Merry Christmas to you and yours!
This one takes me back to my days as a disc jockey. However, I don’t have a program director barking in my ears these days about what I can and can’t play. So this one is from me to you guys.
I hope this eclectic mix of Christmas music brightens your day during this most wonderful time of year. You’ll hear everything from Sinatra to Willie, Dolly, Elvis, to Run DMC, Blink 182 the Dropkick Murphys and everything in between. So, turn it on and crank it up this holiday season.
Cheers!

Cinnamon Creek Ranch’s origins go back over 40 years, hell you’ve probably heard their commercial on this show for at least 15 of those. Our good friend and owner Joe Mussachio joins the show this week. I dropped a buck off for processing and Joe and I sat down in his office to discuss a myriad of hunting and wild game related topics. Highlights from the conversation include:

* How did Joe and his lovely wife Nola moved from New York to Texas and started Cinnamon Creek Ranch (Syracuse Meats originally)
* How the acorns tell Joe whether it’s going to be a slow vs extremely busy fall
* Mule deer thieves
* Statistical data proves we are losing more and more youth hunters, but why?
* Club sports and online instant gratification
* Where did all the meat hunters go?
* It’s a rich man’s game
* The California problem
* What are their most popular items on the processing side of things?
* Owning an archery pro shop in 2025
* How to keep a good bow technician happy during hunting season
* The metallic tasting exotic
* What’s the deal with tamales?

(Joe with a nice buck he killed in Oklahoma this season)

Our old friend Brian Lynn of Sportsmen’s Alliance makes his return in this episode. We discuss a myriad of pertinent topics before hitting on the 2025 Mega Raffle! Over $400,000 in prizes and counting. Highlights from the conversation include:

* Brian punches his mule deer tag
* A first for his son
* What are you doing still living in Washington?
* Hawaii’s assault on the 2nd Amendment and Sportsmen’s Alliance legal response
* Biden Era puppy ban affects hunting dog blood lines
* Florida black bear hunt
* Why should you join Sportsmen’s Alliance
* How to enter the Mega Raffle and some of the awesome hunts being raffled off!

Lifelong big game hunter, tv show host and writer Chris Dorsey of Sporting Classics makes his return to the show this week. We discuss his recent feature in Forbes titled “Unmasking the Polar Bear Climate Change Narrative“. Chris recently returned from a polar bear hunt in Nunavut, Canada. In addition to this hunt finishing out his Super Slam (taking all 29 North American big game animals), Chris traveled to Arviat, Nunavut to uncover the truth about polar bear populations amid a changing climate. Highlights from our conversation include:

* A historical look at polar bear population numbers (pretty damning evidence to support the fact that trophy import bans don’t work)
* How have polar bears adapted their behavior and hunting techniques to mirror a changing climate?
* First-hand observations from his guide Ryan St. John who has lived among and hunted these bears for over 40 years
* U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service got it wrong under Bush in 2008 and still continue to get it wrong in 2025
* How did polar bear become the face of the climate change narrative (thank a couple disingenuous Nat Geo photographers)
* Are polar bear really hunting beluga whales?
*  What was the hunt actually like?
* What caliber and bullet did Chris choose?
* How big was his bear?
* Blueberry boar
* Increasing polar bear populations despite a warmer climate
* IUCN data backs it up
* New York Times article from 1984 proves the farce
* Looking back at a stone sheep hunt from 30 years ago
* “They poop gold”
* Hunting red stag around the globe

How did we get here Colorado? A state steeped in ranching, hunting and Western culture is barely recognizable these days. It stems from the top, with Governor Polis trying like hell to push his husband’s (yes you read that correctly) animal rights activism agenda through before he leaves office in 2026. Our old friend Dan Gates of Coloradoans For Repsonsible Wildlife Management makes his return this week to discuss the rash of bad policies currently being pushed by these leftist political hacks.
Dan and CRWM were instrumental (working day and night) to ensure Prop 127 (the Colorado Mountain Lion Ban) was defeated at the polls in 2024. But the anti’s, backed by Polis and his husband Marlon Reus keep coming up with new ways to try and get what they ultimately want, a total ban on trapping and all predator hunting. We discuss where we are currently at as far as thwarting those advances. Other highlights from the conversation include:

* Northern Lights
* Dan’s Saskatchewan whitetail hunt
* Another B.C. transplanted wolf bites the dust
* Where will Colorado get more wolves? Who is ponying them up?
* Livestock killers…who could have predicted?
* Polis aims to replace Colorado Parks and Wildlife with an anti-hunting governing body through Initiative 98
* Trapping with live traps?
* Potential legislation to ban hound hunting
* Citizens petition to ban sale of fur bearing animals and all parts and pieces
* The beaver issue
* CRWM raffle
* New CRWM chapters pop up in other Western states

What does the fall waterfowl flight look like based off the 2025 USFWS Waterfowl Survey? Ducks Unlimited’s David Schuessler makes his return to show this week. We take a look at recent trends in various duck species populations, some new regulatory changes, where to find a ruddy duck, the Prairie Pothole Region’s current status and what that means for the upcoming nesting season, family heirloom shotguns, and much more before touching on “Into the Vault“.
Into the Vault, of course, is Duck’s Unlimited’s annual online fundraising auction. All the items donated by folks who wanted to help support DU’s conservation initiative. The interesting thing, however, is where all these unique collectible items come from (thank God, the Boomer Generation were hard core collectors) but as they age out and die off, what happens to all their stuff? Turns out alot of their children simply don’t want their collections of firearms, wooden decoys, wildlife art, and memorabilia etc. That’s where Into the Vault comes into play and is responsible for finding all these cool items a 2nd home with someone who appreciates them.
(Your chance to bid on collectibles like previous DU Guns of the Year among other things)

Next, we check in with wildlife artist Bria Overstreet of Santa Fe, Texas. We talk about the importance of family time in the outdoors, before getting into her art. Bria originally sent me message on Instagram of a wild boar and a hog dog squaring off and I was immediately interested in her work. We since decided to give away that painting as well as one of a South Texas nilgai. That’s right, two Bria Overstreet original paintings that we are just giving away to two listeners. (For info on how to enter to win please check out my Instagram page). You can follow Bria on Instagram at @B.ost_gallery.

If you listen to this show regularly, or manage to have half a brain, then you understand that wildlife only thrives when there is a monetary value attached to it’s head. Call that blunt statement “harsh” or “calloused” if you like, it doesn’t change the inherent truth about wildlife and conservation. However, for far too long the hunting community sat idly by and let the anti-hunting community attack us at will. The Cecil the Lion fiasco and their use of social media to launch a coordinated, all-out assault on our way of life was something none of us had experienced to that degree.
Today’s guest actually hails from South Africa. Jono McHugh has a background as a professional hunter. He recently moved his family to Texas and runs a ranch outside of San Angelo. Jono has seen the sustainable use conservation model work first-hand back home, as well as in Texas. During this discussion we dive into the social media group he helped found in Xpose Wildlife Conservation. This humor-based cartoons use the latest AI technology to create funny and thoughtful images designed to make the viewer stop and reflect on the blatant hypocrisy of the anti-hunting movement.
Highlights Include:

* One of Jono’s hunters passes on a sable because he suddenly had to crap
* What caliber a hunter shows up with and what it says to the PH
* I’m gonna need your sock
* Moving the family from South Africa to Texas
* A citrus farm and what it meant for wildlife
* The truth about baboons
* For the love of bushbok
* From African plains game to Texas whitetails and the culture of each
* Why funny cartoons might be more effective than peer reviewed research papers in 2025
* Blue Haired Bob
* Xpose Wildlife Conservation
* Jono’s podcast

On this episode of Campfire Conversations, I am joined by author, painter & lifelong hunter Doug Giles. Doug’s unapologetic stance on hunting is one that is rooted in scripture. Doug talks about his journey in finding his faith and how it led him to analyze the Bible and whether or not hunting is indeed a Biblical pursuit. What he found in the Good Book ultimately resulted in him penning The Bible & Hunting. In addition to discussing scriptures that validate our pursuit of wild game, we also talk about Doug’s background as a meat hunter to today, where he travels internationally in pursuit of the next great hunting adventure.
Highlights from the discussion include:

* Wondering in the wilderness, high on drugs and how Doug overcame that addiction
* Origins – growing up as a meat hunter
* What did a hunting lease cost 30-40 years ago?
* International hunting trips
* Living in the wokest of times
* Who killed the first animal in the Bible and why?
* What was Noah’s Ark really all about?
* Was Jesus some vegetarian hippie?
* Does a single verse in the Bible ever condemn hunting?
* Man’s Righteous Right to Hunt
* Doug’s favorite thing to hunt
* A passion for an obsolete caliber
* Doug’s work as an artist and the content he focuses on in his paintings

Land… the one thing we all want but that they aren’t making any more of.
Our old friend Chad Foster of Foster Farm and Ranch makes his return to the show this week. A lifelong hunter, Chad has been in the ranch real estate industry for over two decades now. We discuss some of our latest hunting adventures we’ve had with our sons. Chad also talks about his love for all types of bird hunting and admits that he just “isn’t that hard” when it comes to real backcountry style hunting.  I respect that as we all have to know our limitations lol!
We then discuss the ranch real estate marketplace. Some of the interesting highlights centering on land acquisition include:

* How has the marketplace changed in Chad’s career?
* Has the demographic of first-time ranch buyers gotten older or younger?
* The reality of large family legacy ranches being broken up and how that positively impacts business, but wildlife sometimes loses out.
* What size property are potential buyers most frequently looking at?
* How has the current economy and interest rates affected the market and are their loopholes to get a better rate?
* What are some of the craziest things Chad has come across while showing a property?
* What physical features makes a property harder/easier to sell?
* Is anyone buying land for the sole purpose of running cattle these days?

Mason Payer has been at Nosler for nearly 15 years. The Marketing Brand Director and passionate hunter works closely with product development and field testing. Highlights from the conversation include:

* Mason’s perspective on how Bend, Oregon has changed in his lifetime
* An unlikely place for an ammunition factory
* Blacktails and mulies with his sons
* Roosevelt vs Rocky Mountain elk and their hybrids
* Why is hunting Roosevelts so tough?
* A comparison from moose hunting in Canada from 1946 to 2025
* Accubond performance for Henry in Africa
* Additions to the Whitetail Country line and why it was initially developed
* Reactions to liver shots
* Solid bullet components and fun with hand cannons
* The 45-70 revival
* Upcoming hunts
* And much more!

I recently stumbled across a video of a dude driving an old beater of a Nissan Sentra. What really catches your eye though (in addition to the huge smile plastered on Ian Miner’s face) is the massive Wyoming elk rack strapped to the hood of the old sedan. The video has since gone viral, and as someone who used to stack up limits of ducks on the hood of an old Saturn sedan in college, I knew this would make for an interesting conversation.
I didn’t know at the time, however, that Ian is a former Marine Scout Sniper and works as a long-range shooting instructor. His expertise in the shooting arts only affirmed that I did indeed need to have this guy on the show. So sit back, grab a cup of coffee or a cold one and enjoy a candid conversation with one hell of a good dude who just happened to strap a 350 class 8×7 to the hood of the sedan his dad bough new off the lot over 20 years ago.
Highlights Include:

* Where did Ian’s truck go?
* Time working at Gun Works
* Moving to instructor position at The Cadre
* Military issued sniper equipment
* Favorite calibers for long range shooting vs long range hunting
* Longest shot on an animal?
* The joys of antelope hunting
* Why are you in a library, Ian?
* Drawing a coveted Wyoming elk tag
* What caliber did he take?
* Dogs and bears
* Big bulls among the big grizzlies
* How did the hunt play out?
* Hanging the meat and crossing your fingers
* Coming back the next day to realize your worst fear was true – thieving grizzlies
* 10mm’s drawn
* At least we got the backstraps
* To euro or shoulder mount the bull?
* Strapping the rack to the hood
* Ian’s side hustle for the blue-collar shooter

I made my inaugural trip to hunt moose with Arluk Outfitters back in 2018. Fast forward to 2025 and I found myself back in Newfoundland for round two. Ironically, it was Erin, that about a year ago asked, “when are you going to shoot another moose, it’s my favorite venison you’ve ever brought home.” Honey, say no more, I’m going back! This time, I was glad to have a longtime friend and hunting buddy in Jason Cao make the trip with me.
(Jason with the spoils from his bull)

On this episode Jason and I sat down with our guides John Whight and Brandon Beaver, as well as our camp cook George Morgan for a roundtable discussion on our experience at Arluk’s  Caribou Lake Camp. The camp is so remote that everything comes in and out by helicopter. Highlights from the episode include:

* Newfoundland hospitality and culture (reminds me alot of Texas)
* When did moose show up on the island (they were introduced as a viable protein source)
* What happened to their once great woodland caribou herd?
* Bald eagles impact
* How did each of our moose hunt’s play out?
* A boatful of hunters and moose meat
* What bullet/rifle combo we each chose
* Newfoundland moose dishes
* Wobbly Pops and jarred moose
* What are the winters like?
* Electronic calls
* Nova Scotia waterfowl and whitetails (Brandon’s home province)
* Commercial halibut fishing
* Salmon on the fly rod
* One more moose for George
* Cigarettes and soda pop
* And much more!

(George seeing us off from Caribou Lake Lodge from the helicopter as Jason and I departed in the chopper)

The rapidly growing American Conservation Coalition is making waves in the hunting/conservation space. I admit that wasn’t aware of the organization until recently. So, I am excited to have ACC president Chris Barnard join the show this week. With over 80,000 members nationwide, the ACC is a driven group of young conservative hunters who further the message that red leaning hunters are just as passionate and dedicated to the North American Conservation Model as their left leaning counterparts.
For far too long Republican hunters have been labeled as a group that simply looks the other way on public land, but as we’ve seen with conservative pushback on Utah Senator Mike Lee’s continued assault on public lands, nothing could be further from the truth. Highlights from today’s conversation include:

* Who is the American Conservation Coalition and what is their mission?
* Growing up in a non-hunting European country and how Europe’s generally negative attitude towards hunting gave Chris an interesting perspective on that flawed mindset
* A staff made up of young hunters
* Where energy and public land collide
* ACC’s influence in D.C.
* Why have conservatives been cast as anti-public land?
* Changing the narrative among young hunters
* Patriot Parks Act
* How will the AI age impact hunting and conservation?
* Polar bears and trout as climate change mascots
* Green decoys
* Roadless Rule
* How to get involved

My old friend and passionate dangerous game hunter Brandon Maddox makes his return to the show this week. The Banish Suppressors Founder and CEO explains what the upcoming dissolution of the $200 Tax Stamp means for the consumer. We also get into some exciting new products in the Banish line, including an RMEF (Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation) special edition Backcountry suppressor and a brand-new suppressor designed for shotgun attachment.
Of course, we also discuss our recent hunting schedules which include Ontario wolves, African leopard and possibly a polar bear hunt (for Brandon) in the near future. Much to discuss!

My longtime friend Paul Anderson of El Dorado Outfitters has been in the outfitting business for over 20 years. However, it was his passion for wing shooting that lead him to open a wingshooting paradise in Tamaulipas, Mexico. A true bird hunting paradise, El Dorado offers volume dove and duck hunts as well as the best wild quail hunting in the world. Highlights from the conversation include:

* How quail hunting has changed stateside just in our lifetimes
* What does a typical volume dove hunt look like in Tamaulipas?
* Why are there so many dove in the region?
* How does volume dove hunting factor into conservation?
* Shotguns and shot shells – 12 vs 20 gauge loads
* Impact on local economy
* Doing his part for jaguars
* Bird boys
* How many coveys can you expect to be pointed on an average hunt?
* What kind of pointers do they use?
* 5 star food and lodging

Click Here for booking info: El Dorado Outfitters

Mike Arnold has traveled the world pursuing his passion for hunting and adventure. The University of Georgia Genetics Department Head recently released his 2nd book – Bringing Back the Wild: Stories from Revitalized Ecosystems Around the World and How Sport Hunting Supports Them. We discuss the book and the importance of sustainable use trophy hunting in detail based on Mike and I’s firsthand experiences. Other interesting topics from the conversation include:

* Hunting rock hyrax in Africa
* Pursuing brocket deer and birds in the Yucatan Jungle
* Why would anyone hunt a vaal reedbuck on their first safari?
* The two types of poachers
* The 3 reasons we pursue international hunts
* Leopard hunting in Mozambique
* Why did Mike choose “sport” over “trophy” in the book title?
* What is it like working as PHD Department Head in the woke university system?
* Big 5 conservation through hunting
* Hillsdale College
* What happens to the landscape in 3rd world countries when sport hunting is disincentivized?

Henderson County residents have fished and hunted the Cut Off oxbow lake for over a century. The water body was listed as navigable back in the 1930s and therefore public access is a fundamental right for anyone wishing to utilize the lake. Sadly, a wealthy landowner came in and has tried to shut off public access entirely but putting up a fence on TxDot property he doesn’t have the right to build on.
Lifelong Henderson County resident Dustin Baker makes his return to the show to discuss the latest update in the community’s fight against this landowner and the future of the Cutoff. Unfortunately, political corruption runs deep in this case, and the court system recently handed the landowner a major victory in his fight to lock up the 700 acre lake all to himself.
(A couple Henderson County youngsters with a nice haul of crappie and catfish taken the weekend before the judge’s ruling)
 

Our old friend and passionate bass fisherman Cody Roberson (founder of Army Bass Anglers) of Purple Heart Homes makes his return to the show this week.  We discuss a myriad of topics including:

* How has technology impacted professional bass fishing from a consumer (fan) standpoint?
* Has the fractured relationship between the Elite Series and MLF slowly healing over time?
* Most little fishes wins, or show me the heaviest 5 fish stringer?
* Purple Heart Homes in action
* Best bass lake in Texas?
* Personal Best tales
* Upcoming TV schedule

It’s been 15 years since Chad Waligura was last on the show giving him the distinction of having the longest time span between visits in Lone Star Outdoor Show history. So what has changed for our quadriplegic hunting buddy in the past decade and half? We have much to discuss with the passionate outdoorsman and Able Outdoors founder. Highlights from the conversation include:

* A New Mexico pronghorn for the record books
* Taking a blind man duck hunting
* How does Chad shoulder a shotgun as a quadriplegic?
* How did he become paralyzed?
* How is Able Outdoors helping other “able bodied” hunters?
* Running AKC Hunt Tests with his labs
* Do his feet get cold or not?
* The Ultimate Waterfowler’s Challenge and Chad’s plans to complete it.
* Cinnamon Teal
* How many of the 41 duck/goose/crane species does he think he can get in Texas?
* Slow cooking whole ducks
* Ringneck vs greenwing teal?

Our old friend Michael Hunter makes his return to the show this week. The professional chef and owner of the esteemed Antler Kitchen & Bar restaurant just released a new wild game cookbook. We discuss the latest publication Hunter Chef in the Wild- Game, Fish and Fowl Recipes and Techniques for Cooking Outdoors among other things. Highlights from the conversation include:

* Upcoming Caribou and moose hunts
* How to get your kids to assert themselves physically in youth sports
* No suppressors for Canadians
* Cooking over an open fire
* Pronghorn – delicious or not?
* Dealing with Octopus
* Pellet Grills
* Why doesn’t fish sell at his restaurant
* Infusing and distilling natural flavors into liquor
* What goes into making a cookbook?
* Cooking the perfect snow goose
* Would you eat carp?
* Braised beaver
* Plans for the upcoming season