Show Notes
In this episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitch is joined by Pennsylvania native Chad Hodge for a conversation that starts with old-school deer camp and eventually finds its way deep into a wood duck swamp. Chad shares how growing up between Pennsylvania and Florida pushed him to find his own place among the seasoned hunters he looked up to. What started with archery and learning to work on his own equipment eventually grew into a passion for shotguns, patterning, turkey and waterfowl hunting, product development, and a lifelong pursuit of becoming a better woodsman.
The conversation eventually turns toward Chad's true obsession: hunting drake wood ducks. Chad shares the story of calling in his 500th career drake on the final day of the season, his pursuit toward 1,000, and the lessons learned from decades spent creeping through creeks and beaver swamps. He breaks down calling and identifying wood ducks, hunting without piles of expensive equipment, protecting productive areas, and why this style of hunting can be an incredible way to introduce a kid to the outdoors. Along the way, Mitch and Chad discuss hunting culture, social media, old-school hunting traditions, and the danger of measuring your success against someone else's tailgate. At its core, this conversation is a reminder to learn from the hunters who came before us, pass that knowledge along, and find the part of hunting that means something to you.
