Episode 109- Duck Caller Chad Belding

As our regular listeners know, we are extremely deep thinkers. We like to spend our time pondering life’s great questions, not focusing on frivolous things. For instance, who are we, and why are we here? What is the greater influence — nature or nurture? Why did style trends from the 90s come back and are really short bangs next on the list? Which television show will get a reboot next? (We’re really pulling for Hart to Hart. After all, when they met, it was murder.) And, the ultimate question: What do opera singers and hunters have in common?

Luckily, for this week’s episode we spoke with champion duck caller Chad Belding, and he had answers — at least to that last question. But we’ll leave you in suspense for now. Chad shared his insight into the world of duck calls and duck hunting. And if you think it just involves making a couple of quacking noises and waiting for something to fly by, you’ve got a lot to learn about the world of ducks. It looks like we conducted this interview just in time!

Chad has done what most people dream about. He made his passion into his business. He created The Fowl Life — a television show, a clothing company, and a well-known duck call maker. Chad shared with us much of what is involved in making just the right duck call. Let’s just say that a kazoo won’t cut it. You need a talented machinist, a thoughtful design, and some great breath control. In other words, recording some sounds on your phone at your local duck pond won’t get the job done.

Chad is especially passionate about his connection to nature, and he explained how true hunters are also conservationists. Tune in to hear his stories about people using hunting and nature to heal, both physically and emotionally. When you hear him talk, you can’t help but share his excitement about what being outdoors can do for you. And even if hunting isn’t your cup of tea, he is a font of knowledge about all sorts of fascinating tidbits. Listen to find out how a duck hunter could utilize jargon for at least three different groups while on one hunt. And how hunters imitate female ducks to bring the males to the yard.

For more information about Chad, his brand, his calls, and his philanthropy, check out The Fowl Life website. You can also find him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. And for more information about Disco Duck, Google Rick Dees. We apologize ahead of time.

But Disco Duck leads us to an interesting question — which is the best duck in pop culture? Leaving the most obvious cartoon answers aside, one of them has to be Scrooge McDuck. After all, he swam in gold, which is nothing to sneeze at.  Heidi feels Howard the Duck should get at least an honorable mention, otherwise he has sworn to haunt her dreams. But ultimately, our winner has to be Ernie’s rubber ducky from Sesame Street. We’re awfully fond of him.

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