EatWild Podcast

EatWild 45 - The Pole Bender Adventure Part 1

Cliffed out, rained out, blown out and snowed out: the pole bender adventure. 

In August 2019, I set out with my hunting crew on a caribou hunting adventure in the mountains of the Tahltan Traditional Territory in Northern British Columbia. Idyllic summer days strolling across the mountain tundra spotting caribou and goats, everything was going according to plan.  But our plan took an unfortunate turn, and an unseasonably harsh arctic storm front blasted our camp with hurricane-force winds and 3 feet of snow. We went from hunting to surviving. Taking shelter in the tipi tent, we took turns keeping the center pole from snapping as we held down the tent praying for the storm to let up. Join us for this three-part series on the Pole Bender Adventure. These are great episodes if you're planning an adventure trip in the wilderness. We talk about the logistics of planning a fly-in trip, trip safety plans, emergency communications, and a little bit about sneaking up on goats. I hope you enjoy this.  

You can find the article by Cleston Lee in the 02/2021 BC Outdoors Magazine. 

 

EatWild 44 - Ceremony, ritual and hunting with La'goot

In this episode, I am catching up with my friend La’goot Spencer Greening. La’goot is a Tsimshian leader, storyteller and academic. In addition to being a passionate hunter and forager, La’goot generously shares his perspective around the importance of Indigenous knowledge and stewardship of the land.
 
I wanted to ask La'goot about his perspective on ceremony around the hunt. This past hunting season I witnessed a range of ceremonies that hunters practiced after taking the life of an animal. At one end of the spectrum, I overheard what sounded like a new years eve celebration as a couple of nearby hunters got lucky on the road, to being part of Miki's first hunt where her ceremony involved calm moments of contemplation as she processed the experience of taking her first animal.

We start with a question about holding a ceremony after taking an animal’s life and dive deep into a conversation around rituals, that, in some traditions, start a long time before the hunt takes place.

La'goot shares his experience of the role that his community, elders and mentors play in learning rituals and developing the practice of ceremony. We reflect on how having those connections can help new hunters be more present in their actions and have a mindful experience when faced with taking an animal's life.

This podcast goes in a few more interesting directions. I am grateful for these insightful conversations with La'goot, and I feel fortunate to be able to share them with our listeners.

Reading recommendations:

1. Tsawalk: A Nuu-chah-nulth Worldview - by Eugene Richard Atleo
2. Spirits of our Whaling Ancestors - Revitalizing Makah and Nuu-chah-nulth Traditions - by Charlotte Coté
3. Ecologies of the Heart: Emotion, Belief, and the Environment Hardcover – by E. N. Anderson (Author)

For more time with La'goot listen to episodes 27 and 28 of the EatWild Podcast.

More about La'goot Spencer Greening:

Spencer’s Ph.D. research emphasizes the importance of Indigenous knowledge and stewardship of land in the context of colonial management practices and law. Specifically, it explores how the connections among Indigenous pedagogy, language, and the sharing of place-based knowledge are linked to heritage preservation, identity, and more sustainable environmental management. Spencer is analyzing one of the  Cultural Keystone Places  in his home territory, in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest, where his Elders were born and raised in a life of fluent Gitga’at culture, language, and ecological relationships. By working with their ancestral knowledge systems, he is able to highlight local Indigenous knowledge and its vital role in academic scholarship, Canadian law and policy, and the promotion of environmental awareness. His research is also unique as it is led by his community and rooted in Indigenous research methodologies and frameworks. This ensures its contributions to cultural continuity, self-determination, Indigenous research, and decolonization.

 

You can find La'goot here.

 

Please review and share this podcast! 

 

Thanks,

Dylan 

EatWild 43 - Setting your sights on your first rifle - Tips for buying the right firearm with Silvercore

Setting your sights on your first rifle - tips for buying the right firearm

In this episode, I’m hanging out with Travis Bader from Silvercore. We’re breaking down the things to consider when buying your first firearm for big game. We get into some common misconceptions about firearms. We talk recoil and how to reduce the shock to the body. We discuss pros and cons of calibers for the new hunter who wants a rifle that can do it all.

Travis is an expert in all things firearms. He is a gunsmith and a leader in the firearms training industry. Silvercore provides a range of training opportunities from firearms safety to bear safety and much more. Check them out.

You can find the Silvercore podcast here.

Find Travis and Silvercore on Instagram here.

EatWild 42 - The Hunter Graduation Scale with Mark Hall

What species should a new hunter target for success? In this episode, I am joined by Mark Hall of the Hunter Conservationist Podcast. We are talking about a graduated approach to hunting species that builds confidence and skills for success. What are the most accessible hunts which offer the experience that help you progress to more challenging hunts? What can we learn from grouse and bunny hunts and how those lessons apply to your first buck or a 55" bull moose? Are new hunters taking on challenging mountain hunts without a reasonable foundation of experience to stay safe?  This was really fun for us and we hope you enjoy it too!

You can hear more of Mark on the Hunter Conservation Podcast and the Round Canada Podcast. I am a big fan of both and I hope you check them out.

Mark is on Instagram here.  

EatWild 41 - Kelly Molnar of the Rookie Hunter Podcast

In this episode, I’m catching up with Kelly Molnar from the Rookie Hunter Podcast. The Rookie Hunter Podcast has grown to be one of the most popular hunting podcasts, not just in BC, but across Canada and North America. Mike and Kelly have built a following of loyal listeners by openly sharing their rookie hunter experiences and being relatable to new hunters. The podcast has evolved to bring on some of the most notable hunters and conservationists in the broader hunting community.

 

In this conversation, I get to ask Kelly how they got started and learn about what it takes to build a successful podcast. We chat about the challenges and opportunities of building community around hunting by connecting people and we dig into the importance of mentorship. Hope you enjoy it. 

 

You can find Kelly on Instagram @ rookie_hunter_podcast 

 

therookiehunter.com

EatWild 40 - The Covid Guide Season with Nolan Osborne - The story of the outfitting industry in 2020

What does guided hunting look like when the border is closed to 98% of commercial hunting clients? I am catching up on the 2020 hunting season with Nolan Osborne.  Nolan is a hunting guide and the managing editor of the Journal of Mountain Hunting.  We’re talking about the impacts of COVID-19 on the guide outfitting community.  

As we get caught up on our respective hunting seasons, we get into sheep hunting and the challenges of ageing legal rams, and we talk about the pressure on a guide to ensure success on a once-in-a-lifetime hunt. It’s always a good time when I get to hang out with Nolan. He’s a super modest and knowledgeable mountain hunter. I hope you enjoy this one.

You can find Nolan at the Journal of Mountain Hunting or on Instagram @nmo.  

Please share and review! 

Thanks for listening, 

 

Dylan Eyers

www.eatwild.ca   

 

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EatWild 39 - Mule deer hunting - Around the fire with Geoff Horsfield

Are you going deer hunting? Yes? Then this is essential listening! We are hanging out in the wall tent talking mule deer hunting around the fire. I’m joined by my hunting mentor Geoffrey Horsfield, and my pals Jenny P and Scott Donker after a successful hunt in the grassland country in British Columbia. We are quizzing Geoff on his mule deer hunting techniques. We talk about spot and stock, still hunting timber and other tips for successful mule deer hunting. This is one of the more fun episodes that we’ve recorded.  I’ve been holding onto it and since last year to share with you during hunting season. Hopefully, you’ll learn something and have a bit of fun too. 

 

Geoff has over 50 years of experience hunting, adventuring in B.C., has a wealth of knowledge and is a great storyteller. 

 

Dylan Eyers,
Owner/Operator

www.eatwild.ca   

 

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EatWild 38 - Counting to 10 - A moose hunting story

I set out on an elk hunting trip with good pals Will, Ben, Tome and Tom.  Our plan was to float down the river, camp on the riverbank, and hunt elk for the week. Elk hunting was pretty slow and I was getting discouraged when things took a big turn.  I was set up calling for Elk, I heard a crunch, and an unexpected critter showed up. 

In some parts of BC, we have an open moose season, but you can only harvest immature bulls that have 2 points or less, or mature bulls that have 3 points on their brow palm or a total of 10 points on one antler. Confusing? Absolutely! Then try and count those points while a moose popping in and out of view in the willows and thick timber.  In this episode, I talk about counting points in the field and building the confidence to pull the trigger. 

EatWild 37 - Reflecting on our 3 sheep 2 elk hunting adventure - Managing expectations

This is the wrap-up episode of our adventure hunt podcast planning series.  Celina, Jenny and I are on the road on our way back from our packrafting hunting adventure.  Sadly we are not coming home with an animal from the trip.  We worked hard, we learned a ton, built new skills, and had so much fun.  So does all that make up for not coming home with an animal? We discuss our evolving expectations and reflect on our experience from the trip. We recorded this in the truck while on the road so the audio quality kinda sucks, but the conversation is great. Thanks for listening.  

EatWild 36 - 150 kms of wilderness river paddling- What we learned

We are joined by Christy Long to debrief our packrafting adventures on the river.  Christy is a whitewater paddling guide. She supported Jenny, Celina, and me with paddling training ahead of our trip.  On our trip, as we looked over some tricky water ahead, we would ask our selves: "What would Christy say?" Now we get to ask.  So enjoy! 

We used Alpacka Forager rafts on this trip.