Benji Backer, author of ‘The Conservative Environmentalist’ and founder of the American Conservation Coalition, joins Robbie to talk about his middle ground political approach to environmentalism - a mantra Blood Origins itself is deeply familiar with. Benji and Robbie have been trying to connect on a podcast for some time, first through Blood Origins’ podcast producer Cody McLaughlin and then a second time through a common connection of Toby Lavigne. The two discuss Benji’s bird hunting hobby, his big game ambitions, growing up with vegans, what it means to be a conservative environmentalist, and much more. It’s a strong narrative discussion between two individuals that passionately believe in a middle ground to pushing a narrative of sustainability forward

Eric Michel, Sam Oberfores, and Tyler Obermoller join the podcast to talk with Robbie about their Minnesota deer fawn survival study. Eric Michel and Robbie know each other from Robbie’s days at Mississippi State University when he was a professor, and Eric was a PhD student working in the MSU deer lab. Eric is the deer biologist for Minnesota DNR and has published a fantastic study on predator dynamics and foreign survival of whitetail in Minnesota. You don’t often see a DNR agency putting out great interaction science like this. Eric invited a DNR colleague Tyler to come onto the podcast, as well as Sam who is the master student on this project. They discuss deer fawn mortality on the farmland, and the science behind the study.

CIC X BO Our Voice is back with Satau, of Botswana, to talk about his 17 years of community based natural resources management. In this episode, Robbie, joined by cohost, Bupe Banda, and Satau talk about the feelings of communities in Botswana towards wildlife and the challenges they face in owning and managing wildlife resources. Satau highlights the historical displacement and marginalization of indigenous communities and the need for their inclusion in conservation efforts. They also discuss the role of international collaborative efforts in addressing these challenges and the importance of informed decision-making. Satau emphasizes the need for communities to benefit from wildlife and the importance of incorporating traditional ecological knowledge into conservation strategies. If you have any questions please feel free to email us at info@bloodorigins.com or DM us through our social media platforms.

John Koleszar is a sustainable wild horse management advocate in Arizona - a key difference from the wild horse advocates you may initially be thinking of. John and Robbie discuss the fascinating history of Apache’s Sitcrees National Forest, horse management, and sets the scene for this issue going forward.

Robbie is joined by new presenting sponsor and conservation stalwart Brandon Maddox, Founder and CEO of Silencer Central. Brandon is asked to be on a long list of podcasts, but Robbie wanted to hear something completely different from Brandon. Rather than talk about ballistics, silencer configurations, and general gun nerdy conversations, Robbie dives into a conversation with Brandon on the company’s conservation legacy, how supporting the outdoor community is central to the business model of Silencer Central, and what we can expect from this new partnership.

While on the road you have come to expect some unique Round-Ups. Currently Robbie is in South Africa doing some pre-planning around some up and coming documentaries. While traveling around South Africa Robbie landed in the middle of nowhere in the Northern Cape of South Africa in a town called Phillipstown. There Robbie met long time supporters Oliver, Carl and Gustav from their new hunting operation in the Karoo of the Northern Cape. This operation covers over 70,000 acres of low fence sheep farming that has abundant wildlife. They discuss managing wildlife in South Africa, how the operation came about, their support for Blood Origins as a conservation club member, and more!

AG Gregoroff, from ToeHold flip flops, is arguably the world-wide king of flip flops. Robbie went to Las Vegas to see what makes these flip flops so special, and had AG join him to talk about sustainably-sourced leathers such as ostrich, rhino, elephant, stingray, and more and how he uses these renewable resources to craft and market thousand-dollar-plus pairs of flip flops. Now Toehold's marketing strategy may not be for everyone, but beneath that exterior there is something very unique about AG, his philosophy about flip flops and how that extends to sustainability of natural resources. Oh ... and he hunts.

Wyatt Fetner and Ian Bradley Johnson of Safari Specialty Importers join the podcast to discuss the state of trophy importation. This is Wyatt’s second time on the show, and he is a certified expert in trophy importation. Wyatt and Ian give us the lay of the land as it regards to trophy importation...what’s being allowed, how long it’s taking, anticipated challenges to it, and so much more!

Andy Galpin, a tenured professor at Parker University, joins the podcast to talk with Robbie about his efforts to stand up a truly incredible human performance lab, a 65,000 square foot facility with education components and more. Andy is also a huge hunter, lifelong in fact, and is preparing for a public land hunt in Wyoming. Andy agreed to sit down with Robbie for a trademark, classic open ended conversation in true Blood Origins style.

In this special post-election wrap-up roundup, Ashlee and Robbie delve into some big WINS for hunters on Tuesday night, along with recapping the long and arduous process that got us there. From the complexities of the ballot initiative process, particularly in Mississippi and Arizona, highlighting the legal implications and the importance of citizen engagement in shaping public policy, to the complexities of wildlife management, the implications of ballot initiatives on conservation efforts, and the reality of recent victories in Colorado and Florida against anti-hunting measures. They explore the value of public voting in wildlife management, the interplay between humans and wildlife, and the emotional connections people have with different species. 

CIC X BO Our Voice is back with Doug Chiasson of the Fur Institute of Canada to talk about native perspectives of the far north and the Inuit people of Canada and how they are affected by issues around wildlife. In this episode, Robbie, joined by cohost, Bupe Banda, and Doug Chiasson. Talk about Doug’s experience working with Indigenous people in Canada and ensuring those he advocates for are represented in policymaking decisions. If you have any questions please feel free to email us at info@bloodorigins.com or DM us through our social media platforms.

Duncan Fraser, CEO and Founder of Venator (used to be Venator Cadrona Safaris, and repeat guest on the show) just opened a new operation in Oklahoma and Robbie went over to connect with Duncan. As the second member of our ‘Heritage Tier’ conservation club, and the two have an exploratory, open-ended, thought provoking podcast based on Robbie’s time in Oklahoma with Duncan, covering high fence, ethics and so much more.

Will Israel, the new (as of January 2024) Executive Director of the Montana Outfitters and Guides Association, reached out to discuss Executive Order 14026 and the implications for guides and outfitters, specifically on federal lands. Honestly, we had not heard anything about this EO, but as you dig deeper into it - you can begin to understand how politics work in arenas like this. It's almost the classic two steps forward, two steps back when it comes to differing administrations thoughts around different issues - this one specifically is tied to hourly wages and overtime of guides and outfitters (yes even trout fishing operations) on federal lands. As you can imagine there are lots of nuances, lots of questions, lots of "what if" scenarios - that all point to the possibility of incredible hardships on the industry writ large that a ALOT of people have no idea is actually happening. This is a key piece that all fisherman, wilderness excursions, guides, outfitters, hunting operators etc., are ALL on the same page about.

Robbie reached out to John Randolph with the Institute for Wildlife Studies in California and lead author of a study of the dispersal of juvenile mountain lions (his Master’s thesis) in California and Nevada to have a sciency conversation around this intriguing paper. There was a lot of talk around this paper with a lot of claims being made, as such, Robbie wanted to get the information from the papers authors and really get into the nitty gritty of the paper and the findings. John and Robbie discuss the paper, as its chief author, and lay out crisply what the conclusions are, since it has been picked up by “both sides” and weaponized. We would highly suggest listening to this podcast as it will arm you with critical information tied to the mountain lion proposition in Colorado.

Lady Hopps, (that is not her real name) is an influencer out of Colorado. Robbie got to know Hopps via a zoom call where he was introduced to her and she had some questions about the upcoming proposed ban of mountain lion hunting. Robbie answered them, but then invited her onto the podcast to an open Q&A about the proposed ban - really an OPEN Q&A from her audience to Robbie. Prior to the podcast Hopps posed a challenge to her community of followers to ask any questions they have for Robbie ahead of this critical ballot fight. With no prep or preview of the questions, Robbie answers real, raw and unfiltered, as ever.

Regional South Australia Parliamentarian (and former veterinarian) Nicola Centofanti joins Robbie to discuss her actively championing the fight against the proclamation to ban bowhunting by Susan Close in South Australia. When Robbie first reached out to Nicola the Bowhunting Ban Petition being run by the Australian Bowhunting Association was pinned at the top of her Instagram. Here was a politician in rural Australia pushing back against the ban. I (Robbie?) wanted to understand how this was transpiring and was there anything that could be done about it. Was it a done deal? Listen in to see what Nicola has to say.

Robbie dives into a question about the truth of how Mountain Lions are ACTUALLY doing in Colorado. As a question from a non-hunter, quasi-anti-hunter, meant to convince that hunting is affecting mountain lion populations in a negative way. Robbie dives into the intersection of mountain lions and their range, which butts up to the edge of highly populated (and increasingly-more-populated) regions of Colorado, and asks the tough questions about mountain lions that you need to hear.

Steve West, a 20-year veteran of the Sportsman Channel and Steve West Adventures, joins Robbie on the Blood Origins podcast to talk about his 23-year career in the outdoor space, what it’s like to be an influencer in our space, what the future of communication around hunting looks like, all while hunting elk near Steve’s home in Oregon. Robbie was first introduced to Steve when he reached out almost 5 years ago and wanted to give Robbie encouragement around what he was doing with Blood Origins. Fast forward to today, Robbie got to spend a week with Steve hunting, and really getting to know him. 

Robbie dives into a question that comes to us a lot, which is ‘Are African elephants endangered?’ for this Short Truths episode. The answer is both “yes” and “no”. According to CITES, elephants are indeed an Appendix 1 species, as well as being listed on the IUCN Red List and enjoying ESA protections domestically in the States. The important distinction to make, though, is that those protections refer to the species as a whole, not smaller sub-populations across the African continent, where some populations are sustainable, growing, and even large enough to cause conflict with humans and the elephants’ own environments.

Robbie is joined by Matt Land and Jacob Lishen, the co-founders of Land Limited, a cinematography production company out of North Carolina. Robbie and the Land Limited boys were in South Carolina filming an embedded Blood Origins episode, and decided to lay down a podcast to talk about the filming and success of Lionheart. They reminisce about the grueling film schedule, injuries on set, and more. If you haven't watched Lionheart go find it on Youtube or on Facebook or just google Lionheart Blood Origins film and you will find it.

Self described Red Deer lover and hunter, Clark McGhie of Australia joins Robbie on the podcast this week - after we’ve been trying to get him on the show for at least two full years, we have finally caught up with him and his nomadic wasy. This conversation, if you know anything about Clark, is centered around his controversial stances on deer hunting in Australia and the delicate situation that is deer “hunting” in Queensland, since it is technically illegal in the state of Queensland, it is all technically “pest control”. Robbie and Clark talk about opportunities for hunting in Queensland, what the future holds for hunting in Queensland. Most importantly this is an eye-opening conversation about how do we look to the horizon in Queensland to ensure 1) "hunting" stays around, and 2) more importantly that there is an opportunity to expand opportunities around it.

We are launching a BRAND NEW podcast - CIC X BO Our Voice. The International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) and Blood Origins have teamed up to bring you a series of "Voicess" from around the world which seeks to explore the native voices of indigenous peoples and how they are affected by issues around wildlife. In this inaugural episode, Robbie is joined by cohost, Bupe Banda, and the pair interviews Bilal Mustafa. Bilal just finished a post-graduate degree in International Wildlife Conservation at Oxford, and who is set to undertake a doctor in philosophy around the intricacies of trophy hunting in Pakistan, his home country. If you have any questions please feel free to email us at info@bloodorigins.com or DM us through our social media platforms.

John Radzwilla, CEO of Hook and Barrel Magazine, joins Robbie to talk about hunting, how it fits into his magazine, his life as an adult-onset hunter, his outdoor growth, and where he sees the print genre going. Hook and Barrel, while having a premium subscription model, is actually given away for FREE at several large outdoor retailers.

Dr. Samuel Shephard, a professor of environmental sciences at Ava Maria University in Florida joins Robbie to discuss a paper he wrote in Nature Sustainability, one of the top publications in the science space, titled “Recreational Killing Of Wild Animals Can Foster Environmental Stewardship”. Sounds absolutely crazy that by hunting, killing, and being a part of nature you are possibly a better environmental steward - something that we have been preaching for quite some time. Dr. Shephard goes into the ‘why’ behind his paper, and how he and his co-authors came to the conclusions they did.

Robbie and Ashlee are joined by Mark Hall, the Director of Blood Origins Canada, for this week’s roundup. After discussing this week’s recent controversy in Manitoba around hunting tag allocations, the crew breaks down the goings on around the country for conservation including a draught out west, an 11 year old’s big horn sheep hunt and what it means to draw a once-in-a-lifetime hunt that young, a deceptive opinion piece against Florida’s Yes On 2 campaign, and much more!