Wild TV

As the inventors of the very first layout blind in 1993, we know the tough conditions waterfowlers endure. So, every day we get up early, stay late, and work hard to build premium products that will last. The innovation that goes into our blinds, decoys and accessories is top notch and that has always matched our durability. We don't just settle for good enough, we want to always go the extra mile. So, if you chase waterfowl during the season, think about waterfowl when it's the off season and when you're not hunting your thinking about hunting like us, this is the place for you.

Canada Giants and Its Happening

Mario and the crew get invited to head back up to Saskatchewan by Kyle at Weatherby for an early season hunt with Tyler at Saskatchewan Goose Company. Loads of fun, big honkers, some early season ducks and some great new items from FA and Weatherby T-shirts, light hoodies and bug spray is needed but it gets the season kicked off in style. We also get to chase early season birds on a few ag fields and a first for some of the crew as we hunt a small Sippy Pond full of ducks as they head from food to water. Some of the Weatherby dealers from Canada are with us as we get things going in The North. We sat around all summer and off season hoping to be back and here we are!

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Monguls in the Fog and Sunrise Cranes

Early season honkers, even in Saskatchewan, can be tricky depending on the weather and temperature. An early morning light fog gets the honkers as close, and in our face, as possible and the shooting is fast and the piles get big quick. The guys from Weatherby and some of their distributors join us on an unforgettable hunt out of the SUB Stand Up Blinds. The second part of this episode has our exit from Saskatchewan getting extended another day as we spotted some Sandhill Cranes in a field on the way back to the lodge from our afternoon duck hunt. The cranes should have migrated through that area, but with the warmer weather some were still coming through. Only one thing to do. Stay another morning and see if we can catch them slipping.

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Baltic Sea Ducks & Swedish Crows

Our FA International distributors are a big part of our business and we wanted to get some of them together in Sweden at WildExperience.fi. This episode we hunt puddle ducks on the Baltic Sea and the scenery alone is beyond words. This is a bucket list trip, and we get to experience it with good friends and shoot some once in a lifetime birds as well. Join us as we take a step into Europe’s waterfowl traditions. There is nothing that gets Mario from Final Approach more fired up than chasing crows and, in this hunt, it goes one step further. Hooded crows, Jackdaws, Wood Pigeons, and Seagulls in Sweden get hammered in this crazy episode as we put out our FA Hooded Crow decoys, wood pigeon decoys and more. Crop protection and pest control is a huge part of the hunting tradition in Europe. It helps protect the farmers land and keeps the pests and scavengers in check. There are not many birds that float by the blind that are off limits on this hunt.

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Greylags in the Wind and the Swaths

This episode we get a few days in the land of fire and ice. Iceland provided us epic hunts in extreme winds and weather and put the Greylag geese and Barnacle geese right on the deck. Tons of up close and personal action with decoying birds right in our face as they hang in the wind. The guy I have known for almost 20 years but never hunting with him is our host and guide. Kjartan Lorange.aka THE VIKING and the Grayriver guys show us what hunting in Iceland is all about.The second part of the episode shows us what made Final Approach the company it is today. Layout blind hunting in a field for geese. The only difference is we are shooting Greylag and Pinkfoot geese in Iceland. This is an in-your-face episode with decoying geese up close and personal. The Knockout blinds are hidden in barley swaths and the birds have no idea we are waiting for them to drop in. Hope you enjoy the laughs and working birds and if you might need some translation as the Iceland guys always have something fun to say, just not all the time in English.

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Montana Madness

This episode we are hunting a place they call the Hot Tub. This is a warm water slough hidden in the middle of some agriculture and one of the rivers that the birds use heavily. The temps are frigid, in the teens and low single digits, and most of the water around is frozen, other than parts of some rivers and the warm water we are hunting. The birds are feeding heavily with so much grain and corn stuffed in their craws that they must slip in for a drink to try and digest. The hole is small, and finishing Greenheads in this spot is incredible, but once we start finishing big honkers in this tiny hole, we really get some in your face shooting. Tyler from Saskatchewan Goose company, Alex from Gundog Outdoors, Kyle from Weatherby as well as John the guy who hunts with Alex! Some great dog work with Jett and of course lots of laughs. Hope you enjoy this episode as we shoot em where the corn goes in!

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2 Shot

A goose hunting contest… in Wyoming? Tell me more…. well, the contest is simple, you get 2 shells per person to shoot 2 geese per person and when you are done, you are done. Sounds easy. Not so fast! There are 9 different states and 2 countries represented at the Goshen County Wyoming 2 Shot goose contest and this is our first-year attending. Mario teams up with Tyler from Saskatchewan Goose company and our friends Kyle and Colter from Weatherby also have a team so this is a contest within a contest. Our friends at Federal make up some special TSS loads for this contest, but Tyler and Mario think Kyle has sabotaged their shells as they received them in the mail. See who gets their birds and who gets a goose egg!

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Snow Goose Mashup and Saskatchewan Blues

The spring migration is on and the birds are stalled out at one of our favorite spots with Tyler at Saskatchewan Goose Company. It did not start that way though as we were all supposed to go down to Southern Sask. to chase whites with a different Tyler at Prairie Sky Outfitters, but all the birds shifted north a few hours and we ended up having a mash up with both Tylers and both outfitters. The most Blues I have ever seen on a few hunts, and we shot some incredible birds. Tons of whites as well. Get in the layouts out with us and enjoy the scenery. Mario heads north to Saskatchewan to chase Spring Snows and the weather and conditions are absolutely crazy. For the first 2 days Tyler Mann, Brad Fenson and I scout and encounter no water in Southern Saskatchewan. If there is nowhere for the birds to rest and stop it is not going to hold them… So, no birds within a 2-hour drive. The more north we go we hit the big lakes, but they are all still frozen. The only thing melted in that area is the sheet water and there is lots of it. Luck would have it after a few days or warmer temps the sheet water is starting to melt and is holding some birds. After a few hours of road time, we find the snows huddled on sheet water puddles by the thousands. GAME ON! We spend the next few days wearing them out. After all the hard work, we finally get a payout.

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Trophy Pintails in Oregon

Mario and the local Oregon guys get together for a late season hunt in the Pacific NW. They pull out the layout boats for some high-water tricks to shoot some trophy Pintails and other ducks. The sky is filled on this episode with every species you can think of. The guys even let Adam the cameraman make sure he goes home with a few trophy Pintails for his wall. Mario also catches up with a close personal friend Don Guthrie who started Columbia River Decoys years ago and was at the forefront of custom decoys as he set the standard for what a premium decoy is supposed to look like. Great times and tons of great looking birds in full plumage.

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Cold Weather Ducks

Mario heads east to a few different states and ends up in Wyoming at the Weatherby Facility for a tour. This is their new office space and warehouse since moving from California where the company was born and raised for years. Great info and a cool tour. To cap things off we get to head out on the river for a very cold and snowy mallard hunt, with a small side of honkers to enjoy. Jett is on the trip to help us with downed birds as well as Luke Thorkildsen, Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Product Development at Weatherby as well as Kyle Killen who is the International Sales Manager and Shotgun Guru for the company. We have a great time taking turns on mallard drakes so sit back and enjoy.

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Wild West Ducks & Nebraska Snows

The FA crew heads out on the famed Columbia River in Oregon to chase some birds in this wild area with raising and lowering tides, miles of places for the birds to hide and just some incredible scenery. After that we slide into a little trip we took to Nebraska to hunt with the guys at Whiskey Sloughs. We were there for a few days and had a very cool snow goose hunt until the mob decided to feed in the field across from us. Pretty cool hunt and the birds that committed were right in our faces. It’s always feast or famine with the snows but if you love doing it, you just sit back and take it all in.

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Migrating to Our Northern Family

When the birds start migrating south, we are lucky enough to migrate north of the border to Canada to start chasing them down. As waterfowl hunters, we always seem to gravitate to another hunter that is just as crazy as we are for waterfowl. Tyler Mann from Saskatchewan and Brad Fenson from Alberta are those guys, and we travel with them on a lot of hunts. They are as obsessed with birds as we are, and we just click. Join us as we chase geese and ducks in Northern Saskatchewan as we get put on the X and do what we can to have great hunts and great times.

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Sandhill Cranes of Saskatchewan & The Big Blind

Mario Friendy heads to Canada to chase Sandhill cranes with the new FA Live Crane decoys. We join Prairie Goose Outfitters, Mark DeRoches, and Billy Dougan who have been chasing these prehistoric birds for years. Sandhill Crane hunting is expanding in Canada and the U.S. To harvest these intelligent birds, you need to get them close, and realism is the key as they have some of the best eyesight in the waterfowl world. We not only chase and harvest them, but the biggest payoff is some of the best fowl you'll ever have. The second part of this episode is something not everyone can experience. A giant blind on the Platte River with heat, comfortable chairs and breakfast cooking in the background. The Platte River is such a wild river with parts of it only 30 feet wide to this part which is much wider than most folks think at about 120 yards. We join the Whiskey Sloughs crew, a bunch of young outfitters out of Nebraska who have made their passion into a business. Joining us on this trip is Paul Wait from Delta Waterfowl, Kyle and Tyler from Weatherby, Big John and Josh Peck from @outdoorlimits and a few of the regulars. Teal, Mallards, Big Geese and even a Bootlip stop by to see us.

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Montana Madness & The Hot Tub

This episode we are hunting a place they call the Hot Tub. This is a warm water slough hidden in the middle of some agriculture and one of the rivers that the birds use heavily. The temps are frigid in the teens and low single digits and most of the water around is frozen other than parts of some rivers and the warm water we are hunting. The birds are feeding heavily with so much grain and corn stuffed in their craws that they must slip in for a drink to try and digest. The hole is small and finishing Greenheads in this spot is incredible but once we start finishing big honkers in this tiny hole, we really get some in your face shooting. Tyler from Saskatchewan Goose company, Alex from Gundog Outdoors, Kyle from Weatherby as well as John the guy who hunts with Alex! Is on this hunt. Some great dog work with Jett and of course lots of laughs. Hope you enjoy this episode as we shoot em where the corn goes in!

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The New Guide & Haybale Honks

ario and the FA crew head to Saskatchewan with Tyler Mann of Saskatchewan Goose Company. He is training a new guide or should we say his young son to eventually take over the business. We sit under huge spins of snow geese and Jase gets a workout picking up birds. The second part of the episode sits us on a fenceline chasing giant honkers for an afternoon hunt. We are hunting a hay bale field but we need to arrange some bales before the set up begins. Lots of birds and lots of fun as always.

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SGC Combo, Whiskey Teal & Sask Blues

Mario and the FA crew are in Saskatchewan with Tyler Mann of Saskatchewan Goose Company for an all out combo hunt that showcases all of what Saskatchewan has to offer. We then have an absolute bucket list shoot for Blue Geese in the spring season in Saskatchewan. Last but not least we head to Nebraska for a Teal shoot that happens so quick it is over before you know it. The most Teal I have personally ever seen in one hunt.

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Being Relentless with the Leupold Crew!

We are in Mario's home state of Oregon. We see a ton of birds on the sheet water for this hunt including the Unicorn of the Northwest, a Eurasian Wigeon. We also get bombed by a pile of Teal, Spoonbills, Wigeon, Pintails and an occasional Mallard in late January. The real treat is sharing the blind with some great friends from Leupold Optics. Tim and Riza Lesser, Shawn Skipper from Leupold and the President and CEO of Leupold Bruce Pettet and his yellow lab. Also in the blind are James MacDonald and his Raspberry donuts vs David Bingham of Major League Soccers FC Charlotte and his giant cookies. What snack wins? You also get to join us for the world class tour at the Leupold facility with Pete Mo and see how the highest quality optics on the market are made, tested, and sent out to customers. Incredible time with tons of knowledge on the brand and its history.

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Got Em All and Sunrise Specks

We have tons of ducks and snows in the decoys, and we have some young hunters getting to experience their first real waterfowl hunts and one lucky young hunter getting to shoot his very first ducks and snows. Sunshine, wind and an afternoon hunt make for a perfect mix to make a few piles for some great kids to chase and retrieve. I am not sure who is happier, the shooters or the kids picking up the birds. Lots of fun and smiles on this hunt, that is what it is all about. The second hunt is in Saskatchewan known for its sunrises and this one is absolutely world class. The spotters saw nothing but honkers in this field, but for some reason a ton of specks moved in and the first group caught us off guard but after that it was on. Tyler at Sask. Goose Co had us on the X for this hunt and the backdrop is breathtaking. Kyle and Colter from Weatherby and the crew help us limit out on darks as we have the time of our lives.

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Hunting with 2 World Carving Champs: Pat Godin & Wayne Simkin

Mario gives you a front row seat to hunting with 17-Time World Decoy Carving Champion Pat Godin and 2-Time World Decoy Carving Champion Wayne Simkin. Both carvers are from Canada and absolutely love waterfowl and carving. You get to see what goes into a carving, from start to finish. What really goes through the mind of a World Champion when they are hunting or in the shop and the tradition of carving. We share a big blind in Missouri with the Rogers Sporting goods folks and shoot a few wall hanging specimens for us to admire and talk about.

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6-Time World Decoy Carver Tom Christie is a Hell of a Shot!

Mario sits in a blind and spends time with Tom Christie, 6-Time World Decoy carving Champion. Tom is an incredible shot and loves being in the outdoors and hunting birds. He loves the tradition of carving and hunting and showcasing his skills to try and replicate the birds he loves so much. Hunting with us are 17-Time World Decoy Carving Champion Pat Godin and 2-Time World Deocy Carving Champion Wayne Simkin and the folks from Rogers Sporting Goods in Missouri. We admire some of the most incredible Mallards, Gadwall and Wigeon next to our decoys to show you how close we can get to the real thing.

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Shooting Greenheads with 3-Time World Carving Champ Jamie Welsh

Mario sits next to 3-Time World Decoy carving Champion Jamie Welsh from South Carolina. Jamie has been carving for a long time and loves the tradition of carving and hunting and showcasing his skills to try and replicate the birds he loves so much. Jamie has done a ton of decoy carvings for us at FA including the "FAN FAVORITE", and we hunt over them and also discuss them in the shop after the hunt. Great insight into the process of carving decoys and the final outcome when it hits the market. Joining us on this hunt are Dan Compton and Matt Sprouse from Federal Ammuntion as Shannon and Vince Peisert host us at their incredible lodge in Missouri. Vince owns Great Guns and Shannon runs the Rogers Sporting Goods store in Liberty Missouri.

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