Sportsmen's Empire - Western Big Game Hunting

This week, we’re talking about the opportunity to head over to West Virginia for their early season and what it means to get out of your comfort zone, hunt new country, and spend time with people who share the same passion for hounds and hunting. There’s something special about hunting a new area, learning from new people, and making memories along the way.

We wrap up the show by turning our attention to youth season and one of the most important questions we can ask ourselves as hunters: What is our goal when we take a young person hunting?

So, settle in and join us for another episode of Creekside Chronicles, where it’s about more than the hunt. It’s about the hounds, the people, and the heritage we pass along.

Hounds, Hunting, Heritage.

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We would like to thank those who support this podcast.  Special thanks to Double U Hunting Supply for sponsoring this episode.  

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Mule deer are Ethan Eskew’s obsession—but the real story is how he turns a full-time corporate job into a nearly year-round Western hunting routine. In this episode, Ethan and Dan talk about hunting bigger bucks, scouting with purpose, and making the hard choices that can bring a dream within reach.

Ethan shares his journey from hunting whitetails in West Virginia to building a life in the West. He and Dan discuss the sacrifices of moving away from family, the risks involved in pursuing what matters to you, and how Ethan balances a regular job with an intense hunting schedule.

They also get into the details of Ethan’s approach in the field: how he scouts before the season, why he’s become more selective, and how he keeps track of deer while planning a stalk. The conversation leads to the story of a challenging five-mile hike, a close encounter with a wide buck he chose to pass, and a tense wait before Ethan finally took his shot at an old, character-rich mule deer.

Whether you hunt mule deer or simply want to hear how someone makes room for a passion alongside everyday responsibilities, this episode brings together practical hunting insight, a memorable hunt, and an honest conversation about what it takes to follow your own path.

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What happens when a professional chef, hunter, and angler sets out to make wild game cooking easier for everyone? This week on Huntavore, Nick welcomes back Jeff Benda of Wild Game and Fish to talk about his journey from professional chef and Uber driver to full-time wild game recipe developer and cookbook author. Jeff shares the story behind his new Wild Game and Fish Cookbook, a resource designed to help hunters and anglers turn their hard-earned harvests into delicious, approachable meals.

Jeff explains how years of experimenting in the kitchen, drawing inspiration from international cuisines, and cooking with whatever ingredients were available helped shape his approach to wild game cooking. His cookbook focuses on practical, family-friendly recipes with accessible ingredients, clear instructions, and meals that fit into busy schedules. With more than 100 recipe testers helping refine the dishes, Jeff has worked to ensure that home cooks can confidently prepare everything from venison and waterfowl to freshwater fish.

The conversation also explores the challenges of building a business around a passion, the importance of perseverance, and why supporting independent authors by purchasing directly from their websites matters. Jeff discusses the value of trustworthy, thoroughly tested recipes in an age of AI-generated cooking content and encourages listeners to visit the original creators for reliable instructions and inspiration.

Whether you're looking for new ways to use what's already in your freezer, hoping to introduce your family to wild game, or searching for a cookbook to give a fellow hunter this holiday season, this episode is packed with ideas to help you make the most of your harvest.

• From passion to profession: Jeff's journey from chef and caterer to building Wild Game and Fish into a full-time business.
• The story behind the cookbook: How years of recipe development, experimentation, and inspiration from other cuisines led to the Wild Game and Fish Cookbook.
• Wild game cooking for busy families: Simple recipes designed for weeknight dinners, with many taking around 30 minutes or using a slow cooker.
• Making ingredients accessible: Why Jeff tested recipes using ingredients available at everyday grocery stores.
• Cooking with what you have: Adapting recipes to the species, cuts, and quantities of wild game and fish in your freezer.
• The importance of recipe testing: How feedback from more than 100 testers helped make the recipes detailed, reliable, and approachable.
• Preserving the art of recipe development: Why Jeff encourages cooks to visit original recipe websites instead of relying solely on AI-generated summaries.
• Supporting independent creators: The impact of purchasing cookbooks directly from authors and helping them sustain their work.
• A cookbook built for real kitchens: Hardcover construction, full-color photography, one-page recipes, and practical instructions designed for everyday use.

Jeff Benda is a hunter, angler, former professional chef, and the creator of Wild Game and Fish. Through his website and new cookbook, Jeff helps people discover approachable ways to prepare wild game and fish using accessible ingredients and dependable recipes.

• Website and cookbook: wildgameandfish.com
• Instagram: @wildgameandfish
• Direct link: Wild Game & Fish Cookbook – Wild Game & Fish Media

Visit Jeff's website for the cookbook, hundreds of wild game and fish recipes, and a newsletter featuring new recipes and hunting stories.

You don't need complicated ingredients or professional kitchen skills to make great wild game meals. Start with what you have in the freezer, find a recipe you can trust, and make wild game a regular part of your family's table.

Thanks for listening to Huntavore! Whether you're filling the freezer this season or figuring out what to cook from last year's harvest, keep exploring new ways to enjoy wild game—and remember to keep those knives sharp.

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Most deer hunters are sitting on years of trail camera intel and never using it. Deer ID turns those scattered photos into buck-specific patterns, weather trends, and hunt-day predictions so you can stop guessing and start hunting with purpose.

Nate Crick breaks down how Deer ID was built from a simple but powerful idea: the deer you chase are often showing up on repeat cycles, and the clues are already in your camera roll. From Half Rack daylighting on the same dates year after year to Tommy and Tyson revealing their own seasonal patterns, Nate explains how historical sightings can uncover what a single trail cam photo never will.

You'll discover:

• How Deer ID builds a separate profile for every buck
• Why uploading old trail cam photos can make your intel dramatically more accurate
• How the app reads location, time, wind, pressure, moon phase, and cloud cover from photos automatically
• Why the hunting calendar gives a day-by-day score instead of just a generic weather forecast
• How notifications can alert you when a buck's historical pattern lines up with current conditions

Nate also explains what Deer ID deliberately leaves out, like mapping and heavy location automation, because the goal is to improve woodsmanship, not replace it. The app is designed to help hunters stay sharp, not turn deer hunting into a cheat code. That philosophy sets it apart from the rest of the market and makes it especially useful for hunters who want better information without losing the challenge.

Dan J. digs into the details on how the app works, how data gets batch uploaded, and how public-land hunters can even use location-based scrape history to spot annual trends. The conversation also covers why the app can still help hunters who only have a season or two of data, and why more years of history make the predictions lock in harder.

If you keep trail camera photos, hunt specific bucks, or only get limited days in the woods, this episode shows you how to turn the data you already own into a real edge. Essential listening for serious whitetail hunters who want to be a little more dialed in this fall.

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If you care about Western hunting, public-land strategy, or want to understand what makes mule deer so different from whitetails, this conversation is packed with insights.

Dan J. talks with Trevor Hubbs, editor-in-chief of Mule Deer magazine for the Mule Deer and Blacktail Deer Foundation. They discuss deer genetics and hybrid zones, and the challenges of hunting animals that can migrate hundreds of miles and rely on suitable habitat to survive.

 Trevor explains why mule deer are sensitive to environmental change, why they can’t simply be managed like whitetails, and why their numbers are lower today than decades ago.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• Where mule deer and whitetails overlap—and how to spot hybrids in the field
• How antlers, gait, and behavior can help identify different deer
• How fire, drought, agriculture, and human expansion affect mule deer country
• Why mule deer need native vegetation
• Hunting seasons, migration, draw strategy, and the realities of pursuing mature bucks in the West

Trevor also shares stories from his work as an editor and his experiences hunting in Montana and Wyoming, including a hunt affected by wildfire. Along the way, he and Dan discuss public-land access, muzzleloader opportunities, decoy tactics, and why longer hunts can help when you’re looking for a mature buck.

The conversation also explores the bigger conservation picture: why some wildlife adapts to human-shaped landscapes while other species struggle, and how habitat changes can reshape mule deer populations and hunting opportunities.

If you love Western hunting, want to learn more about mule deer, or are interested in the challenges facing this iconic species, add this episode to your queue.

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Training season may be over, but the work doesn’t stop. In this episode, we talk about what comes next—getting young hounds in the woods, building confidence, working on fundamentals, and preparing for the next season. The off-season is where the foundation is built.

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Subscribe to: 

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Bear Hunting Magazine

American Bear Foundation

Virginia Bear Hunters Association 

For the best lights in the business

Check out: Cajunlights.com  

Double U Hunting Supply: Get all your hound hunting gear at Double U. Products every hound hunter trusts to keep up with their pack. Double U Hunting Supply.com

We would like to thank those who support this podcast.  Special thanks to Double U Hunting Supply for sponsoring this episode.  

www.dusupply.com

https://www.youtube.com/@DoubleUHuntingSupply/podcasts

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dan and Ken sit down to tackle the nuances of Alberta antelope hunting, from pre-hunt prep to field execution. After tagging out early this season, Ken shifts his focus to helping his niece harvest a buck. He shares insights from his trip—including setting up his SUV as a mobile base camp, using the iHunter app to scout and secure land permissions, and adjusting his size expectations on the ground. The pair also explore critical hunting tactics, including navigating the rut, understanding antelope vision, practicing long-range shooting, and building meaningful relationships with private landowners.

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On this episode of the Hunting Gear Podcast, Dan re-joins Jacob Coons for a candid look at "Made in the USA" hunting gear. Does where your gear is manufactured actually drive your purchasing decisions, or does it all come down to price tag and performance?

The guys unpack price points across major gear categories, test the durability argument, and confront common manufacturing stereotypes head-on. Plus, Dan and Jacob share their own personal philosophies on gear selection and discuss whether domestic production still carries real weight in their setups.

Highlights:

• Does origin matter when you’re at the checkout line?
• Breaking down price points and durability across gear categories
• Overcoming manufacturing stereotypes: Myths vs. realities
• How Dan and Jacob evaluate gear for their own hunts

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How does your hound know you're going hunting before you've even said a word?

In this episode, we dive into the fascinating world of hound intuition and the patterns dogs pick up from us every day. From the moment we turn the light on or not. My hounds recognize a familiar sequence of cues that tells them exactly what's coming next. 

We talk about aggression at the tree. Can it be fixed and trusted when you’re an hour out.

IG - heathhyatt147

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Send your stories or questions to: 

[email protected]

Follow our Sponsors:

Inukshuk 

Double U Hunting Supply

Muddy River Transport 

Darkenergy

OnX 

Inukshuk:

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Corey.ca

Darkenergy:  best-charging banks on market. Discount code is CODE4

darkenergy.com

Frontline Optics- Duty sunglasses

Polarized

No questions asked replacement

Charitable Donation with every pair

Free shipping

Frontline-Optics.com use promo code - CODE4

https://frontline-optics.com?sca_ref=5672409.03I05MEwyy

Subscribe to: 

Full Cry Magazine

Bear Hunting Magazine

American Bear Foundation

Virginia Bear Hunters Association 

For the best lights in the business

Check out: Cajunlights.com  

Double U Hunting Supply: Get all your hound hunting gear at Double U. Products every hound hunter trusts to keep up with their pack. Double U Hunting Supply.com

We would like to thank those who support this podcast.  Special thanks to Double U Hunting Supply for sponsoring this episode.  

www.dusupply.com

https://www.youtube.com/@DoubleUHuntingSupply/podcasts

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week on Huntavore, Nick welcomes back good friend Mitch Shirk of the Pennsylvania Woodsman Podcast to talk about an exciting upcoming adventure: Nick's first-ever black bear hunt. What started as a long-standing invitation from Mitch has finally come together, and the two break down what listeners can expect from a New Jersey bear hunting experience.

The conversation begins with plenty of campfire humor, including stories about hunting trophies, taxidermy negotiations with spouses, and the challenge of finding wall space for mounts. Nick shares the story behind his Michigan ten-point buck mount while Mitch recounts the unforgettable moment his wife came home to find a full elk shoulder mount hanging in the foyer.

From there, the discussion turns to the surprising reality of New Jersey's bear population. Mitch explains why the northern part of the state offers exceptional bear habitat, how management changes have affected bear numbers, and why human-bear conflicts led to the reopening of the state's bear season. Listeners will gain insight into the dense swamps, abundant food sources, and unique terrain that make New Jersey one of the most productive bear hunting destinations in the East.

Nick and Mitch dive into bear behavior, discussing everything from preferred food sources and swamp habitat to the impressive size of New Jersey black bears. Mitch shares stories of bears weighing over 500 pounds and describes the excitement of encountering an animal that can seemingly appear out of nowhere despite its massive size. The pair also discuss the different age classes of bears, sow and cub interactions, and how hunting can play an important role in managing populations and reducing conflicts.

The conversation shifts into hunting strategy as Mitch explains how he uses bait sites, trail cameras, terrain features, wind direction, and natural travel corridors to increase the odds of success. Rather than simply sitting over bait, he focuses on understanding bear movement and positioning hunters where bears naturally travel. His goal is to provide multiple opportunities and backup plans throughout the three-day hunt.

Listeners will also hear a detailed discussion on shot placement for black bears. Mitch explains why bear anatomy differs from deer, where he recommends placing a shot with both firearms and archery equipment, and why he favors heavy bullets for muzzleloader hunting. The two compare bear and deer anatomy while emphasizing quick, ethical harvests and efficient recoveries.

As always, the conversation eventually finds its way back to food. Mitch makes a strong case for black bear as one of the best wild game meats available, explaining how proper handling, rapid cooling, and careful processing make all the difference. The two discuss bear roasts, burgers, backstraps, sous vide cooking, seasoning techniques, and their plans to experiment with bear recipes if the hunt is successful.

The episode wraps up with anticipation for the upcoming hunt. Nick reflects on the excitement, nervousness, curiosity, and respect that come with pursuing a new species. For him, this adventure represents everything that draws hunters outdoors—the opportunity to explore unfamiliar places, learn new skills, and connect more deeply with the food they bring home.

• Preparing for a first black bear hunt
• New Jersey bear hunting opportunities and regulations
• Bear habitat, food sources, and movement patterns
• Public land scouting and hunting strategy
• Trail cameras, baiting, and wind considerations
• Bear shot placement and anatomy
• Muzzleloader hunting for black bears
• Bear recovery and field dressing
• Why proper meat care matters
• Cooking and processing black bear
• Camp life, camaraderie, and hunting traditions

Mitch Shirk
Host of the Pennsylvania Woodsman Podcast and longtime bear hunter who shares his experience hunting black bears across Pennsylvania and New Jersey while helping new hunters experience their first bear hunts.

• Pennsylvania Woodsman Podcast
• Sportsmen's Empire Network
• Available wherever you listen to podcasts

Sometimes the best hunting adventures start with saying "yes" to something completely new. Whether it's a new species, a new state, or a new group of hunting partners, growth happens when we step into unfamiliar territory. The anticipation, preparation, and shared experiences often become just as meaningful as the harvest itself.

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