302 episodes
Big Game Hunting Podcast John McAdams
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- Sports
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4.9 • 276 Ratings
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The Big Game Hunting Podcast will teach you to how to prepare for the big game hunting adventures you’ve always dreamed about. Our host, John McAdams, is an experienced sportsman with decades of experience afield who has successfully hunted big game like whitetail deer, mule deer, blacktail deer, pronghorn antelope, black bear, Rocky Mountain elk, feral hogs, javelina, cape buffalo, kudu, wildebeest, and other species of African plains game in over a dozen different states and countries. In addition to hosting The Big Game Hunting Podcast, John has authored countless hunting articles in prominent hunting publications and is also the founder of The Big Game Hunting Blog. He will guide you down the path of improving your skills as a hunter, teach you how to pick the best hunting rifle for your needs, conduct caliber comparisons (like 6.5 Creedmoor vs 300 Win Mag and 30-06 vs 270 Winchester) to show you how to pick the best hunting caliber for a specific hunting situation, guide you into the world of muzzleloader hunting, share the hard earned knowledge he has earned over the years pursuing game all over the world, and conduct interviews with internationally recognized experts in the hunting community on topics like cape buffalo hunting in Africa and elk hunting in North America. Regardless of whether you’re dreaming about going plains game or cape buffalo hunting on an African hunting safari, on an elk hunting trip in the Rocky Mountains, on a pronghorn antelope hunting adventure on the windswept plains of Wyoming, on a feral hog hunting expedition in Texas, or just learning more about deer hunting in general, then you’ve found the perfect hunting podcast to learn about turning those dreams of hunting adventures into a reality!
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.30 Caliber Cartridges: Your Ultimate Guide
The United States is a country where 30 caliber cartridges reign supreme. Don’t get me wrong: other bore diameters are plenty popular too, but none can hold a candle to the .308 in terms of popularity or variety though. In fact, if there were an “official” rifle cartridge of the United States, I’m sure it would be a 30 caliber cartridge of some sort. In this episode, I hit the highlights of some popular (and not so popular) 30 caliber cartridges and discuss their history, legacy, their strengths and weaknesses, and their recommended uses in detail.
Please hit that “SUBSCRIBE” or “FOLLOW” button in your podcast app to receive future episodes automatically!
Sponsor: Go to HuntingGuns101.com and Sign up for my free e-book on the best hunting calibers at to receive the entertaining and informative emails I send out about hunting, firearms, and ballistics every weekday (along with my weekly ammo supply updates).
Resources 30 Carbine: A Light, But Useful Cartridge – Blog article referenced in podcast
30-30 Winchester: Still Relevant A Century Later – Blog article referenced in podcast
30-40 Krag: Your Ultimate Guide – Blog article referenced in podcast
300 Remington Ultra Magnum: The Complete Guide To The 300 RUM – Blog article referenced in podcast
300 PRC: Read Before You Buy One! – Blog article referenced in podcast
Show notes: https://thebiggamehuntingblog.com/podcast/30-caliber-cartridges/
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285: Hunting With Banish Suppressors: The Good, Bad, & The Ugly
Today we’re going to talk about hunting with suppressors in detail. I first jumped on the silencer bandwagon back in 2021 when I purchased a Banish 30 from Silencer Central. I now possess 5 different suppressors and I’ve accumulated a lot of experience at the range and afield with them over the past 2 years. I hit highlights of all 5 suppressors I own in this episode (along with the pros, cons, and recommended uses for each one). Plus I also share some lessons I’ve learned over the past couple of years about using and caring for a suppressor, explain what the process of buying a suppressor is like, and give you some specific recommendations on which suppressor models are best suited for the sort of hunting you do.
Please hit that "SUBSCRIBE" or "FOLLOW" button in your podcast app to receive future episodes automatically!
Sponsor: Go to HuntingGuns101.com and Sign up for my free e-book on the best hunting calibers at to receive the entertaining and informative emails I send out about hunting, firearms, and ballistics every weekday (along with my weekly ammo supply updates).
Click here, purchase a qualifying Banish suppressor from Silencer Central (like the Banish 30, Banish Backcountry, or Banish 46), and receive a Banish 22K-V2 rimfire suppressor for free for a limited time while supplies last.
Resources
Banish 30 Review – Blog article referenced in podcast
Banish Backcountry Review – Blog article referenced in podcast
Banish 46 Review – Blog article referenced in podcast
Ep 283: 2023 New Mexico Mule Deer Hunt With My Son! – Podcast referenced in episode
Ep 249: 2023 Silencer Updates With Brandon Maddox – Podcast referenced in episode
Ep 232: 2022 Arizona Elk Hunt Recap – Podcast referenced in episode -
How A Blind Hunter Goes Deer Hunting
A podcast listener named John Fritz joined me on the show today to talk about whitetail deer hunting. This isn’t a run of the mill episode about deer hunting though. No, John is completely blind, yet he still goes deer hunting every year and often fills one or more tags. Indeed, he actually cleanly harvested a buck at 295 yards with a single shot this year. In this episode we talk a little bit about John’s background, what spurred him to start hunting, the various systems he has used over the years to allow him to safely and cleanly harvest deer, some special practical and legal considerations he has to keep in mind as a blind hunter, and what his future hunting goals are.
Please hit that "SUBSCRIBE" or "FOLLOW" button in your podcast app to receive future episodes automatically!
Sponsor: Go to HuntingGuns101.com and Sign up for my free e-book on the best hunting calibers at to receive the entertaining and informative emails I send out about hunting, firearms, and ballistics every weekday (along with my weekly ammo supply updates).
Follow me on Instagram (@thebiggamehunter_) to see a video of one of John's hunts
Resources
Ep 283: 2023 New Mexico Mule Deer Hunt With My Son! – Podcast referenced in episode
Ep 271: Vortex Binoculars and Rifle Scopes With Ryan Muckenhirn – Podcast referenced in episode -
My 2023 New Mexico Mule Deer Hunt With My Son!
I just made it home from an outstanding mule deer hunt in New Mexico with my son. I’m not exaggerating when I say that hunt was one of the most fun hunts I’ve ever been on. We dealt with some wild conditions, had a lot of fun, and ultimately were successful in tagging a buck. Today’s episode is a detailed recap of that hunt, evaluations of some gear we used, and some of the lessons we learned along the way.
Please hit that "SUBSCRIBE" or "FOLLOW" button in your podcast app to receive future episodes automatically!
Sponsor:
Go to HuntingGuns101.com and Sign up for my free e-book on the best hunting calibers at to receive the entertaining and informative emails I send out about hunting, firearms, and ballistics every weekday (along with my weekly ammo supply updates).
Click here, purchase a qualifying Banish suppressor from Silencer Central (like the Banish Backcountry I used on this hunt), and receive a Banish 22K-V2 rimfire suppressor for free while supplies last.
You can buy some XCOR ear buds (which are my personal favorite ear protection and are available at the best price they've offered so far) here.
You can get some TRACKR muffs here (buy one, get one free).
And you can purchase some GS Extreme ear buds here (buy one, get one free).
Resources
7mm PRC: Ultimate Guide To Hornady's New Cartridge – Blog article referenced in podcast
Christensen Arms Ridgeline FFT Review – Blog article referenced in podcast
Best Hunting Rifle Bipods – Blog article referenced in podcast
Best Hunting Rifle Slings – Blog article referenced in podcast
Ep 232: 2022 Arizona Elk Hunt Recap – Podcast referenced in episode
Ep 190: 2017 New Mexico Mule Deer Hunt Recap – Podcast referenced in episode
Ep 132: 2021 New Mexico Javelina Hunt Recap – Podcast referenced in episode
Ep 114: 2020 New Mexico Elk Hunt Recap – Podcast referenced in episode
Ep 75: 2020 New Mexico Javelina Hunt Recap – Podcast referenced in episode
How to shoot off a tripod with Born & Raised Outdoors – YouTube video referenced in episode
Show notes: https://thebiggamehuntingblog.com/podcast/2023-new-mexico-mule-deer-hunt-with-my-son/
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Grizzly Bear Hunting With A 6.5 Creedmoor?!?
Virtually all hunters and shooters probably agree that the 6.5 Creedmoor is a great target shooting cartridge. Most hunters would say it’s great for hunting deer sized game too. A smaller number would even classify it as adequate for bigger game like elk. However, the vast majority of hunters would say that using the 6.5 Creedmoor for hunting grizzly bear is a foolish stunt. Well, Outdoor Life staff writer Tyler Freel would disagree with that assessment and used his 6.5 Creedmoor to kill a really nice grizzly during the spring of 2023.
Well, Tyler was kind enough to come on the show with me today to discuss this hunt in detail: why he decided to hunt that bear with a 6.5 Creedmoor, what previous experience he had both hunting grizzly with other methods of take and what other animals he’d taken with the 6.5 Creedmoor and how those situations informed his decision to go ahead with this hunt, what rifle and ammunition he used, and the situations where he would NOT use a 6.5 Creedmoor on a big bear.
Please hit that "SUBSCRIBE" or "FOLLOW" button in your podcast app to receive future episodes automatically!
Sponsor: Go to HuntingGuns101.com and Sign up for my free e-book on the best hunting calibers at to receive the entertaining and informative emails I send out about hunting, firearms, and ballistics every weekday (along with my weekly ammo supply updates).
Resources
Read Tyler's article on Outdoor Life about his grizzly hunt here.
Subscribe to Tyler's Tundra Talk Podcast here.
Follow Tyler on Instagram @thetylerfreel and click here to see the video of him shooting the bear.
Show notes: https://thebiggamehuntingblog.com/podcast/grizzly-bear-hunting-with-a-6-5-creedmoor/
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Gary Morgan On Bobcat Hunting
Gary Morgan is back on the show with me again today to talk about another subject I know next to nothing about: bobcat hunting. These feline predators are a whole different ball of wax when compared to hunting other predators, like coyote. Gary does a lot of hunting up in Michigan for a number of species, to include bobcat and that's what we’re going to talk about today.
Please hit that "SUBSCRIBE" or "FOLLOW" button in your podcast app to receive future episodes automatically!
Sponsor: Go to HuntingGuns101.com and Sign up for my free e-book on the best hunting calibers at to receive the entertaining and informative emails I send out about hunting, firearms, and ballistics every weekday (along with my weekly ammo supply updates).
Sponsor: Go to HuntingGuns101.com and Sign up for my free e-book on the best hunting calibers at to receive the entertaining and informative emails I send out about hunting, firearms, and ballistics every weekday (along with my weekly ammo supply updates).
Learn more about Gary Morgan and his bobcat hunts here.
Give him a call at 989-245-0137 or email him at gary@wildgamedynasty.com
Ep 212: Gary Morgan on Osceola Turkey Hunting – Podcast referenced in episode
204 Ruger vs 223 vs 22-250 vs 220 Swift Cartridge Comparison – Article referenced in episode
22 Magnum Ammo Review – Article referenced in episode
Show Notes: https://thebiggamehuntingblog.com/podcast/gary-morgan-bobcat-hunting/
Customer Reviews
One of the Best Hunting Podcasts!
I have been listening to the Big Game Hunting Podcast for about 2 years now and it has been great! I have learned so much! We hunters are hungry to learn and this podcast certainly does not disappoint!
A great show
Very informative and entertaining!
Hunting and shooting
Best way to learn about everything you want to know, and all the things you didn’t!