The Joe Rogan ExperienceJoe Rogan Experience #2426 - Cameron Hanes & Adam Greentree
CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 0:19
Cold open + catching up with the “lobby mountain lion”
The episode kicks off with Joe welcoming Cameron Hanes and Adam Greentree back, immediately jumping into the mounted mountain lion in the lobby. They set the tone as “bowhunting brothers,” teasing the story behind the cat and the fact that they ate it.
- •Joe introduces the guests and references the mountain lion mount
- •Adam dates the kill to ~6–7 years ago
- •They discuss the surprising taste of mountain lion meat
- •Quick framing of the episode as hunters swapping real-world predator stories
- 0:19 – 4:09
Adam’s Colorado mountain lion hunt: dogs, ethics, and a brutal livestock kill
Adam recounts how lion hunting with dogs works—treeing the cat so it can be aged/sexed and hunted legally. The story turns dark when he describes finding a lion actively eating a live cow, which shifts his mindset from “sport” to urgent predator control.
- •Why dogs/treeing are used: sexing and aging the lion before taking it
- •Colorado rules at the time: must be a male (and other constraints)
- •Graphic account of a lion feeding on a still-living cow
- •Hunters’ perspective on ending suffering vs nature’s indifference
- •The encounter motivates Adam to pursue the specific lion
- 4:09 – 6:27
Predator-prey is happening everywhere: feral cats, ‘war’ in nature, and balance
Joe zooms out into a broader point: modern life insulates people from the constant violence of ecosystems. A small moment—watching a feral cat hunt a mouse—becomes a metaphor for how predator-prey interactions are nonstop and essential to balance.
- •City life hides the reality of predator-prey dynamics
- •Feral cat hunting behavior as a vivid example
- •Joe’s thought experiment: a screen showing all predator encounters at once
- •Feral/house cats kill staggering numbers of animals annually
- •“Balance” framing: predators prevent explosions in prey populations
- 6:27 – 8:53
Why predator management exists: Colorado quotas and Japan’s bear crisis
Cameron explains how tightly Colorado manages lion harvest via quotas and data collection. Joe contrasts that with Japan, where declining hunter participation contributes to emergency-level brown bear attacks and military involvement.
- •Colorado lion harvest: quotas, cataloging, check-ins, and conservation funding
- •License/tag revenue as a conservation mechanism
- •Japan’s surge in brown bear attacks and fatalities/injuries
- •Military deployment as a consequence of insufficient hunting capacity
- •Aging-out hunters and cultural decline in hunting participation
- 8:53 – 11:27
Japan field story: stumbling into huge brown bear sign while bowhunting
Adam shares a personal Japan hunt where he unknowingly entered brown bear country. Discovering a ravaged sika carcass and massive tracks—and later seeing gruesome evidence from a man-eating bear incident—drives home how quickly things can go sideways in wild places.
- •Adam hunts sika stags in Hokkaido without realizing bears are present
- •Finds a kill site/clearing with enormous bear prints
- •Outfitter reveals Hokkaido bears can be among the biggest brown bears
- •Story of a bear that killed hunters and was stopped by police
- •Joe jokes about doing basic research before traveling to hunt
- 11:27 – 16:54
California mountain lions: depredation numbers, hidden kills, and pets as prey
The conversation shifts to California’s approach: no general lion hunting but frequent depredation removals. Joe and Cam try to pin down the numbers, arguing that regulated hunting could match removal totals while generating revenue and utilizing meat.
- •Depredation permits vs agency removals and reporting confusion
- •Argument: banning sport hunting doesn’t stop lethal control—just changes who pays
- •Claimed diet studies: lions in Bay Area eating a high percentage of pets
- •Comparison attempt with Oregon’s legal harvest approach
- •Policy theme: management vs “let nature handle it” in human-adjacent landscapes
- 16:54 – 20:20
Sponsor break: ExpressVPN
A mid-episode ad read focuses on online privacy and security. Joe pitches ExpressVPN’s encryption, IP masking, and promotional pricing.
- •ExpressVPN reroutes traffic through encrypted servers
- •Protects on public Wi‑Fi and against data brokers
- •Pricing and promo offer details
- •Call-to-action link/QR code mention
- 20:20 – 32:59
Up-close lion reality: sneakiness, rare sightings, and the runner-chased video
They emphasize how rarely people actually see mountain lions—and how that rarity leads to public misunderstanding. The centerpiece is a video of Cameron’s brother describing a lion stalking and chasing him at night near suburban California.
- •Mountain lions are extremely hard to spot; most hunters see very few
- •Joe recounts a terrifying Utah lion sighting even from inside a car
- •They watch/play the ‘lion chasing a runner’ account
- •Takeaway: predators living near neighborhoods creates real risk
- •Theme: policies shaped by people who don’t spend time in wild country
- 32:59 – 49:33
Urban voting vs wilderness reality: dogs, baiting, and selecting the “right” animal
Joe and Cam argue that practices that sound cruel (dogs for lions, baiting bears) can be the most selective and management-friendly. They frame the core challenge as educating non-hunters who vote on wildlife policy without understanding field realities.
- •City-driven politics (BC grizzly ban example) vs rural consequences
- •Why treeing lions helps select old males and avoid females with young
- •Why bear baiting can improve identification/selection at close range
- •Education message: the conversation is for non-hunters and voters
- •“Team people” framing alongside respect for wildlife and conservation
- 49:33 – 1:08:17
The ‘fake world’ vs the wild: purpose, contentment, and voluntary suffering
The episode pivots into a philosophy discussion: modern life feels artificial compared to the primal clarity of survival tasks. They link mental health, anxiety, and meaning to exertion, nature exposure, and choosing difficult challenges on purpose.
- •Society as ‘domesticated’ and disconnected from natural living
- •Exercise as partial substitute for missing nature/meaning connection
- •Debate over ‘happiness’ vs usefulness, purpose, and contentment
- •Voluntary hardship as a tool against anxiety and aimlessness
- •Respect, competence, and difficult skills as core drivers—especially for men
- 1:08:17 – 1:17:47
Peak moments compared: Adesanya’s speech vs the elk pack-out high
Joe plays Israel Adesanya’s post-fight speech about earning profound happiness through adversity. Cameron contrasts that arena peak with his own peak: the brutal, joyful satisfaction of a successful backcountry elk pack-out with trusted “mountain men.”
- •Adesanya quote: happiness requires going for something and getting back up
- •Cameron’s ‘Israel moment’ is the pack-out and shared suffering
- •Brotherhood and competence: why the pack-out feels deeply real
- •Happiness as sustained fulfillment vs short-lived spotlight highs
- •Finding ‘your thing’ (fighting, hunting, etc.) as the lesson
- 1:17:47 – 1:26:04
High-stakes bowhunting scenarios: steep-angle shots, dense forests, and elk sounds
Cameron revisits a dramatic Arizona shot taken steeply downward off a cliff, then talks about how unpredictable scenarios create the sport’s “magic.” They also riff on Oregon’s thick “Jurassic Park” terrain and the visceral impact of elk vocalizations.
- •Angle-compensated ranging and aiming decisions on extreme shots
- •Why bowhunting can’t be ‘perfect’—variables always intervene
- •Oregon’s dense, wet timber described as rainforest-like
- •Elk bugles as a primal sound that triggers adrenaline and awe
- •Lion roars and other animal vocalizations as ‘DNA lighting up’ experiences
- 1:26:04 – 1:56:51
Precision and ethics in the moment: wind, sun, slow movement, and tough animals
They break down stalking and shot execution details from a sable hunt, emphasizing how ‘everything matters’—wind, thermals, glare, noise, and animal behavior. The discussion expands into animal toughness, blood trails, calm kills, and how adrenaline affects outcomes (and possibly meat).
- •Moving extremely slowly to avoid triggering prey’s movement detection
- •Managing sun glare and timing a shot before visibility collapses
- •How to make an animal stand without blowing the stalk
- •Why some species leave minimal blood trails and run hard when hit
- •Peaceful, quick kills as the goal; adrenaline and meat quality considerations
- 1:56:51 – 2:01:54
Tree stands, cold misery, and why modern layering/gear changed the game
Joe describes the mental grind of sitting motionless in freezing tree-stand conditions, contrasting it with the mobility of mountain hunting. Cam explains how modern gear—heated layers and well-designed systems like Sitka—dramatically improves comfort without sacrificing draw mobility.
- •Tree-stand hunting: long sits, extreme cold, low movement tolerance
- •How phones/heated gear make endurance slightly easier (still brutal)
- •Layering systems and mobility as critical for bow draw mechanics
- •Cam’s realization he’d hunted for years with subpar clothing
- •Design details that matter: quiet fabrics, fit, and integrated knee pads
- 2:01:54 – 2:05:46
Optics, stabilization, and the tech arms race—plus the ‘line’ (Garmin, OnX, thermals)
They praise breakthroughs like image-stabilized binoculars and mapping tools that improve safety and effectiveness. Then they argue over where technology stops being “helpful” and starts undermining fair chase—especially thermals that reveal hidden animals instantly.
- •Image stabilization helps detect tiny movement (ear flicks, tail swishes)
- •OnX/mapping boosts confidence and increases backcountry participation
- •Garmin rangefinding bow sight: ethical shot assistance vs “too advanced” debate
- •Thermal optics as a step too far—removing the skill of glassing
- •State-by-state legality varies; concern about loopholes and enforcement
- 2:05:46 – 2:47:30
Archery history and evolution: releases, judging distance, and old-school accuracy
Joe and Cam nerd out on the origins of archery releases and how shooters used to estimate distance purely by feel. They compare old pins, early rangefinders, and the difficulty of shooting slower bows—highlighting how skill and repetition used to compensate for lack of tech.
- •Early release aids (1950s–1970s) and how primitive designs worked
- •Shooting compounds with fingers; no movable sights in early setups
- •Judging yardage by instinct—unmarked 3D as modern analog
- •Slower bows magnified ranging errors; modern speed flattens trajectory
- •Practice culture: learning arrow arc and threading shots under/over obstacles
- 2:47:30 – 2:52:30
Training for longevity: hypoxic rooms, better cardio tools, and ‘prime’ at 50+
They explore how modern training, recovery, and wellness tech can let older hunters perform at a high level. Adam explains building a hypoxic (altitude-simulated) gym room, and Joe raves about new conditioning tools like the StepR bike and the compounding advantages of science plus experience.
- •Hypoxic conditioning/altitude simulation and perceived performance gains
- •Claims of mental benefits and improved sleep after hypoxic exposure
- •StepR bike vs Echo/Airdyne: higher resistance and low-impact conditioning
- •Combining decades of experience with improved physical maintenance
- •Theme: it’s increasingly possible to be stronger/healthier later in life
- 2:52:30 – 3:08:34
Peptides, stem cells, and distrust of institutions—then season takeaways to close
The final stretch turns into a skeptical critique of medical gatekeeping, FDA incentives, and pharma influence, with BPC-157 and stem cells as examples of contested but popular interventions. They end by sharing what each learned this hunting season—conditioning, health, and finding purpose in helping others succeed.
- •Debate over placebo vs evidence for peptides (BPC-157) and stem cells
- •Regulation/patents/profit motives and why some therapies remain constrained
- •FDA approval skepticism and discussion of withdrawn drugs/statistics
- •Broader frustration about COVID-era messaging and accountability
- •Closing reflections: legs/conditioning, avoiding overuse, health habits, and mentorship
