The First Gen Hunter Podcast

On this episode Kent, Brandon and Alex talk about the near and far of the spring outdoors. Topics include sheds (of course) with a special update on Professor X's shed, turkey plans and successes, prepping for Montana spring bear and an update on the road to poodition. Happy Spring everyone!   Follow The Hunt Fish Life: @hntfsh_life Follow Alex: @alexg.hunt Follow East2West Hunts: @east2westhunts...

The title of this episode relates to a question we have all found ourselves asking many times before. Whether we are considering burning a few vacation days, or arrowing a pesky squirrel bent on molesting our deer hunt, we all have those questions while we are hunting. As an avid hunter and outdoorsman, Kris Chain of My Season Report had those same questions and he began to formulate a singular re...

I say it all of the time, the best part of running your own hunting show is that you get to talk with some incredible hunters on a regular basis. Through the 85 episodes of The First Gen Hunter Podcast, Noel Gandy and Heath Rayfield have stood out as not only very talented hunters, but all around great dudes. In this episode we reviewed the 2021 hunting season and heard all of the drama that goes...

It ain't easy being a first generation hunter. Like many things hunting requires a wealth of knowledge and skills needed to reach a breakthrough moment and find some measurable success as a brand new participant. In this episode I am joined by fellow first gen hunters Amos Medford and Josh Hillyard to share stories and thoughts that have come along with our efforts to breakthrough as first gen hun...

Humans have several unique symbiotic relationships with different species in the various kingdoms of life, but none is more famous than our mutualistic relationship that we share with our canine companions. For thousands of years man and dog have roamed the earth depending on each other for food and safety, but in the postmodern age our partnership has evolved to include picking up sheds, and Jere...

Hilariously disturbing is a term we will use in this one as Kent discusses with Alex, Brandon and guest Josh Divan of Pheasants Forever the ethics behind using a trail cam to catch someone in the act of a disturbing, yet public ritual. The crew also discusses a few new points sent in by a listener continuing the discussion on the importance of having plenty of hunters. Finally Josh talks about the...

Rabbits are one of those timeless species that we assume hunters enjoy pursuing each season, but in reality there are many hunters who miss out on these furry little hunting season extenders. Hunting rabbits may seem fairly straight forward, but as you will soon find out after listening to Kevin, there is plenty of room for a good strategy for going into each hunt.   Follow Kevin: @murphyssmallgam...

We found Jake! And to celebrate we brought him and the rest of the usual crew back together to do another episode of Hunt Therapy! This one is chock full of good stuff from bow string finger tendonitis, to the nastiness of skinning a raccoon, and the quickly approaching opportunities available to those interested in putting in for limited draw tags. In Part 2 of the show we are joined by Charles o...

Rabbits, squirrels, and quail. That's about the limit of what's left to hunt here in Iowa, and I'd guess much of the rest of the country as well. So as the days quickly end for chasing these underrated species, I wanted to focus hard on the bobwhite quail, and there is nobody better to give us an education on this than our friend Todd Bogenschutz of the Iowa DNR. Todd was on the show in the past t...

As we set out on another trip around our favorite star, there is much to ponder about what the upcoming hunting year might hold for us. Brandon, Alex and Kent talk about their 2022 hunting resolutions that they hope to achieve by this time next year, and they dive into a recent, challenging conversation that had the hunting world in an uproar for a few days. It was a fun episode to record, and eve...

Mike Reeber is from the Lone Star State, and he joined the show to talk about the best part of hunting- the vittles, the delicacies, the meaty memories, THE FOOD. So much of hunting goes into getting to the point of pulling the trigger, but the fully realized enjoyment of hunting comes from eating the meat, and Mike does an excellent job maximizing every ounce of wild game he harvests. Mike not on...

Merry Christmas! 2021 is drawing to a close. Pretty soon our hunting licenses will need to be updated, and our focus will shift from deer, waterfowl, and pheasants to sheds and spring turkeys, but as we close out the year we get to celebrate the greatest gift of all- the gift provided to us by the God of all creation given in the form of His Son, Jesus. That’s what we are here to talk about in thi...

Holding a deer tag into the late season provides a unique challenge that all of our rut wizard friends don’t find themselves in very often. It’s almost like we are doing the extra time, because we didn’t get our homework done by the due date that every one else seemingly had no problem with. But if we look at the late season as just another opportunity to hunt our favorite game, we will realize th...

If you've hunted long enough you know that that act of pulling the trigger, or releasing an arrow is a very small part of what goes into hunting, but it is the brief moment that we dream about. So much of the conversation about hunting centers on the gear and the process, but in this episode we talk about the moment of truth as we talk through the success Brandon, Alex and I have enjoyed so far th...

Happy Thanksgiving! I have so many blessings in my life to be thankful for, and you as a FGHP listener are one of them- so thank you! In this episode Brandon and I hit a part 2 to one of our earliest episodes that covers one of the toughest questions for new and veteran hunters: where should I set up to hunt? We talk about some general rules we use to guide our decision making, adjustments we make...

Banner days are banner days, because they are so good you want to make a banner and nail it to the lodgepole of your cabin to extol the greatness of what happened that day. This episode of hunt therapy was the first ingredient to a banner day for me. Jake and I met up to hunt in Noel's neck of the woods and we had a great time recording this show. We start out by listing names for big bucks, get t...

In our lives we on occasion are fortunate enough to cross paths with someone who is truly passionate about what they do. Their whole demeanor is infectious, and as you listen to and watch them speak and interact with others you feel yourself buying into their cause. Bob St. Pierre of Pheasants Forever is one of those rare individuals. Bob was kind enough to join this episode of the show to talk ab...

There are many hurdles we first gen hunters have to clear in order to successfully break into the hunting scene. Along with a knowledge deficit, lack of private hunting access, and no tactical foundation, acquiring all of the necessary gear to get out and hunt is one of the tallest hurdles for first gen hunters. Thankfully there are several options to help solve this problem, but I have found none...

We Iowegians like to brag about our status in the trophy whitetail category. You want a slob buck? Start putting in to draw a tag in the Hawkeye State. But what deer are to Iowa, elk are to Arizona. It's no secret that monstrous elk reside in the Grand Canyon State, and our friend Alex Gruin of East2West Hunts has been working hard on his own tag acquisition project to battle the 1% draw odds and...

This is the 2nd installment of the hunting camp style series that we are now calling Hunt Therapy. This is your every other week opportunity for hunt themed laughs, and tips that we are confident you will find both relatable and therapeutic. This episode includes Alex's preview of his dream elk hunt in Arizona, Brandon's dove hunting plans, Jake's obliterated archery target, and my war on business...

Most people think of New York as the concrete jungle, far removed from any resemblance of its pre-settled beauty, and while that is true when considering the New York City area and it’s suburbs, that’s far from the truth for the remainder of the state. Dense forests edged by cropland, lakes, and mountains are what make this state beautiful and a prime home for whitetail deer. Jon Teater is a NY na...

This is the kickoff to a new biweekly series here on The First Gen Hunter Podcast- The Campfire Chronicle Series (not to be confused with another fantastic podcast by a similar name that's out there on the podcast airwaves) where core characters of the podcast come together around the virtual campfire of a virtual hunting camp to laugh at each others' pain, tell each others' secrets, swap hunting...

Run and gun whitetail hunting is a widely used term in the hunting world, and I think a lot of people don’t quite understand what that hunting tactic looks like, or how to practically apply within their own approach. Thankfully Dan Johnson of Sportsman’s Nation is a subject matter expert who has been successfully using the run and gun method year after year to tag beautiful, mature deer in Iowa. T...

One of the greatest confrontational challenges to ever exist since the creation of currency is “Put your money where your mouth is.” Of course much of this has probably come down to betting and fantasy football, but the statement can certainly be used when discussing the reality of talking about conservation, compared to actually doing the work of a conservationist. Marissa Jensen of Pheasant's Fo...

On this episode I was joined by Nick Otto the host of The Huntavore Podcast. Nick and I talk a little hunting, but mostly about food. For many folks that are interested in trying to hunt, it is the food that provides the justification for finally purchasing a hunting license. Nick will join me in discussing this most important aspect of hunting as we explore topics ranging from shot placement to w...