EP 535: Western Bear Hunting with Joe Kondelis

Right after we recorded this I thought to myself; “We don’t do enough bear podcasts”. Bear hunting has been such a huge piece of hunting journey and honestly in retrospect I have more hunting memories with by buddies from hunting bears than probably any other hunts. It’s just fun!

This week I am joined by Joe Kondelis who would rather hunt bears than even elk and deer. A montana native that resides in Wyoming, Joe has hunted mountain black bears since before it was cool. Joe happens to also be the head of the Western Bear Foundation, a 501c3 for bears. We chat about bears and some of the many struggles that face the species across the west. We also talk about bear hunting and how most hunters think of bears as an after thought or a way to spend a little extra time in the spring.

We talk about different hunting methods across the country and even just across the west. We cover the impact of grizzly bears and how that is changing the black bear distribution. Western Bear Foundation is doing some great work and I love to see projects like this. I will be attending the upcoming Western Bear/ Wyoming Wildlife dinner this coming 29th of January in Cody Wyoming and I highly encourage anyone who wants to make the trip to join me. You can buy tickets here.

Show Notes:
About Joe – 01:39
Intro to Bear Hunting Conservation – 08:29
Social, Environmental, & Conservation Issues – 17:46
Western Bear Foundation Goals & Age Class Management – 31:54
Color Phases – 45:18
Joe’s Top Bear States – 58:04
How Your Can Help the Western Bear Foundation – 1:02:02

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