Rookie Hunter

Mike goes solo to share the story behind The Standing Spirit Project, a documentary about Brad Jacobsen's remarkable 2005 West Coast Trail expedition. He recaps his own seven-day journey along the trail, filming for the documentary, hauling heavy camera gear, close encounters with wildlife, and a few challenging moments along the way. Learn more about The Standing Spirit Project here: 8foldfilms.com/standing-spirit-project We're very proud to have The Wild Sheep Foundation as our title sponsor. To register, to become a member, to renew your membership, and to join the wildsheepfoundation.org If you need a blade for the backcountry or a new chef's knife for your kitchen, check out our friends at North Arm Knives.

Mike goes solo for a quick hunting season update and shares the story of an early-morning hunt that ended with a mule deer buck on the ground. He breaks down the stalk, hunting with Earl, the pack out, and what he plans to do with the meat before looking ahead to the rest of the season. We're very proud to have The Wild Sheep Foundation as our title sponsor. To register, to become a member, to renew your membership, and to join the wildsheepfoundation.org If you need a blade for the backcountry or a new chef's knife for your kitchen, check out our friends at North Arm Knives.

Mike and Kelly catch up as hunting season gets underway, talking fall hunting plans, new gear, and their upcoming trips into the mountains. They also recap their annual spring fishing trip, what they learned from another tough year on the water, and look ahead to grouse hunting, bird dogs, and hopefully putting some more meat in the freezer. We're very proud to have The Wild Sheep Foundation as our title sponsor. To register, to become a member, to renew your membership, and to join the wildsheepfoundation.org If you need a blade for the backcountry or a new chef's knife for your kitchen, check out our friends at North Arm Knives.

Mike and Kelly sit down with Tanya Caram of Pannonia Kennel to dive into the world of bird dogs and upland hunting. Tanya shares how she got started with hunting dogs, her time training in Hungary, and what eventually led her to the Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla and starting her own kennel in the Okanagan. They talk about choosing the right hunting dog, what new owners should know before bringing one home, training and testing through NAVHDA, and why genetics and breeding matter so much in developing a capable hunting partner. Mark also shares his experience getting into bird hunting later in life, lessons learned from training his own dogs, and how that journey led to starting This Dog Points. The crew also gets into what a typical BC upland hunt looks like, hunting grouse and chukar with dogs, the importance of building a bird dog community, and a few memorable hunting stories that show just how incredible it can be to watch a good dog work. Learn more about Pannonia Kennel: https://www.pannoniakennel.ca/ Check out This Dog Points: https://thisdogpoints.com/ We're very proud to have The Wild Sheep Foundation as our title sponsor. To register, to become a member, to renew your membership, and to join the wildsheepfoundation.org If you need a blade for the backcountry or a new chef's knife for your kitchen, check out our friends at North Arm Knives.

Mike and Kelly are back for a spring catch-up, covering everything from fly fishing tactics and gearing up for their annual yurt trip to bear hunting plans, half marathon training, and the excitement of preparing for another hunting season. They also dive into the world of bird dogs, discussing the possibility of adding a Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla to the family, what makes a great hunting companion, and why proper training matters. We're very proud to have The Wild Sheep Foundation as our title sponsor. To register, to become a member, to renew your membership, and to join the wildsheepfoundation.org If you need a blade for the backcountry or a new chef's knife for your kitchen, check out our friends at North Arm Knives.

In this speical episode, Mike guest hosts the 2025 season finale of Roost with Ben O'Brien and Sam Soholt. Recorded at the end of the 2025 turkey season, they recap the Western Turkey Tour from early highs to late season frustration, and reflect on why turkey hunting is as mentally demanding as it is addictive. The conversation covers family, filming hunts, road life, go fast setups, missed opportunities, hard earned birds, and why the struggle is part of what keeps them coming back every spring. We're very proud to have The Wild Sheep Foundation as our title sponsor. To register, to become a member, to renew your membership, and to join the wildsheepfoundation.org If you need a blade for the backcountry or a new chef's knife for your kitchen, check out our friends at North Arm Knives.

Shane Mahoney returns for our 200th episode to reflect on a life shaped by Newfoundland's wild places, a career spent living alongside big game in remote country, and why those experiences can be hard to translate back home. Shane also shares major updates from the Wild Harvest Initiative, including new regions of expansion and what the latest data suggests about the scale and social value of wild food in North America. We're very proud to have The Wild Sheep Foundation as our title sponsor. To register, to become a member, to renew your membership, and to join the wildsheepfoundation.org The Salute to Conservation and Mountain Hunting Expo takes place February 26 to 28 in Penticton, BC. To secure tickets, visit wildsheepsociety.com. If you need a blade for the backcountry or a new chef's knife for your kitchen, check out our friends at North Arm Knives.

In this follow up episode, Mike sits down with Kelly to reflect on almost a decade of Rookie Hunter, what has stayed the same, what has changed, and why the community around hunting and conservation has meant so much along the way. We're very proud to have The Wild Sheep Foundation as our title sponsor. To register, to become a member, to renew your membership, and to join the wildsheepfoundation.org The Salute to Conservation and Mountain Hunting Expo takes place February 26 to 28 in Penticton, BC. To secure tickets, visit wildsheepsociety.com. If you need a blade for the backcountry or a new chef's knife for your kitchen, check out our friends at North Arm Knives.

In this special episode, Mike revisits the very first Rookie Hunter recording from March 1, 2016, sharing a short snippet that dives into how he and Kelly got into hunting and why they started the podcast in the first place. We're very proud to have The Wild Sheep Foundation as our title sponsor. To register, to become a member, to renew your membership, and to join the wildsheepfoundation.org The Salute to Conservation and Mountain Hunting Expo takes place February 26 to 28 in Penticton, BC. To secure tickets, visit wildsheepsociety.com. If you need a blade for the backcountry or a new chef's knife for your kitchen, check out our friends at North Arm Knives.

In this episode, Mike welcomes Adam Janke back to the podcast for a wide ranging conversation that looks back on more than a decade of hunting media, podcasting, and storytelling. Adam reflects on the early days of the Journal of Mountain Hunting and Beyond the Kill, how the podcast landscape has changed, and why long form conversations still matter.  WSF's Sheep Show 2026 runs January 22 to 24 in Reno, Nevada and registration is now open. Visit wildsheepfoundation.org for full details. The Salute to Conservation and Mountain Hunting Expo takes place February 26 to 28 in Penticton, BC. To secure tickets, visit wildsheepsociety.com. If you need a blade for the backcountry or a new chef's knife for your kitchen, check out our friends at North Arm Knives.