Today’s show is just a quick update to mark one year of my podcast.

 Just over a year ago, I launched the first episode of the Outdoor Narrative, which was a chat with friend Kevin Dergez about ice fishing for brook trout in a lake near Kamloops. Ironically -- and this was not be design – last week’s show was also an ice fishing episode with Kevin, this time for kokanee. 

 This is just a quick update to let you know what I’m planning for the show this year. I’ve been playing around with different formats for the show through the first several weeks of 2020 and tried a couple of different things. I think I have settled on a format I will follow a while, although I want to hear from you all if you think I am on the right track.

 For the next several months, I will put out a general show on Monday about everything from wildlife to ecology to bowhunting and fly-fishing. I will have a short opinion piece on Wednesday, and I’ll close the week with more readings and discussion from Randy Nelson’s book “Poachers, Polluters and Politics.” Randy and I have done five episodes so far, and based on the contents of Randy’s book, I expect the series will run at least 25 episodes. He has a wealth of material to share, great content bout BC and fisheries management over the years. If you haven’ yet done so, join in and follow along. There is a lot to learn.

 For those of you are wondering, Old Dogs Howling, the episodes I published here earlier this year about fitness and healthy living, have moved to and continue to publish in their own dedicated podcast space. I felt the show needed its own place so that it could better explore a wider range of issues. If you want to hear more, just search Old Dogs Howling in Apple Podcasts and Subscribe. All the episodes I did here are now over there plus a few new ones. 

 Lastly, I really want to reach out to you all and hear what you think. For the last year, I have put together these podcasts and haven’t heard a lot from anyone. I know people are listening I see the stats and know that I have an audience of people that stretches across BC and the western US and even a few listeners fro m overseas., But now, I want to know if you think I am on the right track. Are there other things you want me to talk about? Different subjects? Special guests?

How can I make the show better? This podcast stuff was all new to me, and I know I still have a great deal to learn, but I won’t get better if I done hear what I’m doing right or wrong. I want to make a show that’s meaningful to other people who share the same passion for the outdoor as I do.

 So please, send me an e-mail at [email protected]. I really need your input … And one last favour I want to ask. My goal this year with this show is to see it grow, to reach more people than last year. One more time, I need your help to make that happen. If you like what we’ve done through e past year, share the show with a friend, or on a Facebook group that you follow devoted to hunting and fishing.

 Most importantly, please leave me a good rating on Apple Podcasts, and even better, write a short review. This isn’t about ego or vanity. I don’t fully understand the mafic on Apple’s algorithms, but I am led to believe that growth and being found is in part dependent on such things …

 I’ve enjoyed putting together this podcast over the past year, as it has reminded me of my journalism days — especially the several years I spent from 1999 writing and editing an Outdoors section for my newspaper. As I did then, I tried to focus on bringing people different knowledge and perspectives about hunting and fishing — stuff that was a little different than the outdoors related content we so often see.

 That’s all for today. I’ll be back this Wednesday with some more #WildThoughts and on Friday with another set

Federal Fishery Officer Randy Nelson’s first love was catching poachers.

 That obsession, plus a wily mind and a passion for marathon running, spelled trouble for scores of law-breaking anglers for more than 35 years. Three decades in the field also netted Randy an eclectic and hair-raising collection of stories about everything from charging grizzlies to high-speed dirt road car chases.

 Randy put those stories in print in 2014 in his book “Poachers, Polluters and Politics,” which was published by Harbour Publishing. In this Outdoor Narrative series, Randy shares his book with us and talks about some of the behind-the-scenes aspects of his adventures.

 In this instalment, the fourth in the series, Randy talks about a range of experiences around Vancouver, the Interior and Vancouver Island, policing fisheries for smelt, roe and salmon involving diverse groups of people, including some without clothes.

 *****

 For those who want a copy of Randy’s book, visit http://www.harbourpublishing.com/ and search for the book’s title from the company’s expansive library of books devoted to lifestyles, adventures and stories of the Pacific Northwest. 

 Thanks for joining me for this episode. I hope you’ll be back next week, when Randy’s adventure continues…

 If you’d like to share a thought, send me an e-mail at [email protected].

Not long ago, I started writing an outdoors column for our local newspaper. In this Outdoor Narrative series, I’ll give voice to those words, for no other reason than I can, for no better reason than I think I have something to say. 

 I’ll let you all decide if that’s true or not. Maybe my columns will prove to be nothing more than pointless rambling and empty words but I hope not. Time will tell.

 I’m Robert Koopmans, and today’s topic — "There is no conflict between love of nature and hunting."

***** 

 Thanks for listening. If you want to share a thought about what you’ve heard, send me an email at [email protected].

Welcome to The Outdoor Narrative, my podcast about fishing, hunting and other wild pursuits in British Columba and western Canada.

 I’m Robert Koopmans and this week I’m chatting with Kevin Dergez about a recent trip to Paul Lake near Kamloops in search of kokanee through the ice.

 I’ve never been a huge fan of ice fishing, although I always try to get out at least once a year, just to remind myself that I’m not missing anything. This year was no different, except for one main thing — we were after kokanee, which is a much different fish than trout.

 Kokanee are essentially a freshwater sockeye salmon, although much smaller than their ocean counterparts. I consider sockeye salmon to be one of the best eating fish we have the ability to catch in B.C., so the chance to find a version so close to home — and perhaps easily catchable — sparked up my interest more than usual.

 Will this be the year I tip over and commit to ice fishing? Maybe, as my trip with Kevin provided just enough success to keep the idea alive…

 *****

 Thanks for listening to this week’s episode. If you want to share a thought, send me an email at [email protected]. I’m Robert Koopmans, thanks again, and we’ll catch you next time.

Federal Fishery Officer Randy Nelson’s first love was catching poachers.

That obsession, plus a wily mind and a passion for marathon running, spelled trouble for scores of law-breaking anglers for more than 35 years. Three decades in the field also netted Randy an eclectic and hair-raising collection of stories about everything from charging grizzlies to high-speed dirt road car chases.

Randy put those stories in print in 2014 in his book “Poachers, Polluters and Politics,” which was published by Harbour Publishing. In this Outdoor Narrative series, Randy shares his book with us and talks about some of the behind-the-scenes aspects of his adventures.

 In this instalment, the third in the series, Randy talks about a summer of bouncing around B.C.’s West Coast, and returning to Vancouver to take up the sport of catching crab poachers.

 *****

 For those who want a copy of Randy’s book, visit http://www.harbourpublishing.com/ and search for the book’s title from the company’s expansive library of books devoted to lifestyles, adventures and stories of the Pacific Northwest. 

 Thanks for joining me for this episode. I hope you’ll be back next week, when Randy’s adventure continues…

 If you’d like to share a thought, send me an e-mail at [email protected].

 Not long ago, I started writing an outdoors column for our local newspaper. In this Outdoor Narrative series, I’ll give voice to those words, for no other reason than I can, for no better reason than I think I have something to say. 

 I’ll let you all decide if that’s true or not. Maybe my columns will prove to be nothing more than pointless rambling and empty words but I hope not. Time will tell.

 I’m Robert Koopmans, and today’s topic is, “Are animals human? Only if you ignore one big difference.”

***** 

 Thanks for listening. If you want to share a thought about what you’ve heard, send me an email at [email protected].

Welcome to The Outdoor Narrative, my podcast about fishing, hunting and other wild pursuits in British Columba and western Canada.

 I’m Robert Koopmans and this week I’m talking with Jeremy Jensen about first steps in bowhunting. Both of us have decided that this year will be the “Year of the Bow.” We’ve made a commitment to hunt only with a bow and not firearms, and we have set out to gain the skills and knowledge required before this year’s fall hunting season.

 But as I discovered last week, the path isn’t always smooth, and some of the bumps to progress are not the easiest to absorb …

*****

Thanks for listening to this week’s episode. If you want to share a thought, send me an email at [email protected]. Thanks again, and we’ll catch you next time.

Federal Fishery Officer Randy Nelson’s first love was catching poachers.

That obsession, plus a wily mind and a passion for marathon running, spelled trouble for scores of law-breaking anglers for more than 35 years. Three decades in the field also netted Randy an eclectic and hair-raising collection of stories about everything from charging grizzlies to high-speed dirt road car chases.

Randy put those stories in print in 2014 in his book “Poachers, Polluters and Politics,” which was published by Harbour Publishing. In this Outdoor Narrative series, Randy shares his book with us and talks about some of the behind-the-scenes aspects of his adventures.

In this instalment, the second in the series, Randy talks about his transition from Saskatchewan to the West Coast of BC and his first months as a fisheries officer. 

*****

For those who want a copy of Randy’s book, visit http://www.harbourpublishing.com/ and search for the book’s title from the company’s expansive library of books devoted to lifestyles, adventures and stories of the Pacific Northwest. 

Thanks for joining me for this episode. I hope you’ll be back next week, when Randy’s adventure continues…

If you’d like to share a thought, send me an e-mail at [email protected].

Federal Fishery Officer Randy Nelson’s first love was catching poachers.

That obsession, plus a wily mind and a passion for marathon running, spelled trouble for scores of law-breaking anglers. Thirty-five years in the field netted Randy an eclectic and hair-raising collection of stories about everything from charging grizzlies to high-speed dirt road car chases.

After he retired, Randy put those stories in print in 2014 in his book “Poachers, Polluters and Politics,” which was published by Harbour Publishing. In this Outdoor Narrative series, Randy shares his book with us and talks about more of the behind-the-scenes aspects of his adventures.

 In this instalment, which will be the first of many, Randy talks about how he came to work for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and his first adrenaline-surged bust on the dock of a northern Saskatchewan fishing lake …

 ***

For those who want a copy of Randy’s book, visit http://www.harbourpublishing.com/ and search for the book titles from the company’s expansive library of books devoted to lifestyles, adventures and stories of the Pacific Northwest. 

 Thanks for joining me for this episode. I hope you’ll be back next week, when Randy’s adventure continues…

 If you’d like to share a thought, send me an e-mail at [email protected].

Campfires are great places to have discussions. There’s no better way to spark up a meaningful conversation than around a fire. Over the years, it’s the chats with friends around fires that have stuck with me the most. In this series, Kevin Dergez and I get together each week, around a fire, to talk about stuff related to the outdoors, hunting, fishing, wildlife and wild issues. I’m Robert Koopmans, and welcome to Around the Fire. 

 Today, Kevin and I simply killed some time, discussing a wide variety of topics from encountering deer on roadways to ice fishing to catching fish by hand (and is it legal?), poaching, tying flies and what you might do if you saw a Sasquatch...

 Thanks for listening. If you have a question or a comment, send me an email at [email protected].

World record Kokanee caught by hand: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-man-caught-world-record-fish-with-his-bare-hands-before-eating-it-1.4213255

Traffic cam catches apparent image of "Sasquatch": https://www.kelownanow.com/watercooler/news/news/Around_the_Web/Sasquatch_spotted_Highway_webcam_appears_to_capture_elusive_Bigfoot/