The Hunting Collective

You don't have to hang around very long and it's easy to figure out that the hunting industry has some interesting stories to tell. One of the most interesting is that of Ben "ShedCrazy" Dettamanti, a Utah-based content creator and shed hunter known for his funny-as-hell social media presence. Here's a guy that left his job as a school janitor to post videos on YouTube about running around the mountains collecting antlers and making folks laugh. It takes some courage to make that jump. 

 Ben joined me at the Total Archery Challenge in Terry Peak, SD, to fling arrows and attempt to make each other crack up at full draw. It was a great weekend, highlighted by our conversation about his career as a content creator, the lures of social media fame, grip and grins (gasp!) and how much money a guy can make from selling sheds. It was an interesting chat and I look forward to hanging out with ol' ShedCrazy again soon. Enjoy.

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On this episode I'm joined by Cole Kramer out of Kodiak, Alaska, one of the top guides in mountain hunting today. Cole, a small town Kansas kid, was inspired by his Aunt and Uncle to venture North after high school and has since made a living guiding hunters in Alaska's harshest conditions. 

 Cole and I first met a few years back when I hadn't yet been on what I would call a true adventure hunt--think backcountry drop camps in sub-zero temps or hiking to 18,000 feet of elevation to kill a sheep. It's through those experiences that I was able to challenge myself, and watch Cole overcome hunting's roughest conditions with ease. I've also gotten to know him as a friend.  On this episode Cole joined me at the Total Archery Challenge in Terry Peak, South Dakota for a weekend of shooting and a great conversation. We talked about how he came to be guide, how adventures sharpen the willing hunter, respecting bears, bear on bear violence, and our trip to Nepal chasing blue sheep. This is one of my favorite podcasts to date. Enjoy.

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Cody Rich has been podcasting for a while. In fact, as of this writing, he's 244 episodes deep. When I started The Hunting Collective Cody was one of the first guys to step up and teach a rookie the ropes. Just goes to show you that the hunting world is full of good guys. Cody is definitely one. 

He's also driven. Cody is a true entrepreneur, always looking to start a new venture and break new ground. He treats hunting the same way. He once broke his neck and was told he would never walk again. He very politely informed the doctor that hunting season was a month away and that he needed to get on the mountain. Like I said, he's driven.

I caught up with the host of The Rich Outdoors podcast at his home in Bozeman, Montana for a dinner, some whiskey and a great conversation. We talked about my past and his, hunting's past and future, the flaws of Yellowstone and much, much more. This one goes pretty deep. Enjoy.

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Adam Janke is the host of the Beyond the Kill podcast, and the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Mountain Hunting (JOMH). Adam, a British Columbia resident and diehard mountain hunter, is a deliberate dude. He came into the hunting industry recently and has made a name for himself early on as someone who cares about hunting's image and is striving to celebrate the experience. 

We spoke about the recent hunting ban on grizzly bears in his home province, the state of hunting media today, how to talk to non-hunters, the greatest challenges with communicating what we do and his recent crazy-as-shit goat hunt up North. 

Be sure to check out the film "Toeing the Line" from Adam and the JOMH at journalofmountainhunting.com and the newest print edition of the magazine. In the meantime, enjoy our conversation.

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Ryan Callaghan, the long bow shooting, public lands loving, mustached Idahoan, joins me for his second appearance in episode 15. 

First Lite’s Director of Conservation and Public Relations, hunting guide and frequent contributor to MeatEater, Callaghan is just damn fun to have in hunting camp. 

He joined me and Casey Butler in Sonora, Texas for a crazy Axis deer hunt in the rut. We battled chiggers, ticks, 105-degree temps and the occasional rattlesnake and came out with coolers full of venison and a bunch of awesome stories. 

In this discussion we covered why and how Cal decided to hunt with a long bow, success and failure with that weapon, what record book animals really mean, Memorial Day mishaps, and my latest speeding ticket. 

Enjoy, and we’ll see you next week.

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Casey “LaVere” Butler is a success story. A few years back he decided to leave his 9-to-5 job at a steel mill to do something crazy: create a hunting and fishing YouTube channel. With no assurances he'd make anything of the idea, he took the leap and started Hushin. His friends Eric Chesser and Brian McElrea joined him and together in just a few short years they have created one of hunting's most unheralded media powerhouses. They have a dedicated audience that follows their every move as the crew creates semi-live content from the field. It's raw and unedited, something new to the space. 

There's more to Casey than just his branded content. He's a family man, raising four kids with his wife in the mountains of Idaho, and a guy who truly enjoys the experience of hunting. To say Casey comes off as a "regular guy" is no slight. It's easy to relate to his honest approach to capturing his hunts and Hushin's diverse fan base is evidence that his message resonates. 

 I met up with Casey and Ryan Callaghan from First Lite to chase free-range axis deer in Sonora, Texas. We had a kickass few days dodging chiggers, rattlesnakes and ticks tracking rutting bucks in 100-degree heat. Afterwards we sat down to discuss the dangers of hunting the Lone Star State, success and failure in bowhunting, winning the mental game, and covered some deep topics on life, death and what we can learn about both in hunting. Enjoy.

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This week's episode is a little different. I'm joined by Sam Soholt for a recap of an epic hunt for Axis deer on the Hawaiian island of Lanai.

I've been lucky to be a part of many great hunting camps over the years, but I don't think I'll ever top thins one. Sam and I were joined by John and Sharon Dudley, Cameron Hanes, Joe Rogan, Shane Dorian, Remi Warren, Adam and Kimmi Greentree and the great El Chapo. If the crew isn't enough to make this one damn awesome adventure, we added in the most switched on impossible to stalk deer on the planet. Not to mention the most delicious. 

Enjoy this recap and be sure to check out everyone's social media pages for all the highlights.

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Fred Eichler lives the dream. His ranch near Aguilar, Colorado is tucked in the game rich foothills of the Spanish Peaks holding elk, mule deer, whitetail, pronghorn, turkeys, bears and more. He lives there with his three boys and awesome wife Michele, running Full Draw Outfitters and living off the land. The Eichler homestead features a garden, bee hives, chickens, hounds, fainting goats and as many dogs as you can count. The fruits of this labor is fresh honey, homemade jams, veggies, eggs and of course wild meat. I’d move in tomorrow if I could. Following a kickass turkey hunt I got together with Fred to talk about his two decades in the industry, the changes in archery and how that change is perceived. It was a fun one, recorded in his truck rolling through the ranch. He also claims to be the originator of #justglassin, which I support. Enjoy

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John Gale is the Conservation Director for Backcountry Hunters and Anglers (BHA). He’s also a fifth-generation Idahoan who grew up engaged in politics at a young age. Nowadays John is the man on Capitol Hill for BHA and he’s as immersed in public land policy as anyone in the conservation game.

I caught up with John at BHA’s Rendezvous to drink some local beer and try to get the whole story on the present and future of the battle for public lands.

We spoke about our public lands legacy, land transfer, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the North American Model for Wildlife, the national monuments issue, politicizing land use and much more.

Enjoy this in-depth conversation that I hope can provide some perspective in the conversation on how to keep our lands public.

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Aron Snyder's official title is President/CEO at Kifaru international and Host of the Kifarucast podcast, but he's a whole lot more than that. 

He's handy with a trad bow, and spends up to 150 days a year on the mountain. He's been in the hunting podcast world for as long as just about anyone, and he's a wealth of knowledge because of it. 

Snyder also doesn't really care what most folks think. He's brutally honest in all the best ways. The result is a conversation with little held back that for me resulted in a lot of perspective.

Perspective on hunting's perception in popular culture, how we can do better representing ourselves, defining trophy hunting, and why hunters feel the need to in-fight so much. We also went pretty deep in to what gear he packs into the backcountry, how he prepares and how to pick the right pack and boots. 

You're going to enjoy episode No. 10, I promise. Be sure to check out Kifarucast in the meantime.

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