Joe Rogan Experience #2248 - Michael Waddell
Michael Waddell (guest), Joe Rogan (host), Guest (guest), Narrator, Narrator
In this episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, featuring Michael Waddell and Joe Rogan, Joe Rogan Experience #2248 - Michael Waddell explores joe Rogan and Michael Waddell unpack hunting, history, and authenticity Joe Rogan and hunter/TV host Michael Waddell dive into the culture and ethics of hunting, from Native American archery traditions and early bowhunting pioneers to modern elk and turkey hunts. They explore how media has distorted public perceptions of hunters, contrasting Hollywood stereotypes with the grounded, conservation-focused reality of most hunting communities. The conversation branches into ancient civilizations, the Ark of the Covenant, and how time in nature shapes views on risk, work, politics, and modern life. Throughout, they emphasize authenticity, gratitude, and the deep personal and communal meaning found in hunting and time outdoors.
Joe Rogan and Michael Waddell unpack hunting, history, and authenticity
Joe Rogan and hunter/TV host Michael Waddell dive into the culture and ethics of hunting, from Native American archery traditions and early bowhunting pioneers to modern elk and turkey hunts. They explore how media has distorted public perceptions of hunters, contrasting Hollywood stereotypes with the grounded, conservation-focused reality of most hunting communities. The conversation branches into ancient civilizations, the Ark of the Covenant, and how time in nature shapes views on risk, work, politics, and modern life. Throughout, they emphasize authenticity, gratitude, and the deep personal and communal meaning found in hunting and time outdoors.
Key Takeaways
Hunting is far more difficult, skill-based, and ethical than most media portrayals suggest.
Rogan and Waddell stress that fair-chase hunting—especially with archery—demands intimate knowledge of terrain, animal behavior, wind, and shot execution, with many days of effort often distilled into a few TV minutes that mislead non-hunters about how hard it actually is.
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Modern bowhunting is rooted in Native American knowledge and early 20th‑century pioneers.
Figures like the Yahi Indian Ishi, and bowhunters Saxton Pope and Arthur Young, directly transmitted indigenous archery skills into what became organized bowhunting and record systems like Pope & Young, tying today’s hunts to deep historical traditions.
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Predators profoundly shape big-game populations, and on‑the‑ground experience often outpaces formal models.
Stories about mountain lions, wolves, and coyotes killing large numbers of deer and elk illustrate how field data from outfitters, trappers, and ranchers can contradict or update academic assumptions about predator density and impact.
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The term “trophy hunting” oversimplifies a multifaceted practice centered on food, challenge, and mature animals.
They argue that while antlers and mounts preserve memories, the true “trophy” is often meat for the family, the adventure, and friendships; targeting older animals is both more challenging and often better for herd health than randomly taking young ones.
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Time in wild places recalibrates a person’s sense of self, risk, and modern comfort.
Rogan describes feeling “in a different dimension” on his first mule deer hunt—realizing nature is indifferent to humans and that acquiring meat yourself changes how you see food, effort, and survival compared with city life and supermarkets.
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Authenticity is becoming a major cultural currency in politics, entertainment, and outdoor media.
They contrast heavily scripted politicians and Hollywood personas with people like Trump, Mike Tyson, comedians, and down-to-earth hunters, arguing that audiences increasingly gravitate to people who sound and act like their real selves, especially in long-form podcasts.
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Hunting communities can offer rare forms of mentorship, resilience, and belonging.
From taking Navajo youth hunting to guiding complete novices and celebrities, Waddell frames hunting camps as open, welcoming spaces where people learn concrete skills, reconnect with land, and experience cross-cultural respect that’s often missing in urban life.
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Notable Quotes
“It’s not a sport to hunt, but it’s therapeutic.”
— Michael Waddell
“There’s nothing fair in nature. You think it’s fair that the lion gets to kill the gazelle?”
— Joe Rogan
“I don’t think you’re a badass that you hunt. I think it’s badass that we have the opportunity to hunt in America.”
— Michael Waddell
“Anytime there’s something that’s very difficult to do that you care a lot about, you’re gonna get nervous.”
— Joe Rogan
“The real trophy is relationships and the adventure, not just what’s hanging on the wall.”
— Michael Waddell
Questions Answered in This Episode
How would public opinion on hunting change if more non-hunters experienced a full, difficult multi-day hunt from start to finish?
Joe Rogan and hunter/TV host Michael Waddell dive into the culture and ethics of hunting, from Native American archery traditions and early bowhunting pioneers to modern elk and turkey hunts. ...
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What’s the right balance between scientific wildlife management models and the lived experience of hunters, outfitters, and ranchers in the field?
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Where should we ethically draw the line on hunting technology—at what point does gear reduce fair chase rather than just increase humane shot placement?
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How can hunting media better portray the emotional complexity of killing an animal while still celebrating success and meat on the table?
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In an increasingly urbanized society, how can skills like tracking, butchering, and living outdoors be preserved and passed on to younger generations?
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Transcript Preview
(drumming music) Joe Rogan podcast. Check it out.
The Joe Rogan Experience. Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night. All day. (rock music) What's going on, my man?
Joe, good.
Is that Bigfoot on your shirt? It says-
That is. It is Bigfoot.
... "non-vegan"?
Yeah. (laughs)
(laughs) How do they know Bigfoot's not a vegan?
See, I don't know. I mean, but I think he's got canines like us, so there's a good chance-
(laughs)
... that he does eat meat, you know. (laughs)
I think hunters are the number one argument against Bigfoot being real. I've never met a-
I do, too.
... hunter who's seen Bigfoot. (laughs)
No, and the amount, especially some of your guests you've had on-
(laughs) Yeah.
... and on top of, I mean, even myself and now you spend a lot of times in some pretty desolate places.
Yeah.
And all the trail cameras.
Uh-
We should've gotten one picture.
Yeah. Trail cameras throw a big monkey wrench into that Bigfoot thing. (laughs)
I agree. And I- and I- and I'm always, it's still, you know, the conspiracy that I'm still, every time I check, especially when you get in those deep, dark-
Mm-hmm.
... places out west and all throughout the country and even the south, I'm thinking, "Maybe just this time."
It would be fun.
Yeti.
It would be fun, but-
(laughs)
... it's just, it's very unlikely. I mean, they, there's only, like, two jaguars in the United States, and they know exactly where they are.
Well, that's exactly right.
Yeah.
I mean, I- I was thinking back and even listening, you know, like you had Rinella, of course Cam, a lot of- a lot of my hunting buddies and people I look up to as well, Remy Warren, all those guys, and you start thinking about it, the amount of time we spend in the woods and we don't even see a mountain lion, or-
Right.
... you talk about the wolves. There're ... All these wolves are starting to be reintroduced, and you still don't see them a lot of times they're there, but then again you capture them on trail cameras-
Right.
... you know, in the middle of the night, but yet Yeti-
(laughs)
... or Sas- (laughs) Sasquatch, only Jack Link's Beef Jerky has seen him. And I-
(laughs)
I saw him on the Superbowl commercial.
Yeah. They're- they're-
(laughs)
... in a lot of commercials. They're in movies. I think they used to be real. I think it used to be a real thing. I mean, they know there's a thing called the Gigantopithecus that lived somewhere-
Really?
... around 100,000 years ago that was a bipedal hominid that was eight to 10 feet tall.
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