The Fowl Life

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E591 - Are You Running the Wrong Tires? | Chris Holt of Mickey Thompson Nov 03, 2026

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Most hunters know which tires look tough. But few know whether it is actually right for the miles between home and the field. Chris Holt of Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels joins Chad to talk about everything from highway mileage to muddy cornfields, deep snow, towing trailers across the country, tread life, traction, and why the most aggressive tire is not always the smartest choice. But Chris is more than a tire guy. Born in Poland and adopted into a Michigan family, he was introduced to hunting by his wife. Now he is raising his kids on venison, chasing Michigan whitetails, and helping carry forward one of the most recognizable names in American motorsports. From Mickey Thompson’s racing roots and American manufacturing to Michigan deer camp, Detroit-style pizza, Pokémon, and a little Bad Boys basketball, this conversation covers some ground. This episode is presented by Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels and brought to you by Federal Premium Ammunition, Banded Brands, GATR Coolers & Drinkware, Corning Ford, ESP Hearing Protection, CamoSpace, Bodyguard Bumpers, Bedslide, and LEER Truck Toppers. Thank you for supporting the brands who support us!

E590 - He Gets Paid to Hunt Geese and Ride Snowmobiles | Blake Lasanski Oct 30, 2026

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Blake Lasanski turned the Wisconsin outdoors into a full-time job. From filming goose hunts to documenting high-level snowmobiling, he built Blake Media around the pursuits most people have to save for the weekend. TFL Midwest Host Joel Kleefisch gets the story behind the camera before the conversation turns to something every sportsman and woman should be thinking about: voting. They talk about what happens when hunters stay home on Election Day and what that can mean for your rights, your access, and your future in the field. This episode is brought to you by Travel Wisconsin and CamoSpace.

E589 - Ted Nugent to Hunters: Leave the Blind and Go Vote Oct 23, 2026

Show notes

Ted Nugent has a message for every hunter thinking about choosing opening day over Election Day. Leave the blind. Go vote. Ted joins Chad after being inducted into the Michigan Outdoor Hall of Fame, but the celebration quickly turns into something much heavier. An EHD outbreak has devastated his Michigan property, and Ted says more than 90 percent of the deer are gone. From there, nothing is off limits. Ted and Chad go after wildlife regulations they believe punish responsible hunters, question how much authority government agencies should have over private land, and talk about what happens when the people funding conservation are treated like criminals. They also share what hunting has given wounded veterans, why the outdoor life can pull people out of their darkest moments, and why Ted believes America’s hunters could decide the future of the country if they stopped sitting out elections. It is loud, raw, political, and completely unfiltered. Exactly what happens when Chad Belding and Ted Nugent get rolling. This episode features an unfiltered conversation. The opinions expressed belong to the individuals speaking and do not represent the views of The Fowl Life’s partners or sponsors. This episode is brought to you by Safari Club International, Benelli Shotguns, Federal Premium Ammunition, Banded Brands, CamoSpace, Eukanuba Premium Dog Food, Mossy Pond Retrievers, HiViz Sights, Mojo Outdoors, and Jack Link’s Protein Snacks.

E588 - Where the Heck Are the Ducks? | Dr. Chris Nicolai, Part 2 Oct 20, 2026

Show notes

The duck counts say the birds are out there. So where the heck are they? Dr. Chris Nicolai is back for Part 2, and Chad goes straight to the questions waterfowl hunters argue about every season. Are the counts accurate? Are warm winters changing migration? Is hunting pressure keeping birds north of the border? Could shorter seasons and smaller limits be coming? Chris breaks down what the science actually shows, why Canada has lost so many resident waterfowl hunters, and how fewer hunters can still create more pressure when the remaining crowd is willing to travel farther and hunt harder. Chad also turns the conversation on himself. What happens when television, social media, and the hunting industry expose places that once stayed quiet? How much responsibility do content creators carry when attention leads to crowds, leases, and disappearing access? From public land and duck stamps to flooded corn, Canadian regulations, terminal wetlands, and the future of waterfowl hunting, Part 2 goes directly into the questions hunters cannot stop asking. This episode is brought to you by Safari Club International, Ducks Unlimited, Nutrien Ag Solutions, CamoSpace, Banded Brands, Benelli Shotguns, Federal Premium Ammunition, HiViz Sights, Mojo Outdoors, and Realtree Camo.

E587 - Only 8% of Mallards Die From a Gun | Dr. Chris Nicolai, Part 1 Oct 12, 2026

Show notes

Only eight percent of this year’s mallards will die from a gun. So what is killing the other 92 percent? Waterfowl biologist Dr. Chris Nicolai is back with Chad for a conversation that might change how hunters think about migration, mortality, and their own place in waterfowl conservation. In Part 1, Chris explains why the terminal wetlands of the Great Basin need to dry out before they can come roaring back. He and Chad get into whether ducks can forget historic migration stops, how pair bonds can move birds between flyways, why Canada geese may respond to aggressive calling, and what really happened to all those neck collars hunters used to see. They take on the culture surrounding bands. Chris explains what it costs to capture and mark waterfowl, how deliberately targeting marked birds can compromise the research, and why hunters may be hurting the same work their conservation dollars helped fund. Then, they finish with the question Chad has wrestled with during early Canadian hunts: Does killing hens actually hurt the population? Chris answers it with a number most duck hunters have never heard. This episode is brought to you by Safari Club International, Benelli Shotguns, Federal Premium Ammunition, Banded Brands, CamoSpace, Nutrien Ag Solutions, HiViz Sights, Avery Outdoors, Mojo Outdoors, and GATR Coolers & Drinkware.

E586 - The Photo the World Never Forgot | Hannah Stonehouse Hudson Oct 08, 2026

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Fourteen years later, the photograph of John Unger holding his sleeping dog, Schoep, in Lake Superior still stops people in their tracks. TFL Midwest Host Joel Kleefisch sits down with photographer and award-winning outdoor journalist Hannah Stonehouse Hudson for the story behind the image that traveled around the world. What began as a quiet moment between a man and his aging dog became one of the most unforgettable photographs of the social media era. Hannah also talks about the hunting dogs at the heart of her work, what she sees when a bird dog is doing exactly what it was bred to do, and why those photographs can mean even more years down the road. This episode is brought to you by Travel Wisconsin and Camospace!

E585 - 15,000 Dead Birds and a Race to Save the Klamath | Jeff McCreary & Dr. Dan Smith Oct 06, 2026

Show notes

In 2024, approximately 140,000 birds died during a catastrophic avian botulism outbreak in the Klamath Basin. By the final week of August 2026, another 15,000 birds had died, with 100,000 ducklings and a couple hundred thousand molting birds at risk. Ducks Unlimited’s Jeff McCreary and Dr. Dan Smith sit down with Chad to explain what happened, why flowing water is so integral, and how one of the most important waterfowl landscapes in North America reached this point. The Klamath Basin is a critical part of the Pacific Flyway, and its wetlands once held numbers that are almost impossible to imagine today. In the 1950s, three million Northern pintails were counted on Sump 1A alone. Jeff and Dan break down the science behind avian botulism, the work required to get water moving through the refuges, and the cooperation that helped prevent a far greater loss. Farmers, Tribal Nations, irrigation districts, government agencies, and conservation organizations came together during an extremely narrow window to get water where it was desperately needed. The water arrived just in time to put what Jeff calls a “giant speed bump” in front of the outbreak. Now the question is whether that cooperation can become a lasting solution for the Klamath Basin. This episode is in association with Ducks Unlimited and brought to you by Benelli Shotguns, Federal Premium Ammunition, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Banded Brands, CamoSpace, Mojo Outdoors, HiViz Sights, Greenhead Gear Decoys, GATR Coolers & Drinkware and LEER Truck Toppers.

E584 - You Shot the Duck of a Lifetime. Now What? | Kyle Schmidt Oct 02, 2026

Show notes

The bird of a lifetime just fell into the decoys. What you do next could determine how it looks on your wall for years to come. SCI award-winning taxidermist and waterfowl hunter Kyle Schmidt joins Midwest host Joel Kleefisch to explain what hunters should do after the shot to give their trophy ducks and geese the best possible finish. From handling the bird in the field to getting it into the hands of a taxidermist, Kyle breaks down how to protect a mount before the real work starts. If you have ever looked at a bird and thought, “That one is going on the wall,” do not miss this Travel Wisconsin edition of The Fowl Life Podcast. This episode is brought to you by Travel Wisconsin and Camospace

E583 - The Fight Veterans Face After Service | Jeremy Vanderpool & Clint Shaddix Sep 23, 2026

Show notes

The uniform comes off. The mission ends. Then what? Special Operations veterans leave the military with leadership, discipline, and years of experience operating under pressure. Too often, those skills get lost in translation when they enter corporate America. A résumé cannot explain everything they carried, everything they learned, or what it feels like to leave the structure and brotherhood that defined their lives. Jeremy Vanderpool and Clint Shaddix join Chad to explain why Silent Valor Project was built and what real support for transitioning veterans should look like. They talk about connecting veterans with the right careers, supporting their families, protecting their mental well-being, and finding companies willing to invest in them for the right reasons. Chad also asks whether former operators should profit from stories that belonged to an entire team, whether Hollywood should make money depicting war, and why so many people promise to help veterans but never follow through. Silent Valor Project is not looking for empty thank-yous. It is building the relationships, resources, and opportunities that can give Special Operations veterans purpose and stability after service. Learn more, get involved, or donate at SilentValorProject.org. This episode is brought to you by Benelli Shotguns, Federal Premium Ammunition, Banded Brands, CamoSpace, Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels, HiViz Sights, Corning Ford, LEER Truck Toppers, Bodyguard Bumpers, and GATR Coolers & Drinkware.

E582 - He Bet Everything on 136 Acres and a Few Mallards | Matt Roseman and Banded Drake Ranch Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

Matt Roseman saw a few mallards rise from a Texas marsh and bet everything on what that ground could become. He walked away from an almost seven-figure cybersecurity career, traded conference calls for tractors and 110-degree workdays, and went all in on building Banded Drake Ranch. What began with 136 acres and an old brick farmhouse has become 550 acres of meticulously managed waterfowl habitat, an 8,500-square-foot main lodge, a second clubhouse lodge, private casitas, sporting clays, pools, gathering spaces, and the kind of year-round experience serious duck hunters spend their lives looking for. Matt tells Chad how he found the property by accident, why its history made him believe it was meant to be, and what it took to transform the original marsh into a place capable of holding tens of thousands of ducks. Then Chad turns the conversation toward Matt’s wife, Lynda, and the years she spent supporting a vision that demanded nearly everything Matt had. Banded Drake Ranch was never built to be another hunting lease. It was built around habitat, ownership, family, camaraderie, and a shared obsession with doing things the right way. Chad has hunted ducks all over the world. He calls Banded Drake Ranch the coolest place in America to hunt them. Membership opportunities are still available. Learn more at TheBandedDrakeRanch.com. This episode is presented by Banded Drake Ranch and brought to you by Benelli Shotguns, Federal Premium Ammunition, Nutrien Ag Solutions, HiViz Sights, Mojo Outdoors, Rob Roberts Custom Gunworks, Banded Brands, Greenhead Gear Decoys, CamoSpace, and GATR Coolers & Drinkware.

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