Today Natalie Eva Marie will tell you she is a hunter. She will also confidently and truthfully tell you that PETA made her a hunter. PETA even commented on one of the very first posts she put out about her incredible harvest. If you don’t know who Natalie is you may know her from connection with the WWE and Professional Wrestling Diva career. Natalie joins Robbie to talk about her conversion to hunting and what it was like to expose her 6.5 million followers online to hunters, when the vast majority of them do NOT hunt. Natalie is exactly the kind of person that hunting needs - someone who doesn’t look like your typical hunter, has a very clear idea of why she decided to become a hunter, and respects the pursuit and the wildlife involved in it. If you are on the fence about hunting or have a negative perception around hunting I would suggest listening to this podcast.

Ashlee is starting to get the hang of the new role as the co-host of the Blood Origins Round-up, she even made a cucumber infused Cathead Vodka drink that would have made Cody drool. Robbie and Ashlee talk about some cool Conservation Club members like Grayl and a new one Glacier Guides Inc., Robbie asks Ashlee if she would eat Zebra meat given South Africa's new biodiversity strategy, they highlight how cool the Iberian Lynx recovery is and how it’s tied to hunting. They also talk about "NamaSteve" and "consumptive vs. non-consumptive" yoga and finally what tourism looks like in the Masai Mara in Kenya and whether thats natural? Big podcast, lots of topics. 

Trevor Farnes is the CEO of MTN OPS. Robbie recently went by MTN OPS in Salt Lake City, Utah, and recorded this episode with Trevor on site. Robbie wanted to have a conversation with Trevor that was outside of the norms of a typical podcast Trevor does. This podcast wasn't really about Trevore, or his recent book, but rather, to dive in and to talk about the company’s reputation and influencers, MTN OPS new ‘conquering hunger’ initiatives, why he feels the company gets a bad rap, and the heart of a company tied to hunting and how that ethos permeates the entire organization.

Cam Speedy is a restoration ecologist living on the North Island of New Zealand. He has worked in some of the most incredible biodiversity management projects in New Zealand, including large scale Kiwi rehabilitation and restoration projects - and yes, happens to be one of Robbie’s favorite people to talk to! Cam joins the podcast once again to talk about deer management (Cam’s favorite subject), non-native species management, eradication vs management, and then a big surprise for Cam at the end of the episode thanks to our gracious donors to Blood Origins, the Sea Dragon DAF!

Ashlee and Robbie chop it up again on this week’s roundup. In addition to getting Ashlee’s tequila cocktail recipe of choice, and after discussing all the wonderful conservation club partners, they dig into the issues affecting hunting today. Ashlee shares her strong opinions about some recent Colorado wolf controversy, the upcoming ballot measure 91 election in Colorado, and more!

Scruff Vermaak is the son of a legendary professional hunter in South Africa, Coenraad "the Bullet" Vermaak. Coenraad Vermaak Safaris (CVS) is the oldest outfittering company in South Africa. It has been a member of Dallas Safari Club since the first convention, and has been exhibiting there for 45 years now. You could class the Vermaaks as professional hunting history in South Africa - one of 4 families that are intrinsically a part of the history and fabric of hunting: 1) The Knotts, 2) The Maartens, 3) The Vermaaks, and 4) The Kelly's. Scruff and Robbie have a conversation while they are both on site on the Tugela River in South Africa while filming Scruff's Blood Origins episode. Robbie and Scruff talk about the history of their family in the hunting industry, and covers the history fo being in the industry since 1970. This podcast episode is also a companion episode to the embedded Blood Origins video episode, that will be released soon! There is some great behind the scenes footage that is epic and you do not want to miss it. Big thanks to the Dallas Safari Club Foundation for funding an opportunity to tell this incredible story.

Ed Swales is an ex-soldier/security specialist and is a life-long blue collar hunting enthusiast from the Northern England countryside. The traditional hunting method of the rural country individual in the english countryside is running dogs to catch rabbits and hares for the pot. Ed Swales is no different. A lifelong dog hunter, Ed is focused right now on a film from his company, Hunting Kind, called Lurchers - a very specific breed of dog that could be part whippet, part greyhound, part terrier, dependent on what the individuals is looking for in a hunting dog. Like any type of dog hunting anywhere in the world, the Lurchers have been politiced essentially out of existence. There is a rich narrative of hunting and hunting tradition in the British countryside, and the lurchers are very much a part of the narrative of it all - one could almost argue that they are the rural foundation of hunting in the United Kingdom.

In this very special roundup, Robbie introduces Ashlee Smith, the new Director of Global Policy Outreach at Blood Origins. Robbie and Ashlee cover her background, her storied career in advocating for our wildlife resources and hunting lifestyle, how they know one another, what to expect from this exciting new position. They do a little diving into California’s new black bear management plan (comments are closed now), more happenings in Kenya, Victorian duck hunting in Australia, and more.

Robbie is joined by Roy Sloan of the Fiordland Wapiti Foundation and their knockdown, drag out battle with Forest and Bird and some exciting updates on that fight. Roy Sloan is the executive director of the Fiordland Wapiti Foundation and is in charge of argubly the crown jewel of sustainable wildlife management in the world, deer population management, is married with utilization of the resource, providing high quality hunting opportunities, maintaining public access with work on trails and huts. Its an organization that does it all in the name of wildlife conservation. Get all the up-to-speed updates on this critical battle and share with your friends to keep them in the know! P.S. There have been some big developments since this podcast was created, with Forest and Bird putting a 6 month adjournment to the judicial review and working with Fiordland Wapiti Foundation to look at how they can continue to do great work. Certainly a massive step in the right direction...

Robbie is joined by Karl Malcolm and Curt Meine, two experts in the life and history of Aldo Leopold. The conversation revolves around the 75th anniversary of Aldo Leopold's book, Sand County Almanac, and the importance of his ideas in the field of conservation biology. The guests discuss Leopold's influence on the conservation movement and his emphasis on the relationship between people and the land. They explore Leopold's views on hunting and the ethical use of natural resources. The conversation highlights the relevance of Leopold's ideas in today's society, particularly in the face of increasing urbanization and the need for ecological awareness. The guests encourage readers to pick up Sand County Almanac and appreciate its beautiful prose and thought-provoking insights.

Robbie is joined on location in France for the second week in a row by the Slots Media team for another of their rip-roaring post-shoot roundups! After Robbie, Jack and Steffan finish describing the bliss of warm croissants, the boys tackle a lioness scaling a fence, the concept of so-called ‘sophisticated vandalism’, their latest video shoot - filming volunteers saving fawns from agricultural machinery in the French countryside, saving pheasant eggs, and more from the French countryside!

Continuing our miniseries on the cross-border discussion of elephant hunting out of Tanzania and Kenya, 3rd generation Tanzanian, hunting professional and current chairman of the Tanzania Hunters and Operators Association, Robbie and Michel explore the the viewpoint of the Michel and TAHOA on the elephant debate. As we have noted in previous podcasts, as typical to issues, there are two sides to every discussion, and especially with something so controversial like elephant hunting those sides can be quite polarizing. If this is the first in the podcast series that you are listenting to we would encourage you to go a listen to the other 4 in the series that covers the professional hunter involved in some of the hunts, the community manager of the Enduimet WMA, Dr Kohi, talking about Tanzanian elephant and habitat conservation efforts, as well as Richard Bonham, the co-founder of Big Life Foundation from the Kenyan perspective. Learn more about TAHOA here: www.tahoa.org 

Continuing our miniseries on the elephant hunting in and around Enduimet out of Tanzania, Dr. Edward Kohi is the Director of Research and Training at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism in Tanzania. Having served since 2008 in the wildlife conservation space, working with elephants much of that time, he brings his wealth of experience in the field to an interesting discussion with Robbie about elephant movements, habitat protection and wildlife conservation protection in Tanzania as one of the foremost experts on the subject. This is the 4th podcast in the series that is hoping to bring light to a very complicated matter on the border between Tanzania and Kenya. There are several factors involved in thinking through all of this and specifically elephant movements and the idea of what elephants are utilizing the Enduimet system is critical to understanding it all. Be sure to go back in the series and listen to them all. If you have any questions please feel free to email us at info@bloodorigins.com or DM us through our social media platforms.

You’ve asked, we’re answering! Robbie is joined on location in France by the fan favorite Slots Media boy for another of their rip-roaring post-shoot roundups! Sorry team - today' episode is only with JACK, the fan favroite Lewis happens to be on a 75ft yahct in the Carribean photographing marlin fisherman. After a trip through France and Belgium with new member of the crew Steffan, a welshman with one of the toughest accents on the show. After a gentle ribbing of our new compatriot on his maiden voyage in podcasting, the boys cover what they’ve been up to with their travel and sneak preview some content that will be forthcoming from the Blood Origins team!

Continuing our miniseries on the Enduimet elephant debate, we reached out across the Border to Kenya, to Richard Bonham of the Big Life Foundation. It was important to have Richard on the podcast as he has been in the wildlife conservation landscape for decades in the Amboseli region. Richard joins Robbie on the Blood origins podcast to discuss the Amboseli system, Big Life's involved in wildlife conservation, their involvement in Enduimet, and other topics. Blood Origins prides itself in being able to have conversations with ALL parties when it comes to a debate and discussion aroubnd controversial topics. The sensitivity around the big tuskers between Tanzania and Kenya requires cooler heads to prevail, everyone to come around the table and lay all the cards down and a compromise created.

Continuing our miniseries on the Enduimet elephant controversy out of Tanzania, Robbie gets some time with Igno Laitayok, the Community Manager for the Enduimet Wildlife Management Area. Over the last 8 months two big tuskers have been hunted in Enduimet.

This is the first podcast in a mini-series of podcasts on the elephant controversy in Tanzania and Kenya. This is likely the most controversial blood origins podcast episode to date. Robbie is joined by Zidane Janbeck, from Kilombero North Safaris for a 2 1/2 hour conversation on the controversial topic of elephant hunting in Tanzania's Enduimet area. There is so much information swirling around the hunt, what happened, as well as rhetoric from both sides of the proverbial fence - that Robbie wanted to use a mini-series of podcasts to get information from the people involved. This conversation is with the professional hunter involved in both elephants taken in Enduimet.

Robbie Kroger is joined in this week’s roundup by Charles Whitwam of the Howl For Wildlife group that is doing the Yeoman’s work on wildlife issues all over the west. After catching up on this week’s game of ‘Where In The World Is Robbie Kroger, Robbie's upcoming trip to France and Belgium, the two discuss a laundry list of issues including an upcoming roe deer conservation project in Europe, the Colorado lion hunting issue, ongoing efforts of the Fjordland Wapiti Foundation and Forest & Bird in New Zealand to fight for deer. They touch on a concerning anti-human sentiment among anti-hunters, the controversy surrounding Blood Origins billboards promoting hunting in Australia (and plans for more!), recent legislative developments in Vermont and New York, as well as the challenges faced by hunting organizations in Oregon and Washington. Tune in to get the full scoop in this week’s roundup!

Jimmy Liautaud, aka Jimmy Johns of Jimmy Johns sandwich fame joins the Blood Origins podcast after 3 years of engagements and does a sit down, in-depth interview to get to know who exactly he is. What Robbie wanted to do in this interview is be able to allow folks to hear from a different side of Jimmy. Everyone knows the hunting side of Jimmy, the very confidence, almost laissez faire attitude of I don't care what people think, but based on what I had been hearing there is something else behind that front facing display. When you listen to this podcast what you will very quickly learn is that Jimmy has a heart of gold and does things in the wildlife / hunting conservation space that nobody knows about. I am thankful to Jimmy to opening his home and his heart to allow us to have this kind of conversation.

In this conversation, Robbie and new grandpapa Cody tackle an update on Cody from chickens, to dogs, to the evolution of Blood Origins. They talk about Cody's recent experiences from raising and protecting baby chickens to the joys of being a grandparent. The conversation then shifts to the evolution of Blood Origins and the importance of genuine and independent content in the hunting community - and Cody’s role in that over the last few years. They highlight the unique nature of Blood Origins' content and the support it has received from brands like Bergara and Eberlestock. Robbie and Cody discuss the importance of maintaining a personal touch in the organization and the need for nimbleness in order to adapt to changing circumstances. They also touch on the challenges and debates within the fishing and conservation communities, such as the Louisiana Redfish Creel limit and the issue of bag limits. The conversation ends with a discussion about upcoming screenings of Lion Heart and the appreciation they have for each other's contributions to the history and future of Blood Origins.

Khory Hancock, an environmental scientist who owns a company called Climate Revive on the Gold Coast of Australia, joins to talk to Robbie about regenerative agriculture, taking care of and restoring the land, and that all interacts with cattle grazing, and taking care of the land. Naturally Robbie was curious to hear Khory's outlook on hunting, its effect on grazers, and how hunting can synergistcally work together with these large carbon projects to create the outcomes that they are interested in as well as provide opportunities for hunters. 

Dr. Daniel MacNulty is an Associate Professor in the Department of Wildland Resources at Utah State University. Robbie really is interested in the wolf elk dynamics across the west, and really wanted to dig into what the science actually says - are wolves decimating elk herds? We have seen graphs from Idaho about changes in elk due to wolves, and so what better place to start this conversation than in Yellowstone, with the giy that spent more time studying this than most anyone else. Dan and Robbie examine the impact of wolves on the landscape, trophic cascades, the dynamics of predator prey interactions in Yellowstone, and more as a part of a deep-dive series of podcasts examining the truth about wolves in the west.

Robbie chops it up with Ben Cassidy, the Executive Vice President of Safari Club International, from the recent CIC General Assembly in Portugal. The two reminisce about Brazilian soccer and Robbie’s early childhood there, the recent epic call-out by Botswanan President Mokgweetsi Masisi challenging the UK and German governments to take delivery of elephants, a legal clarification by the German government on the legality of owning elephants (2,000 hectares and minimum 5 elephants, if you’re wondering), New Zealand’s Forest and Bird’ National Game Act judicial review and the hypocrisy behind their suit against Fjordland Wapiti Foundation, Catalina Island deer, and more!

Ron Thomson is a former 25-year Zimbabwe Parks Board veteran who was involved in wildlife management’s heyday in the 60’s through the 80’s. Ron was involved in elephant management - including so-called ‘precision removal’ of elephants, i.e., a population control mechanism called culling. Culling is an extremely controversial topic and has been eradicated from all elephant management today. It was removed from management because it was seen by as cruel and unethical. Culling was a tool to maintain elephants at a certain level (i.e., Kruger Park at 7,500 elephants). He and Robbie catch up about Ron’s storied career, what it was like ‘back in the day’, his thoughts on elephants today, and old school stories of Zim. This is the first in a series of podcasts around elephants in Africa. Its such a strongly emotive topic, but there is no greater conversation needed than the successful management of elephants.

Dylan Williams out of the UK makes his livelihood in the shooting sports arena. He is a stalwart in the english shooting and conservation space, and was gratefully brought to our attention by a very good friend of us both, Hannah Gibson, the GM of Spartan Precision. Raised a farmer, with a formal education in conservation, has a broad idea of game bird resource conservation, rural life and shooting sports, and more. This is a fascinating conversation between two individuals that passionately believe in the shooting sports and what it can do for people, for wildlife, and the communities that live with them. Be sure to subscribe to Apple podcasts so that you never miss out.