, and before we know it our entire hunting lifetime–the best of times spent with family, friends and retrievers–is in our wake. I’ve never been one to journal hunting experiences. Until now. The new Huntproof app makes it way too simple to document harvests, species, retrieves, weather conditions, scouting reports, photos, to generate season summaries and to share with friends. Heck, it even uses my hunting data to predict where I should hunt based on past events and weather conditions! But what makes it so much better than similar apps? Is it really that simple? How might HuntProof change the way you hunt? Avid waterfowl hunters themselves, developers Nathan Marks and Steve Willi describe their inspirations for HuntProof and what all went into developing this amazing tool. I’m now personally using Huntproof worldwide, wishing I’d had it all these years, and absolutely certain that every single waterfowler out there will appreciate having it in their hip pocket. See related link below.
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For a week we crawled up Andes Mountains switchback trails and along Pacific Ocean estuaries while duck hunting in Peru, but were it not for our tour guides Raneiri and Dwight, it’d have ended right there. More than just a duck hunt, these two amazing young men were our cultural interpreters among indigenous high-altitude shepherd families, exhibition bullfights and cockfights, newly discovered ruins, and roadside alpaca skinnings and beachside cafes. In today’s episode, they offer perspectives into these uniquely immersive Peru duck hunting experiences. Watch Life’s Short GetDucks: Peru Duck Hunting at GetDucks YouTube Channel (link below).
Related Links:
>>> Life’s Short GetDucks: Peru Duck Hunting Video (GetDucks YouTube Channel)
>>> Peru Duck Hunting (at GetDucks.com)
The oldest waterfowl decoys on earth were discovered in the Pacific Flyway. There are century-plus-years-old hunting clubs, and pit blind hunting may have even originated there. Bull hunting was borrowed from a traditional Mexican trick of the trade for filling up the commercial meat wagon quickly—all those gold rushers had to eat after all. Then came the goose patrols. Former US presidents broke personal records. Hollywood A-listers and famous athletes, business people from far and wide, market hunters and market-hunters-turned-professional-guides, friends and neighbors — all flocked to Pacific Flyway wetlands in pursuit of waterfowl. Waterfowl hunting led Yancey Forest-Knowles and Wayne Capooth to individually research waterfowling’s storied past such that they became foremost authorities. Today they treat listeners to a rare glimpse into the Pacific Flyway’s dramatic waterfowling history.
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Yancey Forest-Knowles and Wayne Capooth newest collaboration is “The Pacific Flyway: Historic Waterfowling Images.” They provide contact information in today’s episode.
On October 19, 1977, Lynyrd Skynyrd was inarguably the greatest rock band touring the USA and played what was their final concert in Greenville, South Carolina. While enroute to Baton Rouge on October 20th, their plane crashed in the remote southwest Mississippi woodlands, killing 6 passengers to include frontman Ronny Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and backup vocalist Cassie Gaines. Decades later, their classic southern rock ballads are remembered worldwide – and everyone has a favorite Skynyrd song! Lee Kjos describes why Skynyrd remains his all-time favorite band. We then visit personally with Ronnie Van Zant’s childhood friend and bodyguard, Gene Odom, and several Amite County, Mississippi locals who first responded to the crash. What was growing up in Jacksonville like for Ronnie Van Zant? How’d they develop their band name, what events inspired their lyrics, and what was it like touring with them? What kind of guy was Ronnie Van Zant and how would he likely have wanted to be remembered? What do first responders most remember about that day? What compelled them to privately fund and to recently construct a beautiful Lynyrd Skynyrd Monument nearby? Having met these guests and heard their stories, what’s Ramsey’s final take on it? All of these questions and some incredible never-before-told anecdotes in today’s very special from-the-vault episode of Duck Season Somewhere. We received tons of feedback when this episode first aired in 2020. Turn it up.
In 1899, the Tarpon Club in gulf-coastal Texas was the most expensive, expansive and exclusive club in the world, its membership dubbed the “First Four Hundred Sportsman of America,” whose combined wealth reached into the hundred-millions. Or so said E.H.R. “Ned” Green, the one-legged, prostitute-loving son of the richest woman in the world. Texas historian Rob Sawyer describes the Tarpon Club and other exploits of one of the wealthiest and most accomplished historical American figures you’ve never heard of! Truth is way stranger than fiction!
We only thought we’d seen and done a lot together until videographer, Jake Latendresse and I went duck hunting in Peru. From nearly 16,000 feet high into the Andes Mountains for a handful of mountain waterfowl species found nowhere else on earth to along the Pacific Ocean at sea-level duck for cinnamon teal and white-cheeked pintail, every day was an absolute stand-alone adventure. But the incredible duck hunting was itself only the spear tip. It was the complete cultural immersion into ways of life we’d never before encountered that left an indelible impression. Jake’s behind-the-camera attention to detail makes him perfect for such adventures, and today he articulates this unique Peru duck hunting experience. Watch the Life’s Short GetDucks: Peru Duck Hunting video on GetDucks YouTube Channel (link below).
Related Links:
>>> Life’s Short GetDucks: Peru Duck Hunting Video (GetDucks YouTube Channel)
>>> Peru Duck Hunting (at GetDucks.com)
On October 17, 2007, the hammer finally came down on young Sam Necaise, who believed himself bulletproof. It came in the form of “every green game warden truck in the state of Mississippi and guys wearing FBI jackets.” Swinging that big hammer was Kennie Prince, lead undercover investigator of Operation Stoned Duck. Necaise and Prince each recall that fateful day from their own perspectives. And while the good guys won and Necaise was incarcerated for his crimes, the story was not over. Far from it. An amazing story of redemption, of faith and of friendship had, in fact, only just begun. You do not want to miss this final episode! I promise it will leave you with plenty to think about during the quiet moments between life’s volleys.
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The Poacher’s Nightmare: Stories of an Undercover Game Warden
It was right here–this exact location–in downtown Houston that I found smoke-infused religion. Purveyor of real Texas barbecue and former world-champ, Grant Pinkerton, and I visit at Pinkerton’s Barbecue, running through the finer points of beef versus pork ribs, brisket, whole hog cooking, world championship cook-offs and starting them young. Just in time for the upcoming season, he details tried-and-true, smoked-to-perfection methods, swapping favorite recipes for ducks, geese, doves and side dishes, too. Mouth-watering episode.