Alberta Wildlife Stories

AWS is back with returning guest Kyle Short. In this episode, Kyle shares his story of finally achieving his goal of taking an infamous Big Horn Sheep after 13 years chasing them through our backcountry. We also caught up with events from the last year since the last AWS episode & touched on faith and perservearing through life both in and out of hunting. It is truly always a pleasure to catch up with Kyle both on and off the pod. Look forward to having him back! #albertawildlifestories

It was awesome to have the guys from Apex Predator Hunting Co on the podcast. Steven, Trevor, and Joe got into detail about how they started hunting and what led them to experiencing some of the unforgettable encounters they share in this episode. Trevor tells us a few unique stories from being out with his kids to an unexpected white tail harvest. Steven and Joe go into detail about Stevens gorgeous blonde bear, & Joe talks about a picture perfect elk hunt. Be sure to check out @apexpredatorhunting.co on instagram and youtube to see more pictures and videos from their time in the backcountry. I can't wait to have the boys back on the pod to hear more as they truly have a ton of hilarious, exciting, and once in a lifetime stories.

It was a pleasure to have Dr. Lee Foote on the podcast. Lee has spent his life working in the outdoors and teaching as a professor of Conservation Biology at the University of Alberta. Dr. Foote was the director behind the UofA botanical gardens and has been on the board for the Alberta Conservation Association for over 18 years. In this conversation Lee talks about growing up in the south and how his life and career brought him to hunting, fishing, and educating here in the north. Interwoven through the chat Lee shares many meaningful memories and stories that are loaded with knowledge and appreciation for our wild world. I look forward to having Dr. Foote back to dive deeper into many of the topics we covered.

Luke & Aaron kick off the spring 2024 Bear Camp Podcast series with a preparation episode. In this episode we talk about how the Bear Camp Podcast series idea originated back in August 2023. They go into detail about learning about baiting, getting out and setting up bait sets, and the crew and everyone involved in this year's spring camp! We discuss our personal hunting goals for this trip and what we will be using to hopefully take our first black bears! We could not be more stoked to get out over the May long weekend and we look forward to episodes with everyone at camp! Stay tuned for more episodes in the series that will be sure to be filled with excitement, raw emotion, and everything that makes hunting black bears in Alberta so great!

Our conversation with Hutley Sheppard truly left us speechless. In this episode Hutley goes into detail about the AHA Shed Hunters Foundation. He speaks about who they help, the amazing things they contribute to those in need, and how you and other members of the community play a vital role in changing people's lives through the organization. Hutleys personal story shines through as he speaks about the motivation behind starting AHA. Just when we thought the conversation couldn't get any better he hit us with his recent wild boar harvest and how he escaped being charged multiple times while out with his son. Hutley further blew our minds with his 2023 elk story and then continued to tell us about a year in which his success was unmatched. Buckle up because this one will leave you jaw dropped and tearing up! We ask that everyone please take the time to check out the AHA Shed Hunters Foundation on Facebook and consider how you can help those in need.

It is always a pleasure to catch up with Spencer Miller! Spencer first hopped on the podcast back in episode #7 where he shared the story of his brother and him taking a black bear & Spencer's first solo archery bull elk hunt. In this episode Spencer shares his unique 2023/24 successes that started with a velvet mule deer during opening weekend of bow season and ended in the deep freeze of the late cow elk season. The stories and contrasts from both hunts are a great example of everything you can experience while hunting Alberta and the variety of skills one needs to be able to find success throughout the year. Looking forward to what Spencer gets into next and hearing from the man again! Be sure to give him a follow to get inspired @spencermilla25

It was an honor to have Ed Tetley on the podcast! Ed is an Albertan resident that has bought tags and held a hunting license here for the past 41 years. In this episode, Ed shares his upbringing in a large family, getting into hunting, skiing in the Olympics, and passing on all of life's most important lessons to his children and grandchildren. He went into detail about his success bowhunting, his first ever harvest, and what he lives for in the outdoors today. It feels like we only scratched the surface of all of the knowledge and stories Ed has and we can't wait to talk to him again!

Ever wonder what it took to start @wild_tv ?? In this episode, Ryan Kohler, co-founder and president of Wild TV, goes into all the amazing details of how the network came to be. From its first time being plugged into the broadcasting networks to creating the WildTV+ streaming platform, we covered it all! Ryan also shares stories from his upbringing in Alberta and what created the desire to launch Wild TV as Canada's first nationwide hunting, fishing, and outdoor network. During the conversation, Ryan also shared 2 unforgettable stories that include a once and a lifetime Caribou hunt and a near death experience on the side of a mountain! We also talked about the Bowzone Live series, hunting the Edmonton bow zone and his work on his "How To Hunt" show. It was an absolute pleasure to chat with Ryan, and I learned a ton from him. I already can't wait to talk to him again! If you want to see more from the stories shared or more amazing content from Canadians and outdoors men and women from around the world, be sure to download and subscribe to the WildTV+ streaming app! The app is incredibly well laid out and customizable to make it easy to find exactly what you're after!

🚨 ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨 We are stoked to bring you the Alberta Wildlife Stories Website and the launch of the E-Magazine & Audio Magazine!! We would like to give a BIG THANKS to all writers and advertisers that contributed to the first issue of the magazine as well as all listeners and supporters of A.W.S. We hope you enjoy everything we have coming to the website! www.albertawildlifestories.com

I was stoked to have Justin Mathieson ( @rackncast ) on the pod & in this episode, he shared some unforgettable stories. If you don't already know this local Albertan, Justin is an avid hunter, angler, shed hunter, and outdoorsman. We talked about his love for shed hunting, being charged by a grizzly, and taking 2 sparring bucks with his father. Justin has been going through some health related difficulties that people would never know about as his personal strength and outlook on life are far better than many. His attributes contribute to his well-rounded perspective of life and the outdoors. All of his achievements may make him look like he's lucky. However, those who know him know every piece of his success is earned through dedication and miles put on in the field. I always look forward to catching up with him and am already stoked to have him back again. To see & hear more about Justin be sure to check out @rackncast Also be sure to check out @grizztargetsarchery @slayercalls @canddarchery @precision_edge_taxidermy

I was stoked to have Zack on and hear about his life both on the rink and in the outdoors! We talked about Zacks hockey career from being born in Calgary Alberta to present, including his time in the NHL playing for The Vegas Golden Knights, multiple AHL teams, WHL, & currently playing in the Europen league "Liiga" for Vaasan Sport in Finland. Zack also runs Hayz Outdoors and provides the outdoor community with exceptional writing and apparel stemming from his love for hunting, fishing, and conservation. During the conversation, Zack told his most memorable hockey and hunting stories and shared what his experience of both has been like in Europe. We also touched on topics including the Great Grizzly Debate and the recent eradication of the invasive Fallow deer from Sidney Island. This conversation is jam-packed as Zack does an incredible job of relating the 2 worlds of hockey and hunting, and I already can't wait to have him back on and hear more. To see more of Zacks great content, be sure to check out www.zackhayes.com , @hayesie24 , & @Hayzoutdoors)

Alex returns to the podcast after joing me in Ep#2! I always look forward to talking and catching up with Alex. He is always down to share stories, help a guy out, and talk about the passion for the outdoors. He had a great 2023 season, and in this episode, we went over all of the highlights! He went into detail about some of his most unique moments, including a Sandhill Crane, a unicorn of a Snowgoose banded in Alaska, hunter hosting the @slayercalls crew, his opening day buck, and the buck his daughter took very shortly after. Alex's stories and the moments he shared make for a perfect season! Alex is headed north on an endeavor for Bison this week, and with everything he has lined up after, I already can't wait to talk to him again!