Ep. 55: Conservation Musings with Brandon Butler

About this episode

Brandon Butler joins Jesse Deubel to discuss various conservation issues and the origins of the Ahi Va Podcast.

For this 55th episode of the show, it seemed appropriate to bring on the man responsible for starting the Ahi Va Podcast. In February of 2021 Brandon Butler was in New Mexico hunting over-the-counter barbary sheep with NMWF's executive director Jesse Deubel. As the two men drove to and from hunting spots they intermittently listened to a variety of hunting/conservation podcasts. As the owner of Driftwood Outdoors, Brandon was no stranger to podcasting. In fact, following a successful hunt Brandon and Jesse actually recorded an episode of the Driftwood Outdoors Podcast.If you're interested in listening to that episode it's episode #78: The Man in the Arena: Jesse Deubel. After recording the show, Brandon suggested that the New Mexico Wildlife Federation should have its own podcast and Jesse should be the host. After some reluctance, Jesse agreed and the show was born. The New Mexico Wildlife Federation owes a huge debt of gratitude to the Driftwood Outdoors team, specifically Nathan "Shags" McLeod and Brandon Butler for professionally producing the show each month. We've featured some interesting topics and spoken with some incredible people. We're happy that Brandon Butler's name…

People in this episode

Host: Jesse Deubel

Guest: Brandon Butler

Topics covered

• conservation
• hunting
• chronic wasting disease
• PFAS-forever chemicals
• corner crossing
• podcasting

Keywords

• conservation
• hunting
• podcast
• Brandon Butler
• Jesse Deubel
• chronic wasting disease
• PFAS
• corner crossing

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: New Mexico Wildlife Federation, Driftwood Outdoors

Books & works: Driftwood Outdoors Podcast, The Man in the Arena: Jesse Deubel

Places: New Mexico

More episodes of Ahi Va

• Ep. 60: Where Policy and Tradition Intersect with Nate Serlin · June 1, 2026 · 1h 6m
• Ep. 59: Misogi Challenge with Kenan Jackson · May 1, 2026 · 2h 4m
• Ep. 58: Andy Films and Hikes · April 1, 2026 · 1h 3m
• Ep. 57: NOT FOR SALE: A Conversation on Conservation with Senator Heinrich · February 15, 2026 · 1h 9m
• Ep. 56: Keeping NM Wild · February 1, 2026 · 1h 6m
• Ep. 54: A Shooting Range for Everyone · October 1, 2025 · 1h 21m