Hunting Fatherhood
Brandan Scully
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A celebration of fatherhood explored through interviews with people who are passionate about hunting and fishing.
Available episodes
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Apr 27, 2022
028 - Jessica Hortman
Jessica Hortman is a bowhunter, a wife, and a mom to two boys. She used the COVID pandemic to transition out of a job in Graphic Design and into her longtime passion: taxidermy.
We talk about the roles her father and uncle played in bringing her up in the outdoors and encouraging her art. We also talk about her family's hunting culture, the evolving relationship she has with her dad, and the benefits of strong mentors.
Check out her personal and studio pages on instagram!
Intro Music:
Shot Down by Josh Woodward
Outro Music:
Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw
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Apr 13, 2022
027 - Michael Bullock
Michael Bullock is an adult onset hunter that lives in Montana. He got his start hunting behind a bird dog. In this episode Micael shares the stories of 3 big milestones his daughter experienced in 2021 oh her hunting journey. We also discuss how to get and keep kids interested in hunting and the outdoors, and the importance of meeting your children where they are.
Intro Music:
Shot Down by Josh Woodward
Outro Music:
Back to the Woods by Jason ShawSupport the show
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Feb 16, 2022
026 - Tom Reed
Tom Reed learned enough about ducks and duck hunting from his dad to go into business trading duck decoys. Both men were chasing their passion for waterfowling on Maryland's eastern shore in 1975. An unfortunate series of events during wintery conditions resulted in a close call. Tom recalls the experience nearly 50 years later like it happened yesterday. It's a powerful story.
Whether it's persevering in the face of challenge, cherishing your loved ones, avoiding complacency, or dedicating yourself to your craft, there's a lot to take away from this episode.
Intro Music:
Shot Down by Josh Woodward
Outro Music:
Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw Support the show
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Feb 9, 2022
025 - Larry Chandler
Larry Chandler is an upland bird hunter from Tuscaloosa, AL. He got into hunting because of his dad, though he says it wasn't much fun.
He in turn has raised his son to enjoy hunting, and recently got his son-in-law into bird hunting.
Larry opens up about the the challenges we face as fathers that result from the lessons our fathers teach us. He also shares the work he's doing to improve as a dad and how hunting has helped him bond with his son.
Intro Music:
Shot Down by Josh Woodward
Outro Music:
Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw Support the show
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Feb 2, 2022
024 - Dale Threatt-Taylor
I talk with Dale Threatt-Taylor, executive director of The Nature Conservancy's South Carolina Chapter. Despite growing up on the family farm in North Carolina, she only recently developed a full blown fishing addiction.
We talk about what makes a good mentor, introducing children to a conservation ethic, and making space in the outdoors for people who are different from ourselves. And fishing. We talk about fishing.
Intro Music:
Shot Down by Josh Woodward
Outro Music:
Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw Support the show
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Jan 26, 2022
023 - Chris Milligan
Chris Milligan was raised by his stepfather and connected with his father and stepfather through fishing. When Chris was 40, his father taught him how to hunt elk. Chris now connects with his son through hunting after many years deployed during a career with the Marines.
We talk about navigating the relationships of divorced parents and the benefits of two strong father figures along with Chris's work with Combat Warriors.
Intro Music:
Shot Down by Josh Woodward
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Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw Support the show
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Jan 5, 2022
022 - Russell Worth Parker
Russell Worth Parker grew up hunting and fishing with his dad and his uncle. He took a break from hunting for 3 decades while he served as a US Marine. Now retired from active duty, Worth has taken up writing. He reflects deeply on the how the culture of hunting affects those who participate. Don't miss our discussion on his work and how he's bringing up his daughter in the outdoors.
Intro Music:
Shot Down by Josh Woodward
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Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw Support the show
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Dec 22, 2021
021 - Clint Lozier
Clint Lozier is a Marine Corps veteran and a flight mechanic on a firefighting helicopter. If that's not cool enough, he shares a great story about inheriting his grand dad's shotgun from the uncle who got him started hunting.
We also talk about how his mom supported his hunting habit while his dad was deployed and his experience getting his son out in the field.
Intro Music:
Shot Down by Josh Woodward
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Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw Support the show
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Nov 3, 2021
020 - Andy Ruszkiewicz, BHA Armed Forces
I interviewed Andy Ruszkiewicz of @bha_armedforces and Army Special Operations for the podcast this week.
Andy comes from a storied lineage in military lore. He grew up hunting and fishing in Wisconsin with his dad, uncles, and grandparents.
We discuss the two types of Wisconsin deer hunters, reconnecting with his family between deployments, and the interests of young kids.
We also touch on how his work with BHA connects service members to the outdoors, work outdoor favorite Black Rifle Coffee Company is doing to give back, and the Accelerating Veteran's Recovery Outdoors Act.
Intro Music:
Shot Down by Josh Woodward
Outro Music:
Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw Support the show
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Oct 20, 2021
0019 - Logan Webster, Camorretro
nterview Logan Webster, founder of Camoretro, the online marketplace for outdoor enthusiasts. He started the company not as a marketplace, but as a passion project reviewing vintage outdoor gear from his and his father's closets. After listening to his audience, he grew it into a successful business that increases hunter access to quality gear and brings people with a passion for the outdoors together.
Logan shares some stories about his early days hunting with his father and the important role his uncles played in his evolution as a hunter. We also talk about vintage gear, starting a business as an underdog, and finding ways to pay it forward in the hunting community. Plus, he invented his own dad joke.
Intro Music:
Shot Down by Josh Woodward
Outro Music:
Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw Support the show
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Oct 6, 2021
018 - Bradley Soule
Bradley Soule spent 20 years in fisheries enforcement working for the Coast Guard, INTERPOL, and a non-profit he cofounded called Ocean Mind. Along the way he's faced the challenges of stress and burnout head on and did the hard work of exploring his relationship with his father.
We talk about his mom's support of his interest in fish, taking the scenic route into a fisheries career, and the value of emotionally rich relationships.
Intro Music:
Shot Down by Josh Woodward
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Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw Support the show
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Sep 22, 2021
017 - Mandy Henderson
Mandy Henderson is a cardiac nurse by trade. She deals with the stress of life and nursing through fishing, and posts a lot of fishing pictures on her @onefishynurse instagram account. Also dad jokes!
She also writes for Coastal Angler Magazine which I think makes her a local fishing celebrity here in Charleston. I reached out to hear what she digs about fishing.
We had a great chat and covered some heavy topics. Among them were coping with death, dying, and divorce.
Intro Music:
Shot Down by Josh Woodward
Outro Music:
Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw Support the show
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Sep 8, 2021
016 - Joe Moran, Retired
For nearly 40 years, Joe Moran has played a role in some manner or another in the lives of boy scouts, fishing enthusiasts, and his family. These days, he's spending his time up in the Shenandoah Valley.
He recently celebrated his retirement in March of 2021 at a shad fishing tournament he had a hand ushering into prosperity 6 years earlier. I'm about to go hunt at a veteran's dove shoot that he also played a part in establishing. Public land managers might learn a thing or two from this episode.
Joe shares his ideas on what it takes to be a good steward of our natural resources, and the high honor of stewarding young minds. We talk about counting fish, sharing tools with his son, and spoiling his granddaughter.
Oh and because I said I would, here's a link to the Shadcam at the St. Stephen Fish Lift managed by the Army Corps of Engineers and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
Intro Music:
Shot Down by Josh Woodward
Outro Music:
Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw Supp…
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Sep 1, 2021
015 - Crystal Jackson, a.k.a. The Real Mrs. Poindexter
Before Crystal Jackson found success as an Only Fans model, she was a married mom of 3 boys working as an executive in California's tech scene. Thanks to a "concerned parent", Crystal found herself in national headlines when her modeling career spilled over into real life. Ultimately her kids were expelled from private Catholic school.
But before all that, Crystal grew up hunting in the desert with her father.
Of course I wanted to hear about her journey as a huntress. But I also wanted to hear about how she dealt with this school drama and what she had to say about how her choices impacted her kids.
We talk about hunting as part of her native roots, keeping marriage interesting, managing life's difficulties and messaging them to children.
I was reminded during this episode that social media is... media. It's one side of a story, curated to appeal to a certain audience. For better or for worse, it will remain a real influence on our day to day in 2021 and beyond.
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Aug 25, 2021
014 - Fisher Neal, Learn to Hunt NYC
I learned about Fisher Neal through Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. He grew up hunting with his dad and brothers. Then he took up acting.
Along the way, he started a guide service dedicated to teaching people how to hunt. And he does that from northern New Jersey on public land within 70 miles of Manhattan.
We talk about how to start a guiding business, the barriers that keep the hunt-curious from getting started, eating squirrel for the first time, and more on this episode of Hunting Fatherhood!
Check out Learn to Hunt NYC if you want to see what it takes to start a guiding business, and definitely get in touch with him if you're in the New York City area and thinking about learning to hunt.
Intro Music:
Shot Down by Josh Woodward
Outro Music:
Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw Support the show
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Aug 18, 2021
013 - Lily Raff McCaulou
When I began hunting, I also began journaling as a way of working through all the emotions that bubbled up along the way. I started crafting a memoir to recount my experience. I even thought I was doing well until I picked up Call of the Mild: Learning to Hunt My Own Dinner.
In it, Lily Raff McCaulou explains how she left an exciting job in New York City, moved out west, and started hunting as an adult. Our life experiences are very different, but I was reading a much better version of the book I wanted to write. When I saw she had beaten me to the punch on references to the Oregon Trail as an introduction to hunting by a solid 5 years, I knew it was time to go back to the drawing board.
Lily is a better writer than me by far. I am thankful for that because she challenged me to be more introspective in my story telling. Naturally I figured we could all learn from her and was thrilled when she agreed to let me interview her for Hunting Fatherhood.
We talk all about a growth mindse…
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Aug 11, 2021
012 - Kirk & Evan Allen
Kirk and Evan Allen are a father son duo that like to hunt upland birds. Evan is in the Air Force, but spent his last tour close to home and his dad. We talk about how they've evolved independently as hunters and how they've grown together as friends through their passion for hunting.
This episode almost didn't happen, but I'm so very glad it did. Listen to find out why!
Intro Music:
Shot Down by Josh Woodward
Outro Music:
Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw Support the show
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Aug 4, 2021
011 - Sam Alvarez
I saw a social media Sam made requesting folks share pictures of them hunting with their dads. More than 100 photos later, I knew that this crazy project might have legs, and that I had to talk to Sam.
He's got a great story. After seeing some pretty traumatic things growing up in a rough neighborhood, Sam's father used hunting as a means to shelter his children. Sam has grown asa a hunter and a man since then, and he's raising a family of his own now. We talk all about finding strong friendships through hunting, acting as a father figure when you don't have to, relying on family through life's challenges and more on this episode.
Intro Music:
Shot Down by Josh Woodward
Outro Music:
Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw Support the show
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Jul 28, 2021
010 - Commander Andy Clayton, Rescue Pilot
Commander Andy Clayton is a rescue helicopter pilot in the US Coast Guard.
He talks about flying rescue missions in Alaska and what it takes to stay safe while hunting in the backcountry. We talk about his motivation for hunting and flying, and what it's like raising girls while moving all over the US to serve his country.
Intro Music:
Shot Down by Josh Woodward
Outro Music:
Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw Support the show
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Jul 21, 2021
009 - Travis Warren, Upchukar Podcast
Travis Warren likes hunting Chukar so much he started a podcast about it!
He's a father, a husband, and an adult onset hunter out of Reno, NV. He shares why he got started hunting and how he progressed to a Chukar fanatic. We also talk about how he's introducing hunting to his girls, the motivation for making hunting buddies, and the clarity of mind that hunting brings.
Learn even more about Travis and Chukar hunting at Upchukar.com.
Intro Music:
Shot Down by Josh Woodward
Outro Music:
Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw Support the show
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Jul 14, 2021
008 - Heath Seiner, Hunt R.E.D.I.
Heath Seiner took a leap of faith to start Hunt R.E.D.I. with his partner Jerrod Stewart. Part of that decision was based on the idea that not starting the company would be hypocritical to the advice he gives his daughters about chasing their dreams.
We talk about him learning to hunt with his great grandmother, stewarding her hunting tradition across 5 generations, and the artifacts of his family's hunting activities. We also dig into what it's like starting a business in the middle of a pandemic.
We reference two articles from the Hunt R.E.D.I. blog on the show:
The Ties That Bind
Pursue Your Legacy
Intro Music:
Shot Down by Josh Woodward
Outro Music:
Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw Support the show
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Jul 7, 2021
007 - Casey Davidson, Oyster Champion
Casey can trace his heritage back 17 generations to the lowcountry between Savannah and Charleston. He channeled his passion for fishing and conservation ethic into a successful company.
Toadfish Outfitters makes thoughtful implements for everyday living inspired by his sense of place. The company gives back to the cause of oyster habitat improvement because Oysters are critical for water quality, which keeps fish populations healthy.
We talk about raising kids with a sense of awe for the natural things around us, innovating in a crowded market, and making responsible choices for environmental stewardship.
Intro Music:
Shot Down by Josh Woodward
Outro Music:
Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw Support the show
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Jun 30, 2021
006 - Ian McNair, Duck Decoy Carver
I talk with Ian McNair about settling down after 7 years of world traveling to raise girls and practice his craft on the eastern shore of Virginia. Ian learned to carve duck decoys from his father, Mark McNair and now carries on the tradition. Now he carves ducks professionally, and is a co-founder of High'N'Dry Outdoors, which make industrial grade waders for outdoorsmen and aquaculturalists.
Intro Music:
Shot Down by Josh Woodward
Outro Music:
Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw Support the show
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Jun 23, 2021
005 - Ben Ross, Feather Artisan
Ben Ross learned to love turkey hunting from his dad. Naturally, when Ben was looking for the perfect groomsmen's gift, he turned to turkey feathers. This led to the launch of Brackish and its endless stream of feather-adorned accessories for men and women "inspired by Mother Nature's paintbrush". We talk about his questionable fashion choices, the importance of friends and family, and helping out when you can.
Intro Music:
Shot Down by Josh Woodward
Outro Music:
Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw Support the show
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May 25, 2021
004 - Dr. Travis Hayes Folk, Cartographer
Dr. Travis Hayes Folk grew up around his father's land business, where he developed a love of maps and hunting. Now a wildlife biologist, Travis is also the founder of New World Cartography. His company hand draws maps in a traditional style for discerning clients.
We talk about raising children in the same woods he grew up in, and the cultural and environmental importance of managing rice impoundments in South Carolina.
Intro Music:
Shot Down by Josh Woodward
Outro Music:
Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw Support the show
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May 25, 2021
002 - Casual Crabbing with Tia Clark
After two decades in food & bev., Tia took up crabbing and reluctantly launched a career as a crabbing guide in Charleston, SC. She's been recognized as one of Air BnB's top experience hosts, and runs her own guide service: Casual Crabbing with Tia
We talk about how crabbing has transformed her life, the new perspectives she has about her hometown, and the joy she gets to share with others.
Intro Music:
Shot Down by Josh Woodward
Outro Music:
Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw Support the show
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May 25, 2021
003 - Ryan Kirby, Wildlife Painter
Ryan Kirby is a prominent wildlife painter who works with conservation organizations like the National Wild Turkey Federation, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and the National Deer Association. His art has raised over $1M for conservation.
We talk about growing up on a farm, finding his talent, and raising the next generation. Check out his artwork at Ryan Kirby Art.
Intro Music:
Shot Down by Josh Woodward
Outro Music:
Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw Support the show
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May 25, 2021
001 - Reverend Commander Tom Warren
In the debut episode of the Hunting Fatherhood Podcast, I interview a longtime friend, Rev. Cdr. Tom Warren.
Tom and I met at the US Coast Guard Academy in 1999. He invited me to join his family dove hunt for 17 years running before I agreed. My first ever hunt was 2 months before I became a dad. The experience made me realize that something was missing from my life, and hunting was part of the answer.
We talk about how he got started hunting, what hunting means to him, and me and his son sharing our first hunt with his dad's last.
Intro Music:
Shot Down by Josh Woodward
Outro Music:
Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw Support the show
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