The Orvis Hunting and Shooting Podcast

Chris Christodoulou, owner of Ourano Pointers, joins us all the way from Rhodes, a small village in the mountains of South Africa's Eastern Cape. Chris got his first gundog at age nine, and he has structured the rest of his life around pointing dogs and upland birds. He talks about his origins in hunting, the foundation dogs he imported to build his own line, and his passion for greywing francolin, a wild bird that thrives in the high, remote country Chris calls home. He also offers a deep dive into the finer points of the European-style Pointer: how it differs from the American dogs many of us know, and why it is so perfectly suited to hunting wild birds on foot at altitude. Find much more about Chris and Ourano Pointers, an Orvis-endorsed wingshooting destination, at https://www.orvis.com/product/ourano-pointers/3N52.html

Ticks are increasingly an issue for outdoorspeople and the dogs they love. Though not a new issue, tick and insect-borne illness is a growing threat, but one that is manageable. Travis Avery of Sawyer Products and Colton Cozza of Gunpowder Inc. join the podcast to discuss ticks, the history of tick-borne illness, and how Permethrin is a great first line of defense.

The Product Development team responsible for fish and hunt product at Orvis joins Reid to explain how the sausage gets made. Natalie, Charley, and Jesse use current product examples to share how an idea for a new hunt product, or a revised existing product, makes its way from a rough idea to a product you can carry with you or wear into the field. There is a great deal to the process, as evidenced by this group.  Great conversation with a Dream Team.

Reid joins Ryan Sparks, Editor of the Quail Forever Journal, for a conversation that ranges from Ryan's Nebraska roots to the state of upland culture across the Midwest. They talk about what it takes to raise the next generation of outdoor kids in a world with fewer open spaces and more distractions, and the literary life, why writing about bird hunting matters serves as a standalone subject as well as a backdrop for explorations of human-hood.

Alex Cranmer takes time out of a busy schedule to discuss his family's business, IMA. Started by Alex's father, Christian, IMA has become the world's foremost dealer in collectible military firearms and antiques. The business has taken both Cranmers across the globe in pursuit of treasures and caches of military firearms and paraphernalia, often forgotten by the governments that once held them, and Alex has grown the business to make these antiques available to an incredibly broad consumer base. IMA has outfitted movie and TV sets, and Alex may be most widely known for serving as the antique firearms and weaponry expert on the History Channel's "Pawn Stars." Alex describes a fascinating life and career, and an encyclopedic knowledge of military antiques that is essentially self-taught.