The Hunter Conservationist Podcast

Brant MacDuff, author of the book Shotgun Conservationist - Why Environmentalists Should Love Hunting joins Mark and Curtis in this episode. Brant discusses his journey into hunting as well as his top reasons why non-hunters should love hunting. Other topics covered include the nuanced differences between a conservationist versus an environmentalist and an anti-hunter versus a non-hunter, who uses...

In this episode Mark covers a bear attack in BC, illegal crocodile meat in Alberta, killing fish in Banff National Park, coyote attacks in BC, a coyote transmitted disease in Alberta, a whale hunter-ed course in Nunavut, a new Alberta bison hunt, crab poaching fines, cuts to conservation in Manitoba, feral pigs in BC as well as convictions for illegal polar bear exports and moose hunting in Ontari...

In this episode Mark discusses a grizzly that was killed in BC and whether it is another indicator of shifting social attitudes. Other stories covered include mining lithium in protected caribou habitat in Manitoba, a coyote attack in Cape Breton, a request from First Nations in BC about moose hunting, caribou funding in Ontario, protecting species at risk habitat in BC, and some new funding for s...

Matt Besko, Executive Director of Alberta’s Hunting and Fishing Branch along with Dr. Lee Foote, retired ecology scientist join Mark and Curtis to wrestle with a really tough question – should hunting be deemed a cultural heritage that is legally protected? The discussion is based on a research paper from Poland that uses the five tests of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangib...

Melanie Dickie, PhD candidate and caribou scientist along with Jesse Tigner, habitat restoration ecologist, join Curtis and Mark to discuss how they are trying to slow wolves down. This episode is a piece of the endangered caribou recovery story in Western Canada that rarely receives attention – the habitat restoration piece. Melanie shares her experience researching how wolves use old seismic tra...

In this episode Mark covers a polar bear attack in Nunavut and the relationship to a new book on carnivores that hunt humans, as well as other trending stories on human-polar bear conflict in Churchill Manitoba, BC grizzlies, West Coast chinook salmon quota, East Coast capelin fishery concerns, a Fisheries Act judicial verdict on constitutional rights, Quebec endangered caribou, Baffin Island cari...

Jesse Zeman, Executive Director for the BC Wildlife Federation joins Mark and Curtis to provide the Federation’s analysis of the new draft grizzly bear management plan for British Columbia. Jesse talks about whether there is dedicated funding for grizzly bear science and population monitoring, how many grizzly bear experts there are in the province now, grizzly bear management objectives and accou...

In this episode Robbie joins Mark to discuss the fallow deer cull on Sidney Island in British Columbia, the recent brown bear cull in Alaska and private land access in Canada.   Topics covered included using hunters versus contract sharpshooters for population control, whether caribou or bears are worth more in Alaska, if it pays it stays mantra, private land rights in Canada, exclusive rights, ch...

Presented by Blood Origins Canada This podcast is sponsored by Community-Minded Alpine Toyota in Cranbrook, BC.   Dr. Bruce McLellan and Dr. Clayton Lamb join Mark and Curtis in episode 100 to impart their wisdom on grizzly bears, conservation and sustainable hunting. Topics discussed include whether wolf or grizzly bear hunting is more controversial, the biological factors of grizzly bears critic...

In this episode Mark discusses a controversial announcement made by the Manitoba Metis Federation in regard to asserting constitutional hunting rights across the Metis Homeland of Canada and the USA. Mark takes you back 500 years for journey into the history of Canada's Metis People and their current effort to protect Metis culture and rights. Mark summarizes the proposed expansion of the Metis Ha...

In this episode, Mark updates you on the outcome of the government’s decision to expand dog hunting training areas in Ontario as a well as, the reversal of the Alaska commercial fishery closure for salmon headed for Canadian rivers to spawn, a lawsuit over spotted owls in BC, the feds threating Ontario over endangered caribou protection, rounding up geese in Toronto, a land use plan for Nunavut, a...

Brought to You by Community-Minded Alpine Toyota Chris Parish and Leland Brown from the North American Non-Lead Partnership join Mark & Curtis to discuss lead shot and the risk to upland game birds. Christ and Leland. The guys discuss advances in X-ray technology that’s been showing more invisible lead particles in game meat than previously have been detected. Other topics include lead shot effect...

Brought to you by Community-Minded Alpine Toyota   Dr. Doug Manzer, Senior Scientist and Wildlife Program Manager for the Alberta Conservation Association (ACA) joins Mark and Curtis to discuss a cool habitat enhancement project. This conversation comes on the heels of the field trip where Doug toured Mark and Curtis around a habitat enhancement project that the ACA is helping the landowner with t...

In this episode Mark is joined by life long Ontario hunter Sean Foster to uncover the truth about hunting coyotes in Ontario with hound dogs. Sean describes a typical day hunting coyotes, how hunters put dogs onto the coyotes, and the farm areas that hunters focus on. Sean talks about hunting regulations, ethical hunting, the importance of calling dogs off a hunt, mange, exploding populations, how...

In this episode Mark covers the rough start for Bill C-21 in the senate and how it may be a good sign, a bit more on Ontario's dog trialing pen areas licensing controversy, no go on goose control in BC, coyote bites gardener, cougar attacks and renaming bear spray.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brought to you by Community-Minded Alpine Toyota   Jesse Zeman, Executive Director of the BC Wildlife Federation is back on the podcast. Jesse talks about a research project he completed looking at the willingness of hunters to pay for a moose tag under different combinations of moose management models, percentages that license fees contribute to moose management, and how many moose are allotted t...

Brought to you by the Community-Minded Alpine Toyota       Holly Wise, Vice President of the BC Trapper's Association joins Mark & Curtis on this episode. Holly is BC’s first certified women’s trapping instructor, and she talks about her journey to becoming certified. Holly discusses her other outdoor teaching pursuits including the Becoming an Outdoors Woman program and the hunting training cours...

In this episode Mark covers an interesting and chaotic fishery for the American eel in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, a controversial amendment in Ontario for training dogs to hunt coyotes, whether addling goose eggs will work, a judge's ruling on salmon fishing in Alaska, spotted owl rewilding effort in BC and new legislation in Haida Gwaii.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...

Brought to you by Community-Minded Alpine Toyota   Paul Jones, senior biologist with the Alberta Conservation Association joins Mark and Curtis to talk all things pronghorn. Topics covered include historic and present-day distribution, population dynamics, migrations, migration barriers, pronghorn friendly fences, highway crossing structures, twinning rates, migratory versus nomadic, urban prongho...

In this episode Mark is joined by firearm policy expert Tim Thurley again to discuss the federal governments latest gun control amendments to Bill C-21. Topics Tim cover include magazine capacity, the semi-automatic prohibition clause and the resurrection of the Canadian Firearms Advisory Committee.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brought to you by Community-Minded Alpine Toyota       Mark and Curtis are joined by Tim Killey, President of the BC Trappers Association to talk about fisher trapping and conservation in British Columbia. Tim explains the current trapping restrictions on fishers in Central part of the province and new regulation proposals being tabled. As well, Tim explains the two fisher sub-populations in BC, a...

In this episode Mark discusses his assessment of the veterinary photographic records of wolves killed in the caribou recovery areas of BC, some great news from the Nakusp caribou maternal pen, Canada’s commitment to the 30x30 biodiversity initiative, the future of hunting in Northern Manitoba and another anti-trapping campaign. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brought to you by Community-Minded Alpine Toyota John Schneider and Adam Weir join Mark and Curtis to discuss spring black bear hunting. John speaks from experience hunting in Alberta and Adam from hunting in Ontario. The guys discuss what spring bear hunting means to them, what the landscape is like where they hunt, how to find spring black bears, hunting methods, judging bears, bating tactics, s...

In this episode Mark covers a decision in Alberta regarding wild boar farming, white nose syndrome in bats in BC, coyote killing contests in Ontario, true wild horses in Canada, new firearms acts in Alberta and Sask, caribou in Nunavut, Roosevelt elk on Vancouver Island, an Indigenous Protected Conservation Area in BC, boreal caribou and climate change in the NWT, poaching fines, and Manitoba’s li...

Hang on this is a a big episode! Tim Thurley, Canadian firearm policy and firearm homicide expert joins Mark to give a full update on everything that's been going on in the gun control debate since the hunting firearm amendments to Bill C-21 were with drawn. Topics covered include, recent random homicide trends in Canada, public fear, whether gun control leads to less firearm violence, variants, t...