Sportsmen's Empire - Western Big Game Hunting

Mule deer are Ethan Eskew’s obsession—but the real story is how he turns a full-time corporate job into a nearly year-round Western hunting routine. In this episode, Ethan and Dan talk about hunting bigger bucks, scouting with purpose, and making the hard choices that can bring a dream within reach.
Ethan shares his journey from hunting whitetails in West Virginia to building a life in the West. He and Dan discuss the sacrifices of moving away from family, the risks involved in pursuing what matters to you, and how Ethan balances a regular job with an intense hunting schedule.
They also get into the details of Ethan’s approach in the field: how he scouts before the season, why he’s become more selective, and how he keeps track of deer while planning a stalk. The conversation leads to the story of a challenging five-mile hike, a close encounter with a wide buck he chose to pass, and a tense wait before Ethan finally took his shot at an old, character-rich mule deer.
Whether you hunt mule deer or simply want to hear how someone makes room for a passion alongside everyday responsibilities, this episode brings together practical hunting insight, a memorable hunt, and an honest conversation about what it takes to follow your own path.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What happens when a professional chef, hunter, and angler sets out to make wild game cooking easier for everyone? This week on Huntavore, Nick welcomes back Jeff Benda of Wild Game and Fish to talk about his journey from professional chef and Uber driver to full-time wild game recipe developer and cookbook author. Jeff shares the story behind his new Wild Game and Fish Cookbook, a resource designed to help hunters and anglers turn their hard-earned harvests into delicious, approachable meals.
Jeff explains how years of experimenting in the kitchen, drawing inspiration from international cuisines, and cooking with whatever ingredients were available helped shape his approach to wild game cooking. His cookbook focuses on practical, family-friendly recipes with accessible ingredients, clear instructions, and meals that fit into busy schedules. With more than 100 recipe testers helping refine the dishes, Jeff has worked to ensure that home cooks can confidently prepare everything from venison and waterfowl to freshwater fish.
The conversation also explores the challenges of building a business around a passion, the importance of perseverance, and why supporting independent authors by purchasing directly from their websites matters. Jeff discusses the value of trustworthy, thoroughly tested recipes in an age of AI-generated cooking content and encourages listeners to visit the original creators for reliable instructions and inspiration.
Whether you're looking for new ways to use what's already in your freezer, hoping to introduce your family to wild game, or searching for a cookbook to give a fellow hunter this holiday season, this episode is packed with ideas to help you make the most of your harvest.
In This Episode
From passion to profession: Jeff's journey from chef and caterer to building Wild Game and Fish into a full-time business.
The story behind the cookbook: How years of recipe development, experimentation, and inspiration from other cuisines led to the Wild Game and Fish Cookbook.
Wild game cooking for busy families: Simple recipes designed for weeknight dinners, with many taking around 30 minutes or using a slow cooker.
Making ingredients accessible: Why Jeff tested recipes using ingredients available at everyday grocery stores.
Cooking with what you have: Adapting recipes to the species, cuts, and quantities of wild game and fish in your freezer.
The importance of recipe testing: How feedback from more than 100 testers helped make the recipes detailed, reliable, and approachable.
Preserving the art of recipe development: Why Jeff encourages cooks to visit original recipe websites instead of relying solely on AI-generated summaries.
Supporting independent creators: The impact of purchasing cookbooks directly from authors and helping them sustain their work.
A cookbook built for real kitchens: Hardcover construction, full-color photography, one-page recipes, and practical instructions designed for everyday use.
About Jeff Benda
Jeff Benda is a hunter, angler, former professional chef, and the creator of Wild Game and Fish. Through his website and new cookbook, Jeff helps people discover approachable ways to prepare wild game and fish using accessible ingredients and dependable recipes.
Find Jeff and His Recipes
Website and cookbook: wildgameandfish.com
Instagram: @wildgameandfish
Direct link: Wild Game & Fish Cookbook – Wild Game & Fish Media
Visit Jeff's website for the cookbook, hundreds of wild game and fish recipes, and a newsletter featuring new recipes and hunting stories.
Takeaway
You don't need complicated ingredients or professional kitchen skills to make great wild game meals. Start with what you have in the freezer, find a recipe you can trust, and make wild game a regular part of your family's table.
Thanks for listening to Huntavore! Whether you're filling the freezer this season or figuring out what to cook from last year's harvest, keep exploring new ways to enjoy wild game—and remember to keep those knives sharp.



Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Most deer hunters are sitting on years of trail camera intel and never using it. Deer ID turns those scattered photos into buck-specific patterns, weather trends, and hunt-day predictions so you can stop guessing and start hunting with purpose.
Nate Crick breaks down how Deer ID was built from a simple but powerful idea: the deer you chase are often showing up on repeat cycles, and the clues are already in your camera roll. From Half Rack daylighting on the same dates year after year to Tommy and Tyson revealing their own seasonal patterns, Nate explains how historical sightings can uncover what a single trail cam photo never will.
You'll discover:
How Deer ID builds a separate profile for every buck
Why uploading old trail cam photos can make your intel dramatically more accurate
How the app reads location, time, wind, pressure, moon phase, and cloud cover from photos automatically
Why the hunting calendar gives a day-by-day score instead of just a generic weather forecast
How notifications can alert you when a buck's historical pattern lines up with current conditions
Nate also explains what Deer ID deliberately leaves out, like mapping and heavy location automation, because the goal is to improve woodsmanship, not replace it. The app is designed to help hunters stay sharp, not turn deer hunting into a cheat code. That philosophy sets it apart from the rest of the market and makes it especially useful for hunters who want better information without losing the challenge.
Dan J. digs into the details on how the app works, how data gets batch uploaded, and how public-land hunters can even use location-based scrape history to spot annual trends. The conversation also covers why the app can still help hunters who only have a season or two of data, and why more years of history make the predictions lock in harder.
If you keep trail camera photos, hunt specific bucks, or only get limited days in the woods, this episode shows you how to turn the data you already own into a real edge. Essential listening for serious whitetail hunters who want to be a little more dialed in this fall.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If you care about Western hunting, public-land strategy, or want to understand what makes mule deer so different from whitetails, this conversation is packed with insights.
Dan J. talks with Trevor Hubbs, editor-in-chief of Mule Deer magazine for the Mule Deer and Blacktail Deer Foundation. They discuss deer genetics and hybrid zones, and the challenges of hunting animals that can migrate hundreds of miles and rely on suitable habitat to survive.
Trevor explains why mule deer are sensitive to environmental change, why they can’t simply be managed like whitetails, and why their numbers are lower today than decades ago.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
Where mule deer and whitetails overlap—and how to spot hybrids in the field
How antlers, gait, and behavior can help identify different deer
How fire, drought, agriculture, and human expansion affect mule deer country
Why mule deer need native vegetation
Hunting seasons, migration, draw strategy, and the realities of pursuing mature bucks in the West
Trevor also shares stories from his work as an editor and his experiences hunting in Montana and Wyoming, including a hunt affected by wildfire. Along the way, he and Dan discuss public-land access, muzzleloader opportunities, decoy tactics, and why longer hunts can help when you’re looking for a mature buck.
The conversation also explores the bigger conservation picture: why some wildlife adapts to human-shaped landscapes while other species struggle, and how habitat changes can reshape mule deer populations and hunting opportunities.
If you love Western hunting, want to learn more about mule deer, or are interested in the challenges facing this iconic species, add this episode to your queue.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Training season may be over, but the work doesn’t stop. In this episode, we talk about what comes next—getting young hounds in the woods, building confidence, working on fundamentals, and preparing for the next season. The off-season is where the foundation is built.


IG - heathhyatt147
FB Heath Hyatt
Youtube - Heath Hyatt


Send your stories or questions to:
creeksidechroniclespodcast@gmail.com


Follow our Sponsors:
Inukshuk
Double U Hunting Supply
Muddy River Transport
Darkenergy
OnX


Inukshuk:
Inukshukpro.com
Corey.ca


Darkenergy: best-charging banks on market. Discount code is CODE4
darkenergy.com


Frontline Optics- Duty sunglasses
Polarized
No questions asked replacement
Charitable Donation with every pair
Free shipping
Frontline-Optics.com use promo code - CODE4
https://frontline-optics.com?sca_ref=5672409.03I05MEwyy


Subscribe to:
Full Cry Magazine
Bear Hunting Magazine
American Bear Foundation
Virginia Bear Hunters Association


For the best lights in the business
Check out: Cajunlights.com


Double U Hunting Supply: Get all your hound hunting gear at Double U. Products every hound hunter trusts to keep up with their pack. Double U Hunting Supply.com


We would like to thank those who support this podcast. Special thanks to Double U Hunting Supply for sponsoring this episode.
www.dusupply.com
https://www.youtube.com/@DoubleUHuntingSupply/podcasts

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.