The Fowl Life

Chad Belding
  • 4.4 (201)
  • Sports
  • Weekly

As Chad chases the waterfowl migration, each new episode, brings you a behind-the-scenes experience at different Duck Hunting Camps across the U.S. Here you’ll get to hear from industry leaders, expert waterfowl hunters, professional athletes and folks that are just as obsessed as you are about waterfowl hunting. You’ll find advice on choosing the right gear, learn new hunting strategies, duck calling techniques, how to prepare wild game and so much more. So, join the conversation and subscribe to the podcast so you’ll get future episodes downloaded directly to your computer, phone or tablet.

  1. 1d ago

    E593 - He Picked Milwaukee Before Game 1 | Will Clark & Hunter McLemore Part 1

    Will Clark picked Milwaukee before Game 1 of the World Series. Then the Brewers went out and won the whole thing. Will is in Saskatchewan with Chad and Hunter McLemore, a former college baseball player who grew up in one of the most respected duck-calling families in the country. What starts with baseball quickly finds its way into the duck blind. Will talks about what his career would be worth in today’s game, why he stayed on Major League Baseball’s insurance plan for his son, and why eyesight was the most important part of his swing. He explains how shooting skeet helped him recognize movement, react faster, and hit a baseball. Hunter tells Chad what it was like growing up with his father, Mike McLemore, who won three World Duck Calling Championships before becoming Champion of Champions. He gets into the practice behind that sound, the lessons hunters can only learn by watching real birds, and why he believes these are the good old days of waterfowl hunting. They break down a tough morning in Saskatchewan, what happens when a field full of birds changes overnight, and why hunting Canada is nowhere near the guaranteed limit people make it out to be. This episode is brought to you by Federal Premium Ammunition, Banded Brands, CamoSpace, Safari Club International, Benelli Shotguns, HiViz Sights, Rob Roberts Custom Gunworks, Eukanuba Premium Dog Food, and GATR Coolers & Drinkware.

    E593 - He Picked Milwaukee Before Game 1 | Will Clark & Hunter McLemore Part 1

  2. Nov 6

    E592 - Inside the Shell That Changed Waterfowl Hunting | Dan Compton, Adam Moser & Eric Carlson

    Nearly 20 years ago, Federal Premium launched a steel load that changed what waterfowl hunters carried into the blind. Now three of the men behind Black Cloud are telling the full story. Dan Compton, Adam Moser, and Eric Carlson sit down with Chad in Canada to explain what actually happens after you pull the trigger. They break down Federal’s primer technology, propellant, FLITECONTROL FLEX wad, FLITESTOPPER pellets, pattern density, shot size, choke selection, and why every part of the shell matters when temperatures drop and birds refuse to finish. The guys get honest about Black Cloud’s early problems with ported chokes, the engineering work that fixed them, the ethical limits of steel, and why patterning your shotgun is still one of the most important things a hunter can do. Then, there is the snow goose test that ended with hundreds of birds on the ground and shattered vehicle windows hundreds of yards away. This is an honest and unique look inside the failures, testing, science, and obsession that built one of the most trusted shot shells in waterfowl hunting. This episode is presented by Federal Premium Ammunition and brought to you by Benelli Shotguns, HiViz Sights, Rob Roberts Custom Gunworks, CamoSpace, Banded Brands, Safari Club International, MOJO Outdoors, Realtree Camo, and Jargon Game Calls.

    E592 - Inside the Shell That Changed Waterfowl Hunting | Dan Compton, Adam Moser & Eric Carlson

  3. Nov 3

    E591 - Are You Running the Wrong Tires? | Chris Holt of Mickey Thompson

    Most hunters know which tires look tough. But few know whether it is actually right for the miles between home and the field. Chris Holt of Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels joins Chad to talk about everything from highway mileage to muddy cornfields, deep snow, towing trailers across the country, tread life, traction, and why the most aggressive tire is not always the smartest choice. But Chris is more than a tire guy. Born in Poland and adopted into a Michigan family, he was introduced to hunting by his wife. Now he is raising his kids on venison, chasing Michigan whitetails, and helping carry forward one of the most recognizable names in American motorsports. From Mickey Thompson’s racing roots and American manufacturing to Michigan deer camp, Detroit-style pizza, Pokémon, and a little Bad Boys basketball, this conversation covers some ground. This episode is presented by Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels and brought to you by Federal Premium Ammunition, Banded Brands, GATR Coolers & Drinkware, Corning Ford, ESP Hearing Protection, CamoSpace, Bodyguard Bumpers, Bedslide, and LEER Truck Toppers. Thank you for supporting the brands who support us!

    E591 - Are You Running the Wrong Tires? | Chris Holt of Mickey Thompson

  4. Oct 30

    E590 - He Gets Paid to Hunt Geese and Ride Snowmobiles | Blake Lasanski

    Blake Lasanski turned the Wisconsin outdoors into a full-time job. From filming goose hunts to documenting high-level snowmobiling, he built Blake Media around the pursuits most people have to save for the weekend. TFL Midwest Host Joel Kleefisch gets the story behind the camera before the conversation turns to something every sportsman and woman should be thinking about: voting. They talk about what happens when hunters stay home on Election Day and what that can mean for your rights, your access, and your future in the field. This episode is brought to you by Travel Wisconsin and CamoSpace.

    E590 - He Gets Paid to Hunt Geese and Ride Snowmobiles | Blake Lasanski

  5. Oct 23

    E589 - Ted Nugent to Hunters: Leave the Blind and Go Vote

    Ted Nugent has a message for every hunter thinking about choosing opening day over Election Day. Leave the blind. Go vote. Ted joins Chad after being inducted into the Michigan Outdoor Hall of Fame, but the celebration quickly turns into something much heavier. An EHD outbreak has devastated his Michigan property, and Ted says more than 90 percent of the deer are gone. From there, nothing is off limits. Ted and Chad go after wildlife regulations they believe punish responsible hunters, question how much authority government agencies should have over private land, and talk about what happens when the people funding conservation are treated like criminals. They also share what hunting has given wounded veterans, why the outdoor life can pull people out of their darkest moments, and why Ted believes America’s hunters could decide the future of the country if they stopped sitting out elections. It is loud, raw, political, and completely unfiltered. Exactly what happens when Chad Belding and Ted Nugent get rolling. This episode features an unfiltered conversation. The opinions expressed belong to the individuals speaking and do not represent the views of The Fowl Life’s partners or sponsors. This episode is brought to you by Safari Club International, Benelli Shotguns, Federal Premium Ammunition, Banded Brands, CamoSpace, Eukanuba Premium Dog Food, Mossy Pond Retrievers, HiViz Sights, Mojo Outdoors, and Jack Link’s Protein Snacks.

    E589 - Ted Nugent to Hunters: Leave the Blind and Go Vote

  6. Oct 20

    E588 - Where the Heck Are the Ducks? | Dr. Chris Nicolai, Part 2

    The duck counts say the birds are out there. So where the heck are they? Dr. Chris Nicolai is back for Part 2, and Chad goes straight to the questions waterfowl hunters argue about every season. Are the counts accurate? Are warm winters changing migration? Is hunting pressure keeping birds north of the border? Could shorter seasons and smaller limits be coming? Chris breaks down what the science actually shows, why Canada has lost so many resident waterfowl hunters, and how fewer hunters can still create more pressure when the remaining crowd is willing to travel farther and hunt harder. Chad also turns the conversation on himself. What happens when television, social media, and the hunting industry expose places that once stayed quiet? How much responsibility do content creators carry when attention leads to crowds, leases, and disappearing access? From public land and duck stamps to flooded corn, Canadian regulations, terminal wetlands, and the future of waterfowl hunting, Part 2 goes directly into the questions hunters cannot stop asking. This episode is brought to you by Safari Club International, Ducks Unlimited, Nutrien Ag Solutions, CamoSpace, Banded Brands, Benelli Shotguns, Federal Premium Ammunition, HiViz Sights, Mojo Outdoors, and Realtree Camo.

    E588 - Where the Heck Are the Ducks? | Dr. Chris Nicolai, Part 2

  7. Oct 12

    E587 - Only 8% of Mallards Die From a Gun | Dr. Chris Nicolai, Part 1

    Only eight percent of this year’s mallards will die from a gun. So what is killing the other 92 percent? Waterfowl biologist Dr. Chris Nicolai is back with Chad for a conversation that might change how hunters think about migration, mortality, and their own place in waterfowl conservation. In Part 1, Chris explains why the terminal wetlands of the Great Basin need to dry out before they can come roaring back. He and Chad get into whether ducks can forget historic migration stops, how pair bonds can move birds between flyways, why Canada geese may respond to aggressive calling, and what really happened to all those neck collars hunters used to see. They take on the culture surrounding bands. Chris explains what it costs to capture and mark waterfowl, how deliberately targeting marked birds can compromise the research, and why hunters may be hurting the same work their conservation dollars helped fund. Then, they finish with the question Chad has wrestled with during early Canadian hunts: Does killing hens actually hurt the population? Chris answers it with a number most duck hunters have never heard. This episode is brought to you by Safari Club International, Benelli Shotguns, Federal Premium Ammunition, Banded Brands, CamoSpace, Nutrien Ag Solutions, HiViz Sights, Avery Outdoors, Mojo Outdoors, and GATR Coolers & Drinkware.

    E587 - Only 8% of Mallards Die From a Gun | Dr. Chris Nicolai, Part 1

  8. Oct 8

    E586 - The Photo the World Never Forgot | Hannah Stonehouse Hudson

    Fourteen years later, the photograph of John Unger holding his sleeping dog, Schoep, in Lake Superior still stops people in their tracks. TFL Midwest Host Joel Kleefisch sits down with photographer and award-winning outdoor journalist Hannah Stonehouse Hudson for the story behind the image that traveled around the world. What began as a quiet moment between a man and his aging dog became one of the most unforgettable photographs of the social media era. Hannah also talks about the hunting dogs at the heart of her work, what she sees when a bird dog is doing exactly what it was bred to do, and why those photographs can mean even more years down the road. This episode is brought to you by Travel Wisconsin and Camospace!

    E586 - The Photo the World Never Forgot | Hannah Stonehouse Hudson
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4.4
out of 5
201 Ratings

About

As Chad chases the waterfowl migration, each new episode, brings you a behind-the-scenes experience at different Duck Hunting Camps across the U.S. Here you’ll get to hear from industry leaders, expert waterfowl hunters, professional athletes and folks that are just as obsessed as you are about waterfowl hunting. You’ll find advice on choosing the right gear, learn new hunting strategies, duck calling techniques, how to prepare wild game and so much more. So, join the conversation and subscribe to the podcast so you’ll get future episodes downloaded directly to your computer, phone or tablet.

Information

  • Creator
    Chad Belding
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    500
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    The Fowl Life

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