MEMPHIS, Tenn. - July 1, 2021 - Ducks Unlimited Television (DU TV) kicks off another great season this weekend. In the first episode of 2021, co-host Fred Zink joins DU volunteers hunting early-season Canada geese in North Dakota.

Large populations of Canada geese are present across Canada and the United States. They can be found in local parks, lakes and even golf course fairways.

Why have the populations boomed? Intensive wetlands habitat management is part of the answer. In North Dakota, Canada goose populations were brought back from only a relative handful to a resident population more than 300,000.

"The Canada goose story in North Dakota is really an amazing one,&dquo; said North Dakota Game and Fish biologist Mike Szymanski said. "During restoration efforts, there were a lot of pairs moved around with their flightless young. This helped populate new areas as Canada geese will often return to where they first achieve flight.&dquo;

Host for this episode, Zink is no stranger to Canada goose hunting. He&squo;s won numerous calling titles and founded Zink Calls on the strength of his goose calling background. Zink has seen the population flourish over the years and is amazed at the bird&squo;s resiliency.

"I&squo;ve been studying and watching Canada geese for 35 years,&dquo; Zink said. "They are the reason I got into this business. It&squo;s a modern-day success story when it comes to wildlife management. Canada geese have adapted to changing habitat conditions right in front of our eyes.&dquo;

Zink shares his extensive Canada goose hunting expertise in decoy placement strategies and calling tips on his "Duck Talk&dquo; series. He advises spending as many hours as possible watching live geese and learning their habits to be more successful.

In addition, professional retriever trainer Mike Stewart shows you how to prepare your dog for goose hunting this coming season on "Duck Dog.&dquo; And DU CEO Adam Putnam talks about the Canada goose success story on his "Insights&dquo; conservation segment.

DU TV airs Mondays at 1 a.m., Wednesdays at 7:30 a.m., Fridays at 12:00 p.m., Saturdays at 9 a.m. 2 p.m., and Sundays at 3:00 a.m. (all times Eastern) on the Sportsman Channel. The Saturday 2 p.m. slot anchors "The Landing Zone presented by Ducks Unlimited&dquo; waterfowl and upland hunting lineup. Bonus content and classic episodes can be found at www.ducks.org/dutv.

Follow DU&squo;s newest Twitter feed-@DUNews1937-to get the most up-to-date news from Ducks Unlimited.

Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 15 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. For more information on our work, visit www.ducks.org.

Media Contact:

John Gordon

901-758-3753

jgordon@ducks.org