You’re listening to Shootin’ the Bull — a podcast by Idaho Department of Fish and Game. From fish squeezers to deer muggers and everyone in between, these are the conversations with the men and women of Idaho Fish and Game.

Host Connor Jay Liess (Public Information Specialist) sits down with Tom Talley (IDFG Staff Engineer) and David Bernasconi (Regional Wildlife Biologist - Southwest Region) to learn about patterns and behaviors of big game animals and how to hunt them from the perspective of someone who studies them for a living. Does being a wildlife biologist make you a better hunter or does being a hunter make you a better wildlife biologist?

Other Topics: Crawfish boil etiquette; crawdads vs. mud bugs; is prematurely asking for someone’s InReach number inappropriate?; David Bernasconi’s “handshake of approval”; meat wagons; the history of opossums in Idaho; opossum vs. possum; the popcorn of the food chain; what a wildlife biologist looks for when hunting; why animals heal faster than humans; tracking big game throughout the year; Ride or Die 39er; when your prime hunting spot has “no game”; a year in the life of an ungulate; surfing the green wave; is the mule deer rut getting later?; why herds behave differently; Boise River vs. Owyhee migration patterns and geography; the right way to contact your local biologist; learning from hunting failures; are engineers good hikers?; know your hunting spot; not getting shot in the face; finding another hunter’s used underwear; learning the vocabulary; how to be a well-rounded outdoorsman; scraping wolf turds; tick exodus; and more.

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Have a question or topic suggestion? Drop us a line at [email protected].

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