The First Gen Hunter Podcast

When the term “legend” gets thrown into a conversation your brain may rabbit trail to thoughts of Michael Jordan, Mickey Mantle, or Abraham Lincoln- some pretty incredible folks from a public knowledge standpoint. But what about those every day legends who walk among us in the work place, church, school, or even deer camp. Who are those legends to you? Well, to the close friends of Zach Polaske, Z...

Of the many lost arts of worlds nearly forgotten, blacksmithing is possibly the most interesting. Of course there are a few talented folks out there who carry on some of these traditions, but few are better and more thoroughly devoted to using their art for the betterment of hunting than Mr. Daniel Casey of Casey Arms. Stationed in Romance, Arkansas, Daniel uses his God-given gift for forging iron...

In this episode John Lusk of Lusk Archery Adventures joins the show to talk about a wide range of archery hunting topics. These topics include testing archery equipment, the overseas trophy hunting debate, John’s hunting plans for 2021 and a lot more. Hunting season is coming soon, let the excitement build as you tune into episode 60!   Subscribe to John's YouTube Channel Follow John on Facebook &...

This is a First Gen Hunter archives special- recorded 9 months ago and finally releasing today- Brandon and I had a great time talking about how hunting has changed for each of us through time, and what we continue to look forward to as we develop as hunters. The conversation also includes plenty of encouragement and tips for other hunters who are looking how to improve their own hunting skills an...

The title for the episode pretty much explains it- this episode is all about the adventure of a lifetime. Brian is a bear hunter, and a bear hunting guide. He’s killed black bear in the lower 48, but spends 40 days every year guiding hunts in the Brooks Range of Northern Alaska, and many of those hunts are for Grizzly and Brown Bear (yes, I know same species, but considered different animals by th...

This is the most fun we’ve ever had on the show, we are all over the place. And by we I mean Brandon, Alex, Jake and Yours Truly. A million laughs and a super diverse conversation that includes a rating of our spring outdoor activities, Alex’s social media hater, tag acquisition bailouts in Montana, my poor fishing abilities and solstice/equinox blunder, Brandon’s old age, wolves in Idaho, tag app...

Deer hunting changes quickly, and the hunting products available are one of the main sources of that change. Through time our ancestors went from using spears, slings, atlatls, eventually progressed to bows and arrows, and finally firearms- and that's only the weapon component to hunting. Clothing, trail cameras, footwear, optics and so many other important tools used by hunters have greatly chang...

Idaho is probably most well known for it consistently over performing college football team that plays on blue turf, but the topic in this episode is all about their elk. Although I have spent very little time in Idaho, I have consistently heard tales of its incredibly steep terrain. Our guest Casey Byers has moved from the Midwest to Idaho and has settled into the elk hunting culture quite succes...

One of the most fascinating aspects of the hunting world are all of the nuanced corners where hunters specialize in pursuing unique game with their own highly effective methods that most folks have no concept of. That’s where running beagles on swampers deep in the Alabama swamps fits in. This is the kind of hunting that requires year round dedication to dog training, maintaining physical fitness,...

Sheds, Turkeys and Shrooms: the only spring hunting seasons here in the heartland. Imagine bagging all three in one day? That would be about as rare as a royal flush. But our guest Garrett “Gary” Feik has done just that, and he’s here to share his experience on how to find Morels. As unique and enjoyable as morel season is, it’s gone almost as fast as it arrives so knowing where to look is the bes...

We are still in the thick of turkey season and First Gen Hunter is here to help you tag a gobbler. In this episode Brandon and I talk to The Primitive Preacher himself, Mr. Jesse Gjefle of the Wisconsin portion of the Driftless Area has a unique passion for old world hunting equipment, and builds his own bows and arrows, and he also naps and forges his own points. Yeah he’s that cool. We didn’t ju...

The time, money and effort hunters put into filling a big game tag is hard to measure beyond the simple math that shows it ain’t cheap. Oddly enough hunters will often spare no expense on the gear, weapons, ammunition, travel and lodging in order to notch their tags, and then turn around and skimp on getting a high quality taxidermy job done on their prized game. This interview with master taxider...

Sheds are nearly buried again in the green new carpet of spring, morels aren't quite ready and the gobbles of a tom turkey disturb the quietness of the cool morning air... ahh it's spring in the turkey woods. And there is no one better to talk about how to fill turkey tags than Mr. Heath Rayfield of Buckventures The Woodsmen. Heath is a family man, avid hunter, and hunting guide in the Carolinas,...

Spring has officially arrived and that means the end of shed season, the start of turkey season and a giant to-do list to complete before the archery deer opener this coming fall. Bow tuning, practice shooting and new accessory purchases dominate the list of “chores” that need to be addressed, but as a budding archer, putting together an effective plan for tackling the list can be tough to figure...

There are a lot of critters I hope to get the chance to hunt. Of course many of them are on everyone else’s dream hunt list, but near the top is this nonnative species of deer- the sika deer. With the rutting behavior similar to a midwestern whitetail, the body size of a southwestern Coues deer, the vocals of a miniature bull elk, and the habitat preferences of waterfowl- these deer are fascinatin...

Squirrel hunting has served as the first date for many hunters through the decades, and yet many fall away from it as they move on to bigger game like deer, elk, turkeys and waterfowl. Guest Marcus Gray is a wildlife biologist who has endured the test of time and with his own line of Mountain Feist squirrel dogs he is chasing squirrels with more passion than he had on his first ever hunt. These ac...

Term papers, all nighters, midnight coffee brewing, changing majors and… running a hunting YouTube channel on the side? It’s not the typical college experience, but the team members of Dorm Room Outdoors make it happen. In this episode they discuss how they balance classwork and sports with hunting, as well as a recap on their 2020 hunting seasons and what they hope the hunting world looks like in...

“I’ll take surprising hunting facts for $800…” Surprising as it may be, Rhode Island- The Ocean State, is a tremendous whitetail location with plenty of public hunting access, quality bucks, and incredible shed hunting opportunities. But don’t take my word for it because I’ve never been there. That’s why Ryan and Dan from Rhode Island Whitetails joined the show to fill you and me in on how to hunt...

Tagging big, mature deer on a regular basis is the culmination of a lifetime spent perfecting the finer details of hunting. Cole Young has done that. Cole gained access to a dynamite farm, custom fit the habitat to maximize its potential, got a monster whitetail on trail camera and then wrapped a tag around his antlers within two attempts at hunting him. There is so much to learn in this one, and...

For many hunters small game is where they got started. Whether it was circling trees for squirrels, or stomping on brush piles for rabbits, the hunting was simple and the payoff was often a few delicious critters ready for the oven when the hunt ended. That’s exactly what this episode is about- how to hunt rabbits more effectively. Brad and Todd from Lone Oak Outdoors spend a month or two each yea...

Shed hunting is one of the best ways to shake off the post hunting season blues and work off a few holiday pounds. Of course, in the midwest whitetail antlers are what most folks are looking for. But as you will hear in this episode, author Joe Shead, who literally wrote the book on shed hunting was kind enough to share his wealth of knowledge on how to find antlers for not only whitetails, but el...

I believe one of the biggest factors that keeps hunters from expanding their experiences to other states is the mountain of questions and concerns about all of the details required for hunting far away from home. How do you bring your deer rifle, or you bow? What about the knives for field dressing? How about bringing the meat home if you are successful? These are some major questions that need to...

Everyone wants to belong. For many that's what hunting has provided for them. A network of like-minded, passionate individuals to swap stories, pictures and strategies with. Unfortunately, many of those networks get disrupted by jealousy, pride and harassment. The opposite of what people are looking for. But thanks to good people like Brad Luttrell and his team at GoWild, a thriving community of o...

Quail is one of the most underrated species to hunt and if your state is like mine, there are still a few more days to get out and chase after these incredible birds. The problem is a lot of hunters really don't know how to target these Bob White whistlers. Heath Rayfield of The Woodsman is a longtime upland guide who hunts quail almost daily in the Carolinas. Heath does such a a great job explain...

Unlike most good things that come to an end, the conclusion of hunting season actually leads to more good things- specifically shed antler season. Hunting for shed antlers is a fantastic way to spend time outdoors. Racking up mile upon mile in search of that ivory colored tine sticking up out of the surrounding landscape is what dreams are made of. Speaking of dreams, the start of this show is a g...