Today we're talking to Paul Saladino — the Carnivore MD — one of the most vocal proponents of the very in-vogue carnivore diet. Now, if you listen to this show, it’s no mystery that we at WildFed are as much plant people as we are hunters. We believe in both hunting and gathering, as well as the long tradition of human omnivory. So, you won’t hear of us giving up plants anytime soon. However, we appreciate Paul’s perspective and the work he’s done to combat the anti-meat sentiment — you could almost say “propaganda” — that has become so commonplace in the last decade or so.

In this conversation, we discuss meat and why it's so much more than just protein, Paul’s time with the Hadza in Tanzania and what he learned about their dietary preferences, and the politics of censorship and medical freedom. This is a really useful discussion, especially in a time when our fundamental, biologically appropriate foods are under constant attack by a well-intentioned, and sometimes not-so-well-intentioned, media and medical institution.

Paul is a radical. He’s a rebel. He’s a pioneer, and he’s fearlessly sharing a message that deserves to be heard. We don’t agree with all of his conclusions, but we certainly appreciate what he has to say, and we hope you do too.

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We’ve got a special edition of the podcast for you today, because our guest is none other than Avani Vitalis — Daniel's wife, teammate, and very best friend. Daniel and Avani get asked a lot how they deal with the constant threat of ticks. They live in the Northeast of the US where the tick problem is epidemic.

Should you avoid the outdoors? Should you be using permethrin or other bug sprays on your clothing or body? Should you be tucking your pants into your socks, or saturating yourself in essential oil formulas? Do you need a tick key or tweezers to remove an embedded tick? What do you do if you are bitten? What about your pets?

Well, Avani and Daniel are going to cover all of that today. Not as experts reporting on the science but rather as two individuals living at ground zero, deep in the heart of tick country. This is their experience. It’s not medical advice, rather it’s just some insight into their personal approach.

We think the biggest take away is this; if you spend time in the outdoors where ticks are endemic, you need a strategy for living with them. Yours may be different, but you’ll need one. The threat of tick borne illness is real, and the consequences are high.

They’ve chosen to live their lives with awareness but not fear, and they're about to share with you, just how they do that.

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Scott Leysath — The Sporting Chef — has been in outdoor television for 2 decades now. He joins us today to talk about a topic that’s near and dear to us — eating species that many others perceive as inedible or at least unpalatable. His show “Dead Meat” on the Outdoor Channel is about cooking the weird and wild species that most don’t consider food, or at least, that they’ve come to regard as somehow less than appetizing.

This is a fun conversation, and we think it’ll inspire you to think outside the box about potential protein sources on your landscape. And there’s some good leads in here for intrepid wild food adventurers that just might lead to your next meal. A meal that might surprise the folks around you who said “you can’t eat that”…

So, go prove them wrong — try an iguana, or a pigeon, or a raccoon, or a groundhog. Done right all four are delicious and deserve just as much respect as a deer or a dove or a duck.

In other words, it’s time to develop a sophisticated meat palate!

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We had a great time sitting down to talk with William Altman — fellow Mainer and the Director of Photography for Donnie Vincent.

As someone who’s entered into the world of hunting media, with this podcast and, of course, the WildFed TV show on Outdoor Channel, Daniel was excited to talk to William about the cinematography he’s doing in the hunting industry, helping to reshape the way hunting media looks and making it more palatable to folks who don’t hunt. But he was also excited to talk hunting in general, since William is a very accomplished and committed hunter.

So, you’re about to get a glimpse behind the scenes — to hear from the shooter behind the shooter — and also into the state of the hunting media industry, where it’s headed, and a lot more.

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It’s our honor and great pleasure to have Sam Thayer on the show. Sam is probably North America’s most well-known and respected voice in foraging today. Anyone who’s serious about foraging in the US or Canada likely has, and prizes, his three-book series in their library. Sam is an extremely well-rounded ecologist too — in possession of tremendous place-based knowledge and experience that goes well beyond just hunting and gathering. In our opinion, he’s truly one of the great ecological minds of our time.

In this interview, we discuss the way our enculturated minds — with what he calls an agrocentric worldview — have prevented us from understanding the original wild foodists, the hunting and gathering peoples of the world. In particular, the way their incredible, functional, and sophisticated ecological management strategies created food abundance on their landscape.

So, today we’ll be discussing agrocentrism. What it is, where it comes from, and how it keeps us from a truly intimate and sustainable relationship with the natural world.

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Our guest today is Eduardo Garcia. He’s a chef, hunter, angler, athlete, and a lover of the outdoors. He’s also the feature of a documentary called Charged: The Eduardo Garcia story, which we highly recommend you watch. It details a rather dramatic, unanticipated, and quite nearly fatal injury that Eduardo sustained on a backcountry hunt, and his inspiring recovery story. It’s an emotional ride that leaves you remembering what’s really important in life. Things like love, a healthy, positive outlook, friends, family, and — maybe most vital — what we give back to the world.

Today, Eduardo lives in Montana, where he’s an avid outdoorsman, fisherman, hunter, triathlete and motivational speaker, and we’re honored to have him here to share a bit of his story.

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Today’s guest is Alan Bergo — the Forager Chef, who you may remember from past episodes of this podcast and from our pigeon episode of the WildFed TV show on the Outdoor Channel. Alan is one of the most talented and intrepid chefs in the wild food world today, and he's just released a new book — The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora: Recipes and Techniques for Edible Plants from Garden, Field, and Forest.

Daniel often comments on this show that we're all descended from hunters — good ones too — or else we wouldn’t be here. But Alan is here today to remind us that we are also descended from foragers. Most likely, that’s a relationship that predates our species' hunting prowess. And unlike hunting, foraging is accessible to almost everyone. Even most cities have foraging groups, enthusiasts, and even classes happening right there in the parks around you. We can all get to know plants. And if you want to know what to do with them, have a listen to Alan. He’s certainly one of the plant pioneers of our generation. That’s why they call him the Forager Chef.

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Get ready for a great episode on wild plants and the thrill of discovery that is foraging! Ellen Zachos is the author of the new book The Forager’s Pantry as well as several other titles like The Wildcrafted Cocktail, and Backyard Foraging, 65 Familiar Plants You Didn’t Know You Could Eat. Ellen’s a wealth of knowledge on botany and foraging, but she also happens to be a great conversationalist too, which makes this a very upbeat and inspirational interview. Ellen and Daniel discuss the forager's pantry, foraging vs. gardening, Ellen's #1 tip to get started in plant identification, the plants they're both interested in finding and working with this season, and much more. You'll walk away from this conversation with a renewed sense of botanical purpose!

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Arthur Haines, a recurring guest of the WildFed Podcast and TV show, is back today, and he’s here to talk about hunter attitudes and relationships to animals and the landscape, and how that influences the non-hunting public's perception of hunting as a lifestyle. Hunting is a tremendous responsibility, especially today when such a small part of the public participates. The way we hunt, talk about hunting, write and post about it, and behave on and off of wild landscapes all influences how hunting is perceived and, therefore, how it will be — or won’t be — carried into the future world. This is part of an ongoing conversation that Arthur and Daniel have been having for a while personally, and they wanted to share some of that with you today.

In this episode, Daniel and Arthur also catch up on a lot of other topics, like their Maple syrup seasons, their recent hog hunts, Arthur's experience at Buffalo Bridge (a program that assists North American indigenous bison hunters with their processing efforts after their harvests), and the story of a Moose hunt Arthur guided last season in Maine. Enjoy!

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Well, you’ve heard the buzz... maybe on the news, maybe in your social media feed, or if you live anywhere near Brood X, you’ve no doubt heard it in the trees these last few weeks! That’s right, it’s the return of the largest brood of 17 year cicadas — Brood X — and they're out in the billions, maybe even the trillions!

Here at WildFed, we're entomophagists — meaning we eat bugs — not entomologists — meaning those who study them. After a tasty meal of 17-year-old insects, we enlisted the help of Dr. Jonathan Larson, an entomologist at the University of Kentucky to bring us — and by extension you —up to speed on the incredible, bizarre, and uniquely American phenomenon of periodical cicada emergence. Meet us at the intersection of insect science and adventure gastronomy for a fascinating episode!

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There are few things in life as important to humanity as salt. It’s been a strong force shaping historical events, and it will likely shape many future events too. At WildFed, we have a strong interest in natural salts — whole, unrefined sea salt in particular — so we were excited when Lauren and Cathy from Slack Tide in York, Maine invited us over to see how they produce their small-batch pure sea salt. Just before recording this interview, we boated from their headquarters on the York river out into the open ocean to gather some sea water and brought it back to start the salt making process. Then we sat down over a glass of Lambrusco and did a salt tasting as we recorded. Enjoy our conversation, and remember to stay salty!

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Luke Storey — host of The Life Stylist Podcast — joins us to share a "first hunt" story like you've never heard before. Luke and Daniel have been friends for over a decade, originally connecting in the health and nutrition space. Luke recently went on his first hog hunt in Texas, as part of a weekend with past podcast guest Mansal Denton of Sacred Hunting, and this interview centers around his experience. Not just any hog hunt — this hunt was book ended by ceremony, entheogenic medicine, and a particularly deep and nuanced reflection on what it means to hunt, kill, and eat your quarry. We promise — you’ve never heard someone break down their first hunting experience with so much subtlety and emotional intelligence. This episode is not to be missed!

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Mike Kimmel aka the Python Cowboy lives and works on the front lines of the Florida invasion of non-native species like pythons, iguanas, Muscovy ducks and many others. Cowboy is a great description for Mike as he's a bit of a renegade who enjoys the adrenalized rush of capturing dangerous exotic critters. He’s also a conservationist who is passionate about his role in removing these species from the landscape to give native species much-needed time to recalibrate to the biological novelty in their new world. In this episode, Mike gives us the rundown on the invasive species issue in Florida — the python invasion, in particular — and gives us a glimpse into his exciting and impactful work.

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"Humanity is more comfortable but less happy and healthy than we've ever been before," says today's podcast guest Michael Easter — author of the new book The Comfort Crisis, Embrace Discomfort To Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self. On assignment for Men’s Health Magazine, Michael went on a trip following the modern hunter and filmmaker Donnie Vincent on a hunt to the arctic. That trip changed the trajectory of Michael’s life, and led to him writing The Comfort Crisis. In this fantastic interview, he shares about the impact of this hunt, along with some really valuable takeaways, like how we can approach discomfort, how we relate to death, and how our own success can sometimes — if we aren’t careful — be our undoing. So, take this one to heart. With so many voices out there suggesting we take the easy road, sometimes we need a reminder the easy way isn’t always — if ever — the fulfilling one.

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It’s always great to catch up with friends and colleagues, especially when that friend is our returning guest Lori McCarthy of Newfoundland, Canada. Lori is one of Canada’s most celebrated wild food enthusiasts, the creator of Cod Sounds — a cultural education and culinary excursion company — the author of the upcoming book Food Culture Place and the host of a new television series called The East Coast Forager. Lori and Daniel chat about the many benefits of rural and self-sufficient living, the controversial seal hunt, Lori's very first upcoming bear hunt, stories of "the good old days" and the importance of keeping the rich cultural heritage of Newfoundland alive.

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In this episode, we chat with Danny Christensen aka the Urban Huntsman about the future of hunting and what it's like to be a hunter in Europe. Originally from Denmark, Danny launched the Urban Huntsman project while living in New York City, and is now residing in Italy — so, he has a pretty unique and comprehensive understanding of the dramatically different modern hunting systems in the United States and Europe. He shares his perspectives and experiences hunting in both places, which are fascinating and highlight how things could change here in North America if we don’t participate in and protect the incredible North American conservation model. Enjoy, and take his advice to heart!

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Doug Duren — passionate hunter, farmer, land manager and conservationist — is a national voice in the conservation movement, and in particular, in the conversation around Chronic Wasting Disease in the North American deer herd. His guiding principle is simple: It's not ours, it's just our turn. We cover a lot of ground in this interview — from the impacts of big ag on the wild game we harvest to getting new hunters access to good hunting grounds, how chronic wasting disease is changing the hunting space and what we can do about it, and, ultimately, what it really means to be stewards of the landscapes we care for during our short visit here on earth.

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We're doing something a little different this episode — Dr. Matt Dawson of the Wild Health Podcast will be interviewing Daniel! Get a behind-the-scenes look into the philosophy that informs this show as Daniel takes us back to the very beginning of his health and wellness journey. He shares about his transition from strict veganism to a natural human diet and what his diet looks like today. He also discusses one of the main pillars of what it means to be WildFed — developing meaningful relationship with species and how important this is to fostering ecological awareness and stewardship. Enjoy!

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Dr. Matt Dawson is a physician and the founder and CEO of Wild Health, a genomics-based precision medicine company. If you live a nature-immersed lifestyle, you've likely felt the physical and mental benefits of this firsthand. Matt is here to share how he integrates nature immersion into his genetic medicine practice and the scientific results he's seeing from prescribing this lifestyle to his patients. Daniel and Matt have a thoughtful discussion on bringing mindfulness and intention to what you do, why your DNA is not your destiny, and how you can improve your vitality with a personalized and nature-based approach to your health.

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Black bears are elusive and often very timid around humans. But occasionally, they aren’t. Black bears sometimes attack, and when they do, the attack is usually of a very different nature than the more common brown bear attack. When black bears attack, they’ve most often decided you are on the menu — and this requires a very different approach to how you handle an attack, and really, how you think of black bears in general. Now, it’s rare… but that said, it’s actually far more common than you think. Today's guest Carl Semencic has written a book called Encounter, which deals with just this topic. In this interview, he shares a handful of accounts that might give you a more realistic appreciation of these beautiful, powerful, and sometimes predatory animals.

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