The Outdoor Life Podcast Outdoor Life

There’s plenty of debate around crippling rates in waterfowl hunting, but the best duck hunters agree that we can reduce them and put more birds in the bag. Because if the numbers we do have are close to accurate, we duck hunters are losing way, way too many birds. We talked to two veteran duck hunters about how to improve our waterfowl recovery rates. Lee Kjos, a renowned wildlife photographer and the marketing guru behind Boss Shotshells, stresses the importance of identifying the right choke and load combination by pattering your gun. We also talked to legendary bird dog trainer Tom Dokken about how trained retrievers can help us recover more birds, and how to set yours up for success.

Hosted by Editor-in-Chief Alex Robinson.

Produced and edited by Senior Deputy Editor Natalie Krebs.

It took Jace Bauserman 19 years to draw an archery bighorn sheep tag in Colorado. So when he did finally draw, he got to training with his bow, meticulously. He tuned his gear, he perfected his form, and he kept a careful shooting log. But the most important thing Jace did was work on his mental game. Jace knew that he'd feel a wave of anxiousness as soon as the ram of his dreams offered him a shot. But he also knew that with careful training and the right attitude, he could execute a perfect shot—even if he was absolutely terrified in the moment. Here's how he did it. 

Edited and produced by Senior Deputy Editor Natalie Krebs.

Hosted by Editor-in-Chief Alex Robinson.

Music composed and performed by Tandis Jenhudson, Federico Coderoni, Lorenzo Bergamino, Stefano Bergamaschi, Luigi Magnozzi.

The megadrought in the West and High Plains is hurting big game like mule deer and cold-water fish species like trout and salmon. Scorching temps are evaporating moisture from browse and creating dry tinder for the wildfires that are growing bigger and more frequent. Meanwhile, drought is hitting the Dakotas hard and causing problems in the prairie pothole region. The real question: Is this the new normal?

Produced and edited by Senior Deputy Editor Natalie Krebs.

Reporting by contributor Christine Peterson and Hunting & Conservation Editor Andrew McKean.

Wisconsin wolf hunters nearly doubled last winter’s harvest quota. In the West, bounties are being paid for dead wolves. Meanwhile, the wild canines are increasing their range and redistributing big-game populations. Prodded by a celebrity-voiced campaign, the Interior Department is being pressured to return America’s wolves to the Endangered Species List. What will we do about wolves? Read the full story here:

Produced and edited by Senior Deputy Editor Natalie Krebs.

Reporting by Hunting and Conservation Editor Andrew McKean. 

What does it take to compete at the highest levels of shooting? We discuss this with Vincent Hancock, who just took Olympic gold for the third time in International Skeet in Tokyo.

Hancock is the only shooter in Olympic history to win multiple golds in skeet and he did it in dramatic fashion this summer. First, he staged a long-term comeback to Olympic excellence after a disappointing finish in Rio in 2016. (He won gold in both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.) Next, he fought his way back into medal contention in Tokyo after dropping three targets in the last qualifying round before heading into the finals.

Produced and edited by Senior Deputy Editor Natalie Krebs.

Hosted by Shooting Editor John B. Snow

As the ammunition shortage drags on, there’s one bright spot for hunters and shooters: The Remington ammunition plant in Lonoke, Arkansas, is up and running, almost at full capacity. While Remington went bankrupt last summer and sold off its properties in the fall, the factory had all but gone dark. But last week, Remington opened its doors to a handful of outdoor media and we got to the chance to see how ammo was being manufactured, plus interview Remington employees.

Remington ammunition is pushing hard to tell the story of its comeback. Afterall, it’s a more than 200-year-old American company that’s regaining its footing at time when there’s never been more demand for ammunition. But it’s also because they’ve got a bit of an uphill battle. The pervious Remington owners, Cerberus Capital Management (and then eventually its creditors), made year’s worth of bad financial and ethical decisions that hurt Remington’s quality and reputation. Overall, the “Big Green” brand story is still partly tangled up with questions around Remington firearms and lingering lawsuits from previous ownership. Read the full story here.

Produced and edited by Senior Deputy Editor Natalie Krebs.

Reporting by Editor-in-Chief Alex Robinson.