EP 619. The "Monsters" Among Us: Giant Snapping Turtles

PART 3. THE FALL.  In a single, recent American generation, Coastal Texas snow goose hunting went from boom to bust--from a fabled hunting experience that drew hunters from around the world to a soon-to-be storied history book chapter. This 3-part series explores the rise and fall of snow goose hunting on the Katy Prairie--its boom, culture, decline, and lasting legacy. Legendary Texas outfitter Larry Gore--whose high school project became a half-century guiding career-- his son Isaac, to whom he's passed the torch, and Texas waterfowl historian Rob Sawyer, paint a colorful picture that some may remember, but that is forever gone. In this episode: cracks in the Katy Prairie goose dynasty, loss of rice culture, the last "great season," conservation order snow goose hunting, policy and cultural shifts, pre- and post-conservation order snow goose hunting, what's the conservation order represent and did it work, thoughts on Texas closing the conservation order, what do snow goose mean after 50+ years of hunting, carrying on family legacy in a changed world, the spirit of Texas Gulf Coastal snow goose hunting, how will it--and the people that comprised Texas snow goose hunting culture--be remembered? 

Early mornings. Long rides. Hard scouting. Greasy meals. High fuel costs. Wet. Cold, wind, sleet. Else too hot. But when it all comes together? Waterfowl give it up, presenting themselves right over the decoys.  But if your shotgun's not patterning right, you're probably missing more than you should! "It's where simplicity meets results," explains Pattern Pros' Ryan Burnett. We blast down range, covering chokes, truths from the patterning board, selecting the best ammo for your shotgun without breaking the bank, other important benefits, public perception--and why patterning kills more birds than the latest gimmick ever will. Boom!    Learn More: Pattern Pros https://www.patternprosusa.com   Visit the Legendary Brands That Make MOJO’s Duck Season Somewhere Podcast Possible: MOJO Outdoors  Alberta Professional Outfitters Society Benelli Shotguns Bow and Arrow Outdoors Ducks Unlimited  Flash Back Decoys GetDucks.com Inukshuk Professional Dog Food  Migra Ammunitions onX Maps  Use code GetDucks25 Sitka Gear SoundGear Tom Beckbe USHuntList.com   Like what you heard? Let us know! • Tap Subscribe so you never miss an episode. • Drop a rating—it’s like a high-five in the duck blind. • Leave a quick comment: What hit home? What made you laugh? What hunt did it remind you of? • Share this episode with a buddy who lives for duck season.   Want to partner? Have or know a story to share? Contact: Ramsey Russell [email protected]  

PART 2/3 BOOM YEARS. In a single, recent American generation, Coastal Texas snow goose hunting went from boom to bust--from a fabled hunting experience that drew hunters from around the world to a soon-to-be chapter in history. This 3-part series explores the rise and fall of snow goose hunting on the Katy Prairie--its boom, culture, decline, and lasting legacy. Legendary Texas outfitter Larry Gore--whose high school project became a half-century guiding career-- his son Isaac, to whom he's passed the torch, and Texas waterfowl historian Rob Sawyer, paint a colorful picture that some may remember, but that is forever gone. In this episode: What made the Katy Prairie so uniquely attractive to snow geese? What was it to live and work in the spectacle? What was it like as a kid tagging along? The daily routine, colorful characters, how decoys and calls evolved, Texas snow goose hunting culture and respect, heyday picking houses, conservation order limits, shifting client expectations and behavior, snow goose hunting quality decline, and more.     Visit the Legendary Brands That Make MOJO’s Duck Season Somewhere Podcast Possible: MOJO Outdoors  Alberta Professional Outfitters Society Benelli Shotguns Bow and Arrow Outdoors Ducks Unlimited  Flash Back Decoys GetDucks.com Inukshuk Professional Dog Food  Migra Ammunitions onX Maps  Use code GetDucks25 Sitka Gear SoundGear Tom Beckbe USHuntList.com   Like what you heard? Let us know! • Tap Subscribe so you never miss an episode. • Drop a rating—it’s like a high-five in the duck blind. • Leave a quick comment: What hit home? What made you laugh? What hunt did it remind you of? • Share this episode with a buddy who lives for duck season.   Want to partner? Have or know a story to share? Contact: Ramsey Russell [email protected]  

Memphis barbecue? Beyond the smoke, rubs, sauce, and off-in-the-distance blues music there's craft. Culture. The kind of stories you get only if you ask the right person. Someone like Ernie Mellor--Hog Wild BBQ pitmaster and inventor of barbecue nachos. Mellor takes us on a behind-the-scenes tour of the real Memphis barbecue scene, peeling back the bark to reveal the people, places, art, inspiration and passion in America's barbecue capital. Roll up your sleeves, folks. And dig in!  Visit the Legendary Brands That Make MOJO’s Duck Season Somewhere Podcast Possible: MOJO Outdoors  Alberta Professional Outfitters Society Benelli Shotguns Bow and Arrow Outdoors Ducks Unlimited  Flash Back Decoys GetDucks.com Inukshuk Professional Dog Food  Migra Ammunitions onX Maps  Use code GetDucks25 Sitka Gear SoundGear Tom Beckbe USHuntList.com   Like what you heard? Let us know! • Tap Subscribe so you never miss an episode. • Drop a rating—it’s like a high-five in the duck blind. • Leave a quick comment: What hit home? What made you laugh? What hunt did it remind you of? • Share this episode with a buddy who lives for duck season.   Want to partner? Have or know a story to share? Contact: Ramsey Russell [email protected]  

EPISODE 1/3 GETTING STARTED. In a single, recent American generation, Coastal Texas snow goose hunting went from boom to bust--from a fabled hunting experience that drew hunters from around the world to another soon-to-be chapter in history. This 3-part series explores the rise and fall of snow goose hunting on the Katy Prairie--its boom, culture, decline, and lasting legacy. Legendary Texas outfitter Larry Gore--whose high school project became a half-century guiding career-- his son Isaac, to whom he's passed the torch, and Texas waterfowl historian Rob Sawyer, paint a colorful picture that some may remember, but that is forever gone. In today's episode: what'd the Texas landscape and snow goose hunting look like 50 years ago? How'd a kid manage leases, landowners and clients? How'd a high school project become a life calling?  Mentors, hardest lessons learned, advice to aspiring young outfitters?    Visit the Legendary Brands That Make MOJO’s Duck Season Somewhere Podcast Possible: MOJO Outdoors  Alberta Professional Outfitters Society Benelli Shotguns Bow and Arrow Outdoors Ducks Unlimited  Flash Back Decoys GetDucks.com Inukshuk Professional Dog Food  Migra Ammunitions onX Maps  Use code GetDucks25 Sitka Gear SoundGear Tom Beckbe USHuntList.com   Like what you heard? Let us know! • Tap Subscribe so you never miss an episode. • Drop a rating—it’s like a high-five in the duck blind. • Leave a quick comment: What hit home? What made you laugh? What hunt did it remind you of? • Share this episode with a buddy who lives for duck season.   Want to partner? Have or know a story to share? Contact: Ramsey Russell [email protected]  

How much effort are you really willing to put into going duck hunting? And why? Hayden Martin’s answer: whatever it takes. Duck hunting keeps him grounded. As much for the everything else as for the trigger pulls. This episode reveals his grit and determination, and digs into an approach to duck hunting we might all do well remembering.   Visit the Legendary Brands That Make MOJO’s Duck Season Somewhere Podcast Possible: MOJO Outdoors  Alberta Professional Outfitters Society Benelli Shotguns Bow and Arrow Outdoors Ducks Unlimited  Flash Back Decoys GetDucks.com Inukshuk Professional Dog Food  Migra Ammunitions onX Maps  Use code GetDucks25 Sitka Gear SoundGear Tom Beckbe USHuntList.com   Like what you heard? Let us know! • Tap Subscribe so you never miss an episode. • Drop a rating—it’s like a high-five in the duck blind. • Leave a quick comment: What hit home? What made you laugh? What hunt did it remind you of? • Share this episode with a buddy who lives for duck season.   Want to partner? Have or know a story to share? Contact: Ramsey Russell [email protected]  

Flooded green timber is distinctively the most iconic habitat in the duck hunting world--but unlike making instant coffee, managing green tree reservoirs involves more than just adding water. Way more. Joined by Ryan Askew and Brandon Bennett from Five Oaks, we break down what makes a true GTR, why bottomland hardwoods matter, the right way to flood and draw down, and the growing challenges—tree mortality, desirable red oak regeneration, now-versus-later management preferences—that threaten their future. Packed with history, science, and hard-earned lessons, this episode reveals how hunters and land managers can keep green-tree reservoir habitats thriving for generations.   Visit the Legendary Brands That Make MOJO’s Duck Season Somewhere Podcast Possible: MOJO Outdoors  Alberta Professional Outfitters Society Benelli Shotguns Bow and Arrow Outdoors Ducks Unlimited  Flash Back Decoys GetDucks.com Inukshuk Professional Dog Food  Migra Ammunitions onX Maps  Use code GetDucks25 Sitka Gear SoundGear Tom Beckbe USHuntList.com   Like what you heard? Let us know! • Tap Subscribe so you never miss an episode. • Drop a rating—it’s like a high-five in the duck blind. • Leave a quick comment: What hit home? What made you laugh? What hunt did it remind you of? • Share this episode with a buddy who lives for duck season.   Want to partner? Have or know a story to share? Contact: Ramsey Russell [email protected]  

Think about it next time you're standing crotch-deep in ankle-grabbing swamps: there're some fascinating, rarely seen but real monsters lurking nearby.  Greg Brashear pulls back the shell on one of North America’s oldest creatures. From campfire legends to alligator snappers the size of dinosaurs, Greg unpacks their hidden lives, astonishing longevity, life history--y'all won't believe the amazing crushing power they possess--and why these living fossils matter now more than ever. A journey into folklore, fieldwork, and conservation—all through the eyes of a man who’s spent his life among them.   Visit the Legendary Brands That Make MOJO’s Duck Season Somewhere Podcast Possible: MOJO Outdoors  Alberta Professional Outfitters Society Benelli Shotguns Bow and Arrow Outdoors Ducks Unlimited  Flash Back Decoys GetDucks.com Inukshuk Professional Dog Food  Migra Ammunitions onX Maps  Use code GetDucks25 Sitka Gear SoundGear Tom Beckbe USHuntList.com   Like what you heard? Let us know! • Tap Subscribe so you never miss an episode. • Drop a rating—it’s like a high-five in the duck blind. • Leave a quick comment: What hit home? What made you laugh? What hunt did it remind you of? • Share this episode with a buddy who lives for duck season.   Want to partner? Have or know a story to share? Contact: Ramsey Russell [email protected]  

Greg Homan doesn’t quote textbooks—he builds duck habitat that works. With years on a tractor and a lifelong passion for waterfowl, he shares hands-on wisdom about moist-soil management, smart water control, and what hunters should watch this season to prepare their place for stacking birds next fall. No fluff. No theory. Just the kind of real-world advice duck hunters and landowners can use now.   Visit the Legendary Brands That Make MOJO’s Duck Season Somewhere Podcast Possible: MOJO Outdoors  Alberta Professional Outfitters Society Benelli Shotguns Bow and Arrow Outdoors Ducks Unlimited  Flash Back Decoys GetDucks.com Inukshuk Professional Dog Food  Migra Ammunitions onX Maps  Use code GetDucks25 Sitka Gear SoundGear Tom Beckbe USHuntList.com   Like what you heard? Let us know! • Tap Subscribe so you never miss an episode. • Drop a rating—it’s like a high-five in the duck blind. • Leave a quick comment: What hit home? What made you laugh? What hunt did it remind you of? • Share this episode with a buddy who lives for duck season.   Want to partner? Have or know a story to share? Contact: Ramsey Russell [email protected]  

Pulling back the curtain on how Migra makes their ammo stand apart from the rest, engineer Ed Springer discusses his background, Migra's patented technology, the painstaking process of designing the ultimate 28-gauge round for yours truly--y'all aint going to believe the first 3 trigger pulls--WOW!--and explains the innovation, testing, and engineering vision that drive Mitra's reputation for performance. This e[sidoe blends technical insight with storytelling, giving hunters a rare look into how cutting-edge ideas are reshaping waterfowl hunting's future duck-getting ammo!   Visit the Legendary Brands That Make MOJO’s Duck Season Somewhere Podcast Possible: MOJO Outdoors  Alberta Professional Outfitters Society Benelli Shotguns Bow and Arrow Outdoors Ducks Unlimited  Flash Back Decoys GetDucks.com Inukshuk Professional Dog Food  Migra Ammunitions onX Maps  Use code GetDucks25 Sitka Gear SoundGear Tom Beckbe USHuntList.com   Like what you heard? Let us know! • Tap Subscribe so you never miss an episode. • Drop a rating—it’s like a high-five in the duck blind. • Leave a quick comment: What hit home? What made you laugh? What hunt did it remind you of? • Share this episode with a buddy who lives for duck season.   Want to partner? Have or know a story to share? Contact: Ramsey Russell [email protected]