Robbie connects with Corina Jordan, the new CEO of the Game Animal Council of New Zealand—a statutory authority that provides advice to the Minister of Hunting and Fishing in New Zealand (currently the Honorable James Meager, who was a recent guest on the show as well)—to talk about herds of special interest and other exciting developments in New Zealand hunting. New Zealand is an incredible hunting landscape, facing many of the same issues as other hunting communities, but also holding unique opportunities to truly cement a hunting legacy—from the Sika to the Wapiti herd—and to establish the critical management plans needed for the future.

Your favorite short truths series are back. The short truths are a short pieces of information that you can listen to, digest, and talk about. Today’s Short Truths question is, “What animals have quotas in South Africa?” And the answer is not what you’ve been told. Most animals belong to the owner of the land based on law and certificates of adequate enclosure. However, other animals have different rules. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE, as it is called colloquially) hasn’t actually issued a quota for black rhino, elephant or leopard in South Africa since 2021. What happened in 2021? DFFE was taken to court by Humane Society International - and two full years later, the case was thrown out by a judge. Find out from Robbie all about the quota process and the goings-on there in this Short Truths episode.

Ashlee and Fred work through some spotty recording issues to tackle the news this week, including how the current Government Shutdown affects our wildlife and public lands, all things Fall Turkey Season, the clash between agency vs legislative wildlife management, the MS River Basin Fishery Commission Act going for hearing, and a bunch of bills hopefully coming down the pipeline as new legislative sessions gear up.

Ashlee is joined by Civil Rights activist and founder of the Black Lives Matter New York City chapter to discuss the 2nd Amendment, living in the Bronx & outside perceptions on hunting as well as his upcoming first hunt in MS, an alleged racially charged incident that recently occurred to him and his group as they were teaching gun safety to a group of beginners at a PA state-owned gun range & how to handle similar situations that may occur. 

Mark Hall, Director of Wild Origins Canada, joins The Origins Foundation podcast to talk about his upcoming Project Grizzly Balance. After many years of a ban on grizzly hunting in the Province of BC, Mark’s own back yard, Mark is getting in touch with First Nations people and understanding the impact of the ban and understanding the idea of balance that can’t be achieved with an outright ban.

Sean Kilkenny, advocacy lead for the Australian Deer Association, joins the podcast to talk about the huge hunter-opportunity wins they are fighting for right now—opening up two massive national parks for hunter access. Australia is not known for racking up wins when it comes to hunting and is, honestly, a country where hunters are even more “on the back foot” than in the U.S. or even Europe. This is a big deal. Listen in to learn how these brave activists achieved it—and how you might replicate their success where you are.

On the Origins Roundup this week, Robbie and Ashlee dive into all sorts of news updates.

Richard York, CEO of Wildlife Ranching South Africa (WRSA), joins Robbie to talk about WRSA’s proposal to delist the bontebok—an endemic species to South Africa—at CITES. Following a non-detrimental finding submitted to the South African government, the government took up the mantle to remove the bontebok from Appendix II and manage the population through hunting. This proposal is a critical one, as it will be the first voted on at CITES (votes occur alphabetically) and has no reason not to be approved—except if politics and anti-use organizations play their respective games.

Pieter Swart, the President of the South Africa Taxidermy and Tanners Association, joins Robbie this week to discuss a recent proposal by the organization to delist giraffes from Appendix II protections. This proposal and its science were put forward to the DFFE (Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment) in South Africa, and the governmental agency has agreed and has moved the proposal forward to be reviewed, discussed, and voted on at the CITES COP in November in Uzbekistan. There is no reason this proposal shouldn’t be adopted and approved by CITES. The science is there, CITES requirements have been met, and the proposal is going forward. At CITES, the requirement to pass is a two-thirds majority vote—which is the political gamesmanship of South Africa up against a global political machine to fight for the science.

Robbie is joined on location by one of his best friends and the man who introduced him to hunting as an adult, Landon Lee. Landon has never been to South Africa before, and Robbie wanted to be with him as he experienced Africa for the first time. Sitting next to a river in the Northern Cape over lunch, Robbie, Landon, and the Trophy Destinations crew (Carl and Oliver) bring you into their camp and give you a sense of what the week has been like so far hunting in South Africa. If you have ever been curious to hunt South Africa - please don't hesitate to reach out to us - ⁠⁠info@theoriginsfoundation.org⁠⁠ and we can send you information and/or connect you with people that can help.

Whiskey distiller and deer farmer Charles Cagnat from southeastern France joins Robbie to talk about French whiskey and deer—a perfect combination in his eyes. His operation, Domaine de la Pèze, specializes in deer meat (and a little bit of whiskey). Charles dives into how to market it, sell it, prepare it, and much more. Learn about the use of fallow deer in the French landscape, from their introduction by the Romans to the present day, by tuning in right here!

In an especially raucous Weekly Roundup, Robbie and Ashlee discuss their past week in South Africa and Montana, opening hunting season in a number of states, the rescission of the USDA public lands Roadless Rule, VT black bears, Asian Carp, CT deer, record-breaking Atlantic halibut and alligator harvests this week…. and Robbie’s small dog.

Returning guest—archaeologist, anthropologist, and historian (basically a knower of all things)—Paul Hubbard joins Robbie to discuss the history of the ivory trade. This is an incredibly important podcast, as it’s the first we know of that truly seeks to tease apart the amount of ivory exported from African shores throughout recent history. They delve into painstaking historical detail about the trade over the years to examine the question often posed by anti-hunters: whether hunters stand to kill off all the “big tuskers” in Africa. So listen in and get the historical evidence to the contrary—some of the figures in this podcast will change your perspective on ivory and, hopefully, get you thinking about what could be driving the occurrence of big ivory in Africa.

Rick Bichel, President of the Sydney branch of the Australian Deer Association, sits down with Robbie this week to dive deep into the ethics of hunting, specifically in the unique Australian context. From social media pressures, the feral species question and its effect on ethics, and much more. 

Robert Mahaffey, the chair of the fairly new South Dakota Antelope Foundation, joins the podcast to talk about his passion for antelope, the origins of the organization, and the heart of a conservationist.

Chuck Dye and Joe Bailey of Wildlife Ranch Solutions in the Texas Hill Country join Robbie to talk about the world of ranching exotics in the United States. Robbie dives into exactly “what is” Wildlife Ranch Solutions - the people who do the work, how the education component works with landowners, and whether native whitetail can exist alongside certain introduced species.

Ashlee is joined by special guest and host of Meateater’s Backwoods University podcast for this week’s Roundup. They discuss the hit show Hunting Wives, a recent social media prank pulled on the MS Wildlife Agency, the upcoming wolf season in MT plus an article by the Guardian claiming hunting wolves do not help with livestock depredation, a new study showing devastating impacts on sportfishing by the menhaden/pogie industry, and more!

Country music star Drake White nearly lost everything after a life-threatening stroke—but hunting brought him back. His story proves how time outdoors, the pursuit of wild game, and the primal act of providing can heal body, mind, and spirit. From growing up hunting Alabama whitetails and wood ducks to touring the world as a country musician, Drake’s life changed overnight when a rare brain condition left him partially paralyzed. In this inspiring episode, he shares how a giant Tennessee buck, long days in the deer stand, and the camaraderie of duck camps gave him purpose and restored his strength.

New Zealand Parliamentarian, the Honorable James Meager, has a very specific designation—the first of its kind, in fact—in the world: Hunting and Fishing Minister of New Zealand. James joins to talk about the “HOSI” (Herd of Special Interest) process happening right now in New Zealand, which stands to greatly benefit many of the conservation organizations you’ve heard of and followed here at The Origins Foundation. Find out from James what it is, how it happens, and learn about the bright future of hunting in New Zealand. This is an incredible podcast, timed specifically to coincide with the Environment Select Committee taking comments on the two HOSI applications.

Pierre Barau is a dog handler from Réunion (a former French colony), an island off the coast of Southern Africa. He currently serves as a dog handler for anti-poaching efforts in the Mkuze Falls area of Zululand, South Africa. Robbie met Pierre while filming the first installment of a rhino docuseries in South Africa. Pierre and Robbie sit down to talk about the stark realities of rhino poaching, what Pierre and his team are up against, and much more!

Peet Van Der Merwe, a professor in the School of Tourism Management at the University of the Northwest, joins Robbie to nerd out on the science behind a paper on hunting tourism in a post-COVID world. Professor Peet is a returning guest, having discussed in earlier episodes the direct contributions of hunting in South Africa and much more. This is the kind of episode you need to listen to if you want to bury information in your brain about the benefits of hunting.

Join Robbie and Ashlee for this week’s Roundup as they discuss the tragic hunting accident in South Africa, the connotations around the phrase “trophy hunting,” a proposed bill to allow guided crocodile hunting in Australia, and the continued debate over baiting bears! 

Mike Arnold, a conservation geneticist, professor, and lifelong hunter from Texas, was blown away by the conservation ethic and benefits he witnessed during a hunting trip with Mark Haldane in Mozambique. He was so impressed, in fact, that he wrote a book about Mark’s efforts, Bringing Back the Lions. Robbie and Mike dive into why he wrote the book, what we can learn from these herculean efforts, and much more.

On this week’s Roundup, Robbie and Ashlee discuss the IL “Rewilding” bill that was just signed into law, the controversy surrounding the take of “Blondie” the lion, a new bill proposing a national ban on baiting bears, increased Bear tags in LA and more!

Marco Pani, Director of International Programs for Conservation Force, joins Robbie to discuss their behind-the-scenes conservation work on wide-ranging issues, such as the import-export of trophies, state-level game management and CITES. More specifically, the two dive deep in to their work with elephants in Zimbabwe and more - all from the floor of the inaugural Dallas Safari Club Summer Expo. Conservation Force is a little known organization that has done a yeoman's effort supporting government agencies all across the world in conservation, management of willdife, and policies and regulations of trade of wildlife.