The Standard Sportsman

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The Standard Sportsman

Brent Birch and Cason Short

104 episodes

16 hours ago

Southeast Arkansas farmer and passionate waterfowler Jason Smith joins the show to sift through the hurdles farmers are facing in the current economy and how that impacts the ducks. He also shared intimate knowledge of Cutoff Creek Wildlife Management Area and expounds on the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s plan to implement more walk-in-only areas in other WMAs. The guys also delve into the impacts on farmers and subsequently ducks with the passage of Big Beautiful Bill, the effects of a...

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Southeast Arkansas farmer and passionate waterfowler Jason Smith joins the show to sift through the hurdles farmers are facing in the current economy and how that impacts the ducks. He also shared intimate knowledge of Cutoff Creek Wildlife Management Area and expounds on the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s plan to implement more walk-in-only areas in other WMAs. The guys also delve into the impacts on farmers and subsequently ducks with the passage of Big Beautiful Bill, the effects of a...

Show more...

Episodes (20/104)

The Standard Sportsman

Late Summer's Stuff You Need to Know Before Duck Season

As summer fades and the first whispers of the fall flight stir in the north, the waterfowling world is already buzzing. Before the season kicks off, Cason and Brent tackle some of the most pressing and fascinating topics shaping the months ahead. They dive into pre-BPOP and May Pond Count insights, unpack how perfectly timed weather can make or break a season, and examine the dramatic plunge in snow goose numbers. They don’t shy away from challenging the “harvest doesn’t matter” mantra ...

5 days ago

51 minutes

The Standard Sportsman

Live from DUX 2025 with Special Guests

This past weekend at the wildly successful and well-attended Ducks Unlimited Expo (DUX) held in Memphis, The Standard Sportsman hosted a live podcast in the DU Duck Den booth. Joining us on the show were Kyle Broussard of GatorTail, Dr. Jared Henson with DU, John Stephens of RNT Calls, Justin Martin with Duck Commander, Radcliff Menge of Tom Beckbe, and Karl Gunzer and Ray Voigt of Purina Pro Plan/Sporting Dogs. The guys dive into new products from the respective companies and share a little ...

1 week ago

53 minutes

The Standard Sportsman

Jimbo Robinson Previews DU Expo 2025

On this episode, we’re joined by Jimbo Robinson, Ducks Unlimited’s Director of Event Marketing & Field Support, for an inside look at the 2025 Ducks Unlimited Expo. Happening August 1–3 at the Renasant Convention Center in Downtown Memphis, this year’s event is shaping up to be one you won’t want to miss. Highlights include the World Cutdown Calling Championship, hands-on dog training workshops, in-depth waterfowl science sessions, and the latest gear from your favorite brands in the wate...

2 weeks ago

53 minutes

The Standard Sportsman

Suppressed Shotguns for Duck Hunting

The technology regarding suppressed shotguns is advancing, but how long will it take to become useful afield? Host Cason Short knows a ton about the subject from a layperson's standpoint and shares where the industry is headed. The passage of the Big Beautiful Bill and its $0 tax stamp on suppressors has generated considerable buzz. The guys also get into pressure and the role that shotgun blasts play. From subgauges to the potential future viability of suppressors to lessen the disturbance o...

3 weeks ago

48 minutes

The Standard Sportsman

Duck Band Discourse

Waterfowl bands are the most coveted trophies in waterfowling, while providing essential data to Adaptive Harvest Management (AHM). With the recent news of proposed budget cuts that could impact bird banding, the guys sift through some of the history of banding, discuss how banding has tapered since the 1980s and 1990s and just where Arkansas ducks come from per banding encounters. They also share a handful of entertaining stories on banded ducks and geese from over the years. Thanks to our s...

1 month ago

1 hour 21 minutes

The Standard Sportsman

Jason Smith, Arkansas Rice Farmer/Waterfowler

Southeast Arkansas farmer and passionate waterfowler Jason Smith joins the show to sift through the hurdles farmers are facing in the current economy and how that impacts the ducks. He also shared intimate knowledge of Cutoff Creek Wildlife Management Area and expounds on the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s plan to implement more walk-in-only areas in other WMAs. The guys also delve into the impacts on farmers and subsequently ducks with the passage of Big Beautiful Bill, the effects of a...

1 month ago

1 hour 24 minutes

The Standard Sportsman

John Barklow, Sitka Gear

Retired U.S. Navy Diver John Barklow joins the show to share his remarkable story that led him to his current position as Senior Product Manager for the Big Game product line at Sitka Gear. He connects the dots on how his time as a diver and then training Navy SEAL teams for cold-weather combat made him uniquely qualified to take the company’s product line to a whole new level. Barklow also launched an initiative titled "Knowledge from Storms" to educate hunters and outdoorsmen on how to surv...

1 month ago

1 hour 8 minutes

The Standard Sportsman

Stephen Findley, Vertical

Stephen Findley is a passionate waterfowl hunter with a deep respect for the sport's heritage. Based in Alabama, he owns Vertical, a marketing firm that serves some of the biggest brands in the outdoor industry. For over a decade, Stephen has worked as a photo and video creative in the outdoor industry. His passion for waterfowl hunting runs deep, and it shows in how he approaches his craft and the culture surrounding it. Findley joins the show to share his views on duck hunting culture, the ...

1 month ago

1 hour 4 minutes

The Standard Sportsman

Scott Perry is a consummate Arkansas duck hunter who respects the sport's traditions and heritage. Along with his twin brother, Jason, he started the iconic McAlister brand from the 1990s, the premium outdoor brand Mountain Khakis, and dusted the cobwebs off Duxbak. Perry shares some behind-the-scenes stories of starting those brands and navigating the outdoor apparel industry. The guys also have a robust discussion of the romance of waterfowling and some identity issues the sport is going th...

2 months ago

1 hour 11 minutes

The Standard Sportsman

Chris Sprangers, North House Outdoors

Chris Sprangers is the Managing Partner and Director of Outdoor Brands for North House Outdoors. They are one of the bigger players in the outdoor marketing space, and Chris has spent a few decades in the outdoor industry, including a stint as Brand Partnership Manager at Cabela’s. He joins the show to pull back the curtain on what goes into branding an outdoor company and what it takes to survive in the ultra-competitive waterfowl industry. A dedicated waterfowler and fisherman, Sprangers al...

2 months ago

1 hour 13 minutes

The Standard Sportsman

Talking Season - Early Summer Hot Topics

There's nothing to hunt, so might as well talk about it. Despite being at the front end of summer, plenty of things are going on that impact waterfowl. In this week's episode, the guys share some intel about the May Pond conditions, planting season struggles in the deep south, and baby boomers fading out of duck hunting. Even Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill has some good and some bad for ducks. Finally, Cason and Brent kick around a new concept presented at the last AGFC Commission meeting tha...

2 months ago

1 hour 10 minutes

The Standard Sportsman

Dave Duncan, Canadian Wildlife Service (Ret.)

Dave Duncan, Ph.D. (retired), worked across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, focusing on pintails. Throughout his professional career, he’s shown a true passion for this particular duck and how to turn the tide on its decline. Duncan joins the show to discuss the past, present, and future of the pintail population while sharing some concerns with the new regulations set to go into place this coming season. This episode is worth a listen as Duncan shares some keen insights about this magni...

2 months ago

1 hour 9 minutes

The Standard Sportsman

Lorne Scott, Saskatchewan Farmer/Conservationist/Politician

Lorne Scott has spent a lifetime invested in conservation in Saskatchewan while seeing an inordinate amount of change on the landscape. The family has farmed in the Prairie Pothole Region since 1915 and has seen it all. Scott pulls back the curtain on Prairie Canada with eye-opening insights into what is going on north of the border. The guys discuss non-existent wetland policies in Saskatchewan, habitat deterioration, staggering bird loss, Big Ag, the decline in native Canadians' interest in...

2 months ago

57 minutes

The Standard Sportsman

Matthew Cagle, Rig 'Em Right Outdoors

Waterfowler Matthew Cagle created a groundbreaking decoy weighting system that revolutionized the waterfowl industry. Fast forward to today, and his company is one of the leading gear companies in the game. Cagle joins the show to talk about how Rig ‘Em Right came to be and how the company remains innovative in a copycat world. We also jump into a frank discussion on how the current trade wars and tariffs impact the hunting industry. Thanks to our sponsors: Tom Beckbe, Lile Real Estate,...

3 months ago

1 hour 9 minutes

The Standard Sportsman

Migratory Bird Treaty Reform Act of 1998 and Hunting Over Unharvested Crops

Duck hunters are skilled at finding scapegoats as to why their seasons don’t go so well. One of the hotter topics is the amount of and the ability to hunt over flooded crops. Namely corn. Is it legal? Should it be legal? When was it allowed? Who governs “normal agricultural practices”? Mike Brasher of Ducks Unlimited joins the show to break down the Migratory Bird Treaty Reform Act of 1998 and clarify what it did and didn’t do for duck hunting. Changes to U.S. Migratory Bird Hunting Reg...

3 months ago

56 minutes

The Standard Sportsman

Tim Willis, Ducks Unlimited

Tim Willis has spent nearly 25 years conserving his home state of Arkansas’s flooded timber legacy and numerous Ducks Unlimited habitat projects throughout the country. Willis and his team help state agencies with consulting strategies and maximize conservation dollars. In this episode, he outlines DU’s role in ensuring waterfowl have effective habitats at all ends of the flyway now and in the future. Thanks to our sponsors: Lile Real Estate, Perfect Limit Outdoors, Sitka Gear, Purina P...

3 months ago

47 minutes

The Standard Sportsman

Bradley Cohen, Cohen Wildlife Lab (FULL VERSION)

There were Technical Difficulties with the early AM upload, so please ignore that version and listen to this one for the full interview. Bradley Cohen, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Wildlife Ecology and heads the Cohen Wildlife Lab at Tennessee Tech University. Cohen and his team of students have and continue to shed a lot of light on modern-day mallard behaviors. Cohen talks through landscape conditions and habitat management practices impacting what hunters see afield, including telemet...

3 months ago

1 hour 7 minutes

The Standard Sportsman

AGFC Commissioners Talking Turkey Zones, Pressure on Ducks and WMA Overcrowding

If you’re wondering what’s on the minds of the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission regarding turkey zones, the future of Arkansas duck hunting as it relates to private land, public land, non-residents, unruly behavior on the WMAs, habitat, and pressure management, this is an episode you cannot afford to miss. Current AGFC Commission Chair JD Neeley and Philip Tappan join the show to have a candid discussion about the state of some hot-button issues in Arkansas that spill across all wate...

4 months ago

1 hour 24 minutes

The Standard Sportsman

Despite all the duck seasons in North America being closed, plenty is going on within the world of waterfowling. Brent & Cason look at the impact the recent storms will have on this coming duck season, game warden access to private ground without a warrant, USFWS director confirmation hearings and waterfowl destination states desire to reduce pressure by limiting non-residents. Reducing non-residents to a few weekdays is the potential play for Kansas and Oklahoma...but will it work? Thank...

4 months ago

50 minutes

The Standard Sportsman

Levi Pillow: The Past, Present and Future of Arkansas's Famed Dave Donaldson Black River WMA

Levi Pillow has over 50 years experience hunting the famed Dave Donaldson Black River WMA in Northeast Arkansas. Going from gentlemen’s agreeement to who hunted where with permanent decoy spreads to today’s chaotic overcrowding, he’s seen it all. Pillow shares that history along with changes he and a group of hunters from the WMA recently proposed to the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission with a non-resident draw as the key effort to manage the unrelenting pressure. Thanks to our sponsors: L...

4 months ago

1 hour 29 minutes