The Reverend Hunter Podcast

Tony sits down with Jake Hanson, former church camp director and now Director of Development at Pheasants Forever. They discuss being called to ministry and philanthropy, ministry burnout, deer hunting with grandpa, putting your heart and soul into your career, pheasants as a gateway drug to upland hunting, times of discernment, three dimensions of spiritual connections to the outdoors, never having regrets for being generous, and much more.  Read more about Jake here: https://www.pheasantsforever.org/BlogLanding/Blogs/Pheasants-Forever/Jake-Hanson-promoted-to-Director-of-Development.aspx 

Tony talks with Sam Shephard, associate professor of biology at Ave Maria University and lead author of "Recreational killing of wild animals can foster environmental stewardship," recently published in Nature Sustainability. Tony and Sam discuss being from the Isle of Skye, wandering barefoot around India, fishing with indigenous people in Guyana, why the person who's catching the most fish is probably the person most embedded in the environment, how humans are deeply related to all of creation, why it's bad that we sanitize hunting, how conducting difficult outdoors tasks makes you a better steward of creation, rabbit hunting with ferrets, the practice of fly fishing, and more. Read Sam's article here: https://rdcu.be/dMB0g

Tony sits down to share some news about the Reverend Hunter Podcast, give some shout-outs, and talk about the future of the podcast. He also talks about a tough summer, full of both joys and sorrows, and updates listeners on his book, GodOfWildPlaces.com. Be sure to tune in for this very special episode.   Find Tony's new book at GodOfWildPlaces.com   https://reverendhunter.com/    

Tony chats with Oregon wildlife biologist Ben Padilla about what drives wildlife populations, failing as a high school teacher, growing up on a seminary campus, the practice and attention that comes from hunting, the power of disturbance, bugs killing caribou, climate change, the beauty of evolution, the damage of dualism, the indigenous ways of embodying nature, maintaining hope, and more.   Find Tony's new book at GodOfWildPlaces.com   https://reverendhunter.com/

Tony sits down with Evan Moffic, the "Carnivore Rabbi." They discuss Evan's journey into the carnivore lifestyle, plus antisemitism in America, political divisions, stomach issues, becoming keto, hunter-gatherers, a life full of extremes, the lion diet, cows' stomachs as filters, feeding our kids crap, eating more fat, poop, the Jewish aversion to hunting, and much more.   Find Evan on all the socials under @CarnivoreRabbi, and follow his videos here: https://www.youtube.com/@meatprayluv   Find Tony's new book at GodOfWildPlaces.com   https://reverendhunter.com/

Tony talks with Jake Lindemann, founder of Chief Upland, a hunting gear and apparel company. They talk about being an entrepreneur at 16, Wisco bow bros, being born without a left hand, wearing jeans to thread a fishing hook, Chief and Buzz, fighting anxiety and imposter syndrome, spending less time in church and more time in the woods, an epiphany moment on the roof of a houseboat, watching a coyote chase a turkey, and more.   Find out more about Jake and his gear at chiefupland.com   Find Tony's new book at GodOfWildPlaces.com   https://reverendhunter.com/

Tony sits down with Jan Dizard, retired professor of sociology at Amherst College and author of several books on hunting, including "Hunting: A Cultural History" (MIT Press, 2022). They discuss hunters at Amherst, non-utilitarian views of nature and animals, struggling R3 efforts, growing up in Duluth, hunting by two rivers, the spiritual attachment that human beings have to food, the mortal stakes of hunting, growing uneasy with killing as you age, the Rinella/Hanes/Rogan effect on hunting, de-fetishizing technology, the moral compact that the hunter has with the animal s/he is pursuing, and more.   Find Jan's latest book here: https://amzn.to/3W0SgkP   Find Tony's new book at GodOfWildPlaces.com   https://reverendhunter.com/

In this special episode, Tony reads from his new book, "The God of Wild Places," at the book launch event on April 2. He tells a harrowing story of getting caught in a storm with his kids in the boat.   Find Tony's new book at GodOfWildPlaces.com   https://reverendhunter.com/

Tony talks with Jerusalem Greer, author of "At Home in this Life," and executive director of Procter Camp and Conference Center. Topics include living on the Darby Plains, rewilding projects, something not clicking in the city, Phyllis Tickle, needing to get to the land, a theology of place, being an early mommy blogger, staring at our spiritual bellybuttons, the growth of wild churches, the hunger to be connected, zhuzhing, and more.    Find Jerusalem at GodOfWildPlaces.com   https://reverendhunter.com/

Tony sits down at PheasantFest in Sioux Falls to talk with Tim Brown, the "Bearded Uplander." Topics include having an angry gall bladder, hunting in a blizzard, released pheasants, shooting a turkey on the wing, the ethics of hunting, scoring a deer, not having a bird dog, thanking farmers with a 30-pack of Busch Light, hunting on Sundays, taking kids turkey hunting, snakes, and more.   Find Tim at https://beardeduplander.com/   And find Tony's new book at GodOfWildPlaces.com   https://reverendhunter.com/

John Dailey is a retired Marine and the author of the forthcoming book, Tough, Rugged Bastards. He talks with Tony about his parents' conversion, having a holy roller pastor dad, being scared of God, how the Marine Corps is somewhat cult-like, boot camp indoctrination, 9/11 in Darwin Australia, waiting for bad guys outside of Kandahar, a big truck full of Taliban coming across the road, the correlation between sex and killing, the crisis of masculinity, when fiction is truer than the truth.   Find out more about John, his book, and his Substack newsletters at https://www.jadailey.com/   https://reverendhunter.com/

Fisher Neal is the "Hunting Actor," and the founder of Learn to Hunt New York. Fisher talks with Tony about hunting being foundational to his identity, growing up in a church that frowned upon clapping, moving to New Jersey, the use of crossbows, how it's morally superior to use the most effective weapon available, being the most prolific hunting mentor in the U.S., the Austrian last meal, appearing on Law & Order, and much more.   Find Fisher at https://reverendhunter.com/

Tony sits down with upland hunting zealot and writer Mike Neiduski, and they discuss growing up in Worchester, Mass., writing poetry, stopping writing poetry, getting a German Wirehair Pointer, training dogs so that you can hunt year-round, letting it rip, divorce and dead dogs, growing up Catholic, writing about grief, becoming an entrepreneur, and more.   Find Mike's writing here: https://www.instagram.com/mneiduski/, and find the company he just acquired here: www.uglydoghunting.com   https://reverendhunter.com/

Tony talks with Julia Schrenkler, subject of the Franchi film, "Old Dog / New Dog," about how her dog recruited her into hunting, post-Wegman confusion, how you can't just look at puppies, watching your dog bring you a pigeon for the first time, the eyelash rule, the tailgate of death, cultivating reverence, making your own mistakes, hunting out of a VW Vanagon, the partnership of dogs, and more.   See the film here: https://youtu.be/mnwTzt4pHgQ?si=F5YHoEhDKyX7XXAN   https://reverendhunter.com/

Tony and Brandon welcome 2024 with some thoughts about what's coming up on the podcast and in their lives.https://reverendhunter.com/

Tony sits down with Tripp Fuller, author of several books and founder and host of the world's most popular theology podcast, Homebrewed Christianity. They talk about growing up as a rural Baptist preacher's kid, seeing crooked, offering a Whopper to a Jain and making her cry, the ethics of eating pork, epiphenomenology, life being more complex than we think, our complicity in suffering and death, having permission to be screwed up and working on it, polyamorous elements in the periodic table, Advent asking us to pause, the moral universe of The Lord of the Rings, and much more.Find all of Tripp's work at https://trippfuller.com/. Learn more about the Emerged project with Tripp and Tony here: https://homebrewedchristianity.lpages.co/emerged-an-oral-history-of-the-emerging-church-movement/

Tony chats with hunter, angler, and essayist Johnny Carrol Sain about Mississippi pot roast, flying with elk meat, the danger of removing ourselves from the processes of the world, the inevitability of being eaten when we die, feeling things deeply, weeping over dead deer, hunting as core to who we are, becoming intimate with the animals we kill, and more.Read Johnny's writings at https://jcarrolsain.substack.com/, read his essay "To the Bone" here: https://jcarrolsain.substack.com/p/to-the-bone, read "Death by any other name" here: https://jcarrolsain.substack.com/p/death-by-any-other-name, and watch his short film here: https://www.pbs.org/video/to-the-bone-z49ecu/https://reverendhunter.com/

Tony talks with Bob Herbst, who had a legendary career in conservation, culminating as Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Tony talks with Bob about keeping Minnesota green, denying an airport in Ham Lake, protecting Lake Superior from taconite tailings, taking a sauna with Sigurd Olson, conservation as a never-ending process, Sigurd's writing shack, Jimmy Carter tying his own flies, protecting 115 million acres in Alaska, growing up in a family of Lutheran pastors, great fishing trips, and more.https://reverendhunter.com/Brought to you by Grain Belt Premium Beer (https://www.grainbelt.com/)

Tony sits down with Aaron Hebeisen, Chapter Coordinator of IA, IL, MN, MO, and WI for Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. They discuss growing up in Mora, Minnesota, the awesomeness of Irish Setter boots, deer camp traditions, canoe hunting, elk hunting, finding God inside and outside of church, assortments of ball caps, vegetarians vs. veterinarians, hitting the pipe, and a big announcement about BHA Rendezvous coming to Minnesota!Learn more about Aaron and BHA at https://www.backcountryhunters.org/chapter_coordinator_il_ia_mn_mo_and_wi and find him on Instagram at @hey_bisonhttps://reverendhunter.com/Brought to you by Grain Belt Premium Beer (https://www.grainbelt.com/)

Tony talks with outdoorsman, writer, and marine, Russell Worth Parker, about marine vs. Marine, "might could," pulling items out of dogs' anuses, writing without a pitch letter, doing this thing that thing and the other thing, becoming a writer, the military-civilian gap, the lack of battle epiphanies, how military and clergy are similar, not understanding the misery of war, and much, much more. Find Worth at https://russellworthparker.com/, read his essays from Garden & Gun at https://gardenandgun.com/author/russell-worth-parker/, and find him on Instagram at @worth.parker and @b00kwar

Jason Micheli is a Methodist pastor, podcast host, Substacker, and author of Cancer Is Funny. He talks with Tony about living with cancer, not being able to hear animals scream, the end that will summarize the story of you, our modern cathedrals, when the science ends and the dying begins, discovering that the Bible is interesting, becoming more Christian, the war in Israel, the astonishing pristineness the BWCA, the difference between exercise and labor, and much more.Find Jason at https://jasonmicheli.substack.com/https://reverendhunter.com/Brought to you by Grain Belt Premium Beer (https://www.grainbelt.com/)

Tony's guest is Rev. Dr. Todd Littleton, a Baptist pastor in Oklahoma. Todd joined Tony on a canoe trip to the BWCA recently, and they talk about their shared experiences, paddling for the first time in 50 years, the importance of pilgrimage, lakes and trees and stillness and quiet, how hard it is to describe the BWCA, uncontrollability, finding subversive things, a long obedience in the same direction, and more.Find Todd at https://www.toddlittleton.net/, and find Rosa's book on uncontrollability here: https://amzn.to/3X7RQbfhttps://reverendhunter.com/Brought to you by Grain Belt Premium Beer (https://www.grainbelt.com/)

Jessica Carew Kraft is the author of "Why We Need to be Wild: One Woman's Quest for Ancient Answers to 21st Century Problems." Tony talks with her about watching her mother die of MS, the epiphany of a beehive, what it means for a species to be successful, the rewilding movement, living like the Pleistocene, being called by ancestral wisdom, converting to Judaism then away from it, the importance of social ties, when kids discover the wonder, how the whole idea of the world is a little absurd, Rod Carew, and more.Find Jessica at https://www.jessicacarewkraft.com/ and buy her book here: https://amzn.to/44YH35Ihttps://reverendhunter.com/Brought to you by: Caldera Lab (https://calderalab.com/REVHUNT)

Tony talks with fly fisherman and essayist, David N. McIlvaney, about growing up in a Canadian steel town, a grandfather who was conscripted into the Ukranian army, the strike of a salmon and death, picking up a flyrod at age 50, a cabin the Catskills, being peers with nature, Andy Griffith experiences, a thousand ways not to shoot a deer, how standing in a river is redemptive, and more. Read David's essay, "A More Perfect Day of Fishing" here: https://www.hatchmag.com/blog/more-perfect-day-fishing/ and find him on Instagram at @the_real_dnm.https://reverendhunter.com/Brought to you by: Caldera Lab (https://calderalab.com/REVHUNT)

Tony sits down with social psychologist Jeff Green to talk about our attachment to dogs. Discussed topics include Jeff's longstanding love of chinchillas, the co-evolution of dogs and humans, our tendency to underestimate animals, consciousness and cognition, whether dogs feel happy or sad, why we grieve when dogs die, and more.https://reverendhunter.com/

Tony talks with conservationist, hunter, angler, and author John Motoviloff about St. Seraphim, studying Heidegger, truth as disclosive, how forgetting lunch led to a life of hunting, watching ducks pitch in, recruiting new hunters, the butterfly effect, putting sturgeon before rabbit, the order of the natural world, the woods as an icon, and more. Find John's book here: https://amzn.to/41mLAN6https://reverendhunter.com/

Tyler Webster is an avid upland hunter and the host of the Birds Buds and Booze Podcast. Tyler tells Tony about growing up in Minot, how to get out of Illinois tolls, why there's a town every seven miles in North Dakota, moving the mailboxes to the other side of the road, getting cited for cutting fillets, not going to a wedding on pheasant opener, learning to hunt from his grandfather, dumb ptarmigan in Alaska, and more. Find Tyler's podcast here: https://westernwingshooter.libsyn.com/https://reverendhunter.com/

Tony sits down with Scott Fransen and Aaron Achtenberg, the host and cameraman for the episode of The Flush television show that they all filmed together in South Dakota in January. They discuss how longevity comes with authenticity, weather, soup to nuts, deciding a storyline on the fly, headlines, cussing, talking to the cameraman, the layers of a story, writing vs. editing, cranking out a lot of television, and more. Catch past episodes of The Flush here: https://www.youtube.com/TheFlushhttps://reverendhunter.com/

Tony sits down with outfitter, guide, TV host, museum curator, and novelist Jim Shockey, and they discuss the cathedral of the outdoors, travel being the death of bigotry, the true meaning of tolerance, urbanization as a false prophet, the ethics of hunting, how every day is a beautiful day, risk vs. challenge, the allure of the Yukon, the possibility of failure, mortality, death, and aging, founding a museum, writing a novel, and much more. Find Jim at jimshockey.com, and pre-order his novel here: https://amzn.to/3LzGSH3https://reverendhunter.com/

Tony talks with Randy Newberg, host of Fresh Tracks with Randy Newberg television show, the Hunt Talk Radio podcast, and an avid advocate for public land. Randy discusses growing up in Big Falls, Minnesota, grouse hunting on county roads, a childhood of freedom, being the only kid with divorced parents, the charity of time, Grandma Ethel, thanking the creatures who die so that we can live, the spirituality of the outdoors, being religious but not so observant, and much, much more. Find Randy at randynewberg.com.https://reverendhunter.com/

Captain Rick Hilliard is a fishing charter guide on the east coast of Florida, with a masters degree in theology. He and Tony discuss coming home with 51 chickens, swamp donkeys, growing up passionate about the Bible, being to the left of Fuller Seminary, being a surfing missionary, the crushing tooth at the back of a redfish's throat, gin clear water, fish waving, the last Millennial to join social media, and more. You can find Rick at https://www.darkwaterfishingcharters.com/https://reverendhunter.com/

Tony sits down with butcher Cecka Parks, owner of the Minneapolis Meat Collective. They talk about the smoking pit at YoungLife camp, studying in Cairo, works backwards from the dinner plate, biking through George Floyd Square, gun clubs, hunting deer with a muzzleloader, dreaming about butchering a dog, and more. Find Checka at https://www.mplsmeatcollective.com/

Adam Tobey is the executive director of Tall Timber Camp in Central Washington and the founder of Arcadia Guided Outdoor Education. Adam and Tony discuss Adam's strong beard game, bring a surfboard to seminary, being happy having no cell service, no such thing as a "safe place," deep learning in the wilderness, becoming more generous and hospitable, and more.Read about Arcadia here: goago.org and Tall Timber here: talltimber.org.https://reverendhunter.com/

Payton Hoegh is the founder of All Wanderers, a spiritual community in Southern California, and the Spiritual Communities Director at the Center for Spirituality in Nature. Payton and Tony discuss going from the Southern Baptist Convention to the Episcopal Church, the surprising nature in Southern California, connecting with God most profoundly on a trail in the woods, hope and freedom, guarding against spiritual abuse, appreciating John Cobb, being rooted in relational thinking, and having a sense of responsibility for creation. You can connect with Payton here: http://allwanderers.org/ and here: https://www.centerforspiritualityinnature.org/.https://reverendhunter.com/

Tony sits down with Joel Pontius, director of the graduate program at Teton Science Schools and editor of the book, Place-Based Learning for the Plate. They talk about stringers of fish on the handles of a bike, shooting does and young bucks, spending time with your first kill, stopping to pay attention to the silence, getting to know elk, learning humility from elk hunting, gathering road kill for college students, and the connections that make God happy. Find Joel's book here: https://www.springer.com/us/book/9783030428136, and read an essay of his here: https://christandcascadia.com/2022/07/28/hearts-like-this/https://reverendhunter.com/

This episode we have a special talk given by Tony at Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in Iowa. Tony talks about his own entry into hunting, our search for the numinous, and where we can find God outside of the walls of the church.https://reverendhunter.com/

Tony and Brandon respond to listeners' demands for them to return with a very special Fifth Monday episode that's not even on a Monday. They talk about superhero movies, Lethal Weapon, hunting stories, gratitude for the past year of guests, what's coming up on the podcast, how Tony finally shot some Iowa pheasants, and what they're cooking for Thanksgiving. Thanks for listening!!!Thanks to Grain Belt Premium (https://www.grainbelt.com/)

Tony talks with theologian and philosopher Tom Oord about God slamming doors shut, what the heck is a Nazarene, Campus Crusade stories, the shifting definition of holiness, church trials, hiking every week, the agency of all created beings, having more empathy for more complex creatures, which animals have consciousness, and having a model of God that works for the 21st century. Find out more about Tom and his work here: https://thomasjayoord.com/Thanks to Grain Belt Premium (https://www.grainbelt.com/)

Furman University philosophy professor Aaron Simmons returns to the podcast to discuss his newfound love of mountain biking, taking his students to "dirt church," Kant's awareness of the sublime, grasping our own finitude, faith as risk with direction, liturgical practices on the trail, the vestments of protective gear, being charitably gnarly, whether it would be fun to go camping with Kierkegaard, and much more.Find Aaron's writings, books, and contact info here: https://jaaronsimmons.wordpress.com/Thanks to Grain Belt Premium (https://www.grainbelt.com/)

Tony sits down with Randy "Miyanovich" Miyan, the executive director of the group Liberal Gun Owners. Among the topics discussed: the church of Czech weaponry, "gun culture" and "gun reality," rubbing the rhubarb the wrong way, almost becoming a Buddhist monk, patriot cons vs. purity tests, idiots vs. decent people, a dopaminergic rush, moderates in liberal clothing, what liberalism really is, having a jiujitsu mindset, and much, much more. Learn more about LGO at liberalgunowners.org

Sean "Shug" Emery returns to the podcast! Shug and Tony talk about being a YouTube star, retiring from show business, poking fun at Minnesotans, what's special about the Minnesota State Fair, moments of regard, Shug's newfound love of canoeing, eating a DQ ice cream cake, paddling solo, praying in the wilderness, and much, much more. You can see all of Shug's videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/shugemery.Thanks to Grain Belt Premium (https://www.grainbelt.com/)

Tony sits down with his hunting mentor, Douglas Whitney, and they talk about Tony's first duck hunt, being impetuous, arguing theology, the expressive heads of Labs, a dog's peak existence, deacons and seminarians, the water being a delightful medium, and how there's no place closer to God than hunting.

Wes Telyea is the founder of the Snoqualmie Rod Company, which specializes in two-handed spey casting rods. He's also a former senior pastor and a current part-time pastor. Wes and Tony discuss building handmade fly rods, the small of a woman's back, churches that need to change or die, having a bamboo dealer, kids who make noise in church, being an accidental evangelical, the rush of catching a steelhead, and much more.You can find Wes and his rods at snoqualmierodco.com.

In a joint podcast with Joey Svendsen of Pastor With No Answers, Tony talks this month with Neil Dudley, host of The Cowboy Perspective Podcast and vice president of Pederson's Natural Farms. Topics discussed include slaughtering 1,500 hogs per week, eating musk ox stomach, strangling a deer, stress toxins in dying animals, the definition of "humane," the groaning of creation, how to expect sacrifice, and more. You can find Neil at The Cowboy Perspective and Pederson's Natural Farms. And find Joey at Pastor With No Answers.

Hal Herring is an award-winning and legendary outdoors journalist and the host of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers' Podcast & Blast. In this joint podcast with Mark Norquist of Modern Carnivore, Tony, Hal, and Mark discuss the transcendent allure of hunting, climbing trees to cage pinecones, Thomas Aquinas, being on the same team as cats, carnivorism, the apocalypse, and much more. You can find Hal at https://www.halherring.com or by searching BHA Podcast and Blast. You can find Mark at https://modcarn.com and on the Modern Carnivore Podcast.

Tony chats with sociologist, professor, and gun convert David Yamane. They talk about the difference between mores and folkways, parking the wrong way on the street, studying religion while being openly religious, the secularization thesis, the sunk cost fallacy in academia, shooting a gun for the first time, Gun Culture 1.0 vs. 2.0, the uneven distribution of guns in America, being Gun Curious, and more. Find out more about David, watch his videos, and read his writings here: https://davidyamane.com/

Tony talks with Hmong-Minnesotan hunter Keng Yang about getting on The Flush television show, going from anti-hunting to pro-hunting with the help of a dog, shooting a snipe and missing a goose, favorite hunting gear, loving TikTok, shamanism and ancestors, the secret war, and the secret hunters, and more.Find Keng on all the social medias, and at https://www.minnesota-hunter.com/.

Chris Estus, aka Bonespur the Chappalachian, returns to the podcast. Having recently completed his year as the Chaplain on the Appalachian Trail, and hiking the entire trail, he tells Tony about flip, flop, and flying, slack packing, platinum blazing, having a trail family vs hiking alone, ignoring emails, ignoring bone spurs, falling down, getting up, impromptu anonymous 12-Step meetings, putting aside ego, embracing the lovefest, and concentrating on A+ relationships.

Sigrid Nielsen is a hunter, hiker, and firearms instructor — and she is also trans*, lesbian, and queer. In 2021, after 48 years of living as a male, Sigrid transitioned to living as a female. Sigrid and Tony talk about her transition, sobriety, parenting, hunting, truth, honesty, trauma, God, and much more.

Heather Heying and Bret Weinstein are evolutionary biologists and co-authors of the provocative new book, "A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century." They talk with Tony about adaptation, getting ourselves into the future, what we've lost, seeing meat as something than more than a substance, how all microscopic things are not out to get us, cryptic preservation techniques, the need for self-regulation, and how we're going to bootstrap something that fulfills the same human needs as organized religion.  Find their book here: https://amzn.to/3F6r35e. Find their podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi5N_uAqApEUIlg32QzkPlg. Find Heather here: https://heatherheying.com/. Find Bret here: https://bretweinstein.net/