Big Game Hunting Podcast - Hunting Africa, North America, & More!

Master Alaskan guide Phil Shoemaker joins me in this episode to talk about brown bear hunting in Alaska. We discuss how he got started in this business, practical ballistics, caliber selection, and bullet selection as it relates to bear hunting, some of the other, less discussed, though still important aspects of bear hunting, and a couple of noteworthy stories from his long hunting career up in Alaska (including his famous incident from 2016 where he killed an aggressive brown bear with his 9mm handgun).

Learn more about Phil's family's hunting operation Grizzly Skins of Alaska here. Follow them on Instagram @grizzlyskinsofalaska or on Facebook here.

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.

Ep 84: Dan Roland On Alaska Bear Hunting – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 92: Dan Roland On Dall Sheep Hunting – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 130: Joseph von Benedikt On Caribou Hunting – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 162: Joseph von Benedikt On Moose Hunting – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 201: Sheep Hunting 101 With Ron Spomer – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 282: Grizzly Bear Hunting With A 6.5 Creedmoor?!? – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 289: Dall Sheep Hunting With Mark Huelsing – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 316: Dall Sheep Hunting 101 With Tyler Freel – Podcast referenced in episode

John Stallone from HOWL for Wildlife is on the show with us to talk about a couple of serious threats to hunting he and his organization are fighting against. John is also a hunting outfitter and has hosted a hunting TV show. He also talks a little bit about what it was like to have a hunting TV show and gives us a small peek behind the curtain into that world. John and I discuss what's going on with these additional, ongoing attacks on hunting in detail, what they mean for hunters all over North America, and how you can get involved in the fight against these anti-hunting initiatives.

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.

Support HOWL for Wildlife here and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

Check out my appearance on John Stallone's show Days in the Wild (on Apple here and on Spotify here) and follow him on Instagram

Dan Gates from Coloradans For Responsible Wildlife Management is on the show with us to talk about a couple of very serious threats to hunting he and his organization are fighting against. As you'll learn here shortly, these are issues that affect hunters from all over the USA, not just those in Colorado. In this episode, Dan and I discuss these issues in detail, what they mean for hunters in Colorado and elsewhere in North America, and how you can get involved in the fight against these anti-hunting initiatives.

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.

Support Coloradans for Responsible Wildlife Management here and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube

Sticking with the "Alaska Theme" we started last week with my discussion with Tyler Freel on Dall Sheep, we have Tyler Kuhn from A-Team Outfitting on the show to talk to us about bear hunting in Alaska. In this episode we talk about hunting both black and brown bear: the time of year they do those hunts, how they're alike and different, spot and stalk vs baited hunts, etc.

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.

Ep 84: Dan Roland On Alaska Bear Hunting – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 92: Dan Roland On Dall Sheep Hunting – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 130: Joseph von Benedikt On Caribou Hunting – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 162: Joseph von Benedikt On Moose Hunting – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 201: Sheep Hunting 101 With Ron Spomer – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 282: Grizzly Bear Hunting With A 6.5 Creedmoor?!? – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 289: Dall Sheep Hunting With Mark Huelsing – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 316: Dall Sheep Hunting 101 With Tyler Freel – Podcast referenced in episode

Learn more about A-Team Outfitting here and follow them on Instagram @a_team_outfitting or call Tyler at 907-651-8495

Tyler Freel is back on the show today to talk about Dall Sheep hunting. Tyler has lived in Alaska for a long time and has done a lot of sheep hunting over the years. In this episode, we talk about everything Dall sheep: how and where to hunt sheep, descriptions of what constitutes a legal ram, how a sheep hunt often goes, what time of year they're hunted, how they taste, and of course, what cartridges and bullets are best suited for and most commonly used for hunting Dall sheep.

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.

Ep 92: Dan Roland On Dall Sheep Hunting – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 168: Steve Speck On Bighorn Sheep Hunting – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 174: Joseph von Benedikt On Bighorn Sheep Hunting – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 201: Sheep Hunting 101 With Ron Spomer – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 282: Grizzly Bear Hunting With A 6.5 Creedmoor?!? – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 289: Dall Sheep Hunting 101 With Mark Huelsing – Podcast referenced in episode

Subscribe to Tyler's Tundra Talk Podcast here.

Follow Tyler on Instagram @thetylerfreel

Today Joseph von Benedikt is back on the show and we discuss a subject I know you'll enjoy: our favorite cartridges for hunting virtually any species of big game. We're play little game here today where Joseph and I each list our favorite cartridge and bullet for hunting specific species of game ranging from coues whitetail all the way up to thick skinned species of African game like cape buffalo and elephant and almost everything in between like mule deer, elk, black bear, etc. The catch is that we cannot reuse a cartridge for multiple species. Even so, our discussion provides an interesting glimpse into the thought process he and I each use for selecting cartridges and bullets for hunting different species of game. This is a great episode I really enjoyed recording it and I'm sure you'll enjoy listening to it as well.

Ep 96: Elk Hunting Bullets With Joseph von Benedikt – Previous interview with Joseph

Ep 104: Elk Hunting Rifles With Joseph von Benedikt – Previous interview with Joseph

Ep 130: Caribou Hunting In Alaska With Joseph von Benedikt – Previous interview with Joseph

Ep 162: Moose Hunting 101 With Joseph von Benedikt – Previous interview with Joseph

Ep 174: Bighorn Sheep Hunting With Joseph von Benedikt – Previous interview with Joseph

1) Joseph's Personal Instagram Page

2) Check The Backcountry Hunting Podcast (on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, & YouTube

I released that very first episode of The Big Game Hunting Podcast just over 5 years ago all the way back in 2019. My goodness it has been quite a ride! I've learned a lot, connected with some fantastic people, and enjoyed some amazing experiences along the way. Thank you for your support over these past 5 years! This particular episode is a Q&A session where I'll go through a number of listener submitted questions I've received over the past few weeks. I do this show specifically for my audience and I can't think of a better way to help celebrate my 5 year anniversary than focusing on answering user submitted questions.

Today is also your LAST CHANCE to enter the anniversary giveaway.

Email nominations for the grand prize of a hunt in Africa to: [email protected] using subject line "Africa Hunt Giveaway" and tell me why you think that veteran deserves a hunt in Africa.

Submit nominations no later than 11:59pm Central time on 9 May 2024

All listeners have a chance at winning the other prizes we're giving away in celebration through a random draw: a set of AXIL XCOR ear buds, a Bergara Crest in 300 Win Mag, a Mossberg Patriot rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor, 100 rounds of Nosler Trophy Grade ammunition in 6.5 Creedmoor loaded with 140gr Partition bullets, an autographed copy of Kevin' Robertson's book The Perfect Shot II, a Meadowlark hunting knife from Siembida Custom Knives, a Banish 30 suppressor from Silencer Central, and one of five Javelin Lite Bipods from Spartan Precision.

To enter the random drawing for everything besides the grand prize, click here and sign up.

For additional entries in the random draw, make sure you're subscribed to The Big Game Hunting Podcast on whatever app you listen to the show on and leave a rating and/or a review for the show there as well.

Email screenshots showing you are subscribed to the podcast and have left a rating and/or a review to [email protected] (use subject line "Podcast Giveaway") to receive additional entries in the giveaway.

If you subscribed or left me a rating/review months or years ago, just email me a screenshot of your old review and showing you're subscribed and I'll give you an additional entry.

Next, please follow my Instagram account, then comment and tag a friend in each of the upcoming posts I'll be sharing over the next month promoting the items my generous sponsors have donated to the giveaway. You'll receive additional entries for each friend you tag in a comment.

You can also support me on Patreon as a free or a paying member for an additional entry in the giveaway (no purchase required). Paying members will also receive all the bonus material I've published in Patreon like members only videos and episodes, access to occasional question and answer sessions, etc.

The deadline to enter the giveaway is 11:59pm Central time on 9 May 2024

I feel like the term "game changer" get's thrown around way too often in this industry. However, I think Leupold's new Rx5000 rangefinder does actually deserve the title of a truly game changing device. Tim Lesser from Leupold is back on the show to talk about that new rangefinder what what makes it so special. We also talk about a couple of their other new products for 2024 along with the highlights of their spotting scope and rangefinder product lines.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but The Big Game Hunting Podcast is about to celebrate its 5 year anniversary! In honor of crossing that milestone, we're giving away a hunt in Africa to a deserving military veteran along with a literal pile of other amazing prizes for other podcast listeners.

Be sure to check out Episode 306 for more details on the giveaway, the prizes we're giving away, who is eligible, and how to enter.

Click here and sign up to enter the random drawing for all the other great prizes I'm giving away in the giveaway,

Email nominations for the grand prize to: [email protected] using subject line "Africa Hunt Giveaway" and tell me why you think that veteran deserves a hunt in Africa.

Ep 256: Tim Lesser From Leupold Optics Talks Leupold Binoculars and Rifle Scopes – Episode referenced in podcast

RX-5000 Rangefinder Product Page – Learn more about the new RX-5000 here

Ep 306: 5 Year Podcast Anniversary Giveaway! – Episode referenced in podcast

Rumors have been swirling about Hornady Precision Hunter factory ammo for the 7mm PRC failing to deliver advertised velocities and a lot of hunters and shooters are understandably upset about the situation. I did some extensive testing at the range last week with multiple 7mm PRC factory loads from both Federal and Hornady. In this episode I share what I learned along with some recommendations for how other hunters can get the most out of the cartridge in light of these issues.

The Big Game Hunting Podcast is about to celebrate its 5 year anniversary! In honor of crossing that milestone, we're giving away a hunt in Africa to a deserving military veteran along with a literal pile of other amazing prizes for other podcast listeners.

Be sure to check out Episode 306 for more details on the giveaway, the prizes we're giving away, who is eligible, how to enter, and how to improve your odds of winning.

To enter the random drawing for the prizes I'm giving away (everything but the hunt in Africa), click here and sign up.

Follow me on Instagram and tag a friend in my posts about the podcast anniversary giveaway for additional entries.

Email nominations for the grand prize to: [email protected] using subject line "Africa Hunt Giveaway" and tell me why you think that veteran deserves a hunt in Africa.

Best 7mm PRC Hunting Ammo

Best 7mm PRC Hunting Rifles

7mm Precision Hunter Cartridge Profile

7mm PRC vs 300 Win Mag

7mm PRC vs 6.8 Western

7mm Rem Mag vs 7mm PRC vs 28 Nosler

Johnny Mack from the Soul Seekers Podcast is on the show with us to talk about black bear hunting. As you'll learn here shortly, Johnny is an adult onset hunter who cut his teeth bear hunting in the PNW because that was the only thing he could hunt at the time due to schedule conflicts with work. He has since developed a great system for finding bears and has experienced a lot of success afield hunting black bears in multiple states. With that in mind, he's going to share a few things he has learned along the way with us in this episode.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but The Big Game Hunting Podcast is about to celebrate its 5 year anniversary! In honor of crossing that milestone, we're giving away a hunt in Africa to a deserving military veteran along with a literal pile of other amazing prizes for other podcast listeners.

Be sure to check out Episode 306 for more details on the giveaway, the prizes we're giving away, who is eligible, and how to enter.

To enter the random drawing for the other prizes I'm giving away like a Banish 30 suppressor, a Mossberg Patriot rifle, and some Nosler Trophy Grade ammo, click here and sign up.

Email nominations for the grand prize to: [email protected] using subject line "Africa Hunt Giveaway" and tell me why you think that veteran deserves a hunt in Africa.

Check out the Soul Seekers Podcast, web site, TV show, YouTube channel, and Instagram account.

E-Scouting For Spring Black Bear – YouTube video referenced in podcast

E-Scouting For Fall Black Bear – YouTube video referenced in podcast