CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 2:12
Backcountry elk return: documenting a brutal month in Colorado
Joe welcomes Adam Greentree back after several years, and Adam recaps returning to the U.S. for another long backcountry elk hunt after COVID interruptions. He talks about trying to document the trip while staying present, and an early mishap where he nearly wrecked his legs on deadfall in the dark.
- 2:12 – 4:51
Why elk hunting felt harder this year: winter kill, crowding, and wolf policy
They dig into why the Colorado OTC experience was unusually difficult: winter kill, compressed access, and more hunters piling into fewer units. Joe riffs on wolf reintroduction politics and the challenge of managing predators amid lawsuits and public opinion.
- 4:51 – 6:58
Ethics and uncertainty in OTC units: picking spots, feeling good about the harvest
Adam explains the guesswork in choosing OTC units and how even strong research can’t guarantee elk presence. They also discuss an ethical hesitation to shoot when local numbers feel low, and how hunting pressure moves animals around.
- 6:58 – 10:14
Hard hunts, ‘vision quest’ mindset, and why Adam doesn’t chase easy success
Joe and Adam reflect on Adam’s attraction to extremely demanding hunts and the personal growth they force. Adam rejects the “shoot day-one what you’d shoot day-last” maxim, describing long hunts as a self-breaking, self-finding process rather than just a kill objective.
- 10:14 – 15:16
Australia’s game abundance vs U.S. tag systems—and the waste of aerial culling
The conversation shifts to how Australia has many huntable (often invasive) species with minimal tag requirements, but lacks the North American conservation/tag framework. Adam criticizes helicopter culling that leaves edible meat to rot, and they discuss customs rules that block bringing meat home.
- 15:16 – 17:00
Game meat ‘gaminess’ is usually bad handling: cooling, field care, and temperature control
They unpack what people mean by “gamey” meat and argue it often results from poor processing—heat, sun exposure, slow cooling, or bad storage. Adam shares practical field-care principles for quick dressing and cooling, especially in warm hunts like pronghorn.
- 17:00 – 18:55
Ultralight backcountry logistics: weight savings, extraction plans, and relying on friends
Adam explains how deep backcountry hunts force ruthless weight decisions and immediate extraction after a kill. He outlines different strategies—solo pack-outs, on-call horses, or friends mobilizing from the trailhead—and describes donating meat to those who help.
- 18:55 – 21:16
Crowded mountains, muzzleloader overlap, and ‘going radical’ after Kimmy leaves
Adam tells the story of hunting with his wife for the first half of the trip, seeing very few bulls, and dealing with altitude sickness and nearby gunfire. Joe questions the logic of muzzleloader seasons overlapping archery, and Adam explains deciding to go more extreme once solo.
- 21:16 – 24:09
Archery technology spectrum: crossbows, traditional bows, and practice reality
They compare traditional archery, compound bows, and increasingly rifle-like crossbows. Adam describes the daily shot volume required to stay proficient with a recurve, why compounds are more forgiving for busy people, and how trad practice can sharpen compound shooting.
- 24:09 – 30:17
Backcountry bow setup: arrow count, gear failures, and fixed-blade vs mechanical debate
Adam details how few arrows he carries, why backups matter for rest/sight issues, and his preference for durable two-blade broadheads. Joe advocates for large mechanical cuts for short recoveries, while Adam emphasizes penetration, bone-splitting, and resharpening for multi-species hunting.
- 30:17 – 41:03
Release aids, ‘hot’ triggers, and target panic: hunting psychology vs target archery
They discuss how Australian culture lagged in adopting sights and release aids, and how Adam converted after seeing precision gains. The talk broadens into target panic and shot execution, with Joe arguing psychology and repetition under real hunting pressure matter more than trigger type.
- 41:03 – 47:28
Backcountry pressure explosion: deeper hikers, COVID-driven interest, and Adam’s 500-mile season
Adam describes seeing far more hunters deep in the wilderness than in past years, including someone camping near him overnight. They connect the surge to social media, podcasts, and COVID-era self-reliance interest, then Adam explains moving constantly and walking nearly 500 miles due to lack of sign.
- 47:28 – 1:16:55
Australia’s apex predators: croc management, near-misses, and living with ‘salties’
The episode pivots to Northern Territory crocodiles—rising encounters, rules around permits, and stories of people and animals taken at water sources. Adam shares multiple close calls: a croc ‘hunting’ him at a billabong, one snatching his pig at the bank, and the constant danger of collecting water.
- 1:16:55 – 1:32:52
Ancient mysteries: Aboriginal languages, rock art ‘aliens,’ thylacines, and Alaska’s bone pit
After a break, they explore Aboriginal cultural diversity (hundreds of dialects), preservation challenges without written language, and provocative rock art interpretations. Joe also introduces the Alaskan permafrost boneyard with saw-marked ancient bones, raising questions about early technology and deep history.
- 1:32:52 – 1:58:49
Survival and rescue: Adam’s New Zealand glacier accident and SOS system failures
Adam tells a harrowing New Zealand story: a slip on ice sends him into glacial water chutes, trapping him above a deadly waterfall. He describes hypothermia symptoms, the psychological hurdle of triggering SOS, building a plan to survive, and being extracted—only to learn the SOS response system failed badly.
- 1:58:49 – 2:43:43
Overland builds, EV limits in the outback, and anxiety about global instability
They close on Adam’s fully built Land Cruiser projects and dreams of buying land and going off-grid in America. The discussion turns to electric vehicles’ limitations for remote travel, then expands into preparedness: Joe’s anxiety about global conflict and Adam’s perspective on self-reliance for families and cities.
