Free Daily Podcast Summary
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Podcast & Blast with Hal Herring: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Backcountry Hunters & Anglers
Hunting. Angling. Public Lands. That's the meat of what BHA's Podcast & Blast with Hal Herring is about, and we cover the gamut. With guests that range from outdoor writers to backcountry hunters to legendary anglers, we seek to uncover the stories, the truths, the controversies, and the epic conversations that our public land heritage provides.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 3 days ago19 min
Conservation Cooperative, Ep. 3: Wildlife Crossings
It's MEMBER APPRECIATION WEEK at Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. And for our podcast listeners who aren't already members, we're giving you a special chance to become one. For the month of June, use discount code BLAST10 at checkout for 10% off all Individual & Family Memberships*. Join today, fuel BHA's conservation work and enjoy the many other perks of being part of our community. Thanks for being a BHA member! *does not apply to Gift Memberships Today's episode: In this episode of the Conservation Cooperative, we're looking at how roads impact wildlife and the role that wildlife crossings can play on the landscape. Guests Include: Ben Goldfarb. Award Winning Journalist and Author of Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet Kate Cleary, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies. SUNY Potsdam. Acting President of Algonquin to Adirondacks Collaborative. Erin Sito. U.S. Public Policy Director. Wildlands Network. Brian Bird, Ph.D. New England, New York, New Jersey Chapter Coordinator. Backcountry Hunters & Anglers.
- 1 weeks ago32 min
The Real Cost of Public Land Transfer
Inside a new economic assessment of federal public lands For a lot of us, public lands are deeply personal. They're where we learned to hunt, where we camp with our families, where we go to breathe a little easier and remember what matters. But increasingly, the future of those lands is being debated in terms of economics, efficiency and ownership — and those conversations are getting louder across the West. On this episode of the Backcountry Hunters & Anglers podcast, we sit down with BHA's Regional Stewardship and Habitat Connectivity Manager, Dre Arman, to unpack a new economic assessment put out by BHA's Idaho chapter and partners examining what a large-scale transfer of federal public lands to the state could actually cost. We break down the numbers behind land transfer proposals, the jobs and communities tied to public lands, and why these conversations matter not just for Idaho, but for every public land owner in America. It's a thoughtful discussion about stewardship, economics and the long-term future of the places we all care about. READ the 2026 Economic Assessment on Proposals to Transfer Ownership of Federal Lands to the State of Idaho Podcast reminder: BHA is still planning next steps for our podcast. Thanks for listening to this new and important conversation, and we'll be sure to update everyone as soon more information is available on what's to come. Thanks for bearing with us.
- Apr 28, 202627 min
Conservation Cooperative, Ep. 2: Striped Bass
Today, the Backcountry Hunters & Anglers podcast is sharing the second episode of the Conservation Collective, where they're talking striped bass, the most sought after fish on the eastern seaboard. Often described as "everyman's fish" it's pursued by an extraordinarily wide range of anglers. Those anglers could be shorebound, or they could be on a million dollar center console. A lot of people also fish for stripers, NOAA estimates over 20 million trips a season, and so, the fishery has a significant cultural and economic impact up and down the coast. Once hailed as a conservation success story, now, the future of the stock is in question. In this episode we'll dive into the latest science that will inform future management decisions and look at the different factors that fishery managers are considering. In addition, we'll discuss how New England and New York BHA are working to restore future abundance of this fish we love. Huge thank you to our guests: Charles Witek. Conservationist and Fisheries Policy Expert. NY BHA Policy Team Member. Mike Woods. New England BHA Chapter Chair. Ben Gahagan, PhD. Recreational Fisheries Program Leader. Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Kimberly Fine. Fisheries Biologist. Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Will Poston. Policy Associate. American Saltwater Guides Association Nichola Meserve. Fishery Policy Analyst, Interstate Management. Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. Citizen Science Data Portal Striped Bass Citizen Scientist Project Sportfish Angler Data Collection Team - MA Division of Marine Fisheries Charles Witek's Blog - One Angler's Voyage
- Apr 2, 202624 min
Conservation Cooperative, Ep. 1: Trails
While BHA's Podcast & Blast takes a moment to plan its next steps, we're sharing the first episode of our Conservation Cooperative podcast (recorded previously), which looks at a scenario playing out across North America -- one that the New England Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) has been grappling with for a few years: the rapid development of recreation trails and their encroachment on wild places. We'll explore some of the factors that are driving trail development in the state of Vermont and how it impacts the conservation of our wildlands and wildlife. While we explore the issue in the Northeast, it's a discussion sure to resonate with public-lands advocates across the continent. Big thank you to everyone who came to the table to discuss this topic. Ethan Dreisigacker. New England BHA Board Member Meredith Naughton. Wildlife Biologist Allison Adams. Director. Forest Ecosystem Monitoring Cooperative (FEMC) Dave Furman. New England BHA Member Andrea Shortsleeve. Private Lands Habitat Biologist. Vermont Fish & Wildlife Nick Bennette. Executive Director. Vermont Mountain Bike Association (VMBA) RJ Thompson. Executive Director. Vermont Huts Association
- Mar 18, 20262h 0m
Wearing Out a Pair of Boots
After nearly a decade behind the mic and more than 225 episodes digging into the people, places and fights that define our public lands and waters, Hal Herring is stepping away from BHA's Podcast & Blast and onto his next adventure. For this final episode, we turn the microphone around. Hal joins former BHA Vice President of Communications and longtime Podcast & Blast producer Katie McKalip, along with BHA Brand and Editorial Manager Zack Williams, for a conversation about how the show came together, what made it matter and a few of the moments they'll carry forward. What emerges is more than a look back at a podcast. It's a reflection on the kind of storytelling that has always powered BHA: grounded, firsthand and rooted in real places and real people. Over the years, Hal sought out voices with deep experience on the land — people who knew a watershed, a forest, a migration route or a community intimately, and who could explain what was at stake in plain, honest terms. Episode after episode, the show reminded us that conservation is not an abstraction. It lives in boots, horses, boats, gravel roads, campfires and long miles — and in the people willing to show up for the future of public lands and waters. We're sad to see Hal go, but grateful for everything he helped build and excited to see what happens as he wears out his next pair of boots. Listen to his final episode wherever you get your podcasts, and stay tuned as we chart what's next for BHA's podcast. The views and opinions expressed in the Podcast & Blast are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. The Podcast & Blast with Hal Herring is brought you by Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and presented by Silencer Central, with additional support from Decked, Dometic, and Filson. Join Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, the voice for your wild public lands, waters, and wildlife to be part of a passionate community of hunter-angler-conservationists. BHA. THE VOICE FOR OUR WILD PUBLIC LANDS, WATERS AND WILDLIFE. Follow us: Web: https://www.backcountryhunters.org Instagram: @backcountryhunters Facebook: @backcountryhunters
- Feb 18, 20261h 37m
Public Water, Private Land: Utah's Stream Access Fight
In this episode of the Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Podcast, host Hal Herring speaks with investigative journalist Andrew Becker about the complex and increasingly contentious issue of stream access in Utah. Centered around Becker's deep-dive reporting for The Drake, the conversation explores how a state that is roughly 75% public land can still have most of its fishable water flowing through private property. Becker traces the issue back to Western settlement, including the belief that water is a shared public resource. From the Equal Footing Doctrine and questions of navigability to Utah's modern walk-in access program, the episode unpacks how legal history, culture, water scarcity, and population growth collide. Unlike Montana's high-water mark standard, Utah's approach is fragmented and heavily shaped by private ownership of streambeds — a critical distinction in a state where most water runs through deeded land claimed under early homestead laws. The discussion also wrestles with harder questions: What does sustainable access look like in the second-driest state in the country? How do stocking programs, public funding, and private landownership intersect? And how do conservation ethics balance with expanding recreation pressure amid climate change and rapid development? Ultimately, the episode frames Utah as a microcosm of the broader Western struggle over public trust, private property, and the future of access — where law, history, culture, and conservation all meet at the water's edge.
- Feb 3, 20261h 51m
Songs from the Saddle with Jackson Holte
On this episode of the Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Podcast & Blast, Hal Herring sits down at his home in Augusta, Montana, with singer-songwriter and wilderness mule packer Jackson Holte. Jackson talks about how long days in the wilderness shape his music, how silence and hard work inform art, and why public lands and access matter so deeply to who we are and how we live. From packing strings in the Bob Marshall to writing songs that carry that landscape forward, this is a conversation about craft, heritage, and the freedom worth sustaining. https://www.instagram.com/jackson_holte_ The views and opinions expressed in the Podcast & Blast are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. The Podcast & Blast with Hal Herring is brought you by Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and presented by Silencer Central, with additional support from Decked, Dometic, and Filson. Join Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, the voice for your wild public lands, waters, and wildlife to be part of a passionate community of hunter-angler-conservationists. BHA. THE VOICE FOR OUR WILD PUBLIC LANDS, WATERS AND WILDLIFE. Follow us: Web: https://www.backcountryhunters.org Instagram: @backcountryhunters Facebook: @backcountryhunters
- Jan 14, 20261h 45m
Mining the Margins of Wilderness: an Update from the Boundary Waters
BREAKING: Since this interview was recorded, a new attempt to permit a copper-nickel mine upstream of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is underway. On Monday, Jan. 12, Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minn) introduced HJ Res. 140, which would lift the federal moratorium on mining in the Rainy River Watershed, just upstream from the wilderness border. Tell your elected officials to vote NO on HJ Res. 140 and any similar actions taken in the Senate, and call your elected officials directly on the Congressional Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is a 1.1-million-acre expanse of lakes, rivers, and boreal forest—accessible only by paddle and portage—and one of the most intact wild places left in America. It's a world-class destination for fishing, hunting, camping, and solitude, but more than that, it's a place that shapes people. Generations of families, anglers, and paddlers have learned stewardship here, guided by a simple truth: some landscapes are priceless precisely because they demand restraint, responsibility, and care. Today, that ethic is being tested. Proposed sulfide-ore mining at the doorstep of the Boundary Waters—backed by foreign mining interests and enabled by shifting federal policy—poses serious risks to a water-rich ecosystem that cannot absorb failure. This isn't just a Minnesota issue. It's a national question about how America balances resource extraction, public lands, and long-term economic reality against short-term gain. As administrations change, protections have ping-ponged, leaving this place—and others like it—perpetually on defense. In this episode of the Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Podcast & Blast, host Hal Herring is joined by Lukas Leaf and Matthew Schultz of Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters to unpack what's really at stake. From the personal experiences that bind people to the Boundary Waters to the complex web of policy, permits, and public process governing its future, this conversation makes one thing clear: after today, none of us can say we didn't know. Tell your elected officials to vote NO on HJ Res. 140 and any similar actions taken in the Senate, and call your elected officials directly on the Congressional Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. The views and opinions expressed in the Podcast & Blast are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. The Podcast & Blast with Hal Herring is brought you by Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and presented by Silencer Central, with additional support from Decked, Dometic, and Filson. Join Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, the voice for your wild public lands, waters, and wildlife to be part of a passionate community of hunter-angler-conservationists. BHA. THE VOICE FOR OUR WILD PUBLIC LANDS, WATERS AND WILDLIFE. Follow us: Web: https://www.backcountryhunters.org Instagram: @backcountryhunters Facebook: @backcountryhunters
Get Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Podcast & Blast with Hal Herring summaries in your inbox
Free AI-powered daily recaps. Key takeaways, quotes, and mentions — in a 5-minute read.
Get Free Summaries →Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.
You Might Also Like
Listeners also like.
The Hunting Collective
Explores the ethics, conservation, and cultural values of modern hunting through conversations with prominent voices in the field.
Houndsman XP Podcast
Follows hunters and their hounds across extreme terrains, from mountain lions in the Rockies to raccoons in the Midwest.
Call of the Outdoors
Explores Pennsylvania wildlife, hunting, habitat, and conservation through stories and insights from the state’s Game Commission.
Tom Rowland Podcast
Conversations with figures in fishing, hunting, and outdoor fitness exploring their experiences and passions.
The Origins Foundation Podcast
A nonprofit podcast that combines storytelling and conservation to reshape hunting perceptions and improve global conservation funding.
MeatEater Conservation
A podcast about outdoor news and conservation issues, featuring interviews with experts and hunters.
The MeatEater Podcast
Explores hunting, fishing, conservation, and wild foods with experts and humor through in-depth outdoor conversations.
The American Birding Podcast
Discusses birds, birding, conservation, and birding-related travel with experts and enthusiasts across North America and beyond.
Wired To Hunt Podcast
Explores advanced whitetail hunting strategies through expert interviews and firsthand experiences.
On The Wing Podcast
Conversations about upland bird hunting, habitat conservation, bird dogs, and outdoor adventures with hunters and wildlife experts.
The Michigan DNR's Wildtalk Podcast
Michigan wildlife experts discuss habitat, conservation, and species management.
Gun Talk
Discusses gun rights, recreational shooting, hunting, and Second Amendment issues across multiple firearm-focused shows.
About Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Podcast & Blast with Hal Herring
Hunting. Angling. Public Lands. That's the meat of what BHA's Podcast & Blast with Hal Herring is about, and we cover the gamut. With guests that range from outdoor writers to backcountry hunters to legendary anglers, we seek to uncover the stories, the truths, the controversies, and the epic conversations that our public land heritage provides.
Customized Recaps
AI-powered recaps with compact key takeaways, quotes, and insights.
Straight to Your Inbox
Get key takeaways from Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Podcast & Blast with Hal Herring in a 5-minute read.
Save Hours Every Week
Stay current on your favorite podcasts without falling behind.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Podzilla's Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Podcast & Blast with Hal Herring daily summary?
It's a free AI-powered email that summarizes new episodes of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Podcast & Blast with Hal Herring as soon as they're published. You get the key takeaways, notable quotes, and links & mentions — all in a quick read.
How does the Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Podcast & Blast with Hal Herring podcast summary work?
When a new episode drops, our AI transcribes and analyzes it, then generates a personalized summary tailored to your interests and profession. It's delivered to your inbox every morning.
Is this an official Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Podcast & Blast with Hal Herring product?
No. Podzilla is an independent service that summarizes publicly available podcast content. We're not affiliated with or endorsed by Backcountry Hunters & Anglers.
Can I get summaries of other podcasts too?
Absolutely! The free plan covers up to 3 podcasts. Upgrade to Pro for 15, or Premium for 50. Browse our full catalog at /podcasts.
How often does Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Podcast & Blast with Hal Herring release new episodes?
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Podcast & Blast with Hal Herring publishes biweekly. Our AI generates a summary within hours of each new episode.
What topics does Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Podcast & Blast with Hal Herring cover?
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Podcast & Blast with Hal Herring covers topics including Sports, Wilderness. Our AI identifies the specific themes in each episode and highlights what matters most to you.
Start getting Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Podcast & Blast with Hal Herring summaries tomorrow morning.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.