Mississippi Outdoors Podcast

If you've driven the Natchez Trace on a rainy night south of I-20 and seen someone out there with a safety vest and a flashlight, that's zoologist Tom Mann — and he's been out there for over a decade studying Webster's salamanders.Tom joins the Mississippi Outdoors Podcast to explain what Webster salamanders are, why scientists thought they didn't migrate, and how he and his wife Deb proved them wrong by spending years watching what the animals actually did instead of what the textbooks said.

Mike Strickland from the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources joins the Mississippi Outdoors Podcast to talk about what marine patrol actually does — and it's a lot more than checking fishing licenses.

When you buy a hunting or fishing license in Mississippi, where does that money actually go? Russ Walsh, Director of Conservation at the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, breaks down why your license isn't just "permission to hunt" — it's a direct investment in the conservation work that brought deer, turkey, and other species back from near extinction.

If you've ever killed a deer in Mississippi and wondered if it might be a record, there's a program built specifically to find out — the Magnolia Records Program. In this episode of the Mississippi Outdoors Podcast, Matt Wyatt sits down with Rick Dillard, the U.S. Forest Service biologist who created it from scratch in 2001 and has been running it ever since.

Caleb Covington, MDWFP's State Lakes Coordinator, joins the Mississippi Outdoors Podcast to talk about getting started fishing in Mississippi — whether you're an adult picking it up for the first time or a parent looking to introduce your kids to the water.Caleb and Matt break down what gear you actually need to get started, where you can go without a boat or private land access, and why bream fishing with a cork and a cricket is still one of the best ways to fall in love with the sport. They also talk about patience when introducing kids, why a push-button spincast reel beats a baitcaster for beginners, and why it's okay to leave early the first few times.MDWFP has a whole resource page at mdwfp.com/justaddwater with knot guides, bait recommendations, an interactive fishing spot map, and bait shop locations across Mississippi.

America 250 celebrations are coming to Mississippi State Parks this July 4th, and there's no better time to plan your summer getaway! Josh Hinton, park manager at LeFleur's Bluff State Park, joins the Mississippi Outdoors Podcast to share everything you need to know about camping in Mississippi this summer.He covers how to stay cool when you can't beat the heat, why moving air is the key to both comfort and keeping bugs off, what thermacell devices actually do and how to use them, and why hydrating the night before matters more than most people realize. He also walks through what Mississippi state parks offer in terms of facilities and amenities, what the rules are around pets, firearms, fireworks, and music, and how to book a spot online.

One of the world's greatest catfish fisheries is right here in Mississippi — and most people drive past it on I-20 without ever thinking about it. In this episode of the Mississippi Outdoors Podcast, Matt Wyatt sits down with Bob Crosby of Blue Cat Guide Service, a 13-year veteran of guiding on the Mississippi River out of Vicksburg, to talk about what it takes to catch truly giant blue catfish.

You've heard about Mississippi's growing black bear population. But how did it start — and who started it? In this episode of the Mississippi Outdoors Podcast, Matt Wyatt sits down with Brad Young, the original bear program coordinator for MDWFP, who ran the program from 2002 to 2013.