The Nevada Wild Podcast

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 great conditions waterfowl hunters can expect this season. Russell shares some important information about waterfowl hunting for each Nevada hunt zone! The crew talks about bag limit changes, habitat conditions, discusses 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/

In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones sit down with NDOW’s Upland Game Staff Specialist Justin Small for a detailed conversation about the 2025 chukar hunting forecast. Justin talks about all the work that goes into the forecast from "boots on the ground" brood surveys to the chick production in Nevada counties. Listen to this week’s podcast to find out why this years’ forecast calls for another good year of chukar hunting in Nevada!

After 30 years of dedicated service, Conservation Education Division Administrator Chris Vasey is retiring from the Nevada Department of Wildlife. A native Nevadan, avid sportsman, and passionate outdoorsman, Chris brought his love for the wild to every aspect of his work. For the past 10 years, he has led NDOW’s education and outreach division, helping it grow into a nationally recognized, award-winning program admired by other states. Under his leadership, NDOW’s education, outreach, and social media efforts have flourished. His enthusiasm for the job was infectious, and his laughter was a familiar and welcome sound in the halls.

Thank you, Chris, for everything you’ve done. You will be deeply missed.

In this week's Nevada Wild podcast, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones are joined by the Southern Region Hunter Education and Shooting Sports Coordinator Martin Olson to have a conversation about muzzleloader hunting in Nevada. Martin talks about NDOW’s free muzzleloader introduction classes and why he thinks shooting a muzzleloader is so fun. The guys also talk about how choosing to apply for muzzleloader tags can help both kids and adults go big game hunting more often in the Silver State.

Thank you for supporting Nevada's wildlife!

The Nevada Department of Wildlife is a proud member of BearWise®, a program of the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies.

Black bears have been in Nevada long before we lived here, but by the early 1900s they had been extirpated from the state. Conservation efforts and habitat regeneration allowed black bears to begin coming back into Nevada and reinhabit their old stomping grounds. Since the 1980s we have watched Nevada’s bear population in the western part of the state increase dramatically. It is now up to Nevada’s residents and visitors to live and recreate responsibly in bear country!

In this episode of Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones are joined by Game Biologist and Bear Expert Becca Carniello. Becca explains her unique position in the Department, and they discuss solutions to human-caused problems for bears in Nevada and how we can all live with wildlife and what it means to be BearWise.

Find more resources on living with bears and other wildlife here: https://www.ndow.org/learn-discover/wildlife-discovery/living-with-wildlife/

In this week's Nevada Wild podcast, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones are joined by Statewide Boating Education Coordinator Aaron Meier to talk about Operation Dry Water and boating safety. Aaron explains that Operation Dry Water is a national campaign designed to combat boating under the influence (BUI) through increased boat patrols over the three-day weekend. The guys talk about how much fun boating in Nevada can be and outline a few simple steps you can take to stay safe on the water.

In this week’s Nevada Wild podcast, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones are joined by Rendle Taylor and Ken Shoemaker, two Director’s from the Silver Arrow Bowmen Archery Club in Reno, Nevada. Rendle and Ken explain their roles on the board, the current goals of the club, NDOW’s recent investments in the archery range, and how you can get involved. They discuss the June 21-22, 2025, Bowhunter Bonanza, how to register, and the ins and outs of a competitive archery shoot.

In this week's Nevada Wild podcast, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones are joined by Fisheries Biologist Heath Korell to talk about one of everyone's favorite Nevada lakes, Cave Lake. Heath gives a great history lesson dating back to the 1930's and details the dam rebuild project that started in 2019. The guys discuss interesting facts about the area including that the state record brown trout was caught at Cave Lake in 1984! They also talk about the Grand Reopening of Cave Lake on Saturday, June 7 with festivities that include a fish planting, float tube seminar, and a ribbon cutting to commemorate the day.

Thank you for supporting Nevada's wildlife!

In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones are joined by NDOW’s Mountain Goat and Bighorn Sheep Staff Specialist Mike Cox. Mike talks about an exciting project to bring more mountain goats to Nevada earlier this year and gives an update on how well they’re doing overall. He also gives the guys an overview of all three subspecies of bighorn sheep found in Nevada and outlines how the Department is working through a tough drought situation down south.

 

Mike is a wealth of knowledge and is as passionate of a biologist as they come. Make sure to listen to what he has to say on this weeks’ episode.

 

Thank you for supporting Nevada’s wildlife!

In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones are joined by NDOW’s Data and Technology Services Division Administrator Matt Maples. The guys talk about technology and data in the Department, the big game application and draw, bonus points and why they matter, and what makes applying for tags in Nevada unique. They also share some tips and tricks to up your odds of drawing a big game tag this year!

Thank you for supporting Nevada’s wildlife!