Restless Native

"People have a preconceived notion about things. I prefer Foraging to 'Scavenging' but for some people that conjures an image of eating dirty things like road kill. You say you're a hunter, and it evokes an image of the 'manly man.' You're looking for a prize, or a trophy. That's what I'm doing. Hunting mushrooms is exciting."— Alan Bergo, Foraging ChefIn some ways, I might have called today’s guest a mad scientist. But he’s been very clear, he’s not at all a scientist. But I will stand by the fact that he’s odd. I have discussed cooking venison dozens of times on my show, but never have we talked about cooking venison breast—seriously. And never have we discussed the ins and outs of eating goat or leaching liver or whole carcass quite like this. And it’s truly marvelous, in its fantastical oddity. While we do cover all of that, we dive very deep into the surprising world of mushrooms. I have never talked to anyone about eating mushrooms and other wild finding

"The black bear population in New Jersey is exploding. Years and years of not hunting them contributed to the fact they established a foothold in northwestern New Jersey that has become the thickest in North America. 80% survive to adulthood. It's a unique habitat for these bears. And people think suburbia is not a great habitat for bears, but they need food, water and shelter. Dumpsters provide all of those things for black bears in New Jersey."— Cody McLaughlinNew Jersey's black bear population is the densest in North America. But in 2017, the last year public lands were open and one of the highest harvest years on record, more than twice as many bear cubs were born as were killed in the hunt that year. More than 80% of New Jersey's black bear cubs survive to adulthood. And the breeding rate for black bears in NJ is more than twice that of other areas, with litters averaging 4-5 cubs. Cody McLaughlin is with the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance, which is taking a lawsuit against the curr

"Shoshone Rose is an off the rails, fictional murder ballad. It's a tale I totally invented. It's a character I invented. A woman of Shoshone decent. She's lighter skinned. Set in the late 1800s. And she goes around in these camps of American forces. She dresses in a way that you can't tell who she is. She speaks English and passes as white or mixed. And she kills the guard, and goes and murders the general in this camp."— Emily Scott Robinson, describing her powerful ballad Shoshone Rose Emily Scott Robinson is a singer songwriter who travels the country in her RV. She crafts some incredible music and narratives, including Shoshone Rose, which she describes above. Typically my show features people from the hunting and fishing industry, but for this one, I found someone in the music industry, living an outdoors lifestyle. I love Emily’s music. She is such a great songwriter. And when I found out she lived in a freaking RV and rambled the country, I really wanted to have her join

“I look for diamonds in the rough, guys who aren’t well known, but have success. Your local heroes, so to speak. The more I’ve done this over the years, a guy who is a really good elk hunter isn’t necessarily a good elk hunter in Oregon even though they kick butt in Idaho. I look for region guys who have a lot of success, because they’re doing something a little different. The more tools you can add to your tool box, you have that much better of a chance at succeeding.” — John Stallone Where do you find the diamonds in the rough? Hint: You have to get your hands dirty.Today we have an interesting outdoor media creator for the show. John Stallone has worked as the host of Days in the Wild TV, he works with Days in the Wild Outfitters, he’s been a media director for the hunting channel, and he’s well known for being the host of Interviews with the Masters podcast. This guy is connected, which is why it’s interesting to me that he focuses on not talking to people who are in that well known network. He’s got some

"I want to create something that's introductory to the sport, but also something the seasoned veteran can appreciate. If someone can pick up a magazine about a celebrity, and trip onto a story about fishing or hunting, all of the sudden I may have converted someone to a hunter. This industry has some declining numbers. We're here to talk to different demographics and get people outdoors."— John Radzwilla, Editor-in-Chief Hook & Barrel MagazineJohn is the Editor in Chief of Hook & Barrel Magazine. He and his wife founded the publication in Texas, and focus on hunting, fishing, the outdoors lifestyle and trends, and overall outdoor culture. Their articles are a bit more lighthearted and uplifting, which I think is important important right now. It’s so easy to feel like an outcast in hunting and fishing right now, with social media negativity and mass media criticism of our lifestyle. John is curating a narrative that revolves around food, drink, fitness, music, travel and adventure.

Welcome to a bonus episode of Restless Native. We’re in Nashville, talking with folks about the show and turkey hunting.

Welcome to a bonus episode of Restless Native. We’re in Nashville, talking with folks about the show and turkey hunting… And, I’m trying to get people to give me their best turkey call. Enjoy!

Welcome to a bonus episode of Restless Native. We're in Nashville, talking with folks about the show and turkey hunting... And, I'm trying to get people to give me their best turkey call. Enjoy!

“There was a point where I was over it. I was on a hamster wheel. I didn’t have any money. I had a breaking point where I wanted to move back home. But it was also that point that I ended up signing my first publishing deal.”— Jordan DavisToday’s podcast is star status. No, he’s not a rockstar podcaster or five star outfitter. He’s a country music star. Jordan Davis has been recognized by Billboard, Rolling Stone, CMT, Pandora, SiriusXM and many more as one of the up and coming stars in country music. Originally from Louisiana, Jordan pursued a degree in environmental sciences, and is a passionate hunter. Today he lives in Nashville, where he moves years ago to try and make it big as a country songwriter. With hundreds of millions of streams online, Jordan has made quite the splash. He has back-to-back platinum certified hits. And he recently won Best New Country Artist with iHeart Radio’s Music Awards. He was ACM’s New Male Artist of the year, and has a ton more accolades I could read off, but I think we’ve

“I want to help these small companies. I want to help them build their brand, and build their story and be successful. They’re spending money in areas that’s not fruitful. I started talking to these men and women that make these things, and this whole new world opened up to me. And it was no longer my grandfather making fishing baits. It was people in Arkansas making duck calls or someone in California making lanyards. So I thought I wanted to make this for myself. But I discovered a new culture of people, and heard what they really need.”— Adam Gifford, Founder of TackleHack Today's guest will tell you how he started his company. It involved being told you couldn’t, exploring the depths of the unknown, and running up a lot of credit card bills. Starting a company is hard. Adam Gifford, my guest, calls it a roller coaster. Which sounds trite, but I’ve personally been through highs no drug replicates, and I’ve been in the trough of sorrow, as it’s known among founders. People are always going to tell you

"I don’t ask everyone to hunt—I realize it’s not a likely reality. But I do hope that those who don’t hunt can understand why I pursue this connection to nature and my food. My experience and respect for death grounds me in what it means to live. Knowing the gravity of mortality is an expansion of the mind, and it provides a moral compass for who I want to be: A respectful participant in nature, as opposed to one who takes and offers nothing in return. "— Brad LuttrellToday is something different. There’s no guest.  Today, in my first podcast of 2020, I am sharing something that I’ve put a lot of work into describing. As you’ll hear, it’s a response to a magazine article I read this fall, which rattled me. The more I thought about this perverse interpretation of hunting, the more I wanted to provide a response. I was hopeful their team would be interested in providing a perspective from someone who has actually hunted in the last two decades and knows the real culture. They never responded. I'm

"I was bear hunting in Russia and it’s one of my favorite hunts ever, and I didn’t tag a thing. Or I think of big horn sheep hunting with my husband, and we didn’t take a sheep. To me, if you can go out there and have your best day ever without tagging an animal, that’s what makes you a true sportsmen.”— Mia AnstineOn this show, we talk about bear hunting in Russia, chasing big horn sheep, what it means to be named one of the most influential women in hunting and entrepreneurship. I met today’s guest through an organization you’ve heard me mention often, the Professional Outdoor Media Association or POMA. Just last week someone called me and asked if they should join and you already know my answer. But I love POMA’s conference because it brings me to meet people like our guest today. Mia Anstine is a very interesting story in hunting. Her path to guiding isn’t exactly what I expected. It meanders a bit, and then she has absolutely catapulted her career in outdoor media. She’s written for Field & Stre

“Here comes this caribou and my gun is still in the tent. Caribou season just started. I couldn’t get set up and it was going so fast. I’ve never seen a caribou run that fast. It goes away. And not even five minutes later, we spot another one doing the same thing. And it turns, and comes right towards basecamp.”— Lacey HoffmanThese guests left, and a few hours later, I got a text saying, “Dude, I forgot to mention being charged by a musk ox!”You know you have good stories when you forgot about the musk ox charge. Two of my favorite guests are back on the show today. All the way from Alaska down to the studio in Kentucky, we have Lyn and Lacey Hoffman.If you heard my three hour podcast with them last year, then you know it’s going to be good. Lyn and Lacey show up with a host of stories. Unfortunately they got stuck in a snow storm while traveling down to Louisville, so we didn’t get as much time for chatting as we’d hopped. A few hours after they left, Lyn started texting me, telling me about the musk ox and

"'Hunters' for a long time were rednecks who drove around in trucks and shot everything. Those are poachers. But that was the identity that hunters had. We've changed the conversation. People are realizing that hunters are the true conservationist."— David DraperDavid Draper has traveled the freaking world as a writer. He’s hunted five of the seven continents, and in some of the remote places on the planet, including the Brooks Range in Alaska. Many of you will look up to him as a hunter by the end of this show. And I do, too. But what really impresses me about this guy is his work as a writer and editor. David has more than two decades of experience in communications. He’s worked for the biggest names in the industry, and he’s one of the most respected writers and editors I’ve gotten to know. In addition to hunting and writing, we both have a passion for food. So, you know where this is going. Connect with David:Petersens Hunting MagazineInstagramSponsored by Houston Safari Club Foun

Sponsored by Polaris AdventuresSo often products launch and live in a shroud of secrecy.  Especially in the tech space.We are trying to be the antithesis of this at GoWild. We want to be very open about what we are doing, how we make money and where the product is going. Today I bring you a show from my cofounders and myself, talking about GoWild, what it took to get our new product launched, how it makes money for us, for nonprofits, and we announce two previously never before mentioned teasers for 2020. Hardcore GoWild members will definitely want to stick around for that. Let me know what questions you have after this show. You can always reach me via direct message at GoWild. It’s a rarity if I take more than 48 hours to get back to you. Sponsored by Polaris AdventuresGoWild recently teamed up with Polaris Adventures, which is Polaris’ network of ride and drive experiences. This program has quickly scaled to include more than 125 adventure Outfitters across the country. You can find and book off-road and

“I want to keep the integrity of the content. I love to tell the story and share the authenticity. It’s about giving information to the viewer so they can learn from it, and so they can be there with you.”— Scott Ellis, Turkey Caller & Turkey HunterThis episode is brought to you by Polaris AdventuresToday’s guest is really well known in the turkey hunting space. He’s one of the more recognized turkey calling competitors. He’s been a grand national Champion multiple times. He has his own TV show. He is sponsored by a lot companies. He has his own app. But he doesn’t do this for a living. Scott Ellis is a throw back for some of you who have been listening since the early days. He was my second guest on the show. He and I had a very good conversation last time around the ethics of hunting. And today, we’ll talk about the future of hunting. Scott talks about the truth behind the curtain of a lot of these TV shows. Not everyone is getting paid $100K by each of their sponsors to travel and hunt. In fact, those

(This show originally aired December 2018. This is a re-release)If you haven’t listened to my interview with paranormal storyteller Dark Waters, go listen to that first. He tells horror stories from the backwoods that will run chills up your spine and raise the hairs on your neck. The first show with Dark Waters was one of our most popular over the last few months, so I am excited to bring him back with what he does best—telling first-person paranormal tales.Dark Waters’ WebsiteDark Waters’ YouTube

“You could see what looked like two huge dogs. Tim said “those are some very, very big dogs.” We’re 60 yards away. Tim racks a shotgun. And let’s loose in the air. The one on the boat dock stood on its hind legs. It was freaking massive. It drops to all fours and starts running at us.”— Dark Waters, Paranormal StorytellerWarning, this show does have some serious language.Last week I released a few shows with paranormal storyteller, Dark Waters. In those shows, Dark Waters talks through what he does, as himself, James, the storyteller. Today, I have a collection of stories from James, as his persona, Dark Waters. That is, he’s telling these in the first person perspective of the person who told him the tale. He’s reliving the experience, typically telling it all from memory. The last two of these are actually first-hand tellings from hunters and anglers. In pulling these stories together, I will say, I got sucked in. Dark Waters is such a great storyteller, it’s as good as sitting at the theater watching an ac

"Nearly every dogman attack—and this is a detail I leave out—the majority were bowhunters."— Dark Waters, Paranormal StorytellerFall means different things to us all. For some, it’s crisp mornings, quiet sits in tree stands. For others, it might be chasing bass during the fall feed. For others, and this is a select few, Fall will mean something entirely different.Fall will forever mean reliving the most horrifying moment of your life. While recording last year’s series of dogman content, I got pretty into researching these dark stories from the woods. I don’t know that it ever really resonated with me, more than I was just curious. Part of me wonders how dogman or bigfoot could exist without being documented in this modern era, and I know this can’t be real. But then, part of me thinks about some of the tales from the King of Horror, Dark Waters, and I wonder if maybe there isn’t some truth to the government not wanting you to know. One thing I know to be true, is the more you read about this stuff,

“His brother on the front of the boat is screaming, and falling back towards him in the boat. The front half of this alligator is flying through the air at them. The other half is on the bank. This head came out of the brush and growled at him.”— Dark Waters(This show originally aired October 2018. This is a re-release) This was the first of a series about Dogman. To hear the second show, see Episode 37 with the North American Dogman Project. Tonight, I bring you something different. This is something pulled from the shadows of the deepest, dankest and darkest parts of the woods. It’s not just tales from the coldest and darkest of waters.We’re talking to the king of nightmares, an orator of real horrors, Dark Waters himself.I suspect Dark Waters is new to many of you. But among those who follow the paranormal will know—Dark Waters is a modern day storytelling legend. Dark Waters is conversationalist. An orator. A collector of tales that he believes to be true.We’ll hear about how he comes about these people,