The Nevada Wild Podcast

In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones sit down with Big Game Staff Specialist Mike Cox to get into the weeds talking about everything bighorn sheep. Mike shares what bighorn sheep harvest data he recommends you review to help decide what sheep hunts to apply for. He highlights ongoing bighorn sheep genetics work that has future management ramifications and details the approachin...

In this week’s Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones sit down with outgoing fisheries biologist extraordinaire Kim Tisdale to reflect on her 31-year career with NDOW. Kim shares the different roles she’s held over the years, highlights some of her favorite projects, and gives us a peek behind the curtain at the exciting changes coming to the Nevada Native Fish Slam Program. Kim is revered at N...

In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones sit down to talk with NDOW’s Publication Coordinator Jamie Roice-Gomes. She tells us about the work that went into combining NDOW’s two big game publications into one convenient publication. She also shares her personal story of how she always wanted to go hunting but never had the opportunity, until she took matters into her own hands this...

In this week’s Nevada Wild, Bobby Jones is joined by NDOW outdoor education experts Julie Gabrielson and Nicole St. John to talk about why you don’t want to miss the 2026 Elko Sportsman’s Expo! The expo is free to attend and takes place from 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. today, February 27 and tomorrow, February 28 at the Elko Conference Center. This is a can't-miss, family-friendly event with lots of activities...

In this week’s Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones sit down with NDOW’s Game Division Administrator Shawn Espinosa to talk about chukar hunting and the story of how chukar first came to Nevada in the early 1930’s. Shawn shares his thoughts on how the 2025-2026 chukar hunting season has played out, gives his tips for anyone planning to head out before the end of the season, which is this comi...

The Youth Wildlife Conservation Experience (YWCE) is back for the 15th year! YWCE, the youth portion of the Wild Sheep Foundation's Sheep Show, will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on January 24 at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center. This FREE event is designed to excite and inspire the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts with 43 hands-on stations offering a variety of activities. In this week...

In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones sit down with the 2024 Wayne E. Kirch Nevada Wildlife Conservation Award Winners Ken and Jill Wilkinson. The conversation covers how Ken and Jill initially met working at NDOW, the various volunteer projects the Wilkinsons have focused on recently, and we dive into Ken’s extensive conservation-centric career. Make sure to listen to this week...

In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones sit down to talk with NDOW Public Information Officer Ashley Zeme. She tells the guys what a typical day for her looks likes and shares how even after eight years how she still gets nervous right before she hits send on emails going out to hundreds of thousands of people. Ashley is the primary driver behind growing NDOW social media channels...

In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones sit down with Nevada Department of Wildlife Veterinarian Nate LaHue to talk about Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a transmissible neurological disease that is always fatal to animals in the deer family. Currently, CWD is found in 34 states and 4 Canadian provinces, but not in Nevada. Nate explains the recent positive samples just over Nevada'...

The Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) is excited to announce the debut of Nevada Wild, a brand-new television series coming to Animal Planet on Tuesday, November 4. Produced by Engel Entertainment, the creators of Lone Star Law and North Woods Law, the show highlights the incredible work of NDOW staff across the state. In this week’s Nevada Wild podcast, NDOW’s Bobby Jones and Aaron Keller sit...

In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones sit down with NDOW's Migratory Game Bird Staff Specialist Russell Woolstenhulme to talk about the great conditions waterfowl hunters can expect this season. Russell shares some important information about waterfowl hunting for each Nevada hunt zone! The crew talks about bag limit changes, habitat conditions, discusses water levels at our Wil...

In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones sit down with NDOW’s Upland Game Staff Specialist Justin Small for a detailed conversation about the 2025 chukar hunting forecast. Justin talks about all the work that goes into the forecast from "boots on the ground" brood surveys to the chick production in Nevada counties. Listen to this week’s podcast to find out why this years’ forecast...

After 30 years of dedicated service, Conservation Education Division Administrator Chris Vasey is retiring from the Nevada Department of Wildlife. A native Nevadan, avid sportsman, and passionate outdoorsman, Chris brought his love for the wild to every aspect of his work. For the past 10 years, he has led NDOW’s education and outreach division, helping it grow into a nationally recognized, award-...

In this week's Nevada Wild podcast, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones are joined by the Southern Region Hunter Education and Shooting Sports Coordinator Martin Olson to have a conversation about muzzleloader hunting in Nevada. Martin talks about NDOW’s free muzzleloader introduction classes and why he thinks shooting a muzzleloader is so fun. The guys also talk about how choosing to apply for muzzleloa...

The Nevada Department of Wildlife is a proud member of BearWise®, a program of the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies. Black bears have been in Nevada long before we lived here, but by the early 1900s they had been extirpated from the state. Conservation efforts and habitat regeneration allowed black bears to begin coming back into Nevada and reinhabit their old stomping grounds. Since the 19...

In this week's Nevada Wild podcast, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones are joined by Statewide Boating Education Coordinator Aaron Meier to talk about Operation Dry Water and boating safety. Aaron explains that Operation Dry Water is a national campaign designed to combat boating under the influence (BUI) through increased boat patrols over the three-day weekend. The guys talk about how much fun boating...

In this week’s Nevada Wild podcast, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones are joined by Rendle Taylor and Ken Shoemaker, two Director’s from the Silver Arrow Bowmen Archery Club in Reno, Nevada. Rendle and Ken explain their roles on the board, the current goals of the club, NDOW’s recent investments in the archery range, and how you can get involved. They discuss the June 21-22, 2025, Bowhunter Bonanza, ho...

In this week's Nevada Wild podcast, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones are joined by Fisheries Biologist Heath Korell to talk about one of everyone's favorite Nevada lakes, Cave Lake. Heath gives a great history lesson dating back to the 1930's and details the dam rebuild project that started in 2019. The guys discuss interesting facts about the area including that the state record brown trout was caugh...

In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones are joined by NDOW’s Mountain Goat and Bighorn Sheep Staff Specialist Mike Cox. Mike talks about an exciting project to bring more mountain goats to Nevada earlier this year and gives an update on how well they’re doing overall. He also gives the guys an overview of all three subspecies of bighorn sheep found in Nevada and outlines how the D...

In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones are joined by NDOW’s Data and Technology Services Division Administrator Matt Maples. The guys talk about technology and data in the Department, the big game application and draw, bonus points and why they matter, and what makes applying for tags in Nevada unique. They also share some tips and tricks to up your odds of drawing a big game tag...

In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones are joined by NDOW’s Game Division Administrator Shawn Espinosa to get an overview of the outlook for the upcoming big game hunting season. Shawn speaks to the uptick in quota recommendations for mule deer, antelope, and elk, and shares a bit about the challenges bighorn sheep are facing in Southern Nevada. If you’re applying for big game hu...

In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones are joined by NDOW’s Mule Deer and Antelope Staff Specialist Cody Schroeder to get the latest update on Mule Deer and Antelope in Nevada. Cody talks about deploying mule deer collars across the state, mapping migration corridors and gives the guys an update on how our Mule Deer and Antelope populations are doing throughout the state. Thank y...

In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones are joined by NDOW’s Elk and Moose Staff Specialist Cody McKee to get the latest update on Elk and Moose in Nevada! Cody tells us about the first-ever Moose collaring project in the Ruby Mountains and shares some interesting information he helped uncover about historical accounts of Elk in Nevada. This is an exciting conversation you won’t w...

In this week’s Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones are joined by Eastern Nevada Conservation Education Supervisor Julie Gabrielson and Educator Nicole St. John to talk about the long-awaited 10th annual Elko Sportsman’s Expo! The expo is back on Saturday, March 1 and Sunday, March 2 with two days of outdoor related activities and booths presented by NDOW and the Ruby Mountain Rios Chapter of...

In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Bobby Jones are joined by NDOW Wildlife Staff Specialist Russell Woolstenhulme to talk about the best internship in the country, the James Lathrop and Wayne Capurro Memorial Internship Program. This program offers young adults who are passionate about pursuing a career in wildlife an exciting summer job working for the Department for up to four consecut...