Smell us now, Lady, Welcome to Meet Eater Trivia podcast.
Welcome to Meet Eater Radio Live. It's eleven am Mountain Time on Thursday, May first, and we're live for Meat Eater HQ and Bozeman, Montana. I'm your host, Brody Henderson, and I'm here today with Corey Calkins and Crin Schneider, who is busy checking her stocks just recently. We'll talk more about that later maybe if we have time. On today's show, we're going to talk about our Dad sheep with Corey Krin and a special guest from Texas Parks and Wildlife. We're also going to get a field report
from some of our favorite turkey hunting gurus. After that, we'll share some wild game meals we've made recently, and we're gonna wrap it up by speaking to a Montana Regional Wildlife manager about aerial big game surveys and a bighorn sheep hunting closure here in Montana. That's gonna that'll be pretty interesting. It's also kind of a bummer, but hopefully we'll get some good news out of it too.
Before we get in the show, I want to send out another request all of our dedicated diehard fans to submit a photo of their fed up old truck for our twenty twenty six calendar. We're still looking for images of unique hunting trucks, and for the folks who are watching today's episode on YouTube, Phil just put up an example a kind of hunting rig we're looking for. We're getting a lot of good ones, we're getting some not
so good ones, and we're getting some bad ones. But this is this is like a prime exam ample of what we're looking for.
That's right, and Brady, this is what we're not looking for.
That is what we're not looking for.
I understand.
Yeah, there's just like some confusion on the left up part of it.
Yeah, that's effed up, all right.
Yeah.
Also the formatting is wrong. See I thought about it. I thought about fixing it, but then I decided that's part.
Of the Yeah, we don't need pictures of wrecked trucks and ditches, So uh, send us something like that first picture.
And uh, what was that classic looking red truck with a dead with a big old.
Gobbler, a couple of big spotlights on the front.
Yeah, I mean that's a that's a hunting rick.
Yeah, you're not sneaking up on any elk in that thing?
Is that a fresh killer? Do you think the guy drives that hunting rig with the bird on.
The front all the time fresh kill? I think yeah, probably, but I wouldn't doubt there's been a deer on that hood well.
As a matter of fact, that gentleman sent us picture of that same truck with another good picture some bucksworthy. Oh yeah, man, we're gonna have to We're gonna have to take a look at all of them. But here's the deal. Send us a picture of your truck to Fucked Up Old Trucks at the mediater dot com, and over the next few weeks, we're gonna kind of get a collection of I don't know, fifty to one hundred
of the best pictures we get. We're gonna put those on the website, and then you can go vote for the rigs that actually make the calendar, so you you'll have a hand in deciding which pictures get in the calendar. The people who get their rigs in the calendar are gonna get a sweet prize package two hundred and fifty dollars Mediater store gift card that's good across all all the mediatter brands. You're gonna get a free BHA membership
and BHA is gonna throw in some additional swag. The calendar is gonna come out in a few months, like late summer, early fall. And here's why you gotta buy it, because we're donating two dollars from the sale of each copy of the calendar to BHA to help them keep fighting all these attack never ending attacks on our public lands. So it's all it's going to a good cause. You put that thing up in your garage and you feel good about yourself, so send us your pictures. We need
more folks moving on. You guys, Krinn and Corey a little jealous. You just went to go to the like West Texas Desert Mountains to hunt for our dad, So I want you to give us a rundown of that hunt, and then we're gonna be joined by a guest from Texas Parks and Wildlife to talk about some of the problems that these non native sheep are causing for native wildlife. But first, just just give us a rundown of your hunt.
Yeah, let's see, Krinn, her significant other, Matt, and myself were invited down to West Texas by doctor Phil Loretzki, who's been on the Meteor podcast and this show more than once. The Duck DNA Turkey DNA guy good friend of ours. He invited us down to hunt odd ad on the Indio Research Indio Mountain Research Station, which is right on the border of Mexico, right on the Rio Grande in the trans Pacos region of West Texas. There. Yeah, we hunted two full days. Gratefully it wasn't as hot
as it normally is in early April down there. We got really lucky and never saw tempts over seventy degrees. I don't believe the first day we killed two ewes, which was kind of our primary goal down there, was to do what we can to minimize the odd ad population on that ranch by taking a few ewes females. There's Curris my boyfriend Matt with a beautiful ew right at last light. That was pretty incredible.
That's some cool looking country man.
It was. It was way more rugged than I expected.
Did you get any a step on, any rattlers or get any cactus spines in your ass?
Definitely some cactus in the bus.
Was it ste or I forgot who it's like? Who said something about like the down there, like the thorns having thorns, you can't you couldn't grab hold of anything.
Everything wants to bite you, stingya.
It's all spot in stock.
Yeah, yeah, all spot in stock. We drove around a little bit inevitably to find the sheep. We had to put a lot of miles boots on the ground and uh yeah, we killed those two ewes on day one and then day two, Karinn, Phil and I went out and glassed up this group of twenty three odd ad on this the high it was actually the highest point on the ranch, forty thousand acre ranch, and we were
able to stalk in. Took a couple hours to stalk into four hundred yards and I was able to put down this beautiful ram and Karin actually harvested a nice sub adult ram as well. But in front of us is the recently euro mounted you.
Uh.
There was a lot of fun to euromount. Actually you got to pop these horns off, uh, and then you can boil the skull bleached it kind of glistened up the horns and then glued him back on beautiful mount. Thank you. Yeah, but the the you meat is delicious, very blown away by the texture and the flavor of the meat. The rams a little tougher, but got about one hundred pounds of meat off the ram.
Yeah, they're burly animals, they really are.
Yeah.
He probably before we field dressed and weighed about three hundred pounds, so he wasn't easy to roll around. We did make some there's a photo up of us making I think that was the ribs off of my ew over the fire as we packed up camp made some great last Steve here he'd be.
Tearing you up about how you're saying you oh you oo ooh you you you?
What did I say?
You?
Phil?
Who me?
You?
Audio?
Classic?
So you guys had a good time we did.
It was a hell of an experience.
And tough hunting. Tough hunting for sure, tough.
To meaning tough physically.
Tough, tough for yeah, maybe toughest for me. But yeah, the it's it's really punishing territory, I mean, and those those animals are robust to be able to live out there striving. They eat forage, cactus. Maybe there's a little bit water, a little bit of water here and there, but yeah, they're it's tough tough to hunt them.
Well, that's a great segue into our first interview. Our first guest is Texas Parks and Wildlife Desert Big Horn Sheet program leader Freulin Hernandez Brolin. We got you on the line.
Yep, no, thank you for having me on the show. Glad to be here.
So Freudlan, these oudad are you'll also hear them called barbary sheep there. They're native to northern and western Africa. But yeah, in decades past they've been cut loose in places like New Mexico and Texas to provide additional hunting opportunities. Can you give us like a brief history of the out ad population in West Texas and then we'll get into why there's such a big problem for desert big horn sheep.
Yep, yep no, So again, thank you for having me. Uh.
You know, ironically the text Sparks and Wildlife brought him in back in the mad thirty fifties. They brought him in, as you say, as an additional game species, and there was also some private reintroductions and I know they were up in the in the final Luto Canyon of the Panhandle of Texas and then some in the in the in West Texas. And at that time, I don't think anybody envisioned that they would do as well as they've done.
And so now they occur in all the mountains in West Texas, they occur up in a Poolutle Canyon, and again in a Panhandle and also in Central Texas. And they've done really, really well just in the in the trespakers of Texas. We estimate that there's probably twenty to twenty five thousand odd that in those West Texas mountains.
So there's twenty five thousand of those suckers out there. What's your best guess on like a historic high population of like how many big horns used to occupy the mountains of West Texas?
Yep.
Well, And so back in the eighteen eighties there were estimates of hunting a fifteen hundred, twenty five hundred, not up there even three thousand, and up until recently, about five six years ago, we had hit that historic kai again. We were seeing fifteen hundred animals, fifteen hundred big horns
in the West Texas mountain. In twenty nineteen, we've got a first disease event and we are now, uh, we've lost over fifty percent of the herd now we've got about six hundred to seven hundred of big horns in the state, when just five years ago we were up to again the eighteen eighty levels.
And and that disease event that that's pneumonia.
I'm guessing correct, that's the No, We've had three independent disease events since twenty nineteen, and that's the Michael plasma of pneumonia or the mov that causes pneumonia.
Are so are the ourdad transmitting that to the big horns or the ourdad just out competing them for resources? Like what kind of problems are the ourdad actually causing for the native desert big horns in Texas.
It's a it's a combination of those two things and others.
But those two things and so the add that do carry that in.
We've done research in pen conditions, pen setting and the odd that are able to transmit that bacteria to the desert big horns.
We have not definitively proved that in a wild setting.
We've tested thirteen different mountain ranges in West Texas, and in all thirteen mountain ranges we have found that all that carry that bacteria and in some cases up to sixty percent of the animals that we've sampled carry that bacteria.
So it's a it's a.
Huge problem from a disease standpoint.
The competition.
They completely outcompete the big horns, not just through because of numbers, but also they're just a bigger, hardier animal. They hoard the big horn ewes and and push off the big horn rams and so ad that rams create their own big horn hairm type of deals.
So they're socially disruptive. I mean, it's it's it's just you name it. You know. They just outcompete, the outcompete the big horns.
And that's just from a competition standpoint. In the numbers that they occur, they just devastate the habitat. There are places that the countryside has almost peeled to the ground and that's simply just a density result of the high densities that they're they carry in yep.
So this is like a problem that's not necessarily unique to Texas, but Texas is I think something like ninety eight percent private land, and the area where these our dad are living is also almost exclusively private land. And you've got a lot of landowners that are charging folks to go hunt for our dads. So my question is like, can a hunting really have an impact and is it a challenge with getting landowners on board to really knock back those out aut numbers through hunting.
Well?
And so, uh, you got two things going on there. One is the hunting aspect of it, and uh, it's
supplemental income for for landowners. But just from a sheer number perspective, a density perspective, hunting alone is not going to reduce the numbers down the levels that aren't detrimental to the habitat or that they don't compete with our native unculates and and and so when you have twenty to thirty thousand big horns out on the landscape and only a few hundred big horns, I mean it, it's a well, it's just it's just a huge, huge challenge for us for us to overcome.
I will say that the mindset is changing.
Landowner mindset is changing, and they are recognizing that the odd dead not only uh have negative impacts on our big horns, but but also on on mule deer.
And we're looking at that.
Yeah, so we've got research looking looking into that. And so you got you know, the odd ad out competing the big horns. They're also uh you know, wreaking havoc on muleier populations and the habitat, and so landowners are are are finally realizing that, uh, too many out of that on the landscape are detrimental. So we don't want we Texas Parks and Wailave would like to see all of that gone, but realistically that's not a that's not
a realistic goal. And so we're working with landowners to lessen those densities adreakys those densities, the levels that that aren't detrimental to our native ungulates or the habitat.
What what's that kind of work look like?
Uh?
I mean, like, do you see a potential of ourdad, you know, getting knocked back to the point where there's a healthy desert big horn population again? And like what kind of human human intervention does that involve.
It's gonna it's gonna require partnerships. I mean that there's no two ways about it. It's gonna require partnerships with parks and Wildlife, with landowners, with NGOs, with the hunting community.
Uh to be able to address that.
You know that that monumental challenge, and it's not gonna happen overnight. And and it's again, it's gonna require everyone getting on that same ship and saying, Okay, we've got to do something. Uh, we've got to decrease the population all that populations, uh dramatically for for there to be changed. And and again I'm pretty optimistic. I like to consider myself an optimistic person. Uh, but I do realize I'm also a realist, and I do realize that it's not
gonna happen overnight. And so we got our work cut out for us. And when I say we, I'm not just talking Texas parks and wildlife. I'm talking landowners, NGOs, a hunting community.
You know, just everybody's gonna.
Have to get on board to be able to to move in a in a positive direction.
Great, So can you crystal ball a future for desert big Horns and say twenty years like even like if you're being super optimistic, like you, you like like what you would like to see eventually happen now?
And so my goal uh, and I'm charged with with that responsibility. But my goal, professional and personal goal is is to see the West Texas Mountains, all of the West Texas Mountains that are considered uh historical big horn range for them to be occupied by big horns, and so can we do that?
Yeah, absolutely we can.
We can do that, but again, as I mentioned, we're all gonna have to you know, kind of roll up our sleeves and get the work. We just did a capture and translocation from our only clean soares in the state, and.
That's Elephant Mountain.
Whilefe bataging area, we captured seventy seven big horns. We took them over, translocated them to the Franklin Mountains which are situated within El Paso. And and you know, we hope that that population there does well, it takes hold, it becomes you know, sustainable on its own, and then it grows and we're able to do capturing and translocations
off of their two other mountain ranges. So uh, you know, again I'm optimistic that we're able to do that, but we need to address all that densities first.
Gotcha you mentioned some n g O s Uh, what are some menos people can throw a little cash towards to help out.
You know, two of our greatest partners are the Texas Bayhorn Society and the Wildsheet Foundation. You know, we've we've you know, they've been with us through thick and thin. They've supported us, you know, financially as well as logistically. So those two organizations are you know, have been at the forefront with us, you know, trying to trying to attack.
These these issues.
But then you also have you know, in fact that was at a conference just last week and talking to some folks from uh Grand Slam Club, Ovist. We got the Texas Wileff Association, Dallas Safari Club, Houston Safari Club, any conservation organization. Uh, they lend a hand. But our two greatest partners is the Texas Big Horn Society in the Wallsheet Foundation.
Great. Okay, last question, Freulan, how did get a bad raps table fair? What's your what's your favorite way to eat those things?
Man?
I love them, I love them and and they and they do they do get a bad rap. And I think they get a bad rap because most of the animals that are harvested are are tough old rams and so as you might suspect it's it's it's probably not as tasty as as a lamber or you.
And so Corey was mentioning that, uh, you know, I heard.
That he he harvested a couple of years and they were a great taste to Manna.
I love them. I grew up on gold. I love it to me. It tastes very similar to goat.
You know you got you can do it and be yeah you can, uh you know, do some steaks, you name it. I've done some sausage that processed my own meat and so I've done some odd that sausage and that's the best eating sausage that I've had so far.
So now they're good eating out. I would like for people to try them a little more.
Maybe change that perspective or change that uh, change that attitude.
Yeah, for sure, I want to come down there and have you cook for you.
Yeah, we're gonna we're gonna hit you up for some recipes after you jump off the line.
Absolutely, yeah, from down I'll yeah, you know, y'all come down. I'll definitely burn some meat for y'all.
Well, great froul and thanks for checking in with us and and and learning us up on this. It was it was real interesting talking to you.
Yeah, man, drive safe now, you bet. Thank y'all again, appreciate what y'all do. H your interest in getting the story out. Man, it's it's awesome. Y'all do great work.
Great thanks man, have a good day, you think likewise.
Gosh, that's really interesting. I didn't realize that the odd ad rams gather big horn females.
Yeah, I think he Yeah, I mean I think he was more saying they like push like push him out, but they're real aggressive.
Well, I guess there is evidence that the will gather harems.
And then the big horn rams just can't get to them, right, Yeah.
Yeah, gotta wonder if yeah, out competing just stuff in their blood to be kind of bullies and they think they're all bad ass the bullet hits them.
Yeah, Will you guys make me want to go down there and hunt them?
Now?
It's pretty fun, but I'm a turkey hunter this time of year. And uh, next up, we've got some regional turkey hunting reports. Oh it's music to my ear. Wow, it's my favorite favorite two sounds.
In the world. Well, he's goblin.
We got uh, We're gonna check in with Giannie, Brent and Doug and get a report from those guys.
First, All right, turkey report from southern Colorado Giannis putell Us and Steven ronello. As you can see, we've got a couple of dead birds. We actually had three in the last three days. But the turkey hunting has been tough. We found him on the roost. They've gobbled good on the roost. Once they hit the ground, they've been silent. We killed two of the latest birds we've ever killed. The one fellaw that was here for the TRCP hunt killed a bird at about seven thirty seven forty and
I killed a bird almost by at eight o'clock last night. Now, Steve, anything to add to that.
No, it's been tough.
They're they're glued to the hens. You know, guys will be like, oh, they're all hand up, but glued to the hens. The turkeys we've killed, I mean to be honest with We've had to bushwhack our turks.
We've had to like hunt them like spot in stock turkey hunting.
After a lot of calling attempts, a lot of calling attempts.
I'm hunting at one of my most favorite places with some of my most favorite people. It's Missouri turkey season week two. Yesterday, first day that I got here, it rained all day. It was cold and miserable, and my hunt was cold. And miserable. But I was turkey hunting, and that beach work any day. No goblin from the roost, no goblin from the ground. They didn't even see a goblin where I was hunting.
This morning, a new day, a new hunt.
No goblin from the roost, just a little bit of wind, cloudy. You would think they had been goblin, but is luck would have it, you didn't. So it was discouraging, to say the least. But if you stick with it long enough, if you're going to be a turkey.
Hunter and you're committed to being a good one.
You gotta stay with it as long as you can.
Sometimes he is a virtue.
It's goblin time in Missouri.
Well we're hearing the report from stan what's that? What did you hear down there? You morning after?
Wow? How about before? I heard a couple of them?
Huh? Well, so fight it down is the report from southwest Wisconsin. I still think that if you're out hunting turkeys in this area, the best thing you can do is find a spot where they're likely to be wanting to move, and be patient and stay there. We certainly employ that strategy at the first part of the season. Really sitting in blinds or finding a location and finding a good tree to lean up against and stay on, but keep the running and gun into a minimum minimum.
We've done really well with that strategy. We're seven for seven. Keifer is the first one so far. It hasn't got one, but this was just the first day of it. It's April thirtieth, the first day of season, seeing Wisconsin, and that is the report from here. Be patient and stay after him.
Yeah, nice, thanks guys.
Man. I don't know about Johannis and Steve. Maybe they're not good at Collin turkeys. Everyone else is getting them.
Yeah, it was interesting while they're flaying some breasts on the tail. Yeah, but they had to earn him. It sounded like it looked like it was hot down there.
Yep, yep. I've been out a couple times here in Montana season open to fifteenth. I killed one opening day like classic, you know, gobbling on the roost, gobbling a little on the ground, and then worked on him for an hour and killed him. And then went out last week and got a couple with my boys. So it's
like it's been good here in Montana. It's I mean, it's always the thing where they gobble like crazy on the roost and slowed down for a while, And it seems like an hour after they hit the ground, the hens leave them and the goblin picks up.
So like it's it's.
Been good here. That's that's really all I can say.
Yeah, it sounds like there's been a lot of success around the office. Yeah, yeah, opening day especially.
And man, I think it's like any other kind of hunting, Like someone's hunting one spot, it's like, Eh, they're not gobbling here, And like you talk to someone who's hunting ten miles away or twenty miles away, and they're like, God, they're gobbling like crazy. They came running in. So like regionals is a regional reports good? But I like, I think it's like real important to like know what's going on on a like micro level local level too.
We went turkey hunting. I this is only a second time I've ever gone. We saw four different hens, came real close, but no.
Gobbles, no goblins, gobbles. You haven't been out you're you've just been out there.
Yeah. I like to kill a bear before I go turkey hunting, which should have one down in twenty four hours. How to buddy miss one last Friday. It's a long shot, though, make sure your dope's accurate.
There you go, there's a good.
Tip, hot tip.
All right, Phil, What do we got on the listener feedback here?
Oh yeah, just a reminder let's get some questions in for the hosts, especially if they're specific to any of the hosts. Prody Krin Corey. We had this question last week, but it's a whole different crew this week, and it's a popular question I've noticed, But the dubster is asking for those favorite turkey recipes other than standard frying. I'm guessing, like you know, I hear about nuggets all the time, and schnitzel that was the popular.
That's all.
It's like, six is different versions of frying turkeys. They're all good. Something I like to do, that's like my whole family loves is just slow cook braise those thighs and drums and wings. Like it's a pain in the ass to cut turkey wings off of those birds, but it's worth it. Like you get two wings off of a gobbler and there's like a significant chunk of meat off of those wings. So you throw all that stuff in some stock raise it for however, long. It takes
five six hours. Then you then you pull all that stuff off the bone and just make tacos out of it.
What's a flavor profile that you're normally doing that?
I mean flavors, Yeah, citrus and cumin, a lot of that. And you can fry that stuff that that that pulled meat and get a little crisp on it.
That sounds yeah. Go to the meat eater website and look for Danielle Pruetz tequila turkey tacos. That's my favorite way to eat those legs.
M This one is something I know nothing about, but Jeremy asks. He says, I've been I've recently been hunting pigs in close cords with a lever three fifty seven as anyone else had success with hunting with a pistol caliber rifle. Cheers from either Australia or Austin or Austria, We don't know. He cut off the word there.
But you know, I've never never done it. I don't see why it wouldn't work great if you were shooting them up close.
Yeah, never tried that.
I don't know.
Thank God, we don't have pigs up here yet yet.
Brandon asks Brodie what was more fun competing on Meat Eater Roast or judging on the show.
Obviously, it's like it's just way more relaxing judging, But it was fun cooking too. I don't know. I liked him both. You know, you got Steve and Jesse were a little harsh with their judging. I got thick skin. I liked him both. I'd like another crack at the cooking though.
Yeah, this is gonna be a Brodie specific question, I'm sure, but Nick asks what advice does the crew have for someone trying to get their first turkey in Pennsylvania? Definitely three years zero turkeys, he says.
I would I don't know, Like Pennsylvania is a big ass state with a lot of different kind of country. You could be hunting turkeys on a twenty acre chunk of private or you could be hunting thousands of acres of state forest. So like, I don't know, man, if I was hunting in the middle of the state where there's a lot of public land, I would kind of look at it like elk hunting out west and just like hike into some stuff that's just not getting hunted.
But I don't know if that's that's nixt situation here. If there's turkeys around and you're hunting a small chunk of private, take Doug's advice and just like, find a good spot where there's turkeys passing through and just sit there as long as you can and just call now and then, and eventually something good's gonna happen.
Cool, let's see here. Jacob asks, Hey, Corey, I was going turkey hunting this weekend and I might see a bear. I was going to carry my slug barrel too. I'm using a twenty gage. Do you think if I keep it under one hundred yards, I'm assuming I could kill a bear.
Man, I'd get even closer than that. It's a long shot with a slug fifty yards.
Yeah, just the idea of having to, like, oh there's a bear, change barrels and then all it's like that. I'm not telling him not to do it, but he's making life awful difficult.
Yeah. I've done that before. I've carried shotguns around and a bow on my back because tis the season for both turkey and bears to be on the docket for hunting.
But if you were hunting a spot where you could run bears with hounds, Yeah, there you go. That slug gun work just fine.
Yeah.
Shoot him out a tree, yeah yeah, yeah, I get tight. Man, that's a one hundred yards would be tough unless you're that confident. But I'd say get right in there and shoot him in the forehead.
McKenna is asking you, guys, what caliber you used for your on your odd ad hunt.
I had a three hundred wind mag very trustworthy caliber I've used since I was twelve.
I brought my six', five which would have been, fine but THEN i Used corey's rifle just because of the whole.
Situation, yeah it was All we were set up on this rock pile surrounded by cactus and just found like the one little body shaped size that didn't have, cactus AND i shot mine and the odd. Ad most of the Odd ad went off the, cliff but a couple stayed there And kringe jumped up onto my gun that the dope was dialed and, everything and.
Got rifle that sig cross the saw. Tooth, yep you run a suppressor on. It, yep got The so the recoil didn't bother you with that suppressor, On.
No not at. All normally recall coil doesn't bother me too much for for any kind of bigger Guns i've shot suppressed or. Not that normally doesn't bother me. Much but a six' five would have been fine, for that and probably a couple of other calibers would have been. FOR that i probably would have shot up used my three h eight too on. That hunt that would have worked.
For sure, all right we'll do one more here for, this segment and we'll move it. Along here this is the, Big. Question karinn but this is, For. You karin what is your most memorable? MOMENT outdoors i think we can narrow that down to the last six years, or so since you, working, HERE well.
I would honestly have to say bits of this recent odd. AD hunt i think because it was, so so so challenging, for me traumatizing now.
It was it was just.
Really tough at ONE point i was probably close to. Being dehydrated the the heights and the incline were pretty terrifying, for me so. Definitely memorable there was a POINT where i, was, like SO so i guess weekend buy it. ALL that, i, Said like i'm very grateful for, the Experience but i'd never do. It again and obviously that's not that's not true Now that i've come. Through it but but that hunt was was probably up there and then probably my second,
solo Meal. Deer hunt it was just very uh gratifying to take something on my own that that's always a little bit of a of a boost to know that you could be successful out there on. Your own.
That's huge and there.
You?
Go cool is?
That?
It phil we've got more, coming in, but yeah, we can we. Can tackle there's gonna be another segment at the end of, the show so don't stop submitting questions and we might tackle a few that people have. Already asked so, all right it's.
Time For Meat.
Eater menu in, that said.
What that's a?
New, one, yeah excellent excellent job again.
NEXT week i mean THAT'S when i was editing that, THIS morning i was just laughing at how that's probably my most. Dumb one it's. So stupid.
Those notes made.
Me cry, oh good, All right metior menu is when our hosts uh cook up a wild wild food dish and we're gonna share those dishes wish with you and show you, a picture and then we're gonna do something a little different. This time we're gonna we're gonna let the listeners decide who made the best, best meal which is only based on. A picture, of course you know you can't, taste it but you know the eyes are important when you're eating.
Eating foods don't nobody be licking? Their, Computer well.
I'M glad i didn't end. UP cooking I thought i may have had time.
To do why THAT'S what i wanted.
TO see i just had, a busy.
Busy, week well tell people what you were going.
To, Do okay so this, past fall a bunch of us uh with meat eater experiences Fished. In louisiana and there were we when we were, Cleaning fish STEVE and i cleaned up some some, fish head AND so i was going to look into you're, Talking, about well. There's two so we actually have we have it in our in our in. Our freezer here we have some ginormous. TUNEA head i want one. Of those but we we also cleaned up the heads of of the red fish and.
Some OTHERS so i think there were red fish HEADS that i brought HOME that i was thinking of doing some kind of grill.
Or stew there's a surprising amount of meat when you started digging around and like certain kinds.
Of fish and the cheeks and, the collar and then there's ACTUALLY like i, don't know what do you, call it, FOREHEAD meat.
I mean.
Nothing else you can make a big batch at. Seafood, stock.
Yeah and, you know for some people looking at a, fish head it does not conjure up like that REAL like i want to. Eat, you yeah, you KNOW but i mean people people cook hold. THE head i mean, For me, FOR ME i i associate looking at like fish head soup with you get in. My BELLY but i did not make THAT because i didn't. Have time and instead we are going to show some photos From the canada goose stir FRY that i made on A Recent Meat eater. Roasts episode so This Was yannie's canada Goose.
FROM arkansas i believe this is the FIRST time i had ever. Cooked goose i've never, hunted goose and this, IS probably i, don't know the Third time i've, eaten goose so not that much experience with. The bird, and uh it was a really. Beautiful breast and stir fry IS something, I mean I guess i didn't really get, creativity points but sturfries IS something i whip up. At home it's, pretty easy AND so i, used soy a little bit of OYSTER sauce i think was in. The kitchenfries do it.
Perfect for roast because you can just kind of throw it.
Together exactly you can throw any sortied sauce or, sauce combination uh for. A sturfry so how it. Turned out so one of the judges was my Dear Friend, linda huang who Is a, chinese Chef and YANNI thought i was making a stir fry, TO like i, don't know make it easy. For MYSELF but i told him it was actually going to be more Difficult because linda's standards would be. Very high so she was she. WAS surprised i was, surprised myself but she was surprised that it
turned out that it turned out as. IT did i just tried to not overcook.
The meat THAT'S what i was.
Ask challenge it, was tender and SHE had I don't i think that was the first time She's eating canada goose and she said if she, didn't know she she would have thought it was, Like, beef.
Yeah nice what's your garnish? On, that oh.
There's some scallions and, sesame seeds and then the vegetables were it was yellow pepper and. Some, mushroom yeah it.
Looks delicious tough to beat, That.
One, corey oh.
Let's see well, Wait here, I'M sorry.
I couldn't remember how many. Pictures coincidentwave.
This is here.
We go, oh, yeah man that looks good, Right now i've made a Black bear california crunch rap supreme black?
Bear burger is?
That?
Like what kind?
Of?
LIKE so i took a black bear shoulder roast and braised it, for gosh nine hours. Or so kind of forgot, about, it honestly but that was probably for.
The best the nice blaze on.
That, bear yeah from A bear i harvested. Last spring they call that a. Chevron, chevron yeah it looks like a wearing a. Good thing he had that going for him because his back was rubbed off. REALLY bad i got That late may and he had already rubbed too. Many trees, but yeah big, old bear fifteen year old black bear, meats delicious every single morsel. Of it but this was the last chunk. OF it I figured i might as well eat IT before i kill another one.
This SPRING but i tried To Copy taco Bells Crunch wrap supreme and It's the California crunch RAP because i threw some avocado.
In, there yeah explain the layering you got going.
On there, let's see it's bear a crispy, corn, tortilla, cheese avocados and some hot sauce and then you just wrap it up all pretty kind of like. A quesadilla but there's two flour tortillas all pressed and heated and warmed and melted. And gooey AND then i got a little not homemade salsa to go with, it there Ripping Off.
Taco bell you don't need. Homemade, salsa oh it was pretty easy To Outdo. Taco, bell, yeah great.
All right.
The old. Fried turkey we were talking about fried turkey just a minute ago that there is a fried. Turkey SANDWICH so i just you take a lobe or half of a turkey breast and slice that against the grain and get your cutlets and then just pound those. Things OUT then i like to soak them in buttermilk for a, little while and then, it's uh you throw like one layer of the, breading on get them in a. Dry breading then you dip them in an egg egg milk wash and then get another layer of that breading. On
THERE and i did these in my. Deep frier you can do them in a in a cast, iron pan, you know with whatever half an inch of grease in. THE bottom i did these in the. Deep, friar honestly this is how in my family we eat most of our turkey breast meat because my boys. Love it it actually stretches it out more than making just a big batch, of nuggets like we always have leftovers for extra sandwiches from one. One lobe, very simple and it's just like a solid meal that my. KIDS love i love. It
too and that's. A buffalo i think It's Like frank's buffalo wing sauce.
On there, All right i'm gonna put a pole up in the live chat. Right now who had the best meat eat or? Menu dish Was it Krins, Stir, Fry canada Goose, Stir Fry Corey's black California crunt Rap Or Brodie's Fried. Turkey sandwich and.
We're just gonna come back to.
That later how about after the interview with our, next guests we'll check.
IN there i don't know if anyone's paying attention or they're all Talking to spencer in.
The, chat, Yes yeah spencer is always lurking, in, THERE man i don't.
Like.
It okay our next Guest Is, Montana fish Wildlife And park Region Six Wildlife Manager. Scott, thompson scott, YOU there i am Mayor got welcome to, the show and thanks for chatting with. Us, today yeah.
You bet thanks for, The.
Invite scott can you tell us about your ROLE with fwp conducting aerial big game surveys In? Northeast, montana.
Yeah you.
BET so i am the regional wildlife Manager for. Region. Six uh that area is a huge northeast Corner of montana For About north dakota over to The Sweet grass hills about halfway over to. The front so my ROLE is i have the privilege of leading a team of. Wildlife biologists they get to do most of the fun work in the field in the backseat of the supercub. Counting critters in my, PREVIOUS life i did a lot of that for about FOURTEEN years i was an area biologist. As, well, so yeah.
And you guys do those aerial big game surveys like late winter? Early spring is that typically the time you're out there. Doing, that.
Yeah, it varies but that is right for most of our big game species except, for antelope which are spring or, excuse me summer surveys where we're trying to get an idea of fawn production and so we can react to changes in the population for the upcoming fall.
Right.
Away Gotcha, uh so when when these biologists are going out in, the plane uh to do to? Do account are they focused On one they're they're like each flight has the goal of doing a survey for one species or are they kind of gathering into all the information they can or what's kind of the process most?
Of them most of the surveys are designed to collect data on. One species so, for instance some of the pictures here are during winter, elk surveys And The missouri river breaks of course at high elevation in. Those photos but uh so the primary target and, Is elk but biologists do record what we would, call incidentals sightings or observations of, meal deer, you know other. Species encountered uh the, elk survey we do also a bighorn cheap survey at the, same time so that is a dual.
Purpose survey, But gotcha and what's the actual? Counting process, look like like is are they sitting up there with a clicker, or like how are they doing the? Actual counting are these are these guys just good enough they can like look at that photo right there and, be, like man that's like thirty.
Right, THERE.
Yeah i challenge you to count elk once they get past about thirty to fifty in. A. Bunch. Yeah it so there's a couple couple things that the biologists. Will do so, you know the idea is to get the animals on a side profile that that helps us not only count how, many animals but then they're. Also classifying they're looking for how many calves are in, the bunch how many bulls or bucks or in. The bunch so
oftentimes it's finding a group of animals and. Circling them if they're in a super cub, for example if they're in, a helicopter you're kind of moving with, the herd but both trying to count and trying, to classify and so it's a bit of. A process you might spend, you know five ten minutes with a group until you really get a sense of what's in. The group sometimes photography.
CAN help i was going to ask you if that plays, a role like you come back later and count from pictures that.
You're, taking, yeah, yeah yeah it's hard to get the classification data from. A photo sometimes, you can but the photo really helps. Verify that, you know it's, a snapshot you can. Count it when you have almost four hundred elk in a group and you're trying to count that and they're, all moving that's.
Pretty.
Difficult gotcha so one of the main other than getting the lowdown on how these, surveys works the main reason we wanted to talk to you Today IS montana fwp was recently forced to close hunting for bighorn Sheep in district six twenty two after a really drastic decline in cheap numbers in that unit in. Recent years how many sheep were in, that unit say ten, Years.
Ago.
Yeah so sheep numbers in that district have ranged between one hundred and fifty and three hundred animals that we observe on. The survey our population objective is about two, hundred animals so obviously it kind of varies through.
The.
Years yep so ten years ago we had over three interren animals and.
Gotchaulation things but things were looking good, back then maybe too many in.
That, unit, yeah yeah that really signaled to us to be a bit, more aggressive especially with you harvest and provide a lot of either sex or ram harvest at, the time and so we were, pretty aggressive allowing quite a few hunters access to hunting there and trying to bring it back to about two, hundred cheap which we did for a period of about five or.
Six years and so how many when you went out there to do your survey. This spring i'm sure you guys that were already aware that there was a decline, going on but this spring when you did your, aerial survey how many sheep did you guys see in. That, unit.
Yeah we were prepared for, a reduction but probably not what we saw and that was.
Five wow.
Five rams no hunters us fall had kind of had some trouble, finding cheap so we knew something was.
Going on and what is? Going on what's the main driver for the decline in? That, unit.
Well it is, Disease related uh. You know we we were able to get some samples from both hunter harvested sheep last fall an additional sample. This spring pneumonia is a driver here visible pneumonia in the lungs of several animals in some recent lab work from. Those samples, you know there's a number of bacterias and pathogens in, the herd and we've known that, for years but this is the first time. We've detected one of the key ones is michael plasma, ova pneumonia so we did detect that
in the herd for the. First time, so yeah it's it's a. Complex thing there's a lot of a lot of bugs that can affect sheep and. Respiratory health and it looks like you hit them hard in six two.
And and so the habitat there is in good shape, like that that's not playing a role at. All, here yeah.
Habitet's good, you know we see the ups and downs with drought of rights a couple of years of dry conditions and we see lamb production suppressed during those times and then they. Bounce back, but yep so no overlying habitat issues that.
We see So Like i've i've spent a little bit of time up in that part of, the STATE and i know there's, sheep nearby you know where these sheep kind of dropped off. To nothing is there a concern about the sheep and units that are adjacent to six, twenty two where these these sheep at a really. Tough, time.
Yeah. It, Did this this die off did cause us to do just a quick check on those, neighboring herds and it looks like we're not seeing the same thing. Happen, there thankfully we have a pretty. Good separation there's about forty to fifty miles between, those populations so we can expect to have minimal interchange between those populations, of sheep but it. Can happen rams do go wandering, at times but at this point we don't have any major concerns for. Those populations.
Is there any hope for recovery in six? Twenty two will those well we'll sheep from those adjacent units maybe, fill in or will you guys maybe get active and putting sheep back? In there are you just gonna like kind of see. What, HAPPENS.
Yeah a common question and. GOOD question i would say there's a lot of decision points between.
Here, and yeah what's The early.
We're probably on about step two of ten and where do we go with? This HERD and i think at this point we really need to know more about, you know where did work you know them ov it appears to be a, new strain and so learning more about what does?
That mean.
And then there are a few individuals and we've learned of a few other individual sheep that hunters and recreationists have seen. Out there so now there's a handful of, sheep left so it would be good to know what is what is their status before we take any. Additional.
Steps, gotcha well thanks a lot for talking. TO us i know this is not necessarily the happiest discussion, to have but it's important for people to know what's going on. OUT there, i mean you're talking about like a pretty pretty, well known pretty well regarded area for. Sheep hunting it's a place people, you know dream about drawing a big. Horn tag so hopefully the future's got got some bright spots in it for those sheep.
Up, there, yeah YEAH and i hope. So too, and, yeah well we'll certainly be working hard to see if we can't recover that, that heard it's still, good habitat and you know we have we have a lot of support to. Do.
That, Great, great Well, thanks scott it's been good talking, to YOU and i hope you have a, Great Day, Thanks scott thank.
You guys, All, right.
Phil who made the best food in?
THIS room i would love to let, you know let's end. This poll in third place with sixteen percent of, the vote It Was krins steer A.
Fry, yeah correct that got.
My vote that.
Look good and now in second place with thirty percent of, the vote It was brody sand which making with fifty two percent of. THE vote i feel like that's.
The Yeah taco bell. Bear point that's the way to.
EVERYBODY'S heart a little Two Am.
TACO bell i, GUESS man i.
Guess, rough well, thanks everybody just as good as.
It looked we got any other feedback to check? In With, philm, well yeah.
If you want to want to answer a few, more, Questions yeah i'm going to answer this one for ban unless current has some uh specific examples From The meat, eater PODCAST but i can't think. Of any but there might be some black bear. Hunt Recap so, ben asks is there a podcast of voted to diy over the counter black bear Hunts, in Montana like Degrees, of difficulty. ET cetera i would direct you to The wonderful Cutting the, distance podcast which is hosted by our Good, Friend jason Phelps.
And dirk, but yeah you can go through that. Whole catalog i'm not sure if he has a specific black Bear in, montana ONE but i can all guarantee if you go even further Back When remy warren was, the host you'd probably be able to find some stuff there. As well because that's. The, podcast well you're going to find some very, specific instances specific situations and how to cut. The distance it's kind of the whole thing in. That Podcast so i'll check.
That, out agreeed go back into the archives on. That one remy has multiple podcasts just related, to that Maybe not, montana Specific but western. BEAR hunting.
A lot of Questions. For krin this one's from this One's. From andreas they all have a. Similar theme how why she started working at a company Like meat eater with minimal?
Hunting experiences putting me on. The spot i'll make. This short my background is in journalism and. NEWS production i Moved to montana seven some, years ago came Upon, meat EATER and i guess the background parlayed INTO what i, Do now but the subject matter was, did not and the culinary aspect of meteor was always appealing. TO me i grew up eating all, the Things as i've stated throughout, the Years and i've loved the outdoors and just was
was open to open to what meat eater was. Was doing and and.
You'd probably never Have you have you even shot? A gun? I?
Had, yeah yeah, my dad. My dad my dad's hobby, is firearms so so indoor range Stuff, wasn't yeah but long, distance rifle all of that was new.
To Me.
Uh, AND yeah i WAS just i was just open. To It and i've loved every bit. Of it i've learned. So much i'm so grateful to all of my colleagues for. The mentorship i'm GRATEFUL that i have full FREE and i get to get outside and do this for. A living, so.
Yeah seven, years later you're just a stone cold Killer, in yeah.
FOR sure i think that's one of our most viewed look clips. On YouTube is you shooting the Hog?
In? Texas yeah, oh, GOSH oh i get all.
Over again and this Is also i'll, say too that's a Credit to Steve finding Kreng because steve actively looks was looking for people and still does look for people that are outside the kind of usual, hunting bubble like who are people that are just killers at. Their jobs who who are outside of this. Whole industry so. Good, point yeah let's. See here, Devin, asks Hey Is dan flores Is The american west an extension of the mediater podcasters or is it going to be an upcoming? Book
release looks? Really, good uh, FIRST question i would say it's it's neither an extension of the podcast or an upcoming. Book release it's going to be on its. Own feed so if you haven't checked, it out the trailer is. Up now Historian Author, dan Flores Who tot Steves Do tot randall At the University, of montana has a brand. New podcast it's all About The, american west but not sort Of like Cowboys And. Monument valley it's it's, going,
deep deep further into into. Deep, time first first people's history of the, land itself the animals that have been there and will be there and. Are there it's gonna. Be great we've we've recorded a bunch, of episodes getting cracking on them now in the first episode Launches, on tuesday the Sixth Of.
Main tuesday so everybody. Please, subscribe yeah.
Big thing it's on its. Own feed it's on its. Own feed so you're going to have to do some very minor googling or clicking of links in. Podcast descriptions we Should just. I'll link i'll make a link in the description of. This, show yeah media to radio a, lot today a link to The New Dan Floores American.
West feed and there will also be accompanying video episodes on right here on.
The, YouTube, Yeah, Yeah yeah we've got some visuals that go along with with the, Show too so check it out on YouTube. As well and it's not going to be an upcoming, book RELEASE but i will direct You To dan floores's whole bibliography that that's not the. Right, way yeah especially his his, last book which Was. Wh, catalog yeah. It's catalog check. It out very super super, nice guy. Incredibly smart it's gonna be a. Good show samantha asks Or, says phil don't skip everyone's questions. For
you mogor asked question for. The team when you're in an area with the game species that requires a lot, of glassing what do you use? Against mosquitoes the big. Mosquito question you guys have any go To, Tips man, Go ahead Cory.
A man last couple springs have been, pretty brutal bear glass and glass and for bears and trying to swap mosquitos at the. Same time i'm usually prepping my clothes with some permethron, for tics but it also works well. For mosquitoes it kind of works. For mosquitos they still will. GET you i don't have a, great tip just keep swatting them or. MOVE around, i mean.
Like in, the fall it's just like in this part of, the country it's just not. A PROBLEM but i have Hunted, in alaska like tail end of summer, early fall where mosquitos and these little things called white sox teeny little biting flies and and really like a headnet and gloves is like like you can put all the deet on in the world in that situation and they're they're still
going to get. To you, BUT yeah, I mean i know it's not practical for glassing to have a, headnet ON but i mean other than permethne and deep there's not a whole lot you.
Can, do yeah wear clothes down, works well even if it's.
Hot out you can wear, is uh as long as you're like glass and far off and it's not going to disturb, The critters like build a fire.
There you go smoke. Him out woke.
Him, out yeah that's a, good point hope for. A.
Breeze cool. Good, QUESTION well I guess, i will just because so many people are Asking if, i'm going uh turkey hunting at all this. This year nick says we'll fill tea engineer be hunting turkeys. This season he's. PRETTY serious, I have. I have i have no plans CURRENTLY because i always feel weird asking people to to take to take. Me hunting but do you KNOW what i would love, To do and because he's not in, THE room i
don't feel weird. About it and because he's also never shot a turkey yet as FAR as, I know i'd love to go Out with randall because because we are we are both. Turkey virgins there's a video, right, there boy go follow you. Two Around, so randall if, you're listening this is my weird passive way of asking you to take take me out.
Better.
LISTENING cool i thought.
That was a pretty, good. Show, guys yeah.
Super interesting before, we, GO though i got a little. LITTLE announcement i want to let people know that the paper back edition of our Number One New york, times bestseller our Kids Book, Catch crayfish Count the stars is coming out in Paperback on may, twenty seven so it's just in Time For father's day and summer vacation for.
The kids and if you're not familiar with, the book it's it's a book that's full of dozens of activities that are going to get your kids off screens and get them outside and doing cool stuff out in the.
Natural world if you.
Bought, the, hardcover great we. Appreciate it buy the, paperback too because your kid's priority destroyed. The hardcover if you haven't bought, the hardcover then get the. Paperback now it's a really. Cool book it's got a bunch of great illustrations, in it and my kids. LOVE it i don't know if your kids have gotten into, it yet if they're old enough yet, Or, not corey but it's just it's a. Great book and you can Get on amazon and pre order that thing now so it'll be at your door of the day it.
Comes, out, yeah, man winter my kid opened up the book and the first thing he saw was how to build a fish tank in? Your house ye stocking, a yeah and, uh yeah we did not go find some.
Little, perch well now is the time to.
Do that, right. Now right that was a. Winter, project, yep yep that.
Was fun, so yeah that's it for, today's. Show folks good luck to everyone that's headed out turkey hunting or bear hunting, this weekend and we'll see you.
Next.
Week, audios thanks