88 Cents of Every Dollar Goes To Mission Delivery (updated)
In this episode, we sit down with Casey from Hushin, Cal from MeatEater, and Ford from First Lite to talk about Brush for Bucks.
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Learn about mule deer conservation and the work being done in the great state…
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Welcome Back! MDF Talking Mule Deer is back on the airwaves in 2023. The last 15 months have been a crazy time…
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On our first episode of our third season, we’re talking with Jeff Crane and Miles Moretti to get an update on what happened in Congress and the Administration for sportsmen in 2019. We start by hearing about S. 47, the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act – a compilation of many bills related to conservation and sportsmen’s priorities – that was enacted into law last year. A key issue for sportsmen that was included in this package was ensuring that federal public lands are open to hunting, shooting, and fishing unless specifically closed. In addition, it included permanent authorization for the Land and Water Conservation Fund including a provision that will ensure a portion of this funding is dedicated to providing access points to federal lands. We also learn about the American Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Act which passed out of the Senate unanimously on a voice vote in January. This bill includes authorizations or re-authorizations for several important conservation programs like the National Fish Habitat Partnership, the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and more. Another bill organizations are focused on is the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act which would provide a substantial increase in funding to state fish and wildlife agencies. Jeff and Miles also give us an update on the efforts of the Hunting and Shooting Sports Conservation Council to advise the Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior on key sportsmen’s issues including on migration corridors and CWD. Our last discussion is about the network of groups that work together through the American Wildlife Conservation Partners to provide information to presidential campaigns on key priorities to the sportsmen’s community. We wrap up by giving you the information you need to be engaged on these policy issues!
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On this episode of Talking Mule Deer, Steve and Jodi talk with one of the leading ladies of the conservation community – Becky Humphries, President and CEO of the National Wild Turkey Federation. Becky tells us how she got her start as a wildlife biologist ultimately working her way to lead the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. After leaving the state she spent several years running the Great Lakes office for Ducks Unlimited before she moved to NWTF seven years ago. We talk about the organization’s Save the Habitat, Save the Hunt initiative including their efforts on active habitat management that is good for wildlife, but also helps improve forests and hopefully reduce the risk of catastrophic fires. She talks about how NWTF, like MDF, is working with the U.S. Forest Service on stewardship agreements that are allowing the organizations to oversee habitat restoration projects including a pilot project in Colorado through the Rocky Mountain Restoration Initiative. For the Save the Hunt part of their mission, Becky tells us about their efforts to bring in more hunters and shooters to carry on our traditions. We wrap up by talking about the priorities NWTF has on their radar screen for the coming year.
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Today on Talking Mule Deer, Steve Belinda and Arizona Game & Fish Department’s Dr. Jim Heffelfinger are talking with Kryptek Outdoors Co-founder, Butch Whiting, about his quest for a gigantic mule deer buck down in Mexico. Butch talks about how this journey included 30 days of field time over three years in search of a free-range Sonoran Desert mule deer. He tells us what it’s like to hunt in Mexico, from the dense cactus and brush to the hours searching for these ghost deer that appear and disappear in mere moments, perhaps never to be seen again. Jim joins the conversation with insights into deer biology and behavior in desert environments. Whiting describes how they found his “muy grande” buck and his experience on his hunt. He also gives us specific details of what’s involved in booking and traveling into Mexico for the hunt. We wrap up by hearing about what is new for Kryptek this year and a video project they will be releasing soon documenting the Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s mule deer management program
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This episode features Steve talking with Ike Eastman, president and CEO of Eastmans’ Hunting Journals, and Mule Deer Foundation Wyoming regional director, Shawn Blajszczak. Ike tells us a little bit of history about how his grandfather and his father spent the “heyday” of mule deer wandering around Wyoming filming deer and other big game. With this perspective of three generations, Ike talks about what they see as the greatest challenges for mule deer in the state including how winter range and migration corridors are critical to ensure the herds are sustained. Shawn then talks about the grant that MDF received from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to help restore habitat for mule deer herds prioritized in the Wyoming SO 3362 action plan. They then talk about how important it is for avid hunters to help by being active members of MDF, supporting conservation projects, and being involved in state policy that affects our wildlife resources. Ike tells us about the Eastmans’ upcoming film, previewed at the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo, that uses their historic and current footage, combined with the new knowledge about mule deer migrations and winter range, to raise awareness and serve as a call to action.
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It’s been awhile! Hunting season and conservation projects kept us away from recording a podcast at the end of last year, but we’re hitting 2021 running with our favorite repeat guest, Miles Moretti. Today’s Talking Mule Deer podcast takes a look back at some of MDF’s accomplishments for 2020, even with the many curveballs that were thrown our way. We hear about the conservation and stewardship projects that MDF was involved in that were still able to happen. We also go over some of the congressional and administrative wins that we saw in 2020, including the Great American Outdoors Act, ACE Act and the finalized categorical exclusion for mule deer habitat restoration projects. Next, we talk about on conservation policy in the states and federal government as well as the on the ground habitat projects we will be working on in 2021. We wrap up talking about our 2020 hunting experiences and also talk about the changes to the Talking Mule Deer podcast and the MDF magazine for the coming year.
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We are excited to bring you the 75th episode of Talking Mule Deer, and we could not think of better guests than MDF President/CEO Joel Pedersen, and Arizona Game and Fish Department Wildlife Science Coordinator Jim Heffelfinger to talk about the 2021 Range-wide Status of Black-Tailed and Mule Deer produced by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ Mule Deer Working Group. This episode goes in-depth on how the working group functions, and how the 24 different states and provinces that make up the group use their deer population data to develop the annual report. The team explores why it is a challenge to make blanket assessments on mule deer decline, and how a majority of states are seeing stable or growing populations. We also talk about some of the variables we are seeing this year with drought, fires, and disease that may impact future populations.
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With Montana archery seasons already in process, and the rifle season racing up, we are going in-depth with MT Game Management Bureau Chief Brian Wakeling, and MDF’s MT Regional Director Chris Fortune. Brian details how weather conditions across the state will affect hunting opportunities, particularly the drought conditions and wildfires this summer, and Chris gets granular about how MDF is working to ensure a healthy herd in MT.
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Today we are headed to Nevada to check in on the status of the mule deer herd with Nevada Department of Wildlife Director and President of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Tony Wasley and Game Division Chief Mike Scott. Tony and Mike spend time discussing project work occurring in Nevada, how these projects are financed through auction tags, MDF Chapter Rewards, and grant funds provided by partner agencies. Any conversation about habitat health in Nevada also has to include the status of feral horse populations in the state.
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As the year draws to a close we are headed to Arizona, to get updates on how GPS collar data is being utilized to determine how the Mule Deer Foundation accomplishes its project work. Lucas Olson, MDF/Arizona Cooperative Wildlife Biologist is a GIS and mapping specialist, giving us a rundown on how GPS collars are driving the next level of research on mule deer migration and habitat use, while Jackson Miller MDF/Arizona Cooperative Mule Deer Biologist shares how the data being collected, turns into projects on the ground.
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This episode of Talking Mule Deer features our conversation with the co-founder of Public Land Tees, Sam Soholt. Sam tells us about how he got his start in the outdoor industry as a photographer and videographer, and about his modified school bus that he used as his base to hunt and raise awareness about public lands with an active social media presence. His journey to learn about conservation issues led him to come up with the Conservation Crossing tee - buy the shirt and you also get an annual membership to MDF and four other conservation organizations.
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On this episode of Talking Mule Deer, we are joined by Nosler Inc. President and COO John R. Nosler. John starts off with an overview of the history of Nosler and how his grandfather, truckdriver John A. Nosler, turned the first Nosler bullet out of spare car parts in the late 1940s, launching a family-owned and operated bullet manufacturing dynasty. John details how Nosler has grown from the first Partition bullet to a full-service ammunition producer and more recently a firearms manufacturer. Based in Bend Oregon, Nosler not only has its own full line of products, but also provides bullets to other manufacturers, which helps to push both their company as well as the partnering manufacturers using their products. Jodi asks John about the current state of business and the details on the ammunition shortage. John fills us in on the challenges Nosler and the ammunition industry as a whole has faced that affect supplies on local shop shelves. As we head into the final segment, John talks about how he personally is invested in mule deer hunting and conservation, and how he is working to get his kids on the mountain.
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After a little break from episodes, Talking Mule Deer is back with Randy Morrison, MDF’s Habitat Partnership Coordinator in California. Randy discusses his transition into this new role after being Regional Director for the state. Randy starts off telling us about a current project in the Stanislaus National Forest and details how MDF treatment processes mimic natural disturbances, creating exceptional habitat for mule deer and black-tailed deer. We talk about how these landscape level contracts evolve over the course of several years, from initial discussion to equipment on the ground. Randy tells us about the California Big Game Management account that allocates tag revenues for programs that benefit big game herds in the state. We learn about Randy’s replacement as MDF’s California Regional Director role, and he reflects on the long standing relationships he developed in the role. As we wind down, Randy discusses a the challenges and opportunities for black-tailed deer management in California, and how MDF will be working to take a much larger role in their conservation in the future.
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Into 2022 we are racing, headed full steam into the Western Hunting & Conservation Expo! We get WHCE Director Ray Crow and MDF President/CEO Joel Pedersen on the record, talking all things Hunt Expo. WHCE is a huge fundraiser for wildlife conservation across the West, and we’ve got some new events, changes, and a breakdown of how MDF utilizes funds raised towards work on the ground that directly affect mule deer habitat. As he approaches his first anniversary as the head of the organization, Joel briefs us on how the organization is doing, and some changes being implemented under his watch. Don’t miss the chance to learn more about how MDF is changing the landscape of West.
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We are excited to have host of Skullbound Chronicles on CarbonTV, after a long absence! Jana is a Life member of MDF, a MDF Ambassador, and a newly appointed Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ Game Commissioner. Those that have attended the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo will also likely recognize her from her hosting duties in recent years, or her painted or beaded skulls, donated to raise funds for conservation efforts.
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