Turkey Hunting Camp 2021 On May 7, 2021 a group of thirty-plus people converged on Ideal Township in north-central Minnesota for turkey hunting camp. Most were new hunters and from as far away as Texas and New York. Others were experienced hunters who had never been turkey hunting. Most importantly we had some amazing mentors who worked tirelessly to get all the new turkey hunters out into the field to safely chase after some spring gobblers. Three of our new hunters were successful in...

New CWD Field Test For those who don't know, CWD stands for Chronic Wasting Disease. The animals affected by this disease include deer, elk, and moose. This disease is spread through direct and indirect transmission. Direct transmission is when the animals are together and are in direct contact with each other. However, indirect is when an animal transmits the disease through the silva, urine, or other bodily materials that an infected animal has left behind in the environment.  This...

Hunting Access for Urban Dwellers On this episode of the Modern Carnivore Podcast we discuss hunting accessibility.  Mark is visiting New York City where he talks with his friends Todd Waldron and David Gever.  Todd is the host of the Outdoor Feast Podcast and a longtime resident of New York.  David is an avid hunter that lives in the heart of Brooklyn.  He experiences first-hand the challenges of living in such an urban area.  Mark, Todd, and David are discussing some of the...

Death and the Spirituality of Hunting A successful hunt can bring many mixed emotions. It is exciting to succeed in your goal but can be equally as troubling because you have taken the life of a living being. To help sort through these emotions, Mark has a talk with Tony Jones, the Reverend Hunter.  Tony has a Ph.D. in theology from Princeton Theology Seminary and is an accomplished author. He has many books and is frequently found in the "Outdoors" section of the Minneapolis Star...

Women in the Outdoors with Ali Juten Ali Juten is an avid outdoor enthusiast who enjoys hunting and fishing in the north woods of Minnesota.  Ali works to bring people, especially women, into the outdoor space via hunting and fishing.   On this episode, Mark sits down with Ali and his friend, Todd Waldron, from the Outdoor Feast Podcast to discuss important topics such as, empowering others to get into the outdoors and how to create fun outdoor experiences for children. They also share a...

Firearm Basics with John McAdams On this week's episode of the Modern Carnivore Podcast, Mark talks with John McAdams about firearm basics.  John McAdams is the founder of the Big Game Hunting Blog.  He created this blog as a source of information for the average hunter and to help prepare hunters for their big game hunting adventures.  He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and an Army Veteran of 10 years.  Through his experiences in the military and...

New Hunter Stories - Ronnell Lynn On this week's episode of the Modern Carnivore Podcast Mark has a conversation with first-time hunter Ronnell Lynn and his mentor Erik Jensen.  Ronnell is a butcher at the Seward Co-Op in Minneapolis and has plenty experience with meat.  Erik helped to build and served as a board member for the Minnesota chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. He is also a passionate hunting mentor with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.  While...

A Conversation with Andrew Zimmern On this episode of the Modern Carnivore Podcast, Mark speaks with culinary expert and outdoor enthusiast, Andrew Zimmern.  Andrew is a Emmy award winning TV personality and chef.  He currently is the host of two television shows, What's Eating America on MSNBC and Family Dinner that will soon be premiering on the new Magnolia Network.  In his most notable series, Bizarre Foods, Andrew travels the world exploring different cultures and traditions...

Part of the Hardwater Hunter Series by Modern Carnivore

New Hunters at Grouse Camp 2020 - Part 2 I recently attended Grouse Camp 2020 in Eagle River, Wisconsin and got to talk with several new hunters. This is the second year that the Ruffed Grouse Society has held this event, and even though the heavens opened with a deluge of rain on Saturday evening a wonderful time was had by all. In this second set of conversations I talked with Alex and Delos Kohnhorst who went out hunting with Luke who was their mentor for the day. I also caught up...

New Hunters at Grouse Camp 2020 - Part 1 I recently attended Grouse Camp 2020 in Eagle River, Wisconsin and got to talk with several new hunters. This is the second year that the Ruffed Grouse Society has held this event, and even though the heavens opened with a deluge of rain on Saturday evening a wonderful time was had by all. In this first set of interviews I talk with Simon Tiedge who is originally from Germany, and started hunting two years ago after moving to Minnesota. I also...

Ben Jones - President / CEO of the Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society Just days before the pandemic required our country to close down I was able to sit down with Ben Jones who is the President and CEO of two hunting conservation organizations: The Ruffed Grouse Society and the American Woodcock Society. We were at Pheasant Fest which is the annual meeting of the organization Pheasants Forever, and great conservation partner of both Ben's organizations and Modern...

Diversity In Hunting Diversity in hunting and the inclusion of all people is a serious issue that hasn't often received enough serious attention. We in the outdoor world who hunt and fish are not immune to this. For too long the community and the industries that feed off it have been too insulated, playing only to those who were traditionally active participants. It's now time to reach out to the broader world and welcome people into the water and woods to take part in hunting,...

Davin Brandt - Founder/Director of Minnesota Steelheader In today’s podcast I sit down with Davin Brandt who is the founder and director of Minnesota Steelheader. This non-profit organization’s mission is to “engage volunteers who share a common interest of conserving the Lake Superior steelhead, trout, and salmon fisheries on Minnesota’s North Shore tributaries while informing, inspiring, and educating on the water, on-line, and in our communities.” I met Davin while serving on...

Turkey Hunting with Mark Strand In today's podcast I sit down with Mark Strand. Mark has been an outdoor writer, photographer, and filmmaker since 1977. He has hunted wild turkeys for 41 years, traveling to hunt 17 states including Hawaii and several regions of Mexico. He has shot all 6 species and subspecies of wild turkeys. He often starts in late March in the South and works his way north, hunting turkeys through the end of May. A graduate of the University of Minnesota School of...

Sally Fallon Morell - Founder Of The Weston A. Price Foundation In Episode 11 of the Modern Carnivore Podcast I'm joined by Sally Fallon Morell. Sally is the founder of the Weston A. Price Foundation and also the author of Nourishing Fats - Why We Need Animal Fats For Health & Happiness. Sally had several ailments when she was younger but found that she felt better when she had fat in her diet. This led her to researching the work of Dr. Weston A. Price and then authoring...

FISH Cookbook In today's podcast I sit down with Jamie Carlson and special guest Jon Wipfli. Jon is a Twin Cities chef who grew up in Wisconsin and then went off to get trained at the French Culinary Institute in New York before heading back to the Midwest (Minnesota) where he continued his food journey. He's the founder of Animales Barbeque Co. which sits just outside of Able Seedhouse brewery in the North Loop neighborhood of Minneapolis. He's also the author of the cookbooks...

Foraging For Wild Food IMPORTANT NOTE: Eating and foraging for wild food of any sort (including mushrooms, nuts, berries and plants) carries inherent risks. If you forage for food please make sure you know what you are gathering, and that it is safe to eat before consuming any of it. In this ninth episode of the Modern Carnivore Podcast I'm joined by Jenna Rozelle and Jamie Carlson where we talk about all things outdoors, but mostly foraging for wild food. Jenna lives in Maine and...

Wilderness Areas and the BWCAW In this eighth episode of the Modern Carnivore Podcast I take a trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness ( BWCAW ) with a great group of guys to go hunting and fishing. That group included Miles Nolte from Gray's Sporting Journal (but he's now a member of the crew at Meat Eater), Lukas Leaf from Sportsmen For The Boundary Waters, Rob Drieslein who is the President of Outdoor News and Jack Hennessy who is an outdoor writer and wild game cook. I also...

Chronic Wasting Disease In this seventh episode of the Modern Carnivore Podcast I sit down with Dr. Lou Cornicelli who is the Wildlife Research Manager for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Dr. Cornicelli has dedicated his professional career to the study and management of large ungulates (mammals with hooves). We primarily discuss Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and the risks this disease poses to our wild deer herd. If you're just starting your hunting journey please don't...

In this sixth episode of the Modern Carnivore Podcast I sit down with Tom Landwehr who is the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. This is a position that is appointed by the Governor of Minnesota. Tom has been in this position for eight years, overseeing the management of wildlife and habitat across the state. I caught up with the Commissioner at the 2017 Minnesota Governor's Deer Hunting Opener to talk about the culture of deer camp and the work his agency does in...

In this fifth episode of the Modern Carnivore Podcast I sit down with Howard Vincent who is the President and CEO of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. The hunting conservation organization he leads is a pioneer in conserving and restoring habitat that benefits upland game. Their work not only supports a healthy environment for pheasants and quail, but many other wild critters, and clean water. Howard grew up in Duluth, MN which is one of my favorite places. He shares what it was like...

In this fourth episode of the Modern Carnivore podcast I sit down with Daniel Galhardo who is the founder of tenkara fly fishing company - Tenkara USA. His company designs, manufactures and sells equipment used in this growing trend in fly fishing called tenkara. This simple form of fly fishing has its origins in the mountain streams of Japan where it's been used to catch trout over the last couple of hundred years. The word tenkara literally means "from heaven" or "from the skies". While...

In this third episode of the Modern Carnivore podcast I sit down with Land Tawny who is the President and CEO of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) and Ashley Peters who is a new hunter and member of BHA. Backcountry Hunters & Anglers is leading the fight to protect the public lands critical to the future of our democracy of hunting and the outdoor experience in the U.S. As an experienced conservationist, and new hunter, Ashley provides insights on what it means to be a hunter in...

In this second episode of the Modern Carnivore podcast I sit down with Robyn Migliorini who is a vegan turned hunter. Robyn and her husband Nick were strict vegetarians, and then vegans, until their bodies started giving feedback indicating that they weren't getting all the nutrients they needed in their diet. However, considering the idea of bringing meat back into their diet was difficult because they originally became vegetarians in part due to all the problems with "factory farming". As a...