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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
Monday Sep 06, 2021
Ep 17 Mark Sasser ”california_tradbow_hunter” Traditional Bowhunting
Monday Sep 06, 2021
Monday Sep 06, 2021
After I broke my bow sight on a recent backcountry hunt, one of my first thoughts was "Mark is gonna tell me that this wouldn't happen if my bow didn't have a sight on it"! Ughh... and he did say that! Mark Sasser and I get to chat about trad-bow (aka t-rad-bow, or traditional bow hunting) life and hunting - how these simple bows create a more complex shooting and hunting experience. Mark has taken nearly a dozen bucks in CA with a traditional bow, 7 of them at less than 15 yards! So not only does trad-bow hunting require more time slinging arrows to become one with the tool in hand, but it requires a hunter to get really close.
Is trad bow life for you? Give this a listen and maybe you'll be inspired to check it out!
Mark Sasser www.instagram.com/california_tradbow_hunter
www.instagram.com/cbh.saa.big.game.club
#Hunting #Conservation #Wildlife #Muledeer #California #Habitat #Blackbear #BearHunting #HSUS #DeerHunting #ElkHunting #Wilderness #Deer #Whitetail #Elk #Blacktail #Advocate #Activist #Howl
California hunting, deer hunting, bear hunting, black bear, mule deer, blacktail deer, blackbear, backcountry hunting, habitat management, backpack hunting, bow hunting, traditional archery, trad bow.
Sunday Sep 05, 2021
Ep 16 (reposted) Backcountry solo archery mule deer - California DZone Hunt
Sunday Sep 05, 2021
Sunday Sep 05, 2021
10 days of backcountry, DIY, OTC, solo, public land, archery, mule deer hunting - turned into 6 days of adventure! Ok what can we add in to make it more difficult: wildfire smoke, haze & a drought year? In this episode I piece together 7 segments recorded while on the hunt in the central Sierra Nevada, chasing mule deer bucks. The mountains dished up all the expected mental and physical challenges, plus a few surprises - a badger, a peregrine falcon in full dive, and a honey-blonde bear at sunset! Listen in as I share some of the ups and downs of this hunt. Seriously I was lucky to get this hunt in as 9 of California's National Forests were closed during the first week of archery, and within days of getting back from this hunt ALL of the NF land in CA was closed down.
Images from this hunt and more @ www.instagram.com/HuntingAintEasy
#Hunting #Conservation #Wildlife #Muledeer #California #Habitat #Blackbear #BearHunting #HSUS #DeerHunting #ElkHunting #Wilderness #Deer #Whitetail #Elk #Blacktail #Advocate #Activist #Howl
Monday Aug 30, 2021
Monday Aug 30, 2021
In this short episode I give a quick recap of the August California Fish & Game Commission meeting, where a small group of citizen hunters without any official affiliation spoke during Public Comments. It is unusual for the hunting community to join these meetings to speak of their personal interests and priorities related to hunting. The Commission expressed appreciation and welcomed our presence, and our contribution.
Looking ahead the F&G Commission's Wildlife Resource Committee will meet on 9/16. This is an important committee and meeting for big game hunters to be familiar with, and to engage on a regular basis. The WRC is where mammal hunting regs, habitat priorities and fire/drought resilience plans are created.
I will host 2 pre-WRC meetings to help hunters new to the F&G Commission process, where we will discuss how public comments work and how new regulations can be supported, opposed or created by citizen input.
The Hunting Ain't Easy meeting-prep sessions will be shared on my instagram @ www.instagram.com/huntingainteasy
- Message me there if you'd like to join the calls and learn more about hunter advocacy, engagement and dialogue with the F&G Commission.
https://fgc.ca.gov/Meetings/2021
https://fgc.ca.gov/Regulations/Submit-Comments
https://fgc.ca.gov/Regulations
#Hunting #Conservation #Wildlife #Muledeer #California #Habitat #Blackbear #BearHunting #HSUS #DeerHunting #ElkHunting #Wilderness #Deer #Whitetail #Elk #Blacktail #Advocate #Activist #Howl
California hunting, deer hunting, bear hunting, black bear, mule deer, blacktail deer, blackbear, backcountry hunting, habitat management, backpack hunting, bow hunting, archery.
Sunday Aug 15, 2021
Bear Series Part 6 (finale!) - Bear down, 2020 Archery Bear Success
Sunday Aug 15, 2021
Sunday Aug 15, 2021
Putting a cap on the Bear Series I go solo on the podcast, the same way I hunt! In this episode I touch on how I approach purchasing new equipment and gear, get into the ups and downs of self-learned lessons of archery and bow hunting and I share a handful of bear and deer encounters that took place over a 3 weekends of the 2020 archery season.
Check out some of pics of the skull, and a quick video of the bear before I nocked an arrow, at www.instagram.com/huntingainteasy
Are you ready to hunt bears?? They're plentiful in CA, and the meat is fantastic if you take care of it after harvest - go for it!!
Learn more about bear zones & seasons in CA online @ https://wildlife.ca.gov/Hunting/Bear
Archery bear season in all bear zones opens August 21, 2021, and runs through September 12, 2021.
General bear season opens concurrently with general deer season in the A, B, C, D, X8, X9A, X9B, X10 and X12 deer hunting zones and extends through December 26, 2021. For zones X1 through X7b, the general bear season begins October 9, 2021, and extends through December 26, 2021.
General bear season closes on December 26, 2021, or earlier, if the Department determines that 1,700 bears have been reported taken. This includes bears harvested during the archery season.
California hunting, deer hunting, bear hunting, black bear, mule deer, blacktail deer, blackbear, backcountry hunting, habitat management, backpack hunting, bow hunting, archery.
Thursday Aug 12, 2021
Bonus Episode: Saying hello to the California Fish & Game Commission
Thursday Aug 12, 2021
Thursday Aug 12, 2021
This episode is specific to some planning I'm doing around the 8/18/21 Fish & Game Commission meeting. While the specific date will eventually pass, the content and reason for this episode is timeless and we will do this again - so please listen up.
8/18 is the next Calif. Fish & Game Commission meeting. There's nothing super controversial on the agenda, so it's an ideal time for hunters who want to become educated and active, to see, learn and join the process.
Kevin Vella (NWTF) and I will host a pre-game planning session on Monday 8/18 so to help educate everyone on how these meetings work, what to expect, what not to expect and how we will join the meeting and participate. The best part about this is that we can introduce ourselves in public comment, let the Commission know that the hunting community is part of the "social" and the "science" that they need to balance.
If you want to join us for this meeting or future pre-meeting prep sessions just message me on IG instagram.com/HuntingAintEasy
Commission meeting schedule and agenda are here: https://fgc.ca.gov/Meetings/2021
California hunting, deer hunting, bear hunting, black bear, mule deer, blacktail deer, blackbear, backcountry hunting, habitat management, backpack hunting, bow hunting, archery, conservation, wildlife management
Friday Jul 30, 2021
Friday Jul 30, 2021
For this episode I talk with Devin O'dea from the California chapter of the Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. While BHA is known to stir controversy and division at the national level, the work they're doing in CA is worth a good look and I believe deserves the support of the California hunting community. You don't have to be a member of the BHA to follow the work they do and put your voice behind the public land hunting initiatives they support. Better yet, if you're in the Southern California area there's a good chance their boots-on-the-ground effort to inventory and renovate hundreds of guzzlers could directly benefit your hunting.
Give this a listen and get to know the local efforts that affect California hunters.
National Wildlife Refuges in California
BHA and TRCP authored report on hunting access on National Wildlife Refuges
BHA Opposition to 2021 bear hunting ban legislation
California hunting, deer hunting, bear hunting, black bear, mule deer, blacktail deer, blackbear, backcountry hunting, habitat management, backpack hunting, bow hunting, archery, conservation, wildlife management
Monday Jul 26, 2021
Bonus Episode: Bear Series - Bear meat care, from the shot to the pot.
Monday Jul 26, 2021
Monday Jul 26, 2021
From the shot to the pot, California black bears offer more than a great hunt! Meat care is of utmost importance when it comes to closing out your successful hunt, and then enjoying the harvest in the weeks and months after killing. For many experienced hunters bear meat is the #1 protein for the entire family. Yet too many people say that bear meat is stinky and gamey and gross. How is this? It all comes down to meat care, and starts with skin off, guts out, 4 quarters broken down and the meat cooled down ASAP.
Thanks to Brian Kyncy of Kyncy Guide Service for hanging on with me to talk about the importance of meat care after a successful bear hunt.
Resources:
Randy Newberg demonstrates the gutless method
Brian Call on bear meat care, field to table
California hunting, deer hunting, bear hunting, black bear, mule deer, blacktail deer, blackbear, backcountry hunting, habitat management, backpack hunting, bow hunting, archery, conservation, wildlife management
Monday Jul 26, 2021
Monday Jul 26, 2021
For Part 5 of our Black Bear hunting series we feature a great conversation with Brian Kyncy ( https://kyncyguideservice.com) a guide, hunter and fisherman with over 4 decades of experience in the woods of Northern California. Brian is passionate about bears and all their crazy quirks, possibly because he was charged by a black bear way back when he was just 11 years old. In spite of having the opportunity to hunt with hounds taken away over a decade ago, Kyncy Guide Service continues to bring clients into the woods to find mature bears, slowly, quietly and effectively by patterning them around food, water and cover that bears stick to. During our call he shares stories and tactics that are sure to entertain you while putting some new tools into your how-to-hunt kit. We get into wallows, water, bear senses (the nose knows!) stand and ambush hunting techniques and how to tune into some of the critters that'll alert you to predators when they come into your stand area.
Check out Brian and his family on IG @ www.instagram.com/KyncyGuideService and feel free to hit him up if you want some insights to finding NorCal black bears.
Follow Hunting Ain't Easy podcast on Instagram www.instagram.com/HuntingAintEasy
California hunting, deer hunting, bear hunting, black bear, mule deer, blacktail deer, blackbear, backcountry hunting, habitat management, backpack hunting, bow hunting, archery, conservation, wildlife management
Thursday Jul 22, 2021
Ep 9 California D-Zone Deer Hunting with Doug Dreher, aka The Sierra Stalker
Thursday Jul 22, 2021
Thursday Jul 22, 2021
CA deer season is coming in hot and we're all getting the itch to glass up bucks in the high-country! Doug Dreher is one of the most consistent (and persistent!) hunters in California. He's a self professed DiY, public land, OTC DZone hunter, and a weekend warrior on 9 out of 10 hunts! He generously shares his scouting and hunting on Instagram (www.instagram.com/the_sierra_stalker). We chat about Doug's approach to scouting throughout the summer and early archery seasons, and we dig into his perspective on buck habits as the summer turns into fall.
Doug shared a GREAT story about his 2019 hunt - not just the fact that he and his buddy Kirk knock down a DOUBLE on opening day as a September snow storm is rolling in - but also the backstory about this little honey hole where he found the bucks. Based on Doug's experience, don't forget to pack your KARMA when heading into the deer woods.
Follow the podcast on www.instagram.com/HuntingAintEasy
#Hunting #Conservation #Wildlife #Muledeer #California #Habitat #Blackbear #BearHunting #HSUS #DeerHunting #ElkHunting #Wilderness #Deer #Whitetail #Elk #Blacktail #Advocate #Activist #Howl
California hunting, deer hunting, bear hunting, black bear, mule deer, blacktail deer, blackbear, backcountry hunting, habitat management, backpack hunting, bow hunting, archery, conservation, wildlife management
Saturday Jul 17, 2021
Ep 8, part 4 of the Black Bear Series with biologist and author Preston Taylor
Saturday Jul 17, 2021
Saturday Jul 17, 2021
For this episode I had the privilege of sitting down with Preston Taylor to talk about tracking of black bears as a scouting and hunting tactic. Preston is a professional wildlife biologist with a passion for wildlife and gets to spend a lot of time in the woods studying, tracking and observing behavior of numerous game animals. He recently authored the book "Tracking the American Black Bear" ( https://amzn.to/2VNYR5b ) and shares his passion for wildlife tracking, with a specific emphasis on how to interpret and follow bear markings, scat and tracks to get close to black bears in the wilderness.
We get to touch on some hunting philosophy and policy issues, but really focus on his experiences and how a new bear hunter can build the knowledge and skill set needed to intentionally and successfully hunt California black bears.
Hunting Ain't Easy on IG: HuntingAintEasy@instagram.com
Preston Taylor on IG: tracker_longbows@instagram.com
California hunting, deer hunting, bear hunting, black bear, mule deer, blacktail deer, blackbear, backcountry hunting, habitat management, backpack hunting, bow hunting, archery, conservation, wildlife management, tracking, cyber tracker