The Western Hunter Podcast

On the March/April cover of Western Hunter Magazine we have a spectacular image of Casey Richmond with his Idaho bull. When I first saw the picture, I knew there had to be a crazy story behind it. Casey works for Eberlestock so while we were at the Wild Sheep Foundation show we took the time to record this podcast. Greg Williams also with Eberlestock joined the conversation. Of course, we talked about the hunt, but we also discussed the history of Eberlestock and the future of this dynamic company.   

 Casey’s hunt was filmed by Limitless Outdoors and is available on YouTube, Click HERE to watch. 

The Western Hunter crew just returned from a blacktail deer hunt on Kodiak Island, Alaska.  This was a boat-based hunt meaning we lived, ate, and slept on the boat. Each morning one of the two boat captains would run us to shore in a zodiac type small boat to hunt and pick us up each night. The captains do this every single day from early October until the middle of December. The life they lead is a crazy one, so I decided to sit down with boat captain and owner Ross Hodek and talk a little about the year in the life of a Alaskan boat captain.  By the way, if you are interested in booking a Kodiak Island blacktail hunt on The Spirit you need to reserve your spot soon! It is the dollar-for-dollar value for Alaskan hunting adventure. You can book through Alaska Coastal Adventures 907-262-4359. Tell them Western Hunter sent you.

I have hunted blacktail deer three times on Kodiak Island in Alaska and believe the experience offers the most adventure for the dollar in all of North America. This year, our crew included three guys who had never hunted in Alaska – Mark Denham, Levi Sopeland, and Kevin Guillen (who had never been to Alaska prior). We sat down to capture their emotions and thoughts, and their enthusiasm and awe reminded me of my first trips to the state. After you listen to this show, you will want to book your own adventure. If the boat-based trip interests you, call Alaska Coastal Marine at 907-262-4359

Look for the episode this fall on The Western Hunter! Available on The Sportsman Channel, MOTV, Prime Video, and right here on our website.

Packing up and headed to the seaplane port.

Loading and weighing a pile of gear.

Cockpit view.

Float plane window view of Kodiak.

Mark and Levi in the float plane.

Our home, Spirit, against an unbelievable backdrop.

Loading and transfering gear... Again...

Spirit anchored in the bay.

Resting up and telling stories in the main cabin of the Spirit.

A blacktail buck catching some rare full sunlight.

View from the bay from 1000 feet.

Chris waiting to draw a bead on a harlequin duck from shore.

Chris with some tasty dungeness crabs.

Kevin and Jeremy packing out (down) Kevin's 4x4 buck.

OnX Maps pioneered the hunting GPS industry and has become the gold standard for western hunters. In this episode I sit down with Dylan Dowson from OnX to discuss the past, present and future of this technology. 

onxmaps.com

2021 was a heck of a year for The Western Hunter.  Nate Simmons and I sit down and talk about the lessons learned and what we will do differently heading into the 2022 hunting season.

My guest today is Jordan Jonas the winner of the hit TV show Alone season 6.  Jordan is a hunter and his hunting skills contributed directly to his ability to survive in the Arctic for 77 days.  We talked about behind-the-scenes stuff, dreams, family, hunting and mental preparation.  

He is a character, if you have watched the show then you know what I mean.  It is obvious that the guy you saw on TV is the same guy I am talking to…fame hasn’t changed him at all.  Jordan offers survival schools in the Montana backcountry which I just might have to attend.  You can learn more about Jonas from his website jordanjonas.com.

Remi Warren doesn’t need an introduction to this audience. Like most of you, I think Remi is one of the most interesting people in the world as well as one of the top ambassadors for the hunting community. While attending the Pope and Young convention we found some time to sit down and talk again. I didn’t have any specific agenda; with Remi I didn’t need one. We just talked about life, parenthood, and anything else that was on our minds.

Rafe Nielsen from Browning is back again! In this episode, we talk about life without a SHOT Show in 2021. We dig into new rifle products and how those products are developed and brought to market. We also spent time talking about gun safes, why we should all invest in one, and the process of purchasing and installing a safe in your home.

One of the coolest new products from Browning this year is the new Recoil Hawg muzzle brake.  Check out this short video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF-j9C5diRQ

Rafe Nielsen is not only a hunting partner he is the marketing director at Browning.  We spent time talking about John Browning and many of his contributions to modern firearms and to our military.  We also dive into modern production practices and why we now have the best hunting product that we unimaginable just a decade ago.

In this episode, I sit down with Dean Capuano from Swarovski.  Dean and I met via phone on his very first day on the job at Swarovski over 20 years ago. Since then, we have hunted together in Austria, Africa, Mexico and many different US states.  We go into detail about what it takes to make the best optics in the world and what the future may hold.

Roy Grace has been bowhunting his entire life and has hunted every species the west has to offer. Roy is also the records chairman for the Pope and Young Club. In this episode, we talk about why the record book is important and why we should all consider entering a trophy if it qualifies for the “Book”.  He got me so fired up for this summer’s convention in Reno, that I have already made plans to attend! If you are interested here is the link:

https://pope-young.org/convention/default.asp

https://pope-young.org