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Hunting ain't easy, but we love the challenge, the opportunity and the wild places it brings us. Hosted by California hunter Mike Costello, the podcasts digs into California hunting topics with specific focus on public land deer and bear hunting. We believe that habitat improvement, herd management and predator management are topics that need more attention. Look forward to guests who will shed light on what we can do as hunters and conservationists, to put more animals in the woods. Mike is an "adult onset hunter" and the score card going into 2021 seasons is: Deer 0, Bear 1. We're going to follow Mike's misadventures, scouting tactics and success. "Big buck down" is coming in '21!
Episodes
Tuesday Jan 03, 2023
Tuesday Jan 03, 2023
On Jan 11th and 12th there is a Wildlife Resource Committee meeting that needs you. How can you contribute? Email before Jan 5th. Attend in person (Sacramento). Attend via zoom!
What's in play? Well here's the Agenda
- Petition 2021-017: 2nd bear tag, new premium hunts statewide, modernized Big Game draw system
- Bear mgmt plan update: we must be listening and contributing to this today.
- Elk mgmt plan update: new zones, more tags, improved opportunity!
One click to send your support for our HOWL petition... "vote - send - share".
Got questions... hit me up via Instagram @HuntingAintEasy let's talk!
Monday Dec 26, 2022
Monday Dec 26, 2022
Hey friends, yes the CDFW and Fish & Game Commission is listening. We have a new Elk Biologist taking the lead and progressive NEW opportunities to hunt elk are coming our way. 3 new elk zones, modified seasons, increased bull and anterless tags - improving opportunities to hunt Tule Elk, Roosevelt Elk and Rocky Mountain Elk in California?
How does our hunting community support and guide this across the line for a real win??
1) Get informed... check out the links here.
- Dec. F&G Commission Elk Report
2) Get active... join HOWL for Wildlife and become a voice of support!! CA F&G Commission and CDFW are listening, and hunter-advocates are becoming the leaders when it comes to conservation discussions. Join us!
3) Send comments and then attend Jan. 11-12th Wildlife Resource Committee meeting. We need to guide the WRC to support 2021-017; support a 2nd bear tag as part of the 2023 Bear Mgmt Plan; support new Premium deer hunts!
Monday Dec 26, 2022
Monday Dec 26, 2022
2022 was a tough year for my hunting - not so much because of critters, or weather, or mountain conditions. Work, family, priorities, decisions and distractions made time in the wilderness short - but it was SWEET.
This podcast features my mountain musings, as I recap each day on the mountain and share thoughts as the hunt evolved. I got to ride out a nice little snow/wind/rain storm, saw a lot of deer and put a bear in my sights too!
Follow along and hope you enjoy the stories.
IG: https://www.instagram.com/huntingainteasy
HOWL for Wildlife: https://www.howlforwildlife.org/
Sunday Jul 24, 2022
Sunday Jul 24, 2022
It's been TOO MANY WEEKS since the last podcast. I've had more ideas and conversations rattling around in my head than I can count, and I should've captured those and shared them. Spring and early summer were consumed with all-the-things we try to balance and stay sane: work, family, scouting, a 9-day spring bear hunt, checking and setting trail cameras in 7 different backcountry areas!
Follow along in this podcast as I share my trail-camera journey, from 1 area in a single zone to 7 different areas across 5 different zones in CA. I've officially maxed out my trail camera scouting capacity.
Next up I'll do my best to share the Oregon spring bear hunt, some of my CA deer season strategies and trail camera updates as I check on the cameras in areas I will hunt this fall!
Become an advocate for hunting and conservation @ HOWL for Wildlife !
Thursday May 05, 2022
Thursday May 05, 2022
Part 2 of 2.
Dan Ryan is an avid hunter and outdoorsman with a profession that allows him to get to know land and habitat all over California. In this 2 part podcast Dan and I get down to talking about 6 of the most popular and accessible "draw zones" which require a Premium tag for archery, rifle/general or muzzleloader hunt opportunities. Any hunter with 3 to 17 points in California is probably considering hunting or scouting these zones as they offer diverse terrain, high quality hunts and the potential for a truly great California buck.
You can reach out to Dan directly via the Bureau of Land Mgmt, in the Susanville CA office: 530-249-8559 or Email dryan@blm.gov
California Big Game Draw resources are found in the Big Game Digest... we have until June 2nd to put in for the draw, so it's time to study and make some choices.
Follow Hunting Ain't Easy on Instagram
Want to protect hunting rights, opportunity and support quality wildlife mgmt across all states and all species - follow HOWL For Wildlife!
#Hunting #MuleDeer #California #Bear #Deer #Conservation #Wildlife
Thursday May 05, 2022
Thursday May 05, 2022
Dan Ryan is an avid hunter and outdoorsman with a profession that allows him to get to know land and habitat all over California. In this 2 part podcast Dan and I get down to talking about 6 of the most popular and accessible "draw zones" which require a Premium tag for archery, rifle/general or muzzleloader hunt opportunities. Any hunter with 3 to 17 points in California is probably considering hunting or scouting these zones as they offer diverse terrain, high quality hunts and the potential for a truly great California buck.
You can reach out to Dan directly via the Bureau of Land Mgmt, in the Susanville CA office: 530-249-8559 or Email dryan@blm.gov
California Big Game Draw resources are found in the Big Game Digest... we have until June 2nd to put in for the draw, so it's time to study and make some choices.
Follow Hunting Ain't Easy on Instagram
Want to protect hunting rights, opportunity and support quality wildlife mgmt across all states and all species - follow HOWL For Wildlife!
#Hunting #MuleDeer #California #Bear #Deer #Conservation #Wildlife
Friday Mar 18, 2022
Friday Mar 18, 2022
Charles Whitwam and I jam on the issues, problems and outright threats embedded in SB856. This California legislation has some shiny and attractive bait to attract hunters' attention, but the boring sections of the Senate Bill are NOT GOOD for California hunters, outdoors enthusiasts, farmers and ranchers. OPPOSE SB856.
Links:
Hunting Ain't Easy on Instagram
Calif. F&G Meeting - Guard the Gate and support bear hunting
Tuesday Jan 25, 2022
Tuesday Jan 25, 2022
No matter what the game is you're chasing, your overall fitness is going to limit you or it will power you. Fitness is a year-round pursuit, just like hunting. There's scouting seasons, planning seasons and hunting seasons. Keeping your body in mountain ready condition requires seasons for building strength, seasons for building endurance, and seasons for performing. No matter what season you're in, the fuel you put into your body will affect the outcome. Food, water, nutrients, supplements need to be sync'd to your training plan and your goals.
I got to spend some time with Kyle Alton to chat about hunting, and fueling the body for optimal performance. Kyle is an experienced hunter and personal trainer (10+ years), and he's merging these passions with a food/nutrition/fueling coaching program to help hunters achieve their goals and maintain the edge that good fueling can provide.
Find Kyle on instagram @ Fuel the Hunt
Thanks again for your support, feedback and engagement with the Hunting Ain't Easy Podcast!
mountain fitness / wilderness athlete / hike to hunt / train to hunt / fuel the hunt / food is fuel / muledeer / black bear / elk hunting /
Saturday Jan 15, 2022
Saturday Jan 15, 2022
Wouldn’t it be great if the hunting community had a single platform where we could voice our support for conservation, wildlife management through hunting, and hunting rights & opportunities? What if there was a place where we could #GuardTheGate?
Heck yes!! Charles Whitwam has created HOWL For Wildlife to do exactly that. Charles is a hunter and guide, a wildlife advocate and conservationist. You may know him as ShadowTrekker Adventures.
I sit down with Charles to learn about HOWL, his inspiration and goals for the site. We talk about our need to energize and transform the communications power of the 15 MILLION hunters in the US. We talk about the outright lies and misrepresentation of facts that anti-hunters use to manipulate people’s emotions and actions.
Friends – go to HOWL and check it out. Take Action, Share the Site with fellow hunters and your non-hunting friends who value balanced wildlife mgmt..
Hit me up at HuntingAintEasy to follow along, comment or ask questions.
#Hunting #Conservation #Wildlife #Muledeer #California #Habitat #Blackbear #BearHunting #HSUS #PETA #HumanSociety #Wilderness #Deer #Whitetail #Elk #Blacktail #AnimalRights #Advocate #Activist #Howl #Ecology #AZGFD #CDFW #FishandGame #Colorado #Arizona #Washington #Oregon #Idaho #Utah #Montana #Wyoming #Regulations
Sunday Dec 26, 2021
Sunday Dec 26, 2021
As a deer hunter I'm intrigued by opportunities beyond our great state. Neighboring and nearby Western states offer habitat, terrain, tags and wildlife populations that are uniquely different, and enticing, compared to what we have available. I love big mountain back-country hunting, but the reality is that wilderness beauty and backcountry adventure isn't limited to high-alpine basins. The desert offers a starkly different experience - and there are some big bucks cruising the palo verde and cactus. In this episode I get to chat with John Stallone of Days in the Wild for a quick podcast call, and to pick his brain on what to look for when it comes to mule-deer rut, habitat and habits in the Southwest corner of AZ.
If you're heading to AZ or even the southern deserts of California you'll benefit from John's Days in the Wild podcast - he has been sharing stories and experience of coues deer, mule deer, javalina and coyote hunting in AZ for many years!
A trip to hunt AZ in December or January will sharpen your skills and expand your idea of what "mule deer country" really looks like. I encourage you to use our CA off-season to explore the southwest, find desert bucks and get some practice stalking these bucks.
Days in the Wild outfitters - Instagram
Hunting Ain't Easy - Instagram
#Hunting #Conservation #Wildlife #Muledeer #California #Habitat #Blackbear #BearHunting #HSUS #DeerHunting #ElkHunting #Wilderness #Deer #Whitetail #Elk #Blacktail #Advocate #Activist #Howl