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At MeatEater, we believe a deeper connection to the natural world enriches all our lives. Through honest storytelling, expert advice, top-tier gear, and a commitment to conservation, we help hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts live closer to nature.
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5 Ways to Bag More Ducks
Kubie Brown
There is no other time of the year that I look forward to more than duck season. Every day that it draws closer, I get more and more excited and soon begin dreaming about the smell of mud, the feel of cold water around my hips, and the sound of frantically blasting shotguns as soon as I close my...
Kubie Brown
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How to Hunt Ducks Without Calling
Kubie Brown
I’ve never been much of a duck caller. Despite having several duck calls which I constantly blow in the backyard (much to the annoyance of my neighbors) and after reading up on the subject and watching dozens of YouTube tutorials, it’s still taken me quite a few years to get the hang of it. Despite...
Kubie Brown
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The Ten Best Cities in the U.S. for Duck Hunters
Sage Marshall
If you’re anything like me, you’re already obsessing over this fall’s waterfowl season—and plotting where you’d like to hunt. One of my favorite aspects of chasing migratory waterfowl is that you don’t need to go to far-flung wilderness locations to hunt them, though you can definitely have success...
Sage Marshall
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What You Need to Know as a New Duck Caller
Steve Schwartz
As a duck hunter whose enthusiasm regularly outweighs their actual skill, the calling aspect of the sport has always baffled me a bit. I seem to get two different answers—one from what I’m told and another from what I witness firsthand. Generally, I’m told that “less is more” and “don’t even pick up...
Steve Schwartz
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A Quick Guide to Run-and-Gun Duck Hunting
Steve Schwartz
Duck hunting seems to be an all-or-nothing type of pursuit. As someone who generally relies on sweat equity to out-compete other hunters on public land, chasing waterfowl seems to be the outlier. Duck hunters will literally do anything to get themselves to the “X.” And, if you’re wondering, “They...
Steve Schwartz
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3 Reasons You Suck at Calling Ducks
Sean Weaver
It’s time to be honest with yourself. Your buddy sounds way better on a call, everyone in the blind tells you to “take it easy” when you so much as quack, your sole job in the blind is running the spinner remote, and every time you try a new duck call, it just doesn’t sound like the guy that sold it...
Sean Weaver
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How and When to Hunt a Duck Roost
Sean Weaver
One of the biggest taboos in all of waterfowl hunting is busting the roost. It’s a guaranteed way to ruin any field hunting around, it scatters the birds, pushes them out of the area, and educates masses of waterfowl in short order. Most of the time you should avoid hunting the roost. If you don't...
Sean Weaver
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How to Kill Ducks at Midday
Sean Weaver
The half hour before sunrise is the favorite time of the day for most duck hunters, and for good reason: there’s a flurry of activity as the marsh wakes up and many birds move from their roost to their feed. But that quick action is commonly followed by a long lull, sending many duck hunters packing...
Sean Weaver
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The Best Waterholes That Duck Hunters Ignore
Sean Weaver
Whether in a field or on a lake, it’s hard not to love the sight of thousands of birds. But big numbers don’t always mean successful hunts, and oftentimes some of the best hunting can be on small water with low numbers of birds. One of the best examples of small water is the standard cattle pond...
Sean Weaver
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How to Train an Upland Retriever to Hunt Ducks
Tony J. Peterson
If you love following a flusher through the CRP in search of roosters, or maybe along an old logging road in the North country for ruffs, it probably doesn’t sound that appealing to go duck hunting. After all, who wants to go from active hunting to sitting and waiting for some migrators to strafe...
Tony J. Peterson
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Should I Adopt My Next Hunting Dog?
Dr. Seth Bynum
For all the promise and anticipation wrapped up in a new puppy, there exists a certain charm in restoring the shine on a second-hand bird dog. Tailgate legend has a long chapter devoted entirely to these pups. Their stories feature washed-out trial dogs that just needed more time to blossom or the...
Dr. Seth Bynum
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Is a Raw Diet the Right Choice for Your Dog?
Dr. Seth Bynum
Few things will turn south an otherwise civil conversation about dogs faster than the topic of what to feed them. As a practicing veterinarian and bird hunter who spends a great deal of time engaged in tailgate banter, I’ve both received and dished out my share of subtle eyerolls and outright looks...
Dr. Seth Bynum
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4 Ways to Save Money at the Vet
Dr. Seth Bynum
If you’ve spent enough years in the good company of fine dogs, there’s no escaping one attribute they all share: Hunting dogs are expensive. If you haven’t depopulated your wallet or set fire to your credit card on behalf of your hunting companion, you should know that your time is coming. From gear...
Dr. Seth Bynum
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Should I Give My Dog CBD?
Dr. Seth Bynum
The therapeutic benefits of cannabis have been well documented in human medicine, from aiding in the control of seizures and management of arthritis, to adjunct treatment for mood disorders and anxiety. As our understanding of this plant and its medicinal and recreational uses expands, so does our...
Dr. Seth Bynum
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Congress Just Made It Easier to Waterfowl Hunt
Maggie Hudlow
The US Congress just passed legislation that will make it easier for waterfowl hunters to comply with the law. The Duck Stamp Modernization Act is a bill that makes the Federal Duck Stamp electronically accessible to waterfowl hunters. Historically, a hunter must possess the physical stamp in order...
Maggie Hudlow
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Waterfowl
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Annual Survey Indicates Declining Waterfowl Populations
Eli Fournier
Last week, the US Fish and Wildlife Service published an annual Waterfowl Population Status Report, outlining declining duck and goose populations across North American flyways. This spring, American and Canadian federal biologists flew transects throughout the north-central US, Alaska, and Canada...
Eli Fournier
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Waterfowl
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Why Do You See So Many Ducks After the Season?
Joe Genzel
At the close of every duck season, it doesn’t take long for mallards and other puddle ducks to fill the skies and start landing in front of vacant hunting blinds. Greenheads, pintails, and other waterfowl dabble and preen in waters they would not have prior to the close of the season because hunters...
Joe Genzel
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Waterfowl
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Roosevelt's First Waterfowl Refuge Goes Bone Dry
Sean Weaver
Teddy Roosevelt’s first National Waterfowl Refuge, the Lower Klamath NWR on the California-Oregon Border, has gone dry. So has its neighboring National Wildlife Refuge, Tule Lake. The issue is multi-faceted, a perfect storm of politics, crippling drought, and an unwillingness to compromise. The...
Sean Weaver
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Waterfowl
Hunting
Waterfowl
USDA Ban on Canadian Waterfowl is Catch-22 for Hunters
Sean Weaver
Update: Thanks in part to outcry from hunters, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service reversed their decision on Sept. 12, 2022. Rather than bar all hunter-harvested wild game bird carcasses, the USDA is requiring hunters to process their take according to a multi-step process. First...
Sean Weaver
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Waterfowl
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Waterfowl
The Truth About Duck Vision
Sean Weaver
If you spend a single day out hunting waterfowl, you’ll quickly learn that their eyesight is almost second to none. They can pick out even the most hidden blinds, they’ll flare off the simplest of movements, and they have an uncanny ability to see and land with a lone real duck instead of your...
Sean Weaver
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Waterfowl Videos
24:04
Cal In the Field
S05 E01
Jan 2, 2024
Late Season River Ducks
Ryan Callaghan
Ryan Callaghan teams up with First Lite’s, Casey Hawkes, to hunt wigeon and mallards on the big water. The skies and rivers are full of ducks, but it’s the end of the hunting season and the birds are call and decoy shy. It's up to Cal and Casey to find the best spot, present the best decoy spread...
Ryan Callaghan
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23:15
Hunting
Nov 14, 2023
KANSAS MALLARDS WITH RYAN CALLAGHAN
Ryan Callaghan
Join Ryan Callaghan on a quest for ducks in part of America's Heartland—Kansas. Weatherby's Tyler Grethen, Cal and Snort work big water for late season birds. Patience, scouting, numerous relocating setups, and a helpful change in weather conditions bring the ducks in tight and plentiful. Waterfowl...
Ryan Callaghan
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24:31
Timber Tour
S01 E03
Aug 1, 2023
Vicksburg is the Key
Jean-Paul Bourgeois
Vicksburg, home to expert call builder Brad Eldridge, and the oxbows, button willows, and cypress slough's of the Mississippi Delta. Brad is known for building beautiful hand turned calls that do more than just look good. He'll be putting them to test with Chef Jean Paul and the First Lite crew in...
Jean-Paul Bourgeois
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23:58
Timber Tour
S01 E02
Jul 25, 2023
Stuttgart Traditions
Jean-Paul Bourgeois
Jean-Paul Bourgeois and the First Lite crew head to the duck capital of the world to put the new pattern and gear to final test. Hosted by a classic duck club, they take a swing in the Arkansas Duck Derby, cook outstanding camp meals, and generally have a damn good time.
Jean-Paul Bourgeois
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28:22
Timber Tour
S01 E01
Jul 18, 2023
Welcome to Arkansas
Jean-Paul Bourgeois
Last winter, we set out to run @FirstLiteHuntingApparel ’s new timber-hunting waterfowl pattern, Cache, through the wringer. With our buddy Chef Jean-Paul Bourgeois at the helm, the First Lite crew put the ’24 gear to a final test across the southern half of the Mississippi flyway. And to no one’s...
Jean-Paul Bourgeois
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2:48
Educational
Dec 6, 2022
5 Mistakes Duck Hunters Make
Ryan Callaghan
Ryan Callaghan
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Waterfowl Recipes
Recipes
BBQ Goose Thigh Confit
(1)
Danielle Prewett
Good barbecue consists of a few different things, specifically juicy and tender meat with a lot of fat, smoke and bold flavors. Those qualities don’t seem to describe confit, but this recipe will surprise you. In comparison to pork or beef, the muscle tissue of wild game is more developed and lower...
Danielle Prewett
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Recipes
Duck Dirty Rice
(4)
Jean-Paul Bourgeois
This recipe comes from MeatEater Cooks—our new culinary series available on YouTube. In this episode, Kevin Gillespie and I both share our favorite duck rice dishes. This classic Cajun dish is a great way to use up the whole duck. It features the gizzard, heart, and liver, and also uses the carcass...
Jean-Paul Bourgeois
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Recipes
Duck Reuben Sandwich
(2)
Lukas Leaf
I like to follow the mantra "set it and forget it" with this recipe. We're all busy, right? And the two most important steps to making these delicious sandwiches involve waiting. Pop the duck breasts in the brine, tuck them in the back of the fridge, and remove the meat in a few days, then toss them...
Lukas Leaf
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Cooking Techniques
Wild Foods
Cooking Techniques
Video: How to Make Wild Duck Curry
Jean-Paul Bourgeois
This is one of my favorite cold weather recipes for those hard-earned ducks sitting in your fridge or freezer. There are few better ways to complement rich, indulgent duck meat than with the aromatic spices and creamy texture of a classic Thai curry. I start by making a robust duck stock that...
Jean-Paul Bourgeois
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Recipes
Duck à l'Orange
(1)
Jean-Paul Bourgeois
This recipe comes from Episode 2 of Duck Camp Dinners featuring professional chef and hunter Jean-Paul Bourgeois. You can catch every episode of Duck Camp Dinners here. This pot of Franco-Cajun goodness is a duck camp favorite at the Hobo Hilton. It's been said that if it grows together it goes...
Jean-Paul Bourgeois
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