The Wild Initiative

Primitive survivalist Laura Zerra joins Sam on The Wild Initiative about building your ideal lifestyle and outdoor experience. In this episode, Laura reminisces about growing up as the “weird kid” whose closest friends were a pack of coyotes. She walks us through her journey into veganism and her transition back into eating meat as well as many of the various delicacies outside of traditional wild game. They also cover the concept of self-reliance in everything you do, facing near-death experiences in the wilderness, learning from our many hunting mistakes and her catastrophic near-disaster of an elk hunt.

See more at thewildinitiative.com/151.

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Byron Pace, photographer and filmmaker, joins Sam on The Wild Initiative to discuss conservation and our hunting media. In this episode, Byron discusses his involvement in Modern Huntsman and the changes in our consumption and presentation of hunting media as well as the important values his father imparted to him with regards to the outdoors. They also discuss the concept of individual versus ecosystem passions for animals, the existence of the Loch Ness monster, the blood-lust journey through hunting, offensive gingerism and, of course, Cecil the Lion.

Learn more on the show notes page at thewildinitiative.com/150.

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Tom Rowland, fishing guide and host of Saltwater Experience and the Tom Rowland Podcast, joins Sam on The Wild Initiative to discuss how fitness has improved his life as a hunter, angler and family man. In this episode, they discuss the sacrifices you have to be willing to make to live the life you want and how to discover your direction. Tom tells the story of falling out of shape, finding himself consistently beat, sore and injured and how that affected his time in the outdoors. He then talks about his journey, the importance of physical fitness to both the outdoors and your family life and why staying fit is critical rather than just a luxury.

Learn more on the show notes page at thewildinitiative.com/149.

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Robin Black, MMA Analyst and Commentator and king of the one-minute breakdown, joins Sam, in this bonus episode of The Wild Initiative, on an Instagram Live session. They have a fantastic conversation covering a little bit of everything including trophy hunting, masculinity, athlete hunters, the emotional connection to what we fight or kill and the numerous ways their individual passions coincide.

See more on the show notes page at thewildinitiative.com/podcast/2020/5/podcast-bonus-episode-robin-black-enjoy-the-hostilities.

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Blake Manning, a fellow California native, joins Sam to talk about the endless opportunities for hunting that California offers. In this episode, they discuss the ins-and-outs of reaching out to private landowners, their Spring turkey seasons, hunting coastal blacktail, taking his wife out on her first hunt, and sharing the bounty of the hunt with family and friends.

See more on the show notes page at thewildinitiative.com/148.

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Powerlifter Brandon Lilly joins Sam on The Wild Initiative to discuss overcoming adversity and the power of stripping life down to the basics. In this episode, Brandon walks us through his journey as a powerlifter and through his recovery from a catastrophic rupture of both knees. He also provides his insight on a wide variety of topics including moving towards a primitive lifestyle, facing difficult situations, controlled breathing exercises, fitness routines and functional movement, the ethics of a “Texas Heart Shot” and learning to slow down and observe before taking action.

See more on the show notes page at thewildinitiative.com/147.

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Britt Longoria joins Sam on The Wild Initiative to discuss what it truly means to be a hunter. In this episode, Britt reminisces about traveling the world hunting with her father, the important legacy he left, the start of her love affair with Africa and growing up with dreams of running an African Safari Company. They also discuss the controversial “leopard photo,” flipping the stereotypical image of a hunter, speaking at an emotional level about our reasons for hunting and learning to understand the non-hunter perspective in order to more effectively communicate.

Learn more on the show notes page at thewildinitiative.com/146.

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The Quiet Survivalist and 30+ year military and federal law enforcement veteran, Michael Lavalle, joins Sam on the Wild Initiative to talk about essential survival skills. In this episode, they discuss must-have survival gear for your pack, fire-starting tactics, how to find water in the desert, and even some super handy tricks for locating and tracking elk on “over-hunted” public land.

See more on the show notes page at thewildinitiative.com/145.

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Locke Wheeler is back again, talkin' turkey with Sam on The Wild Initiative. In this episode, they discuss how the weather and seasons affect turkey behavior during the day, whether or not to use decoys, turkey rafter dynamics, decoy setup strategies, aggressive and timid calling techniques and how to locate toms in the morning.

Learn more on the show notes page at thewildinitiative.com/144.

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Anna Van Nostrand of Anna V Outdoors joins Sam on The Wild Initiative to talk all about wing-shooting, bird dogs and the hunting life. In this episode, they discuss her history as a firearms instructor, developing her passion for wing-shooting and bird-doggin', getting her daughters into hunting, how to get your start in the sport and the essential gear you'll need.

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