Fall Obsession Podcast

Mountain lions are recently one of the more debated predators in Texas, and few people have spent as much time observing them on the ground as this week's guest, Brandt Buchanan.  For the past decade, Brandt has closely monitored mountain lion activity while managing ranches in west Texas, giving him a unique perspective on their behavior, distribution, and impact on wildlife.  In this episod...

Want to know what it takes to tag a true giant in the Alaskan backcountry?  This week on the Fall Obsession Podcast, we're joined by Alaska big game guide Justin Bunting as he shares the unforgettable story behind his personal 75-inch Boone & Crockett bull moose.  From years of experience navigating the rugged backcountry to bringing it all together on a once-in-a-lifetime bull, Justin ta...

This week on the Fall Obsession Podcast, we're joined by Heidi Stout—huntress, outdoor advocate, founder of The Light Ranch, host of From the Ashes Podcast and someone whose personal journey has been shaped by faith, resilience, and a deep connection to the outdoors. In this episode Heidi shares her story, from her introduction to hunting and the outdoors to the struggles and experiences that...

There are plenty of Conservation issues earning local and national spotlights, but what is happening right now behind the curtain in Texas may not be discussed enough.  Sam returns for a live solo show with a lot on the agenda.  Often covering conservation topics in other States, he takes this opportunity to share a concerning look behind the curtain in his home State of Texas.  While both residen...

Trail cameras have come a long way from checking SD cards on your laptop. Today, hunters can receive real-time images from the woods, track deer movement from anywhere, and make decisions based on more information than ever before. In this episode, Sam sits down with Gregg Farrell - Vice President of Brand & Marketing at Tactacam. Gregg shares the story behind one of the most recognized brands...

Michigan’s deer hunting landscape is changing in a big way, and this episode breaks it all down. We’re joined by Michigan residents Brandon Ostrowski and Todd Sellon to discuss Michigan’s new “One-Buck Rule,” the controversy surrounding it, and what it could mean for hunters across the state. We also dive into the recent changes to Michigan’s rifle line law, how those updates may impact safety, hu...

For this episode we are joined by Eric Clark from the Okayest Hunter crew!  Eric has been a part of building an outdoor brand based on overcoming stereotypes, making it "okay" to hunt the way you want to hunt and having a healthy stewardship over our wildlife and habitats.  Our conversation covers a lot of ground to include social media misconceptions about hunting, public land hunting,...

We are back on the Wildlife Conservation Battlefield for this episode with one of our own team members, Colorado Resident John Kesler.  Colorado is continually in the spotlight when it comes to hunter's rights, extreme anti-hunting agendas and frequent attacks on science based wildlife management.  Once again, new actions are coming down the pipe in Colorado to include several that would be a...

People who are passionate about something stand out.  Very few are passionate about a multitude of things like Joy Van Wyngarden and able to effectively share all of them with the world.  The nickname "Joy of all trades" accurately sums up the extent of Joy's interests consisting of farming, agriculture, hunting, fishing, holistic health, fitness and conservation.  And we talk nearl...

We've never seen anyone get as fired up as Lawson McKee for Spring Turkey season!  Lawson joins us on the show this week to share his contagious passion!  We talk hunting experiences, bird behavior, hunting strategies, getting youth involved in turkey hunting, and much more!  Lawson is a master caller, and every year he calls in dozens of birds for other hunters.  He speaks their language and...

There's no better way to kick off spring turkey season on Fall Obsession Podcast than with our resident turkey hunting expert, master turkey caller and Southeastern Regional Coordinator Kendra DeBerry!  Kendra has been turkey hunting almost her whole life, and to say she is a subject matter expert would not do her experience justice.  She talks turkey hunting strategies, tactics, how to locat...

Overcoming adversity, motivating others and living a full life sums up the theme of this Fall Obsession Podcast episode as we sit down with Terry Colley who is known as "The Outdoor Amputee".  Terry has lived most of his life with two prosthetic legs and it has not slowed him down from taking full advantage of his love for the outdoors.  On the contrary, it has only fueled him to reach f...

Colorado's Commercial Fur Ban, Oregon's IP28, Idaho's SB1300, the Congressional Review Act... everywhere you look factual, science-based wildlife and resource management is under attack.  In this episode, Sam sits down to talk about what is currently riding in the hot seat of conservation in 2026, and what outdoors men and women need to be focusing on.  Sam talks about the upcoming...

The concept of owning your own land, managing your own whitetail paradise, or even working for a company like Whitetail Properties may seem like an unattainable dream.  For Kathleen Blanks, it comes down to intentionality, work ethic and personal priorities to turn dreams into realities.  Kathleen joins us for an episode to talk about buying, selling and shopping for land, what a good land special...

This episode steps outside of our normal hunting and outdoor podcasting genre for a conversation with a true American and real-life hero.  Anthony Dyer is our guest this week.  He is a United States Air Force Veteran who served as a Special Missions Aviator.  Anthony was the guy who was activated at a moment's notice when fellow troops on the ground needed immediate air support, and during hi...

When the Fall Obsession Team arrives in camp, you can count on good times, good fellowship, lifelong memories and animals hitting the ground!  Our 2025 West Texas Sandhill Crane hunt was no exception.  We are joined in this episode by a few members of that crew, Todd, Mark and Kess to recap an unbelievable weekend.  Several guys in camp were veteran waterfowl and sandhill crane hunters, but we als...

The 2025 hunting seasons yielded success, struggles, memories and growth for many hunters and our team would fall into most of those categories.  Sam and Nick team up for another episode to recap in detail their 2025 whitetail and bow hunting efforts.  The guys worked hard to learn from previous seasons and change their tactics to try and find the edge on some big bucks, but unfortunately that&apo...

For many of us our journey into hunting and the outdoors began with a father figure, a family member, or some form of mentor in our lives.  Podcast Host Sam Thrash is no exception.  For this episode, he invites his dad, Mark to return as our guest to take a walk down memory lane.  The two share decades of memories and highlights with one another and our listeners; talking about some of those signi...

This week, we bring you a collaborative episode with Panhandle Whitetails Podcast from our 2025 Veteran Hunt Camp in West Virginia!  This year's Veteran Hunter, Robert Reeder had an unfulfilled dream to deer hunt one day, and with the help of many partners we were able to make that dream a reality!  We were also able to surprise him by bringing in his best friend and the guy who nominated him...

Colorado hunting and science-based wildlife management have been in the crosshairs for years, and things are not looking any better.  This week's guest is Josh Wamboldt, a Colorado resident, outfitter, and by self-initiation a subject matter expert on the wolf reintroduction efforts and management practices currently happening in his State.  Josh is very vocal about not being strictly "a...

We all know the whitetail grind. Year after year, around the clock and through all the seasons putting in the work hoping it will one day pay off on a monster buck. Very few work as hard as Ryan Reading; running dozens of cameras, studying deer patterns, and waiting to take the perfect moment and opportunity once it presents itself. For Ryan, it all came down to the 2025 rut and watching his giant...

Our show returns with a one of a kind guest, Eddie Boyer.  Eddie is a Washington State resident, an avid hunter and outdoorsman, and an inspiring conservationist.  Eddie and Sam waste no time before they dive in to an educational and motivational conversation where they discuss current conservation issues, attacks on hunting, and issues specific to the State of Washington.  They talk about current...

You may have heard of it, "Ambler Road"; the 211-mile roadway authorized via Presidential Executive Order to run through Alaska's Brooks Range.  Meanwhile, Congress has used the congressional review act (CRA) to overturn the BLM’s resource management plans in Montana, North Dakota and Alaska, putting over 160 million acres at risk.  And don't forget about Utah Senator Mike Lee&...

Her name is Paige Roux, but you may know her as Some Chick Who Shoots!  Paige is a nationally recognized firearms instructor for women and she empowers first-time gun owners to feel confident, safe, and prepared.  She joins us to share not only her personal journey and passions, but also to discuss a wide variety of topics surrounding gun ownership, firearm safety, learning to shoot, 2nd Amendment...

This week we sit down with two of our own Fall Obsession team members, Mike Petrosky and Lawson McKee from West Virginia.  These guys are as down to earth as they come, and passionate about hunting and everything outdoors!  We talk whitetail hunting, how deer behavior changes during the rut and through the season, hunting tactics and strategy, coyote hunting and calling, deer tracking dogs and so...