Ducks Unlimited Podcast Ducks Unlimited Inc.

Luke Naylor, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission waterfowl program coordinator, joins host Chris Jennings to discuss the current state of habitat and hunting conditions in the Natural State. Naylor recently finished tabulating the mid-winter aerial survey and the pair discuss numbers and potential causes for the end results. Contact the DU Podcast via email at DUPodcast@ducks.org with recommendations or questions. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast

Dr. Jim Nichols rejoins the DU Podcast to share stories about early champions of Adaptive Harvest Management and how they promoted it as a better way of setting harvest regulations, with unexpected support resulting from unusual political maneuverings in the mid-90s. Dr. Nicholas and Dr. Mike Brasher also begin discussing key components of AHM, including harvest management objectives and regulatory packages, with a goal of demystifying some of the “black box” of AHM. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast

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 DU Podcast to introduce waterfowl harvest dynamics, adaptive management, and the regulatory atmosphere that ultimately produced AHM. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast

With the 2020-21 duck season winding down, we look ahead at how spring wetland conditions may be shaping up. Dr. Scott Stephens, DU Canada’s director of regional operations for prairies and boreal, rejoins the DU Podcast to discuss conditions needed to produce abundant spring wetlands and provides an update on where we currently stand. Lingering drought from 2020, poor frost seal, and sparse winter snow across much of the Canadian prairies create a grim forecast at this stage. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast

The ideas of “fair” and “equitable” in harvest distribution have been a challenging undercurrent for regulatory decisions over the years. Dale Humburg and Ken Babcock join the DU Podcast one last time to discuss zones and splits, “shortstopping” in geese, the frustration it caused, and how managers tried to adapt. Also discussed are lead poisoning, non-toxic shot regulations, and the birth of Adaptive Harvest Management, each of which brought their own need for adaptation. www.ducks.org/DUPodcas

The 1970s and 80s brought a flurry of activity, including early teal seasons, stabilized regulations, foundational analyses of compensatory vs. additive mortality, new views on harvest management, and the most important development for waterfowl management in at least 50 years – the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. Repeat guests Ken Babcock and Dale Humburg rejoin the DU Podcast to continue a discussion about the history of waterfowl harvest management. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast