Seven waterfowl podcast episodes released between Nov 2 and Nov 9, picked for the last stretch before the Arkansas and Louisiana East Zone openers. This week has an Arkansas show on the drought and what public-land hunters are up against, two Delta Waterfowl migration updates, a short science episode on why ducks change feathers, a Louisiana boat-motor story, a hunting-rights lawyer, and the Federal Duck Stamp.
Each entry links to the show's official episode page. The notes are our own short take on what each show says the episode covers in its published description. Go to the episode page for the full show notes and to listen. Release dates are the ones shown in each show's feed. All links checked Nov 9, 2026.
Mid-South shows
The Standard Sportsman: "Shawn Swearingen"
Released Nov 5, 2026 · Season 3, Episode 31 · Episode page
- The Arkansas hosts open with an update on the drought, then talk with outdoor writer Shawn Swearingen about his recent magazine pieces.
- The thread that matters to public-land hunters: the show notes say they cover the fast-rising cost of hunting leases and how do-it-yourself hunters are getting priced out. That's the case for learning the public ground well. Our first-timer's guide to WMA permits is a place to start.
- Also on the list: decoy strategies. If your spot is a small pocket of water this year, think smaller spreads, not bigger ones (see our low-water guide).
Duck Season Somewhere: "EP 739. Gator-Tail—Born on The Bayou"
Released Nov 5, 2026 · Host Ramsey Russell · Episode page
- Gator-Tail founder Kyle Broussard on how a Louisiana college engineering project turned into a surface-drive motor company, with the early prototypes and the hard lessons along the way.
- Also Louisiana teal hunting and the changing marsh.
- Why it fits this year: low water makes the motor question real. Before you run a mud motor on an Arkansas WMA or a refuge, check the area's motor and horsepower rules on its listing, and read the boat-handling section of our low-water guide.
Migration updates
The Voice of the Duck Hunter (Delta Waterfowl): "Migration Update, November 3rd, 2026"
Released Nov 3, 2026 · Hosts Joel Brice and Matt Chouinard · Episode page
- Delta Waterfowl regional directors report what they're seeing on the ground across the flyways. The show notes put the Mississippi Flyway segment at about the 4:36 mark, after the Atlantic and Central flyways and North Dakota.
- Pair it with the official numbers: Missouri's Loess Bluffs refuge counted 74,337 ducks on Nov 3, mostly gadwall, green-winged teal and pintails. More in our Nov 10 migration report.
The Voice of the Duck Hunter (Delta Waterfowl): "Migration Update, October 30th, 2026"
Released Nov 2, 2026 · Episode page
- The previous week's flyway-by-flyway update, in the same format (Mississippi Flyway at about 4:36).
- Listen to the two back to back. A week-to-week change says more about movement than any single report.
Science and field notes
The Voice of the Duck Hunter (Delta Waterfowl): "Field Notes: The Science of Duck Plumage, Ep. 11"
Released Nov 4, 2026 · Episode page
- Host Joel Brice and waterfowl scientist Dr. Frank Rohwer on why ducks molt: basic and alternate plumage, why drakes look dull for part of the year, and why ducks drop all their flight feathers at once.
- Also molt migration, when some ducks travel to safer water to sit out the weeks they can't fly.
- The practical side: early-season drakes that haven't finished coloring up are where ID mistakes happen, and that matters for the birds with special limits. Our duck ID guide covers what to look for.
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Law, policy and the Duck Stamp
Duck Season Somewhere: "EP 740. Courtroom Conservation: Defending Our Hunting Tradition"
Released Nov 9, 2026 · Episode page
- Regina Lennox, litigation counsel for Safari Club International, on the court cases shaping hunting, a White House executive order the show says has implications for hunters, and SCI's legal work.
- This is an advocacy group's view, so treat it as one side. For rules that apply to you this season, the agencies are the source: our state law pages link each one.
Ducks Unlimited Podcast: "Federal Duck Stamp & 30 Years of Chasing a Dream (Ep 822)"
Released Nov 5, 2026 · Host Katie Burke · Episode page
- Recorded at the Federal Duck Stamp Contest at DU headquarters: artist Tim Taylor on more than 30 years of entering the contest without a win, and why he keeps going.
- Also the Junior Duck Stamp Program and mentorship.
- The reminder for the rest of us: every waterfowl hunter 16 and older needs a current Federal Duck Stamp, valid July 1 through June 30 (USFWS). Buy it before opening morning, not at the ramp.
How we pick episodes
- Released in roughly the last week or two, with a working official episode page.
- Mid-South shows first, then national migration and public-land shows.
- We link to the episode instead of embedding or reposting it. The summaries are our own short take on each episode's published description, not a transcript or a review. Nobody pays to be included.
Know a Mid-South waterfowl show we should be checking? Tell us.
Dates, rules and prices on this page were last checked Nov 9, 2026. If an agency page and this article disagree, the agency page wins.
See something wrong or out of date? Report a correction.
We hunt public water in the Mid‑South and write from the agencies’ own pages. Every rule, date and fee links to its official source and shows the day we checked it. Where we couldn’t confirm something, we say so.
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