Episode 26 - Prairie Ducks in Decline: Photography, Conservation, and Culture

A lifetime chasing wild birds reveals hard truths every hunter needs to hear.

What happens when a legendary outdoor photographer spends decades documenting North America’s greatest hunting destinations and starts seeing the landscape change?

Lee Kjos has built a career capturing iconic moments in waterfowl hunting, upland hunting, and outdoor storytelling. His images have appeared across the hunting industry, but behind the camera is a lifelong sportsman deeply connected to ducks, wetlands, grasslands, and the future of conservation.

This conversation explores how photography became a way to preserve memories, tell stories, and communicate the beauty of wild places. Lee shares lessons from a lifetime spent hunting prairie Canada, chasing mallards across the flyways, and documenting the traditions that shaped generations of hunters and anglers.

The discussion also tackles bigger questions facing modern hunting culture. From social media and content creation to habitat loss, disappearing prairie grasslands, wetland conservation, and shifting waterfowl populations, Lee offers a candid perspective on where hunting is headed and what sportsmen can do to protect the resource.

Listeners will come away with a deeper appreciation for outdoor photography, waterfowl conservation, ethical hunting, and the responsibility every hunter carries to leave healthy habitat and abundant wildlife for the next generation.

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Check out Paul’s work with Wild Turkey Archives: https://www.wildturkeyarchives.com/ 

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