The North American Waterfowler

Elliott Snider
  • 4.6 (108)
  • Wilderness
  • Updated Weekly

The North American Waterfowler Podcast was established on January 1, 2023. Hosted by Elliott Snider, creator of the Freelance Duck Hunting YouTube channel and former co-host of The Duck Gun Podcast. This podcast will bring you content on every aspect of Waterfowl Hunting.

  1. 3d ago

    Episode #303 Has Duck Migration Really Changed? 60+ Years of Data Tell the Story

    Contact Elliott: freelanceduckhunting@gmail.com Support the Show: http://www.patreon.com/freelanceduckhunting Has duck migration really changed over the last 60+ years? Waterfowl hunters have debated it for years. Are ducks staying farther north? Has migration shifted east or west? Are the birds simply not going where they used to? In this special collaborative episode with the Ducks Unlimited Podcast, I’m joined by Dr. Mike Brasher, Dr. Heath Hagy, and Dr. Lisa Webb to break down the Verheijen Studies—research that used decades of band recovery data to examine changes in waterfowl migration and distribution from October through January. The researchers looked at 15 species in the original study and then took a deeper look at mallards, northern pintails, and blue-winged teal. What they found is fascinating and in some cases, surprising. We also discuss the question every duck hunter is going to ask: WHY have these changes occurred? Weather? Habitat? Agricultural food sources? Something else? The current research tells us what has changed. The next phase of their work is attempting to determine why. This episode gets technical at times, but if you care about ducks, migration, and the future of waterfowl hunting, this is one you won't want to miss. A special collaboration between the North American Waterfowler Podcast and the Ducks Unlimited Podcast. PARTNERS TideWe — https://www.tidewe.comCode NAW18 for 18% off Slayer Duck Calls — https://www.slayercalls.com Retay Shotguns — https://www.retayusa.com Mammoth Guardian Dog Crates — https://mammothpet.com Flight Day Ammunition — https://flightdayammo.comCode FDH10 Shotty Gear — https://shottygear.comCode FDH10 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  2. Sep 7

    Episode #302 Teal Opener Recap: Brutal Heat & One of the Best Teal Hunts of My Life

    Opening weekend of teal season is officially in the books, and I’m recording this one straight from the truck on the drive home. It was a hot one—literally. We spent the weekend sweating through some brutal early-season weather, but the teal cooperated and we had a ton of success. In this episode, I recap the entire weekend: what we saw, how the birds worked, the hunts that went right, the things we learned, and what opening weekend looked like from the marsh. And somehow, after an already successful weekend, we finished it off with one of the best teal hunts I’ve ever been a part of. No studio and no big production on this one. Just a road-home conversation while everything from the weekend is still fresh in my mind. Opening weekend is here. Duck season has begun. Flight Day Ammunitionhttps://www.flightdayammo.comCode: NAW10 Shotty Gearhttps://shottygear.comCode: FDH10 TIDEWEhttps://www.tidewe.comCode: FDH18 Mammoth Guardian Dog Crateshttps://mammothpet.com Slayer Callshttps://www.slayercalls.com Retay USAhttps://www.retayusa.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  3. Sep 3

    Episode #301 From Tennessee to North Dakota: A Duck Hunter’s Journey

    On episode 301 of the North American Waterfowler Podcast, Elliott sits down with Patreon guest DL Greise to talk about his journey into waterfowl hunting. DL started duck hunting in East Tennessee without much experience or anyone to show him the ropes. After a season of trying to figure it out on his own, he eventually found a mentor and began expanding his hunting beyond Tennessee. We talk about hunting Reelfoot Lake, Arkansas leases, an incredible dove hunting trip to Argentina, pheasant hunting in South Dakota, Florida diver hunting, and the lessons DL has learned during several years of freelancing North Dakota. We also get into field hunting versus water hunting, scouting, expectations on destination hunts, shotguns, ammunition, waders, and plenty of stories from years spent figuring out waterfowl hunting along the way. Before the conversation, Elliott also discusses the newly released waterfowl breeding population numbers and what they may mean heading into the 2026 season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  4. Aug 31

    Episode #300 Ducks Unlimited, the Prairie Pothole Region & the Future of Duck Hunting

    Contact Elliott: Freelanceduckhunting@gmail.com Support The Show: patreon.com/freelanceduckhunting Episode 300 of the North American Waterfowler Podcast! In this episode, I talk about the upcoming teal season, scouting, current habitat conditions, and one of the most important regions for North American waterfowl—the Prairie Pothole Region. I also dig into Ducks Unlimited and the growing debate among duck hunters about the organization. Why do some hunters distrust DU? Where does the money go? How much habitat is actually being conserved? And how important is protecting breeding habitat in the Prairie Pothole Region to the future of duck hunting? Rather than just giving my opinion, I look at the numbers, discuss some of the criticism directed at Ducks Unlimited, and explain why I believe conservation on the breeding grounds matters to every duck hunter—no matter where they hunt. Thanks to everyone who has supported the North American Waterfowler Podcast through 300 episodes! NAW PARTNERS TideWe.com (Code NAW18) Retay Shotguns (RetayUSA.com) FlightDayAmmo.com (NAW10) Slayer Duck Calls (SlayerCalls.Com) Shotty Gear (ShottyGear.Com Code FDH10) Mammoth Guardian Dog Crates Thanks to all of our partners for supporting the North American Waterfowler Podcast. #DuckHunting #DucksUnlimited #Waterfowl #PrairiePotholeRegion #WaterfowlHunting #DuckConservation #TealHunting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  5. Aug 27

    Episode #299 Blue-Winged Teal Duckling Survival Jumped From 20% to 70% | Grant Rhodes

    Blue-Winged Teal Duckling Survival Jumped From 20% to 70% | Grant Rhodes Biologist Grant Rhodes returns to the North American Waterfowler Podcast for the third year in a row to share what he learned during his fourth field season studying Blue-winged Teal across the Prairie Pothole Region. Grant and his team are using drones equipped with thermal imaging, radio telemetry, and uniquely marked hens to study Blue-winged Teal broods and better understand what actually drives duckling survival. And this year produced some incredible results. After seeing duckling survival around 20% in previous years, Grant's raw numbers from this season showed survival approaching 70%. What changed? Water. We discuss how wet conditions across the breeding grounds created more seasonal wetlands, increased food and invertebrate availability, provided better concealment from predators, spread broods across the landscape, and allowed young teal to move between wetlands. We also get into: • Why Blue-winged Teal were chosen for this research• How thermal drones are changing the way researchers count duck broods• Why nest predation was so severe during the Saskatchewan years• Ravens and their impact on nesting success• Predator management and nest survival• Why some broods traveled as far as a mile• A hen that went from 11 ducklings to 21 through brood adoption• What ducklings are eating during their first weeks of life• Why Grant believes we could see a significant increase in Blue-winged Teal following this year's production• What harvest really means for Blue-winged Teal populations• Why habitat and breeding-ground conditions remain so important to waterfowl populations• Where Grant's research goes from here This is Grant's fourth field season studying Blue-winged Teal and his third appearance on the podcast. Each year we've been able to follow the research as it develops, and this may be the most interesting year yet. Join the Freelance Duck Hunting Patreon:patreon.com/freelanceduckhunting Thanks to the partners of the North American Waterfowler Podcast: TideWe — NAW18 for 18% offRetay Shotguns — retayusa.comFlight Day Ammunition — flightdayammo.comSlayer Duck Calls — slayercalls.comMammoth Guardian Dog Crates — Search Mammoth Guardian Dog Crate on AmazonShoddy Gear — shoddygear.com — Code FDH10 #BlueWingedTeal #DuckHunting #Waterfowl #WaterfowlHunting #DuckResearch #WaterfowlBiology #PrairiePotholeRegion #NorthAmericanWaterfowler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  6. Aug 20

    Episode #298 Can We Save Klamath? A New Solution for Ducks, Water & Wetlands

    Contact Elliott: freelanceduckhunting@gmail.com support the show: patreon.com/freelanceduckhunting Partners of the Show Retay Shotgunshttps://www.retayusa.com/ Slayer Duck Callshttps://www.slayercalls.com/ TIDEWE — Code: NAW18https://www.tidewe.com/ Mammoth Guardian Dog Crateshttps://mammothguardian.com/ Flight Day Ammunition — Code: NAW ⁠https://flightdayammo.com/⁠ Shotty Gear — Code: FDH10⁠ https://shottygear.com/⁠ The Klamath Basin is one of the most important waterfowl landscapes in the Pacific Flyway—but in recent years, drought, water shortages, and devastating avian botulism outbreaks have taken an enormous toll. In 2024 alone, an estimated 140,000 birds died from avian botulism. On this episode of the North American Waterfowler Podcast, I’m joined by Jeff McCreary, Director of Operations for Ducks Unlimited’s Western Region, and Dr. Dan Smith, Ducks Unlimited waterfowl research scientist. We break down why Klamath is so important, the complicated battle over water in the basin, how avian botulism kills waterfowl, and an innovative new approach called Flowthrough that could help provide water for wetlands, reduce botulism outbreaks, improve habitat, benefit fish—and create better hunting opportunities. There is plenty of doom and gloom surrounding waterfowl and habitat today. This conversation is different. There are people working together to find solutions, and there is legitimate reason for hope at Klamath. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  7. Aug 17

    Episode #297 From Newfoundland to Ontario: A Waterfowler’s Story | Damien Pittman

    Damien Pittman of Punisher Waterfowl joins me for a wide-ranging conversation about his life in waterfowl hunting. Damien grew up in Newfoundland, where hunting looked a lot different than the decoy-and-calling style most of us picture today. We talk about those early years, leaving Newfoundland, his 20-year military career, getting back into duck hunting, and eventually building Punisher Waterfowl. We also get into what waterfowl hunting looks like today in Ontario, early Canada goose season, hunting pressure, the differences between Canadian and American waterfowling, the growth of his podcast, and why he recently brought everything under the Punisher Waterfowl name. Along the way, we talk about the relationships this community creates, the toxicity that sometimes shows up online, taking risks, learning from failure, and why no duck is worth risking your life over. A great conversation with a guy I really enjoyed getting to know. THANK YOU TO THE PARTNERS OF THE NORTH AMERICAN WATERFOWLER PODCAST 🔹 Retay Shotguns — Check out the ACE and ACE-R lineup of 12, 20 and 28 gauge shotguns. 🔹 Slayer Duck Calls — MC, YOLO Bypass and more. Check out Slayer’s Call of the Wild training resources to improve your calling. 🔹 TideWe — Waders, heated gear, blinds and more.Code: NAW18 for 18% off 🔹 Shotty Gear — Waterfowl gear including backpacks, gun cases, shell pouches and more.Code: FDH10 🔹 Flight Day Ammunition — Maximum Payload steel ammunition.Code: NAW10 🔹 Mammoth Guardian Dog Crates — Heavy-duty dog crates with the roll cage attachment for added protection. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  8. Aug 13

    Episode #296 Football, Faith & Building Slayer Duck Calls | Bill Ayer

    Bill Ayer, owner and founder of Slayer Duck Calls, joins me for a conversation that goes far beyond duck calls. Bill shares his story of playing Division I football at Cal, chasing the dream of making it to the NFL, building a successful career in the business world, and eventually taking the leap to turn his passion for making duck calls into Slayer Duck Calls. We also get into elk hunting, the obsessive curiosity that led Bill to start building and experimenting with calls, the story behind Slayer, and how his faith in Christ has shaped his life and the company he’s building. This ended up being one of my favorite conversations in a long time. It’s about hunting and duck calls, but it’s also about faith, purpose, identity, and finding what you were meant to do. Here’s a clean block you can put at the bottom of the episode description. I have your codes for four of the partners; I don’t have a confirmed discount code for Retay or Slayer, so I would not invent one. Email: FreelanceDuckHunting@gmail.comPatreon: patreon.com/freelanceduckhunting Retay Shotgunswww.retayusa.com Slayer Duck Callswww.SlayerCalls.com TideWe — Use code NAW18 for 18% offTideWe.com Mammoth Guardian Dog Crates Flight Day Ammunition — Use code NAW10www.flightdayammo.com Shotty Gear — Use code FDH10 for 10% offwww.shottygear.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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4.6
out of 5
108 Ratings

About

The North American Waterfowler Podcast was established on January 1, 2023. Hosted by Elliott Snider, creator of the Freelance Duck Hunting YouTube channel and former co-host of The Duck Gun Podcast. This podcast will bring you content on every aspect of Waterfowl Hunting.

Information

  • Creator
    Elliott Snider
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    298
  • Rating
    Explicit

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