Blood Origins

Blood Origins is an non-profit organization bringing unique storytelling and conservation together to change not only how hunting is viewed, but also how we fund conservation programs around the world more efficiently and effectively.

Wilderness
Sports
1
Episode 537 - Bronson Strickland | Chronic Wast...
Bronson Strickland is arguably one of the leading extension deer biologists in the entire country. Robbie and Bronson used to be in the same Wildlife and Fisheries department at Mississippi State University, and so Bronson was invited onto the show by Robbie for this special second installment of our CWD Series to explore some of the major questions around the management of white-tailed deer with Chronic Wasting Disease. With this series we wanted to explore first the private land owners perspective (Doug Duren) on CWD, and then talk to an extension biologist and their landscape level purview of the issue and management implications around it. 
50 min
2
Roundup 145 || North Dakota CWD Woes, Connectic...
Ashlee and Robbie chop it up this week on everything from our CWD-focused series release, where listeners can get educated on the threat of Chronic Wasting Disease and proven conservation-focused strategies to mitigate it, to the upcoming Connecticut bear hunt and its part in the greater Northeastern bear wars, to a new bill around Oregon lion hunting with hounds, and more. Don’t forget to catch Ashlee at the NWTF convention this week!
44 min
3
Episode 536 - Doug Duren | Chronic Wasting Dise...
Doug Duren of Blood Origins fame (kidding, but he is a frequent guest of ours and we love him!) joins us for the landowner perspective in Wisconsin - one of the hot beds of the Chronic Wasting Disease crisis affecting our nation, where 80+% of counties are testing positive for CWD. Doug shares what he’s seen from his decades of hunting the same piece of land. The CWD discussion is a very hot topic right now, especially with what is happening all over the United States, from Georgia to North Dakota.
65 min
4
Episode 535 - The Custodians of Professional Hu...
Robbie is joined by Adri Kitzhoff-Botha, CEO of the Custodians of Professional Hunting South Africa and Craig Kelly-Maartens, the current chairman of the same association - recorded on-location in South Africa - to discuss the new rebrand of the Custodians and what it means for wildlife and conservation. Adri and Craig go into the ‘why’, the evolution of the association, answer the question of ‘who we are’ and Robbie is the FIRST to sit down with them and talk about the rebrand.
34 min
5
Roundup 144 || Can Kids Paint, CWD ‘Zombie Deer...
After the old folks catch up and compare notes on ‘back-in-my-day’ childhood home remodel assignments, Robbie and Ashlee discuss all the news fit to print around hunting in the country, including CWD and new bills affecting hunting (LOTS OF THESE), public reaction to Fish and Game changes down in New Mexico (particularly a proposed commission shakeup), the intersection of gun safety education and cultural impacts on gun violence, and more!
51 min
6
Our Voice: Kenya, With Daniel Kobei
In this edition of Our Voice, the collaborative podcast highlighting indigenous voices and perspectives on wildlife conservation with CIC, Robbie and Bupe interview Daniel Kobei, a community representative from Kenya, about wildlife conservation efforts in the nation and the perspective of the local indigenous communities. They discuss the ban on hunting in Kenya, the challenges of human-wildlife conflict that the ban presents to those who live there, and the unique contributions of indigenous communities to conservation. From the Mau Forest Complex and the coexistence of pastoralists with wildlife to the need for benefit sharing and community involvement in conservation efforts. The team dives deep on the international efforts of wildlife conservation and the importance of engaging local communities in Kenya and beyond.
29 min
7
Episode 534 - Andy Fraser || So You Want To Be ...
If you grew up in South Africa and loved wildlife you likely wanted to be a veterinarian. Robbie did, but quickly realized that to be a wildlife vet and not a typical cats and dogs vet, 1) there were very limited chances of you getting into vet school, and 2) an even smaller chance of you working in that field when you graduated. Dr. Fraser was one of those guys that succeeded on both of those levels. Andy Fraser is a wildlife vet out of Rooiberg, South Africa, - a little town about 2 hours north of Pretoria in South Africa. He has spent the last decade of his life dedicating himself to wildlife conservation through his veterinary work, working on everything from rhinos to wild dogs to cheetahs and beyond. Andy sits down with Robbie and dives deep into veterinary work, wildlife conservation, Andy’s incredible career at the very top of his field, the future of wildlife conservation, and a look at an ongoing project of ours that involves Andy - meaning you’ll be hearing from him a lot more!
61 min
8
Roundup 143 || Show Season Bugs, Wolves, A Weir...
Robbie and Ashlee are back after a busy three weeks of travel for the entire Blood Origins crew, home renovation madness, recent conventions and, of course, all the news that’s fit to print around wildlife conservation around the world. Ashlee and Robbie chop it up on everything from the ‘show season bugs’ from traveling around for meetings to the implications of changing weather patterns on duck populations, legal hunting issues within city limits, the proposed turkey stamp, updates on other wildlife bills around the country, and the always popular wolf debate in Montana and Idaho. They also touch on mountain lion hunting regulations in Wyoming, a potential sandhill crane hunt in Wisconsin, and more. And don’t forget to TEXT IN comments, questions and more at 601-790-0607.
43 min
9
Episode 533 - Richard Sowry || A Game Drive In ...
Richard Sowry, a 22 year veteran of Kruger National Park and current Pafuri section ranger in Kruger National Park, took Robbie on a game drive outside the Letaba Rest Camp in late November. Richard is an incredible conservationist, has fought the height of the Rhino poaching battle in Kruger National Park, loves argentinian doggos, and is just a pragmatic guy when it comes to wildlife conservation in today's era. Richard is a neutral in my book - he hunts, but isn't completely pro-hunting, he is also pro-ecotourim, and is a staunch pro-sustainable use guy. Robbie and Richard drove around for an hour, and recorded a podcast as they did it, during the height of sweltering summer in South Africa to talk all about African wildlife, Rich’s career, and more. You will have to forgive Richard and Robbie, as both during this podcast are like dogs when they see a squirrel, but this time, it's two passionate individuals spotting wildlife and game on their game drive together!
53 min
10
Roundup 142 || Sheep hunting, WA black bear con...
Ashlee is joined by Dana Dykema, her counterpart (head of policy) at Blood Origins Canada for this week’s Blood Origins around the world roundup! The ladies get revenge on Robbie for relentlessly teasing Ashlee, talk about Dana’s intro into hunting, discuss sheep hunting, black bear conservation and controversy in Washington state and Japan, spring turkey hunting, Colorado wolves, and more!
45 min
11
Episode 532 - Mike Schwartz || From Nat Geo to ...
Mike Schwartz is exactly the kind of podcast guest we’re famous for - a complete, unknown stranger to you, us, and everyone in our space. You see Mike came to us after sending an email. He said he had been a fan for some time, and shared that Blood Origins was the reason he changed his opinion around hunting but was now struggling to take the next step. So rather than write about it, Robbie invited him on to talk about it, and how those perceptions changed for the better after being educated about what hunting is, who hunters are, and what this lifestyle means to us - and Mike’s own journey from ardent anti-hunter to conservationist with interest in hunting himself. His last obstacle? He struggles to get over the sadness in killing an animal, which Robbie and he dive deep into in this unforgettable heartfelt episode.
51 min
12
Episode 531 - Nicole McKee || Mom to Cabinet Mi...
The Honorable Nicole McKee, member of New Zealand’s Parliament and cabinet member for NZ’s Prime Minister, and heads firearm policy in that role as the Associate Minister of Justice - and even though she was raised as a non-hunter has become a passionate gun owner herself and even supporter of SCI New Zealand. Robbie & the Minister sit down and talk about her views on firearms, the controversy around them in New Zealand, including the history of things in New Zealand, and the importance of the topic to sportsmen and women even halfway around the world!
57 min
13
Episode 530 - Brian Melvin || World Record Bear
There are big black bears and then there are World Record Black Bears. You may or may not have heard of Brian Melvin and his amazing black bear out of New Jersey - dressed out at 770 pounds, but Robbie gets the scoop from him in this episode of Blood Origins. You would be mistaken to think that this Black Bear would have had to come out of the great north, but in fact it came out of New Jersey, the state with the high density of black bears in North America, but also now can claim the largest bears too! With a little math, it works out to be the unofficial biggest black bear in the world, and Brian dives deep into the incredible journey this bear took him on, and the reward of finally connecting with him in a Jersey swamp in October. This is a fascinating episode as Brian describes how he hunts for big black bears like someone would hunt for a big mature whitetail - Robbie had never heard of people hunting particular bears like that and lends itself for an amazing conversation.
43 min
14
Roundup 141 || The Washington State Train Wreck...
It’s just Robbie flying solo today since Ashlee is out with pink eye (sorry Ashlee, Robbie did you dirty on this roundup!) and after showing off his hat collection and blasting the Washington State conservation disaster, he reflects on a great - but crazy - show season, shares some cool stuff he’s seen from exhibitors, and issues a special call to action for outdoor groups to work TOGETHER. Listen in and shoot a text to our call-in line at 601-790-0607 to wish Ashlee a speedy recovery.
27 min
15
Episode 529 - Tana Grenda || Women Who Hunt
Robbie and Tana have been in connection for a couple of years now. Tana and her family live up in Alaska, have a super unique household, fostered and adopted kids and just an incredible heart for hunting, living, and connecting with the land. Tana knew as she got more and more involved in the Alaskan wilderness and what that time spent there was doing for her - mentally, physically, spiritually, that she wanted to share that with other women. Tana shares with Robbie about her woman-only hunts in Alaska - and the broader landscape of woman hunt programs writ-large from organizations including Wild Sheep Foundation, SCI, Wahine Wapiti in New Zealand, She Hunt and others around the world. Woman hunters and woman hunt programs are becoming more and more common and dominant as woman are the fastest growing demographic of hunters in the world!
51 min
16
Episode 528 - Wahine Wapiti || The Power Of The...
Wahine (AKA “woman” or “girl” in Maori, the native language of New Zealand) Wapiti, is a brand new woman’s outdoors program that takes women out in one of the most formidable, grueling backcountries in the world, the Fiordland on the South Island of New Zealand. This podcast is not to be missed as it explains what these amazing women are getting out of the experience. From not knowing each other at all to celebrating the great outdoors together, reconnecting with nature and the landscape, is what it is all about. For the vast majority it leads to a life changing experience.
61 min
17
Roundup 140 || Show Season, Record Javelina’s, ...
After a few minutes of absolute technological genius by Ashlee and an update on the upcoming show season, Robbie and Ashlee take it to all the news around the world as it pertains to hunting, including record javelina’s, firearms laws in Canada, and more. 
45 min
18
Episode 527 - Douglas Cockroft || Is Taxidermy ...
Robbie connected with returning guest Doug Cockroft, of Splitting Image Taxidermy, while he was in South Africa to talk about the recurring issue of trophy importation bans around the world, the evolution of taxidermy, 3D printing, and the cyclical nature of these controversies being pushed forward, then pushed back, and around we go. Trophy hunting bans are an indirect measure to stop people hunting and it will greatly affect the taxidermy industry specifically that is often employing individuals without formal educations.
36 min
19
Our Voice Ep. 4 - Bupe Banda
CIC X BO Our Voice is back with a one-on-one discussion between Robbie and his cohost, Bupe Banda. Bupe is from Zambia and works hand in hand with local peoples and indigenous communities. Bupe and Robbie discuss living in Zambia, challenges facing conservation, and her work advocating for native peoples. In this short, sharp podcast, you’ll hear some golden truths about who the “Keys” are to conservation of wildlife around the world. Remember, if you have any questions please feel free to email us at info@bloodorigins.com or DM us through our social media platforms.
22 min
20
Episode 526 - Chef Jean Paul Bourgeois || What ...
Chef Jean Paul Bourgeois and the Duck Camp Dinners Crew joins Robbie and the Blood Origins podcast to talk about his Youtube/television series, which is a deep dive into Louisiana duck hunting, food and eating culture called Duck Camp Dinners. This entire episode made me salivate with talking about the cool things that they cook. Then, after the podcast watching all of the episodes of them cooking Louisiana style in the bayou, and the things they prepared - oh lawd. A very appropriate podcast with the middle of the duck season on the Mississippi Flyway. 
63 min
21
Episode 525 - Drew And Tyler || Louisiana White...
Robbie was sitting down about to have a banquet at the Hunters Ball in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe when he received a text message. Now that is a feat unto itself, since Zimbabwe does not have a cell carrier that is compatible with Verizon, but somehow Robbie had connected to WiFi and got this text message. All it said was - "Louisiana State Record Whitetail has been broken." The pictures on his phone halfway around the world made his mouth drop. As Tyler Jordan says in this podcast, "probably the biggest typical whitetail that is likely going to be seen." Well, of course we had to podcast about it. It's not often that you get to record right after a history-making buck hits the ground, but that's exactly what we did. Robbie catches up with Drew and Tyler out of the Bayou State about their incredible achievement harvesting the new state record whitetail of Louisiana, a record that has stood since 1939. Hear their incredible story, the heart of the hunt behind it, and the incredible conservation work that goes into producing state record animals for us to enjoy.
59 min
22
Episode 524 - Jared And Ashley || From Non-Hunt...
It has been a long time since Robbie talked to someone who decided to change their lifestyle and move from the non-hunter ranks to the hunter ranks. Its one of our favorite podcast styles to really get to grips with someone who has made this decision. Why did they make that decision? Why did they decide to span the chasm of someone who just consumes meat to someone who is the executioner in the activity? Robbie interviews Jared Brown and Ashley Carillo about Ashley’s journey from non hunter to hunter. Ashley (a vet tech by trade who grew up in a non-hunting household) discovered hunting through her relationship with Jared, a keen hunter, and how her first hunt just happened to be a draw for a once-in-a-lifetime Oryx tag on the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Share this episode with those in your community that are non-hunters - as they can relate to Ashley and understand from her why she decided to become a hunter.
61 min
23
Roundup 139 || Whitetail Records, Wolves, Eleph...
Robbie and Ashlee chop it up after a hectic Holiday Season, wrap up Robbie’s recent South Africa trip, talk about new deer records this season in the Deep South, a Colorado wolf update, elephant euthanization, and more! By the way, we LOVE Cody, what are you guys talking about?! Text us on the new text line at 601-790-0607!
50 min
24
Episode 523 - Hunters 4 Hope || New Zealand
There are hunters giving back to communities all over the world. In discussions with our Conservation Club member, Monarch Hunting out of the South Island of New Zealand, we learned about an incredible duo of individuals that have taken it upon themselves to give back. This program has been called Hunters 4 Hope. Hunters 4 Hope, what is essentially a Hunters For The Hungry program out of Christ Church, New Zealand, joins the Blood Origins podcast to talk about New Zealand’s abundant deer resource and how that can contribute to food security in the nation by distributing organic venison into food banks and, by extension, people’s homes when they need it the most. It’s these kinds of conversations that inspire us to tell these stories and see what we can do to help raise funds for programs like this. Listen to this podcast and if you are interested and feel stirred to give please reach out to Blood Origins to see how you can help this incredible program in New Zealand.
46 min
25
Episode 522 - Jeb Linscombe || the Greatest Con...
Jeb Linscombe, is the alligator program lead for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Jeb and Robbie have been talking for some time about the incredible success story that is Louisiana Alligators. Recently, Robbie and Jeb connected in person in Louisiana on a secret filming project (with an A List Celebrity no less!) tied to the sustainable use of alligator leather. The two discuss one of the top conservation success stories across the world, the recovery of the American alligator, and about sustainable use of alligator leather. There is such a strong connection with conservation and utilization of wildlife - this story is the poster child for it!
41 min