Ducks Unlimited Podcast

Concern for waterfowl populations and frustration with the status quo of duck harvest management in the late 80s stimulated new ideas for setting annual regulations and learning about their effects. Dr. Jim Nichols, retired senior scientist from Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and one of the godfathers of Adaptive Harvest Management, joins the DU Podcast to introduce waterfowl harvest dynamics, adaptive management, and the regulatory atmosphere that ultimately produced AHM.
SPONSORS:
Purina Pro Plan: The official performance dog food of Ducks Unlimited
Whether you're a seasoned hunter or just getting started, this episode is packed with valuable insights into the world of waterfowl hunting and conservation.
Bird Dog Whiskey and Cocktails:
Whether you’re winding down with your best friend, or celebrating with your favorite crew, Bird Dog brings award-winning flavor to every moment. Enjoy responsibly.

Ducks Unlimited and Dow have partnered for decades to deliver real conservation outcomes — but this relationship is now entering a new and innovative phase.
In this episode, host Dr. Jerad Henson is joined by Dr. Amy Beasley, Sustainability Director for Water and Nature at Dow, and Dr. Ellen Herbert, Ducks Unlimited’s Sustainability Director, to explore how a long‑standing corporate conservation partnership has expanded beyond traditional project delivery into a strategic, science‑driven collaboration. The discussion traces the 70‑year history between Dow and Ducks Unlimited, highlights milestone conservation achievements, and then digs into how the two organizations are now working together to help Dow evaluate land assets, water and nature risks, and community connections in ways that benefit wildlife, the environment, and long‑term business resilience.
In this episode, listeners will hear about:
Dow’s journey into sustainability and why water and nature are inseparable
A 70‑year partnership between Dow and Ducks Unlimited
Early landmark conservation investments tied to the North American Waterfowl Management Plan
Wetland restoration projects in Michigan’s Shiawassee Basin
Canadian Prairie Pothole and parklands forage programs benefiting ranchers, ducks, and water security
How DU’s science and geospatial expertise supports corporate land‑use decisions
The shift from project delivery to strategic conservation planning
Why watersheds, habitat, and community access matter to both conservation and industry
Real‑world examples, including Dow’s Carrollton, Kentucky facility
Measuring impact, building a business case for conservation, and scaling success
How private industry can reduce water risk while improving habitat and community outcomes
This episode offers a rare, transparent look at how conservation organizations and global companies can work together — not just to restore habitat, but to create long‑term resilience for people, wildlife, and communities.

SPONSORS:
Purina Pro Plan: The official performance dog food of Ducks Unlimited
Whether you're a seasoned hunter or just getting started, this episode is packed with valuable insights into the world of waterfowl hunting and conservation.
Bird Dog Whiskey and Cocktails:
Whether you’re winding down with your best friend, or celebrating with your favorite crew, Bird Dog brings award-winning flavor to every moment. Enjoy responsibly.

Ducks Unlimited’s work in the Southern United States is complex, diverse, and more critical than ever.
In this episode, host Dr. Mike Brasher continues the regional conservation series with Jerry Holden, Senior Director of Operations for Ducks Unlimited’s Southern Region. Jerry oversees DU’s conservation delivery across the southern portions of the Mississippi, Central, and Atlantic Flyways, managing one of the organization’s largest and most diverse conservation portfolios.
The conversation spans from duck hunting conditions and flyway dynamics to large‑scale engineering, coastal resilience, private‑lands conservation, and some of the most significant land protection efforts in DU’s history.
In this episode, listeners will hear about:
The 2025–26 waterfowl season across the Southern Region and why outcomes varied so widely
“Spatial discontinuity” and how migratory birds create winners and losers each season
The scope and purpose of DU’s Southern Region field offices across the Gulf Coast and MAV
Why engineering is central to DU’s coastal resilience work in Texas, Louisiana, and the Atlantic Coast
How Ducks Unlimited partners with NRC​S to implement Farm Bill conservation programs
Clearing up misconceptions about DU’s work on private land
The growing role of conservation easements and permanent land protection
A historic donated conservation easement in coastal South Carolina
DU’s leadership role in restoring Arkansas’s greentree reservoir systems
Balancing public expectations with long‑term forest and wetland sustainability
Why DU continues expanding the public land base across the Southern landscape
This episode offers an inside look at how DU delivers conservation at scale—often in places where water, land use, and wildlife interests intersect most intensely—and why that work matters now more than ever.
SPONSORS:
Purina Pro Plan: The official performance dog food of Ducks Unlimited
Whether you're a seasoned hunter or just getting started, this episode is packed with valuable insights into the world of waterfowl hunting and conservation.
Bird Dog Whiskey and Cocktails:
Whether you’re winding down with your best friend, or celebrating with your favorite crew, Bird Dog brings award-winning flavor to every moment. Enjoy responsibly.

The ideas of “fair” and “equitable” in harvest distribution have been a challenging undercurrent for regulatory decisions over the years. Dale Humburg and Ken Babcock join the DU Podcast one last time to discuss zones and splits, “shortstopping” in geese, the frustration it caused, and how managers tried to adapt. Also discussed are lead poisoning, non-toxic shot regulations, and the birth of Adaptive Harvest Management, each of which brought their own need for adaptation.
SPONSORS:
Purina Pro Plan: The official performance dog food of Ducks Unlimited
Whether you're a seasoned hunter or just getting started, this episode is packed with valuable insights into the world of waterfowl hunting and conservation.
Bird Dog Whiskey and Cocktails:
Whether you’re winding down with your best friend, or celebrating with your favorite crew, Bird Dog brings award-winning flavor to every moment. Enjoy responsibly.

CONVENTION SPONSORS: Bird Dog Whiskey and Cocktails, Benelli, & Raymond James.
The Ducks Unlimited National Convention is more than a meeting — it’s a celebration of people, conservation, and one of the greatest fundraising achievements in conservation history.
In this episode, host Jimbo Robinson is joined by DU President Bob Spoerl, National Convention Chair Jared Brown, and Managing Director of National Conferences Pattie Kempka for a full preview of the 2026 Ducks Unlimited National Convention in Tampa, Florida. From opening night at the Florida Aquarium to the culmination of DU’s historic $3‑billion conservation campaign, this conversation breaks down why the national convention is unlike any DU event at the state or local level.
The group walks listeners through the full week — fishing tournaments, conservation tours, business sessions, recognition events, keynote speakers, and the energy that comes with gathering more than a thousand committed DU volunteers and supporters in one place.
Whether you’re a longtime volunteer, a first‑time convention attendee, or someone who has supported DU in any way over the past few years, come hear why Tampa is the place to be!
REGISTER NOW! @ Convention.ducks.org

SPONSORS:
Purina Pro Plan: The official performance dog food of Ducks Unlimited
Whether you're a seasoned hunter or just getting started, this episode is packed with valuable insights into the world of waterfowl hunting and conservation.
Bird Dog Whiskey and Cocktails:
Whether you’re winding down with your best friend, or celebrating with your favorite crew, Bird Dog brings award-winning flavor to every moment. Enjoy responsibly.