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Duck Lore

Duck Dogs

3 Drills Every Duck Dog Should Master

Waterfowl

3 Drills Every Duck Dog Should Master

For waterfowl hunters it almost never fails: Your high hopes are dashed on the first hunt of the year when your retriever shows you his or her actual skillset. A seemingly rock-solid backyard gun dog can let you down as soon as the first woodies circle and the shotguns come up. This can be partly...
Tony J. Peterson Jul 24, 2020
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Underrated Bird Dog Breeds You Should Consider

Waterfowl

Underrated Bird Dog Breeds You Should Consider

Check out the American Kennel Club’s rankings for the most popular dog breeds from year to year and you’ll see what you probably already knew: Labrador retrievers dominate. Going on nearly three decades now, the Lab has proven to be the most registered AKC breed out there. Golden retrievers and...
Tony J. Peterson May 15, 2020
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How to Introduce Your Puppy to Gunfire

Waterfowl

How to Introduce Your Puppy to Gunfire

The good thing about gun dogs is that they will forgive you for most of your training mistakes. You can flub your way through handling duties and eventually use a few  mulligans to do things the right way—except when it comes to gunfire introduction. If you screw up this step, the odds are not in...
Tony J. Peterson Jul 20, 2019
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The Real Difference Between American and British Labs

Ducks

The Real Difference Between American and British Labs

The hunting dog world is full of stereotypes and generalizations—none more entrenched in the bird hunters’ zeitgeist than the perceived differences between British and American Labrador retrievers. It’s commonly believed that British (or English) Labs are smaller, stockier, quieter, more easily...
Tony J. Peterson Oct 18, 2019
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Should I Adopt My Next Hunting Dog?

Waterfowl

Should I Adopt My Next Hunting Dog?

For all the promise and anticipation wrapped up in a new puppy, there exists a certain charm in restoring the shine on a second-hand bird dog. Tailgate legend has a long chapter devoted entirely to these pups. Their stories feature washed-out trial dogs that just needed more time to blossom or the...
Dr. Seth Bynum Aug 10, 2021
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Is a Raw Diet the Right Choice for Your Dog?

Waterfowl

Is a Raw Diet the Right Choice for Your Dog?

Few things will turn south an otherwise civil conversation about dogs faster than the topic of what to feed them. As a practicing veterinarian and bird hunter who spends a great deal of time engaged in tailgate banter, I’ve both received and dished out my share of subtle eyerolls and outright looks...
Dr. Seth Bynum Jun 10, 2021
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Waterfowl Recipes

Steve’s Special Roasted Duck

Recipes

Steve’s Special Roasted Duck

In the world of ducks, there are divers and puddlers. Divers often eat more animal matter, such as fish and aquatic invertebrates, and can have an oily and off-putting taste; puddlers tend to have a more vegetarian diet and therefore a more pleasing flavor. Because of its simplicity-there’s nothing...
Steven Rinella Feb 7, 2018
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Steakhouse Goose

Recipes

Steakhouse Goose

If I had a signature dish, this steakhouse goose recipe would probably be it. This is the same method I mentioned on a MeatEater Podcast episode, and a recipe I get a lot of requests to share. The 2018 conservation hunts left me with a freezer full of snow geese, so I cook this dish regularly. When...
Danielle Prewett Dec 5, 2019
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Whole Smoked Duck

Recipes

Whole Smoked Duck

Smoking whole might be the most versatile thing you can do with a duck. It can be served warm straight off the smoker, cooled for a charcuterie board, or incorporated into some other dish like duck ravioli. This also uses the entire animal, which the MeatEater crew always tries to do. Even after you...
Rick Matney Jan 30, 2020
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Seared Duck Breast with Apple Sage Chutney

Recipes

Seared Duck Breast with Apple Sage Chutney

A lot of hunters are intimidated by cooking wild duck. If you are, you should not be. Steven Rinella shares the perfect way to prepare wild duck. There are many different duck recipes out there, this one is simple and is a sure way to make you enjoy cooking and eating wild ducks. Brought to you by...
MeatEater Staff Dec 19, 2017
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Duck Reuben Sandwich

Recipes

Duck Reuben Sandwich

I like to follow the mantra "set it and forget it" with this recipe. We're all busy, right? And the two most important steps to making these delicious sandwiches involve waiting. Pop the duck breasts in the brine, tuck them in the back of the fridge, and remove the meat in a few days, then toss them...
Lukas Leaf Dec 16, 2021
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Duck à l'Orange

Recipes

Duck à l'Orange

This recipe comes from Episode 2 of Duck Camp Dinners featuring professional chef and hunter Jean-Paul Bourgeois. You can catch every episode of Duck Camp Dinners here. This pot of Franco-Cajun goodness is a duck camp favorite at the Hobo Hilton. It's been said that if it grows together it goes...
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Waterfowl Hunting Tactics

3 Spreads Duck Hunters Don’t Use Often Enough

Waterfowl

3 Spreads Duck Hunters Don’t Use Often Enough

We all have that waterfowling buddy who moves the duck decoys incessantly, always looking for something to tweak. It might not even be legal shooting light yet but they’ve rearranged the spread five times. If you don’t have that friend, you probably are that friend. But since the goal is convincing...
Sean Weaver Aug 18, 2021
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What You Need to Know About Duck Decoy Spreads

Waterfowl

What You Need to Know About Duck Decoy Spreads

Waterfowl decoys are visual aids that serve to attract ducks and geese and convince them that an area is safe for landing. The placement and number of decoys that one uses is highly situational, but wind direction is always a major factor. Like airplanes, ducks and geese approach their landing areas...
Steven Rinella Sep 15, 2018
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How to Scout for Ducks and Geese

Waterfowl

How to Scout for Ducks and Geese

For waterfowl hunters, scouting often means hours of windshield time scanning skies, fields, and marshes. It also means hard work, devising a plan, and a bit of luck. Without scouting, a waterfowl hunter’s chances for success go down the drain. But to say that scouting just boils down to driving...
John Pollmann Sep 30, 2020
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How to Kill Ducks at Midday

Waterfowl

How to Kill Ducks at Midday

The half hour before sunrise is the favorite time of the day for most duck hunters, and for good reason: there’s a flurry of activity as the marsh wakes up and many birds move from their roost to their feed. But that quick action is commonly followed by a long lull, sending many duck hunters packing...
Sean Weaver Oct 27, 2021
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3 Reasons You Suck at Calling Ducks

Waterfowl

3 Reasons You Suck at Calling Ducks

It’s time to be honest with yourself. Your buddy sounds way better on a call, everyone in the blind tells you to “take it easy” when you so much as quack, your sole job in the blind is running the spinner remote, and every time you try a new duck call, it just doesn’t sound like the guy that sold it...
Sean Weaver Dec 15, 2021
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The Best Waterholes That Duck Hunters Ignore

Waterfowl

The Best Waterholes That Duck Hunters Ignore

Whether in a field or on a lake, it’s hard not to love the sight of thousands of birds. But big numbers don’t always mean successful hunts, and oftentimes some of the best hunting can be on small water with low numbers of birds. One of the best examples of small water is the standard cattle pond...
Sean Weaver Sep 15, 2021
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Species & Habitats

The Truth About Duck Vision

Waterfowl

The Truth About Duck Vision

If you spend a single day out hunting waterfowl, you’ll quickly learn that their eyesight is almost second to none. They can pick out even the most hidden blinds, they’ll flare off the simplest of movements, and they have an uncanny ability to see and land with a lone real duck instead of your...
Sean Weaver Oct 19, 2021
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The Truth About the Molt Migration

Waterfowl

The Truth About the Molt Migration

Every summer, waterfowl across North America have to figure out where they’ll go to molt. The where, why, and who have been misunderstood by hunters for years, but knowing how the molt migration works is valuable and important. What is the Molt Migration? Every year, geese (and all waterfowl) lose...
Sean Weaver Sep 1, 2021
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Are Flooded Cornfields Altering Duck Migrations?

Waterfowl

Are Flooded Cornfields Altering Duck Migrations?

The worst season ever? If you skim through various waterfowl hunting forums and social media pages, you’d certainly think last duck season was a bust. Many hunters across the country spent more time griping about the lack of ducks than they did shooting ducks. In some circles, intentionally flooded...
David Hart Jun 4, 2019
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A Species Profile on Mallards

Ducks

A Species Profile on Mallards

Duck hunting in North America usually means that mallards are the target species.  A big flock of greenheads flying into a decoy spread instills excitement into the hearts of even the most seasoned duck hunters. Mallards are the most common North American duck species, and the most commonly hunted...
Steven Rinella Jul 9, 2018
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4 Plants Every Duck Hunter Should Know

Ducks

4 Plants Every Duck Hunter Should Know

Most ducks are opportunistic omnivores, feeding on a wide variety of plants, insects, invertebrates, and fish. From sunflower seeds to gizzard shad, I’ve seen them eat just about anything they can get down their gullet. The plants listed below are the crème de la crème. These cornerstones of duck...
Sean Weaver Jun 15, 2021
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Wood Duck Profile

Ducks

Wood Duck Profile

Regarded by most hunters as the most beautiful species of North American waterfowl, wood duck males, or drakes, are colorful enough to be mistaken for some exotic jungle species. The places that wood ducks call home are equally pretty. They prefer small, heavily wooded bodies of water such as beaver...
Steven Rinella Jul 15, 2018
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The Language of Ducks by Sam Terrell

Ducks

The Language of Ducks by Sam Terrell

Words by Sam Terrell The first difficult word I ever learned was gregarious. It’s an adjective with two definitions. The first is in reference to people being fond of company, and the second is in relation to animals living in flocks or loosely organized communities. As a duck hunter coming from a...
MeatEater Staff Aug 3, 2018
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Duck Report Podcasts

Ep. 297: Crap No!

The MeatEater Podcast

Ep. 297: Crap No!

Steven Rinella talks with Sean Weaver, Dylan Graves, Max Barta, and Phil Taylor.Topics discussed: "Steve, Cal, and Rorke Denver walk into a tiki bar...;" guiding in Kansas; eating Bugles with Cheez Whiz and olives; the inseparable duo of Sean and Max; shooting Sean's upcoming waterfowl show, Duck...
Steven Rinella Nov 1, 2021
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Ep. 304: The Fish Shack's Revenge - A Tiki Christmas Family Feud Extravaganza Blowout

The MeatEater Podcast

Ep. 304: The Fish Shack's Revenge - A Tiki Christmas Family Feud Extravaganza Blowout

Steven Rinella talks with Matt Rinella, Danny Rinella, Kevin Gillespie, Ryan Callaghan, Brody Henderson, Sean Weaver, Hunter Spencer, Phil Taylor, Corinne Schneider, and Janis Putelis. Topics discussed: Phil and Kevin's shared love of pop-up tiki bars; the incredible land masses that would open up...
Steven Rinella Dec 20, 2021
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Ep. 307: Talking About Things That Are Not Sexy to Talk About

The MeatEater Podcast

Ep. 307: Talking About Things That Are Not Sexy to Talk About

Steven Rinella talks with Doug Duren, Jim Heffelfinger, Richie Baker, Ross Copperman, Sean Weaver, Brody Henderson, Spencer Neuharth, Phil Taylor, and Corinne Schneider.Topics discussed: The Doug Duren Fact-Checking Alert App; Jim's sticker and the correct pronunciation of "coues"; Steve as a punt...
Steven Rinella Jan 3, 2022
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Ep. 314: Skip the Flip

The MeatEater Podcast

Ep. 314: Skip the Flip

Steven Rinella talks with Stu Miller, Brody Henderson, Rick Hutton, Seth Morris, Chester Floyd, and Phil Taylor. Topics discussed: Danny Rinella's theory about Bill Clinton and bike helmets; Stu's educational videos at Coon Creek Outdoors; on whether you can be a Southerner in a state where people...
Steven Rinella Feb 14, 2022
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Ep. 320: Rut, The Dating App

The MeatEater Podcast

Ep. 320: Rut, The Dating App

Steven Rinella talks with Janis Putelis, Kevin Gillespie, Sean Weaver, Maggie Hudlow, Phil Taylor, and Corinne Schneider.Topics discussed: MeatEater's dating app idea called "Rut"; bison as livestock or wild game; when critters know damn well that hunting season is on and go hide; how Steve wants to...
Steven Rinella Mar 14, 2022
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Ep. 333: Enduring with Cameron Hanes

The MeatEater Podcast

Ep. 333: Enduring with Cameron Hanes

Steven Rinella talks with Karl Malcolm, Rick Smith, Dirt Myth, Seth Morris, and Chester Floyd. Topics discussed: Cam's new book, Endure, is out!; when an adult acts like an ass and accosts Steve's kid; the shit you find in turkeys; Jani's hens running into the house to nest their eggs on the kitchen...
Steven Rinella May 16, 2022
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Ep. 344: That Ringing In Your Ears That Drives You Nuts

The MeatEater Podcast

Ep. 344: That Ringing In Your Ears That Drives You Nuts

Steven Rinella talks with Grace Sturdivant, Janis Putelis, Sean Weaver, Garrett Long, Seth Morris, Chester Floyd, and Phil Taylor. Topics discussed: Being an Elvis fan; from radio DJ to audiologist to OtoPro founder; creating a new hearing test with various nature sounds, animal calls, and turkey...
Steven Rinella Jun 27, 2022
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