Restless Native

"[Conservation advocacy] is just the right thing to do. It's only benefited the brand through and through. Not that people don't disagree with us, but we've become known as a brand with a focus on conservation."— Ford Van Fossan, First Lite Conservation, Content And Digital Merchandising Manager Ford Van Fossan is a Conservation, Content And Digital Merchandising Manager with the technical hunting clothing company, First Lite. You all may recall my conversation with First Lite cofounder Scott Robinson a while back. In that episode we got to hear about the first 5-6 years of First Lite, the challenges and what it’s taken to build the brand. Ford shares that story over the last few years, where the brand has really scaled and has moved into new spaces. We’ll hear about the brand’s expansions, and also Ford’s background as a conservationist. That’s a researcher and technician, working with US Fish & Wildlife Service and universities to study wildlife and habitat. There are a few take

“We’re changing the mindset that if I have a honey hole, I’m not going to tell anyone about it. There’s no Jedi mind trick. That’s a scarcity mentality. If someone might take something from me, I keep it to myself. When scarcity isn’t part of the equation, that goes away.”— Buck Robinson, Outdoor AccessHow long was it after the first cars showed up on the muddy roads that buggy whip and carriage manufacturers started to sweat?Probably too long. What killed the buggy whip manufacturer wasn’t cars. It’s that they specialized in buggy whips instead of vehicular propulsion. Great businesses evolve. This is a podcast about evolution. We’re going to talk about acceptance in hunting, and the hunting industry.Today, I chat with a guy who’s become a friend of mine and a mentor of sorts. His company is also a Client Partner of GoWild. I’ve come to appreciate what Buck and his business partner Jamie are doing with Outdoor Access. Buck is a member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association ( POMA ). Links Sportsmen’s

Teaching is at the core of being human. So is hunting. This is who we are. It’s who we have always been, but just because it’s always been there for us, doesn’t mean it always will be. We are entering the most significant fight in the history of hunting. If we don’t take the recruitment challenge seriously, the “mutualists” and city dwellers are going to continue to chip away at our lifestyle. — Brad LuttrellBack in April I read a piece of my writing, a submission to Houston Safari Club Foundation’s magazine, Hunter’s Horn. That was episode 64, and many of you responding asking for more podcasts like that. This is more of a dive into my brain as a writer and maybe as an amateur philosopher. Or maybe, just as a guy who thinks about stuff too much. While this piece is not an advertisement, Houston Safari Club Foundation is a sponsor of GoWild and Restless Native. If you like what you hear and want to subscribe to Hunter’s Horn, you can join Houston Safari Club Foundation at wehuntwegive.org.

"I'm at a low point. I'm in a significant amount of pain with two torn knees, I had just spent six or eight months solely dedicated to this endeavor that effectively ended in abject misery."— Sam AyresYou may know today's guest better by his social handle or his podcast name, "Living Country in the City." That was how I got to know him. Today, those of you who know Sam will be surprised to get to know him a much deeper level and to hear that his journey has been more than learning to hunt. He's dealt with life changes, online harassment and bullying, and more. Yet, he's persisted.Today he talks through going from Living Country in the City to his new show, The Wild Initiative. He'll walk us through his move, what it's like quitting your job with no income, and how he's making it work with podcasting and by applying another skill. Sam is a Professional Outdoor Media Assocation (POMA) member. Learn more about The Wild Initiative.

“When something really matters in my life, I’ve come to the realization that you either have to be willing to do nothing about it, and ignore it, and let it fester. Or, you have to be willing to be wrong about it and take actions that may fail. It may result in unintended consequences. It’s be wrong, or do nothing. If you’re willing to try something and be wrong, that’s always better than doing nothing.”— Charles Merritt, Buddy InsuranceToday, we talk bed bugs, crossbow accidents, mountain bike crashes, comic books, DIY bedrooms, veganism, deforestation and the Appalachian Trail. Do I have your attention? Yeah, I thought that was probably better than saying I was interviewing an insurance guy. But seriously! We discuss all of that with an insurance guy. But it’s not just regular insurance, this is insurance for outdoorsmen and women. Buddy is on-demand accident insurance for people who live outdoor lives. Charles is going to outline his outdoor background, how he came to founding his company Buddy, and he’s g

This is an interview with your host, Bad Luttrell, on the Lone Star Outdoor Show. First Lite's Ross Copperman joins, as well as the guide from the sweepstakes, Jordan Budd. We'll outline what's up for grabs, what we're all chasing this hunting season and Brad and Ross share how First Lite and GoWild started working together. Enjoy! WIN A WESTERN HUNT WITH TEAM FIRST LITESponsored by First Lite and GoWildGoWild has partnered with First Lite to offer a sweepstakes for a premium western whitetail or mule deer hunt and a First Lite kit, valued at more than $4,500.One randomly selected winner will join First Lite Pro Staff members Cable Smith and Jordan Budd for a western hunting trip in 2020. The winner will also receive a head-to-toe First Lite setup for the hunt. This includes base layers, mid-layers, outerwear and accessories.Both Jordan and Cable are lifelong, skilled hunters. Jordan will guide the winner on this hunt located on her family ranch in Nebraska and will be accompanied by Cable

Today is a bonus show from an interview with me (ah hem, that's Brad) on Dan Johnson’s podcast. You all may recall Dan Johnson from joining me on Restless Native. I was also on his show a while back, and that’s what you’ll hear today.Before we dive into that, I wanted to tell you about a couple of things. First, we have a deal with Houston Safari Club Foundation going on where you can get a digital membership. Remember, Houston Safari Club Foundation is not a Texas organization, it’s a conservation organization based in Texas. If you heard episode 64, a Wild Journey, that reading was from one of my article submissions to their magazine, Hunter’s Horn. Many of you messaged me asking for more articles like that, so here is your chance. For just $35, you can get access to some great member benefits including the magazine. Tap here for that deal. The second thing I wanted to mention was this is the last week for our First Lite sweepstakes. Soon, I’ll be calling someone to tell them they just won a trip worth

"I was going to be the one to change my destiny. No one was going to do it for me."— Andy Tran, Muddy Shutter Media Today is a story about transformation. And punching people in the face.Career changes take a great amount of effort. Today’s guest has had many transformations in his life. I am excited to hear what you all thought of this story.  It’s really such a fascinating journey to me, I decided I needed to let him tell it. So that’s it for the teaser.This is the final in my series from the Professional Outdoor Media Association's Conference. Thanks again to POMA for the help. Learn more about Muddy Shutter Media.Restless Native is brought to you by Houston Safari Club Foundation. Conservation can and should go beyond buying a hunting or fishing license. And one of the best ways we can all help is with our time.Houston Safari Club Foundation and GoWild have once again teamed up to promote an entire week dedicated to educating hunters and anglers on how to get involved and make an impact bey

"It's the biggest pitch of my life."— Brad LuttrellSurprise! It's a bonus episode of Restless Native. We have a behind the scenes look at what's happening at GoWild. Restless Native is Sponsored by Houston Safari Club FoundationRestless Native is brought to you by Houston Safari Club Foundation. This organization is a great supporter of hunters and conservation, and I am proud to partner with them.Hunting and conservation, what’s not to like, right? If you agree, great. Then I want you to come on to Houston, Texas with me to attend the Houston Safari Club Foundation’s Convention and Hunting Expo.This is a great chance for a family trip or a break away with the buddies. The convention is a celebration of wildlife, wild places and the hunting lifestyle we all love. It has thousands of visitors and exhibitors coming from all over the globe for a three day exposition. Beyond the convention, you can experience some amazing entertainment, with performances from folks like Corey Morrow, Rick

"I see so much dereliction of journalistic duty among reporters. You see these people in DC who have disdain for the hunting and fishing way of life, and it's really sad. I strive to help people get connected to see what this industry does."– Gabriella HoffmanIt takes courage to admit you’re new at something. And today’s guest is someone who doesn’t back down from being new at something she actually speaks about as an authority. Wait, what? Seriously. Gabriella Hoffman has worked her way up to being an active writer in the hunting, fishing, outdoor and firearm spaces, but she’s relatively new to hunting. She’s also a very active political reporter, and I would certainly put the influencer label on her, even though it may not surface how some of you interpret it. In many ways, influencers to me are the new newspaper columnists. People are excited to see new content from them. They have a clear but evolving point of view. And they reach the masses. The idea of an influencer often gets tied to soc

"I think your luck is created. Your success is directly related to the amount of work you put in."— Nick HoffmanToday’s show is with a fiddle player, pilot, television host, hunter, producer, conservationist, POMA board member and so on and so on.Nick Hoffman is a lot of things. I’d venture to say he and I have become friends over this last year, from meeting up at tradeshows and POMA this summer. I really like the guy. And I love what he’s all about. He’s got a really interesting story and I think Nick has a good heart. In our short friendship together, he seems to be authentically Nick all the time. Camera on, camera off, it just seems like he’s always himself. In fact, when he and I presented together on POMA’s panel, he pulled up a picture of himself where he’d gotten scoped. If you don’t know what I mean, he had shot a rifle and the gun kicked the scope into his eyebrow, and he had blood running down his nose. I thought that showed his personality. That’s a moment many TV show hosts would hide.

“Don’t post grip and grin pictures. Especially of predators and iconic African zoo animals. I get it. People say ‘screw you’ and I get hate mail. But you have to understand, if we are going to change the hearts and minds of the people, we can’t go out and say ‘screw you.’ We have to say, there is a great story to be told about your deer. You don’t have to take your broadheads and put the logo out there, and chest bump and high five. Just don’t post those pictures.”— Tom OpreToday’s guest might ruffle some feathers. In fact, he’s been known to piss a few people off. And, he’s not going to apologize for it. Tom Opre is passionate. He loves wildlife, hunters, and the wilderness. And he has a deep understanding of what it means to be a consumer. And a conservationist. What Tom is not is apologetic. He has a matter of fact way of delivering his views and the facts he’s acquired over the years. He’s not here to soft serve anything to you. I like this about Tom, maybe because I see some of that in myself. Another th

When I was working in the capital, it was heartbreaking to see how agriculture, conservation and environmental issues worked against each other. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, you have opportunities to make an impact for conservation. Don't just be a consumer. Make sure you're giving back. — Brandon ButlerWe have a problem on our hands, in that the volume of hunters is shrinking overall. We pay for conservation through hunting, fishing and firearms dollars. And we have movements attempting to counteract these participant declines with messages about how hunting is conservation. But if a person doesn’t advocate for conservation, can they be a conservationist? How about if they’re not even aware their act of hunting is contributing to conservation?Few people I’ve ever met understand the ins and outs of what it means to be a conservationist and to wrestle with these questions better than today’s guest. I know this from his content I’ve consumed, being his newspaper column, interviews, our p

"Today is a milestone. Some of our goals at GoWild have not been met. We missed them. You might call them failures. I call those lessons. Some goals were met sooner than we ever thought possible. I call those risks paying rewards."— Brad LuttrellIf you're at all a weekly listener to Restless Native, you're going to want to check this show out. We have a very important announcement in the beginning. Then we have a bonus show—I (Brad Luttrell) joins Glendon Allwood on the Hunt Domain podcast to talk about GoWild. This is going to look at where we've been, where we are and where we're going. You'll probably learn something you didn't know about me and GoWild in this show.

"As an organization, we don’t care if you have an R or D after your name. If you’re  introducing something that’s going to impact hunting, fishing or trapping, we’re going to fight it.”– Brian Lynn, Vice President of Communications and Marketing , Sportsmen's AllianceIf I told you, you could give me $35, and I would do everything in my power this year to keep your hunting rights from being taken away, would you do it?Probably not. And you probably shouldn’t. While I work in the outdoor industry, I don’t have a whole lot of control over your right to hunt, that is the laws and legislation that decides how often, where and what you can hunt. However, you should take that money and give it to these guys. Today I have Brian and Evan from Sportsmen’s Alliance. They’re going to break down exactly what their organization does, why it matters and give you real life examples of how they’re making a difference. They’re going to paint a picture of the real anti-hunters—the ones who are making a difference. Hin

"When we look at the outdoor space, we're on the verge of a data revolution. That is, using data to get better at what we do. Hunting and the outdoors is still this experimental thing, it's something your dad taught you. It's a generational transfer. But now, technology is teaching you to be a better outdoorsman."— Zack Grimes, GoWild Cofounder & Chief Analytics OfficerI have spent an insane amount of time in the car with my good friend, cofounder and the Chief Analytics Officer of GoWild lately. Most of you probably know I’m talking about Zack Grimes. We recently decided to put a mic on one of these conversations to talk about something we just launched. I love talking to people who are busting their butt to make a difference on Restless Native, and felt it was important to take a minute to recognize our team at GoWild for launching activity tracking for fishing. This is a phase one project for sure, but it’s a huge milestone for us and really fishing in general. Zack will get in

"Don’t stick with something because it’s easy, or already in motion. If you have a passion, do something with that, and do it now. It will not get easier tomorrow. Tomorrow is unknown, not just because it’s not promised, but because someone else will beat you to it, or you will lose your nerve to try it."— Brad LuttrellRestless Native was founded to look at what it takes to be successful. Most of the time that means interviewing people who have been there, done that. And it’s usually directly related to the outdoor industry. Today, I am going to share a few recent stories, conversations and insights from my own life. It is my hope that this podcast inspires you every week. As a ferocious content consumer myself, I believe the best lessons come from a variety of perspectives from those around us who have been there before. The format of the show is designed to help provide those diverse perspectives. That’s good for the listeners, and it’s been good for me. I’ve learned a ton through this process.  B

“Rural America’s population has been shrinking and getting older for decades. People are just starting to move back to rural America because they’re getting priced out of urban America. We’re in a transition point right now, as people are either pushed to the edges or out of cities.” — Nicole QualtieriNicole Qualtieri got her start working alongside Janis Putelis and Steven Rinella at MeatEater. She moved on to Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. And today, she serves as the Hunt Fish Editor for Gear Junkie. She will challenge how you think, what you do, and what you’ve always done. I was introduced to Nicole after we launched our activity tracking product this year at ATA, and she and I hopped on the phone to talk about it. I think we booked half an hour to chat. What ensued was an hour and a half of amazing conversation around what’s wrong with the hunting industry, how we can fix it, and it wasn’t the same ol’ stuff everyone else is always saying. Nicole has a fresh perspective. She doesn’t care about what y

“Hunters, we take from something. We take the animal that lives in this environment. I know life is busy, but often times we forget to give back, whether that is a conservation effort that is animal or environment specific. If this thing is going to continue for the next 50 years, we need to focus on the environment, and take our eyes off the score and antler size if we want to bring more people into hunting.”— Dan JohnsonToday, we’re going to talk about how my guest got into hunting, podcasting, and, a question I have wondered many times, how he lost his finger. Seriously. Dan Johnson was one of the earliest of guys to get into podcasting in the hunting space. You may know that name from Mark Kenyon’s show, Wired to Hunt, where Dan got his start. Or, you may know him from his show and networks, Nine Finger Chronicles and Sportsmen’s Nation, which we’ll dive into throughout this show.GoWild did some advertising with Sportsmen’s Nation in its early days. We looked at a ton of opportunities, but what stood out

"I want GoWild community members to know who I am if they have issues, and that somebody actually cares. I want to be able to fix it for you. I want to help you." — Chris Gleim, Co-Founder of GoWildSpoiler alert: There are GoWild spoilers. GoWild is in the process of completing a survey for research. The answers outline GoWild criticisms, and there are compliments of the platform. We don't hide from any of it. We hit each concern or outlying comment head on. My cofounder, Chris Gleim, joined me in Texas for a business trip. On one of our last mornings together, we sat down over coffee and chatted the future of GoWild. This survey will be used to help us build a better product over time. We're using it to validate hunches or ideas we have internally. My Co-Founder Chris Gleim and I sit down to discuss some of the preliminary feedback from the survey and address the anonymous comments from this survey. Restless Native is brought to you by Obsession Bows. These bows are made specifically fo