My old friend and passionate dangerous game hunter Brandon Maddox makes his return to the show this week. The Banish Suppressors Founder and CEO explains what the upcoming dissolution of the $200 Tax Stamp means for the consumer. We also get into some exciting new products in the Banish line, including an RMEF (Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation) special edition Backcountry suppressor and a brand-new suppressor designed for shotgun attachment.
Of course, we also discuss our recent hunting schedules which include Ontario wolves, African leopard and possibly a polar bear hunt (for Brandon) in the near future. Much to discuss!

My longtime friend Paul Anderson of El Dorado Outfitters has been in the outfitting business for over 20 years. However, it was his passion for wing shooting that lead him to open a wingshooting paradise in Tamaulipas, Mexico. A true bird hunting paradise, El Dorado offers volume dove and duck hunts as well as the best wild quail hunting in the world. Highlights from the conversation include:

* How quail hunting has changed stateside just in our lifetimes
* What does a typical volume dove hunt look like in Tamaulipas?
* Why are there so many dove in the region?
* How does volume dove hunting factor into conservation?
* Shotguns and shot shells – 12 vs 20 gauge loads
* Impact on local economy
* Doing his part for jaguars
* Bird boys
* How many coveys can you expect to be pointed on an average hunt?
* What kind of pointers do they use?
* 5 star food and lodging

Click Here for booking info: El Dorado Outfitters

Mike Arnold has traveled the world pursuing his passion for hunting and adventure. The University of Georgia Genetics Department Head recently released his 2nd book – Bringing Back the Wild: Stories from Revitalized Ecosystems Around the World and How Sport Hunting Supports Them. We discuss the book and the importance of sustainable use trophy hunting in detail based on Mike and I’s firsthand experiences. Other interesting topics from the conversation include:

* Hunting rock hyrax in Africa
* Pursuing brocket deer and birds in the Yucatan Jungle
* Why would anyone hunt a vaal reedbuck on their first safari?
* The two types of poachers
* The 3 reasons we pursue international hunts
* Leopard hunting in Mozambique
* Why did Mike choose “sport” over “trophy” in the book title?
* What is it like working as PHD Department Head in the woke university system?
* Big 5 conservation through hunting
* Hillsdale College
* What happens to the landscape in 3rd world countries when sport hunting is disincentivized?

Henderson County residents have fished and hunted the Cut Off oxbow lake for over a century. The water body was listed as navigable back in the 1930s and therefore public access is a fundamental right for anyone wishing to utilize the lake. Sadly, a wealthy landowner came in and has tried to shut off public access entirely but putting up a fence on TxDot property he doesn’t have the right to build on.
Lifelong Henderson County resident Dustin Baker makes his return to the show to discuss the latest update in the community’s fight against this landowner and the future of the Cutoff. Unfortunately, political corruption runs deep in this case, and the court system recently handed the landowner a major victory in his fight to lock up the 700 acre lake all to himself.
(A couple Henderson County youngsters with a nice haul of crappie and catfish taken the weekend before the judge’s ruling)
 

Our old friend and passionate bass fisherman Cody Roberson (founder of Army Bass Anglers) of Purple Heart Homes makes his return to the show this week.  We discuss a myriad of topics including:

* How has technology impacted professional bass fishing from a consumer (fan) standpoint?
* Has the fractured relationship between the Elite Series and MLF slowly healing over time?
* Most little fishes wins, or show me the heaviest 5 fish stringer?
* Purple Heart Homes in action
* Best bass lake in Texas?
* Personal Best tales
* Upcoming TV schedule

It’s been 15 years since Chad Waligura was last on the show giving him the distinction of having the longest time span between visits in Lone Star Outdoor Show history. So what has changed for our quadriplegic hunting buddy in the past decade and half? We have much to discuss with the passionate outdoorsman and Able Outdoors founder. Highlights from the conversation include:

* A New Mexico pronghorn for the record books
* Taking a blind man duck hunting
* How does Chad shoulder a shotgun as a quadriplegic?
* How did he become paralyzed?
* How is Able Outdoors helping other “able bodied” hunters?
* Running AKC Hunt Tests with his labs
* Do his feet get cold or not?
* The Ultimate Waterfowler’s Challenge and Chad’s plans to complete it.
* Cinnamon Teal
* How many of the 41 duck/goose/crane species does he think he can get in Texas?
* Slow cooking whole ducks
* Ringneck vs greenwing teal?

Our old friend Michael Hunter makes his return to the show this week. The professional chef and owner of the esteemed Antler Kitchen & Bar restaurant just released a new wild game cookbook. We discuss the latest publication Hunter Chef in the Wild- Game, Fish and Fowl Recipes and Techniques for Cooking Outdoors among other things. Highlights from the conversation include:

* Upcoming Caribou and moose hunts
* How to get your kids to assert themselves physically in youth sports
* No suppressors for Canadians
* Cooking over an open fire
* Pronghorn – delicious or not?
* Dealing with Octopus
* Pellet Grills
* Why doesn’t fish sell at his restaurant
* Infusing and distilling natural flavors into liquor
* What goes into making a cookbook?
* Cooking the perfect snow goose
* Would you eat carp?
* Braised beaver
* Plans for the upcoming season

After two decades of beating up my truck on various deer leases across Texas and Oklahoma, I finally decided enough is enough. I have joined the ranks of the side by side community with a new Can Am Defender Lone Star Edition thanks to my friends over at Woods Cycle Country.
On this episode I am joined by Woods Cycle Country sales manager Dean Moorhead and number one sales guy Tyler Lynham. Like most of the team at Woods Cycle Country, Dean and Tyler are avid outdoorsmen. The showroom floor at the dealership is littered with taxidermy and despite it taking up an entire city block, it’s still a family-owned mom and pops enterprise. On this episode we discuss everything from South Texas whitetails, duck hunting the coast, invasive nutria rats and the recent bowfishing trip (Dean and Tyler took me bowfishing on the Guadalupe River).
We also talk about some of the features on my new rig and I get a crash course on being a first-time side by side owner. I took their advice on my trip to the lease this weekend and put to the test. Even pulled a deer blind off the trailer with the winch (you can see the video on my Instagram).
(Myself, Tyler and Dean after our bowfishing trip)

(JoJo and I after a Childress dove hunt with one of my lease mates)

When I first saw a video of Steve Porter and a pile of dead whitetail fawns, my interest was immediately peaked. Why would anyone kill their own healthy doe fawns? What was the story behind euthanizing his fawns? Turns out it is as an insidious attack on deer hunting and the breeding industry as I’ve heard, and that says a lot coming from Texas. Steve Porter’s Trophy Whitetails has been in business in Minnesota for going on 30 years. So why did failed Vice Presidential hopeful and current Minnesota Governor Tim Walz come after deer farmers? Surely these animals must have been sick, right? There’s no way even Tampon Timmy would want to see healthy deer euthanized, remember Tim said he’s a friend of hunting during the 2024 election cycle.
Turns out Governor Walz is not only an enemy of deer hunting and deer breeding, but he’s also ok with cattle ranching going by the way side in the name of climate change. I know that’s a ton to digest and seems insane to even be reading such a damning claim, but it turns out that is exactly what the Minnesota DNR believes. Steve and I discuss the depths of betrayal he has experienced from the DNR and what it means for his business and his farm going forward. The biggest take away from the conversation though, is what it means for all of us it the leftist activists think they can get away with controlling our food supply in the name of their fraudulent climate change narrative.

I sat down with Safari Club International Deputy Director of Advocacy and Western State Liason Chris Tymeson and Safari Club International State & Local Liason Bee Frederick on this episode. We discuss SCI’s direct line of communication with new Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum after a recent meeting Chris attended with the Department of Interior. Then we spend some time on Florida’s recent decision to bring back science-based wildlife management regarding its growing black bear population.
 

Kelly Young has made a career out of pursuing her passion for travel and fishing. The Florida native enjoys documenting those experiences and sharing them with her growing audience of  600,000 Youtube subscribers. Highlights from today’s conversation (and Kelly’s first ever appearance on a podcast) include:

* Growing up lobster diving with dad
* Keeping it classy
* Fishing Columbia
* Eating piranha
* Getting bitten by a shark
* Let’s eat some raw fish
* Best tasting fish in the ocean?
* What is her goal with her channel/content?
* Giant freshwater shrimp
* Spring turkey talk
* Hunting with a spear gun
* Maine lobster vs tropical lobster
* YouTubers don’t really watch YouTube
* And much more!

Outdoorsman Joel White joins us live from Washington D.C. for this one. The founder and CEO of Horizon Government Affairs (who specializes in Healthcare Policy), Joel provides some major insight into what is going on when it comes to Americans and the skyrocketing cost of health care and health insurance. Where does the “Big Beautiful Bill” come into play on these issues? Should Americans feel hopeful that health care costs will go down in the future? Other highlights from the conversation include:

* Mule deer hunting with his sons in Idaho
* Trump’s promise to clean up Washington D.C.
* The outdoors and its impact on physical/mental health
* Those nasty blue hairs
* Why have health care costs increased so drastically in the United States compared to other 1st world countries?
* RFK’s accomplishments so far
* What’s in that Big Beautiful Bill and why is the left acting like people will lose healthcare?
* Other countries will pay their fair share
* No more incentivizing illegals with free healthcare on the taxpayer dime

Our old buddy and veteran bowhunter Jason Wilson makes his return to the show this week. The Georgia native has been chasing whitetail deer with a stick and string for over 4 decades and has managed to successfully take over 200 animals with his bow. We discuss the ins and outs of what it takes to consistently bowhunt whitetail deer but with a real focus on tips for the novice archer.
Highlights from the conversation include:

* stem cell therapy and how it helped Jason get his health back
* getting back in shape and keeping the weight off
* failures as a beginning bowhunter
* losing animals
* consistency is key
* scent control or no?
* how high in a tree is ideal?
* smoke show
* how far should you shoot at a whitetail buck from a tree?
* practice routine- less is more with number of arrows
* Obsession
* scoping yourself with a rifle
* the beauty of suppressors
* the joy of taking a new hunter

Vortex’s Mark Boardman makes his return on this episode. We catch up before hitting on some interesting topics. Highlights include:

* Mark heads home for a family turkey hunt
* Is the trophy the experience or the result?
* Montana bear hunt ends with a big ol pumpkin’  head
* Youth hunter recruitment and why so many kids fall through the cracks
* “Don’t Feed The Bears Act of 2025” would ban baiting on all federal land
* New Vortex Ranger HD 3000 Laser Rangefinding Bino and the advantages of adding a range finding bino to your kit

Colossal Laboratories & Biosciences has been in the news quite frequently in recent years. If you’ve heard the term “de-extinction” it was likely referring to their work. Colossal’s Chief Animal Officer and Executive Director of the Colossal Foundation Matt James joins us in studio this week. We talk about Colossal’s origin and growth into a multi-billion dollar company. Most importantly though, we discuss their current work focused on de-extincting the wooly mammoth. They’ve already re-created 3 dire wolves, a species that disappeared from North America some 10,000 years ago.
So where does the rubber meet the road when trying to bring back species that went extinct thousands of years ago? Are we playing God or are there ecological reasons to consider bringing back some of these species. Matt explains Colossal’s logic and the science behind the de-extinction process. What about in the case of species that went extinct because of human factors like the dodo and the Tazmanian Tiger?
We also discuss the obvious question as to where to put mammoths when they do bring them back. Will it be public or private land? How will they be managed? Lots to get into on this week’s show!
 

Whitetail deer are king in Texas and no organization is more closely linked to that reality than Texas Trophy Hunters Association. TTHA President and CEO (and my longtime friend) Christina Pittman makes her return on this edition of Campfire Conversations. We discuss the Fort Worth and San Antonio Extravaganzas set to fire off the next couple of weekends. We also get into international hunting as Christina is getting ready for her first ever African safari. What’s on her hit list?
One other important thing to mention is the SCI/TTHA Hunting Sweepstakes currently going on. Christina gives us the details on the killer prize package one lucky hunter is going to walk away with. It’s valued at over $15K by the way! Be sure to check out the Fort Worth or San Antonio Extravaganzas in the meantime. See ya out there!

Brandon Ware is a professional fishing guide by trade. The lifelong Alaskan is also part Tlingit Indian which allows him to bypass the Marine Mammals Protection Act and actively participate in the hunting and harvest of sea otters, seals and sea lions. I came across Brandon after seeing a photo of him with a massive sea lion. This sea lion in particular, had become very aggressive and was terrorizing the local harbor in his hometown of Petersburg. Brandon tells the story of hunting down the one-ton beast and what he plans to do with the hide.
Other highlights from the conversation include:

* Fly fishing for king salmon
* Hunting sea otters and why it’s important for their marine ecosystem
* Seal hunting
* “Willy” the nuisance sea lion
* Local Police Chief recruits Brandon’s help
* Products they make and sell from the hides of marine mammals
* Do they eat any of it?
* Blacktail deer hunting
* Wolf trapping
* Life cycle of a salmon
* And much more

Jobe Dickinson is a retired special investigator from the Tucson Police Department. He currently heads up the Border Security Alliance. Jobe breaks down the reality of the fentanyl outbreak and who is really to blame for this plague on American society as well as what it would take to fix it. We obviously are deviating from the normal outdoor themed script on this episode, but I feel this topic is one every American should be aware of and concerned about. Bullet points from the discussion include:

* Jobe’s time on as a special investigator with the Tucson PD
* Stash houses
* How the cartel benefits financially from smuggling (trafficking) illegals into the U.S.
* Biden’s complete failure on the border
* The obvious change in the type of person the Biden Administration let in
* It reeks of China
* What would it take to destroy the cartels
* Indentured servitude for illegals
* Why is fentanyl so dangerous? What is the process by which it’s made?
* Is ICE doing a good job?

When I heard Texas Parks and Wildlife was spraying toxic chemicals into the Caddo Lake water system, my interest was instantly peaked. Why would they do this? Surely there is scientific data available that lead them to believe spraying poison into the water and onto the century old cypress trees was somehow beneficial…
Captain Danny Sullivan of Mudport Charters is on the lake dang near everyday. Danny first noticed the big SprayCo airboats on the lake about 5 years ago. After doing some digging, he found out these guys were contracted by TPWD. Not too long after the spraying started, Danny (as well as other guides on Caddo Lake) started noticing changes to the lake and aquatic ecosystem. Negative changes, like dead alligator snapping turtles, dead amphibians and native vegetation/cypress trees that have been burned crispy by toxic herbicides like “Diquat”.
Danny started looking for answers and everywhere he turned, that entity told him it was someone other agency’s doing. He’s still looking for answers but at least we are starting to get the word about regarding this ill-advised management practice from TPWD.
(SprayCo truck at Caddo Lake boat ramp)

Next, we sit down with new National Rifle Association Executive Vice President and CEO Doug Hamlin. We revisit the Wayne LaPierre years marred by scandal and a drop in NRA membership before leaving that in the past and looking towards an exciting new chapter for the NRA. A chapter that is full of hope and transparency. It’s no secret that I wasn’t a supporter of the NRA for over a decade, but I’m back now and excited about the future under Doug’s leadership.

Brady Knowlton grew up in the outdoors. That passion would take him all over the world hunting and fishing as a young man. On which many of those trips he would accompany his older brother Corey, a renown international big game hunter and longtime friend of the show. Brady recounts some of those experiences including one sheep hunt in Tajikistan that ended up being the worst hunt of his life. We discuss a myriad of other outdoor related experiences before moving into the events of January 6th, 2020 – a day that would turn Brady’s world upside down for 4 years. Other highlights include:

* Getting Lyme disease while darting jaguars in the Amazon
* Spear Fishing and free diving
* Spring turkey hunting
* saving a boy from getting beaten to death in a 3rd world country
* public land for sale
* noodlin’
* Does he regret being at the capitol on Jan 6th 2020?
* What was the vibe at the capitol that day?
* Did the cops let everyone in?
* How did the Biden Administration find him?
* Who ratted him out?
* What was he charged with?
* Legal fees and trial without a jury
* the Liberation Tour!