Send us a text From creek beds to the country music spotlight, Tanner Horton shares the remarkable rise of The Creekers in this intimate conversation about authentic music, rural roots, and overnight viral success. The gravel in Tanner Horton's voice matches the authenticity of his story—a tale of musical passion born in the hollers of Eastern Kentucky, nurtured through family traditions, and suddenly thrust into the spotlight through a viral TikTok video. As lead guitarist and vocalist for ...
Send us a text Adrian Jackson shares his extraordinary dual career as a championship bird dog trainer and youth mentor at Cal Farley's Boys Ranch in Texas. His insights reveal the surprising parallels between training high-performance field trial dogs and helping at-risk youth overcome trauma and build successful lives. • Vice President of Home Life at Cal Farley's Boys Ranch for nearly 29 years, overseeing care for 116 children with capacity for 430 • Cal Farley's is privately funded with a...
Send us a text #45 Summer Reynolds has hunting in her blood. From childhood nights spent howling alongside her father to call in coyotes, to building a nationally-renowned hunting dog supply store in tiny Quitman, Arkansas (population 765), Summer's life revolves around dogs that chase, tree, and track. During our conversation, Summer takes us through her remarkable hunting journey, starting with foxhound traditions that are gradually disappearing. "Friday night we'd get, Dad would come home...
Send us a text #44 When disaster strikes in the field, are you prepared to save your dog's life? Josh Parvin of Cornerstone Gundog Academy and Retriever Training Supply shares the harrowing story that led to creating their best-selling First Aid Kit after his retriever hit a barbed wire fence at full speed during a Kansas hunt. That close call transformed his approach to emergency preparedness and sparked a mission to help fellow gundog owners be ready for anything. The conversation ex...
Send us a text #42 Have you ever wondered why some dog sports offer substantial cash prizes while others only provide ribbons and titles? In this fascinating conversation with Trevor Wade, Coonhound Program Manager at United Kennel Club (UKC), we uncover the remarkable economics of coonhound competitions that have created a thriving circuit where handlers compete for serious money. Trevor pulls back the curtain on UKC's Tournament of Champions, which offers a jaw-dropping $250,000 purse with...
Send us a text #42 Dave Bavero opens a window into the nuanced world of British Labs, sharing insights from his 25-year journey with these remarkable gundogs. As the founder of Waterstone Labradors in Bernie, Texas, Dave has created more than just a breeding program – he's established a vital cultural bridge between American hunters and the centuries-old traditions of British and Irish retriever work. What sets Dave's approach apart is his unwavering commitment to authenticity. Rather than s...
Send us a text #41 The journey to build a stronger connection with your hunting dog goes far beyond basic commands and whistle blows. Bob Owens, founder of Lone Duck Outfitters and Kennels, takes us deep into what he calls "the unspoken bond" – that magical connection between handler and retriever that transforms good dogs into exceptional hunting partners. Bob's path from college rugby player to respected professional trainer offers a masterclass in pursuing passion against the odds. Starti...
Send us a text #40 Ever wondered how professional athletes pursue their outdoor passions between seasons? In this captivating conversation, Kenneth Witt welcomes Chicago Cubs Triple-A catcher Caleb Knight to Gundog Nation, revealing the fascinating intersection of professional baseball and duck hunting. Caleb shares his journey from small-town Oklahoma to professional baseball, while maintaining his deep connection to waterfowl hunting and retriever training. Growing up in Chakotah (populati...
Send us a text #39 From sporting clays champion to bird dog maven, Anna V's journey exemplifies the transformative power of saying "yes" to unexpected opportunities in the outdoor world. Her story begins with a short-haired pointer in 2014 and quickly accelerates into a whirlwind adventure through competitive hunting tournaments, championship sporting clays, and eventually mastery of both pointing and flushing dogs. What makes Anna's narrative particularly compelling is how she navigated the...
Send us a text #38 Master gundog trainer Mick Walsh takes us on a journey through his remarkable 35-year career developing champion spaniels across Ireland and the United Kingdom. From his humble beginnings hunting with terriers as a seven-year-old boy to becoming one of the most accomplished competitive handlers in Europe, Walsh shares the wisdom that has helped him train an astounding 20 champion dogs, including 12 international champions. Walsh offers rare insights into what truly separat...
Send us a text #37 The journey from novice to expert in the world of upland hunting is paved with lessons often learned the hard way. In this captivating conversation, Kenneth Witt welcomes Greg Blair, a senior specialist with Purina's Sporting Dog Group, who brings three decades of pointing dog wisdom to Gundog Nation. Greg's passion for bird dogs began in the 1990s, evolving from casual hunting over a springer spaniel to campaigning a Hall of Fame English Pointer. With refreshing honesty, ...
Send us a text #36 Wade Skeen takes us deep into the changing landscape of American waterfowl hunting, revealing how agricultural practices have dramatically shifted migration patterns away from traditional southern flyways. The owner of Skeen Gundogs and Outfitters in south central Kansas explains why the Midwest has become a duck hunting paradise: drought-resistant seed varieties pushing corn production northward, no-till farming leaving billions of bushels of waste grain in fields, and sig...
Send us a text #35 What does a 300-year-old family business have to teach us about passion, quality, and preserving our gundog heritage? Ben Skinner, the seventh-generation leader of Skinner's Dog Food, takes us on a fascinating journey from his family's 1688 windmill to their current position as a beloved dog food manufacturer in the UK. The remarkable story unfolds as Ben shares how his grandfather Stanley operated a traditional grain milling business that was facing bankruptcy when his fa...
Send us a text #34 The journey to developing an extraordinary hunting retriever demands more than just basic obedience—it requires a training philosophy built on understanding, patience, and fair expectations. In this captivating conversation with Barton Ramsey of Southern Oak Kennels, we explore the nuanced approach that has established him as one of America's premier British Labrador breeders and trainers. Barton takes us deep into his training methodology, emphasizing the critical differe...
Send us a text #33 What does it take to become one of retriever training's rising stars at just 30 years old? Luke Cour reveals the mindset and methods behind his remarkable success as we explore his journey from rodeo competitor to SRS Crown Champion. Growing up as the son of a successful pointer trainer, Luke developed an appreciation for working dogs from an early age. His natural intensity and competitive spirit found an outlet first in rodeo, then in retriever training after purchasing ...
Send us a text #32 When your beloved gun dog is miles from civilization with a medical emergency, knowing what to do can mean the difference between life and death. In this illuminating conversation with Dr. Joe Wurster, known throughout the bird dog community as "the bird dog vet," we dive into the specialized world of hunting dog medicine that many urban veterinarians rarely encounter. Dr. Wurster reveals why he became a veterinarian after a career change from political science – his passi...
Send us a text #31 Unlock a fascinating world of canine adventure with Ben Leger, founder of Georgian Bay Shed Dogs and Canadian Antler Dogs, as he reveals the thriving sport of shed hunting. This growing pastime taps into dogs' natural instincts to find and retrieve shed antlers – a behavior even observed in wild wolves and coyotes. Ben walks us through how this accessible sport has evolved from casual recreation to structured competition through the UKC Elite Shed Dog Series. With champion...
Send us a text #030 Ray Voigt brings nearly three decades of retriever training expertise to this enlightening conversation about the evolution of gundog training, handling sensitive dogs, and his journey from Minnesota teenager to professional dog trainer and Purina executive. With 53 field champions, three National Amateur Champions, and one National Open Champion to his credit, Ray offers rare insights into what separates truly exceptional dogs from the rest. "Some of the best dogs I've h...
Send us a text #029 Two Kentucky women are redefining what it means to be hunters in today's world, proving that you don't need to grow up in a hunting family to become passionate about the sport and working with gundogs. Hannah Hall and Abbie Binzer share their remarkable journeys into hunting, which both began later in life. Hannah, who started in 2021 with a turkey hunt that left her "100% addicted," has since restructured her entire life around hunting opportunities – leaving her corpora...
Send us a text #028 What separates truly elite dog trainers from the rest? Clark Kennington pulls back the curtain on 20 years of success in the competitive retriever world, revealing that psychological understanding might matter more than traditional pressure-based methods. As a two-time SRS Crown Champion with over 100 Grand passes to his credit, Kennington explains how the retriever game has evolved dramatically over two decades. Today's better-bred, more intelligent dogs respond to funda...