Ducks Unlimited Podcast

If North America’s duck populations are the engine of waterfowl hunting, the Prairie Pothole Region is its factory—and keeping that factory running requires permanence, partnerships, and people on the land.

In this episode, DU Senior Waterfowl Scientist and host, Dr. Mike Brasher, continues the regional operations series with Dr. Johann Walker, Director of Operations for the Great Plains Region, based in Bismarck, North Dakota. Johann brings more than two decades of experience working in the heart of the prairie duck factory and offers a candid, detailed look at habitat conditions, conservation delivery, and the role of permanent easements in sustaining duck populations and rural communities.

The conversation covers current wetland conditions across the Dakotas, migration timing, and how improved spring moisture may influence breeding distribution this year. From there, it dives deep into DU’s most important conservation tool in the prairies: voluntary grassland and wetland easements.

In this episode, listeners will hear about:
Spring habitat conditions across the Prairie Pothole Region
Wet years vs. dry years and what Johann has seen over 22 years on the prairies
How migration timing interacts with available wetland conditions
Why permanent grassland and wetland easements are critical for the future of duck production
How the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Small Wetlands Acquisition Program works
Why easements are voluntary, minimally restrictive, and landowner‑driven
How Duck Stamp dollars directly fund prairie easements
Threats to conservation easements and what DU is doing to defend them 
Why permanence matters for both wildlife and working ranches
The rancher’s perspective on protecting grassland for future generations
Philanthropic support accelerating large‑scale habitat protection
Additional DU programs restoring grasslands, wetlands, and migration habitat
Expanding public access while supporting private landowners
Why protecting prairies today matters for hunters tomorrow

This episode offers one of the clearest explanations yet of how Ducks Unlimited protects the prairie duck factory—and how every duck stamp buyer plays a role in that success.

SPONSORS:
Purina Pro Plan: The official performance dog food of Ducks Unlimited
Whether you're a seasoned hunter or just getting started, this episode is packed with valuable insights into the world of waterfowl hunting and conservation.
Bird Dog Whiskey and Cocktails:
Whether you’re winding down with your best friend, or celebrating with your favorite crew, Bird Dog brings award-winning flavor to every moment. Enjoy responsibly.

Becoming a world champion doesn’t happen by accident — it happens through discipline, repetition, and an unrelenting desire to improve.
In this episode, host Matt Harrison sits down with Chance Wadsworth, a three‑time undisputed World Live Goose Calling Champion and founder of Quill Creek Calls, to talk about competition calling, practice mentality, design philosophy, and how elite calling translates to real‑world hunting success.
Chance shares his journey from growing up in the outdoors to discovering contest calling, the mindset required to win at the highest level, and why greatness comes down to doing the fundamentals over and over — even when it’s not fun.
In this episode, listeners will hear about:
How Chance first got into waterfowl hunting and goose calling
Discovering contest calling and chasing a competitive edge
What separates world champions from everyone else
Why “desire and repetition” matter more than talent
How Chance approached practice early in his career
Using focused, intentional practice to refine skills
The mental process of stepping onto the world stage
Why defending a title is harder than winning the first
What judges listen for in elite live‑goose routines
The importance of cadence, flow, and realism
Common mistakes beginners make in goose calling
Accepting failure and building a strong calling foundation
Starting a call company and designing the Quill Creek Mark I
Translating contest calling into real‑world traffic hunts
Staying motivated after winning at the highest level
Whether you’re a competitive caller, a die‑hard goose hunter, or simply someone who appreciates mastery of a craft, this episode offers insight into what it takes to truly separate yourself from the field.
SPONSORS:
Purina Pro Plan: The official performance dog food of Ducks Unlimited
Whether you're a seasoned hunter or just getting started, this episode is packed with valuable insights into the world of waterfowl hunting and conservation.
Bird Dog Whiskey and Cocktails:
Whether you’re winding down with your best friend, or celebrating with your favorite crew, Bird Dog brings award-winning flavor to every moment. Enjoy responsibly.

Concern for waterfowl populations and frustration with the status quo of duck harvest management in the late 80s stimulated new ideas for setting annual regulations and learning about their effects. Dr. Jim Nichols, retired senior scientist from Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and one of the godfathers of Adaptive Harvest Management, joins the DU Podcast to introduce waterfowl harvest dynamics, adaptive management, and the regulatory atmosphere that ultimately produced AHM.
SPONSORS:
Purina Pro Plan: The official performance dog food of Ducks Unlimited
Whether you're a seasoned hunter or just getting started, this episode is packed with valuable insights into the world of waterfowl hunting and conservation.
Bird Dog Whiskey and Cocktails:
Whether you’re winding down with your best friend, or celebrating with your favorite crew, Bird Dog brings award-winning flavor to every moment. Enjoy responsibly.

Ducks Unlimited and Dow have partnered for decades to deliver real conservation outcomes — but this relationship is now entering a new and innovative phase.
In this episode, host Dr. Jerad Henson is joined by Dr. Amy Beasley, Sustainability Director for Water and Nature at Dow, and Dr. Ellen Herbert, Ducks Unlimited’s Sustainability Director, to explore how a long‑standing corporate conservation partnership has expanded beyond traditional project delivery into a strategic, science‑driven collaboration. The discussion traces the 70‑year history between Dow and Ducks Unlimited, highlights milestone conservation achievements, and then digs into how the two organizations are now working together to help Dow evaluate land assets, water and nature risks, and community connections in ways that benefit wildlife, the environment, and long‑term business resilience.
In this episode, listeners will hear about:
Dow’s journey into sustainability and why water and nature are inseparable
A 70‑year partnership between Dow and Ducks Unlimited
Early landmark conservation investments tied to the North American Waterfowl Management Plan
Wetland restoration projects in Michigan’s Shiawassee Basin
Canadian Prairie Pothole and parklands forage programs benefiting ranchers, ducks, and water security
How DU’s science and geospatial expertise supports corporate land‑use decisions
The shift from project delivery to strategic conservation planning
Why watersheds, habitat, and community access matter to both conservation and industry
Real‑world examples, including Dow’s Carrollton, Kentucky facility
Measuring impact, building a business case for conservation, and scaling success
How private industry can reduce water risk while improving habitat and community outcomes
This episode offers a rare, transparent look at how conservation organizations and global companies can work together — not just to restore habitat, but to create long‑term resilience for people, wildlife, and communities.

SPONSORS:
Purina Pro Plan: The official performance dog food of Ducks Unlimited
Whether you're a seasoned hunter or just getting started, this episode is packed with valuable insights into the world of waterfowl hunting and conservation.
Bird Dog Whiskey and Cocktails:
Whether you’re winding down with your best friend, or celebrating with your favorite crew, Bird Dog brings award-winning flavor to every moment. Enjoy responsibly.

Ducks Unlimited’s work in the Southern United States is complex, diverse, and more critical than ever.
In this episode, host Dr. Mike Brasher continues the regional conservation series with Jerry Holden, Senior Director of Operations for Ducks Unlimited’s Southern Region. Jerry oversees DU’s conservation delivery across the southern portions of the Mississippi, Central, and Atlantic Flyways, managing one of the organization’s largest and most diverse conservation portfolios.
The conversation spans from duck hunting conditions and flyway dynamics to large‑scale engineering, coastal resilience, private‑lands conservation, and some of the most significant land protection efforts in DU’s history.
In this episode, listeners will hear about:
The 2025–26 waterfowl season across the Southern Region and why outcomes varied so widely
“Spatial discontinuity” and how migratory birds create winners and losers each season
The scope and purpose of DU’s Southern Region field offices across the Gulf Coast and MAV
Why engineering is central to DU’s coastal resilience work in Texas, Louisiana, and the Atlantic Coast
How Ducks Unlimited partners with NRC​S to implement Farm Bill conservation programs
Clearing up misconceptions about DU’s work on private land
The growing role of conservation easements and permanent land protection
A historic donated conservation easement in coastal South Carolina
DU’s leadership role in restoring Arkansas’s greentree reservoir systems
Balancing public expectations with long‑term forest and wetland sustainability
Why DU continues expanding the public land base across the Southern landscape
This episode offers an inside look at how DU delivers conservation at scale—often in places where water, land use, and wildlife interests intersect most intensely—and why that work matters now more than ever.
SPONSORS:
Purina Pro Plan: The official performance dog food of Ducks Unlimited
Whether you're a seasoned hunter or just getting started, this episode is packed with valuable insights into the world of waterfowl hunting and conservation.
Bird Dog Whiskey and Cocktails:
Whether you’re winding down with your best friend, or celebrating with your favorite crew, Bird Dog brings award-winning flavor to every moment. Enjoy responsibly.