Sheep Fever

Launched in 2015 with financial support from WSF and others, the Wild Harvest Initiative sought to calculate, for the first time, the total amount in pounds or tons of healthy, wild protein humanely harvested by sportsmen every year in the US and Canada. Keith caught up with Conservation Visions President and CEO Shane Mahoney to go over the numbers documented thus far and most importantly, how this data is being used to generate a broader public understanding and appreciation for sustainable use hunting. The sheer tonnage of wild protein consumed as meals and shared by hunters every year is staggering. It really puts into perspective the value of conservation and healthy ecosystems as nature's pantry, as it has been for a millennium. People may not hunt or agree on hunting's modern relevance, but no one can dismiss food as nonessential.

Artist, film producer, television host, outdoor communicator, ambassador, hunter, conservationist, father are just a few descriptives of Montana native Jason Matzinger. In this episode Jason and Gray cover a broad range of topics from Jason's roots, what makes him tick, outdoor media, where it came from, where it is going, and its benefits and burdens. Jason is the real deal and this episode covers topics coast to coast including the status of the outdoor industry. We also learn there is one descriptive that Jason does not consider himself to be…an "influencer." Find out why. We're already looking forward to Part II.

Tough to choose, but here is a Best of Sheep Fever 2024 special episode. Actually, our listeners choose for us by most popular downloads.

A lot of ground covered by some pretty seasoned folks in sheep hunting, conservation's history and future, wild sheep biology, predator management, shooting technology and marksmanship, to name a few.

· Episode 40: Wild Sheep & Predators - Kevin Hurley, Kurt Alt, Tom Lohuis, and Eric Rominger (02:00)

· Episode 46: Shooting Tech and the Era of Marksmanship - John Snow (28:19)

· Episode 50: WSF Ambassador Talk Sheep Show - Jana Waller (52:08)

· Episode 63: What Next for Conservation - Shane Mahoney (1:08:03)

You'll like this one.

Often consumed to celebrate victory, sometimes even survival, but just as often to mourn defeat, whiskey and wild sheep do go together. Such was the vision of founder Robert Gertsner when he conceived of wild sheep inspired distilled adult beverages now known as Full Curl Brand's. Rob is a successful entrepreneur and a passionate and equally successful sheep hunter. A bowhunter, his coveted offerings of bourbon, rye, gin, and vodka match his pension for doing it the right way even if that is not the easy one.

Sheep Fever co-host Gray Thornton and Rob discuss how the brand started, sheep and mountain hunting, the liquor business, the Sheep Show, partnerships and how Rob pays it forward by donating a portion of every bottle sold to fund wild sheep conservation.

Pour yourself a glass, grab a fine cigar, relax, make no apologies, and sit back and enjoy this episode.

Admittedly, hunters are gear junkies. When it comes to our knives, as we learned from MKC founder and CEO Josh Smith, it runs deeper than that. Grandpa's knife can be Dad's knife; can then be our knife as a rite of passage.

Sheep Fever sat down with Josh and a true American brand success story to discuss his humble beginning as a Montana boy knifemaker at age 15 to becoming the youngest Master Knifemaker in the country as certified by the Knifemaker's Guild, onto becoming one of the most successful startup knife companies in a very crowded field.

His story and his philosophy about cutting tools, his team, and what goes into each MKC blade is an interesting journey into tradecraft for the hunter, and now the ranch, the kitchen, and who knows what next.

The timing couldn't be better. WSF has secured a limited number of their famous Blackfoot 2.0 knives for our current Life Member promotion giveaway. Like all MKC knives, if you blink, they're gone.

Full details at this link https://www.wildsheepfoundation.org/life-summitlife

Post Sheep Show, Sheep Fever co-host Keith Balfourd and WSF's Director of Publications and Awards, Julie Tripp reconnect with Dustin Diefenderfer of Mtn. Tough Fitness Labs to walk, or limp back through the first TOUGH SHEEP workout that took place at the Show.

The TOUGH SHEEP workout was conceived by Dustin and his team to engage mountain fitness enthusiasts. The event aimed to not only welcome participants to the Sheep Show but also to provide a calendar event for their workout goals, create opportunities for in-person connections beyond their private workout spaces, contribute directly to wild sheep conservation efforts, and offer a chance to win a Dall's sheep hunt. The event raised $50,000 for wild sheep.

It was a lot to unpack, but with the maximum of 500 registrants on the books, 428 making it to Reno and starting and all completing the workout, TOUGH SHEEP was a huge success and all the buzz of the 2025 Sheep Show. Plans are in play for an even bigger and better event for 2026.

In Part II of our Spotlight on BC, Kyle, Scott, and Gray weigh into the status of wild sheep and wildlife in the province, and the status of wildlife conservation and management given Ministry, staff, and other recent political changes. The trio of CEOs discuss the prospects for restoring the grizzly bear hunt, other wildlife challenges, dollars to the resource vs. impact to the resource and social license issues effecting conservationists ability to fund our efforts.

British Columbia holds a special focus for the Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF), with three of North America's four wild sheep calling it home.

During the past three years, WSF directed $1.9 Million in Grant in Aid to the province to conserve and enhance thinhorn and bighorn sheep, improve their habitat, mitigate the impact of predation, support the hunting and conservation industry, and fund outreach programs to educate the public on the conservation benefits of hunting. In addition, WSF directed $828,000 to British Columbia's Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation through the sale of the BC Minister's Special Sheep License to fund wild sheep projects during the same three-year period for a total of nearly $2.8 Million. This equates to almost $1 million per year.

In this Spotlight on British Columbia episode, Sheep Fever co-host Gray Thornton visits with two of WSF's affiliates, Kyle Stelter, CEO Wild Sheep Society of BC & Scott Ellis, CEO Guide Outfitter Association of BC to talk all things wild sheep in the province.

With the Sheep Show just over the next ridge, Sheep Fever hosts Gray Thornton and Keith Balfourd sat down with Mike Schoby of Field Ethos to discuss what's new and what to expect at the Show, what our new partner, donor, and exhibitor Field Ethos has in store, and announce a special featured auction item.

Field Ethos is a relatively new outdoor adventure media company founded by Donald Trump Jr. and Jason Vincent. Their goal was to unapologetically revive the action-adventure into hunting, fishing, and exploration of the outdoors around the world. With print, digital, and social, they have amassed quite a following of raw adventure seekers searching for a rush wherever they can find it.

Along those lines, Field Ethos has fully donated a VIP Mongolian ibex hunt with Donald Trump Jr. and Shikar Safaris to the Sheep Show auction for Saturday night's Grand Finale banquet.

Watch live-stream and bid on the Sheep Show nightly live and silent online auctions at this link.

With the 2025 Sheep Show just around the corner, Sheep Fever co-hosts Gray and Keith visit with newly welcomed WSF Ambassadors Jana Waller Bair and Rachel Ahtila to discuss their journeys as hunter-conservationists, and to get their thoughts on why the Show is such a highlight on their travel schedules. Is it the positive vibe for wild sheep conservation or hunting in general, seeing old friends, making new ones, sharing stories where everyone is family, or simply a week of feel-good packed into three days?

Along the way, the group covers many of the fan-favorite events that happen in Reno every year, plus what's new for the 2025 Show. If you're planning on attending, we'll see you there. If not, there is still time. Full event details are available at this link.