The Big Honker Podcast

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by adventurer, Robert Youens, who recently completed a trip through the Northwest Passage in a Jon boat. They discuss traversing the Arctic Ocean in the small boat, problems with the vessel while at sea, exploring local communities in the Arctic, breaking the Guiness World Record for longest journey in a Jon boat, and Robert details his future adventures.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by the developers of the HuntProof App, Nathan Marks and Steven Willi. The HuntProof App is a revolutionary app that will help waterfowl hunters maximize their time in the field and also serving as the best place to journal your hunts. The guys discuss how Nathan came up with the idea for the HuntProof App, Steven tells of finer details and functionality of the app, and they look at how it can be one of the most useful tools for waterfowlers everywhere.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by Douglas Spale for their weekly pick 'em contest where the guys choose their winners, locks and upsets for every Week 3 game in the NFL.  

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by attorney and avid outdoorsman, Douglas Spale. Douglas recently teamed up with Pheasants Forever for the YouTube project, Ripples, that follows Douglas' journey through upland hunting. From being adopted at 18 months to losing a brother this film is touching story about the bonds formed through hunting. 

The guys discuss how this project got started, Nevada chukar hunting, good and bad hunting dogs, and hunting all across North America.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by the general manager of Habitat Flats, The Grand, Arliss Reed. Arliss and Habitat Flats are gearing up for waterfowl season and the guys discuss everything that goes on to prepare for the coming flights of ducks and geese. The guys also talk about what makes hunting such a special endeavor, weight loss surgery and staying somewhat healthy during the grind of hunting season, and the hot topic of flooded corn and mallards.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by photographer and content creator, Wade Shoemaker. Wade has worked with some of the most prominent brands in the waterfowl industry. The guys talk about what led Wade to pursue a career as a freelance photographer, his plans for the coming waterfowl season, influences in the outdoors industry, and wild sightings in the Louisiana swampland.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by photographer and conservationist, Sam Soholt. Sam is launching the Stamp It Forward project, where he buys Federal Duck Stamps with all of the money that is donated and then he gives the Stamps away with merchandise that is sold at his publiclandtees.com.

They discuss where Sam came up with the idea for this project and how its grown over the past few years, being a professional outdoor photographer, hunters being better advocates for hunting, the censorship of hunting across social media platforms, and why politicians rarely get it right when it comes to hunting and the outdoors.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by Jason Hart to give their predictions for every NFL game of Week 2. The guys pick their winners, locks and upsets from this weekend of games, starting with Chargers vs Chiefs.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by the founder of Ultimate Veteran Adventures, Joe Wesner. Joe has organized a dove hunt at Stanfield Hunting Outfitters for several Gold Star families and the guys discuss the work that has gone into that, women in combat, the power of modern medicine, and the recent anniversary of 9/11.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver discuss the Queen’s passing, incest in the Royal family, rich guilt and reparations, the Cowboys losing Dak for 8 weeks, the Packers struggle, hunting around The Big Honker Lodge during the second week of hunting.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by, arguably, the best contest caller of all time, Trevor Shannahan. The guys discuss the recent controversy from one of Trevor's interviews on Instagram Live, contest calling, bold predictions in the NFL, fantasy football, midterm elections, the Supreme Court, and a whole lot more.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by the owner of Lucky Duck, Tim Noe. Lucky Duck is the leader of motion decoys in the waterfowl industry. They discuss new products coming from Lucky Duck, constantly innovating, opening weekend of hunting season, and coming through the supply chain shortage.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by the one and only Donnie Vincent. Donnie is gearing up for a long hunting trip to Alaska. The guys discuss the allure of the woods of Alaska, pushing physical limitations, dangerous situations in the woods, the softness of America today, and crazy things seen in the wilderness.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by David Schuessler of Ducks Unlimited. The guys discuss the recent Waterfowl Population Survey and they look at how the duck numbers compare to long term averages. With several species of ducks having numbers that have fallen substantially, the guys look at what may be causing the decline and when hunter should be concerned, they discuss the major drought in the western half of the U.S., and they look forward to this coming waterfowl season.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by one of the hosts of The Looking Glass Podcast, Logan Pyeatt. The guys cover a wide variety of topics, including; football, music, politics, religion, and public schools... A giveaway is also announced, 3 days at The Big Honker Lodge with the guys from Looking Glass.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by former member of the Granite Mountain Hot Shots, Brendan McDonough. Brendan is the lone survivor of the Yarnell Hill Fire that took the lives of 19 men in his crew and it remains as one of the deadliest wildfires in US history. They discuss how that day unfolded, Brendan's substance abuse problem, living with the guilt of being the only survivor, and what changed in his life for him to find sobriety.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by the women behind SHO, Michelle Stanfield & Jessy Shaver. They discuss Jessy's insane idea to ride the L.A. Metro, how life changes once hunting seasons begins, and managing the highs and lows of hunting season.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver sit down with former Stanfield Hunting Outfitters waterfowl guide, Wes Holmes. Wes guided goose hunts for SHO for several year during the early 2000's and the guys look back on some of the more memorable stories from that time. Since then Wes has battled with a drug addiction and they discuss his struggles and his road to recovery.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver recap their trip to Minnesota for Game Fair where they bounced between Boss Shots Shells, Pacific Calls, Dive Bomb Industries, Gun Dog Outdoors and Dirty Duck Coffee. Then, they look at the new job in Hollywood... the Intimacy Coordinator.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by two BossMen, Lee Kjos & Dirk Sorrells. Lee is one of the all time great outdoor and waterfowl photographers and Dirk is best known for being the Tiger King's tattoo artist. They discuss the past weekend at Game Fair, the massive expansion of Boss Shot Shells, and the guys look forward to the coming waterfowl season.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by retired Texas Game Warden and star of the hit show Lone Star Law, Benny Richards. Benny spent over 25 year working for the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife and he has written two books about his career, Tales of a Texas Game Warden and Campfire Confessions.

The guys look at some of the stories from his book; they discuss how retirement is for Benny, the evolution of the Texas Game Warden, working on the Texas border, and what makes a good Game Warden.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by Washington state waterfowl hunter, Carl Adcock. The guys discuss Carl's journey in waterfowl hunting, hunting in Canada, his passion for chasing the Canada goose, and how things are shaping up for this coming waterfowl season.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by aspiring country music artist, MarDe Brooks. The guys discuss MarDe's life as a singer/song writer, what led him leave his corporate life behind for a life on the road, the impact music has on everyone, and what aids him in writing music.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by avid ducker hunter Shawn Winstead. Shawn is a cancer survivor and the guys discuss his battle with cancer and keeping a positive attitude, duck hunting in Tennessee, and draw system for blinds on Tennessee public land.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver sit down and look at the upcoming hunting season, football ramping up, Vegas running out of water, and all the dumb things the Democrats are doing.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by the only Official State Photographer of Texas, Wyman Meizner. Wyman has recently finished his upcoming book, The Art of Predator Calling: A Portrait in Tradition, which will be available later this fall.

They discuss his passion for pursuing coyotes and his meticulous note taking, his mindset going into this latest book project, rattlesnakes dens, and plenty of history.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by attorney and author, Jim Crews. Jim's first book, Amid the Cypress, is a collaboration of the decades he has spent journaling his hunting adventures. They discuss Jim's recent hunting trip to South America with Ramsey Russell, keeping a hunting journal since the '70's, the challenges of the past hunting season, and they talk about this coming dove season.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by Fowl Flight Outfitters owner, and former Stanfield Hunting Outfitter's waterfowl guide, Mike 'Mags' Kmetz. Mags has been an avid waterfowl hunter since he was a kid hunting on Lake Michigan. The guys discuss his journey in the waterfowl business, what shaped his mindset and love for waterfowl hunting, and what he sees for the future of waterfowl hunting.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by butcher and outdoorsman, Jordan Nisly. The guys discuss Jordan's meat processing company, some of the wild dishes he's made with some unconventional game choices, and community coyote drives. Jordan has his own YouTube channel  @Jordans Harvest  where you can see his adventures.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by World Live Duck Calling champion, Cory Niccum. Cory is coming off a big weekend at Dive Bomb Squadfest, winning both the two man meat duck and the open meat duck calling contests. They discuss Cory's time on the calling contest circuit, guiding waterfowl and turkey hunts for a living, spooky things they've come across in the woods, the future of calling contests, and what it takes to be a world champion duck caller.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by cowboy and ranch hand, Ty Self. Ty has worked on the King Ranch and on the border of Texas. They discuss living on the Texas border with the heavy migrant surge and what all they have found while on horseback, ranch rodeos, his time on the King Ranch, and the guys debate what they would do if they found $1 million dollars out in the woods.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by the Wisconsin Turkey Commander, Loren Voss. Loren has harvested over 150 turkey during his time in the turkey woods. The guys discuss what attracted him to turkey hunting, how he's maintained his love for chasing longbeards, beating cancer 30 years ago, and his new book set to release this fall.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by the owner of Dive Bomb Industries, Cody Stokes. Dive Bomb is getting ready for SquadFest 2.0 this weekend, and some of the biggest names in waterfowl will be in attendance. The guys discuss what Cody has planned for this year's SquadFest and what changes they made from last year. They also talk about new products coming from Dive Bomb Industries for this coming waterfowl season, his hunting trips from last season, and nocturnal ducks.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by Lovejoy High School offensive coordinator Jayson Lavender and his son Jaxson Lavender, who is entering his senior year of high school football and he is ranked as the #7 wide receiver in the state of Texas. Jaxson has already committed to SMU and the guys discuss what led him to the SMU Mustangs over other universities.

Jayson grew up with Jeff and they both attended Wichita Falls High School, where Jayson held the national pole vault record for several decades, and he went on to play wide receiver at Texas Tech University.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by former Stanfield Hunting Outfitters waterfowl guide, Matt Sullivan. Matt worked at Stanfield Hunting Outfitters during the early days of the company, and was among the first group of waterfowl guides Jeff hired in the mid 90's. The guys share stories about those winters in West Texas chasing ducks and geese, and building on a dream. Matt was always the class clown that was an extremely effective waterfowl hunter.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by bow fisherman, Nick Sebold. The guys discuss the growing popularity of bow fishing, the ins and outs of getting ready for a bowfishing tournament, and how Nick transitions from bow fishing right into to waterfowl hunting.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver spend the 4th of July doing what every red blooded American should do on the 4th... bash Joe Biden and the Democrats. Happy Independence Day!

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by the owner of Guyette & Deeter Inc., Jon Deeter. Guyette & Deeter has held over 125 live auctions, realizing over $200 million in sales of decoys, paintings, and related sporting items. Their firm has handled the most important decoys and collections in North America.

The guys discuss how Jon's love for collecting decoys turned into a business. Then, they look at some of the more expensive items to be auctioned by Guyette & Deeter, including a duck call that sold for over $100,000, and Jon shares several stories about the rich waterfowling history of North America.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by coon hunter, Jacob Heumphreus. From more strict trespassing laws to the fur trade becoming obsolete, coon hunting is a fading piece of Americana. The guys discuss the art behind running hounds for raccoons and why the population of coon hunters is dwindling, the makings of a good hound dog, and what's the craziest thing he's found while running hounds in the woods.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by high school teachers, Kim Price & Erin Nimetz. Erin teaches Forensics at her local high school, which wildly popular with the juniors and seniors, where the students observe all that goes into studying a crime scene. Kim teaches Family and Consumer Sciences where the students learn the finer details of being an adult and study balancing a bank account, financing a vehicle, and buying a home.

In this episode they discuss these courses in detail and how they fit into the students curriculum and advance their futures. Erin has "Serial Killer" Fridays so they look at some of America's more notorious and heinous serial killers, including, some that are closer to home.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by head football coach Mitch McLemore & "Coyote Man" Clay Reid. Mitch and Clay have spent decades together chasing coyotes and varmints across multiple states. This episode is full of more hilarious stories from their adventures in life and profound wisdom from times of hardships.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by film maker and producer of their new YouTube series, The First Family of Waterfowl, Ricky Keller. He has worked for some of the top brands in the hunting industry, including, Beretta and Lucky Duck, and he spent a large amount of time this past winter filming at The Big Honker Lodge for the upcoming series.

They discuss Ricky's time and entrance into filming outdoors adventures, what makes The Big Honker Lodge a unique experience, the treacherous editing process, and how this series will be different from the typical hunting show.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by the founder of 24.7 Hunt, Ranar Moody. Ranar and 24.7 Hunt have three seasons of hunting footage on YouTube, chasing after everything from ducks to dove and turkey. The guys discuss Ranar's journey in the hunting industry, his entrepreneur side and branching out to develop music and sneakers, and how he's handled being in the public's eye.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by the owner of Chêne Gear, Jeff Jones. Chêne Gear makes the best waders on the market and now their lineup is expanding. In this episode, Jeff Jones announces all the new products that Chêne Gear has coming out for the 2022-2023 waterfowl season.  

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by Jeff's high school friend and trucker, James Steinbeck. James grew up in a tough environment and served 4 different prison sentences in the Texas and Oklahoma, but was able to turn his life around after earning his CDL license in prison.

James is very candid and honest as they discuss his life as a criminal, his arrest and time in prison, and how he eventually turned his life around to build a highly successful business.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by Sean Weaver of MeatEater's Duck Lore. They discuss what led Sean to working with Steve Rinella and MeatEater, the hits and misses from last waterfowl season and how the inconsistent weather patterns complicated filming for Duck Lore, new projects and research that has occupied Sean's offseason, and his plans for this upcoming waterfowl season.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by David Schuessler of Ducks Unlimited. For 85 years Ducks Unlimited has conserved almost 15 million acres of waterfowl habitat in North America. In this episode, the guys discuss David's career at Ducks Unlimited, their ability to adapt and modify at Ducks Unlimited during the pandemic, getting more people involved in the conservation effort, and how Ducks Unlimited has stood the test of time.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by the boys from Fowler Hide Supply, Cameron and Drew Peters. Fowler Hide specializes in making custom leather goods for waterfowl hunters. The brothers tell where the idea for Fowler Hide started, how they have been received by the waterfowl community, and what they have planned for the future.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by Mark Boardman and Haley Fochs from Vortex Optics. Vortex is a veteran owned, family owned business that has made a name for itself by making products that give consumers the best value for their dollar.

Mark and Haley detail their favorite products from the Vortex lineup and where they like to use certain optics on their hunts, Mark outlines his upcoming hunts in Maui for axis deer and Kodiak for black-tailed deer, and Haley tells of a frustrating spring turkey season.

Jeff Stanfield & Andy Shaver are joined by the one and only "Coyote Man" Clay Reid. This episode is filled with more hilarious stories and "Coyote Man" wisdom. He is currently working on a book and attempting to bag one coyote per day for an entire year.