A cold fall swamp, rising light, and a duck hunter’s lifelong love collide at daybreak.

In this special immersive Campfire short edition of the Field and Stream Podcast, veteran outdoors writer T. Edward Nickens brings listeners deep into the heart of a Southern swamp, where wood ducks whistle through cypress shadows and time moves with the slow pulse of rising water. This episode isn’t just a reading; it’s a full-on immersion into why swamps matter to waterfowl hunters, public-land diehards, and anyone who’s ever chased wild places for meaning.

Nickens’ story, “The Swamp,” originally published in Field and Stream’s Wilderness Issue, captures the grit, solitude, and renewal that define duck hunting on public land. As he navigates flooded timber, old beaver dams, and knee-deep muck, he reveals hard-earned lessons about scouting remote backwaters, reading water levels, and understanding the rhythms of early-morning waterfowl movement.

Listeners will walk away with more than wood duck hunting insight, they’ll gain a deeper appreciation for the swamps that shape the hunting life: the sulfur-tinged air, the quiet rush of wings you can hear before you can see, and the fleeting 20-minute window when everything comes alive. Whether you’re into waterfowl hunting, backcountry exploration, or the storytelling that defines the outdoor life, this is a campfire moment worth lingering over.

Follow the show for more weekly hunting and fishing conversations.

Get more from Field & Stream: https://www.fieldandstream.com/

Get to know the author, T. Edward Nickens: https://www.fieldandstream.com/authors/t-edward-nickens 

Join the F&S 1871 Club and experience a membership dedicated to the outdoor culture of sporting traditions, storytelling, and the conservation of our lands: https://www.fieldandstream.com/1871-club/ 

Sound effects and sound design for Campfire provided by:

• Editing and sound design by Trout Stream Studios
  


• Marc Anderson of Wild Ambience


• Paul Driver of Pennsylvania


• swamp.wav by Zbyhek -- https://freesound.org/s/167493/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

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