Backwoods University

Humans eating crawfish is nothing new. In fact, in North America alone it's been going on for several thousands of years. However, the craft of deliberately farming crawfish is relatively new in the grand scheme of things. Jason Roberts, a Mississippi native, walks us through the story and process of starting up his crawfish farm. What all went into it, how he figured it out, what type of crawfish species he targets, and the unexpe...

Without a doubt, crawfish, or crayfish, are the most well-known, and tastiest crustacean in all of North America- but how much do we really know about them? Where did they come from? How many of them are there? What role do they play in the ecosystem? We’ll all learn by the end of this that these tiny shellfish have more to offer than a what comes out of a boiling pot.

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In this bonus drop of Backwoods University, we have the opportunity to hear from a man named Joshua Lawes, who spent several years in the wild lands of Africa, working in antipoaching teams. As you can imagine, he has some pretty wild and fascinating tales, along with some insight on how conservation works in Africa and how it dippers for North America.

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In our final chapter of our series with Antonin Scalia, we will be taking a close look at why this man was so loved and respected by everyone that knew- including people that completely disagreed with him. On top of that, we'll learn how hunting, wild game, and the outdoors played a critical role in it.

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Antonin Scalia, whether you agreed or disagreed with him, was inarguably one of the most influential Americans in modern history due to his position as supreme court Justice for almost 30 years. However, in this part 1 of this series we will get the rare opportunity to see this man in way you may have never seen him before. Come along as we journey down to the place where Scalia first found his love for the outdoors and hunting, an...

Seeing as this episode releases on Memorial Day, Lake thought it would only be fitting to use it as opportunity to honor our the men and women who served the United States armed forces. This week, we will hear four different stories where wildlife conservation and the U.S military just so happened to overlap in some pretty incredible ways.

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In deep time we know the earth was covered with dinosaurs and ice age megafauna. However, the story gets all the more real and tangible when you narrow it down and dive into a specific region or state. This week we’ll learn about the mammoths, giant aquatic lizards, duck billed dinosaurs, stag moose, caribou, and many other species that used to inhabit Mississippi and other parts of the southeastern ...

Last fall we published an episode called “Pogie Boats” where we dove into a long-standing conflict between the commercial menhaden fishing industry and the recreational fishermen, charter fishermen, and conservation community. We also promised that we would keep you updated with this issue as it progresses. Just a few days ago, three key menhaden reform bills passed the senate natural resources committee, which is a big...

Wild Turkeys have been a shining example of conservation efforts since their recovery from the brink of extinction in the late 1900s. In this episode, we not only talk to a gentlemen who has had the unique perspective to see the the recovery of the wild turkey and participate in some of the early conservation work, but we then spring forward to present day to talk about some the most current efforts being initiated to ensure turkey...

The Florida water crisis, remains the focus of our discussion. However, we are going to hear about it from a different perspective. Pat Durden is a multi-generational Floridian, a cattlemen, and an outdoorsman. Pat is going to give his take on some the water issue Florida is up against, from the perspective of farmers and ranchers.

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When you think of the state of Florida, a water crisis is likely not the first thing that comes to mind. However, There has been an ongoing fight for decades now centered around water, and more importantly how it is managed. In it's natural state, water would flow slowly south out of Lake Okeechobee, down through the everglades, and into the Atlantic ocean. Now, after some artifical damming and canal build...

The Wild Turkey is one of the most beloved, and also most studied game birds. In this episode, Dr. Mike Chamberlain, also known as the Wild Turkey doc, gives us a look into one of the greatest new discoveries in the world of turkey science. A discovery that might have huge implications for the future of turkeys and turkey hunting.

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Beavers are an animal that notoriously get a lot of press. However, more often than not, it's negative press. Their damming everything up, they're causing floods, they're a nuisance, and so on- that's what we normally hear when beavers show up in conversation. Well in today's episode of Backwoods university, we're going to look at beavers in a very different light by learning about two stories. One took places back in the 1940s, on...

Back in the late 1960s a ground breaking initiative started in the wildlife conservation space that would lead to one of the greatest wildlife wins we have in the entire country. The restoration of the wild Turkey can be attributed to the hard work and dedication of many people across wildlife agencies and conservation organizations this week. We have the privilege of talking to Mr. Benny Herring he was am...

It's officially February. During this month I know a lot of outdoors folks that find themselves wondering what to do. We're here to help! In this episode of Backwoods University, we're going back through some of the fascinating guests we've met along the way so far! From Grizzly specialists to marine biologist- from botanists to beekeepers, we've met a wide spectrum! On this episode we'll here about a bison charging a man, a man ch...

This episode is a field report. Where we go and interview outdoorsmen, hunters, and anglers from all walks of life to get their opinions on different wildlife related issues. Today, we will be discussing the current hot topic of mallard declines in the lower Mississippi alluvial valley. We will be asking these different hunters about what they have seen through their own experiences duck hunting throughout the years, and what they ...

There's no better time than now to set some new year's resolutions. In this episode, we are going to learn about how you,me, and really anyone can get involved in conservation. We'll learn about the Farm Bill and how it effects wildlife, wild habitat, and even hunting quality. We'll learn about conservation incentive programs like CRP and EQIP. Most importantly, we will learn how all of us can get involved and get some actual, tang...

In this special Christmas-themed episode, we will be focusing in on the animal that seems to get all press and attention during the holiday season- reindeer. In the high arctic of Norway, reindeer have been around for long, long time, and we're going to learn all about them. The stories and lore, their actual biology and ecology, the indigenous tribes that heard them, and even some Santa Clause talk. It's all part of a bigger story...

Over the last 20 years waterfowl hunters in the lower portion of the Mississippi flyway have been asking the same question. Where have the mallards gone? It's a question worth asking, and getting to the bottom of. In this episode we talk with long-time waterfowl biologist, James Callicutt, a man who has been on the front lines of waterfowl research for years and can shed some much needed light on this burning question.

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