EP 675. Create The X

·1 hr 30 min·5 clips

The game-changer for Justin's farm was splitting habitat into 70% moist soil and 30% flooded corn.

The episode begins with sponsor messages before host Ramsey Russell introduces guest Justin Reif. Justin shares his background growing up along Lake Erie in Ohio, hunting dry fields with his father and grandfather. He describes his first duck hunt and the shift in local duck behavior due to changing freeze patterns and increased managed marshes. Justin details how his grandfather purchased a farm called Wild Acres, which initially had only emergent marsh. They began managing it, starting with hand-planting millet on mud flats. Over time, they entered a CREP conservation program that improved infrastructure. Justin explains they lost ducks for years as private habitat competition increased, and flooding corn did not solve the problem. The turning point was allocating 70% of the farm to moist soil management and 30% to flooded corn, plus showing water early in August to attract early-season ducks. He discusses learning from mistakes, the importance of visible water, and using resources like YouTube and podcasts. Justin then introduces his app, Create the X, which originated from his need to document management history more effectively than with scattered notebooks or phone notes. The app allows mapping units, logging water movements, tracking field work with GPS overlays, and recording equipment maintenance. It is designed for properties of all sizes and includes features for outfitters and consultants. Justin reflects on how his management philosophy evolved from focusing on harvest to maximizing duck use days. The conversation covers topics like moist soil plant preferences, invasive species control, and the most overcomplicated and underrated practices in habitat management.

As heard by us

A grounded conversation about making better habitat decisions through observation, records, and season-by-season adjustment.

Duck Season Somewhere frames waterfowl habitat work as something learned on the ground, not solved from a single plan. A dry August field becomes the starting point for a practical talk about why every property needs its own read.

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Want a clearer way to think about duck habitat when every property plays by its own rules?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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