Full Transcript for Joe Kiefner, Migration Station

balancing act. 00:04:24.160 --> 00:04:26.160 So I hear a lot of that. 00:04:26.240 --> 00:04:35.439 Uh, you know, we've got some moist all moist soil stuff that we don't want water on right now because I I don't want the geese to get in it and totally wipe it out while I can't do anything and I can't hunt it. 00:04:35.680 --> 00:04:37.920 Um we flood a lot of stuff early. 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:39.519 So it's a balancing act, right? 00:04:39.680 --> 00:04:40.720 What are your thoughts? 00:04:40.879 --> 00:04:46.639 Um is it are we on a is it a dangerous mindset to wait? 00:04:47.040 --> 00:04:47.680 Can be. 00:04:47.839 --> 00:04:50.399 Uh I mean it's a it's a slippery slope. 00:04:50.560 --> 00:04:57.839 Uh what if this cold weather pushes that wave of ducks that we typically see, you know, the Thanksgiving ish. 00:04:57.920 --> 00:05:02.240 We're obviously uh almost two weeks past that by the time this cold weather comes. 00:05:02.399 --> 00:05:09.920 So okay, a bunch show up, and you uh like I have a neighbor who holds a ton of ducks, tons of ducks. 00:05:10.160 --> 00:05:12.720 He he has he doesn't have any water and he's not gonna pump it. 00:05:12.879 --> 00:05:21.680 He's gonna he's just gonna leave it as is and let the rain collect, fill his reservoir back up, and so he can flood his woods at the right right time. 00:05:22.079 --> 00:05:24.399 Uh and he's got an interesting stance. 00:05:24.560 --> 00:05:25.920 Now he does very well. 00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:29.920 He's he's a listener of the show, so he'll know I'm talking about him when he when he hears it. 00:05:30.079 --> 00:05:36.560 But um he's not he's he's of the mindset he's not gonna shoot them when they're in a compromised position like this. 00:05:36.720 --> 00:05:41.360 Now, he does have a an incredibly, incredibly good place. 00:05:41.600 --> 00:05:48.560 Uh, and and so has a little different mindset, but he's but he's I mean he's he's definitely all in on hunter conservationist. 00:05:49.120 --> 00:05:51.360 Uh but that's so but that's his mindset. 00:05:51.600 --> 00:05:54.959 But the the thing is, is okay, what's that gonna do for our neighborhood? 00:05:55.120 --> 00:05:58.800 Okay, so those ducks show up and I don't uh and they looking for water somewhere. 00:05:58.959 --> 00:06:04.240 He doesn't, he doesn't have it, other neighbor doesn't have it, this neighbor doesn't have it, but I've got a little bit out. 00:06:04.879 --> 00:06:06.560 What if I had put more out? 00:06:06.959 --> 00:06:09.439 Maybe I would have hold held all those ducks. 00:06:10.160 --> 00:06:12.319 Yeah, you know, so it's it's kind of tricky. 00:06:12.399 --> 00:06:15.120 But at the same time, I don't want the white geese on them. 00:06:15.279 --> 00:06:16.560 Yeah, and then we're done. 00:06:16.720 --> 00:06:21.040 First split, we don't have any more further food for another 51 days that are left. 00:06:21.360 --> 00:06:25.360 So I'm not even sure I want the dark geese on it, to be honest with you,

Brent. 00:06:25.439 --> 00:06:27.360 I mean, well, yeah, I I like them. 00:06:27.439 --> 00:06:30.800 I I love them, I'm passionate about them, have been for 40 years. 00:06:31.040 --> 00:06:35.519 Uh I like to hunt them, but but it takes a lot more to feed them than it does ducks. 00:06:35.600 --> 00:06:40.160 And then obviously, you know, on a duck hunt, they now they respond differently than they used to. 00:06:40.399 --> 00:06:47.439 It was a different management plan prior to everybody being a spell uh spec outfitter early season, you know. 00:06:47.519 --> 00:06:53.040 We we killed speck boys when we duck hunted, so it made sense to manage them the same, but now it's a different strategy. 00:06:53.199 --> 00:07:00.240 So I kind of wonder you know, to your point, should should we be flooding more in a year like this? 00:07:00.399 --> 00:07:03.600 Instead of holding back, should we I I think theoretically, yes. 00:07:03.680 --> 00:07:14.319 Now it's hard to justify that with the cost of fuel and everything else, but I think the argument could be made that instead of you know when they're in this compromised state, we should be we should be doing more. 00:07:14.399 --> 00:07:16.160 Uh and it's easy for me to say that. 00:07:16.399 --> 00:07:18.720 It's a lot harder for me to to write the check and do it. 00:07:19.360 --> 00:07:21.279 Yeah, I mean, and that is a challenge. 00:07:21.360 --> 00:07:25.199 Uh, I mean there's there's the realistic expense that's related to all that. 00:07:25.360 --> 00:07:40.399 And it's the it's the expense that gets glazed over a lot that uh maybe isn't as appreciated as it should be by by neighbors, and the neighbors could be public or private. 00:07:40.560 --> 00:07:44.720 Uh who's gonna hold all the ducks while the state's so dry? 00:07:44.879 --> 00:07:47.600 Well, I mean, that that comes out of pocket for some people. 00:07:47.839 --> 00:07:54.639 Now, there is some state W WMAs that have put some water out uh as as much as they could. 00:07:54.959 --> 00:07:58.720 Uh, not like a full pool deal in rest areas. 00:07:58.800 --> 00:08:01.279 Uh most of those are moist soil units. 00:08:01.519 --> 00:08:06.319 Um, they pumped them, but not to near the level that they should be. 00:08:06.480 --> 00:08:09.279 So, I mean, the state is doing some of their part. 00:08:09.519 --> 00:08:20.079 Uh, and likely in this scenario, there'll be some places that people have been adamant they don't hold ducks anymore, are probably gonna have ducks this first split because of situations like I'm talking about. 00:08:20.560 --> 00:08:25.199 Um I'm just a couple miles north of Hollowell Reservoir and it's it's got water in it. 00:08:25.439 --> 00:08:37.840 So uh and it gets it it catches a lot of criticism from what it used to be, but brush and willows, to now complete moist soil unit, not a tree in it, uh, doesn't hold ducks like it used to. 00:08:38.000 --> 00:08:39.039 The geese love to roost on it. 00:08:39.200 --> 00:08:45.679

Well, I'm ducks are probably gonna be on it uh here early because they don't really have a lot of choices on the landscape. 00:08:46.240 --> 00:08:48.879 Yeah, that's the way our early roost areas go. 00:08:48.960 --> 00:08:54.159 I mean, it's ducks and geese, they just intermix and and you're you know serving two masters there and it works well. 00:08:56.000 --> 00:08:57.679 The vault is opening. 00:08:57.840 --> 00:09:11.519 Get ready for the Ducks Unlimited Into the Vault auction, featuring an incredible collection of rare firearms, original artwork, DU collectibles, outdoor gear, and one-of-a-kind treasures you won't find anywhere else. 00:09:11.840 --> 00:09:16.480 Bidding opens Monday, November 23rd and closes Saturday, December 5th. 00:09:16.639 --> 00:09:22.559 Don't miss your chance to take on something legendary while supporting Ducks Unlimited's conservation mission. 00:09:22.720 --> 00:09:28.480 Preview the auction and get ready to bid at www.intothevault.org. 00:09:29.200 --> 00:09:30.480 Uh you mentioned neighbors. 00:09:30.720 --> 00:09:31.919 I'll go ahead and point this out. 00:09:32.000 --> 00:09:35.919 Uh are you familiar with I think it's Legends of the Outdoors? 00:09:36.480 --> 00:09:39.200 I've heard I've heard some talk about this. 00:09:39.279 --> 00:09:47.679 Uh I'm not really familiar with it, but apparently the in that video I sent you of neighbors on the property line, they were filming something there that day. 00:09:47.919 --> 00:09:58.320 So I'm not sure what legend they were interviewing, but uh but no, I I think a lot of neighbors and other people undervalue what what some people do in the name of conservation. 00:09:58.399 --> 00:10:00.799 But uh I had another question for you. 00:10:01.039 --> 00:10:04.159 I know you and I both kind of experienced the same thing with white fronts this year. 00:10:04.320 --> 00:10:07.759 Numbers were down up until right at the end of that early season. 00:10:08.559 --> 00:10:15.679 Could be weather, you know, it could be that it was warm, it could be that it was dry, but dry and warm has never stopped white fronts before. 00:10:16.000 --> 00:10:18.559 You know, we start seeing them October one every year. 00:10:19.120 --> 00:10:24.320 Have we uh have we could cause the white fronts to adapt to this early season? 00:10:24.559 --> 00:10:25.600 Is that possible? 00:10:26.879 --> 00:10:28.399 I think it's definitely possible. 00:10:28.879 --> 00:10:34.159 Uh yeah, I mean there is no doubt there were not the numbers in the state. 00:10:34.320 --> 00:10:45.279 And and guys even trying to sell hunts will tell you man, we just didn't see them, we didn't have them, we couldn't kill them um because we didn't have we didn't have the number of birds that we should have. 00:10:45.440 --> 00:10:55.919 So that's not just us talking from a landowner owner perspective, and and some, you know, these are two people that hunt and care a lot about these birds, but uh they weren't here. 00:10:56.000

--> 00:11:04.720 Uh now they they have built up uh in the last I don't know, week to ten days, their numbers have gotten better from what I've seen in my part of the world, what I'm used to seeing. 00:11:04.879 --> 00:11:14.000 I still don't think they're at the number they normally are, but but it's very possible that we have uh we've pushed them pretty hard and they've adapted. 00:11:14.159 --> 00:11:17.360 Because it's um I mean that's what that's what wildlife does. 00:11:17.600 --> 00:11:20.080 Well that's what white fronts do, probably quicker than anything. 00:11:20.240 --> 00:11:24.720 I mean you look at you know 1970s, Arkansas, white fronts weren't a thing. 00:11:24.879 --> 00:11:29.039 Uh 20 years later, we're starting to see decent numbers in the early nineties, you know. 00:11:29.360 --> 00:11:41.840 I think we would winter uh I want to say October into November, you know, 15,000, you know, in in the early nineties, uh up to over a hundred thousand in the you know uh in the teens. 00:11:42.639 --> 00:11:44.480 So that changed rapidly. 00:11:44.559 --> 00:11:47.120 There's no reason to think that they wouldn't adapt to all the gun pressure. 00:11:47.200 --> 00:11:50.320 I mean, you know, we talk about the bird numbers increasing over the last week. 00:11:50.480 --> 00:11:52.639 Well, what are they finding as soon as they put their feet down? 00:11:52.720 --> 00:11:53.600 They're getting shot at. 00:11:54.000 --> 00:12:04.960 So it's not that I mean, I think you and I kind of cautioned against that, even to the game and fish, about this early season and how detrimental it could be to their migration and their winning number in Arkansas. 00:12:05.039 --> 00:12:08.159 And you know, that's an important resource to the state. 00:12:08.480 --> 00:12:17.039 Because as you and I both know, when when duck hunting struggles, white fronts get targeted and we might be putting the the cart before the horse here. 00:12:17.759 --> 00:12:18.480 Yeah, yeah. 00:12:18.559 --> 00:12:19.039 I agree. 00:12:19.200 --> 00:12:26.000 It's it's uh it's it's a dangerous trial run to see, you know, you you make a move too late. 00:12:26.080 --> 00:12:29.679 Uh, and I and I hope that's not the situation we're in. 00:12:29.759 --> 00:12:38.320 Yeah, despite our our warnings, which are now, I don't know, five years old, um with no adaptation whatsoever. 00:12:38.639 --> 00:12:39.200 None. 00:12:39.440 --> 00:12:40.080 Yeah. 00:12:40.399 --> 00:12:40.720 All right. 00:12:40.879 --> 00:12:44.960 Before we uh waste the entire episode, Chet Chatting, did you uh did you see the response from the U.S. 00:12:45.039 --> 00:12:47.440 Fish and Wildlife to Senator Kennedy? 00:12:47.759 --> 00:12:48.240 I did. 00:12:48.399 --> 00:12:48.879 I did. 00:12:49.039 --> 00:12:57.360 And and um, you know, that I think we could do a whole show on that if we wanted to give it the airtime, but uh I don't know. 00:12:57.440 --> 00:13:01.039 The the one on one side they're not gonna take no

for an answer. 00:13:02.000 --> 00:13:03.360 No is a simplified. 00:13:03.440 --> 00:13:07.279 I mean, it was clear the letter was like, we're not gonna mess with this. 00:13:08.159 --> 00:13:20.159 And they didn't, you know, they being the flyway furish and didn't like the answer, so they you know, they they fire back, and I think that thing can has a possibility to go round and round and round forever if if allowed. 00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:30.720 And I get some of the stuff where they're coming from, other stuff, I think they leave some gaping holes uh in in how they communicate uh what's going on with ducks. 00:13:30.960 --> 00:13:41.759 Um but kind of uh it's got to potentially be a never-ending saga while we've got some really more important things uh to be worrying about. 00:13:42.000 --> 00:13:43.600 Yeah, we have some real problems. 00:13:43.759 --> 00:13:52.320 Um, you know, I think a lot of ways that the goalpost continues to move uh maybe by them, for them, I forgot depending on how you look at it. 00:13:52.559 --> 00:14:07.600 You know, at first it was the the change in law in 1998, and it and it, you know, all that stuff has to coincide with the the peak population in around 2000 and the subsequent decline of the last 26 years, you know, because I think that's how that narrative continues, right? 00:14:07.759 --> 00:14:09.519 It has to follow along that trend. 00:14:09.679 --> 00:14:14.960 But it looked to me like one of the big responses from that U.S. 00:14:15.039 --> 00:14:18.480 Fish and Wildlife letter was basically they're claiming the U.S. 00:14:18.559 --> 00:14:21.679 Fish and Wildlife admitted to short stopping in the Midwest. 00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:25.759 And I guess they do a good job of villainizing that. 00:14:25.919 --> 00:14:33.759 Uh, I know that's a real like hot topic or a you know catchphrase, but but I think anytime you know, you you and I would be guilty of that, right? 00:14:33.919 --> 00:14:45.360 Like I'm not trying to harm anybody south of me, whether it's a half mile or a hundred miles, but I am trying to better my habitat and and catch and hold all the waterfowl that I that I can. 00:14:45.600 --> 00:14:50.240 Um I don't hunt them all and I don't kill them all, so I I definitely put more back than I take. 00:14:50.480 --> 00:14:53.200 But that's our job as managers to improve habitat. 00:14:53.279 --> 00:14:58.559 And the result of that is birds find what they need, and then maybe they don't have to move further south. 00:14:59.279 --> 00:15:08.080 Anyway, I I think the the intent there when they label shortstopping is to prove like, oh, they're doing this, and if they didn't do this, they would move south. 00:15:08.159 --> 00:15:10.960 But wouldn't that be bad for waterfowl if they had to move further? 00:15:11.039 --> 00:15:13.120 I mean, ultimately we're trying to benefit them. 00:15:13.360 --> 00:15:14.480 So I don't know. 00:15:14.559 --> 00:15:17.200 I feel like goalposts keep moving in their argument.

00:15:17.600 --> 00:15:32.080 This is from my seat, it's it's almost to be careful what you asked for because okay, say you were able to push it through and get hunting over unharvested crops as illegal. 00:15:32.320 --> 00:15:35.440 Uh you know, and they and you cannot hunt over it. 00:15:35.679 --> 00:15:53.039 You're crazy if you don't think those same landowners are still gonna grow corn, they're still gonna flood corn, they're still gonna hold ducks, except now it's gonna be a situation where those ducks are on a personal rest area where they don't even get disturbed, they're not getting shot at, right? 00:15:53.200 --> 00:15:55.039 Just so they can hold ducks on their place. 00:15:55.200 --> 00:16:01.519 So if you if you take even though if you take away the hunting component, they're still gonna flood corn and they're still gonna hold a lot of ducks. 00:16:01.679 --> 00:16:04.159 And now you've got them in an undisturbed situation. 00:16:04.320 --> 00:16:07.679 So you talk about really no reason to move. 00:16:08.000 --> 00:16:14.080 Take the pressure component out of it, the human shooting at them component, and those ducks may sit even more. 00:16:14.639 --> 00:16:17.039 So might be be careful what you asked for. 00:16:17.200 --> 00:16:17.519 100%. 00:16:17.840 --> 00:16:18.320 That's a good point. 00:16:18.399 --> 00:16:21.919 I mean, you look at like our ratoon rice, this is the second time we've been able to do it. 00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:26.559 And the last time we we didn't hunt it, didn't think about hunting it, and we have no intention of hunting it this year. 00:16:26.639 --> 00:16:29.919 It's it's just there to provide a a rest area for them as they need it. 00:16:30.080 --> 00:16:33.360 So we'll hunt around it and and catch them when they're coming out of it. 00:16:33.519 --> 00:16:35.039 But yeah, solid point. 00:16:35.120 --> 00:16:37.679 If you if you take away the hunting component, it'd probably just make it worse. 00:16:37.919 --> 00:16:40.080 Yeah, no, I'm I I'm convinced of that. 00:16:40.159 --> 00:16:41.120 They're not gonna stop growing it. 00:16:41.279 --> 00:16:45.200 You can't tell them, okay, you you also can't you can't hunt over it and you can't flood it. 00:16:45.279 --> 00:16:48.399 Well, you can't you can't tell somebody that second part. 00:16:48.639 --> 00:16:49.840 They can do whatever they want. 00:16:50.080 --> 00:16:52.000 And where you where are you gonna draw the line, right? 00:16:52.080 --> 00:16:55.679 I mean, because I you get volunteer corn anywhere. 00:16:55.759 --> 00:16:59.039 We we plant beans and corn comes up, you know, we don't even grow corn. 00:16:59.120 --> 00:17:06.640 So you can't that's that's the premise in my stance from the get-go is you just cannot draw that line. 00:17:06.960 --> 00:17:10.319 You know, where no aggro, nothing that's grown for a profit. 00:17:10.400 --> 00:17:15.119 Well, people people contact us to buy acorns off of trees that we planted. 00:17:15.200 --> 00:17:18.799 So am I grow if I sold them to them, am I now growing acorns for profit? 00:17:19.039 --> 00:17:20.720 You there's just no place to draw that line. 00:17:20.799 --> 00:17:22.079 I don't I don't see it happening. 00:17:22.319 --> 00:17:23.440 Yeah, I agree. 00:17:23.599 --> 00:17:24.880 It it's I don't know. 00:17:25.200 --> 00:17:27.519 We just need to turn the page, truth be told. 00:17:28.160 --> 00:17:30.079 I almost didn't even bring it up. 00:17:30.319 --> 00:17:31.680 Yeah, I get it. 00:17:31.920 --> 00:17:39.039 As the season changes, Tom Beckby's fall collection delivers timeless apparel, outerwear, bags, and gear built for cooler days ahead. 00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:47.839 From iconic wax jackets and the versatile layers to classic shirts and everyday essentials, every piece is crafted with the quality, durability, and purpose that define the brand. 00:17:48.079 --> 00:17:58.319 Explore the fall collection at TomBekby.com or visit one of the five stores in Franklin, Tennessee, Oxford, Mississippi, Birmingham, Alabama, Middleburg, Virginia, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama. 00:17:58.640 --> 00:18:05.119 The Standard Sportsman is brought to you by Perfect Limit Outdoors, the creators of the designated Puller Automatic Jerk Rig. 00:18:05.359 --> 00:18:09.039 This is one product creating motion throughout your entire decoy spread. 00:18:09.200 --> 00:18:13.200 Check it out at perfectlimitoutdoors.com and make the water move. 00:18:13.759 --> 00:18:14.960 Well, let's get on with the show. 00:18:15.119 --> 00:18:18.960 Uh our guest has been patiently standing by, which we appreciate. 00:18:19.119 --> 00:18:21.119 But I've enjoyed the conversation. 00:18:22.559 --> 00:18:32.720 Well, I mean, yeah, it was some topics that we've we've obviously talked about offline that we carry over into the show, and sometimes you know you get going and it just produces more. 00:18:32.799 --> 00:18:36.559 And I and I hope that's the way our conversation goes with with you. 00:18:36.720 --> 00:18:41.839 And so without further ado, let's get Joe Kiefner on here from the migration station. 00:18:42.079 --> 00:18:49.279 Uh really uh appreciate him coming on board and and patiently waiting for us to get through yammering about stuff. 00:18:49.359 --> 00:18:55.599 And and now we can talk about what he's got going on because it is a fitting time of year to talk about waterfowl moving. 00:18:55.759 --> 00:19:01.680 And they've got uh if you aren't familiar with it, they've got a really cool tool that um does all that. 00:19:01.759 --> 00:19:03.680 So we're gonna get into some of that history and whatnot. 00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:05.200 But Joe, welcome to the show. 00:19:05.599 --> 00:19:06.319 I appreciate it. 00:19:06.400 --> 00:19:08.960 Yeah, I appreciate you guys having me, and I'm really happy to be here. 00:19:09.039 --> 00:19:17.519 And uh you don't need to apologize for uh for the the yammering you said earlier because it's it's been fascinating conversation

and uh I'm glad you two were talking about it. 00:19:17.680 --> 00:19:18.640 I'll put it like that. 00:19:19.519 --> 00:19:23.359 Well, uh Joe, I'm I'm curious if you have any thoughts on what we're discussing there. 00:19:23.440 --> 00:19:24.880 I probably should have included you in all that. 00:19:25.200 --> 00:19:35.039 Yeah, so I mean, I'll what I'll say on all that is um I'll go off of some some some factual evidence and then I'll kind of go off of my personal little anecdote there. 00:19:35.200 --> 00:19:42.160 And so we talk about you know, habitat, and habitat's the most crucial thing for for wintering waterfowl. 00:19:42.240 --> 00:19:47.440 And I have a heart for folks in Louisiana because that's where I went to school um for college. 00:19:47.519 --> 00:19:53.680 And so I know a lot of people who hunted down there who talked about the the good days and how the good days are you know, days gone by. 00:19:54.160 --> 00:19:57.599 Uh habitat loss has been horrible for that that state. 00:19:57.759 --> 00:20:09.119 You know, the coastal marshes are receding more and more every year, and a lot of rice land is being transitioned to sugarcane, and you're kind of getting hit negatively from both sides of it. 00:20:09.279 --> 00:20:12.799 So, to what extent does that impact the waterfowl use of that state? 00:20:12.960 --> 00:20:14.480 I can't I can't say. 00:20:14.799 --> 00:20:24.480 But do I think that that has a negative impact when you're talking tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of acres being negatively impacted over a decade or two or three? 00:20:24.880 --> 00:20:29.920 I think that has a really I think that's that's a really bad thing for that state's waterfowl population. 00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:31.839 It's just really unfortunate. 00:20:32.160 --> 00:20:34.799 Um and then so that's the kind of the factual stuff. 00:20:34.880 --> 00:20:43.519 And then the the personal anecdote is I've never had a conversation with a duck or a goose before, but I'd like to think I I know at least maybe one thing or two. 00:20:43.839 --> 00:20:55.839 And I just I kind of personally believe that a duck or a goose will do as little as possible as that is necessary to survive, to find suitable habitat, and to to breed. 00:20:56.079 --> 00:21:12.880 And I'm sure there's a lot of like you know, physiological or biological stuff that makes them want to migrate, but gosh, if it's a super warm year and they can find the habitat that they need, be it agricultural or otherwise, in Missouri or in Iowa or in Illinois. 00:21:13.920 --> 00:21:18.559 I just kind of think that they might be tempted to not fly another thousand miles if they don't have to. 00:21:18.799 --> 00:21:20.319 But again, that's an anecdote. 00:21:20.400 --> 00:21:24.799 That's not based off of any evidence I have, but that's just kind of how I think about things. 00:21:24.880 --> 00:21:28.480 And that's how I sleep easy at night when there are really hard discussions being had. 00:21:28.559 --> 00:21:29.039 How about it? 00:21:29.119 --> 00:21:29.839 How about that? 00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:32.079 No, I th I I think you're on target. 00:21:32.240 --> 00:21:41.519 Uh you know, at a simplified level, there we obviously know there's more, you know, there's more complication to it all, but at a simplified level, that is that's it. 00:21:41.599 --> 00:21:45.119 I mean, they're only gonna go as far as they need to go to to survive. 00:21:45.200 --> 00:21:46.000 That's their job. 00:21:46.160 --> 00:21:47.039 They're trying to survive. 00:21:47.920 --> 00:21:53.759 And uh they got enough other, you know, enough things to worry about besides us shooting at them with a gun. 00:21:53.920 --> 00:21:59.759 So um it's a it's a complex topic that I just can I I just really struggle to boil it down to. 00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:02.799 This is the reason we don't see any more ducks. 00:22:05.680 --> 00:22:06.960 Ducks that's too broad. 00:22:07.200 --> 00:22:07.759 Mallards. 00:22:08.240 --> 00:22:09.839 This is why we don't see mallards. 00:22:10.079 --> 00:22:12.319 And that because that's the that's the crux of the issue. 00:22:12.880 --> 00:22:13.119 Sure. 00:22:13.599 --> 00:22:16.559 Louisiana does quite well on lots of other stuff. 00:22:17.839 --> 00:22:23.519 So anyway, let's uh let's talk about Joe and Migration Station. 00:22:23.599 --> 00:22:25.359 Why don't you give a little background on you? 00:22:25.519 --> 00:22:33.200 Uh your you know, your duck hunting, where you are, your duck hunting background, and then and then talk about what y'all are doing with the with the website. 00:22:33.519 --> 00:22:34.559 Yeah, absolutely. 00:22:34.720 --> 00:22:36.480 So my name is Joe Kiefner. 00:22:36.640 --> 00:22:38.160 Uh I own Migration Station. 00:22:38.240 --> 00:22:40.240 It's a waterfowl migration tracking company. 00:22:40.400 --> 00:22:43.519 If you haven't heard of us, look us up on our website or social media. 00:22:43.599 --> 00:22:45.279 We've got some pretty cool stuff going on. 00:22:45.440 --> 00:22:48.160 But uh I grew up in southeast Missouri. 00:22:48.319 --> 00:22:54.079 I uh was introduced to duck hunting when I think I was maybe 14 years old by my brother. 00:22:54.319 --> 00:22:59.279 And uh there's plenty of public spots down there in the in the in the boot heel. 00:22:59.359 --> 00:23:03.599 I won't I won't drop the names, but you know, you know what I'm talking about if you're listening. 00:23:03.839 --> 00:23:09.359 Uh drew into one spot and it was 35 degrees, pouring rain. 00:23:09.440 --> 00:23:13.119 We were wading shooting, meaning we weren't in a blind, so I was miserably wet. 00:23:13.200 --> 00:23:16.400 The waders that I got were five sizes too big. 00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:25.279 I fell in the entire walk to our spot, and I was just hooked from the moment the first group of teal came buzzing by, I was hooked. 00:23:25.519 --> 00:23:27.359 And that's kind of what started my journey. 00:23:27.440 -->

00:23:30.720 So I grew up hunting in southeast Missouri and southern Illinois. 00:23:30.880 --> 00:23:34.720 Uh it's kind of what I consider my, you know, my home turf, if you will. 00:23:35.119 --> 00:23:43.599 Uh went to school in Louisiana, like I said, studied petroleum engineering, so my backgrounds in engineering, uh, moved to Oklahoma. 00:23:44.079 --> 00:23:57.519 And what happened was is in about 2020, uh my wife was working a job where she worked some really late hours and she was working from home, so we were hanging out, but she was on her laptop and me wanting to keep her company, I was on mine. 00:23:57.680 --> 00:24:02.880 And I had a passion for waterfowl and an interest in software programming. 00:24:02.960 --> 00:24:09.839 And so I just started writing some code to try to figure out, you know, hey, I'm eight hours away from what I consider my home turf. 00:24:10.319 --> 00:24:24.640 How can I better my odds to know, hey, if I'm gonna get in the truck and go back to Missouri or southern Illinois to know like this is a good decision, like how do I know that this drive is gonna be worth it, other than just I've got the itch to go? 00:24:24.960 --> 00:24:35.039 And so I started doing some software programming to aggregate a ton of data uh from all over the place to try to get an idea of tracking the migration. 00:24:35.119 --> 00:24:37.759 And originally it was just Missouri and Illinois. 00:24:38.000 --> 00:24:40.799 And uh my wife actually had the idea. 00:24:40.880 --> 00:24:46.960 She's like, this is really cool stuff, but like would other people like have an interest in this? 00:24:47.359 --> 00:24:49.920 I mean, this seems like a really cool idea. 00:24:50.319 --> 00:24:52.559 So I don't know, but we can give it a shot. 00:24:52.720 --> 00:24:59.440 And so we launched in 2021 with just a handful of states of data and uh just immediately blew up. 00:24:59.599 --> 00:25:17.200 Being able to aggregate data from three, four, or five hundred different places across the country, pull it into one spot where you can click on our map and you can see broadly, this is where the migration is, you know, based upon verifiable or or authoritative data. 00:25:17.440 --> 00:25:20.720 Um people had a really serious interest in that. 00:25:20.880 --> 00:25:29.839 And so what was born out of just kind of a passion and maybe a little bit of boredom and a desire to make some good decisions, we launched not really knowing what would happen with it. 00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:32.880 And it's been it's been a wild ride ever since. 00:25:33.119 --> 00:25:38.400 I I'm curious if you can because I'm a nerd, a pretty substantial nerd. 00:25:38.559 --> 00:25:41.039 If you can get off the side, hey, me too, me too. 00:25:41.279 --> 00:25:43.200 I I mean I I love the intricacies of it all. 00:25:43.279 --> 00:25:50.000 I think that's why management for any species of wildlife is so interesting because you can really go as deep as you want and get off in the weeds. 00:25:50.400 --> 00:26:00.640 Can you talk about uh some of the the information uh that you use to to work with go as deep as you want to or as deep as you can on that? 00:26:00.960 --> 00:26:01.200 Sure. 00:26:01.279 --> 00:26:02.000 Yeah, absolutely. 00:26:02.160 --> 00:26:16.400 So the information just the way that I like to describe it is like you can Google information, uh you can Google any question about the waterfowl migration and get data from all different sorts of sources. 00:26:16.480 --> 00:26:34.079 But by the time you've read one article or saw one Facebook post or taken in one report, you know, you do too much of that, you've already lost track of where that one tab was or what what that one guy said from that one state, and it's just hard to keep track of. 00:26:34.400 --> 00:26:43.839 And so that was really the crux of Migration Station is it's not a novel idea to try to talk to authoritative figures about what they're seeing. 00:26:44.160 --> 00:26:48.480 But what we did was we did it at scale, and then we brought it into one single data point. 00:26:48.640 --> 00:27:00.799 So we take information from uh phone outreach, we take information from the internet, we have information that comes to us, but the information that comes to us, we verify uh personally. 00:27:00.960 --> 00:27:15.519 And so, really, the selling point for Migration Station is you can trust our data because it's coming from authoritative sources, or if it comes directly to us privately, we are getting it from an authoritative source, or we're verifying it ourselves. 00:27:15.680 --> 00:27:28.640 And so our data is, you know, those things have wings, they can be in one pond today and they can be a hundred miles away in a few hours, but uh the data is good and it's as authoritative or verifiable as it could be. 00:27:28.720 --> 00:27:29.839 And we're pretty proud of that. 00:27:30.160 --> 00:27:35.839 Yeah, uh on that, uh you you you um you mentioned you know a phone component. 00:27:35.920 --> 00:27:38.960 Uh obviously getting on the phone with somebody and talking now. 00:27:39.039 --> 00:27:45.279 Uh are they always in the waterfowl science community or is there a network of of hunters? 00:27:45.359 --> 00:27:46.960 How does how does that work? 00:27:47.359 --> 00:27:48.640 It's all of the above. 00:27:48.799 --> 00:27:51.359 Our our data sources are all authoritative, though. 00:27:51.440 --> 00:28:02.240 Like I said, I feel like that's going to end up being the buzzword for me, and I'm not a buzzword guy, but we're talking to people who have a vested interest in waterfowl management and conservation. 00:28:02.400 --> 00:28:10.799 We're not talking to uh private landowners or hunters afield, and if we are, that is that extra step of verification. 00:28:10.960 --> 00:28:16.480 So, like YouTube, for example, are about as authoritative as they get in the private space. 00:28:16.640 --> 00:28:23.680 But because since you guys are, you know, either private

landowners or private hunters, um, we would require an extra step of verification. 00:28:23.839 --> 00:28:28.799 So, you know, if if uh if casen said, hey, Joe, the geese are here, I'd say great. 00:28:28.960 --> 00:28:40.960 Um, but in order for us to use that information, we would actually require folks to submit a video or a photo that we can use the metadata of and that we can actually parse electronically to say, okay, Casein says the geese are here. 00:28:41.119 --> 00:28:50.160 Here's a photo of his rest area, and we can actually electronically count if the data or if the picture quality is good enough, how many geese are actually in that photo. 00:28:50.319 --> 00:28:55.359 So if we start taking information in privately, that's the extra step of verification we take. 00:28:55.519 --> 00:29:00.720 It's not good enough for you know for John Doe to just say the geese are here or the geese aren't here. 00:29:00.799 --> 00:29:02.400 Uh we require that extra step. 00:29:02.640 --> 00:29:03.119 Oh wow. 00:29:03.200 --> 00:29:04.319 That that that's pretty slick. 00:29:04.400 --> 00:29:11.839 I didn't realize it was that component, but it makes sense because you could obviously hunter's law, just like you know, fisherman law, hunter's law. 00:29:11.920 --> 00:29:16.400 It's just it just it's not always a la, but it's exaggerate. 00:29:16.480 --> 00:29:29.440 I that maybe You know, I don't I don't I don't blame people for it, but we try to guard against it because Joe Kiefner could say, hey, the ducks are in central Oklahoma boys, and maybe Joe Kiefner is being honest. 00:29:29.680 --> 00:29:32.559 I'm always honest, but maybe Joe Kiefer's being honest in this case. 00:29:32.720 --> 00:29:41.119 Maybe Joe Kiefner is not being honest because Joe Kiefner is actually hunting in Kansas and he wants people to stop short in our in Oklahoma and hunt there instead. 00:29:41.279 --> 00:29:46.000 Um, we that's why we really try to get away from those like anecdotal comments. 00:29:46.160 --> 00:29:52.559 People will comment all over our social media, and we love to know that stuff because we really like to know, we like to hear from our community. 00:29:52.720 --> 00:30:03.599 But if Migration Station is going to put a data point on our map that people are subscribing to or people are are are looking at, it has got to come from authoritative source or it's got to be verified. 00:30:03.680 --> 00:30:05.279 And if it's not, then we can't use it. 00:30:05.440 --> 00:30:11.519 That's that's been our stick, and I think that's why we've been so popular, um, is because our our data can be trusted. 00:30:11.759 --> 00:30:13.200 No, without question. 00:30:13.359 --> 00:30:22.400 And and that's that's key because you could go into any Facebook group and see a bunch of people rattling off, oh, the ducks are here, or no, there's not any ducks here. 00:30:22.559 --> 00:30:29.359 But but it's all relative, and and you don't know what that person's experience with this particular area is. 00:30:29.440 --> 00:30:33.440 I mean, he might have hunted it for five seasons, it might be five decades. 00:30:34.079 --> 00:30:34.400 Sure. 00:30:34.720 --> 00:30:36.160 You know, that kind of that kind of thing. 00:30:36.240 --> 00:30:46.400 I mean, like I can tell you in the area I'm in, because I've hunted this particular farm for almost 50 years, whether there's a lot of ducks there or there's not. 00:30:46.559 --> 00:30:47.279 Uh sure. 00:30:47.519 --> 00:30:54.880 Where somebody driving by on the highway could see a decent amount of number of ducks sitting in a field goal, man, the ducks are at blank. 00:30:55.200 --> 00:31:05.759 Uh so yeah, I I I could see the value in really having to vet uh somebody's take uh to make sure to interrupt you, Brent. 00:31:05.839 --> 00:31:06.000 Go ahead. 00:31:06.240 --> 00:31:12.559 No, I was gonna say to to actually go public with that data and say the ducks are staged, you know, here, here, here, here. 00:31:13.279 --> 00:31:16.559 Um hard to do that off a hot take, so to speak. 00:31:16.880 --> 00:31:17.200 Sure. 00:31:17.359 --> 00:31:19.839 Well, I mean, I think you guys could both attest to two. 00:31:20.079 --> 00:31:28.400 Like you guys probably talk to your neighbors all the time, and your neighbors might say, Hey, it is slow over here. 00:31:28.559 --> 00:31:30.319 We haven't seen a duck one. 00:31:31.039 --> 00:31:35.279 And there have been days where you're like, we were done by 745. 00:31:35.519 --> 00:31:36.240 You know what I mean? 00:31:36.400 --> 00:31:40.160 Like, and they could be a they could be, you know, five miles down the road. 00:31:40.240 --> 00:31:46.880 And so like, even on a county by by county level or in within a county, like the story can just be so different. 00:31:46.960 --> 00:31:55.680 So people can be being incredible incredibly honest and still not have the pick the full picture, I guess, if that makes sense. 00:31:55.839 --> 00:31:56.640 So it's really hard. 00:31:56.720 --> 00:32:01.039 And again, that's why we try to really pride ourselves on using data that's high quality. 00:32:01.119 --> 00:32:02.799 And I don't think people know that about us. 00:32:02.880 --> 00:32:05.839 And that's that's why I'll I'll throw that shameless plug out there. 00:32:06.079 --> 00:32:07.039 No, I'm I'm glad you dig. 00:32:07.279 --> 00:32:11.519 I did I was not aware of that, and I definitely see the value in it because like Brent said, everything's relative. 00:32:11.599 --> 00:32:15.599 You know, I can't tell you how many times someone's been like, oh man, it's more ducks than I've ever seen. 00:32:15.839 --> 00:32:18.000 Like, okay, how many ducks have you seen? 00:32:18.079 --> 00:32:19.279 You know, yeah. 00:32:19.680 --> 00:32:21.839 Our numbers are going to be different just inherently. 00:32:21.920 --> 00:32:23.359 So I that's awesome. 00:32:23.839 --> 00:32:27.359 So and and you know, you mentioned uh county by county difference. 00:32:27.440 -->

00:32:28.880 I mean, it could even be farm by farm. 00:32:29.039 --> 00:32:35.279 I mean, we are uh we can be productive on one end and unproductive on the other, and our farm's not that big. 00:32:35.440 --> 00:32:43.599 So uh always tell people uh like my knowledge or my understanding of the migration is through a pretty small window, which is our farm. 00:32:43.759 --> 00:32:47.519 Now it's uh uh years and years and years of looking through the same window. 00:32:47.599 --> 00:32:50.079 So I've got a pretty good barometer for our area based on that. 00:32:50.240 --> 00:32:59.920 And I'm curious uh how much you know when you when you're taking in these um this data from private and so forth, like does this compound every year? 00:33:00.079 --> 00:33:05.599 Like, does this does this data kind of add up to a bigger picture, or is it kind of a one and done type situation? 00:33:06.079 --> 00:33:07.920 Yeah, no, that's a really great question. 00:33:08.160 --> 00:33:11.599 So um kind of two thoughts that I had. 00:33:11.680 --> 00:33:27.279 Now one of them answers your question, one of them's kind of a thought on what you had said prior, but we uh we have a really good way of being able to kind of tell the story more broadly and more nationally because it is a national map, right? 00:33:27.359 --> 00:33:31.279 You can drill into certain regions on our map, but it's kind of a national conversation. 00:33:31.519 --> 00:33:36.400 But within the dashboard, you can actually interact with regions in their histories. 00:33:36.559 --> 00:33:43.440 So, like for example, uh we just made a social media post a few days ago, I think it was uh November 10th. 00:33:43.759 --> 00:33:46.240 Um in Michigan. 00:33:46.480 --> 00:33:55.680 Michigan as a state, certain regions of Michigan are holding uh more numbers of ducks than they have in their prior five-year average. 00:33:55.759 --> 00:33:59.200 And some regions are actually have shattered their five-year record. 00:33:59.359 --> 00:34:09.519 Um, but if you were to compare the numbers of ducks in Michigan, which were considered well above average, to the numbers of ducks in certain regions of Minnesota, it would pale in comparison. 00:34:09.599 --> 00:34:11.280 So you're kind of able to tell that story. 00:34:11.440 --> 00:34:14.639 Like Minnesota has more ducks than Michigan does. 00:34:14.960 --> 00:34:18.239 But Minnesota's you know average or below average or whatever the story is. 00:34:18.320 --> 00:34:24.079 But Michigan specifically, I won't say there are more ducks there, but there are more ducks there relative to its own history. 00:34:24.159 --> 00:34:35.599 So you go to our map, you look at Michigan, go to the trends tab of any region, and you can kind of see like, here is where the ducks, the duck count is at now, either qualitatively or numerically. 00:34:35.760 --> 00:34:38.079 And here is what it typically is this time of year. 00:34:38.159 --> 00:34:40.079 And so you can see that story play out.

00:34:40.159 --> 00:34:46.719 Like, you know, it this region might not get a lot of ducks, but for the ducks that it gets, we are seeing really good numbers. 00:34:46.800 --> 00:34:51.599 And so being able to kind of parse that out is is really uh that's where I nerd out. 00:34:51.840 --> 00:34:57.119 The Standard Sportsman is brought to you by Noah Perry, financial advisor with Raymond James and Associates. 00:34:57.360 --> 00:34:59.920 Like you, Noah is an avid sportsman. 00:35:00.000 --> 00:35:05.199 He was raised in a family where duck hunting tradition and conserving our natural resources runs deep. 00:35:05.440 --> 00:35:10.800 Like you, he understands that success in the field requires proper planning, discipline, and patience. 00:35:10.880 --> 00:35:13.280 And most importantly, a high level of trust. 00:35:13.440 --> 00:35:17.199 Trust in your gear, trust in your dog, trust in your hunting partners. 00:35:17.360 --> 00:35:30.800 As a financial advisor with Raymond James, he brings that same understanding and partners with his clients to build tailored investment strategies and comprehensive plans, delivering a personalized experience built on trust and around your goals. 00:35:30.960 --> 00:35:38.159 Call Noah today at 501-313-7313 or send an email to noah.perry at raymondjames.com. 00:35:38.320 --> 00:35:42.960 Noah Perry with Raymond James, personal by nature, trusted by design. 00:35:50.960 --> 00:36:04.400 Situated along the renowned Big Creek Flyway between DeWitt and Ethel, Arkansas, this 162-acre two-track hunting property offers an exceptional combination of prime waterfowl hunting and quality deer hunting in the heart of one of the most productive duck corridors in the region. 00:36:04.639 --> 00:36:13.760 The property boasts a diverse and dynamic wetland habitat, featuring a rich mosaic of cattails, willows, cypress trees, and buckbrush that naturally attract and hold ducks throughout the season. 00:36:13.840 --> 00:36:17.920 Whether you're chasing mallards or managing deer, this property delivers on both fronts. 00:36:18.159 --> 00:36:24.320 For more information, visit LyleRealEstate.com or call us at 501-374-3411. 00:36:25.360 --> 00:36:32.159 Well, I this may be shifting ears a little quickly, but I'm I'm also curious uh again as Brett and I talk about it. 00:36:32.239 --> 00:36:40.000 We we we discuss when we think our peak migration occurs and and Brent and I both kind of believe that the majority of that is based on the photo period. 00:36:40.079 --> 00:36:41.599 We also believe Yeah, I totally agree. 00:36:42.000 --> 00:36:43.280 So that yeah, that's where I was going to get. 00:36:43.360 --> 00:36:45.440 Like how how much of that do you see with your information? 00:36:45.599 --> 00:36:53.840 And then how much do you see uh the photo period making an impact based on like the size and severity of fronts? 00:36:53.920 --> 00:37:00.400 Because again, we talked about the show, like a cold front in November is has a much more

significant impact than a cold front at the end of January. 00:37:00.719 --> 00:37:16.159 Yeah, if you have a cold front around if you have a cold front around your your first full moon of fall, like you're the the middle the middle states of the central and Mississippi flyaway are in a really good spot if they line up. 00:37:16.320 --> 00:37:19.920 There's a lot of from and this is again, this is you know Joe's opinion. 00:37:20.159 --> 00:37:28.639 I uh I I uh that's my caveat, like this isn't rule of law, but based upon the data, all of the above contributes. 00:37:28.800 --> 00:37:35.599 You just do start to see a lot of birds migrate based upon the first full moon or that photo period, like you guys were talking to. 00:37:35.679 --> 00:37:40.239 It's you know, kind of the the different end of the same coin or different side of the same coin, I guess. 00:37:40.320 --> 00:37:47.760 How much daylight is in a day versus you know, when is your first full moon signaling, you know, your days are starting to get shorter. 00:37:48.159 --> 00:37:51.440 Um and it you really start to see it. 00:37:51.519 --> 00:37:54.880 So, like, for example, right now, you start to drill into some of the data. 00:37:55.119 --> 00:38:09.599 Mallards are showing up along the Illinois River, they're starting to show up in northern Missouri, and there has been no weather to do to bring that about, except for a couple days of north wind and some mild cold up north, just very mild. 00:38:09.920 --> 00:38:17.199 Um, but you talk to folks in North Dakota or you hear reports out of North Dakota, and they still haven't even seen much of a push yet. 00:38:17.440 --> 00:38:30.880 And so there has not been a whole lot yet to bring ducks further south out of Canada, but the ducks that were in the Dakotas have already started to shift south because of the days getting shorter or the first full moon, and that took advantage of the first north wind they had. 00:38:31.119 --> 00:38:43.760 Um, and so I guess my answer to that is like the data supports days getting shorter, first full moon, so you know, bringing in fall, and then north wind, all of the above is supported in the data. 00:38:43.840 --> 00:38:50.000 And if you can line all of those things up together, uh you start to see some really big movements. 00:38:50.079 --> 00:39:02.400 Um, and it's pretty cool to kind of visualize with the data because we all kind of see it, we all kind of have our opinions, but I really nerd out on you know, you kind of get to see it take place before your eyes with you know these visualizations that we have. 00:39:02.719 --> 00:39:04.800 Yeah, I bet that I bet that is pretty slick. 00:39:04.880 --> 00:39:14.320 And and speaking of eyes, I that's I think that's something uh on some levels that is kind of underestimated. 00:39:14.480 --> 00:39:24.480 Um and it gets back to if you have a uh you know fairly longstanding experience level with a particular area or a particular place. 00:39:26.480 --> 00:39:29.840 Like I said, you know whether you've got the ducks or you don't. 00:39:29.920 --> 00:39:32.960 And you know the timing based on a history. 00:39:33.280 --> 00:39:42.800 And so sometimes you know, I I know there's there's telemetry data, there's uh all kinds of uh different data points you could take and say this is what ducks are doing. 00:39:43.920 --> 00:39:47.199 But at some level, uh a duck hunter's eyes don't lie. 00:39:47.599 --> 00:39:53.519 I mean they they know what they see, and there's there has to be some value to that. 00:39:53.679 --> 00:39:58.079 And I know uh you could take me, a duck hunter, not a scientist, I'm just a duck hunter. 00:39:58.239 --> 00:40:08.159 Uh you know, know just enough to be somewhat knowledgeable on that and and understanding duck movement and stuff, but uh but I know what I see when I'm afield. 00:40:08.239 --> 00:40:21.440 Uh and there has to be some value in that, and then when you can echo that with uh uh you know some of the trend lines and the things that you're seeing with all this these different data points you're assembling, they're not really based on any one thing. 00:40:21.760 --> 00:40:40.719 You're pulling in all these data points, then you've got some conversations, and then you've got some trusted advice, you know, consultants, whatever you want to call them, that are feeding you this is what we're seeing, and then you you mold all that together, and then it when it lines up with what a duck hunter sees when it when they're out there, then I think that's why you got something here. 00:40:40.880 --> 00:40:48.159 It's yeah, it it's kind of like the conversation earlier about whether flooded corn is the the true villain or is it all these things? 00:40:48.400 --> 00:40:54.400 And that's you know, taking a holistic deal that what what makes a duck move, it it's the same thing. 00:40:54.480 --> 00:40:57.760 You've got all these different things you're you're analyzing and and breaking down. 00:40:58.000 --> 00:40:58.239 Right. 00:40:58.480 --> 00:41:16.079 Yeah, we try to that would that's really our whole shtick is just trying to take all of these data points, which there are there's there's tons of them, but you know, make it as broad as possible to where you know you guys, you guys, I would assume hunt on really well established, very well managed farms. 00:41:16.239 --> 00:41:28.320 And so like I would wager that you all have birds when, you know, especially if you guys, you know you know, I heard you guys talking a little bit about like water to not water early, not early, things like that. 00:41:28.400 --> 00:41:30.480 Like you guys think really intentionally about it. 00:41:30.559 --> 00:41:34.719 And so you guys probably are able to manage really, really well. 00:41:34.880 --> 00:41:43.119 Whereas if some folks are just hunting a local slough that may or may not have water, like they might say there's no ducks here because it's bone dry, and that might be the truth.

00:41:43.199 --> 00:41:48.559 But the folks who, you know, are are managing for waterfowl, they see the waterfowl. 00:41:48.639 --> 00:41:57.119 And so trying to take all of those data points, aggregate all of that truth and bring it up to the national level, that's that's our selling point. 00:41:57.199 --> 00:42:09.920 Is we're trying to tell a story as broad as possible, knowing that the stories take place within, you know, if you're in a pit, the story is taking place within a half mile of your pit, that the story that you're telling me, and then trying to scale that up. 00:42:10.239 --> 00:42:12.639 Yeah, so I think that's uh I was definitely unaware of that. 00:42:12.719 --> 00:42:22.559 I think it's pretty fascinating without going into a whole other topic about a documentary called The Ground Truth regarding a battle that was commanded from a thousand miles away. 00:42:22.719 --> 00:42:25.280 It I think that's relatable to what we're talking about here. 00:42:25.599 --> 00:42:35.440 You know, a a lot of science, a lot of data is done from afar, but when you add that ground truth component to it, it really brings it home as something much more tangible, I guess. 00:42:35.519 --> 00:42:36.639 And uh so I'm curious. 00:42:37.599 --> 00:42:47.920 Is there a like a weighted scale between the studies that you use for this information and and the the the ground truth, the the feedback you get from landowners? 00:42:48.079 --> 00:42:52.480 How does how does each report or each thing weigh in and what you're doing and what you show? 00:42:53.039 --> 00:42:56.559 Now they all hold an equal weight if we're able to use the information. 00:42:56.719 --> 00:43:05.119 So like I said, we get plenty of people messaging us saying, Hey, you know, we we had a really good hunt today in you know the Mississippi Delta or whatever. 00:43:05.360 --> 00:43:09.599 And we're like, you know, we virtually give them a fist bump, like that's great. 00:43:09.679 --> 00:43:11.039 Thank you so much for sharing that with us. 00:43:11.119 --> 00:43:12.960 But like we don't really, we can't do anything with that. 00:43:13.119 --> 00:43:23.519 But if we get verifiable information, say you know, you guys send a video of your rest area and you can see the ducks tornadoing, and we can you know parse that electronically and count the ducks, we use that. 00:43:23.679 --> 00:43:35.840 And that is that data point is as good as a conversation with a you know uh a biologist or something like that up north or uh a survey from somewhere up north. 00:43:36.000 --> 00:43:52.239 Um I would are I would say to that point though, I would say probably five percent, maybe 10% or less of our data comes from the private, you know, comes from the private hunters or the the folks who are like just sending us data, you know, sending us a video, sending us a photo. 00:43:52.480 --> 00:43:56.000 A lot of the other information comes from talking to the authoritative sources. 00:43:56.079 --> 00:44:04.079 And so if it makes it into our database, one data point is a As good as the next, but we have a really high bar for what makes it into our database. 00:44:04.320 --> 00:44:06.000 Yeah, and I think that's important. 00:44:06.320 --> 00:44:10.559 Um, I wonder how much you know, loose lips sink ships. 00:44:10.639 --> 00:44:17.280 Uh you know, I'm wondering how many landowners don't want to talk about how many birds they have because it just attracts more attention to what they've got going on. 00:44:17.599 --> 00:44:22.800 Yeah, there is we definitely, you know, we uh we appreciate everybody's opinion. 00:44:22.960 --> 00:44:25.199 There is always a place for healthy dialogue. 00:44:25.440 --> 00:44:32.159 We definitely have folks in our comment section who uh wish we wouldn't highlight certain spots. 00:44:32.320 --> 00:44:40.960 Um, but what I would say is for every one of those, we have one person who will message us cop privately and say, hey, I work crazy hours during winter. 00:44:41.199 --> 00:44:43.920 I had a five-day stretch off. 00:44:44.159 --> 00:44:50.880 I'm from the middle of Texas where we don't have any ducks, and your information led me to make really good decisions with my time. 00:44:51.199 --> 00:45:03.519 And that's really like that that counteracts tenfold all of the negative comments we get where they're like, don't talk about, you know, Kansas or Missouri or whatever, you're just gonna bring them to our spots. 00:45:03.599 --> 00:45:11.280 It's like, man, this is a public resource, and you know, I'm I'd not trying to make it harder for you, I'm trying to make it easier for everybody. 00:45:11.519 --> 00:45:17.199 And uh, you know, everybody trying to, I guess, democratize the information as best as possible. 00:45:17.679 --> 00:45:18.639 Well, yeah. 00:45:18.880 --> 00:45:23.840 I mean, I I I can see their point, and there and there are some areas that are Yeah, sure. 00:45:23.920 --> 00:45:25.360 I mean, their point's valid for sure. 00:45:25.599 --> 00:45:31.440 Yeah, heavily uh heavily pressured and it's typically very reactionary pressure. 00:45:31.599 --> 00:45:36.719 Uh social media shows a bunch of ducks being killed in Kansas, and boom, everybody goes to Kansas. 00:45:37.360 --> 00:45:41.199 Bunch of people see ducks are being killed in Black River in northeast Arkansas. 00:45:41.920 --> 00:45:44.239 Everybody shows up in the Black River to to hunt. 00:45:44.400 --> 00:45:45.599 I think that's gonna happen anyway. 00:45:45.760 --> 00:46:04.719 I mean, it just uh even if you take somebody that maybe doesn't even have the perspective or experience or real knowledge, if enough people make noise on say some Facebook group that man, the ducks and are in the Black River bottoms, there's gonna be there's gonna be a contingency of people that go. 00:46:05.119 --> 00:46:11.760 And the way that you know the 20 somethings communicate um it doesn't take long for something uh to spread. 00:46:11.840 -->

00:46:20.079 So it'd be almost better uh to me, it's almost better that you're doing what you're doing because it's it's not just so anecdotal. 00:46:20.159 --> 00:46:22.159 Um and all that. 00:46:22.320 --> 00:46:25.679 I mean the reactionary traffic is it's always gonna be there. 00:46:25.840 --> 00:46:36.239 I mean they're gonna they're gonna descend on places that are known for successful duck hunting if they think the conditions warrant, uh whether somebody tells them they have ducks or not. 00:46:36.480 --> 00:46:41.920 So yeah, I get it, but it it's probably not as uh a big a factor as they think. 00:46:42.079 --> 00:46:56.800 And and that that's what's interesting about it all is uh you know, you have to take everything with a grain of salt that you read on on social media when it comes to whether there's ducks or there's not ducks, because uh as we state earlier, it's relative. 00:46:57.039 --> 00:47:07.039 But you know, I've got a network of I don't know, two dozen people I can you know talk to and do you have ducks or do you not have ducks? 00:47:07.119 --> 00:47:10.719 And if some of these places, if they don't have ducks, nobody's got ducks. 00:47:11.360 --> 00:47:13.039 Um you know, that kind of deal. 00:47:13.280 --> 00:47:18.880 But if they've got 'em, that doesn't but at the on the other end of that, if they say they've got 'em, that doesn't necessarily mean everybody's gonna have them. 00:47:19.119 --> 00:47:20.079 These are sure. 00:47:20.719 --> 00:47:30.800 It's more you're always it man, if if John Doe says he doesn't have any ducks, uh don't get your hopes up because if he doesn't have them, nobody has them. 00:47:30.960 --> 00:47:31.440 Uh right. 00:47:31.679 --> 00:47:37.519 That that kind of deal that's the more realistic uh you know angle to take on all that. 00:47:37.599 --> 00:47:43.039 But um yeah, but you're not only you're doing this with geese too. 00:47:43.119 --> 00:47:44.480 It's not just ducks. 00:47:44.880 --> 00:47:49.519 Yeah, we we're still trying to expand our footprint in terms of like what species we cover. 00:47:49.599 --> 00:47:52.639 So right now it's ducks, Canada geese, and snow geese. 00:47:52.800 --> 00:48:16.000 We are probably pretty close to having enough information on on white fronts to try to uh try to get a little bit of a map going, but your data coverage kind of gets kind of thinned past snow geese and Canada geese and ducks, and so you would have much less of the map lit up and and there's just a more focus on you know speckle bellies in the Mississippi flyway, obviously. 00:48:16.079 --> 00:48:18.239 And so you start to lose kind of your audience there. 00:48:18.320 --> 00:48:27.199 And we're daily trying to expand our our duck coverage, and you got people on the Atlantic flyway begging us for more coverage, and it kind of goes back to our earlier point. 00:48:27.280 --> 00:48:31.840 We're not gonna expand our coverage just to expand our coverage, so you lose confidence in what we're trying to say. 00:48:32.000 --> 00:48:41.920 So we're trying to vet sources, and if we can't find a good source for the state of North Carolina, then we're not gonna cover North Carolina, and that's just it stinks, but that's just kind of how it is. 00:48:42.159 --> 00:48:53.519 But uh, you know, going back to something earlier you said too, I think what's it nice about what we've got going on, and what I what what I would ask people who are you know upset about us, you know, highlighting certain regions are is this is national. 00:48:53.599 --> 00:49:09.199 And so at any given point you can see hey, this region right here in Arkansas might have, you know, relatively speaking, it's all relative, might have relatively speaking more ducks than somewhere else, but there's at any given time 40 or 50 more regions that are also highlighted on our map. 00:49:09.280 --> 00:49:14.239 It's like if you exp you know if you think that's gonna be too pressured, like go somewhere else. 00:49:14.400 --> 00:49:18.320 And there's other regions you can drill into to kind of get good insights for. 00:49:18.400 --> 00:49:44.159 And I mean, we talk to people, you know, we've we've had conversations with folks up in uh like Montana, for example, or Idaho that are like that you don't think about duck hunting up there because nobody on YouTube is going up there hardly, and so you're not seeing it, but they're like, we got more ducks than we know what to do with, and we welcome people because like no one hunts ducks up here, no one comes out here, we've got more than we know what to do with, everybody big game hunts. 00:49:44.400 --> 00:50:01.360 And like that's just such a you know, a rich thing to say when we talk about pressure in the Mississippi flyaway, and you've got boats every 50 yards, and you got conversations with people who manage public property up there, and they're like, Yeah, we don't, we we've got more ducks than we know what to do with, and nobody's hunting them. 00:50:01.519 --> 00:50:02.079 You know what I mean? 00:50:02.159 --> 00:50:07.679 It's like you can drill into it in our in our website, in our interface, and you can get that information. 00:50:08.000 --> 00:50:14.000 You know, I won't say that someone from Little Rock is going to be able to drag up shop and go to Montana, but you get my point. 00:50:14.079 --> 00:50:19.840 There's plenty of opportunities uh aside from just the one, you know, best looking opportunity, I guess. 00:50:20.159 --> 00:50:21.599 Oh, yeah, it makes total sense. 00:50:21.760 --> 00:50:29.679 And and uh I look at it uh, you know, I don't go directly to Arkansas and just see what it says, ducks, no ducks, you know. 00:50:29.840 --> 00:50:31.679 That kind of a simple turn. 00:50:31.920 --> 00:50:36.400 Uh it's interesting to me too to be able to see where where they're staging. 00:50:36.559 --> 00:50:39.760 Uh you know, okay, we're we're not seeing the ducks here yet. 00:50:39.920 --> 00:50:43.440 And we we really

haven't, we really haven't gotten our Halloween push. 00:50:43.679 --> 00:50:51.599 Uh so did those have those ducks gone past me, or did they are they still stay staged above me? 00:50:51.760 --> 00:50:53.519 Uh kind of from that angle of it too. 00:50:53.599 --> 00:50:57.119 But I wanted to bring something up, kind of circle back to speckle bellies a little bit. 00:50:57.360 --> 00:51:05.199 I think it would be really hard to use modeling uh on speckle bellies because I don't uh what what you're talking about, there's not a lot of data sources out there for you. 00:51:05.679 --> 00:51:06.239 That's that's right. 00:51:06.480 --> 00:51:08.960 They also they also make big hops. 00:51:09.119 --> 00:51:12.079 They'll leave and they'll be in Arkansas the next day. 00:51:12.159 --> 00:51:19.199 Um there is no you know staggered string of these you know big concentrations up and down the flyway. 00:51:19.440 --> 00:51:21.679 They I mean they they make a big move. 00:51:21.840 --> 00:51:26.880 If they get the right wind, it's the right time, those suckers will fly 2200 miles. 00:51:26.960 --> 00:51:28.400 Um yeah, absolutely. 00:51:28.639 --> 00:51:32.239 And so your your map may have some some funny gaps in it. 00:51:32.639 --> 00:51:55.280 Yeah, it would look really wonky to your point, because like we have these conversations, and yeah, it's like the speckle bellies are far up north, and then you have conversations with every pro you know, with every state that until you know southeast Missouri and northern Arkansas, and they're like, nope, no speckle bellies, no speckle bellies, and then you talk to somebody in southeast Arkansas, or sorry, sorry, southeast Missouri and northeast Arkansas, and they're like, Yeah, they showed up yesterday. 00:51:55.360 --> 00:51:58.719 It's like, well, they must have made a big hop because no one saw them. 00:51:59.519 --> 00:52:00.800 Yeah, right, right. 00:52:00.880 --> 00:52:03.360 Yeah, because they I mean telemetry data backs it up. 00:52:03.440 --> 00:52:08.400 You don't need to use our our application to know that the telemetry data and just anecdotal data. 00:52:08.480 --> 00:52:09.760 We've known that for a long time. 00:52:10.239 --> 00:52:10.800 That's right. 00:52:10.880 --> 00:52:11.760 That that's correct. 00:52:11.920 --> 00:52:20.159 And and you know that you know Louisiana still gets some level of them, but the majority, they're they're ending up here. 00:52:20.320 --> 00:52:25.039 Uh and um it would it would make for a very interesting map. 00:52:25.519 --> 00:52:25.840 Yeah. 00:52:26.000 --> 00:52:27.039 Uh that's for sure. 00:52:27.920 --> 00:52:29.119 Duck dogs work hard. 00:52:29.280 --> 00:52:31.920 Help yours perform at his best with Purina ProPlan. 00:52:32.320 --> 00:52:34.960 Outstanding nutrition with real meat as the number one ingredient. 00:52:35.199 --> 00:52:38.400 Proplan sport is made to feel hardworking dogs like yours. 00:52:38.559 --> 00:52:43.519 For increased endurance, joint

support, and muscle tone, it all starts with ProPlan Sport. 00:52:44.000 --> 00:52:50.079 In case you've been living under a rock lately and you hadn't noticed, Sitka Gear has launched their new line of fishing gear. 00:52:50.320 --> 00:52:55.039 Everything from radiant sun hoodie to rides or active shorts, even sitka sandals. 00:52:55.119 --> 00:52:57.760 Look, I'm a pretty big fan of flip-flops in the summertime. 00:52:57.840 --> 00:53:03.199 I got those last year when they first came out, and legitimately, like legit good sandals, love them. 00:53:03.679 --> 00:53:04.800 Go check it out, man. 00:53:04.880 --> 00:53:09.599 From rain gear, sun shirts, you name it, uh, even fishing waiters. 00:53:09.760 --> 00:53:12.800 Their line has expanded greatly and definitely deserves checking out. 00:53:13.760 --> 00:53:16.800 Serious waterfowl management isn't about reacting day-to-day. 00:53:16.960 --> 00:53:19.360 It's about making better decisions every season. 00:53:19.760 --> 00:53:24.079 Create the X as a waterfowl land management app built for the real work in the field. 00:53:24.400 --> 00:53:26.719 It's not meant to replace your journal or notebook. 00:53:26.800 --> 00:53:30.880 It allows you to access your past management history in real time right in the field. 00:53:31.599 --> 00:53:41.920 Track water movement, log field work, and GPS overlays, mark blinds, drop land damage pens, and record equipment maintenance documented by location and date so nothing gets lost over time. 00:53:42.079 --> 00:53:49.199 Instead of flipping through pages, you can reference past seasons directly on the map while you're standing there, giving you clear management history to guide future decisions. 00:53:49.519 --> 00:53:53.280 From your first field to the farthest fence line, manage it smarter with CreateTheX. 00:53:53.519 --> 00:53:58.239 Learn more at CreatheX.com, available now in the App Store and Google Play. 00:53:58.639 --> 00:54:04.000 You know, as far as your reach, you know, obviously being on the internet makes it available to anyone. 00:54:04.079 --> 00:54:10.320 Uh you're expanding your state's coverage and your your valued resources to get reliable data on. 00:54:10.639 --> 00:54:15.599 Is there anything else on the horizon that that's that uh hunters could look forward to? 00:54:16.000 --> 00:54:22.079 Yeah, so if if I may, I'll plug what we just released a couple weeks ago and then talk about what to look forward to. 00:54:22.239 --> 00:54:27.599 So uh a couple weeks back, we released what we called Migration Station 2.0. 00:54:27.760 --> 00:54:33.679 So for about four years, you log on to our website and it was just a pretty basic heat map with data points. 00:54:33.760 --> 00:54:40.320 You could hover over and it would tell you the location, the county, or the refuge or whatever, and the data point associated with it. 00:54:40.400 --> 00:55:07.679 Um but we have worked really hard, uh, really, really hard in the offseason and launched a full new interface where you can actually drill into your region's data and you can look at uh the outlook based upon weather forecasts and migration potential based upon you know well-studied and well-documented scientific papers that you know would would insinuate the potential for migration. 00:55:07.920 --> 00:55:10.719 Or you can look at trends. 00:55:10.800 --> 00:55:21.679 So, like I said with the state of Michigan a while back, you can say, okay, there might be, you know, just to use easy numbers, there might be 10,000 ducks right now, but for this time of year, the average is 5,000. 00:55:21.760 --> 00:55:25.840 So 10,000 ducks isn't a lot of ducks, but that spot is well above average. 00:55:25.920 --> 00:55:27.760 And there might be something to that, you know. 00:55:27.920 --> 00:55:31.840 You can drill into specific regions and get that trend context. 00:55:32.000 --> 00:55:45.679 And then one thing that I'm really proud of doesn't really do much to help you know with what the migration is going on right now, but it's really, really interesting, and I've really nerded out making it is another regional-based insight called band insights. 00:55:45.760 --> 00:55:54.880 Um, and so what that is, is it takes all of the publicly available uh banding data, waterfowl banding data, and you can drill into it. 00:55:54.960 --> 00:56:03.760 You can say, all right, Northeast Arkansas, in 1980, I want to see the bands that were killed that were mallards, where do they come from? 00:56:03.920 --> 00:56:07.519 And how did that compare to 2020s so far? 00:56:07.679 --> 00:56:08.960 And has that shifted? 00:56:09.119 --> 00:56:12.800 Has the has the regions from where those bands shifted at all? 00:56:12.960 --> 00:56:20.800 Um, you can look at what are the state, what are the top producing states for ducks uh for bands harvested in my region? 00:56:20.880 --> 00:56:23.119 And that was really insightful for me. 00:56:23.280 --> 00:56:36.159 I I I would not have guessed that some of the states that produce bands for southeast Missouri or southern Illinois would have been on the list, um, but they are, and I was expecting some states to be on that list that weren't. 00:56:36.320 --> 00:56:39.440 And I just found the band insights tab really fascinating. 00:56:39.599 --> 00:56:46.159 So that's the long spiel of what we've just launched, and then people have been begging for it for a really long time. 00:56:46.559 --> 00:56:54.639 Um, and we are happy to announce that we are currently working on developing an app, an iOS app, and hope to have it launched. 00:56:54.960 --> 00:56:58.559 No promises, but by December we hope to have an app launched. 00:56:58.719 --> 00:57:08.079 So folks who don't want to, for whatever reason, log onto our website, uh, they can download the app and they can interact with our visualizations right there on their phone. 00:57:08.320 --> 00:57:09.280 So that's what we got. 00:57:09.440 --> 00:57:10.400 So we got cooking. 00:57:10.719

--> 00:57:15.679 So full disclosure, I don't know that it had ever been on your website until just a few minutes ago. 00:57:15.760 --> 00:57:21.599 And I had already I had already nerded out and was looking at band data before you brought that up. 00:57:21.679 --> 00:57:23.119 And I was like, this is really cool. 00:57:23.360 --> 00:57:33.840 And then continuing with my nerdism, uh, we had we banded a bunch of ducks a few years ago, one of which was a Gadwall that turns out the next year was killed five or six miles from us. 00:57:34.079 --> 00:57:42.159 I was like, well, I'm gonna see if I can find that Gadwall because you know there's not a lot of Gadwall, banded Gadwall killed in Woodruff County, Arkansas. 00:57:42.320 --> 00:57:47.280 Um alas, I I don't have an account, so I did not, but I was like, I gotta sign up for this. 00:57:47.360 --> 00:57:50.480 This is way too cool not to uh not to geek around on. 00:57:50.559 --> 00:57:53.519 So yeah, we uh go ahead. 00:57:53.760 --> 00:57:54.400 Go ahead, sorry. 00:57:54.800 --> 00:57:55.519 Go ahead, sorry. 00:57:55.760 --> 00:58:00.639 No, just because I think that's really that's really cool aspect just to kind of geek out and play with that stuff. 00:58:00.960 --> 00:58:03.920 Yeah, well, just shoot me, shoot me your email, we'll get you hooked up. 00:58:04.000 --> 00:58:05.760 But yeah, it's really interesting. 00:58:05.920 --> 00:58:09.360 It's all still very aggregated data, so or very high-level data. 00:58:09.440 --> 00:58:13.679 So we couldn't tell you like band number, this, that, this whatever, you know, that number. 00:58:13.840 --> 00:58:15.440 Uh, we have that information. 00:58:15.599 --> 00:58:28.400 It it would um we don't have it front facing, but you could see, okay, bands, uh, Gadwall that were recovered in uh Woodruff County that were Gadwall, where did they come from? 00:58:28.559 --> 00:58:30.480 And you can toggle on seasonal migrators. 00:58:30.559 --> 00:58:42.079 So I want bands uh or gadwall that were banded in let's say you know between February and May or March and May, where did they come from that were harvested in Woodruff County? 00:58:42.159 --> 00:58:43.679 So you can start to kind of see that shift. 00:58:43.760 --> 00:58:50.480 And so because you know I am a huge data or a duck nerd, um, I was really surprised by some stuff. 00:58:50.559 --> 00:59:11.760 Maybe I just don't pay enough attention, but like southeast Missouri, western Kentucky, western uh uh Tennessee, southern Illinois, Wisconsin is one of the top states for banned origination of seasonal migrant mallards, meaning mallards that were banded and their wintering grounds that were recovered in those regions. 00:59:11.920 --> 00:59:15.440 Wisconsin is higher than any of the Dakotas, and I wouldn't have guessed that. 00:59:15.519 --> 00:59:23.119 And that's that kind of stuff that's like I always paid attention to the prairie pothole region, you know, traditionally the Dakotas and western Minnesota. 00:59:23.360 --> 00:59:33.039 That's a very important region, don't get me wrong, but for where I'm hunting, I really need to be paying better attention to what's going on in Wisconsin, because that's where, you know, that's I won't say the most. 00:59:33.199 --> 00:59:34.960 Most of them come from Canada, of course. 00:59:35.119 --> 00:59:39.039 But in terms of US states, we're not paying attention to Wisconsin, and I should have been. 00:59:39.119 --> 00:59:46.719 And so it's that kind of stuff that I just found super cool whenever you take this large amount of data and you you aggregate it and are able to visualize it. 00:59:47.039 --> 00:59:48.480 Yeah, I would have never expected that. 00:59:48.559 --> 00:59:49.360 That's pretty neat. 00:59:49.519 --> 00:59:54.000 Um if and when you get ready to uh enter some white front data, give me a call. 00:59:54.079 --> 00:59:58.719 I've got a bunch of visual band encounters on color mark birds going back to the 90s. 00:59:58.800 --> 01:00:00.800 So I can get you guys some information there. 01:00:01.199 --> 01:00:01.440 Yeah. 01:00:01.599 --> 01:00:04.159 Well, the the white fronts are in that database. 01:00:04.239 --> 01:00:07.760 You can, like I said, we'll get you hooked up and you can click around and see what's what. 01:00:08.159 --> 01:00:09.920 I don't think you'll be surprised on them, though. 01:00:10.000 --> 01:00:13.280 I think you know, I think you'll be well aware of what's going on with them. 01:00:13.679 --> 01:00:17.119 Uh I should have at least an inside hunch. 01:00:17.760 --> 01:00:20.159 Um should been around them for a while. 01:00:20.320 --> 01:00:26.159 So how does the average, how's the average duck hunter contact you guys and make a report? 01:00:26.239 --> 01:00:29.599 And and you mentioned quality of video or photograph. 01:00:29.760 --> 01:00:31.119 You know, what are your quality standards? 01:00:31.199 --> 01:00:34.320 What do they need to be thinking about if they're going to try to make a report with you guys? 01:00:34.639 --> 01:00:35.519 Yeah, it's really simple. 01:00:35.599 --> 01:00:43.440 You can go to our website or our migration map, you can click on the little button that says submit a report, and we ask for very little information. 01:00:43.679 --> 01:00:49.760 Um we ask where, obviously, to be able to geolocate it, and then we require a video or a photo submission. 01:00:49.920 --> 01:00:51.840 And past that, the onus is on us. 01:00:51.920 --> 01:00:56.320 So we try to make it super simple for folks, you know, 60 seconds or less. 01:00:56.559 --> 01:00:58.559 And then we ingest that information. 01:00:58.639 --> 01:01:12.400 I've got an application that I've developed internally that can take those videos either frame by frame if necessary, or those photos, kind of give it some parameters, some fine-tuning, and then actually count the ducts that are in this particular frame. 01:01:12.559 --> 01:01:14.960 Um, we'll take any uh video and photo. 01:01:15.039

--> 01:01:17.920 If we just have to be able to like qualitatively assess it, we will. 01:01:18.159 --> 01:01:27.280 So like dark birds against a dark background, you know, with the light fading, or it's gonna be really hard to kind of like count those, but we can still use that information. 01:01:27.440 --> 01:01:30.639 So yeah, it's as simple as just getting on our website, submitting a report. 01:01:30.800 --> 01:01:41.360 Um, we don't do harvest reports, so we love to see and to hear people having successful hunts, but a picture of you know, some uh birds on the back of your tailgate, we're not we're not gonna make any reports off that. 01:01:41.440 --> 01:01:44.719 We'll just say, hey, congrats, that's great, and then move along. 01:01:45.039 --> 01:02:02.559 Yeah, because uh I you know there is a there is a network of of hunters out there that do have a um desire to to see ducks do better, uh, you know, beyond just the like you said, the tailgate pick, and and I think that's gonna be your best best source of of info. 01:02:02.800 --> 01:02:03.280 Yeah. 01:02:03.519 --> 01:02:04.079 Agreed. 01:02:04.400 --> 01:02:08.079 Yeah, I I was just just looking at the map and I don't I don't see anything. 01:02:08.320 --> 01:02:10.480 So Joe, just to give you an example of exactly where we're at. 01:02:10.639 --> 01:02:13.920 We're like the one of the areas you have there is the Langill and Big Creek. 01:02:14.000 --> 01:02:16.000 We're the headwater of Big Creek right there. 01:02:16.400 --> 01:02:18.320 And uh there's no observation reports. 01:02:18.400 --> 01:02:20.000 So uh I gotta get you guys some video. 01:02:20.079 --> 01:02:20.800 We've got to change that. 01:02:21.039 --> 01:02:23.679 Yeah, you know, we would we would warmly welcome that. 01:02:23.840 --> 01:02:31.360 We usually uh it is not ironic that our data coverage of areas usually coincides with waterfowl season being opening. 01:02:31.679 --> 01:02:44.400 Um people don't really think about ducks until it's duck season, so you can expect Arkansas to start picking up information probably within the next 10 to 14 days, which again coincides with season opening. 01:02:44.639 --> 01:02:51.519 Uh yeah, if you guys want to submit some reports, you know, no pressure whatsoever, but we would warmly welcome it. 01:02:51.840 --> 01:02:55.920 No, I'd I'd love to, because I think you just touched on something that you you may not even realize. 01:02:56.079 --> 01:03:03.039 I think that tendency of people really lends itself to a lot of the misconceptions about the migration. 01:03:03.360 --> 01:03:05.679 People view the migration through their window of duck season. 01:03:05.760 --> 01:03:09.280 That's why you hear all the time, oh man, ducks just get here in February. 01:03:09.519 --> 01:03:09.840 Okay. 01:03:10.559 --> 01:03:13.440 Maybe they didn't see the pentails come through in September and October. 01:03:13.599 --> 01:03:18.400 So when they see them in February, the assumption is they just arrive from the north as opposed to arrive from the south. 01:03:18.559 --> 01:03:25.119 And that condensed window that people are seeing it in kind of leaves off some data on the foreend and back end of it. 01:03:25.199 --> 01:03:33.519 So uh yeah, I'd I'd love to help out and contribute just to if people want to pay attention to it year-round, you can see a lot more that's going on than just during duck season. 01:03:33.840 --> 01:03:34.719 Yeah, that'd be great. 01:03:34.800 --> 01:03:45.679 And when you talk about species like pentail and such, like you can drill into you can drill into our data on our website and you can uh you can see that species mix change over time. 01:03:45.840 --> 01:03:55.840 So like certain regions, if they have that granular level of data, like you can see the reports from October are pretty much just teal and pentail. 01:03:56.000 --> 01:04:00.880 And then, like I said, you know, right around Halloween, you start seeing some mallards show up. 01:04:00.960 --> 01:04:08.880 And there's it's still only about 15% of the species mix in the certain regions in Illinois or Iowa or whatever, but you're starting to see them show up. 01:04:09.039 --> 01:04:14.880 And so like you can kind of see that narrative play out, you can see the species kind of move through, and it's it's pretty cool. 01:04:15.119 --> 01:04:16.800 Yeah, I was it's interesting too. 01:04:16.880 --> 01:04:33.119 And I I'm I had looked at this before and and I forgot to uh you know say something to Kasen about it, but we've talked about his grandfather's theory with the you know, this midpoint theory, and some of your commentary and your historical data on Arkansas uh leans towards that. 01:04:33.199 --> 01:04:45.599 It leans into that quite a bit because it's it's how the uh you know the premise of that is at the at the at the midpoint in the you're gonna have the number of ducks, you're probably gonna have the season. 01:04:45.679 --> 01:04:49.119 The species are gonna change, but what you have that's that's the numbers you're gonna have. 01:04:49.280 --> 01:04:52.320 So if you don't have them by then might be might be a tough season. 01:04:52.480 --> 01:04:58.000 And and some of your historical data, just speaking to Arkansas, and we we talk about Arkansas a lot because that's uh that's our backyard. 01:04:58.159 --> 01:05:06.159 So uh but it it speaks to that, you know, from a historical uh trend line that uh yeah, the species composition changes. 01:05:06.239 --> 01:05:12.000 We start seeing more mallards as we go into January, but the number of ducks stays uh pretty relative. 01:05:12.159 --> 01:05:23.920 And and I I I thought that was interesting how it kind of ties back to his grandfather's theory that that we're gonna have the most most ducks on the landscape are probably gonna be here, uh, which is pretty soon. 01:05:24.320 --> 01:05:24.719 Mm-hmm. 01:05:24.960 --> 01:05:27.679 You can yeah, and you can definitely drill into that with the

trends. 01:05:27.760 --> 01:05:33.440 And what I would say is like for certain regions that's absolutely true, and then the other regions, it's the it's the exact opposite. 01:05:33.599 --> 01:05:47.760 Like it is a picture, it is a picturesque uh distribution of like you you reach a peak, you start with nothing, you reach a monumental peak, and then within a week you start you start your decline. 01:05:47.920 --> 01:05:49.519 And it's not like that for every region. 01:05:49.599 --> 01:05:59.840 And so what that tells me is like those regions like uh you know, per certain parts of Iowa or Illinois that are like that, those are probably just stopping points for you know, temporary stopping points. 01:06:00.639 --> 01:06:03.199 And I could be wrong, you know, this is just what I've visualized. 01:06:03.280 --> 01:06:15.119 But then you have places like the Arkansas or even the Louisiana's to a certain extent where it's you know they go to that point, and that's kind of where they're gonna hang out until they start moving north, you know, to a certain extent. 01:06:15.440 --> 01:06:22.000 It's like there are certain regions on the landscape that are like that, and then there are certain regions that are the exact opposite. 01:06:22.079 --> 01:06:25.679 It's like you can really kind of start to see that take place with the visualizations. 01:06:26.559 --> 01:06:27.360 Yeah, 100%. 01:06:27.840 --> 01:06:35.119 I think that's you know, maybe one of the things that we don't fully understand about waterfowl just yet, um, how individual properties can can act differently. 01:06:35.199 --> 01:06:40.719 Like take us, for example, you know, we our early concentration of birds is always the highest, right? 01:06:40.800 --> 01:06:41.599 It goes down from there. 01:06:41.760 --> 01:06:47.360 Well, it goes down when we get more rainfall, when more habitat hits the landscape, you know, the birds spread out from there. 01:06:47.599 --> 01:07:02.800 And if you're on one of those properties that they're spreading out to, your conception is that, okay, they just got here, I just got these birds, but maybe you don't realize that they came more of a local migration, as Brentwinner would call it, than a you know, a weather or southward migration, more so. 01:07:02.880 --> 01:07:05.599 And I think the telemetry data is starting to kind of shed some light on that. 01:07:05.760 --> 01:07:09.039 But uh, it sounds like some of these reports would would do the same. 01:07:09.360 --> 01:07:12.880 Yeah, the true the telemetry data is always gonna be the best data for sure. 01:07:12.960 --> 01:07:15.519 Like that's just that is just phenomenal information. 01:07:15.679 --> 01:07:27.280 But we kind of I think there's also value in a little bit of all the above information and as much as we can do to understand the migration, you know, it's only gonna help us as conservationists like understand the resource. 01:07:27.440 --> 01:07:28.159 Uh so yeah. 01:07:28.400 --> 01:07:29.199

Oh, no doubt. 01:07:29.280 --> 01:07:31.039 It's uh it's an awesome tool. 01:07:31.199 --> 01:07:39.039 Uh and and I like it as stated earlier because it it pulls in a lot of different uh influences. 01:07:39.119 --> 01:07:46.480 Uh they're gonna move a duck or a goose around uh and kind of assembles all that into all right, this is this is what's going on. 01:07:46.559 --> 01:07:55.599 And I and I've yet uh because I've been using it for you know from um from afar for I don't know, two, three, four seasons. 01:07:55.679 --> 01:07:58.800 And uh every time I've looked, it's been pretty much on target. 01:07:58.960 --> 01:08:01.679 When we've when we've had ducks in the state, it's it's been right. 01:08:01.840 --> 01:08:05.360 When we when it shows we don't have any, it's it's been right there too. 01:08:05.519 --> 01:08:12.880 So uh what what whatever you're doing and wherever you're getting all the data from, uh it tends to be uh on the money. 01:08:12.960 --> 01:08:15.199 Um it's it's it's not misleading. 01:08:15.280 --> 01:08:21.439 Um and what I like about it too is is I don't think it builds some some unrealistic hype. 01:08:21.520 --> 01:08:23.600 You you see a lot of that as well. 01:08:24.000 --> 01:08:30.319 Um you know, we're big believers in the timing of coal fronts are what matters, not just being a coal front. 01:08:30.399 --> 01:08:35.920 And and I, you know, this kind of takes that, you know, the the the quote unquote, here they come. 01:08:36.079 --> 01:08:44.720 Uh everybody, you know, get your boat gassed up and and get your cases of shells uh in the truck because we're about to wear them out because it's gonna turn cold. 01:08:44.880 --> 01:08:50.319 And we've seen it kind of fall flat a few times uh here as we've learned more and more. 01:08:50.479 --> 01:08:54.479 It's it's really about when these cold fronts happen versus them just happening. 01:08:54.800 --> 01:08:55.199 Right. 01:08:55.359 --> 01:08:57.199 Yeah, I think where do they happen too? 01:08:57.279 --> 01:09:02.720 Obviously, like you guys might not experience it, but it was probably two years ago, maybe three years ago now. 01:09:02.960 --> 01:09:09.279 They were the ducks were just holed up and along the Missouri River in Missouri for forever. 01:09:09.520 --> 01:09:13.600 And then it was like the December 8th or December 10th or something like that. 01:09:13.760 --> 01:09:16.239 It just got wicked cold up there. 01:09:16.479 --> 01:09:29.039 And uh I'm curious if you know what it looked like in Arkansas for you guys, but back home in Southeast Missouri, southern Illinois, it got pretty it got pretty uh it got pretty crazy there about three or four days after that. 01:09:29.119 --> 01:09:32.079 It they just you know, you just wake up and they're there. 01:09:32.399 --> 01:09:42.239 Uh and then not didn't always mean that your hunting's gonna be good, but you could tell that there was a there was a fresh push and it was you know where they were holed up at for

the past month, they finally got pushed out of. 01:09:42.560 --> 01:09:43.439 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 01:09:43.520 --> 01:09:53.840 Yeah, that and and that's that's interesting to see because ever everybody or I shouldn't say everybody, but there's definitely uh a narrow focus on your personal decoy spread. 01:09:54.000 --> 01:10:14.159 Um and and that's about the extent of of what pay attention to and and this tool allows you to kind of see what's going on and and probably diffuses a lot of uh rumors and and crazy conspiracy theories and and whatnot um that that are out there. 01:10:14.239 --> 01:10:16.239 And I'm and I'm not talking about flooded corn. 01:10:16.319 --> 01:10:23.279 This is you know, there was a couple years ago the flyways shifted west because all of a sudden social media was full of guys in Kansas and Oklahoma killing ducks. 01:10:24.079 --> 01:10:26.000 They've been killing ducks for a long time in those places. 01:10:26.239 --> 01:10:26.800 Yes, they have. 01:10:26.880 --> 01:10:27.439 Yes, they have. 01:10:27.920 --> 01:10:32.159 It just made it made more people aware because they'd see a picture from on social media. 01:10:32.399 --> 01:10:35.600 So uh banding data doesn't show that. 01:10:35.760 --> 01:10:37.840 Um, your maps aren't gonna show that. 01:10:37.920 --> 01:10:41.199 Uh so you know, kind of diffuse some of that stuff. 01:10:41.520 --> 01:10:42.800 Yeah, agreed. 01:10:42.960 --> 01:10:43.439 Agreed. 01:10:43.760 --> 01:10:48.479 Waterfowl Management Academy helped me stop guessing and start managing my duck property with confidence. 01:10:48.720 --> 01:10:56.960 Membership gives you 14 plus hours of foundational courses, a growing content library, direct access to wildlife biologists, and real-time newsletters. 01:10:57.119 --> 01:11:03.520 Visit waterfowlmanagement.com, click sign up here, and choose your membership and start building a better wetland today. 01:11:03.920 --> 01:11:06.319 Well, Joe, man, we appreciate you coming on the show. 01:11:06.399 --> 01:11:19.439 Uh, this is a really cool tool, and I I know it's going to keep evolving uh to where uh you know you assemble more data and more useful things a duck hunter could uh could really capitalize on to just understand what's going on with ducks. 01:11:19.600 --> 01:11:22.640 Um like I said, not not just over your own decoy spread. 01:11:22.800 --> 01:11:30.800 So hats off for for taking the initiative to get this thing off the ground and and make it available for for anybody to go out there and and get it. 01:11:30.880 --> 01:11:35.039 But you you definitely need to plug your website uh because I don't think you've you've mentioned it. 01:11:35.119 --> 01:11:42.960 Uh you've mentioned any website, but maybe maybe give them the address and and it just how it how it works because most of this data is available for free. 01:11:43.279 --> 01:11:43.760 That's right. 01:11:43.920 --> 01:11:44.239 Yeah. 01:11:44.399 --> 01:11:51.520 So like like you said, Brent,

um www.migrationstationusa.com is our website. 01:11:51.680 --> 01:11:53.760 That's where all of our applications are right now. 01:11:53.920 --> 01:11:57.279 We do have an app coming sometime this season, so look forward to that. 01:11:57.600 --> 01:12:00.720 You can find us on social media too, migration station USA. 01:12:01.199 --> 01:12:05.359 Um we've got a pretty good following that we're pretty proud of there, so you'll see us. 01:12:05.600 --> 01:12:11.279 Um and then yeah, we really believe in trying to democratize the information. 01:12:11.359 --> 01:12:16.720 And so a lot of the a lot of the information is we provide free of charge. 01:12:16.960 --> 01:12:25.520 And then I would say, what is some of more of those like deeper insights, our premium content that we uh our ask is uh$10 a year. 01:12:25.760 --> 01:12:27.600 That's not per month, that's a year. 01:12:27.840 --> 01:12:34.880 And really what it boiled down to is I had to do I had to do something to try to make up for all the time I was putting into it. 01:12:34.960 --> 01:12:39.359 And we felt like$10 a year was a really reasonable ask for all the insights that were there. 01:12:39.520 --> 01:12:42.159 So if you don't want to pay, hey, we'd love to have you anyways. 01:12:42.239 --> 01:12:44.159 You can access a lot of the information for free. 01:12:44.319 --> 01:12:49.760 But if you want to nerd out, like some of us like to do, uh$10 a year is our subscription cost. 01:12:50.000 --> 01:12:51.920 So that's that migration station USA. 01:12:52.079 --> 01:12:53.600 You can Google us, you'll see us. 01:12:53.920 --> 01:12:55.119 Awesome, awesome. 01:12:55.359 --> 01:12:58.640 Well, uh it's worth every bet of$10, I can assure you that. 01:12:58.800 --> 01:12:59.840 And thanks. 01:13:00.319 --> 01:13:03.760 Somebody could spend that at Sonic on the way home after a duck hunt. 01:13:03.920 --> 01:13:08.479 So uh you probably get a lot more out of uh uh out of what you're offering. 01:13:08.640 --> 01:13:13.279 And uh, we definitely appreciate you supporting the the buy two duck stamps campaign. 01:13:13.520 --> 01:13:14.640 Yeah, absolutely happy to. 01:13:14.880 --> 01:13:23.680 That that's been on the website for a while, and and I know you you get a ton of traffic, which is also gonna ramp up now that more and more seasons are starting. 01:13:23.840 --> 01:13:31.520 So um yeah, looking forward to to what uh what it says where the ducks are and where they aren't, because that's uh that is upon us. 01:13:31.840 --> 01:13:32.239 Yeah. 01:13:32.479 --> 01:13:37.760 Well guys, I really appreciate you guys having me and I've really enjoyed myself and uh appreciate the opportunity. 01:13:37.840 --> 01:13:38.960 So thank you guys. 01:13:39.199 --> 01:13:40.319 Yeah, you bet. 01:13:40.640 --> 01:13:41.520 All right, everybody. 01:13:41.600 --> 01:13:42.800 We'll catch you next week. 01:13:43.039 --> 01:13:47.600 Good luck out there if your season's already started, and if it's not, you got a lot of work to do, if I had to guess. 01:13:47.760 --> 01:13:48.880 We'll catch you next time.