The First Gen Hunter Podcast

Rick and Brad are some of the most hardcore hunters I know. Both of them are Big Woods Bucks team members and both are expert buck trackers from New England. We jump all over the place on this episode as we discuss flying with guns, hunting all over the country, and things that make it difficult to hunt.     Follow Rick: @rick_labbe_hunter Follow Brad: @nh_neverquitbucktracker   Check out the Firs...

Nate Dodson joins me to discuss this issue from a new angle. He makes some great points I wouldn't have thought of, and my perspective on the matter has shifted somewhat after our conversation. Yours might as well.   Follow Nate on GoWild: @natedodson Check out the First Gen Hunter Website Follow First Gen Hunter Instagram: @first.gen.hunter GoWild: @Kent Boucher Facebook: @first.gen.hunter Follow...

Heath Rayfield is without question the best turkey hunter I know. As a long time guide, and as an always tagged out hunter he sets the bar for what it means to be a turkey hunter. In this episode Heath talks about tactics for hunting different times of the day, different times of the season, the best weather conditions for tagging turkeys, and he even offers up advice on how to hunt Merriams and R...

Over the weekend there was a ton of buzz about two hunters who some sources claimed died of CJD, the human equivalent to CWD after eating meat from infected deer. This was very alarming of course, except that isn't what the original study actually said happened. This was a case of mass hysteria coming from a very limited amount of data that showed no known causation. Here's my take on the situatio...

Turkeys are great, but they ain't the only thing to hunt this spring- bears are also on the menu. Most folks view bear hunting as a secondary hunting option, but I'm here to tell you that after you lend your hand to hunting bruins you will be hooked for life. Travis Adair has done just that, and in fact bear hunting is main hunting pursuit. But filling a bear tag is much easier said than done. The...

Partners of Scott County Watersheds worked with Ducks Unlimited to successfully acquire $8 million in a grant to help landowners in Scott County Iowa incorporate water quality improvement projects on their land. This is a huge win for the local residents, as well as hunters who will benefit from healthier game, and more habitat. This interview features a handful of folks who have participated in m...

Caleb and I just spent an awesome few days in the Sandhills region of Nebraska looking for sheds with our good friend Nate Dodson. Nate is a cattle rancher who lives his life very close to the land. He is an avid deer, turkey and (when he draws a tag) elk hunter. He hunts turkeys all around the country, but most of his hunting takes place on the ranch where he grew up. The three of us recorded thi...

A conversation that is gaining some buzz lately is hunter land access availability. Some hunters think this is a major problem in hunting and even go as far as saying new hunters should not be recruited into the hunting community. Alex and I weighed in on this hot button issue.   Check out the First Gen Hunter Website Follow First Gen Hunter Instagram: @first.gen.hunter GoWild: @Kent Boucher Faceb...

Kaleb is one of those people who lives outdoors. From his land management business and hunting whiteails to putting miles in shed hunting and scouting, Kaleb logs more hours outside than the vast majority of people I know. Kaleb's connection to the land has helped him become an expert whitetail hunter and the buck he killed in the 2023 archery season serves as the best evidence for this. Tune in a...

This is part 2 of my conversation with Jace Elliott regarding the health of the Iowa Deer Herd following the difficult 2023 hunting season.    Follow Jace: @jace.elliott Check out the First Gen Hunter Website Follow First Gen Hunter Instagram: @first.gen.hunter GoWild: @Kent Boucher Facebook: @first.gen.hunter Follow The Hunt Fish Life: @hntfsh_life Follow Alex: @east2westhunts_alex (also on GoWil...

Patrick Durkin is one of my favorite outdoor writers. He cares about the details, and finds the humor in almost all stories, and has been a great inspiration to me as a fellow outdoor writer. In this conversation I thoroughly enjoyed hearing some of the wild hunting and fishing stories Pat has covered through the years, talking about Pat's successful elk hunts from his tree stand, and discussing s...

It was a strange year of deer hunting here in the glorious whitetail state of Iowa. EHD outbreaks all over the place, extreme drought, and very warm temperatures well into the rut. All of these things left me with a lot of questions and Jace is here to help answer them. Follow Jace: @jace.elliott Check out the First Gen Hunter Website Follow First Gen Hunter Instagram: @first.gen.hunter GoWild: @K...

Chris Janis is a retired veteran who has shifted gears to selling land in the heart of Whitetail country. Chris talks about his experience learning to hunt deer all around the country, what it was like growing up in Florida, and his military experience that includes a hair raising ghost story. Chris also talks about his recent fall from his tree stand this past season and how he has recovered and...

My brother-in-law and I hit a large property he has permission to hunt this coming fall. We were hoping to find sheds, but ended up scouting the property for his fall hunts more than we looked for sheds. It was a great time and Ben has some good insights on the experience and the advantage of Spartan Forge to share from our trip.   Check out the First Gen Hunter Website Follow First Gen Hunter Ins...

Wisconsin has held the status as the quintessential sportsman state pretty much since outdoor content has been printed, and few folks have as good of an understanding on that the scene as Pierce Nelles. Pierce is a fly fishing guide, avid hunter, and host of The Wisconsin Sportsman Podcast. Tune in to hear about the Wisconsin trout program, deer herd management, and a handful of other topics that...

For those of us who can do some habitat work, and for those of us who dream about owning our own piece of ground that we can improve for hunting opportunities, knowing where to start can be one of the biggest challenges. This episode aims to help get the ball rolling on some land management chores that can be done right now. Here is a list of things mentioned in this conversation: 1. Cut Shooting...

Jason is living the American dream. He found a need in the hunting market that he knew he could meet and built the best line of elk calls available. Alex and I had the great privilege of talking with Jason about hunting elk, building Phelps Game Calls and the pressure of taking over the Cutting The Distance podcast on the MeatEater podcast network. This was one of my favorite conversations on the...

On this episode I am joined by the host of The Wisconsin Sportsman Podcast- Pierce Nelles to discuss a hotly debated topic regarding a ban on doe harvests for the next four seasons in the norther counties of Wisconsin.   Follow Pierce: @piercenelles Follow The Wisconsin Sportsman Podcast: @thewisconsinsportsmanpod   Check out the First Gen Hunter Website Follow First Gen Hunter Instagram: @first.g...

Shed hunting is one of the best ways to extend the whitetail calendar and for most average shed hunters it means 10 times as many miles walked as sheds found. But there are some guys out there who tip that balance back into their favor and seem to just trip over sheds every spring. How do they do it? What are the rest of us doing wrong? Well, we are going to dig into this phenomenon with Emmitt En...

It's the offseason and you don't know what to do with yourself. Well here's my best attempt at inspiring you with some new ideas.   Check out the First Gen Hunter Website Follow First Gen Hunter Instagram: @first.gen.hunter GoWild: @Kent Boucher Facebook: @first.gen.hunter Follow The Hunt Fish Life: @hntfsh_life Follow Alex: @east2westhunts_alex (also on GoWild) Follow East2West Hunts: @east2westh...

In this episode Brandon and I are joined by Joel Pinson a friend of Brandon's who Brandon introduced to hunting. Since taking up hunting Joel has found great success hunting deer and more importantly a deep connection with hunting.     Check out the First Gen Hunter Website Follow First Gen Hunter Instagram: @first.gen.hunter GoWild: @Kent Boucher Facebook: @first.gen.hunter Follow The Hunt Fish L...

Emmitt is a go getter. He has founded multiple businesses and even purchased his first farm all by the age of 27. The American dream is very much alive with Emmitt. In this episode Emmitt explains how we has able to secure the financing to purchase his first farm in Iowa.    USDA Farm Loan Information   Follow Emmitt @extremeelementoutdoors Check out the First Gen Hunter Website Follow First Gen H...

Jessica is an avid bowhunter who has been chasing whitetails as soon as her dad let her tag along as a 7 year old. Her years of hunting experience have blossomed into a career in the outdoor industry as a magazine editor and board member of the Iowa Bowhunters Association. Jessica's passion for whitetails in Iowa is nothing short of inspiring and serves as a great example to other women who want t...

Coming off the mountain Jacob Albaugh knew things were going to be different going forward with his life. He understood he was given a second opportunity to live and he wanted it to mean more. Primal Faith is the result of that second chance.   Follow Primal Faith on Facebook: @primalfaith Follow Jacob: @theprimaldad Check out the First Gen Hunter Website Follow First Gen Hunter Instagram: @first....

This is a sobering story about hiking in too deep without the proper gear during deadly conditions. Jacob Albaugh and his hunting partner barely survived this elk hunting trip in Idaho with sheer willpower and Divine intervention. This story will put a lump in your throat and set you on the edge of your seat.    Follow Jacob: @theprimaldad Check out the First Gen Hunter Website Follow First Gen Hu...