Midwest Flyways Podcast

This week on the Midwest Flyways Podcast, the guys sit down with Mike Anderson of Anderson Championship Calls to talk duck calls, contest calling, waterfowl hunting, and where the sport is headed. Mike shares what the first few months of building his call company have looked like, from designing and tuning calls to selling out colors at shows and getting feedback from hunters across the country. He also talks about the people who helped him along the way and why decades in the calling world gave him a head start when it came time to build something of his own. The conversation eventually turns to the bigger picture of waterfowl hunting. Mike reflects on hunting through the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s, the explosion of spinning-wing decoys, changing migration patterns, habitat loss, warmer winters, and why he believes hunting pressure deserves more attention. The guys also debate flooded corn, public land pressure, drain tile, conservation organizations, and whether some major Minnesota waters should have afternoon shutdowns to give ducks more time to rest. Mike's point is simple: if hunters want things to improve, the answer probably isn't doing the exact same thing we've always done. Topics Covered: •Building a duck call company •Contest calling •Blind grass and boat blinds •Changes in waterfowl hunting •Duck numbers and prairie conditions •Flooded corn debate •Public land hunting pressure •The future of waterfowl hunting Check out Mike Anderson and Anderson Championship Calls: Website: https://andersoncalls.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mranderson27/ Thanks for listening to the Midwest Flyways Podcast! Be sure to check out the Flyways Hunt Club for even more exclusive content every week. Join Flyways Hunt Club and get 1 month free! Flyways Hunt Club New Waterfowl Film out now! Out West | Waterfowl Hunting in Montana Stay comfortable, dry and warm: First Lite (Code MWF20) Go to OnXHunt to be better prepared for your hunt: OnX Learn more about better ammo: Migra Ammunitions Weatherby Sorix: Weatherby Support Conservation: DU

This week on Sports Guyz Only... The Caleb Williams apology tour has officially begun. After spending plenty of time questioning whether he was actually the guy, the boys finally admit what has become pretty hard to deny: Caleb is really damn good at football. The Bears suddenly look dangerous, Ben Johnson appears to have unlocked exactly what Chicago hoped he would, and Vikings fans now have another NFC North problem to worry about. Unfortunately for Minnesota, their own quarterback situation isn't inspiring nearly the same confidence. That turns into the biggest debate of the episode: should the Vikings actually trade for Mac Jones? With Minnesota sitting at 6-1 behind one of the best defenses in football but getting almost nothing offensively, Gavin starts making the case for going all-in. First-round picks, second-round picks, Brian O'Neill, Kyler Murray—just start throwing things on the table and figure out what San Francisco wants. The guys argue over whether Mac is actually worth serious draft capital, whether Minnesota can afford to waste this defense waiting on quarterback development, and why a merely average offense might be enough to make a legitimate Super Bowl run. From there, the quarterback debates keep coming. The crew wonders whether Josh Allen could somehow finish his career without a Super Bowl despite being one of the most talented quarterbacks they've ever watched, and whether Buffalo has simply made it too difficult to build enough talent around him. Brock Purdy gets the complete opposite treatment, with Cal finally putting him firmly among the NFL's top quarterbacks and comparing his pocket presence to Tom Brady. And, of course, there's another full week of NFL picks, underdog locks, fantasy football trash talk, and everyone trying to convince themselves they definitely know what they're doing. Plus: •Brian O'Neill finally gets his flowers •Caleb Williams and the suddenly dangerous Bears •Should Minnesota go all-in at the trade deadline? •Jonathan Taylor trade hypotheticals •NCAA tournament expansion •The Wild's hot start and Kirill Kaprizov praise •MLB salary-cap and salary-floor ideas •More Wolves and LaMelo Ball optimism It's quarterback desperation, trade-machine chaos, NFL picks, Minnesota sports optimism, and the boys talking themselves into increasingly expensive solutions for the Vikings offense. Thanks so much for listening to Sports Guyz Only and be sure to subscribe and review! Join Flyways Hunt Club and get 1 month free! Flyways Hunt Club New Waterfowl Film out now! Out West | Waterfowl Hunting in Montana Stay comfortable, dry and warm: First Lite (Code MWF20) Go to OnXHunt to be better prepared for your hunt: OnX Learn more about better ammo: Migra Ammunitions Weatherby Sorix: Weatherby Support Conservation: DU

In this episode of Ten Minute Tuesday, the guys tackle one of the most common questions waterfowl hunters ask every fall: should I get this duck mounted? Joey shares what he has learned after getting plenty of birds taxidermied over the years, including why age, feather condition, plumage, and sentimental value all matter when deciding whether a bird is worth sending to a taxidermist. They get into how to tell whether a duck is fully plumed, why early-season birds can be much harder to work with, and why a late-season canvasback or redhead can look completely different from the same species shot earlier in the fall. The guys also cover choosing a good waterfowl taxidermist, rising prices and long wait times, different mount styles, and how to properly store a bird in the freezer without ruining it. There’s plenty of personal experience mixed in too, from damaged mounts and freezer failures to birds that looked perfect at the time but didn’t compare to their late-season counterparts. They also explain why keeping a potential trophy bird dry after the shot can make a big difference and come back to the most important point: if a duck means something to you, that matters more than whether it is technically the “perfect” specimen. For anyone considering duck taxidermy this season, this episode is a practical look at what to watch for before putting a bird in the freezer. Thanks for listening to the Midwest Flyways Podcast! Be sure to check out the Flyways Hunt Club for even more exclusive content every week. Join Flyways Hunt Club and get 1 month free! Flyways Hunt Club New Waterfowl Film out now! Out West | Waterfowl Hunting in Montana Stay comfortable, dry and warm: First Lite (Code MWF20) Go to OnXHunt to be better prepared for your hunt: OnX Learn more about better ammo: Migra Ammunitions Weatherby Sorix: Weatherby Support Conservation: DU

This week on the Midwest Flyways Podcast, Cal and Joey are getting the next generation into duck hunting. Cal shares what it was like taking his two-and-a-half-year-old daughter on her first hunt, where she became way more interested in the ducks than the geese, sang her ABCs with birds overhead, and left with a brand-new pink coat covered in blood. Joey also took his kids out together for the first time on the water, which meant muddy falls, donuts, boat rides, one mallard, and plenty of chaos along the way. Despite the challenges, both hunts were a good reminder that introducing kids to waterfowl hunting looks a lot different than chasing limits. The guys also talk about the late-October trickle of ducks, upcoming diver hunts, and jump into another round of Say What?! Topics Covered: •Taking kids duck hunting •Cal's daughter's first hunt •Hunting with multiple young kids •Keeping kids entertained in the blind •Late-October duck movement
 Thanks for listening to the Midwest Flyways Podcast! Be sure to check out the Flyways Hunt Club for even more exclusive content every week. Join Flyways Hunt Club and get 1 month free! Flyways Hunt Club New Waterfowl Film out now! Out West | Waterfowl Hunting in Montana Stay comfortable, dry and warm: First Lite (Code MWF20) Go to OnXHunt to be better prepared for your hunt: OnX Learn more about better ammo: Migra Ammunitions Weatherby Sorix: Weatherby Support Conservation: DU

This week on the Midwest Flyways Podcast, Joey may have found his new favorite way to hide while duck hunting. After experimenting with artificial blind grass and a MoMarsh setup, Joey walks through how he brushed the blind, changed the shape of the cover, and tested it on a familiar pond. The result? Ducks worked the spread like he wasn't even there. The guys talk about why a good hide can make or break a hunt, how much time permanent artificial cover could save, and why this setup could be especially useful in cattails, marshes, and permanent blinds. The conversation also gets into the pontoon blind, gear organization, tinnitus, and the different ways Joey and Cal try to keep their brains organized when hunting season, work, and life all start piling up. Topics Covered: •Artificial blind grass •Building a better duck hide •MoMarsh hunting setups •Duck hunting concealment •Staying organized during hunting season Thanks for listening to the Midwest Flyways Podcast! Be sure to check out the Flyways Hunt Club for even more exclusive content every week.   Join Flyways Hunt Club and get 1 month free! Flyways Hunt Club New Waterfowl Film out now! Out West | Waterfowl Hunting in Montana Stay comfortable, dry and warm: First Lite (Code MWF20) Go to OnXHunt to be better prepared for your hunt: OnX Learn more about better ammo: Migra Ammunitions Weatherby Sorix: Weatherby Support Conservation: DU

In this episode of Ten Minute Tuesday, the guys dive into the forgotten history of Huron Lake, Minnesota-a place once known as the “Chesapeake of the West.” Historical accounts describe as many as 700,000 canvasbacks gathering there during fall migration, attracting professional market hunters, wealthy sportsmen, guides, duck camps, and trainloads of harvested birds. At its peak, Huron Lake was considered one of the greatest waterfowl destinations in the country. The guys get into the massive market hunting operation surrounding the lake. They also cover James Ford Bell, whose concern over declining hunting eventually helped push him toward waterfowl research that became connected to the beginnings of Delta Waterfowl. Along the way, there’s plenty of the usual joking around, including the equally devastating historical decline of canvasbacks and Burger Kings. What ultimately changed Huron Lake wasn’t just hunting pressure-it was the disappearance of the surrounding habitat. With nearly all of the original wetlands in the watershed eventually drained, one of Minnesota’s greatest duck hunting destinations faded into relative obscurity. It’s a fascinating and frustrating look at just how different Minnesota waterfowl hunting once was. Thanks for listening to the Midwest Flyways Podcast! Be sure to check out the Flyways Hunt Club for even more exclusive content every week.   Join Flyways Hunt Club and get 1 month free! Flyways Hunt Club New Waterfowl Film out now! Out West | Waterfowl Hunting in Montana Stay comfortable, dry and warm: First Lite (Code MWF20) Go to OnXHunt to be better prepared for your hunt: OnX Learn more about better ammo: Migra Ammunitions Weatherby Sorix: Weatherby Support Conservation: DU

This week on the Midwest Flyways Podcast, Matt Judy is back for the annual catch-up covering duck hunting, farming, Dive Bomb, dogs, and plenty of stories from the past year. Matt talks about hunting ducks out of the creek behind his house, grinding through muddy potato fields, growing up around agriculture, and the surprising career he had with Driscoll's before eventually making the jump to Dive Bomb. The guys also get into how Dive Bomb has grown while keeping its media and customer interaction in-house, what it's like working with the same crew for nearly a decade, and why personality has become such a big part of the brand. Matt also clears the air on last year's chocolate lab controversy, talks about life with a dog boarding kennel, and tells the story of spending three hours chasing escaped sheep before finally tackling one in the creek. Topics Covered: •Backyard duck hunting •Traffic hunting mallards •Muddy potato field hunts •The chocolate lab controversy •The escaped sheep story •Hunting across the country Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matt_judy/ Thanks for listening to the Midwest Flyways Podcast! Be sure to check out the Flyways Hunt Club for even more exclusive content every week.   Join Flyways Hunt Club and get 1 month free! Flyways Hunt Club New Waterfowl Film out now! Out West | Waterfowl Hunting in Montana Stay comfortable, dry and warm: First Lite (Code MWF20) Go to OnXHunt to be better prepared for your hunt: OnX Learn more about better ammo: Migra Ammunitions Weatherby Sorix: Weatherby Support Conservation: DU

This week on Sports Guyz Only... Nathaniel is out trying to punch a ticket to the state soccer tournament, the Timberwolves are playing their season opener on the TV, and Anthony Edwards is casually dropping 40-plus while the guys attempt to record a sports podcast around him. That quickly turns into Wolves optimism, Rudy Gobert slander, and the realization that maybe this roster finally has exactly what Ant needs around him. The guys start with Jalen Hurts' blood-clot situation and questions about Philadelphia's medical staff before Big Dom enters the conversation. From there, things completely derail into alleged mob ties, Gavin's former chemistry teacher who supposedly worked for organized crime, and a documentary claim that sends everyone down a rabbit hole about how many New Jersey homeowners might be living above something they absolutely do not want to find. Eventually, football returns. The crew debates which NFL teams are actually for real, whether Saquon Barkley is starting to show the wear of back-to-back heavy workloads, and how much Christian McCaffrey's usage should change as he gets older. Caleb Williams also sparks one of the biggest debates of the show after brushing off questions about his hamstring injury. The guys argue over media responsibility, player maturity, how much criticism young quarterbacks should have to tolerate, and whether Caleb simply needs to stop reading the comments and grow up a little. And, of course, another week means another round of NFL picks and locks, including some very questionable confidence in Tennessee. Plus: •Is Draymond Green the real problem in Golden State? •Fantasy football injury excuses and leaderboard trash talk •A.J. Brown's brutal drops •Brock Purdy proving he doesn't need healthy receivers •Old-school NBA players apparently staying strapped •Wolves Finals predictions already arriving on opening night It's NBA opening-night overreactions, NFL arguments, fantasy football grudges, and a mob tangent that probably went several miles farther than anyone intended. Thanks so much for listening to Sports Guyz Only and be sure to subscribe and review! Join Flyways Hunt Club and get 1 month free! Flyways Hunt Club New Waterfowl Film out now! Out West | Waterfowl Hunting in Montana Stay comfortable, dry and warm: First Lite (Code MWF20) Go to OnXHunt to be better prepared for your hunt: OnX Learn more about better ammo: Migra Ammunitions Weatherby Sorix: Weatherby Support Conservation: DU

This week on the Midwest Flyways Podcast, the guys are finally starting to see signs of new ducks showing up across Minnesota. Despite temperatures pushing 90 degrees one weekend and dropping back into the 30s and 40s shortly after, Joey has been seeing a steady trickle of new birds including plenty of fully plumed mallards. The crew talks about what they're seeing locally, getting the pontoon blind ready, and what they hope the next few weeks of duck season will bring. They also get into whether flooded timber could work as waterfowl habitat in Minnesota, why ducks use it so heavily in the South, and some of the challenges that would come with managing water and trees farther north. Then Say What? takes over with a different twist - deciding whether names like the ruddy shelduck, cotton pygmy goose, and torrent duck are actually real birds before jumping into another round of waterfowl trivia. Topics Covered: •Signs of the duck migration •New mallards showing up •Warm October weather •Getting the pontoon blind ready •Flooded timber in Minnesota •Waterfowl habitat management Thanks for listening to the Midwest Flyways Podcast! Be sure to check out the Flyways Hunt Club for even more exclusive content every week.   Join Flyways Hunt Club and get 1 month free! Flyways Hunt Club New Waterfowl Film out now! Out West | Waterfowl Hunting in Montana Stay comfortable, dry and warm: First Lite (Code MWF20) Go to OnXHunt to be better prepared for your hunt: OnX Learn more about better ammo: Migra Ammunitions Weatherby Sorix: Weatherby Support Conservation: DU

In this episode of Ten Minute Tuesday, the guys dive into the story of one of the most famous shotguns in duck hunting history: Nash Buckingham’s legendary Bo Whoop.  Buckingham was one of the biggest names in early American waterfowl culture, known for his outdoor writing, flooded timber hunts, and incredible reputation as a wingshooter. His custom A.H. Fox double gun became almost as famous as he was, thanks to its tight patterns, distinctive sound, and the stories Nash told about hunting with it. The story takes a turn in 1948 when Nash accidentally left Bo Whoop sitting on the fender of a car after a duck hunt in Arkansas. By the time he returned, the gun was gone and it stayed missing for decades. More than 50 years later, an old broken-stock shotgun brought into a gunsmith’s shop turned out to have inscriptions tying it back to Buckingham. The guys break down how the gun was authenticated, the serial number mystery, and how a shotgun once bought for $50 eventually sold at auction for more than $200,000.  Bo Whoop’s story eventually came full circle when it was donated to Ducks Unlimited and even returned to the marsh for another hunt decades after Nash lost it. It’s part mystery, part duck hunting history, and a great example of how certain guns, dogs, places, and stories become bigger than the hunts themselves. Thanks for listening to the Midwest Flyways Podcast! Be sure to check out the Flyways Hunt Club for even more exclusive content every week.   Join Flyways Hunt Club and get 1 month free! Flyways Hunt Club New Waterfowl Film out now! Out West | Waterfowl Hunting in Montana Stay comfortable, dry and warm: First Lite (Code MWF20) Go to OnXHunt to be better prepared for your hunt: OnX Learn more about better ammo: Migra Ammunitions Weatherby Sorix: Weatherby Support Conservation: DU (Code: Flyways) Stop saying "Huh?" with better hearing protection: Soundgear Live Free: Turtlebox Add motion to your spread: Flashback Better Merch: /SHOP