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1 week ago | 
ducks.org | Scott Stephens |Nathan Ratchford |Mike Brasher
By Scott Stephens, PhD; Nathan Ratchford; and Mike Brasher, PhDBlue-winged teal are often the last dabbling ducks to return to the breeding grounds in spring and the first to head south in late summer and early fall. Over the past couple of decades, blue-winged teal have been among North America’s most abundant dabbling ducks, with a peak breeding population estimate of 9.2 million in the traditional survey area in 2012.
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3 weeks ago | 
gundogmag.com | Nathan Ratchford
What comes to mind when you hear the words “versatile gun dog?” Perhaps you picture your Labrador picking up icy greenheads in the morning and chasing running roosters by afternoon. Me? I picture my young Drahthaar pinning quail and raccoons in the same stretch of CRP. But the truth is, all of this is a mere glimpse into the range of their abilities. Our gun dogs are capable of so much more than we credit them for.
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Feb 3, 2025 | 
themeateater.com | Matthew Every |Ryan Callaghan |Steven Rinella |Nathan Ratchford
Shooting birds is a perishable skill. It’s not like riding a bike, and I’m reminded of that opening day of duck season every year. So what is a bird hunter to do during the months between one hunting season and the next. Sure, you can shoot clays, but clays don’t juke and dive and speed up when you least expect it. And, besides, you can’t eat clay pigeons. Here’s the good news. You don’t have to stop hunting birds just because the fall is over.
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Jan 14, 2025 | 
themeateater.com | Nathan Ratchford |Ryan Callaghan |Noah Davis |Steven Rinella
There is an innate curiosity in us all, hunters especially. We are driven by the same question that drove early settlers deeper into the wilderness, just beyond that next ridgeline, to carve out their own place on the land. But having room to roam is increasingly challenging these days, as cities overfill and the hills that were once unspoiled succumb to blaze orange.
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Nov 12, 2024 | 
ducks.org | Nathan Ratchford
By Nathan RatchfordAnticipation is building across the Mid-South as hunters prepare for the start of 2024–25 duck seasons across the region. Recent rains have helped alleviate drought, refilling wetlands and drawing early arriving waterfowl. Habitat conditions across Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, and southeast Missouri are much improved, setting the stage for a promising opening day.
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Nov 7, 2024 | 
themeateater.com | Nathan Ratchford |Ryan Callaghan |Noah Davis |Ben Long
There is simply nothing like the grouse woods in the fall. The fire of color, the explosion from thick cover, and the taste—ah, the taste—ruffed grouse rivals that of all game birds. But bringing the king of game birds to the table is no easy task. Ruffed grouse have spent thousands of years evolving to avoid every predator, us included. To hunt them successfully, especially in the eastern and midwestern parts of the country, you need to be smart, skilled, and a tad bit lucky.
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Oct 9, 2024 | 
gundogmag.com | Nathan Ratchford
This new tailored-fit field jacket from Beckbe is an update on the 6oz Tensaw jacket of yesterday and is designed for early to mid-season fall hunting. It is as light as can be but holds up against the elements and brush of quail country. It wears beautifully and is just at home in the pine woods as it is in town. Beckbe also has many waxed canvas jacket options for female hunters, such as the Blakeley, which offers a tailored fit without sacrificing functionality.
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Sep 8, 2024 | 
gundogmag.com | Nathan Ratchford
Past the black iron gate, the driveway extends for miles. Out in the warm southern sun, I spot a man in one of the fields with a fox-red Labrador, fit as a fiddle, off lead on his left heel. I am greeted at the main shop by Wildrose founder, Mike Stewart; President/Owner of Wildrose Mississippi, Tom Smith; and Pappy—a young black British Labrador who is Stewart’s personal dog. Stewart, doning a cotton white shirt and a wide-brimmed hat, shakes my hand firmly as I look up at the tall, tan man.
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Aug 30, 2024 | 
ducks.org | Mike Brasher |Nathan Ratchford
By Dr. Mike Brasher and Nathan RatchfordSince it was first detected in 1996, the H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza virus has spread to wild and domestic birds around the world. Duck hunters are eternal optimists. It’s what stirs us at 4 a.m., with coffee brewing and decoys rigged despite three straight days of empty straps. But occasionally, that optimism is challenged in unexpected ways.
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Aug 20, 2024 | 
themeateater.com | Maggie Hudlow |Eli Fournier |Nathan Ratchford |Sean Weaver
Today, August 20, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) released its 2024 Waterfowl Population Status Report. The report includes data from surveys and population estimation methods conducted by the USFWS, Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS), along with other state and provincial partners. In a massive conservation win, the results mark the first increase in the total number of breeding ducks surveyed since 2015.
