Big Game Hunting Podcast - Hunting Africa, North America, & More!

I discuss all of the 35 Caliber SAAMI standardized cartridges (plus a couple of other noteworthy rounds) in this episode. As always, I'll talk about their history, design characteristics, performance specs, their strengths and weaknesses, and their recommended uses in detail. Where appropriate, I'll also share some personal anecdotes involving these rounds as well as some observations involving va...

Today Buz Mills from the National Rifle Association joins me on the show to talk about the upcoming election for the NRA board of directors. In any case, I'm a life member of the NRA and I'm saddened and disappointed with what has happened with the organization in recent years. Well, Buz Mills is spearheading an effort at reforming the National Rifle Association and bringing the focus of the organ...

Kevin Robertson is back again today to talk about sable hunting. Just like we've done on the past we dive right into the details of sable: how big they get, where they live, why they're different from other species of plains game, and how to hunt them. As always, we talk about cartridge and bullet selection as well as terminal ballistics. Kevin also shares two stories of extremely close calls he p...

I sat down with one of my South African Professional Hunters, Johan Seyffert, at the Dallas Safari Club convention and recorded a short interview about how he got started in this line of work and some funny and noteworthy experiences he has had over the years, like how he went from serving in the French Foreign Legion to floating in a rowboat surrounded by crocodiles. We also talk about misconcept...

My ongoing Africa hunting mini-series continues this week with another special guest: Hancke Hudson. Hancke is a South African Professional Hunter who has spent the past 30 years hunting in the rainforests of Central Africa for animals like bongo, dwarf buffalo, sitatunga, and the numerous species of small antelope that live there. The rainforest is a special place and these hunts are like nothing...

This is the first episode in my winter 2025 Africa hunting mini-series and I have a special guest on the show with me today: Tanya Blake. Depending on how long you've been listening to the show, you may recognize that name because she was Phil Massaro's PH on the leopard hunt he and I discussed in episode 293. Tanya is a Zimbabwe based Professional Hunter who hunts a number of different species, b...

I have Eric Miller on the show with me today to talk about Federal's brand new 7mm Backcountry rifle cartridge. As you'll learn here shortly, the 7 Backcountry utilizes an innovative design that produces some impressive ballistics and it could possibly be a true game changer that kills off my beloved 7mm PRC. Learn more about the 7mm Backcountry here Subscribe to The Big Game Hunting Podcast on Yo...

It's January 2025 and you know what that means: it's time to start planning hunts for later this year. The Arizona elk and antelope draw is up first and I have Grant McCune from Zona Guides on the show to talk about this in detail. I hear from podcast listeners pretty frequently asking for recommendations on outfitters to hunt species like elk in particular. Well, Grant McCune and Zona Guides are...

Is the new 22 Creedmoor just the latest fad? Or does it offer significant benefits to hunters compared to more established 22 caliber centerfires like the 22-250 Remington? Today, Derrick Ratliff from Horizon Firearms joins me on the show as we talk about this new hot rod 22 caliber and he shares some insights on why he first started wildcatting the 22 Creedmoor, what uses he thinks the best use c...

Larry Weishuhn, also known as "Mr. Whitetail" joins me on the show today to talk about some of the finer points of whitetail deer hunting. I've always wanted to sit down with an accomplished deer hunter and wildlife biologist Larry and pepper him with specific questions about how to take my deer hunting game to the next level. Well, that's what we do today and we discuss all sorts of burning quest...

Today, we're going to talk about bullet failures. Bullet failures are a hot topic, especially when they involve certain, very polarizing bullets and/or cartridges. I absolutely believe they do occur, but I think they get blamed unfairly for a lot of wounded and lost game. I can't tell you how many people I've had tell me they made a perfect shot, but the bullet "blew up on the shoulder" and the an...

Today we're going to talk about 2 22 caliber cartridges designed for use in America's favorite gun in the AR-15 platform: the 223 Remington and the 22 ARC. As always, we'll discuss the overall design characteristics and performance specs of each round, then compare how they stack up next to each other. I'll also cover how they each perform in some ballistic gel tests and discuss some interesting a...

Today, I discuss all of the other .30 caliber cartridges I didn't cover in episode 286. None of these rounds use a .308" bullet, but all are still .30 caliber cartridges and most fill a similar niche as the .308 Winchester and 30-06 Springfield in various parts of the world. As always, I'll talk about their history, design characteristics, performance specs, their strengths and weaknesses, and the...

Join me at the Dallas Safari Club Convention in Atlanta, Georgia 9-12 January 2025. I will be attending the show with 2 of my African PHs (Johan and Kobus) and we'd love to meet you in person if you'll be at the show. We will be hosting an event for podcast listeners and past/future safari hunters Friday or Saturday (10 or 11 January). Stay tuned for more details! Email me at john@thebiggamehuntin...

I discuss all of the 7mm CIP and SAAMI standardized cartridges (plus a couple of other noteworthy rounds) in this episode. As always, I'll talk about their history, design characteristics, performance specs, their strengths and weaknesses, and their recommended uses in detail. Where appropriate, I'll also share some personal anecdotes involving these rounds as well as some observations involving v...

Tyler Freel is back on the show today to talk about a recent moose hunt where he cleanly killed a nice bull with the new 22 Advanced Rifle Cartridge using his AR-15. I Feel like I owe it to my audience to give them the best and most accurate information possible and sometimes that involves challenging previously held beliefs about what people think you "need" to hunt certain animals. This is one o...

I have request for your assistance with an upcoming project. I'm planning an episode on December where I discuss so called "bullet failures." I have a couple of examples I have experienced myself I'll share with you in that episode, but I'd also like to do some crowd sourcing on this topic as well and share some noteworthy examples from the audience. Have you ever had a bullet truly fail you on an...

Cable Smith joins me on the show again as we talk about some of his recent experiences hunting with the legendary Nosler Partition and AccuBond along with the Solid Base bullet from their new Whitetail Country line.  Sponsor: Join the Big Game Hunting Podcast tribe and get access to all our bonus material at  www.patreon.com/biggamehunter   Go to HuntingGuns101.com and Sign up for my free e-book o...

Today is the last chance to throw your name in the hat to potentially receive some free Nosler Whitetail Country ammunition to test out this fall. To enter the random drawing for the chance to test and evaluate Nosler Whitetail Country ammo,  click here and sign up by 11:59pm on Tuesday, 5 November 2024. Resources Learn more about Nosler Whitetail Country ammo here

Sometimes you just find a rifle that just flat out works: it fits you well, it's not excessively large or heavy, has a nice trigger, it's easy to shoot accurately, it's not finicky and doesn't require an extensive break-in process, and seems like it loves all the ammo you feed it. Well, Bergara's new Wilderness Sierra rifle checks all of those boxes for me. I used that rifle on my recent moose hun...

Nosler just sent me a bunch of their new Whitetail Country line of ammunition and I need some help testing and evaluating how it performs afield this fall. Here's how you can help me out and potentially receive some free ammo in the process! To enter the random drawing for the chance to test and evaluate Nosler Whitetail Country ammo,  click here and sign up by 11:59pm on Tuesday, 5 November 2024....

I discuss all of the 33 caliber CIP and SAAMI standardized cartridges (plus a couple of other noteworthy rounds) in this episode and discuss their history, legacy, their strengths and weaknesses, and their recommended uses in detail.  Cartridges covered: 33 WCF, 333 Jeffery, 338-06 A-Square, 338 Winchester Magnum, 338 Lapua Magnum, 338 Blaser, 8.6 Blackout, 338 Federal, 338 Weatherby RPM, 338 Ruge...

I just made it home from an outstanding moose hunt in Colorado with my son! We had an amazing trip and I successfully took a cow Shiras Moose, which was a species I wasn't sure I'd ever get to hunt because those tags are just so darn hard to obtain. Not only did I manage to pull a tag, but successfully punched it! Today's episode is a detailed recap of our hunt, evaluations of some gear we used, a...

Ron Spomer is back on the show and we discuss a subject I know you'll enjoy: our favorite cartridges for hunting virtually any species of big game. We're play little game where Ron and I each list our favorite cartridge and bullet for hunting specific

Like the mythical Phoenix, Thompson/Center has risen from the ashes. Owner Gregg Ritz joins me on the show today to discuss the rise and fall of the company and the story of how he is currently in the process of resurrecting this legendary American firearms institution and what we can expect from T/C moving forward.   Sponsor: Go to HuntingGuns101.com and Sign up for my free e-book on the best hun...