**Ever wondered what it actually takes to get on a hunting pro staff or why your out-of-state duck trip keeps coming up short?** Jon Braun, Drake Waterfowl's Regional Pro Staff Coordinator for the northern Mississippi Flyway, has answers for both.
Jon oversees about 40 pro staffers across Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota and has made DIY North Dakota duck trips since 2003. He explains how his group scouts 3–4 hours every day, how to get permission on private land in North Dakota and Canada, what Drake looks for in pro staff (and what gets you cut), and the waterfowl gear new hunters should buy first. Plus: tundra swans , a lab with 1,500 retrieves, and North vs. South hunting culture.
**For more on Drake Waterfowl, check out:**
Website · Jon Braun on Instagram · BMF Waders · Non-Typical Whitetail Gear
**For more on Spoonie by Drake (sold at Walmart), check out:**
Spoonie Waders
**For more on Soggy Acres Retrievers, check out:**
Website
**For more on the Waterfowl Hunters Expo, check out:**
Website
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