Down The Barrel With Jimmy, Deano, and Jared

The Great Tony is back! Tony from Minnesota Safari Club International (SCI) joins Jimmy, Deano, and Jared for another episode of *Down the Barrel*, and this one goes from Minnesota deer stands to the hills of Portugal—with plenty of questionable advice along the way.

Tony shares stories from his latest bowhunting adventure in Portugal, where he pursued Iberian red stag and wild boar, battled the heat, and somehow ended up running with bulls. He also previews his next adventure chasing Coues deer and javelina in Mexico. Apparently, Minnesota just isn't big enough for Tony anymore.

Back home, the competition is heating up in the Minnesota Bowhunters Challenge. Tony's Roto Tillers are hot on the heels of the Down the Barrel crew, and the trash talk is flying almost as fast as Jimmy changes broadheads.

But it's not all hunting stories and friendly insults. The guys also discuss introducing youth, women, and veterans to hunting, the importance of conservation, wolf management advocacy, and what's coming up at the Minnesota SCI Expo.

**Big adventures, bigger laughs, and four guys who can turn just about any hunting story into an argument.**

Minnesota's hunting seasons are heating up, and Jimmy, Deano, and Jared are back for another episode of Down The Barrel!

This week, the guys recap Minnesota's 2026 Youth Firearms Deer Season, sharing stories from the woods and celebrating the impressive bucks harvested by young hunters across the state. They also dive into one of Minnesota's most successful bear seasons in history, with preliminary harvest numbers topping 4,100 bears and plenty of discussion about increasing bear activity and predators in the deer woods.

Deano brings in a batch of homemade venison jerky for the guys to sample, sparking some good laughs and conversation about making your own wild game snacks.

Also in this episode:

🦌 Youth deer season results and memorable first hunts

🐻 Minnesota's record-setting bear harvest numbers

🏹 Upcoming veteran hunts with Roger Up and the Minnesota Bowhunters Challenge

🍖 Homemade venison jerky and wild game preparation

📱 Minnesota's new electronic hunting license and deer registration system

🦌 Getting ready for the November 7 firearms deer opener

🌲 MDHA's Hides For Habitat program and supporting local conservation

🐺 Wolves, cougars, and the latest wildlife research in Minnesota

From hunting stories and wildlife management to deer camp traditions and a few laughs along the way, Episode #114 covers a little bit of everything as Minnesota hunters prepare for firearms season.

This week on Down The Barrel, Jimmy, Deano, and Jared are trying something new — and it involves wild game, whiskey, and plenty of questionable decisions!

After a slow weekend of Minnesota duck hunting, Jared fires up a Coleman grill on the tailgate of Dean's truck and prepares a fresh wood duck breast with rosemary butter. The guys put his cooking skills to the test, sample a little duck heart, and debate whether wood duck might actually be better than grouse.

Then it's time to introduce Pour Decisions Down The Barrel, a brand-new whiskey-tasting segment where three everyday outdoorsmen sample and review different whiskeys with absolutely no claim of being experts. First up is a 10-year-old, triple-barrel Canadian whiskey. Will it earn a thumbs-up or go down as another Pour decision?

The guys also share stories from the duck blind, discuss unreliable shotguns and foggy canoe adventures, and check in on the Minnesota Bowhunters Challenge.

Good hunting, good food, good whiskey, and even better laughs. It's another episode of Down The Barrel!

In this episode of **Down the Barrel**, Jimmy, Deano and Jared sit down with **Jake Ulm, Minnesota Event Coordinator for Hometown Heroes Outdoors**, to talk about the powerful role the outdoors can play in bringing veterans and first responders together.

Jake shares his own story—from serving in the U.S. Navy and struggling with PTSD and depression after his service, to a life-changing muskie fishing trip that inspired him to get involved with Hometown Heroes Outdoors. Today, he helps organize hunting, fishing and outdoor adventures that give veterans and first responders a chance to get outside, build friendships and simply spend time with people who understand.

The conversation covers everything from grouse hunting and muskie fishing to veteran mental health, camaraderie, transitioning back to civilian life, and why a successful outdoor adventure is about much more than filling a tag or catching a trophy.

Jake also explains how veterans and first responders can participate, how businesses and individuals can support the organization, and why you don't have to be struggling to get involved.

It's a conversation about **hunting, fishing, service, friendship and finding purpose through the outdoors.**

Joe Cannella joins Jimmy, Deano and Jared on Down The Barrel to talk about his successful 2026 bear season and how much bear hunting has changed over the years.

We get into growing bear numbers, baiting and trail cameras, Minnesota’s bear lottery system, harvest success, nuisance bears, the possibility of a spring bear season, and whether changes are needed in how Minnesota manages its black bear population.

Joe also shares practical advice on shot placement, tracking, meat care, quartering a bear, rendering bear fat, and making the most of your harvest.

Plus, plenty of bear hunting stories, laughs and opinions along the way.

Federal wolf delisting is back on the table — but what would it actually take for Minnesota to hold another regulated wolf hunting and trapping season?

In this episode of Down the Barrel, Jimmy and Deano break down the renewed federal push toward gray wolf delisting, Minnesota’s existing wolf management framework, population estimates, and why the growing range of wolves across the state matters. They also discuss Wolf.Report, how hunters and trail-camera owners are helping document wolf sightings beyond Minnesota’s historic wolf range, and why MDHA is asking hunters to sign its wolf management petition.

Then we switch gears to the Minnesota Bowhunters Challenge — the new squad-based bowhunting league where hunters earn points for legal harvests, complete optional special missions, climb the leaderboard, and compete for cash, prizes and bragging rights.

In this episode: wolf delisting, Minnesota wolf management, Wolf.Report, the push for a future wolf season, the MDHA wolf petition, and the growing Minnesota Bowhunters Challenge.

Hunting season is here — and so is something brand new for Minnesota bowhunters.

In this episode of **Down the Barrel**, Jimmy, Deano and Jared introduce the **Minnesota Bowhunters Challenge**, MNBOW’s new squad-based bowhunting competition. Build a squad of 2–4 hunters, hit the woods, submit your harvests, complete special missions, rack up points and climb the leaderboard — all while doing what you were already planning to do this fall: HUNT.

We break down how the Challenge works, what earns points, the bonus missions coming throughout the season and why this is about a whole lot more than shooting the biggest buck. It’s about getting outdoors, hunting with friends and family, having some friendly competition and giving Minnesota bowhunters another reason to get in the woods.

And yes — there’s something worth hunting for. **$1,000 is on the line for the winning squad**, along with additional prizes, a one-of-a-kind trophy and an invitation to join us on Down the Barrel to tell your squad’s story.

We also talk about the upcoming **Roger Up Second Amendment Bingo** on October 24 in Grand Rapids. The event will help support Roger Up and MDHA veteran hunts, including a women veterans archery hunt and men’s rifle hunt this fall. With 13 firearms, additional prizes, food and a great cause behind it, it should be a heck of a night.

Plus, hunting seasons are finally starting to open across Minnesota. The bows are coming out, gear is getting checked, stands are going up and we’re ready to get back into the woods.

**Grab your buddies. Build your squad. Hunt Minnesota. Earn points.**

The Minnesota Bowhunters Challenge starts NOW.

Minnesota's Conservation Partners Legacy (CPL) Grant Program has helped conservation organizations put millions of dollars directly into habitat projects across the state. But a major change to the program could leave much of rural Minnesota on the outside looking in.

In this episode of **Down the Barrel**, Jimmy, Deno and Jared break down what the CPL program is, where the money comes from, how organizations like the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association use these grants, and why the new geographic restrictions are raising serious concerns for hunters and conservationists across Greater Minnesota.

MDHA alone has used CPL funding to complete roughly 140 habitat projects representing millions of dollars in habitat work and tens of thousands of acres across Minnesota. These aren't projects designed to fund an organization's operating budget—they are locally driven conservation projects that require matching funds, documentation and reimbursement for actual habitat work.

The guys discuss why MDHA believes Minnesota can—and should—continue investing in metro-area habitat **without sacrificing conservation projects throughout the rest of the state**. They also explain how these projects support more than wildlife by putting money into local contractors, businesses and rural communities.

The message is simple: **Conservation shouldn't stop at the metro line.**

The episode also covers MDHA's new petition calling for statewide CPL opportunities to be restored and why hunters, conservationists and rural Minnesotans need to make their voices heard.

Then the conversation shifts gears to Game Fair, the Arctic Cat Prowler and FLOE CargoMax giveaway, MDHA's Education Raffle, the 50 BMG giveaway, upcoming chapter events—and, naturally, plenty of the usual Down the Barrel banter.

**CPL funding comes from Minnesotans. Habitat opportunities should benefit Minnesotans across the entire state.**

BTYB: MDHA (www.mndeerhutners.com)

First Call (www.firstcall211.net)

MNBOW (www.mnbowhunters.com)

Wolf Report (www.wolf.report)

Can hunters have an honest conversation about Chronic Wasting Disease without all the shouting? We think so.

In this episode of Down the Barrel, Jimmy, Dean, and Jared sit down for a campfire-style discussion about one of the most controversial topics in deer hunting—Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). None of us are scientists, and we don't pretend to have all the answers. We're simply three Minnesota hunters talking through the questions, concerns, and opinions that many hunters have but don't always feel comfortable discussing.

We discuss the new 2026 CWD testing strategy, why the DNR is changing its approach, whether mandatory testing makes sense, the debate over feeding and attractant bans, concerns about future regulations, and why continued research is important—even when the answers aren't always clear.

Along the way we also touch on:

Minnesota's new CWD testing program.

What we know—and don't know—about the disease.

Why misinformation exists on all sides.

How CWD could impact the future of deer hunting.

The importance of asking questions without attacking each other.

A few updates on the 2026 hunting regulations and what's happening at Game Fair.

Whether you agree with us or not, we'd love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment and join the conversation. Hunting is stronger when hunters can respectfully discuss the issues that matter most.

BTYB:

MDHA (www.mndeerhunters.com)

First Call For Help (www.firstcall211.net)

Wolf Report (www.wolf.report)

MNBOW (www.mnbowhunters.com)

This week on Down the Barrel, Jimmy, Deno, and Jared welcome back Craig Niemi of Minnesota Fishing Encounters Guide Service for an entertaining conversation packed with fishing knowledge, guide stories, and plenty of laughs. Craig shares decades of experience guiding on Leech Lake and Lake Winnibigoshish, including where to find trophy walleyes, muskies, crappies, pike, and panfish throughout the season.

The crew discusses why northern pike deserve more respect at the dinner table, favorite fish recipes, fishing after dark for giant walleyes, introducing kids to fishing, and how today's technology—especially forward-facing sonar—is changing the future of the sport. Along the way, they swap stories about memorable catches, local resorts, conservation, hunting, and, as always, wander off into a few hilarious rabbit holes.

Whether you're chasing your first muskie, looking for better walleye tactics, or just enjoy hanging out with a few outdoorsmen around the microphone, this episode is full of practical tips, honest opinions, and classic Down the Barrel banter.

BTYB:

MDHA (www.mndeerhunters.com)

First Call For Help (www.firstcall211.net)

Wolf Report (www.wolf.report)

MNBOW (www.mnbowhunters.com)