The Hunter Conservationist Podcast

In this episode Mark and Curtis claw into the future of black bear hunting in Canada. The guys talk about the black bear’s unique evolutionary story in North America, all the different races of black bears in Canada, including the ancient glacial insular bears of British Columbia and how many black bears there are. Bearing in mind those discussions, Mark and Curtis provide encouragement for new hu...

In this episode Mark and Curtis provide an update on how their spring turkey hunt went and they give a short recap on the recent announcement about hunting and fishing in BC during COVID-19. In addition to turkeys and social distance hunting, the fellas chat about an important aspect of wildlife management - the enhancement of habitat with the use of fire. Topics covered include when the era of fi...

It’s spring and Mark and Curtis are back in the studio to talk turkey. More specifically, the story of wild turkeys in Canada. Often thought of as a gamebird found only in the United States of America, the guys talk about how this native North American wildlife species came to be in the New World and how several Canadian provinces became home to the wild turkey. Topics discussed include the evolut...

In this episode Mark and Curtis are in the studio respecting the social distancing rules. But the show must go on, so in the absence of a guest the guys take an in-depth look at wolf hunting and the story surrounding the recent death of a well-known coastal wolf in BC. Topics discussed in this episode include an analysis of British Columbia’s Wolf Management Plan, wolf population dynamics, wolf sp...

In this episode Mark and Curtis are in Fernie British Columbia with Dr. Clayton Lamb learning about the new discipline of road ecology. Dr. Lamb tells the hosts about his transition from researching grizzly bears for his PhD into his new wildlife research projects. Other topics discussed in this episode include finding out what this whole new field of road ecology is about, the magnitude of wildli...

In this episode Mark and Curtis are joined by Al Duffy, Chair of the BC Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and Bill Hanlon, the Co-Chair. The guys provide their perspectives on the controversial and nebulous subject of ethics and fair chase in hunting.  Topics and questions discussed include defining what ethics are, what society expects of hunters, what morally good hunting is, how to def...

In this episode Mark and Curtis join Dylan Eyers from EatWild BC, Jenny Ly, from the Chasing Food Club and Kelly Molnar and Mike Pedersen from the Rookie Hunter Podcast for a live podcast which was recorded in Vancouver, BC on January 30th.  The crew shreds up the question – Why is Hunting So Hard?  For many new and first-time hunters, hunting can be frustrating and maybe even demoralizing. Folks...

In this episode, Mark and Curtis are in Cranbrook, British Columbia talking all things deer with Senior Wildlife Biologist, Pat Stent and resident hunter dude, Jeff Berdusco. Pat gives us a run down on the findings from his mule deer research studies in Southeastern BC. He explains the factors influencing mule deer populations, what’s happening with predation and how mule deer survival rates in th...

In this episode, Mark and Curtis are talking with British Columbia’s provincial wildlife veterinarian, Dr. Helen Schwantje. Helen explains how she secured herself a full-time position as the head of wildlife health in the province. Other topics the gang chats about include captive conservation breeding programs as a tool to save endangered species including caribou, being a women vet in male-domin...

In this episode, Mark, Curtis, Erin, Karlee and Jake are all together to reflect on our 2019 adventures. Large cutties, catch and release fishing, the state of fishing on Haida Gwaii, deer hunting in 2019, the November lull, first duck hunts, first deer harvests, packs of marauding grizzlies in the late deer season, wild Christmas dinner, perch tacos, awesome elk hunting, debate on a freezer full...

In this episode, Mark and Curtis are at the Big Ranch near Sparwood, BC with BC Backcountry Hunters and Anglers Chapter Board Co-Chair, Bill Hanlon and his giant cape buffalo. Bill tells us about the history of BHA and how British Columbia became a chapter.  We also learn about the surge in membership growth occurring in BC, the types of hunters and anglers that are joining, what the focus and pri...

In this episode, Mark and Curtis are in Edmonton Alberta with Matt Besko, the Director of Wildlife Policy for Alberta Environment and Parks. We discuss the rich and diverse ecosystems of Alberta, and we get a run down on the status of big game and waterfowl populations and conservation concerns in the province. Other topics we cover include white-tailed deer populations, what the province is braci...

In this episode, Mark and Curtis are in Edmonton Alberta with archaeologist and author Jack Brink. Jack was instrumental in helping uncover and tell the story of Aboriginal communal bison hunting at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is situated in the Porcupine Hills in southern Alberta. Jack discusses how bison were coaxed over the deadly jump using highly sophistica...

In this episode, Mark and Curtis are at the University of Alberta joined by Dr. Andrew Derocher. This episode explores one of the world’s most iconic wild animals – the Polar Bear. Topics discussed include the things that make a polar bear tick, fat vacuums, chill bears, ponies with teeth, whether polar bears are land or marine mammals, their conservation status, what polar bear habitat really is,...

In this episode Mark and Curtis are joined by Brenda McLennan and Mance Visetin. The lady’s husbands were both Conservation Officers whose unique career paths brought them together. In this episode we learn what it was like for the newly married spouses of Conservation Officers back in the old days when officers were called Game Wardens. We find out what it was like being a Game Warden in Canada’s...

In this episode Mark and Curtis are joined by new hunters Bryce McKinnon and Derek Johnson. These young men didn’t grow up in hunting families, but they are having fun finding their way in hunting by trial and error. This episode will help other new hunters and established hunters will hear what it’s like for a new hunter to try to get started in hunting. Topics discussed include how the guys got...

In this episode, we are joined by Reg Parsons and Odd Aasland to discuss their careers as taxidermists. With 80 ish years of combined experience in their field of work, we discuss how these gents first got into taxidermy as a career, the history of taxidermy, the process of taxidermy, how taxidermy contributed to conservation, the infamous duck incident, whether size (antlers) matter, whether taxi...

In this episode, we are joined by Cait Nelson, Wildlife Health Biologist with the government of BC. Cait oversees the province’s Chronic Wasting Disease on-the-ground program. Topics discussed include the latest on CWD science, global CWD news, the history of CWD in Canada, BC’s CWD program up to 2019, BC’s CWD free status, new CWD cases close to BC, the new mandatory head submission order for hun...

In this episode, Mark and Curtis are at the University of Saskatchewan to discuss the growing problem of invasive wild pigs in Canada. Topics covered include leaky farms, the difference between wild boar versus wild pig, whether hunting is helping control wild pigs, where wild pigs are found in Canada, whether wild pigs can survive in the Yukon, countdown to 1 million square kilometers, whether so...

In this episode, Mark and Curtis are in Cranbrook BC with Nikita Dalke, Jeff Berdusco, and Erin Aasland Hall. We chat about our earliest memories growing up in the outdoors, strategies for getting kids into hunting and fishing, indoctrination vs. exposure, expectation adjustments, when kids are old enough to hunt an animal, letting kids use social media or not, competing with a world of instant gr...

In this episode we are in Revelstoke, British Columbia chatting with caribou researcher Dr. Rob Serrouya from the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute. We learn why caribou in the southern population in BC and Alberta are endangered. We also discuss cool t-shirts, saving endangered species with adaptive management, where white-tailed deer fit, social science, trade-off decision making, the co...

In this episode we are joined by grizzly bear researcher Clayton Lamb, from the University of Alberta. We discuss the facets of grizzly bear conservation and biology, Clayton’s PhD work in the Elk Valley, hangry bears, science of the obvious, source-sink dynamics, the ominous Olsen Pit, modern day raptors trying to kill prehistoric raptors and using data to make flooring decisions. Clayton's websi...