Mississippi State environmental historians Jim Giesen and Mark Hersey join the Mississippi Outdoors Podcast to talk about something every hunter and landowner should understand — the history of the land they're on.

They walk through how the Mississippi Delta went from dense forest to farmland after the Civil War, how whitetail deer nearly went extinct in Mississippi, and how the shift from cotton to soybeans quietly became one of the biggest factors in the state's deer population explosion. They explain why most federal forests in the South are actually worn-out cotton fields the government reclaimed, why feral hogs were intentionally brought to Mississippi in the 1940s, and what the weedy edges of old cotton fields had to do with bobwhite quail.

It's a different kind of outdoor episode — but one that will change the way you look at every piece of land you hunt.

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Malcolm Reed of How to BBQ Right and Killer Hogs BBQ joins the Mississippi Outdoors Podcast to talk about how he built one of the most recognized barbecue brands in the country — starting from a trailer in Southaven and his wife's kitchen bowls.

Malcolm shares the full story: competitive barbecue in the Memphis area, a leap of faith with six months of severance money, making seasoning by hand and selling it out of his house, and eventually shipping Killer Hogs products all over the country. He also talks about his 140-acre farm in Rankin County, the Buck Junkie channel, and wild game cooking — including a bear shank over cheesy shrimp and grits that he says tasted like the best beef pot roast he'd ever had.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hunter Farrior started Spring Legion Turkey Hunting in 2019 from a trailer in Learned, Mississippi — no internet, no warehouse, no plan. He joins the Mississippi Outdoors Podcast to tell the story of how it all happened.

Hunter talks about accidentally publishing his first book during quarantine, accidentally selling his first hat before he even knew how to ship it, and somehow ending up with an 18-wheeler dropping pallets at his residential address. He explains what separates turkey hunters from everyone else, what woodsmanship really means, and why he hunted the same turkey 83 times.

Spring Legion now ships gear, apparel, and books to turkey hunters across all 50 states and beyond — and it all started because Hunter wanted to preserve the heritage and tradition of turkey hunting in a digital age. Great episode for any turkey hunter who's ever felt like the obsession is a little out of control.

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MDWFP waterfowl biologists Houston Havens and Darren Hardesty joined the Mississippi Outdoors Podcast during the final weeks of the 2025-26 season to explain what was driving conditions across the Delta. It was a dry year, and these two break down exactly what that meant for bird movement, habitat availability, and hunting pressure on public lands.

The conversation covers aerial waterfowl surveys, the freeze-thaw cycle, GPS research on mallards, the 50th anniversary of Mississippi's state duck stamp, and how the flyway connects Mississippi hunters to breeding habitat in Canada. If you hunted this season and wondered why things played out the way they did, this episode has your answers.

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Henry and Lakisha Woodard of Halo Hunting join the Mississippi Outdoors Podcast to share their family’s journey into the woods. From Lakisha’s first spring turkey hunt to creating traditions like the Mississippi Shuffle and the Family Slam, they talk about how hunting became a shared way of life for their entire household.

They also discuss filming hunts together, building Halo Hunting as a brand, and launching the Halo Bridge Outreach Foundation to introduce inner-city youth to the outdoors, firearm safety, and hunting education.

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Ryan Jones, Assistant Chief of Fisheries at MDWFP, joins the Mississippi Outdoors Podcast to explain what makes Ross Barnett Reservoir such a strong bass and crappie fishery. He breaks down how water levels, native vegetation, and long-term management all work together to support consistent fishing year after year.

The conversation covers frog fishing in the pads, invasive plant threats like giant salvinia, how anglers can help protect the resource, and the behind-the-scenes work it takes to manage one of Mississippi’s most heavily used reservoirs.

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Super Bowl champion and former NFL linebacker Swayze Bozeman joins the Mississippi Outdoors Podcast to talk about life after football and the perspective that comes from spending time outdoors.

Swayze walks through his journey to the NFL, winning a Super Bowl, and what came next. He explains how hunting and time outside helped him slow down, reflect, and redefine success beyond the game. The conversation connects discipline, faith, and patience learned in football with the same qualities required in the woods.

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