#331 | 50+ Years of Upland Hunting over Flushing Dogs with Randy Shepard

Birdshot Podcast

Nick Larson

Leisure, Science, Sports, Nature, Hobbies, Wilderness

4.8 • 971 Ratings

🗓️ 5 September 2025

⏱️ 82 minutes

🔗️ Recording | Apple Podcasts | RSS

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Summary

In this episode of The Birdshot Podcast, host Nick Larson welcomes Randy Shepard, lifelong upland hunter and host of the My Dog Hunts podcast. With over five decades of bird hunting experience, Randy shares stories that span from the pheasant fields of Iowa to the sage country of the Intermountain West. Randy Shepard grew up pheasant hunting in Iowa, eventually expanding his pursuits to ruffed grouse, prairie grouse, quail, and beyond. Through his My Dog Hunts podcast, Randy tells reflective hunting stories, weaving together decades of personal experiences, lessons learned from great dogs, and observations about changing landscapes. Expect to Learn Randy’s background in bird hunting and how his storytelling podcast came to life. The story of his first lab, Pitch, and reflections on the best bird dogs he’s owned. Labs vs. Springers: the strengths of each for pheasants, grouse, and prairie hunting. The decline of Iowa's ruffed grouse population Strategies for hunting sharptails and prairie chickens with flushing dogs, including the importance of timing and wind. Memorable stories of getting lost, losing gear, and learning from the unpredictability of the uplands. Episode Breakdown with Timestamps: [00:00:00] - Introduction [00:04:00] - Starting the My Dog Hunts podcast [00:10:50] - Growing up pheasant hunting in Iowa [00:22:01] - Switching between labs and Springers [00:42:05] - Flushing dogs vs. pointing dogs for prairie birds [00:57:32] - Tips for early season sharptail hunting with flushers [00:11:23] - Approaching Sharp-Tailed Grouse in other hours [01:18:45] - Hunting rig setup and van modifications [01:21:20] - Closing thoughts and where to find Randy Follow Guest Randy: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/My-Dog-Hunts-100046437775994/ Website: https://mydoghunts.com/ Email: shepard.randy@yahoo.com Listening Links: Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-dog-hunts-upland-birds/id1508319093 BuzzSprout: https://www.buzzsprout.com/959107 Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/5a4BnZXPTSdRjTQJODtauK?si=57b93a92960642c5 Follow Host Nick: Instagram: @birdshot.podcast Website: www.birdshotpodcast.com Listening Links: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/17EVUDJPwR2iJggzhLYil7 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/birdshot-podcast/id1288308609 YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@birdshot.podcast SUPPORT | http://www.patreon.com/birdshot Use Promo Code | BSP20 to save 20% on https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt/app Use Promo Code | BS10 to save 10% on https://trulockchokes.com/ The Birdshot Podcast is Presented By: https://www.onxmaps.com/

Transcript

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0:00.0	I wanted to ask you about rough grouse hunting in Iowa, the Driftless region. Is it still possible to shoot a limit of Iowa rough grouse?
0:06.8	The DNR, they do their annual hunter surveys. They said that we believe it's entirely possible that not a single rough grouse was shot in Iowa this year.
0:14.8	Original flushes, I would say our best days were probably right around 40. We would move 40 different grouse in a day. At least 30% of those are the same birds. How did you really get into upland hunting? Was it hop off the bus, grab your shotgun, go pheasant hunting? Did you guys have dogs growing up? I bought a female black lab for $20. She turned out quite probably the best dog I've ever had. And it's horrible to have your very first dog when you don't
0:38.6	know what you're doing to be your best dog. You would rather that was a dog at about age 50.
0:42.8	I try to be very careful to put my dogs down where there are birds. I feel like that's my job.
0:48.1	Their job is to get them up in the air, but my job is to place them where they're going to find
0:52.5	birds. When you get pretty good at that, you don't very often need a dog that hunts all day.
0:56.7	You hunt with flushing dogs, prairie birds.
0:58.9	How do you get on prairie birds with flushing dogs?
1:01.1	What are your early season tips?
1:02.4	I'll tell you what, the best time to hunt prairie grouse.
1:05.1	I'll tell you what. Really?
1:17.6	Really? Good girl, sweet. That's a big bird.
1:38.3	Wow.
1:41.3	Hey everyone, Nick Larson here, host of the Birdshot podcast, the show that brings you conversations, stories, and traditions from all across the uplands.
1:50.1	The Birdshot podcast is presented by Onex Hunt and supported by folks just like you via our Patreon and community.
1:56.2	If you want to stay up to date and not miss any of our upcoming episodes, be sure to subscribe and follow the show in your podcast player or on YouTube wherever you're listening or watching today.
2:04.5	Tap that button for me. Thank you for doing so. And with that said, let's get into today's
2:08.6	conversation on the Birdshot podcast. Let's get her started here, Randy, and I'd like to officially welcome me to the Birdshot
2:40.2	podcast. Thank you for joining me today. Appreciate you to take it some time for us today.
2:44.2	Thank you, Nick. I really appreciate it. Yeah. Well, so I'm thinking here we got 50 years to pull from,
2:49.5	Randy. Where the heck do we even start?
	...

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