FTW Ranch Podcast

Once a year the FTW Ranch hosts the "P.H. (Professional Hunter) Invitational" and invites hunting guides from all over the world to collaborate with us. The intention is to complete the circle of communication between the training house and the field. It's become a wonderful opportunity to confirm the skills and techniques we teach our hunters with the expertise the guides bring to...

TeShawn is a wildlife and hunting videographer who joined us at the FTW Ranch to partake in the fun of our SAAM New Hunter course. The opportunity in a New Hunter class to capture the entire spectrum of the hunting experience made for a perfect chance for any videographer to participate in the fun. The first few days focus on precision shooting, they get to hunt the mornings/evenings, and then Jos...

If you've been hearing about and wondering what's the deal with the new 7mm PRC, 6.5 PRC, 300 PRC, and finally the 6ARC... Well here you go.  Jayden Quinlan is Hornady's Lead Ballistician and he explained to my the why behind this new cartridge family. You won't want to miss the details of this discussion. Enjoy!

Christy is known on social media as The Queen of Gator, her family owns an alligator tannery in Louisiana. She came to the FTW for a week of training and luckily agreed to share her story with me about the hardships they've faced in preserving their right to manage the conservation of these beautiful animals. She won a lawsuit against the state of California who attempted to ban all sales of...

Originally from Johannesburg South Africa, Dr. Robert "Robbie" Kroger, was the Chief Scientific Officer for Covington Civil and Environmental and is now the Executive Director of Blood Origins. Blood Origins is simple in its execution - create content that conveys the truth around hunting and hunters around the world to the non-hunting majority. Robbie gives a voice to hunters by taking...

Leo is Tim Fallon's grandson.  For graduation last summer, Leo was shipped off to Africa to spend his summer in Mozambique working with killer bees, anti-poaching, building roads, assisting the safari guides in conservation and game management. It was the summer of every young man's dreams and he does a great job telling it. 

Nick and Jon, from Leupold, joined us at the FTW for a week of steel therapy. Nick is very active with the competitive shooting team and showing the world how well their optics work while Jon is behind the scenes figuring out what shooters want and how to build it. Jon's latest baby, the Mk5 2-10x30. If you've ever wondered about the magic of bending light, scattering it through a lens,...

I had another educational discussion with some wonderful people that Swarovski sent out to the ranch for some hands-on time with their optics. Jase, Grey, and Hunter were all very knowledgeable and excited to learn  the skills of the long range shooting game, hone their accuracy for their own personal growth, and share their experiences this week at the FTW with us. Swarovski has put a lot of work...

I had a great opportunity to work with Leica Optics at the ranch recently and sit down with Ryan Trenka to talk about them. Historically Leica has remained focused on the European scope market, which has some uniquely different consumer requests than the American market. That trend is no more and Ryan brought a big group of shooters and a truck full of scopes to prove it this week! Thanks for list...

Another great week of training with the guys from Ruger and other hunters from around the country. Karl won the latest Man-cation lottery from Ruger and Bryan is a 20 year  hunting and fishing guide in Colorado. Lessons were learned, powder was burned, and the bar was loud :) 

This week I got to sit down with the CEO of Silencer Central, Brandon Maddox, to peek behind the curtain of the infamous SILENCER! A scary assassin's tool or the signature of a civilized man? The ATF has done no favors for the consumer to streamline the process of purchasing one but this is where Brandon has stepped up. He doesn't call himself the Amazon of Silencer's for nothing an...

The Mountain Hunter Challenge is the last opportunity to humble yourself at the ranch. It's a steep hike up the hill to the Crusader Range where each shooter gets one opportunity to hit a target at 515 yards. If you hit, you get your time logged into the "God Book". If you miss, better luck next time... Join me, Clayton and Sloan from West Texas Ordinance, and Clayton (Fake News) fr...

Matt Wilson works for Ruger and accompanied a big group for a product testing event at the ranch. Among the toys we had that week was the 7mm PRC and their SFAR (Small Frame Autoloading Rifle). If the hype about the 7mm PRC or the existence of a 7lb AR chambered in 308/6.5CM excites you, then this one is for you. 

Bruce and Lisa dropped by the ranch for their first SAAM class! Bruce is highly involved with the Dallas Safari Club and helping them expand their chapters in the Colorado region. His wife Lisa moonlights as his partner in business and they manage a number of hunting operations hosting guests both locally and abroad. We had a great time talking about the technical skills involved in the hunt and t...

We had a great week with Swarovski/Kahles who sent out some fantastic shooters for a social media event. The equipment was top notch, the shooters were more than capable, and the competition that ensued kept us all laughing. Phil is a Marine Scout Sniper,  world class competitive shooter, and a partner of Modern Day Sniper.  Zack is a dedicated mountain goat who climbs the ridge lines in search of...

Charles and Rebecca (Becca) came to the FTW Ranch between hunts. Charles had just got back from Ethiopia and Becca was joining him on their way to Namibia the following week. Charles had plans to chase some of Africa's "Big 5" and attended our SAAM Safari Course to prepare. 

We are pleased to introduce Dean and Jason from Swarovski! I ran into them at the Dallas Safari Club show back in January and learned  just how long and how deep the romance flows between FTW and Swarovski. I'm still pretty green at The Ranch but they were eager to share their story and it always makes me feel like I'm back in the lodge. Join me as we dive into the mission of a premium o...

Ruger has held a long tradition of rotating their employees through the FTW Ranch. In this episode we got to capture one of those events! Mattew Osborne, Griffin Seidler, and Eric Abens will talk about their roles at Ruger, the purpose behind the tradition that brought them to the FTW, how their training went, and Griffin's first elk hunt.  This podcast is meant to inform and entertain, these...

Aaron is new to the FTW crew having joined the roster at the end of  2021 around the same time as Zac. He is a Recon Marine and Scout Sniper that likes to shoot rifle competitions between hunting seasons. Fair warning! Somewhere around the 27 minute mark there is a guest appearance from Dave Knesek who shares a dirty joke about a woodpecker. If you know Dave, you know... 

Dave is a seasoned hunter who has made his passion a career. He is the co-owner of Safari Classics Productions and has produced some of the most popular hunting shows on television like Tracks Across Africa. He's been coming to the FTW Ranch for years to train, test equipment, and partake in the community that the ranch has become.  To learn more about Dave and Safari Classics follow this lin...

Clayton Smith is a fellow Marine who found his passion in building precision rifles. He owns West Texas Ordinance (WTO) where he builds custom rifles to order. He brought two of them out to the ranch for a fun shoot to test out some Leica scopes. He has a skill for shooting, a passion for hunting, and sense of duty to pass it to the next generation. Check him out on Facebook or his website:  https...

In this episode we will learn about Dave Knesek. Dave is a retired Navy SEAL who teaches at the FTW by day and tells dirty jokes at the bar by night. He's a true wealth of knowledge and the first phone number to dial when the zombie apocalypse ends the world as we know it. He has a passion for self reliance, bushcraft, and living off the land. 

Tune in to this podcast episode to hear about the adventures of a Reconnaissance Marine and Scout Sniper instructor who started with the FTW at the ground level and returned last week with his sons for their introduction to rifle hunting. You'll learn valuable insights and tips for hunting enthusiasts, and hear a touching story of a father bonding with his sons over a shared love of the outdo...

Matthew is a world wide hunter with stories across the globe. Join me as I hear about his safari adventures in Italy, excursions around Africa, and the history of the Amy Bell Foundation. Amy was Matthew's late sister who unexpectedly passed away, but not before creating a foundation that nobody could have foreseen would grow into a source of relief for many who struggle to live in some of th...

Mark Haldane is the property manager for a 500,000 acre game reserve  in Mozambique. Mark saw the potential and when the opportunity presented itself he took it on. Listen to his story to rebuild an ecosystem despite the effects of war, poverty, poaching, and bureaucracy.  If you'd like to support Mark or attend a safari click the link below:  https://www.zambezedeltasafaris.com