Living Country In The City

Nick Hoffman, of Nick’s Wild Ride on The Outdoor Channel, joins Sam on The Wild Initiative at the NSSF SHOT Show in Las Vegas. In this episode, they discuss being wired as a hunter versus being wired as a gatherer, feeling a longing for the wild without knowing what’s missing, wanting to start an Anthony Bourdain-style hunting show, running away at the age of 17 to play fiddle in Branson, Missouri, his experiences from hunting cape buffalo in Africa to Dall sheep in Alaska, putting in work to take advantage of lucky strokes and believing in your ability to succeed. Learn more on the show notes page at thewildinitiative.com/134.

Justin Morrisey of The National Shooting Sports Foundation joins Sam on today's Conservation Coffee Break to introduce you to NSSF and discuss the issues that the organization is currently tackling here in North America.   Learn more at thewildinitiative.com/conservation.

Casey & Regina Stafford of CICC Outdoor Adventures join Sam on The Wild Initiative. In this episode, they discuss the abundant hunting opportunities offered by the State of California, waterfowl as an easy introduction into hunting and an in-depth discussion of locating and hunting hogs on public land. Learn more on the show notes page at thewildinitiative.com/133.

Eddy Wittry was, until recently, the Program Lead for the Denver chapter of Project Healing Waters, a non-profit dedicated to helping disabled veterans through fly fishing, fly tying, and rod building. This program benefits vets suffering from both physical and mental disabilities by transitioning them back into civilian life at their own pace, using the therapeutic qualities of time on the water casting a fly. Eddy has grown the Denver program dramatically in just a few short years and hopes to continue increasing the number of volunteers and volunteer hours to make a positive impact on the veterans who have served our country. Website: projecthealingwaters.org Instagram: @phwff Instagram: @phwff.denver Facebook: facebook.com/PHWFFDenver

Andrew Scott joins Sam on The Wild Initiative to discuss his successful 2019 elk season in Oregon. In this episode, they discuss how to recover after misses, hunting big bulls on his 10th anniversary, difficulties and differences when solo hunting, hunting as a big red runaway sign and why we love taking on something that is, at times, so miserable. Learn more on the show notes page at thewildinitiative.com/132

Jared Wiklund of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever joins Sam on today's Conservation Coffee Break to introduce you to Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and discuss the issues that the organizations are currently tackling here in North America. Learn more at thewildinitiative.com/conservation.

Joel Turner of Shot IQ joins Sam on The Wild Initiative to take your bow and rifle shooting up a notch. In this episode, they discuss the importance of shot control and Joel's development of his Controlled Process Shot System, learning to override your nervous system and consciously defy human nature, the four fundamentals of shooting, finding your determination, how to blueprint your successful shots and learning to decide, not shoot. Learn more on the show notes page at thewildinitiative.com/131.

Mike Sprague is the founder and CEO of Trout Headwaters, Inc., an ecological restoration design and build firm. Mike and his team focus on repairing damaged streams, wetlands, and riparian areas to bring them back to their former glory, and he believes that ecology and economy can and should coexist in order to derive the best benefit for all. In this episode, we get into some of the common threats facing headwater ecosystems and how companies like Trout Headwaters are addressing them. Website: troutheadwaters.com Instagram: @troutheadwaters Facebook: facebook.com/troutheadwaters Twitter: @troutheadwaters  

Brian Lynn of Sportsmen's Alliance joins Sam on today's Conservation Coffee Break to introduce you to Sportsmen's Alliance and discuss the issues that the organization is currently tackling here in North America. Learn more at thewildinitiative.com/conservation.

Collin Cottrell joins Sam on the Wild Initiative for the first episode of 2020. In this episode, they discuss the difference between working in the hunting industry and being a professional hunter, finding old MySpace photos, giving others power over you by putting so much effort into hating on them, his perspective of Ryan Michler's first hunt, the exponential value of introducing others to hunting, Al Gore's invention of the Internet and the value of making yourself available. Learn more on the show notes page at thewildinitiative.com/130.

Mel and I have been friends for years, and she’s one of my favorite people to fish with. So naturally, when she decided to spend a month fishing in New Zealand, I wanted to pick her brain about her trip and the logistics behind planning a destination fly fishing trip. Mel did her trip totally DIY, and she shares plenty of tips for anyone looking to do a trip over there. Of course, we also got into her stories of success and heartbreak. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Instagram: @mossy_mel 

Brenna McCoubrey of the She Does What?! Podcast joins Sam on The Wild Initiative. Brenna and Sam have recently worked to launch a brand new design and website for her podcast, which focuses on providing a resource to women who are new to the outdoors. In this episode, they discuss hunting ducks and fishing for striped bass out in New England, things she’s learned from running the podcast, addressing fears as you go along through your hunting journey and what she’s doing to grow as a hunter. Learn more on the show notes page at thewildinitiative.com/129.

Mel and I have been friends for years, and she’s one of my favorite people to fish with. So naturally, when she decided to spend a month fishing in New Zealand, I wanted to pick her brain about her trip and the logistics behind planning a destination fly fishing trip. Mel did her trip totally DIY, and she shares plenty of tips for anyone looking to do a trip over there. Of course, we also got into her stories of success and heartbreak. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Instagram: @mossy_mel 

Ryan Michler, of Order of Man, joins Sam on The Wild Initiative. In this episode, they discuss how a focus on masculinity often leads directly to hunting, finding fulfillment, not in success, but in overcoming challenges, seeing remorse and embarrassment as positives, communication and compromise and his reasons behind starting Order of Man. Learn more on the show notes page at thewildinitiative.com/128.

Jacob Knight is the Director of Business Development at GoWild, a social media platform built for outdoorsmen of all types. Whether you like hunting, fishing, hiking, or birdwatching, you can find likeminded people and meaningful conversations on the GoWild app. Jacob and I talk about the platform, as well as his experiences fly fishing and teaching his kids how to fish. Instagram: @jacobknight24  GoWild: Jacob Knight LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jacob-knight24 Email: jacob@timetogowild.com

Jaden Bales joins Sam on The Wild Initiative to talk about his successful 2019 archery elk season. In this episode, they discuss the factors leading to his success after five years of unfilled tags, The Rich Outdoors Elk 201 mini-course, pushing through disappointments, elk calves trying to crawl into your pack and tactics to be a more consistent elk hunter year after year. Learn more on the show notes page at thewildinitiative.com/127.

Landon DeKeyser is the host of The Fishing Podcast and is a well-rounded angler from Michigan. In this episode, we chat a bit about his podcast, what he has in store for Season 2, and the varied fishing techniques he uses to catch fish in his home state. We cover fly fishing, ice fishing, and Landon’s hunt for big brown trout. Instagram: @thefishingpodcast  Facebook: facebook.com/thefishingpodcast  Website: thefishingpodcast.com 

Ali Bair is a fly fishing guide and producer on an upcoming documentary called “Daughter of the White River.” Ali and I have been good friends for years and decided to have a beer together over the phone and talk about the movie, the fly fishing film world, and some of our favorite memories fishing together. Instagram: @babyybair

Bill “The Gravel Bar Gourmet” Cooper and “Paddle” Don Cranfill sit down around the campfire at Driftwood Acres with Sam during their whitetail hunt to have a few drinks and swap old hunting stories. Learn more on the show notes page at thewildinitiative.com/126.

Peter Stitcher is the owner and “Chief Fly Geek” at Ascent Fly Fishing, a company that focuses on helping anglers get prepared for the exact time and place they want to fish by creating personalized fly selections. In addition to discussing Ascent’s goals to help anglers, Peter also shares his PAUSE and MATCH methods for learning the insects in your area and finding the right flies to match. Then, we get into the topic of secrecy in fly fishing, and how we can all be a little nicer to each other online and on the water. Website: ascentflyfishing.com Instagram: @ascentflyfishing Facebook: facebook.com/ascentflyfishing Twitter: @AscentFishing Youtube: youtube.com/ascentflyfishing