Upland Nation

A true road warrior, Randy Schultz travels extensively across the country with his five Brittany’s in pursuit of virtually every huntable game bird species. He chronicles his passion in a blog, “A Bird Hunter’s Thoughts,” a podcast “Turn ‘Em Loose,” and in his new book “Endless October.”
Randy shares his thoughts on traveling, offering tips and advice on everything from dog care to health and safety. He shares his favorite places and bird species … and why he’s so enamored with each. He offers a unique personal rationale for hunting, discusses dog training during a hunt, and why. He explains why and how trialing can help hunting dogs, and vice-versa. We'll cover training tips and must-have gear for the traveling bird hunter in this informative discussion.
Plus, a public-access tip, dog handling advice on how acoustics make your dog look worse than he is, and the soon-to-be-legendary Upland Nation trivia quiz and a YETI prize.

What's a pronghorn and a rifle hunter doing here? The short version of the long story is, Brian Lynn and colleague Bruce Tague are working on behalf of all hunters ... anglers and trappers, too. Their organization Sportsmans Alliance is in the trenches every day, defending our right to hunt. And don't worry - both are avid bird hunters too!
The Alliance is in court, the halls of state and federal legislatures, online and on the streets, counteracting the strident calls of anti-hunters, so-called "conservation" groups, and animal rights organizations who want to "free" your dogs, prevent you from pursuing gamebirds with them, take away taxidermy mounts of your bucket-list birds, and stop you from producing puppies to improve the health of your dog breed.
We'll get an update on the threats to our sport, and why we should work cooperatively with big-game hunters and trappers, bow hunters and anglers. We'll get a list of the "bad guys" and the good guys and find out more about how each works for - and against - us. And, how you should be involved to protect your sport now, and for future generations.
Plus, a place to hunt - free, the upland trivia quiz, and dog handling/training advice ... all delivered in a concise, respectful way so you can learn, act, and HAVE SOME FUN without wasting your valuable time.
 

Rennaissance man Tom Fiumarello started adult life as a teacher and coach. Now he brings that insight to his shooting instruction, dog training and even guiding.
Tom's thoughts on everything from how a dog learns to how a human can learn - to shoot better - will have you re-thinking your own ideas and applying some of his. You've seen him shoot, and his dogs work, on the recent Fur Feathers Friends episode of Wingshooting USA and if that doesn't convince you he has some pretty good ideas about dog training nothing will.
As a former coach, Tom's enthusiasm and positive attitude will rub off on you and ultimately, your dog. You'll come away from this podcast rarin' to go ... into the field or onto the range, or to your training yard with your dog!
Plus, an upland trivia question and prize, public land access in Texas (!), and dog handling and training tips galore.

“You hunt memories,” says author/columnist Tom Huggler. And this guy has a few, with three decades of writing about the things we love: grouse, grouse woods, and bird dogs. You’ve seen his videos, some of the first in a fledgling industry back then. You’ve read his books, and you find his column in magazines every month.
Tom talks about hunting strategy and tactics, the allure of woodcock, and how to hunt without an e-collar in the thick stuff. He explains his literary dog names, is forced to pick his favorite book by himself, and tells a hair-raising tale of hunting on the Crimean peninsula.
All that, plus a publicly-accessible spot for you to hunt, an upland trivia question and a prize, dog training tip and a ton of fun without all the superfluous gab and attitude.

"We all have expectations to different degrees. Our expectations at Craney Hill Kennel are extremely high for our dogs. The theory is that if we set our standard to an almost unattainable level, when we fall short our dogs will still be very talented animals.”
If that’s not enough to intrigue you, consider Todd’s recent accomplishments: the 2017 National Open High Point and developed and won the 2018 National Open Championship. The guy gets results. And whether you're a spaniel guy, retriever or pointer man, you will learn something to apply today in your own relationship with your dog.
But do field trial blue ribbons make better bird hunters? Find out, and learn more about how Todd views what we do as “development,” not training. What works and what doesn’t, how clicker and treat training fit his training strategy, even tips that are as relevant to pointer guys as flusher guys.
This guy understands dogs as well as any more well-known training guru and we dig deep into the why’s and wherefores of his methods. You’ll be a better trainer when you finish listening.
We go from setting realistic goals as we enter hunting season and how to clean up when the season ends; to why hunting flushers with pointers is usually a bad idea unless you’re a plantation owner. Todd explains why you shouldn’t rush your dog’s training, and gives us his take on the biggest training mistakes we make.
You may not agree with Todd’s philosophy, but you’ve got to give him credit for turning out incredible dogs.
Plus, a trivia question and prize, public-access tip, dog training tip, and NO BS. Your time is valuable – get the good stuff here without all the junk that clutters your phone ... and your head!

Hunters really ARE the original conservationists, and today you’ll be armed to defend that audacious statement. Ed Carter, president of the Association of Wildlife Agencies, walks us through the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, aka Pittman-Robertson Act. That’s the excise tax firearms manufacturers pay to the feds, which then is routed to state wildlife agencies for conservation and management. The fund has generated billions of dollars and we hunters are the ones who ultimately paid into it through our purchases.
We’ll learn where the money comes from, what your money is spent on, and what it can’t be used for, where endangered species fit, why mountain bike riders, hikers and wildlife watchers don’t pay (yet), and how P-R funds can now be used for hunter education and shooting range development. Ed answers questions from listeners Spiro Mavroidis, Jim Kuzilik and Pete Aplikowski, there’s a dog training tip on “place learning” and how it affects performance, we look at publicly-accessible land near Mott, ND, and the Upland Trivia question offers a YETI Rambler as the prize.