Lone Star Outdoor Show Lone Star Outdoor Show

We kick things off with an outdoor quick hit segment focusing on Grizzly reintroduction in Washington State, Peacock Network’s new “Queer Planet” documentary and Pennsylvania finally will allow Sunday hunting. You won’t believe the “Queer Planet” stuff by they way, it’s pure insanity.



Then we take an in depth look at how wildlife conservation is funded in North America when our old friend Mark Oliva of the NSSF (National Shooting Sports Foundation) drops by. Some of the highlights from our talk include:



* the recreational shooter’s impact on wildlife conservation

* what are the most popular calibers among recreational shooters?

* Biden’s latest attempt to circumvent the Constitution and attack the 2A by creating new laws

* Cable would be a x2 felon (just in the past 3 months) under the new laws

* Weaponization of the ATF and Department of the Interior impact on Sportsmen

* Axis deer are Mark’s “white whale”

* Annual financial contribution of Pittman Robertson funding

* hunter replacement theory



 

You can’t make this up but you can look up Jenny Keatinge’s resume. The policy writer/advisor for the National Wildlife Refuge System has worked for 3 of the greatest anti hunting outfits in existence. Yep, she’s been employed by the anti hunting Mount Rushmore  of Defenders of Wildlife, HSUS and Center for Biological Diversity… and now she writes policy for the National Wildlife Refuge System. How does that happen, exactly?

Our good friend and District of Conservation Podcast host Gabriella Hoffman makes her return on this installment of Campfire Conversations. Gabby breaks down the amended changes in the BIDEH rule that is at the center of closing the NWRS to sportsmen and women alike.



* History and Mission Statement of the National Wildlife Refuge System

* National Wildlife Refuge System threatens to close 400 refuges to hunters/anglers based on Climate Change initiatives

* Where are the democrat hunters and how do they plan to prevent their party from destroying our outdoor pastimes?

* Preservation vs Conservation with a side of Rewilding

* Hunter Replacement Theory

* Colorado Mountain Lion snuffs out one of the newly reintroduced Colorado wolves

* Gabby’s personal best largemouth

* POMA

* Who is Jenny Keatinge anyway?

* Anthropomorphism

* ESA issues when it comes to large carnivores

My friend Jeff Barstad and I go back about a dozen years. A friendship forged on a thermal hog hunt that lead to shared deer leases and a growing list of international hunting adventures. We take a look back at some of our experiences from our Oklahoma deer lease and sleepless nights spent in a mouse and rat infested camper to some of our big game trips overseas. Jeff is a veteran of 3 African Safaris and most recently, he joined myself and some other friends on our maiden voyage to South America. We relive some of our favorite moments and hunts on safari together from stinky old waterbucks to seeing who could spit dried kudu pellets the furthest in the pub of our South African hunting camp.

More recently, however we discuss our recent trip to Argentina in search of red stag. The ‘roar’ (rut) for these elk sized deer occurs in the mid spring (it’s fall south of the equator). Did the trip and hunting live up to expectations? How did I vet our outfitter before taking 7 good friends to Argentina having never been to Estancia El Carrizal myself? I think we both gained weight on this one as the red meat and Malbecs Argentina is known for were better than advertised.

Strangely enough, the area we hunted eerily reminded us of South Texas as far as climate and vegetation were concerned. We talk about the red stag hunting and then spend a healthy amount of time rehashing my water buffalo hunt that Jeff and his PH joined myself and my PH Alvaro on. It was by chance that it worked out but I was sure glad to have Jeff on that wild ass adventure pursuing the toughest animal I’ve ever hunted.

(Jeff’s beauty of a red stag)



(The 8 of us with our trophies at Estancia El Carrizal)

Ryan and Valerie Watson saved their pennies to be able to afford a dream island vacation on the Caribbean Islands of Turks and Caicos. The dream turned into a nightmare, however after 4 loose rounds of 6.5 Creedmoor ammunition was found in Ryan’s luggage when they were LEAVING the island. That means it made it all the way to the island undetected by TSA. What seems like an innocent mistake has turned into a hellish reality for their family as Ryan now faces up to 12 years in a Turks and Caicos prison cell.

The Oklahoma couple discusses how things played out, including Valerie being arrested as forced to stay on the Island for 10 days while the Turks and Caicos officials debated on whether or not to charge her as well as her husband. Ultimately, she was given her passport back and allowed to return home to the U.S. and their two young children. Sadly, Ryan is the first American to run into this accidental misfortune on the island, he now is sharing an apartment with another American who was arrested in February and is awaiting his trial and sentencing (which will set the precedent for what is expected to happen to Ryan).

Are U.S. government officials intervening on his behalf? What legal options does he have? What are the conditions of Turks and Caicos jail cell? And most importantly, why is an island that relies on 94% of their GDP coming from tourists… well targeting tourists with absurd laws? Much to discuss with this amazing couple that has seen their family torn apart by arbitrary law.

Click here for the Watson’s GoFundMe page.

Texas Parks and Wildlife has proposed two major changes in mountain lion management. The question is, why? Mountain lions are treated as a non game species in Texas with no closed season or bag limit. But don’t let that fact lead you to believe that Texas hunters are out killing mountain lions indiscriminately, we aren’t. In fact, Texas is no different than any other state when it comes to the reality that most hunters won’t ever see these amazing and extremely reclusive animals in the wild. We likely never have and never will.

TPWD Wildlife Diversity Program Leader Richard Heilbrun joins me on this episode of Campfire Conversations to discuss why TPWD has proposed the changes? Is there scientific data to support it? OR, is it something else… like maybe pressure from a known group of anti predator hunters? We discuss the Mountain Lion Stakeholder Group (including who is on it) and what went on behind the scenes over the past year and half after Texans For Mountain Lions petitioned TPWD to enforce strict season dates, bag limits, limit trapping methods among other things without any scientific data to support their demands. I ask Richard the tough questions and the what these changes mean as far as potential further restrictions in the future.

Leave Your Feedback for TPWD here: https://tpwd.texas.gov/business/feedback/public_comment/proposals/202405_mountain_lions.phtml

Compound vs Crossbow, Bait vs no Bait, Mechanical vs Fixed Blade…these debates continue to rage on within the hunting community. I do believe there’s a time and place for healthy debates on such topics. However, when I see hunters continue to attack each other on social media and in public I can’t help but wonder why they believe their way is better. This episode focuses on the reality that the hunting communities’ biggest enemy is often times itself. I share my recent interaction with a turkey hunter who’s take actually blew my mind. I truly believe the mindset he displayed in our conversation could be the undoing of our hunting pastime unless we call it out. We can do things differently and still be on the same team.

Then we take it the next level by discussing a group of hunters that actually went as far as to have 3 months of their state’s coyote season shut down to all hunters. That’s right, hunters actually reducing their season and rights in the name of…what? Passionate Michigan predator caller Chris Kreiner joins us to shed light on the group of houndsmen who ultimately got Michigan to close coyote hunting for 3 months out of the year. Chris (along with many other passionate predator hunters) went to the commission meetings to protest the advances of these houndsmen but ultimately the Michigan Department of Natural Resources sided with the houndsmen citing “social science” as the reason the season needed to be shut down for 3 months each year.

Chris also explains Proposition G – a mid 90’s law that Michigan adopted to ensure that sound science had to determine all changes or closures in hunting regulations and seasons. So is “social science” really science at all? And if not, will this change in season dates ultimately be overturned in the legal system? It’s sets a terrible precedent when you label public perception as actual science. You can find more from Chris at his website: https://www.krop.com/ckreinermedia/#/