Ep. 765: Chain Reaction Roadkill, the Elk Rut, and Harsh Truths | MeatEater Radio Live!

Summary

The MeatEater Podcast – Ep. 765: Chain Reaction Roadkill, the Elk Rut, and Harsh Truths | MeatEater Radio Live!

Date: September 19, 2025
Host: Brody Henderson (with Caleb Putnam, Randall Williams, special guests including Brian D. Bolt and Chris Hill)

---

Episode Overview

The MeatEater crew—Brody, Cal, and Randall—come to you live from headquarters in Bozeman, Montana with a packed episode diving into several deep-dish topics at the heart of conservation and hunting. This show explores a unique “chain reaction” roadkill incident with a Wyoming bear expert, delivers multiple first-hand elk rut reports from the field, confronts the thorny conservation battle over America's roadless lands, and serves up a roundtable of “harsh truths” about hunting ethics and outdoor culture. Add in plenty of humor, listener Q&As, and a preview of new MeatEater products and events, and you have a classic, engaging snapshot of the wild world outside.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Banter & Live Show Announcement (03:01–04:09)

• The hosts celebrate the arrival of hunting season, share their own early-season plans, and riff about upcoming MeatEater Live Christmas tour dates in new cities across the South.
• Quote (Randall Williams, 04:27):
  “I'd like to actually use this opportunity to invest in a real Santa suit at this company. Well, I feel like we have the resources.”

---

2. Seasonal Hunts & Gear Mishaps (05:25–09:53)

• Randall recounts an early rifle hunt in Montana—seeing elk and deer, discovering faulty gear before serious cold hits.
• Cal details a high-stakes brown bear bow hunt on the Alaska Peninsula, with logistical chaos and last-minute preparations.
• The group jokes about the perils of aging hips, leaky air mattresses, and how conservation work can crowd out personal hunting time.
• Quote (Caleb Putnam, 09:19):
  “This is the furthest I have ever in my entire life been into any legal hunting season without hunting a single day...I have got to get done and wrap.”

---

3. Interview: Brian D. Bolt—Chain Reaction Roadkill (10:15–28:38)

Brian D. Bolt, Wyoming Game & Fish, Large Carnivore Conflict Coordinator

The Incident:

• Multiple black bears (a sow and two cubs, then an additional bear) were killed in a "chain reaction" near a roadkill elk on South Pass, a major Wyoming highway.
• Bears (in hyperphagia) were drawn to the elk carcass and struck by vehicles in the same spot over two days.
• Brian explains agency protocol on roadkill—usually handled by Department of Transportation unless a live animal is involved.

Insights & Preventative Measures:

• This cluster of bear deaths is unprecedented for Brian in 26 years (“biggest one I’ve seen”—19:42).
• Wyoming’s new roadkill salvage law: general public may now pick up deer, elk, and antelope via the 511 app—but not bears or lions.
• Wildlife overpasses in Wyoming—costly but highly effective in reducing roadkill at choke points.
• Public is urged to report roadkill via the app, even if not salvaging, for quick removal and to prevent further chain reactions.

The Human Element:

• Bear habituation at roadsides is exacerbated by people—often unintentionally—feeding bears (even for photos), increasing risk for both bears and humans.
• Quote (Brian D. Bolt, 25:59):
  “When people are actively feeding these bears and, oftentimes, just to get a photograph...they don’t realize how they’re habituating these bears to the roadside and increasing that opportunity for them to get struck and killed.”
• Quote (Caleb Putnam, 27:18):
  “It’s not the bear’s fault it’s eating your bird seed. It’s your fault for leaving the bird seed out to get ate. So put it away.”

---

4. Elk Rut Field Reports—from the Ground (32:41–39:14)

First-hand “rut reports” from several western states:

• Montana:
  • Slow rut start; elk vocal only at night; inconsistent weather. “Hoping things pick up...only two and a half more days on this little journey.” (Corey Calkins, 32:52)
• Idaho/Oregon:
  • Full moon, hot weather; rut slow to start, picks up after September 10th. (Dirk Durham)
• Colorado:
  • Elk bugling increases with cooler weather and snow; “nice time to be out.” (Unnamed hunter, 35:52)
• Prognosis:
  • All agree the days around the fall equinox (Sept. 22) are peak rut; “the next week and a half, two weeks, and there's going to be some big bulls hitting the dirt.” (Dirk Durham, 34:21)
  • “If you've got a hunting trip planned, you're in for a good [time].” (Logan, 37:16)

Hosts debate the value of rut reports versus just getting out there and hunting, and stress that right now, conditions are heating up across the range.

• Quote (Caleb Putnam, 39:46):
  “You just gotta go hunting.”

---

5. Listener Q&A: Ethics, Attitude, and Camp Stories (40:40–48:27)

Notable Segments:

• Ethical dilemmas: Shooting an injured cow elk with a calf? “I don't think there's a right or wrong answer for that...If it makes you feel good to kill her, kill her. If not, like, go fill your tag with another animal.” (Brody Henderson, 43:43)
• “Camp Cancer”: The worst trips have bad attitudes, not necessarily bad weather, gear, or hunts. “I would rather be on a bad trip with great attitudes than a great trip with bad attitudes.” (Caleb Putnam, 46:02)
• Who would you hunt with for elk, whitetail, bear? Mark Kenyon, Jason Phelps, and Corey Calkins top the list.

---

6. Interview: Chris Hill, Conservation Lands Foundation—Public Lands at Stake (50:11–63:24)

Chris Hill, CEO, Conservation Lands Foundation

Topics:

• CLF’s mission: Advocate for 38 million acres of national conservation lands managed by BLM.
• Current big issues:
  • Congressional efforts to repeal public lands management plans, threaten land privatization
  • Proposed drilling in the Western Arctic and threats to the Roadless Rule (esp. Tongass National Forest)
• Community-level advocacy is vital—local engagement and public comments do move the needle.
• Quote (Chris Hill, 54:44):
  “The idea that we want to privatize these places is still an incredibly unpopular opinion in the communities.”
• Quote (Chris Hill, 61:41):
  “It's those comments that make a difference...creates that record to show that either the public is for or against an issue. And...when we band together...things happen and things change.”

Take Action:

• Submit comments on conservation issues (e.g., via Trout Unlimited, Wilderness Society, BHA, or OnX maps).
• Find CLF at conservationlands.org and through local nonprofits.

---

7. Segment: “Three Harsh Truths” About Hunting & Outdoor Life (65:24–77:36)

A panel roundtable of uncomfortable (but necessary) realities:

• Caleb Putnam:
  Buying a hunting/fishing license alone is not enough—hunters must actively engage in management: show up for meetings, comment periods, write to officials. “It makes a huge difference.” (66:31)
• Randall Williams:
  Social media isn’t just affecting hunting—it’s warping all hobbies and communities. “If you have any hobby, it’s being ruined by social media.” (68:16)
• Brody Henderson:
  Novice hunters shouldn't be encouraged to take long shots at game—even if technically proficient, real hunting happens up close. Setting yardage limits for new hunters builds true skills and ethics.
  “Even if a new hunter is practiced...shooting at animals like in the heat of the moment is just way different than shooting at paper targets.” (71:07)

The dialogue touches on cultural changes, technology, population pressures, and the difference between marksmanship and woodsmanship.

---

8. Late-Show Listener Feedback & Lightning Q&A (77:37–85:59)

• Questions about grizzly bear hunting logistics, contacts vs. glasses for outdoor folks, and advice for young or new hunters ("You just gotta make it happen and don’t let stuff hold you back." - Caleb Putnam).
• Quote (Caleb Putnam, 85:18): “If you're interested in it, you just gotta make it happen and don't let stuff hold you back.”

---

9. Announcements & Wrap-Up (86:07–91:19)

• New MeatEater retail store opens in Milwaukee, WI, plus new jerky products and the long-awaited “Effed Up Old Trucks” calendar (proceeds support BHA).
• Promotions for new video content (“Our Way of Life”), upcoming TV season, and the next Movie Club topic: “Elephant in the Living Room.”
• Episode closes with advice: “Be kind, be courteous, be safe out there, enjoy your season, be cool.”

---

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “It's an unfortunate opportunity that these critters get struck—whether it's a coyote...or a bear—scavenging these carcasses.”
  — Brian D. Bolt, 18:30

• "The reason you always hear, but just as important. Long range shooting at animals is not how you learn to be a good hunter."
  — Brody Henderson, 71:07

• “You act differently when people are paying attention to you?...Our representatives and our senators can darn sure act differently when they know a lot of people are paying attention to them.”
  — Caleb Putnam, 62:16

---

Key Segments with Timestamps

• Live Show Tour Announcement – 03:01
• Gear Mishaps/Personal Hunt Prep – 05:25
• Interview: Brian D. Bolt, Wyoming Chain Reaction Roadkill – 10:15
• Elk Rut Reports – 32:41 & 38:18
• Listener Q&A (Ethics & Camp Stories) – 40:40
• Interview: Chris Hill, Public Lands/BLM Conservation Issues – 50:11
• “Three Harsh Truths” Panel – 65:24
• Late Listener Questions & Feedback – 77:37
• Milwaukee Store/Content Announcements – 86:07
• Outro & Final Plugs – 91:18

---

Summary Tone

The MeatEater crew brings a mix of irreverence, lived experience, ethical candor, and deep conservation expertise. Their conversations straddle friendly jokes (“I would love to sit in a tree, stand over bait with Clay just to see him watch bears.” – Randall Williams, 48:07), hard-won advice, and encouragement for active engagement in the wild and on the issues.

---

For Newcomers

This episode is packed—ideal for anyone looking to understand the real dilemmas and joys of modern conservation and hunting in the West. Whether you want practical insight, to laugh, or to get activated on public lands, you’ll find something here. Recommended listening for all who care about wild places and the future of hunting.

Transcript

[Sponsor Announcer]

This is an iHeart podcast. You can make a difference in someone's life, including your own, with a job in home care. These jobs offer flexible schedules, healthcare, retirement options and free training. They also provide paid time off and opportunities for overtime. Visit oregonhomecarejobs.com to learn more and apply. That's oregonhomecarejobs.com.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway Cough and cold season is coming, so make sure you're prepared and stock up on your family's favorite personal wellness products. Now through October 7th. Shop in store and online for savings on products like Mucinex Kickstart Combo, Zyrtec Allergy relief tablets or Liquid Gels, Halls Cough Drops and Mucinex Fast day and night, so you and your family are armed and ready for the season ahead. Offer ends October 7th. Restriction apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.

[Steve Rinella]

First Lights Navigator hoodie was built and tested where plans fall apart and weather doesn't ask permission. It's built to perform, built to last. Breathable insulation that dumps heat fast on the hike in stretch fabric that stays silent for close encounters. Moisture control that wicks away sweat on the packout. Because in the field, the plan shifts, the wind changes. The moment comes sooner or later than you thought. When when it does, you adapt without hesitation. First Lights Navigator delivers on versatility no matter the situation. It happens to be my favorite piece of gear they make right now. I live in it. Check it out at first light.com that's F I R S T L I T E.com.

[Caleb Putnam]

Smell us now, lady. Welcome to Meat Eater Trivia Meat Eater Podcast.

[Brody Henderson]

Hey everybody. Welcome to Meat Eater radio live. It's 11am here in Bozeman, Montana at Meat Eater HQ. My wife, who just got back from the Dolomites in Italy, still thinks it's 2 in the morning, but it's 11 here. Mm. I'm your host, Brody Henderson. I'm joined today by your favorite history buff in frankfurter aficionado Randall Williams, and the world's foremost wildlife and public lands conservationist, Ryan Caleb.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yeah, I'll trade you for the frankfurters.

[Brody Henderson]

Today we've got a couple interviews. We've got one about roadkill begetting more roadkill. It's a pretty cool story out of Wyoming. And we're also going to talk about what's at stake if the road list rule on 45 million acres.

[Caleb Putnam]

48.

[Brody Henderson]

48 million acres of your national forest is rescinded. And since it's prime time for all the archery elk hunters out there. We've got a rut report from some hunters who are out in the field. And finally, we're going to lay down some harsh truths and we'll check in with the crew at our newest Meat Eater retail location in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Sounds fun, eh? But first, I've been. I got an order from on high to make an announcement. The announcement everyone's been waiting for. In December, you can join Steve, Giannis, Clay, Brent, and our our own doctor of history, Randall, here for a night of laugh, news, opinions and free prizes on the Meat Eater Live Christmas tour. They'll be visiting the following cities. Birmingham, Nashville, Memphis, Fayetteville, Dallas and Austin. And you can get [e-mail] TOR and find out the dates and the venues and all that stuff.

[Caleb Putnam]

Randall Williams is going to do the entire tour in a Cousin Eddie bathrobe. All a Christmas vacation. So there's gonna be all sorts of fun Christmas hijinks. You don't even know what you're gonna sing.

[Brody Henderson]

It's crazy.

[Randall Williams]

I've been practicing all of my carols, even the weird ones that no one likes to sing.

[Brody Henderson]

You're gonna break out your Santa suit.

[Randall Williams]

I'd like to. I'd like to actually use this opportunity to invest in a real Santa suit at this company. Well, I feel like we have the resources.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yeah, Irma.

[Randall Williams]

Yeah. No, but hark. The Herald Angels sing. We're just going to get into the.

[Brody Henderson]

Deep cuts going south, which is a new kind of part of the country that hit on the tours before.

[Randall Williams]

I'm excited. I think it's going to be.

[Brody Henderson]

A lot of people were griping for a long time, so we listened to them. Guys, it's starting to feel like fall around here, man. The leaves are starting to show some color. Temperatures are cooling off. Days are getting shorter. It's hunting season. I've been out for grouse a couple times with my boys. Done. All right. But my first big hunt is going to be antelope season here in like, what, three weeks? Something like that. We've got four tags. It's going to be crazy trying to fill four tags. What's your big first big hunt of the year, Randall?

[Randall Williams]

Well, I actually got out this past weekend and we in some areas of Montana, we have an early rifle gear.

[Brody Henderson]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Randall Williams]

So I went in with a buddy and we camped together one night and split up and kind of looped back to the truck.

[Brody Henderson]

Elk or deer? What were you after?

[Randall Williams]

Both elk, if it's the very right Opportunity. Because the logistics are difficult, but saw elk. Saw a lot of deer, actually. I was surprised and just didn't. Yeah, the logistics, but amazing to get out and amazing to, you know, discover that the studs in your binocular tripod adapter are loose or that there's a hole in your tents. Rainfly.

[Brody Henderson]

Good time of year to figure that stuff.

[Randall Williams]

Yeah. Shaking it all out before the weather gets dangerously cold.

[Brody Henderson]

It's a pretty. Pretty unique opportunity to be.

[Randall Williams]

Oh, yeah.

[Brody Henderson]

Carry a rifle around for deer now.

[Randall Williams]

Super cool. Super cool.

[Caleb Putnam]

And.

[Randall Williams]

Yeah, like, just gorgeous country. We didn't. We saw people, but we didn't talk to anybody for.

[Brody Henderson]

Right.

[Randall Williams]

Four days and.

[Brody Henderson]

Nice.

[Randall Williams]

Saw some moose, saw some goats.

[Brody Henderson]

Cool.

[Randall Williams]

Cool.

[Brody Henderson]

Cal, you're doing a pretty crazy hunt. Did the company take out a life insurance policy on you before this traditional bow brown bear hunt?

[Caleb Putnam]

Well, I never thought about that, but knowing some of the folks around here like. Like I do. Yeah, probably. Probably.

[Brian D. Bolt]

There's.

[Caleb Putnam]

There's some Vegas style. Yeah. That's being placed for sure.

[Randall Williams]

Talk to our friends at fanduel.

[Brody Henderson]

First big hunt. Yeah.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yeah, it is. I mean, because that's a long hunt.

[Brody Henderson]

And then tell people a little about it real quick.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yeah. It's out on the Alaska Peninsula and it's brown bear. And I'll be using my bow, which if you're gonna try to get a brown bear with the bow, the fall time is up close and personal time because they're in there on the salmon streams and the water's rushing and stuff. And it's always windy out on the peninsula, so it's good spot and stock conditions, provided it's not too nasty. And so, you know, the. The deck is as stacked in your favor as it can be.

[Brody Henderson]

Yep.

[Caleb Putnam]

For just getting in tight.

[Brody Henderson]

Are you. Are you camping on the island? Are you. Are you doing the boat thing or what? How's it going to work?

[Caleb Putnam]

Well, we're not into the islands. We're not on the illusion chain.

[Brody Henderson]

That's right. You're on the Kenai.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yeah.

[Brody Henderson]

Yeah.

[Caleb Putnam]

Um, and it's still TBD as far as. Because, you know, they're just. They're flying in and out of there all the time right now. So it's. We're going to figure out the best spot to be.

[Brody Henderson]

Yep.

[Caleb Putnam]

And be there. And I'm going up a couple of days before the season starts and hopefully have all those little kinks that Randall just gave me a little bit of anxiety with ironed out before it's sneaking up on bears time.

[Randall Williams]

I'm gonna give You. A little insider tip. Check your air mattress for any slow leaks. The old hips are a little sore.

[Brody Henderson]

Yeah, you gotta carry tenacious tape with you, man.

[Randall Williams]

Yeah, I know. This is like the first time in a long time I was certain that I had my whole repair kit with me, but for whatever reason, it didn't make it in the backpack, so. Just a useful reminder. Yeah, but, yeah, the hips are sore. Started having to dig out my little hip hole under my tent before I go to sleep.

[Brody Henderson]

That's a bummer when you wake up and those things are just deflated.

[Randall Williams]

It's also a bummer when it's. It's been solid. I bought it used, like, five years ago, patched it one time since, and I've never had an issue. Had it out in Yellowstone last month. No issues. I don't know really what happened, so.

[Brody Henderson]

And then five years, you got your money's worth out of it.

[Randall Williams]

Yeah, but. But I don't want to buy a new one. Have you seen the prices these days?

[Caleb Putnam]

They are ghastly. But the flip side of this, right, and this is the caveat of signing up for a big hunt, is I have not done. This is the furthest I have ever in my entire life been into any legal hunting season without hunting a single day. Like, I've just got all this other stuff I have got to get done and wrap.

[Brody Henderson]

Too much going on in the world of conservation and public lands. Cal is too busy. He no longer hunts that.

[Caleb Putnam]

That is a real reality. That is just like, so easy is right there.

[Brody Henderson]

Yeah, it's right there.

[Caleb Putnam]

And I've spent my entire life fighting against that type of reality.

[Brody Henderson]

So start fighting for Cal so he can go hunting. Geez.

[Caleb Putnam]

Come on. Right.

[Randall Williams]

I've got a lead on some sandhill cranes.

[Caleb Putnam]

Ooh, lovely.

[Randall Williams]

From the neighbor, so excellent. Got plans this weekend if you want to join.

[Brody Henderson]

All right, we talked about bears a little bit. We're going to talk about bears some more in our first interview. Our first guest today is Brian D. Bolt. Brian works out of Lander, Wyoming, for the Wyoming Fish and Game Department as a large carnivore conflict coordinator. And the reason I came across Brian is I read an article just in the last couple of days about multiple black bears that were killed by vehicles at the exact same location over the course of a day or two, I think, and decided to follow up with Brian and let him explain to us about why it happened. We got Brian on.

[Phil]

There he is.

[Brian D. Bolt]

Yes.

[Brody Henderson]

How's it going, Brian?

[Brian D. Bolt]

Good. Hi, guys. How are you?

[Brody Henderson]

Good, good, good. To meet you. Thanks for. Thanks for joining us. Before we get into this chain reaction roadkill story, can you give us just a little background on what you do for Wyoming Fish and Game?

[Brian D. Bolt]

So yeah, you read my title. It's a little lengthy. Large carnivore conflict coordinator. So you set up the fights? Well, I try to referee them. Anything. So the large carnivores in Wyoming that we deal with are black bears, grizzly bears, mountain lions and wolves. And whenever they come into conflict with people is my role. Whether it's a bear tipping over a garbage can, bear killing livestock, you know, wolves killing livestock or you know, oftentimes hunters encounter bears, you know, shoot a bear in self defense or maybe even a human gets injured or killed. Unfortunately that's my job.

[Brody Henderson]

I imagine you got to have a like a pretty cool demeanor for that job because on the one hand you're like looking out for people and livestock and things like that, but you also need to like kind of keep an eye out for, for the best interests of these, these predator species as well.

[Brian D. Bolt]

Well, it's. Yeah. Cool. I've never been turned. It is an interesting dynamic and often the, the people are sometimes more difficult to deal with.

[Brody Henderson]

You don't say.

[Brian D. Bolt]

Yeah. As you know. So it's, it's interesting. Yeah. And you can't, you can't judge people beforehand by any means. I mean you could run into a kind of a rough kind of redneck, old looking fella.

[Brody Henderson]

And there's none of them in Wyoming. Come on.

[Brian D. Bolt]

They want to do everything they can to make sure that the bear is okay, that we don't hurt it, that we don't have to remove it, you know, lethally kill it or anything. And then next door there's a, you know, on that elderly lady or something in her nightgown and, and she wants to make sure that bears as dead as can be.

[Caleb Putnam]

So because tackle their bird feeder for the fifth time. Why can't that bear learn?

[Brian D. Bolt]

So you just never know. It is. It's an interesting dynamic to, to. Yeah. Be in the middle.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yeah. It'd be helpful if everybody had some pointy ears on both sides of their head that either stand up or lay down.

[Brian D. Bolt]

Yeah. That we could tell a little better.

[Brody Henderson]

Yeah.

[Brian D. Bolt]

Analyze that behavior.

[Brody Henderson]

So with that in mind, with what you're out there doing every day. I gotta imagine this time of year when bears especially are like very actively trying to put on as much weight as possible. It's, it's gotta be very busy for you in the conflict department. Probably your busiest time of year, it's extremely busy.

[Brian D. Bolt]

And this year is. Is no exception. Yeah. Bears are in what we call hyperphagia, just like you mentioned, trying to gain as many calories as possible before they go into the damning period. And so they are foraging longer, they're active longer, and with anything they can possibly put into their gut, you know, whether it's natural or unnatural foods. And by unnatural, I mean. Yeah, like bird feeders and garbage food and. And that type of stuff. Garbage. So, yeah, we are extremely busy right now.

[Brody Henderson]

Well, let's. I'll. I'll tie that into what happened a couple weeks ago. Can. Can you just tell us, like, initially what happened, and then we'll get into why. After you kind of let us. Let us know what happened. And if you want, like, you can tell us where this happened to.

[Brian D. Bolt]

Okay. So real briefly, there's a highway. It goes over what's called South Pass.

[Brody Henderson]

Very famous place. Well, yeah, among certain circles, it's a south.

[Brian D. Bolt]

South pass of the Oregon Trail and different things over the south end of the Wind River Mountains here and got lots of wildlife up there. But again, long story short, an elk was struck and killed by a vehicle. And in short order, within a matter of a few days later, a sow with two, what we call cubs of the year, they're born this year, were struck and killed right at that roadkill elk. They were, yeah. All three struck at the same time. And lots of traffic again on this highway. It's a pretty major thoroughfare. And then later. That was early. Early in the morning. And then later that evening, fourth bear was struck and killed at the same location. So.

[Brody Henderson]

And normally you wouldn't get called into any kind of, like, roadkill situation, Correct?

[Brian D. Bolt]

Correct. So if there is an animal, let's say, struck on a. On the road and it's still alive, and maybe a highway patrolman or a, you know, a state trooper or a sheriff's deputy or something shows up on scene and the animal needs to be put down, you know, because it's critically injured, they have to call us. We have to give them permission to do so because we're the authority over wildlife. But a dead critter, you know, if something's just been struck and killed, that is not our authority. That's the Wyoming Department of Transportation, because then it's just a road hazard and it's not live wildlife anymore. So we typically don't get calls like, say, unless it's still alive.

[Brody Henderson]

So just for people who aren't following, an elk gets killed, it attracts the Sow with the, with the young or with the year old cubs and later that, that the elks still hasn't been removed and it attracts another bear which also gets killed. So what, what, like you got involved, I assume at that point after that fourth bear got killed and what happened after that?

[Brian D. Bolt]

So actually I did get involved a little earlier. I was, I was aware that the, that a bull elk had been struck and killed. False impression that it was going to be picked up. And I'm sure not criticizing anybody. There's roadkill everywhere. It just happens a lot. And then I got a call early in the morning one morning that these three bears had been struck. So I responded and sure enough, it's a sow again with a couple little cubs and, and I gathered them up and the elk was still there. And again I probably would have went ahead and loaded it up, but I had three bears in the back of my truck and I made another wrong assumption that well, okay, it'll be picked up now, you know, and then that evening right at dark, I get a call that another bear, a bear was struck and killed by a vehicle, you know, mile marker 55, whatever. And I said, no, that happened this morning. I told our dispatch and they said, no, no, the guy sitting there right now that just hit the bear. So I went back up there and sure as heck, a fourth bear right there in the same spot had been struck and the elk carcass was still there. So I went ahead and loaded the elk carcass that time and got it out of there. So yeah, it's, you know, these kind of opportunistic, I would call them, it's an unfortunate opportunity that, that these critters get struck, whether it's a coyote or, you know, we get a lot of like ravens and magpies that are scavenging on these cars.

[Brody Henderson]

Is that, Yeah, I was going to ask is, is this the first time you've seen that kind of like chain reaction roadkill event or is it, is it fairly common? Well, maybe not with bears, but you.

[Brian D. Bolt]

Know, this is the biggest one I've seen. Usually it's one coyote or you know, maybe one magpie or, you know, and we have had bears struck before, but not to this extent. Yeah, yeah, not this many. This is the first time I've been, you know, doing this for 26 years and this is the first time I've seen it in this, this big a capacity.

[Brody Henderson]

But I would imagine that, you know, Wyoming's got a lot of desolate spots even on these major highways that this is probably something that happens more often and we just don't know about it. Right.

[Brian D. Bolt]

That does that. That's true. That's true. Usually when it is a bear, though, most folks do report that we have a few mountain lions struck in the same, you know, type of scenario, and often it's a passerby that reports it. I think folks might be a little apprehensive. Oh, you know, especially if it's a grizzly bear.

[Caleb Putnam]

Right.

[Brian D. Bolt]

They're, you know, they're an endangered species on paper, and so they're maybe reluctant to call. They think they did something wrong, but bottom line is it's just an accident.

[Brody Henderson]

Right.

[Brian D. Bolt]

And so it's often a passerby that says, hey, there's a dead bear laying on the road. And we get called to investigate that.

[Caleb Putnam]

Can you get a salvage tag for black bear in Wyoming?

[Brian D. Bolt]

You can? Yep, yep. If a, if a bear is taken legally. Yeah. It can be donated there. Yeah, Any, any donation of a, of a grizzly bear, of course, would have to be through the Fish and Wildlife Service, but any other game under, under the jurisdiction of the Game and Fish, you can get a salvage tag, but.

[Caleb Putnam]

Not, not for roadkill. Can you get it for roadkill?

[Brian D. Bolt]

So interesting. So with roadkill, there is a new law that just passed last year and people are allowed to pick up most roadkill. I won't get into all the details, but basically, deer, elk and antelope, they can acquire that. They can pick it up. There's an app, it's called Wyoming 51 1. And if you come across the roadkill, you want to salvage it for whatever reason, you can log on to that 511 app and they basically give you a salvage number and you can take that whole carcass again. Some animals like bears and lions are not. You can't legally pick those up based on that. So. But other critters you can. Yes.

[Caleb Putnam]

I would have thought I was in like a candid camera situation if I was trying to salvage.

[Brody Henderson]

Yeah.

[Caleb Putnam]

Be like this is. Is this considered baiting?

[Brody Henderson]

Right, right.

[Brian D. Bolt]

Yeah.

[Brody Henderson]

Brian, Wyoming has been. Been pretty good at building wildlife overpasses in the last, I don't know, decade or more. Like, how successful have those been in reducing roadkill at, like, sites that formerly just like, known like pinch points, where a lot of animals were by vehicles, like have those overpasses, like drastically reduced roadkill?

[Brian D. Bolt]

Yes, they really have. They've been so beneficial. And these things, as you can imagine, are multimillion dollar projects. It's a huge effort between the Game and fish and the, you know, Department of Transportation and you know, local wildlife groups, the landowners. It's a monumental effort and of course we'd like to have more. But again, they're huge, costly projects. And so right now we're picking kind of the low hanging fruit. We spent decades identifying migration corridors. Again, these choke points you're talking about where roadkill accidents are very common. And we're focusing on those areas. But yeah, we'd sure like to expand it into other areas. Absolutely. They're great. They're wonderful.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yeah.

[Brody Henderson]

Cool. I guess the last thing is if someone's involved in hitting it, hitting an animal or they, there's a, you know, maybe a big bull elk like on the road dead. Like, who do they call? Who should they be calling?

[Brian D. Bolt]

Yeah. So now that this 511 app is available, that's probably the best thing. You can even just, if you don't want to harvest that, you know, pick up that roadkill. You can just report it and it goes to the department of Transportation and then the maintenance crew can, you know, there's a carcass there and they can get that scavenged and eliminate that road hazard so you don't have this chain reaction thing going on. So that's, that's a great, Cool. Yeah, a great tool to do that or just call the, you know, why dot, whatever.

[Brody Henderson]

Yep, yep.

[Brian D. Bolt]

But one thing I feel kind of compelled to mention too is especially with bears because that's what I deal with more often than anything. You know, we have some, some highways and everybody's familiar probably with bear 399 that was struck and killed on the highway in Wyoming. And she's darn sure not the first bear. There's been multiple grizzly bears these roadside, I call them habituated roadside grizzly bears that have been killed along these highways. And part of what contributes to that is frankly people feeding these bears and it's not good like say a roadkill that maybe is being scavenged by a bear. And then unfortunately a driver comes along and yeah, they don't see this dark black bear in the middle of the road in the middle of the night and they strike it. That's an accident. But when, when people are actively feeding these bears and, and oftentimes it's just to get a photograph.

[Brody Henderson]

Yep.

[Brian D. Bolt]

They don't realize how they're habituating these bears to the roadside and increasing that opportunity for them to get struck and killed.

[Brody Henderson]

Or a person.

[Brian D. Bolt]

Or a person. Yeah, yeah. You know, family, you know, somebody vacationing from a, you know, different location. And they come through Wyoming or Montana, and, oh, there's a bear off the road, and they clamor out. They pull over and clamor out to get a picture. And, you know, there could be a semi truck or a delivery truck zipping down the road at, you know, high speeds, not looking for wildlife. They got a job to do. And, yeah, it could cause a traffic accident or even hit a human. So, yeah, that's. That's another big part of this. And. And that 399Bear and others do live a considerable amount of their life roadside, and that's not good. They're just not living a wild, natural life. And it was just a matter of time, you know, before she was struck and killed on the highway, because. Yeah, that just happens.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yeah, but if she didn't live there, you couldn't take pictures of her.

[Brian D. Bolt]

Yep. And you couldn't make the money and post it on your Y social. It's all about money. That's right.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yeah. And. And just to doggy pile on here, it's not the bear's fault it's eating your bird seed. It's your fault for leaving the bird seed out to get eight. So put it away.

[Brody Henderson]

That's right.

[Brian D. Bolt]

Exactly. That's a good point, Cal. I appreciate that. You know, we work so hard with not only this roadkill stuff to try to prevent the accident from happening in the first place. So much of our work is trying to show people how to. Yeah, you. You can feed birds, have it at your house, but there's ways to do it that the bears can't get to it. You know, if you're gonna have chickens, you know, electric fences, you know, your grain, horse grain and stuff, Put it away at night, garbage put, you know, secure it all away from a bear. So we work so hard to prevent all these unnecessarily deaths in the first place.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yeah. And if you leave a dirty campsite, even if it's all that biodegradable material, watermelon rinds, stuff like that, you're just letting bears know that people leave good things behind. So pack it out with you.

[Brian D. Bolt]

Free meal. Yep.

[Brody Henderson]

Okay. Brian, thanks a lot for joining us. It's a great talk. Interesting stuff. Maybe we'll check back in with you about. About this kind of same issue or something else that you're involved with at a later time.

[Brian D. Bolt]

Excellent. No, Yeah. I appreciate you having me. Thank you very much.

[Randall Williams]

Thanks.

[Caleb Putnam]

Have a good season.

[Brody Henderson]

Neither. Well, I guess. Yes, Randall's been out elk hunting, but poor Cal hasn't. But we're, we're going to move on to our rut report.

[Caleb Putnam]

I remember that sound.

[Brody Henderson]

Oh, it's beautiful. Okay. This is the week in September that pretty much every archery elk hunter who hasn't tagged out has been waiting for. It's the peak breeding period for elk and the, the ideally, you know, the bulls should be screaming their heads off and you hit the call and they come running in. It's not always the way it works, but we're in a check in with with some hunters we know who are out there hunting. Now we're out hunting recently just to see if the action's hunting.

[Steve Rinella]

This episode is sponsored in part by Better Help. Who do you go to in order to solve your life's problems? You go to a group chat, you start oversharing with strangers. You talk to dudes down in the bar. Well, if you've tried those approaches and they haven't been very effective, perhaps you should try talking to a clinically trained and licensed therapist, which might be far more helpful to you and help you get yourself better sorted out. BetterHelp has been helping people find a great match in a therapist for over 10 years and they have a 4.9 rating out of 1.7 million client session reviews. Better Help does the initial matching work for you so you can focus on your therapy goals? A short questionnaire helps identify your needs and preferences and their 10 plus years of experience and industry leading match fulfillment rate means they typically get it right the first time. If you aren't happy with your match, switch to a different therapist at any time from their tailored recommendations. As the largest online therapy provider in the world, BetterHelp can provide access to mental health professionals with a diverse variety of Expertise. Find the one with Better Help our listeners get 10% off their first month at betterhelp.com Meater that's Better Help. H E L P.com Me Eater anywhere worth going is worth going. In good boots. You can find your perfect pair with the cobas. My, my, my beloved friend Clay Newcomb agrees with me on this and my beloved friend Ronnie Bamell agree on this that like man, if you don't got a good pair of leather boots on, you just like don't have that good ready feeling that the three of us like to have. If you ever wondered if you can pull off boots with your perfect style, you owe it to your feet to pull on a pair of taco. Being confident is about being different. It's about being yourself. Find comfort in the traditions of the west and confidence from making it your own. Honor the west by leaving your own boot print to Kova's Crafts quality Western boots for everyone from generational ranchers and lifelong Cowboys down to first time boot buyers. Every one of Taco's boots are handcrafted with over 200 meticulous steps for broken in comfort right out of the box right now. Get 10% off at the covas.commeater when you sign up for email and text. That's 10 off at T E C O V A S.commeater to covas.commeater see the site details to Covas. Point your toes West.

[Sponsor Announcer]

You can make a difference in someone's life, including your own with a job in home care. These jobs offer flexible schedules, health care, retirement options and free training. They also provide paid time off and opportunities for overtime. Visit oregonhomecarejobs.com to learn more and apply. That's oregonhomecarejobs.com.

[Corey Calkins]

Hey guys, it's Corey Calkins coming at you with a Montana Rut report for Wednesday, September 17th.

[Randall Williams]

Hopefully close.

[Corey Calkins]

I'm in Southwest Montana. This is day five of an eight day elk hunt and it's been pretty slow to say the least. The rut activity that is elk have been pretty quiet, very nocturnal, hearing them in the dark, moving in and out of our little hunting area. But it's also been pretty crowded too. Hearing a lot of Doug Flutie bugles from the ridge tops everywhere. And I don't know if that's keeping the elk quiet, but a few people that I've ran into have agreed that it's been pretty slow. Excuse me, pretty slow. So I don't think it's just me. Hunted numerous different locations, different drainages, driven an hour each direction from my camp trying to find hot cows and bugle and elk and it's it's been quiet in the general vicinity that I'm in, but the weather's been inconsistent. It's been raining every other day. It hasn't froze yet either, which I've always found that first frost of the year really gets them going and it still hasn't gotten that cold yet at least here. So got pretty consistent weather the next few days. Really hoping things pick up starting this afternoon cuz we only have two and a half more days on this little journey and I won't be able to hunt again till October. So hoping we can pull it off. And yeah, good luck to everybody out there. And back to you guys in the studio.

[Randall Williams]

That was a real downer.

[Brian D. Bolt]

Dirk Durham here with Phelps Game Calls just wrapping up an elk hunt last from last week. Man, we faced tough conditions with full moon and warm weather, and then it kind of turned. We got. We got a bunch of storms that kind of rolled in, and that was really nice. Got a big cool down. But then we still had that full moon. We were fighting, and it seemed like bulls were just pretty tight lips still. But around the 10th, things kind of turned. Bull started piping off a little bit in the mornings. And on the 11th, my son Austin killed a nice bull. Called him right in. And then the 12th, 13th, 14th, things are really starting to pick up. So I feel like we might have missed the really good calling action because it was kind of tough there early. So anyway, everybody get out there. Take advantage of this time. I think the bulls should be ripping here for the next week and a half, two weeks, and should be some big bulls hitting the dirt. Good luck out there. Hey, guys. Coming to you from central Colorado right in the middle of muzzleloader season. We're out here looking for some elk the past few days. Checking out another zone today, if you might be able to hear it. Behind me, there's a spring with some running water. You can kind of see the aspens are starting to turn. Had some good sign. Did hear some bugles a couple days ago, but haven't gotten close yet. The weather's been good, good fall weather, plenty of rain, and we actually had some. Some Snow at about 11,000ft as well, and it got down to about 40 degrees the last couple nights. So we're hoping that gets them fired up. So it's been fun checking out these zones this time of year. It's a nice time to be out, so looking forward to the rest of the week, and we'll keep you posted. Good luck, everybody.

[Logan]

Hey, what's up, guys? This is Logan here with a rut report coming out of southwest Montana. Things are definitely shaping up to be great. Couple weeks elk hunting as we head into the third week of September in the place that we've been hunting. The opening weekend, things were pretty slow. We didn't hear too many elk bugling. We saw a lot of cows, but most of the bulls seemed to be in their summer range and hadn't came down to try to breed cows yet. You know, this. This past weekend, things were starting to pick up. We heard a lot more elk vocalizations. Elk were bugling at night, later into the morning. We were able to call bulls in on Saturday and we heard them talking all Sunday. So this, this next week should be even better. The fall equinox is on September 22 this year, which is typically corresponds with the peak. Ruth and cows are coming into heat around that time period. So typically the five or 10 days before and after the fall equinox or the peak rut, you're going to have a lot of rutting behavior which will make elk much more susceptible to calling. Bulls are going to be fired up. You know, it's just a great experience to be in the woods and hear elk bugling. So this is the perfect time of year to do that, especially these next couple weeks. So, you know, in southwest Montana we've got some cooler weather. It's not too hot. The new moon's approaching, so the nights are going to be dark, the days are going to be relatively cool. And those are all the perfect conditions for elk hunting. So I'm very much looking forward to getting back out there. I hope you guys are too. If you've got a hunting trip planned, you're in for a good however long you're going to be out there for and yeah, can't wait to get back out. Hope you guys are having fun and good luck out there.

[Randall Williams]

Jason Phelps of Phelps Game Calls calling in for a quick elk woods rut report. I've been in northern utah hunting since 8 September. It's now 13 September, and kind of what we've seen, we've had some good days, but it's just not quite cranking yet. Some of the bigger bulls are still leaving their cows, you know, in the morning to go bed separately still. So it just kind of lets you know that things aren't really happening. We have got on some herds where some cows have been in estrus and you've heard bulls glunking and really trailing, you know, specific cows. But overall I feel like it's, it's just kind of getting going. I would say in the next day or two, you know, maybe some cold weather snap in there, but I would say by the 15th, 16th, things are heating up to really be going. But that's my rut report from northern Utah. Things are just getting ready to be going and I would, if I had to guess the 15th to the 30th is going to be on fire. Take care. Good luck to all you out there and good luck in the oak woods.

[Caleb Putnam]

Our audience here has to decide if any of those people are, you know, worth listening to in the first place.

[Brody Henderson]

They're full of.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yeah, exactly, exactly.

[Randall Williams]

Corey looks like he's on day five of an eight day hunt.

[Brody Henderson]

Those reports Just, just make you even angrier that you're not out there right now, Cal.

[Caleb Putnam]

Oh, no, no, I, I would love, love to be out there, but I always, I have always done a heck of a lot better if I didn't listen to any of that type of stuff.

[Brody Henderson]

And you just went hunting.

[Caleb Putnam]

You just gotta go hunting.

[Brody Henderson]

Yeah, I agree with that. I mean they're, they're pretty consistent reports, you know.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yeah.

[Brody Henderson]

Things are. Right now is the time.

[Caleb Putnam]

Right.

[Brody Henderson]

For sure.

[Caleb Putnam]

I, I do the throwing out the equinox as fact.

[Brody Henderson]

Right.

[Caleb Putnam]

Well, it's like, you know, fall equinox happens and the activity has to peak around that, you know, because some people.

[Brody Henderson]

Would say that about the moon too.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yeah.

[Randall Williams]

Although I'm inclined to listen to Logan because he filled every single tag that he had in Montana last year. Yeah, man, I think the only guy in the office who did that.

[Caleb Putnam]

I think Logan is fantastic. He's a fellow third floor office mate. Last year was his first.

[Brody Henderson]

Yeah, exactly, exactly.

[Caleb Putnam]

I mean.

[Randall Williams]

Oh, come on, don't throw him under the bus.

[Caleb Putnam]

I'm not, I'm just saying context.

[Brody Henderson]

All right, it's time for some listener feedback. Give us some juicy, juicy stuff. Phil, important questions, hot takes, grumpy people, happy people. Lay it on us.

[Caleb Putnam]

Sure.

[Phil]

This is from Spicy Nachos. I have an ethical question for you. I was out elk hunting last week and came across a cow with a severely broken leg. The kicker is that she had a calf with her in a wolf dense area would to take the cow. Well, there's some typos in there, but I don't know if you guys can put to put together a. I.

[Brody Henderson]

Like, I don't know that that's like it's not ethical. I don't think it's unethical to not shoot her. I don't know about you guys, but I also think there's no problem with shooting her. Yeah, you know, there's.

[Caleb Putnam]

You can't assume with wildlife. Yeah, I've seen way back when the first dude I guided with, he had a three legged doe that had a, you know, noticeable limp. And every set of clients who had a doe tag was like, well, it'd probably be better if I killed her. And you know, he'd be like, yeah, cool, make a stock. And this, this old gal was cagey. But the truth was, I mean, she was there for five years with three lives and having twins every single year.

[Brody Henderson]

There was this doe that lived like near my buddy's house where we used to hunt. There was a doe we called Peggy. And she was around for almost three.

[Caleb Putnam]

Years because she reminded you of your.

[Brody Henderson]

Aunt because she was missing a leg.

[Randall Williams]

Oh, okay. Yeah. I will say, this past weekend, at our first camp on the Glassy Knob, the first thing we saw was a bull moose. And we're like, that's not what I thought the first thing we see on this trip would be. And that. That moose had. I don't know if it's a broken leg or some kind of growth, but its back left leg was swollen up like the size of a basketball. And it's kind of dragging it and it fell or almost fell a couple times just trying to step over things and. God, it was hard to watch. But I, you know, it's like, if it's. It's one thing if you have a tag, right. And it's like, that's an animal. If you're after a cow, elk, it's got a broken leg. I think that calf is going to be fine.

[Caleb Putnam]

Well, I mean, the opposite of that. Right. Is like, that cow has proven to be a successful adult breeding animal. She is expending energy to keep that calf around. If you're really thinking about herd health, I'd kill the calf. That way mom gets to focus on herself and she's got the survival instincts. Mathematically, that calf is probably voted the most likely to die.

[Brody Henderson]

Yeah.

[Caleb Putnam]

For being an idiot.

[Brody Henderson]

And listen, if you're going to decide to shoot an animal that's injured like that, you're, you know, you got to own up to it. If you cut that thing open and that whole hindquarter is green and smelly. Right? Yeah.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yeah. That's your tag.

[Brody Henderson]

I don't think there's a right or wrong answer for that. Like, if it makes you feel good to kill her killer. If not, like, go fill your tag with another animal.

[Caleb Putnam]

And don't assume Logan came in to.

[Phil]

Clarify that he killed those oak with a bow. So he just wants to. He also says he's killed elk before that, but I don't know what he's referring to.

[Randall Williams]

I got your back. Logan last year was his first archery elk, but he's killed other elk.

[Phil]

This is a big question, but I don't think it's something we've tackled before on any podcast I've been a part of.

[Randall Williams]

Oh, geez.

[Phil]

This is from Ethan Blair. What was your worst hunting or fishing trip and why, if anything, the first thing that pops into your head.

[Randall Williams]

Mm.

[Caleb Putnam]

I'll just tell you. Like, bad attitudes in camp. We used to call them the camp cancer. And the you can be on for all reasonable people, it would be, like, the worst trip ever. But if everybody on the worst trip ever has a good attitude, it's still, like, an enjoyable time.

[Brody Henderson]

At the end of the day, I'm trying. I'm trying really hard to think about a trip where I was like, God, in hindsight, that was horrible. But a lot of times the horrible trips, you look back and you're like, that was okay. That was fun, right? Like, exactly.

[Caleb Putnam]

It's an adventure.

[Randall Williams]

I have a bad one for my dad when we went to the Boundary Waters. One of the times we went to the Boundary Waters.

[Caleb Putnam]

Oh, is this the trip he died on?

[Randall Williams]

Well, he got. He got the treble hook. He got a treble hook. One hook in each finger, and we busted that out. Then he was throwing a bear bag or a bear hang over a limb, sort of standing on a steep cut bank, and he fell down the cut bank. You know, his momentum from throwing the rock took him down the cut bank. And that was the same day as the fishing hook. And then the next day, he and the other guy that was in his canoe capsized in the middle of a giant lake.

[Brody Henderson]

Yeah. But now it's a great story.

[Randall Williams]

Oh, and he got bit by a spider. And so when we got back to Ely, they took him into Duluth because they thought it might have been a brown recluse. And he was. It was like the wound was opening up, and I was just like, man.

[Brody Henderson]

That'S a rough day.

[Randall Williams]

That's a rough little trip for one guy. But that was a great trip for me.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yeah, I would rather be on a bad trip with great attitudes and a great trip with bad attitudes.

[Brody Henderson]

Totally, totally, Completely.

[Phil]

I'll do a couple more here. That was from Ethan, by the way. This one's fun. I think this is from Michael. Question for the crew. What coworker would each of you pick to hunt with? For whitetail, elk, and black bear? And I encourage hurting each other's feelings, too.

[Brody Henderson]

I'd hunt with, like, the whole crew for any of those.

[Phil]

No, you can't say that. You gotta pick one.

[Brody Henderson]

Pick one for each species.

[Caleb Putnam]

Sure.

[Brody Henderson]

Yeah.

[Randall Williams]

For whitetail, I would say either Mark or Spencer.

[Brody Henderson]

Sure. Yeah.

[Randall Williams]

Based on. Based on improving my odds of success.

[Brody Henderson]

Yeah. I'd want Jason Phelps to guide me for elk.

[Randall Williams]

Yep. And then black bear, Maybe Corey Calkins.

[Brody Henderson]

Yeah, he kills a nice one every year.

[Randall Williams]

Wouldn't be honest. This is kind of a restless. Well. Well, I mean, he seems to have a lot of long, lonely hikes in the spring.

[Brody Henderson]

Yes.

[Randall Williams]

This is a Ruthless. I would love to radio live hour.

[Caleb Putnam]

With Dirk because I haven't got an elk hunt with him. Jason Phelps is very fun dude to hunt with.

[Brody Henderson]

Like.

[Caleb Putnam]

Like, just. Just fun. And when we hunted together, neither of us killed anything. It was. It was a fantastic trip. And I would rather go whitetail hunting with Mark Kenyon over Tony Peterson, purely for.

[Randall Williams]

What do you think about Tony?

[Caleb Putnam]

You know what? Maybe I retract that.

[Randall Williams]

You know what? You know what we still haven't said is Clay for Black Bear.

[Caleb Putnam]

I'm gonna say Spencer Newharth for Whitetail, because I know I would just bug the living shit out of him, and it would be very entertaining.

[Brody Henderson]

The whole time, he'd be like, ah, forget these whitetails. I'm gonna go look for a mule deer.

[Randall Williams]

I've gone to. Well, I guess I have Black bear hunted with Clay, but I'd love to sit in a tree, stand over bait with Clay just to see him watch bears. Because I've gone to the zoo with Clay and watched bears at the zoo with Clay, and that was fun.

[Brody Henderson]

Yeah, he's just like, ah, look at him. Yeah, that would be very entertaining.

[Phil]

Okay, save the rest for later.

[Randall Williams]

No, Phil, you're doing great.

[Phil]

Okay, thanks. We'll do one more. This is from Noah. Question for Randall. On a scale from 1 to 10, how bummed are you that you missed the D and D session?

[Randall Williams]

Honestly, I'm sick to my stomach.

[Phil]

I was, too. I was devastating when I. I can't.

[Randall Williams]

Believe Spencer lined it up in that way. I made my availability clear. And. And, yeah, it's just an unfortunate.

[Brody Henderson]

Asked him why you weren't there, and he said you weren't available.

[Randall Williams]

Yeah, I was. I was in the backcountry.

[Phil]

Yeah, I saw Randall decline the invite, and I sent him a text saying, you're going to miss the session. I was trying to keep a secret.

[Randall Williams]

Well, I didn't even realize it was D and D. I thought it was just going to be Phil Trivia, and I was nobody.

[Phil]

The only two people that knew it was happening were my wife and. And Spencer's wife.

[Randall Williams]

So I still don't think I understand what D and D is, but it seemed.

[Phil]

Oh, you would if Callum Brody didn't either.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yeah, I. Hopefully, Phil, you were pleased with our ability to adapt. It was hard at first. I was like. I was so confused as to what was going on.

[Phil]

I tried to ease you into it, and you guys did so well. There were even people that messaged me saying, I'm so glad Brody and Cal were game to Play. Because I thought they would just turn their nose up at it. And I had that worry, too, which is why I invited Shelby to bring some enthusiasm into the room in case you guys just walked out on me.

[Caleb Putnam]

I just didn't understand. I was like. I was waiting for, like, a formal, like, rule thing. Okay. And now this is how you play the. I was like, I. Yeah, you guys didn't need that. It was hard.

[Phil]

You got it.

[Caleb Putnam]

You did great.

[Phil]

It was a lot of fun.

[Randall Williams]

In any event, I'm crushed.

[Brody Henderson]

You'll have to develop a new campaign. Campaign's what it's called, right, Phil?

[Phil]

That's right, Brody.

[Brody Henderson]

We'll do a new campaign sometimes.

[Phil]

Sounds good. Cool.

[Brody Henderson]

All right, that's it for now, Phil.

[Randall Williams]

For now. We got.

[Phil]

We'll save some more for the end of the show, so. All right, keep sending them in.

[Brody Henderson]

We got another interview coming up. Next up, we've got Chris Hill, who is the CEO of the Conservation Lands Foundation. She'll be joining us from Alaska. CLF is the only organization dedicated to the conservation and expansion of national conservation lands, which she'll have to explain a little bit, which currently total about 38 million acres. And I'm going to let Cal handle this one because he'll do a better job than me.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yeah, Chris and I are Internet friends.

[Brody Henderson]

Yeah.

[Randall Williams]

Welcome, Chris.

[Caleb Putnam]

I just say that because we haven't met in person ever, as this world goes. Yes. How are you, Chris Hill?

[Sponsor Announcer]

I'm great. How are you guys doing? Thanks for having me.

[Caleb Putnam]

Where are you today?

[Sponsor Announcer]

I am in Haines, Alaska, which is southeast Alaska. And it's the first day in four days that it hasn't rained, so it's really nice out.

[Caleb Putnam]

Do you. Would you mind hitting us with a quick southeast Alaska hunt? Fish report. Have you been doing anything fun?

[Sponsor Announcer]

Oh, yeah. So, you know, this is. This is the best time, I think, to be in southeast Alaska because it's co. Host season, so.

[Caleb Putnam]

So.

[Sponsor Announcer]

And Coho is probably my. One of my favorite fish to. To fish for.

[Brody Henderson]

So.

[Sponsor Announcer]

They're here. The derby started. I gotta. I gotta keep my championship up and win the derby again this year.

[Randall Williams]

Oh, wow. You're the returning champ.

[Sponsor Announcer]

I am the returning champ. On the fly. Only on the fly.

[Randall Williams]

Gotcha. Gotcha.

[Sponsor Announcer]

Still, nonetheless, yeah, it's fun. It's a lot. It's really fun. And we just got back from. From a trip to Yakutat to go surfing and fishing, and we did a little fish a couple days on the sea tuck to fish for Coho, and it was just fantastic.

[Caleb Putnam]

And Yak has a good steelhead fishery too, right? They do, yeah.

[Sponsor Announcer]

So Sea Took the Sea Tuck is a really awesome river. It's in the Tongass and it's home to all five species of Pacific salmon and has a healthy steelhead run. So it's. It was, it was really amazing. Yeah.

[Caleb Putnam]

Heck, yeah. Well, since you said the magic word Tongass, would, would you like to really. This is your time, Chris. But we have lots of things happening all at once in the conservation landscape. What are you and CLF working on the most? What's. What's your number one item to tackle?

[Sponsor Announcer]

Oh, that's, that's a hard one. So, because there is just so many things. So Conservation Lands foundation represents this broad nonpartisan national network of community leaders that are solely focused on the lands from blm. We're focused on expanding, protecting and restoring those lands at blm. And you know, as you guys know, BLM is the, has the largest amount of the country's public lands at 245 million acres. And just in comparison, that's larger than the Forest Service and probably three times larger than the National Park Service. So these are all those lands in between the National Park Service. And we work with over 80 community led land conservation organizations across the west and really do it in this sort of community based advocacy model where investing in local leaders to protect their lands has really proven to be one of the most effective strategies. So, you know, really, as we look at sort of the onslaught of all of the things that are happening and all of the attacks that are happening on public lands, the idea that we want to privatize these places is still incredibly unpopular opinion in the communities. And we'll continue to see, you know, we as a community did a really great job at the sell off of public lands during the reconciliation fight. But we're going to continue to see the onslaught of more and more things that are going to come from the administration and Congress to try to continue to privatize those lands. So right now, what we're working on, and I would say there's probably two big issues at the moment, the repeal of resource management plans within Congress. And then on the administration side, it's opening up drilling in the western Arctic and the repeal of the public lands rule.

[Caleb Putnam]

And we have not talked a lot about Western Arctic here recently. Do you want to give us a quick snapshot of, of what the conversation is? Western Arctic, obviously huge caribou area and our western Arctic herd is not historically healthy right now from a population standpoint. And Western Arctic has some Calving areas and obviously a huge migration route for our migratory birds.

[Sponsor Announcer]

Absolutely. And it's one of the last remaining intact ecosystems we have on the planet. Right. I think, I think you went this summer to, did you go to the Western Arctic or.

[Caleb Putnam]

Well, we would have been like, we would have been east, west.

[Randall Williams]

Yeah, we were.

[Caleb Putnam]

So we were, we were, we were still quite a ways east. Lake Prudhoe.

[Sponsor Announcer]

Okay, okay.

[Caleb Putnam]

We were closer to Canada.

[Sponsor Announcer]

Okay, gotcha, gotcha. But that whole entire system. Right. Is super important. And so right now we're kind of in a holding pattern at the moment. So in June, the Interior Department proposed to rescind the current Integrated Activities Plan. So it's like a management plan for the Western Arctic. And that plan limited oil and gas development from expanding into the special areas, which is some of what you've been talking about within the Western Arctic. The important piece of that plan is that it really did balance energy production with the protection of this ecosystem. They opened it up to rescind it. They proposed to rescind it. They had a comment period. That comment period has since closed. And during that comment period, we really saw the communities rise up and have a steady drumbeat of opposition. So right now we're waiting for the administration to release its final plan during there. At the same time, if you remember, during the congressional reconciliation fight, the Senate added back in provisions that directed DOI to resume oil and gas, the oil and gas leasing program in the Western Arctic. So this, that provision sort of went back to the Trump era plan that requires at least 4 million acres to be leased for drilling. So there's more to come here. I think we'll, it'll start to unravel itself again and we're probably going to see this in the courts.

[Caleb Putnam]

And then I guess real quick, what from that community level that you spoke about, what's the community response in. Regarding. In regards to rescinding roadless in the, in the Tongass? Tongass and roadless typically go hand in hand. You can't talk about roadless act without talking about Tongass.

[Sponsor Announcer]

Yeah, that's for sure. You know, so Tongass is national forest and it's, it's dear to my heart because it is in my backyard. This is where I recreate all the time. And the Tongass National Forest is particularly going to be affected by the rescission of the roadless rule because it's, you know, the ruralest areas in the tongass is almost 92% of all of the forest. And you know, as you guys know, the Tongass is the largest national forest in the United States. It's the world's last remaining temperate rainforest. It's called the climate Forest, or the lungs of the north of North America because of its old growth trees and the ability for those trees to really, like, breathe in carbon and use it as a carbon sink for the rest of the earth. It's completely and just beautifully biologically diverse. It's home to brown bears and black bears and wolves and all sorts of Sitka blacktail deer, which, by the way, that hunt is starting soon too. So I'm super excited about that. And it's like it's one of the most important habitats for all five species of Pacific Pacific salmon. So it's super important. It's culturally important for indigenous folks who have steward and lived on the land since time immemorial. And it's a tourism powerhouse. You have all of the things right for the Tongass that just make it a really important place. And because of all of those things, those communities are the ones that are really standing up and saying, no, we want to keep the roadless rule intact and it's important to do so. You know, the roadless rule has been around since 2001. It's 9 million acres of the Tongass that are designated as roadless. And it's important for us to continue that. It's not just the Tongass that the roadless rule helps. Right. It's across the west and probably a lot of areas where your folks are listening from as well. So I think we have one more day. I think the comment period ends tomorrow. I know. Trout Unlimited, if you go on to tu.org that you can submit a comment on their portal.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yeah, tu's got a good map, too. The Wilderness Society's got a good map up. BHA's got a good map up. If you've got Onx, you can see, you can put on your, your roadless area layer and, and see real quick, speaking out of Bos Angeles here. Our entire watershed for the Gallatin Valley is in a roadless area and highly, highly accessible for all you casual dog walkers, even so.

[Sponsor Announcer]

Exactly.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yeah. Well, well used, well loved stuff. Yeah, darn right. Well, how do folks learn more about clf? Chris?

[Sponsor Announcer]

Oh, great question. So we're on all the socials, right? You can, you could find us on Instagram and all of the social medias. And then you also can go to conservationlands.org that's our website. You can get involved there. We also, as I said, we work with over 80 local nonprofits. And I would imagine that a lot of folks can be connected to some of those local nonprofits to really do some of the work on the ground and get to know the folks in the communities.

[Randall Williams]

And I will add that you just mentioned TUS Action page. I went on there and just submitted a comment now and I even personalized it. So everybody in the chat, it doesn't take that long to go and make your voice heard on, on these public lands issues.

[Sponsor Announcer]

That's right. And you know, we've seen time and time again, it's, it's those comments that make a difference. Some people are like, what is my comment gonna do? But it actually makes a difference and creates that record to show that either the public is for or against an issue. And you know, when we're looking at it from the agency perspective, but also from the congressional perspective, Congresspeople want to hear from their constituencies. And when we band together and have that voice become, you know, very large and big, things happen and things change. And we saw that with the public land sell off fight.

[Caleb Putnam]

That's right. And if you folks at home want to think about it in a very tangible way, do you act differently when people are paying attention to you?

[Sponsor Announcer]

Exactly.

[Caleb Putnam]

Our representatives and our senators, they can darn sure act differently when they know a lot of people are paying attention to them. So that's part of getting your comment in. Chris Hill, thank you so much. Conservation Lands Foundation. We'll have to have you back on. And where to go, where do folks go to find you again?

[Sponsor Announcer]

Conservationlands.org or any social channels.

[Caleb Putnam]

Awesome. Well, thank you so much. And we or I will see you in the heart of the cold, cold city next week when we're going to talk about climate and conservation and public lands in Manhattan, an actual island, Big Apple. Yeah.

[Brody Henderson]

Not any elk running around there.

[Caleb Putnam]

No.

[Sponsor Announcer]

No. We might see some rats, though.

[Brody Henderson]

Yeah. Thanks, Chris.

[Sponsor Announcer]

Yeah, thank you all and I'll see you soon. Thank you.

[Randall Williams]

Thanks, Chris.

[Sponsor Announcer]

You can make a difference in someone's life, including your own, with a job in home care. These jobs offer flexible schedules, health care, retirement options, and free training. They also provide paid time off and opportunities for overtime. Visit oregonhomecarejobs.com to learn more and apply. That's oregonhomecarejobs.com.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway Cough. And cold season is coming, so make sure you're prepared. And stock up on your family's favorite personal wellness products. Now through October 7th, shop in store and online for savings on products like Mucinex Kickstart Combo, Zyrtec Allergy Relief Tablets or Liquid Gels, Halls, Cough drops and Mucinex Fast day and night so you and your family are armed and ready for the season ahead. Offerings October 7th. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.

[Steve Rinella]

Hey, this is Steve and I am proud to announce that Meat Eater is headed south for the holidays. Announcing Meat Eater Live, the Christmas tour, which kicks off in December across six southeastern cities, Birmingham, Nashville, Memphis, Fayetteville, Dallas and Austin. Join myself, Giannis Putelis, also known as Yanni Chimani or the Latvian Lover, Clay Newcomb, Brent Reeves and Dr. Randall Williams for a night of laughs, trivia, free prizes, news and opinion from across the worlds of hunting, fishing, wildlife conservation and wild foods. Meat Eater Live is the best possible Christmas gift for any outdoorsman or woman in your life. Sign [e-mail] tour and you'll get pre sale access to buy tickets on September 22 days before they go on sale to the public. We can't wait to see y' all down south.

[Brody Henderson]

We got a new segment for you today and it is called three Harsh Truth.

[Phil]

Hey little hunter, let me light your candle.

[Steve Rinella]

Cause these shoes are so hard to handle now.

[Caleb Putnam]

Spin doctors like I just screw that up.

[Brody Henderson]

I just came up with a segment a couple days ago and you she's.

[Randall Williams]

Like oh my God, we should just make up new segments all the time.

[Phil]

Oh please don't.

[Randall Williams]

It's the highlight of this show.

[Brody Henderson]

Three Harsh Truths is where our panel of experts, self appointed experts, we're going to share some things that most people might not want to believe, but they're certainly true, at least according to us. And I thought about calling it hot takes but it's like overused and hot takes are typically opinions that are expressed like without any real evidence. And we wouldn't do that to you. So we're going to share ours with you in order Cal lay it on us. What's the harsh truth?

[Caleb Putnam]

Buying your hunting and fishing license is not enough. You have got to if you want to be a responsible hunter or angler, you have got to participate in our system of wildlife management, which sometimes you would feel like is being political. But fill out your surveys, go to in person, go to your fish game committee meetings, participate in the comment periods and write your senators and congress people. It makes a huge difference.

[Brody Henderson]

I love filling out those surveys.

[Randall Williams]

Yeah. And showing up to meetings too is like you feel so much more involved and you have, you have such a greater awareness of what's happening is you're.

[Brody Henderson]

Gonna, like, learn a bunch of stuff you otherwise would never know.

[Randall Williams]

Sometimes it feels like cheating in terms of just, like, being aware of what's happening with wildlife in your state.

[Brody Henderson]

Yep.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yep. Do you want to, like, round robin this thing, or do you want me to go do all three?

[Brody Henderson]

Well, we decided you can lay another one on us. We? Reynal and I, we should have told you. We're just gonna do one each. Oh, okay, great. But if you got another quick one, lay it on. Yes.

[Caleb Putnam]

Antelope jump fences.

[Brody Henderson]

I've seen it.

[Caleb Putnam]

They can do it.

[Brody Henderson]

I've also seen around for 15 minutes wondering what to do when they hit.

[Randall Williams]

A fence that dovetails with. This isn't my harsh truth, but one of my harsh truths is, like, all the stuff you've heard isn't. Isn't right.

[Brody Henderson]

You don't say. Yeah, all right, Randall.

[Randall Williams]

My harsh truth is this. There's. There's a lot of, like, discourse online about social media and hunting. And. And, like, is social media ruining hunting? And. And a lot of it focuses specifically on, like, what's unique about hunting and social media. My harsh truth is social media is ruining everything. If you have any hobby, it's being ruined by social media. And I would just, like, if you look at, like, all the problems, I feel like a lot of the problems that people complain about in the hunting world are just problems about the modern world. Like, permits in national parks are hard to get. Like, everything's getting too expensive. And so I just feel like there's a lot of, like, finger pointing within the hunting community about what's ruining. Who's ruining what?

[Caleb Putnam]

Drones, Infrared.

[Randall Williams]

I mean, there is that, too, but it's like thermals. It's like, if you want to go backpacking somewhere, someone's already. You could watch a video of someone with a GoPro on their head walking that trail.

[Brody Henderson]

They're ruining that trail. Like, Like, I went down a social. Like, I've been running more and more lately, and I went down a running social media trail tragically the other day. And it's like, social media is ruining running. I'm like, really? Like. Because it's not ruining it for me. It's like, whether you choose to allow it to ruin it for you or not, like, no one's holding the gun to your head telling you to, like, believe or follow what's on every social media page. It's ridiculous.

[Randall Williams]

And I think that, like, now I. I had a lot of thoughts about this, and they sort of sprawled. The one is you haven't. Everything you've heard isn't true. The other is like, just decide what you want and you'll get it out of hunting.

[Brody Henderson]

Right.

[Randall Williams]

Like, like, oh, do you want to go somewhere and see? No. See, see. No other hunters. You can do that or you can.

[Brody Henderson]

Decide to let social media ruin it for you.

[Randall Williams]

Yeah, exactly. Like, like it's, it's all about keeping it in perspective and just recognizing that. Like the finger pointing and the XYZ shit talking. Yeah. Like that's all. It's not unique to our community.

[Brody Henderson]

Not at all.

[Randall Williams]

And there's a lot of breath and ink wasted on it.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yeah. If you're gonna do social media, do DIY woodworking, plumbing, electrical.

[Randall Williams]

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Caleb Putnam]

Then man, that's who I'm watching.

[Brody Henderson]

Yep.

[Caleb Putnam]

Oh, I know.

[Randall Williams]

Like there's, I'm sure there's plumbers out there. Like social media's ruined plumbing.

[Caleb Putnam]

Exact.

[Brody Henderson]

I don't make as much money. Damn it.

[Randall Williams]

Randall can replace the light switch now.

[Brody Henderson]

Anybody can. Ruined the broken toilet.

[Randall Williams]

Yeah, exactly.

[Brody Henderson]

Nice, Randall. I like that one. Mine's kind, mine's a little longer. I'll get through it though. There's a quote from a hunting writer and I don't call who it is, but it stuck with me over the years and it goes something like, anyone can take a 500 yard shot at an animal, but it takes a really good hunter to sneak in and kill one at 50 yards. And the reason I'm telling you that quote is I strongly believe based on years of experience, that it's a mistake to encourage or allow young or novice hunters to take long ass rifle shots at big game animals. And like long is relative. Right? Like it's, it's this, there's not one specific distance, but. And I'll get, I'll get further into that later. But the reason why is even if a new hunter is practiced and they're capable of making four or 500 yard shots at the range, shooting at animals like in the heat of the moment is just way different than shooting at paper targets. And for every hunter, but especially inexperienced hunter, the goal should always be to get as close as possible to minimize the chance for a poor shot, a miss or a wounded animal, whatever. But I think just as important. That's the reason you always hear, but just as important. Long range shooting at animals is not how you learn to be a good hunter. It's just like not has nothing to do with it. Becoming a good hunter comes from reading like things like reading sign, watching the behavior and body Language of animals. Learning how to like pick a route that keeps you out of sight on a stock, being quiet, paying attention to the wind direction. Like those are the things that, that's how you become a good hunter. And I like personally I'm not, I'm going to get up on the soapbox. Like I held to a strict no shots over 200 yards rule with my older son for his first three big game seasons and I know he's like a better hunter for it because he was learning along the way and it taught me a lot because it didn't hamper his success one bit. In his first three hunting seasons he killed three mule deer bucks and an antelope buck like following that 200 yard rule. And then like now he's a little older and I'll let him, he's shot more, he's shot at animals, he's shot at targets more and I'll let him stretch that range out a little bit.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yeah, yeah. This is just like a funny observational story. But my good buddy Jim might call him old, old, old old Jim down in Idaho.

[Randall Williams]

He three olds.

[Caleb Putnam]

He's. Yeah, yeah. I think. Well he's always the oldest of our hunting group.

[Randall Williams]

Oh.

[Caleb Putnam]

And he bought a super fancy sheep rifle, ultralight thing.

[Brody Henderson]

And, and that's the thing is those types of long range systems are like so prevalent now that it's just like they are, you know they are.

[Caleb Putnam]

But here's the fun thing. Like he, and he's got a, you can shoot like a mile on his own property, like step out the door. And he shoots all the time and has the ability to do it and he's very capable. And about three seasons after getting this rifle, he's like the furthest shot I have ever made with this expletive, expletive.

[Brody Henderson]

Yep.

[Caleb Putnam]

Rifle is 150 yards.

[Brody Henderson]

Yeah.

[Caleb Putnam]

And because when you grow up and you've put the time in to become that good hunter, your interactions with animals are much tighter.

[Brody Henderson]

They're also more fun and exciting.

[Caleb Putnam]

They are. But you are just naturally putting yourself in a tighter distance. And the reality is is like the closer you can get, the fewer variables you are going to encounter.

[Brody Henderson]

Yep.

[Caleb Putnam]

And you know your ability to see what could be blocking your shot no matter what scope you have at 450 yards is not as good as it's going to be at 150.

[Brody Henderson]

No, I like, I'm not, I don't want this seem like I'm trashing long range shooting. I just think it's a disservice to like, young and new hunters, to be like, There's a bucket, 500 yards, lay down, shoot. You know, like, it's just like they're not learning much.

[Caleb Putnam]

Oh, man. I watched some folks, I watched these guys shoot this buck last year and it wasn't all that far, but this is like dense grizzly bear area and you know, they charged up the hill. They probably shot it at like 450 yards, which is a long shot, but not crazy far when you're talking about long range shooting. And I watched those guys walk around looking for it, trying, trying to find this deer that dropped in its tracks for 40 minutes.

[Brody Henderson]

Yeah.

[Caleb Putnam]

To the point where I was like, I better help like bird dog these people into where the deer drop.

[Brody Henderson]

Right.

[Caleb Putnam]

And there's just things like that that people don't consider.

[Brody Henderson]

Yeah.

[Caleb Putnam]

And if you don't know you whacked that thing, a lot of people are going to give up on it and be like, oh, God, maybe I missed. The doubt starts creeping in. And, and there's the state of Wyoming. They had a conversation in the, the fishing game regulation process about trying to address long range shooting.

[Brody Henderson]

Yeah.

[Caleb Putnam]

And there's ways that. All of which would be high. You know, it's. It's regulating morality, which is not something we can do effectively, but a limitation on the amount of ammunition you can pack with you.

[Brody Henderson]

Make you think twice about.

[Caleb Putnam]

And I think I'm like, what would the effect be if it's like, how many tags do you have? You got one valid tag, you get five rounds.

[Brody Henderson]

Right.

[Caleb Putnam]

That's five each day.

[Randall Williams]

Right.

[Caleb Putnam]

And two extra in case you think the rifle got knocked off a zero and you need to prove your.

[Randall Williams]

You're still funny. I've never heard that.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yeah.

[Randall Williams]

The round limitation.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yeah. Because they do it on like WMAs.

[Brody Henderson]

Yeah.

[Caleb Putnam]

For waterfowl.

[Randall Williams]

Yeah.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yeah.

[Randall Williams]

Interesting.

[Caleb Putnam]

Try to limit sky busting.

[Brody Henderson]

Anyway. That's what I think. So Harsh truth. Take it or not.

[Caleb Putnam]

Harsh truth.

[Brody Henderson]

Yeah.

[Phil]

Well, there should be. When this segment started out, there should be some sort of music bed playing underneath it. Just like a variant, you know, kind of foreboding, intense.

[Randall Williams]

You could have a little button you push and it just goes, ooh, that's harsh.

[Caleb Putnam]

Throughout the segment, Smackdown, whenever one of.

[Randall Williams]

Us makes a good point, you go, ooh, that's harsh.

[Brody Henderson]

Phil, do we got any reactions to those harsh Truth or maybe some, some of the listeners have something there.

[Phil]

There was some happening throughout the thing. I don't remember the, you know, their timestamps, but I couldn't tell you exactly what they Were in.

[Brody Henderson]

Well, give us something interesting.

[Randall Williams]

What do we got?

[Phil]

Yeah, what do we got in reference to here?

[Brody Henderson]

Let's do a general chat finger. What's he.

[Phil]

Oh, Heffelfinger. He said one thing. You should use your woodsmanship, not marksmanship. See, I don't know what he's referring to here.

[Brody Henderson]

That's what we just talked about.

[Caleb Putnam]

Great.

[Randall Williams]

Jim, this. This, if you're still on there. This moose that I saw with the busted up leg. The leg was on the left side and the right antler had grown in all kinds of funky. I'll send you a picture. You told us about that at some point.

[Phil]

It's mostly people asking Mogor questions about Hungary and people talking about Steve on Theo von Shout out Mogor.

[Brody Henderson]

Well, if nobody's got any. Anything interesting to say or ask.

[Phil]

See, this is a. This. This is a me problem. I screwed up. I should have been on it, putting these comments up as it was happening.

[Brody Henderson]

Damn it.

[Caleb Putnam]

So.

[Randall Williams]

I'm so sorry you're having such a big week. All right, Dnd, let's.

[Brody Henderson]

We can.

[Randall Williams]

You can find something good like. Come on. This is my favorite part.

[Phil]

Oh, no, no. I. I've got listener feedback. I'm just thinking of stuff.

[Brody Henderson]

Oh, it doesn't have to be to.

[Caleb Putnam]

The three harsh truths.

[Steve Rinella]

Let's get.

[Caleb Putnam]

I've got feedback.

[Randall Williams]

I knew you didn't drop the ball.

[Phil]

No, Cal, this is from Ethan. When you kill your monster, Grizz, what is your plan with it? Rug mount, soft tan, Sausage roast.

[Caleb Putnam]

Do you think this far ahead or is that bad?

[Phil]

Bad juju. If you feel like you're. Is there any superstition around?

[Caleb Putnam]

I. Well, it's part of logistical planning that you do. You need to plan for being successful. And then if you're unsuccessful, you're just carrying extra stuff. Right. So, yeah, I am planning. The big negative of a coastal bear in the fall specifically, is they are. They're feeding on salmon. And I have friends that take a chunk of meat off every single bear and cook it. And. And I believe them because they have. They have the largest database data set that they're working with.

[Brody Henderson]

Can I interrupt you for.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yes.

[Brody Henderson]

In Alaska, there's no salvage rule for those fall bears, is there? Correct.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yeah. You don't have to take. Yeah. Yeah. So my plan is to ideally do some cooking up there if I am successful and come up with a game plan for what I'm going to do with some big old grizzly bear meat. The other thing I have tags for, because I've purchased them in advance, are Wolves. And in this area, you know, it's an area where the caribou population is of concern, and they're encouraging people to harvest wolves, and they feel like there's a very high population of wolves. And I have always wanted to cook wolves. So ideally, we'll. We'll have, like, a big old grizzly bear ham and a big old wolf ham, and we'll. We'll do some fun cooking down here in the Meat eater studio too, so. And then as far as, like, rug mount, soft tan stuff. Like, I have not thought that far.

[Brody Henderson]

Like, I.

[Caleb Putnam]

It will be utilized, I guarantee you.

[Phil]

Great. This is just an update from Kyle, who asked a question about differences between spring and fall turkey, and he's happy to report based on that advice, he got his first turkey ever yesterday.

[Randall Williams]

I saw that. I saw that on the damned social media that's ruining everything.

[Phil]

Terrible.

[Caleb Putnam]

Congratulations. Congrats, Kyle.

[Phil]

Charles says, is Meat Eater Roast still happening? Haven't seen a new episode in a while.

[Caleb Putnam]

It is.

[Phil]

Yani's gearing up to film the next batch of episodes, so stay tuned.

[Randall Williams]

Yeah, it requires coordinating a lot of schedules.

[Phil]

Caleb, because you were mean to me and yelled, I will answer your. Ask your. Ask your question. If you need vision assistance, do you prefer glasses or contacts in the field?

[Brody Henderson]

I wear contacts.

[Randall Williams]

I can tell you what Sidney preferred because my vision is perfect. She preferred laser eye surgery.

[Caleb Putnam]

There you go.

[Brody Henderson]

Option C. Contacts here.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yeah. I've seen people have issues with both.

[Brody Henderson]

Yeah.

[Caleb Putnam]

But I do feel very poorly for one of my good friends, who I won't, Won't name. Used to call him the pot bellied stallion. Looking at that dude with his glasses all fogged up when he's sucking wind trying to get up the hill fast.

[Brody Henderson]

Yeah. And it's like looking through binos in a spot and scope with glasses is kind of a pain. But.

[Caleb Putnam]

But do you feel like you like. I feel like you should have, like, a little eyeball kit if you're gonna go the contact route, because there's multiple. Like, you need your solution and stuff.

[Randall Williams]

Sydney always did contacts, and it was like contacts in the tent was just like a nightmare.

[Brody Henderson]

Well, dailies are way easier. I mean, they're a little more trash to deal with. But, I mean, I just bring twice as many dailies as I think I'm gonna need because dust gets in there. What?

[Randall Williams]

You know, at one point, we pulled some dailies out of the trash and washed them to put them back in her eyes.

[Brody Henderson]

Interesting.

[Caleb Putnam]

Improvise, adapt and overcome.

[Randall Williams]

Yep. The laser.

[Phil]

I will say Aiden thank you for watching the show live for the first time. I appreciate it. I have seen your question that you have submitted literally nine times about getting a young hunter into it. I haven't picked your question because we've talked about that a lot. And also, Brody's the only dad on the panel, so.

[Randall Williams]

But my parents didn't hunt. Randall and I got.

[Phil]

How did you get into hunting? And how would you encourage other young hunters to get into hunting?

[Randall Williams]

Get your friends into it. Find friends who have. We had, like, a group of friends, and one of our dads hunted.

[Brody Henderson]

Yeah, there's ways.

[Randall Williams]

And we all transmitted it through osmosis.

[Brody Henderson]

There's mentorship programs with fish and game departments. Buy our book, Catch a Carry, Fish, Count the Stars. There's a great plug section in there on how to do it. Like it? There's ways to do it, for sure.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yeah. I'll tell you, if you're interested in it and you're not just actively figuring it out, you're probably not cut out for the hunting game. I say that. That. That sounds like a harsh truth, but I'll tell you, like, I was surrounded by very casual hunters, and it wasn't like anything near the way people live in this office. And I bugged the hell out of people to facilitate my obsession with hunting without having anybody directly there to be a mentor. Right. Like, I just. There was something about it. I was very interested in it, and I pushed and pushed and pushed, and people kept throwing footballs and. And basketballs and baseballs at me, saying, like, here, play with this.

[Randall Williams]

And you spat at them.

[Caleb Putnam]

Exactly. So you'll. You'll figure it out. Like, if it. If you're interested in it, you just gotta make it happen and don't let stuff hold you back.

[Randall Williams]

Yep.

[Phil]

Great.

[Randall Williams]

Sorry to do that to you, Phil.

[Phil]

Well, Jordan says Phil's getting a little stern since his big trivia podcast. Jordan, shut up. That's not the reason. I'm just a little prickly after that. That misunderstanding about the feedback with the three harsh truths, and everyone got mad at me. And also, I carry a small amount of insecurity about being a non hunter who has to pick hunting questions for a bunch of hunters to answer. It's a hard job.

[Caleb Putnam]

Back here. Harsh truth.

[Brody Henderson]

There you go. There you go, Phil. Laying down the law. All right, we're gonna move on from that, Phil.

[Phil]

Oh, let's do it, please.

[Brody Henderson]

You know, next time you'll do better.

[Phil]

Thanks, Brody.

[Brody Henderson]

So we got a couple announcements to make before we sign off, and the first one is we're opening our newest media to retail location in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. And they got some events going on, grand opening and some tailgate tour events. Who's going to that tailgate tour?

[Randall Williams]

Spencer Spencer, Mark Kenyon and Chester Floyd.

[Brody Henderson]

And they'll be at the store, but that'll probably all get covered and this announcement that Phil is gonna play right now.

[Steve Rinella]

All right, Milwaukee hunters, this Friday, September.

[Brody Henderson]

19, from 4 until 7pm we'll be.

[Steve Rinella]

Having our grand opening of this brand new meat eater store right here in Brooklyn, Wisconsin. It's a family friendly event, so be.

[Brody Henderson]

Sure to bring your kids, bring your.

[Steve Rinella]

Spouse, and no matter where your adventure is taking you this season, we got you covered. From Western big game to Phelps game calls to FHF gear, we got everything you need to get you going further and staying longer. We also have brand new Milwaukee meat eater logo wear.

[Randall Williams]

Wow.

[Steve Rinella]

Behind me we got whitetail wear for the season.

[Brody Henderson]

From cold weather to early season.

[Steve Rinella]

We also have waterfowl clothing right behind me. The event's going to be joined by the backcountry hunters and anglers group, the National Deer Association. The Meat eater tailgate tour will also be here.

[Brody Henderson]

Some of the meat eater personalities.

[Steve Rinella]

With all that being said, we're happy.

[Brody Henderson]

To be a part of this community.

[Steve Rinella]

So come on by this Friday, grab.

[Corey Calkins]

A beer, tell us some of your.

[Steve Rinella]

Hunting stories and be prepared for lots of fun. Thanks for all your support.

[Caleb Putnam]

Well, I want to go now.

[Brody Henderson]

Yeah. No. Oh, look at that.

[Caleb Putnam]

I would have you remember Wayne's World when they're talking with Alice Cooper. Miliwake.

[Randall Williams]

I.

[Caleb Putnam]

There's. There should be a corner of the store dedicated just to that.

[Randall Williams]

Yeah, and cheese curds.

[Brody Henderson]

Try some of that.

[Caleb Putnam]

Oh, what do you got there?

[Brody Henderson]

I'm gonna talk with my mouthful. Besides opening our new store, we got a whole bunch of new products and content coming out soon. Randall show. That's the camera. That's the new jerky. We got, I think three different flavors maybe.

[Randall Williams]

That's delightful.

[Brody Henderson]

It was great.

[Randall Williams]

This is the Hawaiian teriyaki bison jerky.

[Brody Henderson]

So if you're lame and you don't know how to make your own jerky out of deer, elk or whatever you got in the freezer, that stuff's real good. It's buffalo. We've also got. After a long wait. You see that, Phil?

[Phil]

There it is.

[Brody Henderson]

It's here. Releases next week. The effed up old trucks calendar. I'm not going to show you what's inside. You got to buy it.

[Randall Williams]

It looks good.

[Brody Henderson]

Oh, it turned out great, man.

[Phil]

You know What? I learned a word. Misophonia. You guys know what that is?

[Brody Henderson]

That's when a sound really bugs you real bad.

[Phil]

Yeah. When people are chewing into a microphone.

[Brody Henderson]

You got it. Oh, my bad, my bad.

[Caleb Putnam]

Masticated.

[Phil]

I mean, I, I support it because we are meat eater.

[Brody Henderson]

Harsh truth. Harsh truths. It's jerky. You gotta chew it.

[Caleb Putnam]

Yeah, the. We're working hard to make the jerky a super cool project. So this round is sourcing, you know, American buffalo. And then we're working on a bunch of other, like, sustainable projects that support our ranchers that are doing really good things for wildlife and their way of living.

[Brody Henderson]

That's right. And by the way, if you like, don't know this sucker here, if you buy it, it's not expensive, but if you buy it, two bucks from every. The sale of every calendar we're going to donate to backcountry hunters and anglers so they can keep fighting the public lands fight. So you'd be doing a great thing for, for BHA and anyone who enjoys public lands if you buy that calendar.

[Caleb Putnam]

Darn right. Thank you in advance.

[Brody Henderson]

Yeah. And then real quick, as far as content, Heather deville's new series, Our Way of Life is coming out, I think. I don't know, I don't know the date, but it's coming out soon. And I think it's like one of the coolest things we've done in a really long time. Like for video content. It is awesome. So check that out. And meat eater season 13 is going to be available real soon as well. And Randall has a final announcement for everyone.

[Randall Williams]

Yes. On next week's show, we will once again be circling up the Meat Eater movie club. And the title we'll be discussing is the 2010 documentary Elephant in the Living Room, which is available for free on Pluto and Amazon Prime. It's one of my all time favorite documentaries and I was delighted to see that it's now available to stream for free. And so I'm excited to revisit that rich, rich text about exotic pet ownership.

[Brody Henderson]

Excellent.

[Randall Williams]

Yes.

[Brody Henderson]

All right, guys, thanks for listening and tune in next week.

[Caleb Putnam]

Be kind, be courteous, be safe out there, enjoy your season, be cool. Parse truths.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. Spooky season is quickly approaching, so time to stock up on all your favorite treats. Now through October 7th, you can get early savings on your Halloween candy favorites when you shop in store and online. Save on items like Hershey's, Reese's Pumpkins, Snickers Miniatures, Tootsie Rolls, Raw Sugar, Milk Chocolate, Caramel, Jack O' Lanterns, Brock's Candy Corn Charms, Mini Pops and more offerings October 7th. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.

[Steve Rinella]

If you spend a ton of time in the woods like I do, you know how important good equipment is. And let me tell you man, I have been messing with the Summit Stands Captain's chair and dude, this is going to be a major improvement in my program. It's a portable seat designed with Summit's industry leading comfort, perfect for turkey and dove season, hunting in flooded timber or any type of ground hunting. This is a classic padded seat that clamps onto a tree. Visit Summit Stands.com and use the coupon code Me Eater for 20% off site wide Visit Summit Stands.com use coupon code Me Eater for 20 percent off site wide hey, this is Steve and I am proud to announce that Meat Eater is headed south for the holidays, announcing Meat Eater Live, the Christmas Tour, which kicks off in December across six southeastern cities Birmingham, Nashville, Memphis, Fayetteville, Dallas and Austin. Join myself, Giannis Putelis, also known as Yanni Chimani or the Latvian Lover, Clay Newcomb, Brent Reeves and Dr. Randall Williams for a night of laughs, trivia, free prizes, news and opinion from across the worlds of hunting, fishing, wildlife, conservation and wild foods. Meat Eater Live is the best possible Christmas gift for any outdoorsman or woman in your life. Sign [e-mail] tour and you'll get pre sale access to buy tickets on September 22, days before they go on sale to the public. We can't wait to see y' all down south.

[Sponsor Announcer]

This is an iHeart podcast.