Bringing Back the Wild with Mike Arnold

On this episode of Bringing Back the Wild, I sit down with my friend Shane Jahn for a wide-ranging conversation about hunting, handguns, and a life built around shooting and conservation. Shane shares how he grew up hunting whitetails in Texas, learned patience the hard way under an oak tree, and carried those lessons into a career with the U.S. Border Patrol in some of the roughest country in the Trans-Pecos.

Shane walks us throug...

In this episode of Bringing Back the Wild, Mike Arnold sits down with Dusty Vickrey, wildlife operations manager at Choctaw Hunting Lodge, to explore how passion, stewardship, and science drive one of Oklahoma’s premier hunting properties. Dusty shares how he grew up deer hunting and bowhunting whitetails before building a 17-year career in the school bus industry. A chance hunting trip and the COVID shutdown redirected his p...

In this episode of Bringing Back the Wild, I welcome conservation attorney and educator Shelby LaButte for a wide-ranging conversation on hunting, law, and education. Shelby shares how she harvested her first whitetail deer at age seven in Texas and credits her father and grandfather for shaping her passion for the outdoors. She explains why whitetails still anchor her hunting life, then recounts a recent trip to New Zealand where ...

In this episode of Bringing Back the Wild, host Mike Arnold sits down with Robbie Kroger, founder of the Origins Foundation, to trace a journey that challenges nearly every stereotype about hunters and conservationists. Robbie grew up in urban South Africa with no connection to hunting, even while wildlife shaped his worldview. A move to the United States for graduate school changed everything. Friendship, curiosity, and experience...

In this episode of Bringing Back the Wild, host Mike Arnold sits down with Seth Swerczek of Hornady to explore a life shaped by hunting, shooting, and service. Seth shares how he grew up along Nebraska’s Cedar River, learned to reload with his father, and harvested his first whitetail at age twelve. He explains how eight years in the United States Marine Corps sharpened his marksmanship and deepened his understanding of firea...

In this episode of Bringing Back the Wild, host Mike Arnold sits down with Russell Stacy, CEO of the Dallas Safari Club, for an in-depth conversation about hunting heritage, leadership, and conservation impact.

Russell shares how he grew up hunting in rural Louisiana and South Texas, learning the outdoors from his father and developing a lifelong passion for whitetails, quail, and waterfowl. He reflects on harvesting his first deer...

In this episode of Bringing Back the Wild, Mike Arnold sits down with political strategist and Dallas Safari Club Government Affairs Director, Erica Tergeson, to explore why hunters must stay engaged in Washington, D.C. Erica shares her upbringing on a Colorado ranch, where she learned to shoot a Ruger .22, hunted prairie dogs, and developed a deep respect for rural life and wildlife. She explains how that background led her to Cap...

In this episode of Bringing Back the Wild, Mike Arnold sits down with South African master taxidermist Cecil Corringham to explore a life shaped by resilience, artistry, and a deep love for wild places. Cecil shares how he grew up in an orphanage and discovered hunting during weekend trips to friends’ farms, where he learned independence, bushcraft, and respect for wildlife. A survival course under renowned conservationist Dr...

Larry Weishuhn—Mr. Whitetail—returns for our first-ever repeat guest episode, and he delivers a masterclass in deer, habitat, and conservation.

Larry takes us deep into two extraordinary hunts for the smallest whitetail subspecies in North America: the Carmen Mountain whitetail (Odocoileus virgininianus carminensis) and the Coues deer (Odocoileus virgininianus couesi). He breaks down their biology, behavior, and habitat...

At the Safari Club International Convention in Nashville, we sit down with Mark Newton, Managing Director of John Rigby & Co., for a powerful conversation about heritage, leadership, and the future of the British gun trade. Mark traces his roots back to stalking roe deer with his father in the English countryside, where hunting shaped his character and forged lifelong family bonds. Today, he pours that same intentionality into ...

In this episode of Bringing Back the Wild, host Mike Arnold sits down with Daniela Fanzoj of the historic Johann Fanzoj in Ferlach, Austria. Daniela shares how she grew up surrounded by mountains, hunters, and a 300-year family legacy rooted in a 500-year gunmaking tradition. She recounts taking over leadership after her father fell ill and describes how she and her brother transformed the company into an elite, niche manufacturer ...

In this episode of Bringing Back the Wild, Mike Arnold sits down with his longtime friend Joe Croot, a professional gamekeeper, outfitter, and founder of Royal Outfitters UK. Joe shares how his grandfather introduced him to hunting, land stewardship, and harvesting food from the wild, setting him on a lifelong path outdoors.

Joe explains how strict firearms laws in England shaped his early hunting career and pushed him toward rifle...

In this episode, Mike sits down with Dan Cabela, one of today’s most influential voices in hunting-led conservation. Dan shares the origin story of Hard Truths of Conservation and explains how a conversation around a campfire in Mozambique sparked a television project that now reaches global audiences. What began as documentation of lion reintroductions evolved into a cinematic series carried by History Channel and now Discov...

In this episode of Bringing Back the Wild, Governor Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota joins the conversation at the Dallas Safari Club to talk hunting, conservation, and the real-world intersection of land use, agriculture, and public policy. Governor Armstrong shares how his upbringing in western North Dakota shaped his lifelong passion for bowhunting, bird dogs, and wild places, while teaching patience, humility, and respect for th...

While visiting College of Coastal Georgia to give a seminar, Dr. Mike Arnold sat down with Tim Lowe and Duane Harris—the two visionaries behind an innovative speaker series within the college’s Environmental Sciences program.

Their shared goal was both bold and intentional: to bring forward voices willing to discuss the often-misunderstood importance of consumptive sports, including hunting and fishing,...

In this episode of Bringing Back the Wild, host Mike Arnold talks with longtime friend and professional hunter Mark Haldane about one of Africa’s most remarkable conservation success stories—Coutada 11 in Mozambique.

Haldane traces his path from a free-roaming childhood in South Africa to nearly four decades in the safari industry, culminating in his work restoring a war-ravaged landscape. When he first entered Coutada ...

In this engaging and wide-ranging conversation, Mike sits down with Diana Rupp, Editor-in-Chief of Sports Afield, for a fun, thoughtful, and insightful discussion.

From stories of Diana as an eight-year-old helping her parents field-dress deer, to her professional journey in outdoor media, the episode traces how a lifelong hunting heritage shaped her worldview.

The conversation goes deeper into Diana’s unders...