Sitka Southeast Podcast

Where did all the ducks go?It's a question waterfowl hunters across the Southeast seem to ask every season.In Episode 22, Jay and I sit down with Chuck McDonald, Chairman of the Lee County Ducks Unlimited Chapter, to talk about what is actually happening with waterfowl habitat, duck migration, conservation, and the future of duck hunting.Chuck breaks down how Ducks Unlimited works, why conserving habitat hundreds or even thousands of miles away can still directly benefit a North Carolina duck hunter, and why DU money isn't always supposed to stay in the county where it was raised. As Chuck puts it: ducks don't stay in one county either.We also get into one of the most controversial parts of modern waterfowl hunting: game-farm mallards. Chuck discusses large-scale releases of farm-raised mallards, their potential impact on wild birds and migration, and research using “Duck DNA” to distinguish wild mallards from game-farm lineage.Then the conversation gets even bigger.Are ducks actually migrating as far south as they used to?Is warmer weather keeping birds farther north?Has habitat loss changed where ducks stop?Has duck hunting become a rich man's game?Does hunting pressure meaningfully change overall duck populations?And when hunters complain that conservation organizations raise millions of dollars but they still aren't seeing more birds…how much responsibility belongs to the hunters themselves?Chuck also shares the story of growing the Lee County chapter from just two people to 44, largely through community involvement and school outreach.If you hunt ducks, care about wetland habitat, or simply want to understand why waterfowl hunting looks different today than it did 20 or 30 years ago, this episode is for you.Discount Codes:Sitka Charlotte - Podcast15Speed Broadheads - SSEP10Upcoming Store Events:Saturday 9/26 - Save Tuckertown EventSaturday 10/10 - Waterfowl Expo

Most hunters spend a lot of time thinking about what's on their bow, in their pack, or layered on their body—but how much do we actually understand about what's on our feet?In Episode 21, Jake sits down with Mike Ekstrom, Senior Product Line Manager for SITKA Gear's footwear division, to break down how hunting footwear actually works—and some of the things hunters may be getting completely wrong.We dive into hunting boot insulation, waterproofing, fit and sizing, GORE-TEX, trail runners, cold feet, blisters, product testing, and how SITKA develops footwear for hunters and anglers.Mike explains why 1600 grams of insulation doesn't automatically mean a warmer boot, why compression matters, and why moisture inside your boot can make you colder even when the boot itself isn't leaking. He also explains how SITKA and Gore use lab testing to measure thermal performance and why some of that testing goes beyond what Mike experienced earlier in his footwear career at Nike.We also get into one statistic that surprised me: during 3D foot scans with athletes, Mike says 80% of people believed they wore a different size than they actually did—and incorrect sizing can contribute to everything from heel blisters to poor boot performance.Mike takes us behind the scenes of SITKA footwear development, including its relationship with Gore, products that “fail catastrophically” during testing, why mountain boots eventually leak, and why SITKA deliberately gives prototypes to people who will beat the crap out of them instead of simply telling the company what it wants to hear.We even get into why trail runners feel so good but can have limitations once hunters leave the trail and start sidehilling, climbing over blowdowns and moving through brush.If you've ever dealt with cold feet, wet feet, blisters, leaking hunting boots, confusing insulation ratings, or wondered whether you actually bought the right boot, this episode is for you.Discount Codes:Sitka Charlotte Store - Podcast15Speed Broadheads - SSEP10 Upcoming Events:9/26 - Save Tuckertown Event10/10 - Waterfowl Expo

Everybody knows the Ranch Fairy for heavy arrows and fixed-blade broadheads—but that's not really what this conversation is about.In Episode 20, Jake sits down with Troy Fowler, aka the Ranch Fairy, to break down what actually makes a hunting arrow perform.And according to Troy, simply adding weight isn't the answer.We dive into arrow flight, bare-shaft tuning, arrow spine, FOC, fletching, mechanical vs. fixed-blade broadheads, broadhead sharpness, penetration, shot angles, and building a hunting-arrow system that gives you the greatest possible margin for error.Troy also tells the story of why he started experimenting in the first place. At one point, despite hunting mature pigs from controlled distances, he says he was only recovering around half of the animals he shot. That failure sent him down the rabbit hole of arrow construction, penetration, and eventually Dr. Ed Ashby's research.We even get into the ridiculous 1,035-grain arrow Troy once hunted pigs with—and why he eventually moved away from that extreme.But the biggest lesson from this episode is surprisingly simple:Before you argue about arrow weight, broadhead design, or FOC, make sure the arrow is actually flying straight.Because, as Troy puts it:“Sideways doesn't work.”If you're a bowhunter who has ever wondered whether your arrows are actually tuned, how much arrow weight you need, whether FOC really matters, or why your broadheads don't behave like your field points, this episode is for you.Discount Codes:Sitka Charlotte In Store Purchases - Podcast15Speed Broadheads - SSEP10Upcoming Store Events:- Save Tucker Town - 9/26- Watefowl Expo - 10/10

What can an Olympic archery coach teach a bowhunter?Quite a bit.In Episode 19, Landon and I sit down with Chris Webster, who served as head coach leading into the 2024 Paris Olympics and now works with elite-level U.S. archers.We talk about what separates good shooters from great shooters, why archers constantly try to solve execution problems with new equipment, how elite athletes train for pressure, and why the best-looking shot isn't always the most effective shot.Chris breaks down target panic, shot process, torque, form, draw weight, mental performance, repeatability, and what happens when tiny mistakes at the bow get magnified downrange.We also dive into Chris's path through the U.S. Army's World Class Athlete Program, the sacrifices involved in chasing an Olympic dream, and what coaching athletes at the highest level actually looks like.And eventually, Chris gives Landon and me a challenge:70 meters. Approximately 77 yards. Olympic target face. Match play.That should go well.Probably.If you're a bowhunter who has ever blamed your bow, fought target panic, struggled under pressure, chased more draw weight, or wondered whether your form is “correct,” this episode is for you.Discount Codes:In Store Purchase at Sitka Gear Charlotte - Podcast15Speed Broadheads - SSEP10

How much of what bowhunters believe today was built around equipment from 20 or 30 years ago?In Episode 18, Jake is joined by Dale Perry, owner of Evolution Outdoors, and Jeff Corderro, owner of Barefoot Archery, for a deep dive into broadheads, arrow setup, bow technology, tuning, and some of the biggest debates in modern archery.We talk about why mechanical broadheads developed a bad reputation, how today's bows and broadheads have changed the equation, what the recent arrow-ballistics data actually tells hunters, and why shooters can sometimes use the exact same study to confirm completely opposite opinions.Dale also explains the philosophy behind Evolution Outdoors, why he tells people not to blindly trust product owners, how a hunting problem led him into broadhead design, and why some conventional assumptions about broadhead sharpness, penetration, and deployment may deserve another look.Jeff brings the bow-shop perspective—what he sees from new shooters, what actually matters when setting up equipment, why modern bows have become easier to tune, and what archery shops need to do to stay relevant as customers become increasingly educated online.We cover:Mechanical vs. fixed broadheads, arrow weight, FOC, broadhead flight, penetration, draw weight, paper tuning, bare-shaft tuning, bow efficiency, hunting ethics, shot recovery, the future of archery shops, and why the best answer is often somewhere in the middle.If you're the type of bowhunter who likes to understand why your equipment works instead of simply being told what to shoot, this episode is for you.