MOJO’S Duck Season Somewhere Podcast
Mississippi Gumbo
In its present incarnation, gumbo is a combination of past and present, a delicious mixture of foolproof goodness in a pot. What constitutes “real gumbo” varies widely among regions, zipcodes, camps – even family members. But it’s all good. Benny Marascalco was born and raised in the Mississippi Delta, a region that’s as unique unto itself as roux. In today’s episode of Duck Season Somewhere, he and Ramsey catch up in a conversation that winds like Old Man River through a host of regional topics including duck hunting, habitat, beaver trapping, finding ancient arrowheads, and finally, Benny’s long-time passion for making really great gumbo. Whether you’ve made gumbo for generations or just getting started, you’re sure to enjoy today’s conversation.
Related Links:
Benny’s Gumbo Pages (20-plus years ago)
Retrieving Freedom
At age 30, Trent Dirks is a relative newcomer to duck hunting. Trent tells Ramsey Russell about coping with PTSD after returning from active duty in Afghanistan. How did Retrieving Freedom service dog, Tracer, help him find life purpose and then lead him to waterfowl hunting 4 years ago? Scott Dewey professionally trained competitive retrievers for over a decade before co-founding Retrieving Freedom. What are these service dogs trained to do, and how are they trained? Ramsey, Trent and Scott share a great conversation at SCI convention, it’s an interesting episode you’ll not want to miss.
Related Links:
Lee Kjos, BOSS Shotshells, STOKED!
Lee Kjos is STOKED about the new website launch and this season’s extensive, new BOSS Shotshells product line! Everyone is – and it’s downright contagious! Like a red, white and blue cyclone sweeping through a deserted mining town, he and Ramsey Russell plow full-steam-ahead through a range of duck hunting topics. Wondering whether the Canadian border will be open to hunters, the two plan a specklebelly hunt together just in case.
Related Links:
The Boys of Rio Salado: The Good Old Days of Waterfowling Still Exist
Just A Mallard? Think Again
Just a mallard? There are about 13 mallard-like subspecies worldwide to include Mallard, Mottled Duck, American Black Duck and Mexican Duck right here in the good ol’ USA. How similar are North American mallard-like species and what are their common origins? Is the American Black Duck really becoming extinct due to hybridization with mallards, and are hybrids easily distinguished? What’s the difference between “New World” and “Old World” mallards and, importantly, how might this distinction impact duck hunting as we know it? Dr. Philip Lavretsky is a wildlife geneticist from the University of Texas at El Paso. A seasoned duck hunter, he answers these questions and more. “Whether you’re a die-hard mallard purist or next-duck-over-the decoys hunter, an ardent species collector or duck nerd, this is likely one of the most thought provoking duck topics you’ve heard in a long while,” says Ramsey Russell.
Our Truest Selves While Hunting
Stalking small game while barefooted, the young boy supplemented his family’s mealtime protein intake, but remembers dreaming way back then of one day hunting leopards. Mentored, in part, by the most iconic archer in history, that boy has since hunted far and wide, and loves duck hunting. Steve Comus has been Editor-in-Chief for Safari Club International’s Safari Magazine for over 2 decades. “We are our truest selves while hunting,” he explains. With experience – and humility – that can only be gleaned from 70-plus years hunting, Steve shares some surprisingly interesting perspectives in this episode of Duck Season Somewhere.
Quack Rack
Quack Rack’s Garrett Walker and Ramsey catch up before the world starts spinning full-swing again. Recalling a couple fun past hunts together in Idaho and Oklahoma, they remember the great folks and other things that made those hunts memorable. Garrett tells about his becoming a duck hunter and how a simple work-smarter-not-harder idea quickly became one of the most recognizable name-brands in waterfowl hunting. He describes how it feels to be American Made, especially during the recent China Flu pandemic – and why this has always been personally important. They wonder what the future holds, how the pandemic might effect outdoor product supply and marketing, and then begin planning future hunts together.
Related Links:
John Devney, Delta Waterfowl
It’s late-May, the Dakota prairies are in great shape. Already there are bright yellow, little mallard and pintail fuzzballs on the scene, preparing for the flight south this fall. John Devney of Delta Waterfowl is an avid duck hunter, a natural born communicator. He and Ramsey talk about favorite North American duck species (it’ll probably surprise you) and favorite places to duck hunt in the US. Low on the water and coming in hot like decoying ringnecks, their conversation dives into lots of interesting waterfowl hunting topics. What’s going on with specklebellies in the Deep South as compared to the Pacific Flyway? What’s happening with pintails – they’re probably shooting too many in Mexico, right?! And what about all of today’s many modern hardcore hunters traveling to Canada – that’s certainly impacting the fall flight, huh? Federal stimulus dollars galore are being spent to mitigate coronavirus, but how will the 2020 Pandemic affect waterfowl conservation efforts, such as banding and censusing? All of that and more in today’s episode of Duck Season Somewhere.
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Wyoming Duck and Goose Hunting
The fabled North Platte River slithers through the American West, holding enviable numbers of Canada geese and mallards. WyoBraska Waterfowl’s JJ Randolph has guided along Wyoming’s North Platte River since forever. With the storytelling ability of someone that’s guided for decades, he describes getting started, important influences, and why this region holds so many waterfowl – all where one of the Wild West’s most historically significant events occurred.
Related Wyoming Duck and Goose Hunting Links:
Tom Beckbe Traditions
The Tombigbee River flows into the rugged Mobile-Tensas Delta of southern Alabama, the backdrop for today’s guest. Radcliff Menge describes how he became involved in the outdoors industry, and how family hunting traditions shaped Tom Beckbe’s company vision and the classic Tensas Jacket. Roots run deep.
Corey Mason, Dallas Safari Club and Wildlife Conservation
Corey Mason meets with Ramsey during the “COVID Pause.” Growing up hunting with family in west Texas, he chased his passion through college, eventually becoming a waterfowl biologist for Texas, Parks and Wildlife. As Executive Director of Dallas Safari Club, Corey passionately describes to Ramsey the importance of hunting anything anywhere to wildlife conservation worldwide, how hunters from all walks of life can engage collectively to meaningfully move the needle, and why all of us hunters worldwide are in this together.
Related Links:
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