Blood Origins founder Robbie Kroger makes his return this week. Few folks are as well versed on the global conservation initiative and sustainable use as Robbie. We discuss the latest attacks and attempts to undermine sustainable use from Colorado to Botswana. We also reflect on our very first discussion years ago. Highlights from today’s talk include: * Robbie locates his grandfather’s buffalo gun a half a world away * Subsequent plans to hunt buffalo with said gun in the same region his...

Gabriella Hoffman is someone I respect highly and I’m always thrilled to have her join the show. Few folks are more in tune with potential legislative issues that could affect hunters and gun owners than ‘Gabby’. The reporter, podcast host, writer and spokeswoman  and I get into some interesting topics today. Some of the highlights include: * Gabby takes her dad on his first deer hunt * Suppressor Tax Stamp funds – where they currently go and where they could benefit hunters if new bill...

Perhaps no technological advancement has changed the game more than mapping applications over the past decade. From providing valuable property line/landowner data to now being able to predict peak rut dates by region for whitetail deer. Not to mention all the features that allow you to mark everything from bedding areas to blinds, feeders, wallows, rubs and everything else under the sun right there on your cell phone. HuntStand’s Josh Dahlke joins me on this episode and we discuss the...

I truly believe the biggest issue facing American hunters in 2024 will be the Colorado ballot initiative to ban all mountain lion hunting. The animal rights activists earned a major victory in Colorado in 2020 when they won the ballot initiative to reintroduce wolves. This situation is eerily similar as they try to tug at the emotional heart strings of non hunters. The verbiage they’ve tried to use includes the term “trophy killing” and paints the picture that mountain lion harvest isn’t...

Straight walled cartridges have been around for over 150 years. So the technology isn’t new, but it has evolved considerably in recent years. That evolution has lead to some state wildlife agencies opening up straight walled specific deer seasons or at least having them coincide with the usual black powder or shotgun seasons. On this episode our good friends Mark Boardman and Ryan Muckinhearn of Vortex Optics make their return. We discuss their recent edition of ‘Cartridge Talks’ where they...

When it comes to whitetail deer, I don’t believe you’ll find a more controversial topic than Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). On this week’s show we sit down with Texas Parks and Wildlife Whitetail Deer Program Lead Alan Cain. I think we can all agree that the main issue with CWD is that we still don’t know enough about it. That being said, Alan’s division has put together some new recommendations to try and prevent further CWD spread. We discuss a few of those and the potential impact on the...

You might have seen the crazy video of a mountain lion’s failed stalk on a cow elk. The cat misses out on the elk but in it’s attempt to escape, the elk becomes entangled in a barbed wire fence, and the cat makes an easy kill as a result. To get that entire sequence on film is extremely rare, but to go back the next day and track down the cat on foot and put your tag on it? Now that is a story worth telling. Thrilled to have Jerritt Wybron on this episode to share that incredible experience...

Bucks like this don’t get killed very often, even less frequently when the hunter is a 14 year old. Thrilled to have Rickey and Reili Brewer in studio this week to share the tale of a true East Texas giant buck. ‘Ol Monroe’ as Rickey named him eluded hunters on the 12,000 acre Red River Army Depot for years before meeting his end the last sit of the Texas Youth Season. The father/daughter team shares the journey of trying to outsmart the 238 3/8 inch buck. We also discuss the Depot itself...

Bowhunter Jonas Poland drops by on this episode. We talk about his passion for bowhunting whitetails and how that ultimately lead to arrowing this 198 inch whopper on a 10 acre property. We discuss his set up, the weather conditions that day, and what happened when he let the arrow fly. We also get into the multi year history he had with this once in a lifetime booner. If you like big buck tales, this is one you don’t want to miss. We also have some quick hits to get into and I’ll share...

They say most people switch careers 3 times in their lives. I hope that never becomes my reality. It’s no secret that I am blessed to get to call hunting and fishing a job. Of course there are the hours upon hours of behind the scenes prep/taping/editing/content creation etc that goes into all this, but at the end of the day I get to do what I love. All of it is only possible however because of the good Lord and one saint of a wife. So to celebrate this little milestone of 700 episodes, I...

This one is all ducks all the time. Our old friend and Ducks Unlimited Senior Waterfowl Scientist Mike Brasher makes his return to the show. We discuss some changes in puddle duck populations based off the recent 2023 Annual Waterfowl Survey. Do scientists get alarmed by big percentage changes by species on a year to year basis, or do they look at population trends based off longer sample sizes? Why are pintails finally showing improvement? Why is the hardiest mallard seemingly doing the...

I recently came across a NAT GEO piece that detailed the interesting phenomenon of cougars killing grey wolves in Washington. After a quick Google search, I realized that a similar feature was published in Outdoor Life over a year ago and the NAT GEO piece was largely just regurgitating the original. I reached out to writer Dac Collins to discuss the feature and get his take on why Washington state’s big cats are taking out grey wolves. Generally speaking, wolves are known to dominate an area...

New Mexico has long been a place that is near and dear to me. I’ve backpacked, flyfished and hunted the Sangre De Cristos mountains for over 20 years. So to see a record shattering bull elk come out of the Land of Enchantment this fall certainly peaked my interest. A few Instagram messages later and Ridge Crum was more than willing to share the story of this awesome elk on the show. A passionate bow hunter, Ridge takes us through his 3 year history with this particular bull and how the...

I became aware of Team Endure through a viral deer hunting video I came across a few weeks back. It was of a whitetail buck sliding down a snow covered hill where the hunter clearly had shot the animal from the road. Road hunting is generally frowned upon and illegal in most states. However, the short clip was incredibly touching and there’s much to unpack surrounding it. I’m thrilled to have Matt and Mark Caldarone and their buddy Rob DeMyre of Team Endure jump on the show this week to...

Texas Parks and Wildlife Coastal Fisheries Program Leader Robin Reichers makes his return this week. We discuss the latest in saltwater fisheries management pertaining to our most sought after bay species in trout, redfish and flounder. Over the course of my career we’ve seen the spotted sea trout limit go from 10 fish to 5 and Robin sheds light on the fact that there’s a conversation to be had regarding lowering that limit from 5 fish to 3. What justification and science support the need for...

No hunter, outdoorsman, biologist I’ve come across dismisses Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) as a made up disease that doesn’t affect an infected deer. However, is CWD really the Grim Reaper for deer herds? With Tennessee’s state wildlife agency possibly manipulating CWD positive numbers and TPWD posting billboards on popular interstates while sending out mailers to licensed  Texas hunters I’m left scratching my head. Why is so much attention being paid to CWD? We know other diseases kill...

There’s been a significant amount of backlash after news broke that Liberty Safes provided the FBI a master access code to a safe belonging to Nathan Hughes during a recent raid of his home. Do all safe manufacturers keep a registry of their customers and should Liberty Safes have provided the code to the FBI? Our friend and Secure It founder/owner Tom Kubiniec weighs in on the reality that most safe companies do indeed keep a customer registry and can provide master codes if needed. What...

Our old friend Jesse Duebel of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation makes his return to the show this week. The passionate big game hunter gives us his thoughts on why New Mexico continues to be squarely in the crosshairs of anti hunting organizations. Has the Land of Enchantment’s Game and Fish Commission been infiltrated or stacked with anti hunting members like we see in Washington state, or is there something else going on? We discuss the low hanging fruit (hound hunting and large...

I recently came across a fascinating Field and Stream article written by Charlie Booher concerning the first ever documented smallmouth bass being caught in Montana’s famed Bitterroot trout fishery outside of Missoula. Long time fishing guide and Montana Wildlife Federation employee Jeff Lukas was quoted in the piece and with decades of experience in the region, I figured we better get to the bottom of it. So where did the smallies come from? Aren’t rainbow and brown trout also invasive...

Here it is again and let me say it louder for the folks in the back… if you voted for Biden and call yourself a hunter, then this is on you. Time for some self reflection. The Biden Administration recently defunded archery and hunter education programming in the public school system. This obviously begs the questions : WHY? What grounds did they have for removing ESEA grants for those curriculums? Our old friend Sean McLelland – Executive Director of Outdoors Tomorrow joins us for an in...

Beau Saucier and I have been friends for a long time. We seen some good duck dogs come and go, kiddos born, careers blossom and without fail each fall we end up chasing birds together each fall. Whether it’s in a Collin County dove patch or a Grayson County duck hole, the laughs will be many and the straps are typically heavy. On this week’s episode the Outlaw Outfitters owner and I have a few laughs amid some serious waterfowling discussion. Highlights include: * Beau’s military...

I was first introduced to Kodiak Canvas tents while on a 9 day archery elk hunt in Wyoming last September. My lifelong friend David Morgan pulled this thing out of his truck bed and once we had it up I knew camp was going to be a pretty posh experience. Well as posh as it gets in the middle of nowhere anyway. What I didn’t understand was how impenetrable to precipitation this thing was. In addition to having a floor, this 10×14 tent had enough room for 2 guys to house a full kitchen and all...

Everyone’s favorite bowhunting couple Jess and Braxton Byers jump on the show this week. The Texas transplants moved to Utah to work for Huntin’Fool a few years back. We dive into a plethora of topics including: * Do they think they will ever move back to Texas? * What are their specific roles at Huntin’ Fool? * Jess shares a memorable Alaskan mountain goat hunt, one that was full of physical and mental challenges * Braxton draws a once in a lifetime archery elk tag- but there’s a...

We get things going with a quick hit segment on Horny Toads, Biden’s latest attack on hunting through defunding archery and hunter education in public schools and a funny little rumor I heard about myself. You can’t make it up lol! (Horned Lizard I came across at the deer lease that was chowing down on some red ants by my camper) Next, Mike Leonard of the American Sport Fishing Association (ASA) makes his return to the show. We discuss the SHARKED ACT, and why the idea that sharks should...

Texas Trophy Hunters has represented the Texas hunting community for nearly 50 years. The 2023 Extravaganza season kicks off this week in Houston as the TTHA tradition of hunting, family and community come together once again in Houston, Fort Worth and San Antonio over the next 3 weeks. TTHA’s Lauren Conklin makes her return to the show on this episode of Campfire Conversations. We talk about what makes TTHA events so special and get into some of the highlights from the upcoming...