Nevada Wild Podcast

🏕️ From the classroom to the great outdoors, Ryan Brock has spent more than 20 years inspiring Nevada students to get outside and explore! 🌲

Now, Nevada's first-ever Outdoor Teacher of the Year is joining us on the Nevada Wild Podcast! 🎙️

As a longtime teacher at Reno's Jessie Beck Elementary School, Ryan helped thousands of students connect with wildlife, conservation, and Nevada's wild places. From archery lessons to four-day camping trips, he made outdoor education an unforgettable part of growing up.

In this episode, we sit down with Ryan to talk about his passion for outdoor education, the experiences that shaped his teaching career, and why getting kids outside matters more than ever.

🎧 Tune in to the latest episode of Nevada Wild wherever you get your podcasts!

We're going a little batty for #BatWeek! 🦇

Did you know that tiny Bluetooth tags are helping wildlife biologists track bats across the country? One bat tagged in Nevada was even tracked all the way to the Chicago area!

On this episode of the Nevada Wild podcast, hosts Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones are joined by NDOW wildlife biologist Mark Enders and staff specialist Jon Young to talk all things bats! From the important role bats play in our ecosystems to groundbreaking tracking technology, new research at Lake Tahoe and efforts to better understand these often-misunderstood mammals, there's plenty to sink your teeth into!

🔎 Want to learn more about wildlife tracking? Explore the Motus Wildlife Tracking System and see how researchers are following wildlife movements around the world: www.motus.org

🎧 Listen to the latest episode of Nevada Wild wherever you get your podcasts!

Ducks, donuts and a chance to introduce the next generation to waterfowl hunting! 🦆🍩

In this episode of Nevada Wild, hosts Bobby Jones and Aaron Keller sit down with NDOW Hunter Education Coordinator Martin Olson to talk about the annual Ducks & Donuts Youth Waterfowl Hunt, happening October 24 at the Overton Wildlife Management Area.

From what young hunters can expect in the field to the importance of introducing youth to Nevada's hunting traditions, we're covering it all!

Registration is NOW OPEN! Hunters ages 17 and younger must be accompanied by an adult at least 18 years old. The event also features donuts, warm drinks, prize drawings and a pancake breakfast.

Reserve your spot today at https://nevada.licensing.app!

In this week’s Nevada Wild Podcast Bobby Jones sits down with NDOW’s restoration team co-leads Alexa Lyons and Matt Glenn to talk about the 2026 wildfire season, and the significant role NDOW plays in post-wildfire restoration. Alexa and Matt set the stage for why wildfire restoration work is important to wildlife, discuss the tools of the trade and walk through everything that goes into planning and implementing large scale restoration projects here in Nevada. 

In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones sit down with NDOW's Migratory Game Bird Staff Specialist Russell Woolstenhulme to talk about the  conditions waterfowl hunters can expect this season. Russell shares some important information about waterfowl hunting for each Nevada hunt zone and some of the important habitat work being done at popular hunting locations. The crew talks about season dates and bag limit changes, early season success, water levels at our Wildlife Management Areas and why they’re so excited to go waterfowl hunting this fall.

Find updates for WMA's here: www.ndow.org/discover-your-public-land/

View our Small Game Hunting Regulations and Seasons Book here: ERegulations

It’s time for upland bird hunters to lace up your boots! Our annual Chukar Forecast is out, the statewide youth chukar hunt opens Saturday, September 26, and the statewide general chukar season opener is right around the corner on Saturday, October 17.

In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones sit down with NDOW's Upland Game Staff Specialist Justin Small to prepare upland game hunters for the approaching seasons. The guys dig into the chukar forecast and pull out some interesting details and give some advice for hunters looking to chase chukar this fall. Justin explains the factors that go into chick production and shares some recently published findings about chukar movement. They also discuss the grouse and quail hunting opportunities found in Nevada. 

Buy your license at ndowlicensing.com so you can join in on the fun. Make it a combination license so you can do some fall fishing while you're on your hunt!

View the 2026-2027 Chukar Forecast here: 2026-2027 Chukar Forecast

View our Small Game Hunting Regulations and Seasons Book here: ERegulations

Significant milestone achieved.  Since June of 2023, the Department has issued over 20,000 free kids licenses (hunting/fishing) via the Nevada Youth License Fund!

In this week's episode of the Nevada Wild Podcast hosts Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones talk about how this program came to be, why it continues to be a success, and thank the supporters of the program. From hunting and fishing non-profits to literally thousands of individuals across the country it’s been a true group effort. Most hunters and anglers are invested in seeing future generations experience the outdoors and this is a living, breathing example of that. 

Learn more about the fund here: Nevada Youth License Fund

What’s driving mule deer populations in Nevada and across the West?

In this episode of Nevada Wild, hosts Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones sit down with NDOW Mule Deer Staff Specialist Cody Schroeder to break down some of the biggest takeaways from the 2026 Nevada Mule Deer Summit.

They discuss the role habitat, weather, nutrition, migration, predators, development, and competition with other animals can play in mule deer populations, along with some of the latest research being conducted across the West. Cody also shares what Nevada can learn from long-term mule deer monitoring efforts in other states and why quality summer habitat may be even more important than many people realize.

The full presentations and panel discussions from the Nevada Mule Deer Summit are available on NDOW’s YouTube channel, giving anyone the opportunity to dig deeper into the science and topics discussed during the event.

Have a question after watching the presentations? Send us your questions or comments at [email protected] or [email protected]. We’ll be answering questions and diving deeper into some of these topics in a future episode of Nevada Wild.

In the final installment of our “One More Story” retirement series, Shawn Espinosa reflects on a career that began as a seasonal conservation aide in 1993 and ultimately led him to serve as administrator of NDOW’s Game Division.

Along the way, Shawn worked as a game warden, moved into wildlife management and took on leadership roles that helped shape wildlife conservation across Nevada.

Hear Shawn look back on the experiences, people and stories that defined more than three decades with NDOW.

Congratulations on an incredible career, Shawn — and thank you for sharing one more story with us. 🎉

After decades dedicated to Nevada’s wildlife, longtime Nevada Department of Wildlife biologist Mike Cox is closing out an incredible career.

In this episode of Nevada Wild, hosts Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones sit down with Mike to look back on his years with NDOW, the changes he’s witnessed in wildlife management and some of the people, places and experiences that made his career memorable.

From a lifetime spent working for Nevada’s wildlife to the stories collected along the way, Mike reflects on the career he’s built and what comes next as he heads into retirement.

Listen now and help us celebrate Mike Cox and his many years of service to Nevada’s wildlife and wild places.