Speaker 1: 0:00

Although it wasn't intentional in the beginning because, like I said, we didn't really know what we would capture when we were filming in episode one. But as we started going through the edit we started really thinking about the conservation, environmental side. Obviously we knew the food side would be a huge part of the show, and the hunting side, the friendships and so on. And so there is this undercurrent in the show of and I hear this all the time from people from all around the world is that I don't even duck hunt. I don't duck hunt, I've never owned a gun, but I love your show because the cultural aspect of it, the food aspect, the conservation aspect, maybe all three sometimes.

Speaker 1: 0:37

But a lot of people you know, even if you don't like, even if you don't agree with hunting, you you might, even if you don't agree with it, you can't disagree that the show is beautiful and really well made Right. Even if you don't find our jokes funny, there is a lot of tangible recipes and things of environment you can get from it. And so my point is that we intentionally look at, we hope that this show can shine a light on a number of different things Environment and conservation efforts of the people of Louisiana. Some you know there's been talks about saltwater intrusion and erosion and building back. In fact, you'll see a great section on episode six coming up about people that are doing things to combat saltwater intrusion and erosion in South Louisiana, specifically in Terrebonne Parish, and so we want to use the show as a Trojan horse to shine a light on these subjects for people all around the world.

Speaker 2: 1:34

This is the Bunkhouse Podcast, home of the Sporting Conservationist. We're broadcasting from the edge of the civilized world. I cut it up with a chainsaw. Oh, there we go, boys, this is way down there, let's go. Well, folks, we've got a packed show for you. Today we're going to kick things off with a look at some new legislation that could reshape our grasslands and public lands out west. Then we'll be diving into conservation history, chasing the footsteps of Teddy Roosevelt and the early champions who laid the groundwork for how we manage our wild spaces today. But the main course, we're picking up where we left off with Chef Jean-Paul in the second half of our two-part interview. He's taken us from the high-end kitchens of New York to the duck blinds of Louisiana, serving up stories that'll make you hungry for more than just wild game. It's all about the people, places and policies that shape our outdoor heritage. So let's dig in. Let's take a peek at what's coming across my news feed, a couple of key things that recently caught my eye. So here we go with In the News.

Speaker 2: 2:42

In a move that echoes the success of wetland conservation, a bipartisan group of Congress has introduced the North American Grasslands Conservation Act. This legislation aims to breathe new life into our imperiled grasslands through an incentive-based fund for conservation and restoration. And the stakes are high. Less than 40% of America's original grassland acreage remains, with 1.9 million acres in the Great Plains alone lost to crop conversion just last year. The proposed act would inject $60 million annually into voluntary, partner-led conservation projects, backed by a comprehensive plan and crucial education resources. These aren't just empty fields we're talking about. Grasslands are the unsung heroes of our water systems. Their dense root networks act as nature's own filtration system, capturing rainfall, regulating streams and anchoring soil against erosion. For those who've never set foot in these landscapes understand this they're one of the key silent guardians of our entire ecosystem. To those of us who've hunted or fished these lands, their beauty is forever etched in our memories. For the uninitiated, consider this your introduction to a world that's vital far beyond our personal pursuits. As this bill begins its journey through Congress, it sets the stage for action that could resonate for generations.

Speaker 2: 4:01

Shifting gears, let's talk about a brewing storm. In the Red Rock country of southeast Utah, the Bureau of Land Management has just dropped a bombshell A complete ban on recreational shooting across the 1.3 million acres of the Bears Ears National Monument. This isn't just your run-of-the-mill land use restriction. It's unprecedented. Bears Ears now holds the dubious honor of being the largest national monument to entirely prohibit recreational shooting, despite no history of conflict. The Sportsman's Alliance isn't taking this lying down. They're rallying a coalition to challenge this rule in federal court, adding a new chapter to the ongoing saga of Bears Ears land management. For those of us that exercise our right to shoot responsibly on public lands, this decision cuts deep. For those who haven't take note, this could be the first domino in a series that reshapes access across our public land system. Now let's jump over to the centennial state.

Speaker 2: 4:56

Colorado Senators Michael Bennett and John Hickenlooper have introduced the Gunnison Outdoor Resource Protection Act, or GORP Act. This isn't just another piece of legislation. It's a culmination of a decade-long effort by a diverse coalition of stakeholders. The numbers are staggering over 700 million acres of public land slated for enhanced protection. We're talking about new wilderness areas, special management zones, wildlife conservation spaces and even a dedicated scientific research area. For anyone who's ever cast a line in the Gunnison's icy waters or tracked elk through its forests, this act promises to preserve these experiences for future generations. But here's the kicker this isn't just about locking up land. The GORP Act walks a fine line, preserving existing uses like grazing, hunting and fishing. It's a delicate balance, respecting local needs while securing the future of this critical habitat. For our trout-loving friends, this is particularly big news. The Gunnison Basin is home to some of Colorado's finest waters, including streams harboring the native Colorado River Cutthroat. This act would be their lifeline in the face of changing climates and mounting pressures. As the GORP Act makes its way through Congress, keep it on your radar. It's more than just a bill. It's a blueprint for how we can approach public lands conservation from the ground up, with all voices heard. In the end, whether you're a hunter, angler or simply someone who cherishes the view these lands are our shared heritage, or simply someone who cherishes the view these lands are our shared heritage, the GORP Act will serve as a powerful reminder of our collective duty to steward them wisely.

Speaker 2: 6:31

These issues we've covered today, from grasslands conservation to public land access, they're not just fleeting headlines. They're the ongoing story of our outdoor heritage. So keep your ears to the ground and your eyes on the horizon. Follow these developments as they unfold. Don't just take my word for it, though. Dig into the details yourself, read the bills, track their progress and understand what they mean for the places we hunt, fish and cherish.

Speaker 2: 6:55

We've included some details in the show notes to give you a jumping-off point. Your informed voice is a powerful tool in shaping the future of conservation. And while you're out there doing your homework, keep tuning in here. We'll be tracking these stories and bringing you the latest, always with an eye on how it affects us as sportsmen and women. Together, we'll stay ahead of the curve on issues that matter the most to our community. Well, that's it for the news. If you value these stories as much as we do, consider hitting that subscribe button. It's more than just staying up to date. It's about keeping this show going strong. Your subscription helps us to bring the news and conversations that matter to our community. Together, we'll keep the campfire burning. Welcome to Hunting History Bite Size Facts.

Speaker 2: 7:40

For conservation-minded hunters and anglers, the Boone and Crockett Club isn't just about big game scoring very far from it. While they're known for that complex measurement system, trophy hunters love. Their true legacy is much more exciting. In the late 1800s, american wildlife was in peril, landscapes under threat, big game populations plummeting. The situation was dire. And guess who stepped in? None other than President Theodore Roosevelt himself In 1887, roosevelt and a band of visionary conservationists like George Byrd, grinnell, madison Grant and Gifford Pinchot founded the Boone and Crockett Club. Talk about a powerhouse team. They became America's first wildlife and habitat conservation organization. Let me tell you, they got shit done. National parks, they helped establish them. Groundbreaking wildlife management laws they championed them. Federal management agencies they drove their creation. The Boone and Crockett Club was on fire. Now about that famous scoring system. It's more than just a trophy hunter's obsession. Created in 1902, it was a brilliant move to document species they feared were vanishing. Today it's an invaluable data set for researchers and game managers. The club's impact is immense, from pioneering fair chase hunting ethics to tirelessly working over a hundred and thirty years to protect America's natural heritage. Hunters everywhere can take pride in Boone and Crockett's achievements. So here's to Boone and Crockett, to Teddy and Grinnell. Their legacy continues to inspire and protect our wildlife and wild lands.

Speaker 2: 9:27

Stay Austin, texas, writes. I'm an adult onset hunter and I love to hunt, but my family is less than excited about eating wild game. How can I best get them to enjoy the game that I pursue? Well, john, your question cuts to the core of a challenge many hunters face. But before we talk plates and pallets. Let's start where it matters most in the field. Well, john, your question cuts to the core of a challenge many hunters face. But before we talk plates and pallets, let's start where it matters most in the field.

Speaker 2: 9:50

Proper game handling is crucial For birds. Get them on ice and process them right after the hunt With deer field dress. Promptly remove the hide and cool the carcass as quickly as possible. Be mindful of scent glands when skinning and butchering. Imparting some pretty strong, less-than-des desirable flavors In the kitchen.

Speaker 2: 10:07

Start simple. That venison backstrap isn't far off from a fine cut of beef. Try it as steaks, chicken fried or in stir fry. Better yet, use ground venison and family favorites like spaghetti bolognese or chili. It's all about bridging the gap between the known and the new. For tougher cuts, think low and slow.

Speaker 2: 10:25

A venison roast in a slow cooker with familiar vegetables can win over skeptics. Tender cuts, quick, sear, medium rare. Let the meat's quality shine through your secret weapon Sides. If your crew loves grandma's cheesy potato casserole, pair it with that venison backstrap. Familiar sides ease the transition into new proteins. Share the story of your hunt. Let your family understand that this meal is a direct link to the land and our place in nature's cycle. Maybe involve them in preparing a favorite recipe using wild game. This ownership can foster true appreciation. Remember challenging palates takes time. Be patient, start with milder game before introducing stronger flavors, and always pair with those beloved family sides. In the end, john, sharing wild game is about more than nutrition. It's about sharing your passion, your connection to the outdoors and a way of life that values where our food comes from. With patience and good preparation, you might find your family not just tolerating wild game but eagerly anticipating the next meal from your hunt.

Speaker 2: 11:29

Keep at it. The journey from field to table is one of constant learning, always richer when shared. Good hunting and good eating. And to all our listeners out there, we want to hear from you. Got a question about hunting, fishing, wild game, cooking or conservation? Send it our way. Your curiosity fuels this segment, so keep those questions coming.

Speaker 2: 11:51

Well, we're back with Chef Jean-Paul, continuing our journey through the heart of Louisiana's culinary landscape. Last time we explored the authentic flavors that make duck camp dinners a cultural touchstone. Today we're wading deeper into the marshes of Jean-Paul's experience, from the bayou rhythms to New York's culinary heights and back again. We'll discover how this journey has shaped his perspective on food community and the delicate balance of conservation. As we explore the salt marshes, we'll uncover vital connections between plate and ecosystem, tradition and innovation. It's a conversation seasoned with history, spiced with passion and served up with a side of hard-earned wisdom. So settle in as we dive back into the rich, complex flavors of Louisiana's land and legacy. Speaking of culinary so we were talking about you were in New York for a while. Can you tell me about going to New York, the decision to go in New York for a while? Can you tell me you know about going to New York, the decision to go to New York. Were you living in Louisiana before you went to New York?

Speaker 2: 12:53

or did you go there via another place?

Speaker 1: 12:55

Yes, no, no. My wife and I were talking about New York. The other day I was actually living in St Thomas, the Virgin Islands. Other day I was actually living in St Thomas, the Virgin Islands before New York. Okay, wow. So I went from culinary school in 2006 at John Fulks Culinary Academy at Nickel State, got my four-year degree there and I moved to California. I moved to Napa Valley. Oh boy, I worked in Napa Valley for two years. Then I moved to San Francisco and opened up a restaurant Now my restaurant. I was a sous chef at a restaurant called Epic Roast House in San Francisco and then from there, I moved to St Thomas in the Virgin Islands around 2008,. I would say, no, early 2000, I don't know, yeah, 2008, I guess Timing doesn't match up. Anyways, but spent about a year in the in the virgin.

Speaker 2: 13:46

How'd you like it? How'd you like it? Yeah?

Speaker 1: 13:49

I'm a beach guy, right like I love, I love, I'm, I'm. I always live coastal, even in new york. You know you were 30 minutes to the beach an hour when I lived in texas. You know, yeah, hour hour and a half to galveston or so on. I love living coastal, I love St Thomas. Um, but you know it was to be honest with you I had taken a sous chef job in San Francisco. It was way too much for me at a young age. I had just been, I was only two years out of culinary school. This was a high profile opening in San Francisco with a high profile chef. I was stretching myself real thin. I felt like I was just taking myself way too seriously too early in my career, like I needed to kind of climb up this totem pole faster and faster and I just wasn't. I wasn't. It wasn't a good. It was good for the challenge, but mentally I just wasn't prepared yet.

Speaker 2: 14:40

It's stressful being in those kitchens.

Speaker 1: 14:42

Yeah, it was. I learned a lot about myself there and I learned a lot about the type of chef I wanted to be and what type of chef I didn't want to be as well. So I moved to St Thomas, spent about a year there, then moved to New York in late 2009. New York was where my I moved to New York for the challenge. I'd never been there before. I'd never been to New York before I moved there. I didn't have a job.

Speaker 1: 15:07

Before I moved there, I had been corresponding at the time. You got all your jobs out of Craigslist. You found every job you ever in the kitchen. You found all your jobs at Craigslist and so I was corresponding with a number of chefs and restaurants and hiring managers in New York about that, about coming there, and so I had job opportunities, ended up taking a job at the Plaza Hotel and then leaving there only about six months in to go open up a restaurant called Maialino, which is part of the Union Square Hospitality Group at the time doesn't exist anymore because of COVID and hotel negotiations, but and that's where my that's really where I credit my culinary career really taking like lifting off.

Speaker 1: 15:50

Uh, because New York was this place where I was really out of my element. I was completely unfamiliar with the food there, the restaurant scene there, the territory, the people, and I took that opportunity of finding that conflict right. I mean, I'm a believer in conflict, not necessarily negative conflict, but I believe every little intersection in life, whether it's the ground you walk on or an idea or whatever it's sparked through this conflict right like this yeah, adaption, when you have to adapt, creativity happens.

Speaker 1: 16:30

That's where things that's right that's right, and it's the same kind of thing I I can. I can it to putting a dull knife on a on a wet stone. It's that friction that sharpens it. Um, and in the same sense, that's what New York did. It created a creative friction in me that I just fed off of. I love the energy of New York. I miss New York every day. If I could have a space to cook outside and keep my firearms with me, I would move to New York tomorrow. Those are the two things that keep me and my wife from moving back. It's space outside and fire in bed. I legally keep my fire arms.

Speaker 2: 17:12

New York's pretty tough on that side of things. How many episodes are season three? So we're, I think, number five released.

Speaker 1: 17:19

That's right. Yesterday Six, six in full. So there's one more which will come out next week. Okay, left, it was supposed to be seven and then we said, well, let's make 44 minute episodes, and so there was condensed what we've shot for a seven into a, a final episode on six. So we ended up, instead of making seven, 44 minutes, we made six, and that was that's where we're at, and I think I love the 44 minute format.

Speaker 1: 17:50

Again, it's it's it's counterintuitive to what we're being told as creators to create 90 second shorts on Instagram. I mean 60 second shorts on YouTube, 90 seconds on Instagram, don't you know? Nobody has attention span past four minutes. Every C drop. Actually, we're not seeing that even in 44. We look at the analytics on YouTube. We're seeing like it goes up to 19 and then it just like flat lines all the way to 44. And at 43, it like drops off because that's when the credits roll.

Speaker 1: 18:23

Okay, it's really awesome to see people not just tuning in week after week but like stay in there for the long haul. And you know, podcasts really got it right. Right, like you can, for some reason, podcasts totally fine to have two hour long sits talking about God knows what, but video, like intentional video content, even though there's a video component between you and us here. This video kind of content that I create for some reason makes I don't know whether it's society or whether it's social media telling us that people don't have that attention span. Well, I think we're kind of seeing some people do A lot of people do enough to create a show around us, right, of seeing some people do a lot of people do enough to create a show around us, right and um, especially, more people, especially more people also expect, like, better stuff from the people that they're following as well, not just like constantly being sold on a brand or something like that yeah, well, you got you.

Speaker 2: 19:18

You have a unique audience, you know, so one. I will say that in the hunting and fishing space it seems that people who go to the outdoors to do the things we do have longer attention spans and they're looking to get away from their phones at least the ones who are really out there, authentically there to do the thing. Now they're granted over the years. Now there have become a lot of people who are just out there. They just want to take a bunch of photos or just doing the thing you know, and professionally you do that. You know me as an outfitter. I do that to promote my business, but a lot of the time I just go hunt and there aren't any cameras and it's like, and I think your viewers are people like that, who have a passion and attention span.

Speaker 2: 20:02

But you also talk to an audience that's on the side of hunting, that loves food and is looking to understand the culture of hunting and may be interested in getting out there and hunting or at least supporting hunting, and that seems like that's an intentional decision on your part, with the show to cater to that audience. Is that, is that an accurate statement?

Speaker 1: 20:27

yeah, I think for the most part that is accurate, although it wasn't intentional in the beginning because, like I said, we didn't really know what we would capture when we were filming in episode one. But as we started going through the edit we started really thinking about the, the conservation, environmental side. Obviously we knew the food side would be a huge part of the show, and the hunting side, the friendships and so on. And so there is this undercurrent in the show of and I hear this all the time from people from all around the world is that I don't even duck hunt. I don't duck hunt, I've never owned a gun, but I love your show because the cultural aspect of it, the food aspect, the conservation aspect maybe all three sometimes. But every a lot of people you know, even if you don't like, even if you don't agree with hunting you might, even if you don't agree with it, you can't disagree that the show is beautiful and really well-made right, even if you don't find our jokes funny, there is a lot of tangible recipes and things of environment you can get from it. And so my point is that we intentionally look at, we hope that this show can shine a light on a number of different things Environment and conservation efforts of the people of Louisiana. Some you know there's been talks about saltwater intrusion and erosion and building back. In fact, you'll see a great section on episode six coming up about people that are doing things to combat saltwater intrusion and erosion in South Louisiana, specifically in Terrebonne Parish, and so we want to use the show as a Trojan horse to shine a light on these subjects for people all around the world.

Speaker 1: 22:04

So much of Louisiana is known for its food, its culture, its hunting, but we also want it to be known for also like it's great music that comes out of it or these great small businesses that come out of it.

Speaker 1: 22:17

So like we try to lift up Louisianians in every way that we can through this show, and so we hope that that resonates with people. Whether you're just passing through on I-10, you're like, okay, I know I want to stop at this meat market that they stopped in here or there, that happens a lot or they're downloading the Spotify Duck Ham Dinner Spotify playlist so they can learn about the music that we play on the show. And there's just this, this, there's this undercurrent in the show of just wanting to really just highlight all of Louisiana, the big, the small things, the controversial things, the things we know we love in this show, things we know we love in this show. Uh, so people from all around the world can get to know the Louisiana culture, louisiana people, it's trials, it's you know that, and everything that goes along with it a little better.

Speaker 2: 23:11

So, but that's just being real and authentic about it, not fluffing anything up, uh, not downplaying anything, but being truthful about where it exists today you know it's season three, um, and I am not all the way caught up on season three, but I'm looking forward to getting all the way caught up and season the episode six. You hit something that I was already seeing being into the third episode of the season. You're talking about the drought a lot in the season and you're talking about the environmental impacts, like where we're at, and so I can see that conservation message teeing up and even becoming more present in the show you want to talk about. That Is that sort of a conscious thing where you're like, ok, we're doing more of that in this season.

Speaker 1: 23:57

Yeah, well, I mean, we again we take this show how it comes, and when we filmed episode one of season three, two weeks before we started filming there had been a wildfire in West Louisiana that had turned basically down all the power lines and power poles that were at this camp. I mean not but 200 yards away from this camp that we were supposed to be staying with. The camp wasn't harmed, but all its infrastructure was harmed, and so I had worked on for six months that, like finding that camp, talking to the guys there, understanding like all the different things that we could do there, what they do every day, and then, two weeks before we start filming, september 2024, it's 23, excuse me, you know that we had to kind of pivot and so it became very about that needed to be part of episode one, because that's what happened, that's the reality of that episode, and you see that in season and episode two, and you see it in episode three and you see it in episode four. You see that drought play a different part in all of those episodes one, two, three and four, five not so much, definitely.

Speaker 1: 25:06

Of those episodes, one, two, three and four, five not so much. Definitely one, two, three and four. Yeah, look, that's again like we didn't plan that. We wish there wasn't a drought. There were many duck hunters in Louisiana last year was like god.

Speaker 1: 25:16

I wish but it was a part of the story, whether we liked it or not, and there was something that we needed to make sure that we touched on and told and that, uh, you know, like I say in the show, historically louisiana has a too much water issue, not a not enough, and this was one of those historical times in louisiana's history where, um, there were huge hundred foot bluffs off the mississippi river and its oxbows, like on episode two, were being shown, if you note, like again oh, I saw those, those crazy and that camp in episode two is lifted 20 feet in the air for a reason because that water a lot of times comes all the way up to the bottom of that camp.

Speaker 1: 25:54

And if you look at episode two and how low that water is, it gives you a really interesting perspective of how little water was in louisiana. And and when you come to the Mississippi River and all its oxbows that come off of it and all the habitat that is fed off of that one river, you know that makes a difference. So that drought is one thing but one. The big environmental issue that Louisiana faces, and has faced since the, the levying of the Mississippi River, is land erosion and saltwater intrusion from the Mississippi not overflowing its banks, producing rich sediment. That's comes all the way from the north, like that stopped in the, you know, after the great flood in 19 forget the date, I say it's in episode four, yeah, for who watch. But you know, ever since and that's the big issue in Louisiana we'll face for its foreseeable future is building coastal marshlands, restoring coastal marshlands. From Venice, louisiana, you know Venice got it pretty good because that's where the mouth of Mississippi goes into, so it's got a lot of land building up. There's some coming out of the Chafalaya Basin and St Mary's Parish, but in between St Mary's and Venice is Terrebonne Parish and that is really struggling. Terrebonne Lafourche, that's really struggling when it comes to coastal erosion and so there's again.

Speaker 1: 27:17

That's the big, that's the big environmental issue, that what I call. I believe that's an American problem, not just a Louisiana problem, no doubt Because, like Louisiana's cultural place in America and it's in its food history, it is in those marshes and coastal wetlands just as much as it is in New Orleans and Baton Rouge and Lafayette. People like myself people and all my friends, we all have camps in those areas and they're in constant and that's a part of our culture and part of our cuisine and a part of our way of life. So you wipe that out, you also wipe out a bunch of wildlife, habitat that obviously Millions of ducks, you know winter and through the year. So there's a bunch of layers to that and the drought certainly was a new layer to the environmental issues Louisiana's faced.

Speaker 2: 28:08

But the big one will continue to be way past area salmonoids but coastal nutrient exchange and how water interplays in between freshwater and coastal areas is, I mean, it's critical to controlling the entire climate. And it's not just a US problem, it's a global, is a global factor. Maintaining healthy nutrient exchange between the ocean and the inland impacts everything, everything. It's not just a Louisiana or a US problem. That's a big problem.

Speaker 1: 28:52

Yeah, and that's true and very fair to say. There's a lot of money state dollars, federal dollars, private organizations that go to building these coastal restaurants. A lot of people are putting a lot of effort into doing this, a lot of science behind it, and that's just going to continue to have to happen, like if we want to continue um these habitats, not just for the, the people of its coastline, but for the wildlife that maintain it, for our cultural identity as americans and louisiana, like all these different things there, there needs to be, in my opinion, somebody like me or like this show that is at least, at the very least, shining a light on the problem. You know, you know I'm not a millionaire. I can't donate a million dollars, a billion dollars to this or that. These are going to come from small donations or taxpayer dollars.

Speaker 1: 29:42

But the interesting thing about these marshlands and coastal wetlands you've kind of you heard me allude to this earlier is that it's not a problem that can be seen from the highway or road, meaning that when your tax dollars go to the infrastructure of any state you're at, you can see this bridge being built or this road being repaved or adding on a lane.

Speaker 1: 30:05

But when it comes to coastal restoration, those things happen behind the scenes, unbeknownst to a lot of taxpayer dollars, and it was important to me to kind of get out there and like this is where a lot of your money is going to go to, and this is why it's important, because you don't see it from a bridge, you don't see it from the road, you don't have that mental connection saying this is why I'm doing this or this is where my taxes are going.

Speaker 1: 30:27

And so many of us, you know, we all have our issues with taxes. I'm sure we all wish we had an idolized report from the government where our money's gone, but that's just not going to happen. So and it's intentional in the sense of like, all right, let's use this show and the millions of people that are going to watch it to say like, hey, like, here's what's happening, here's some of the great things that are happening. The bad things are happening Right, and with your help, we can continue to combat it Right, but it's going to take boots on the ground and real people like you know, giving their time and resources to it.

Speaker 2: 31:01

It's interesting and one of the things, another thing that I appreciate about the show and I appreciate about this conversation is that hunters, historically we have been at the forefront of conservation since, you know, 1910, since 1890, around that timeframe. George Berggrinnell, roosevelt, you know these guys. They were, they were hunters and they were pushing conservation in the modern sense in the United States. And I think somewhere along the line, along the way hunters, we accepted a self-imposed tax with Pittman Robertson.

Speaker 1: 31:42

And I think.

Speaker 2: 31:42

Somewhere along the way we decided that that was enough. You know, you ask somebody how does hunting support conservation? And they go. Oh well, my tax dollars go to support conservation. But I have often challenged hunters and I see this reflected in the way that you're talking about it and the way your show frames it is. I challenge hunters to dig deeper and understand why hunters are conservationists and the reason.

Speaker 2: 32:09

My perspective I'd love to get your take on this my perspective is, in a time where you had john muir and the romantics, the early environmentalists, early conservationists there was, you had this romantic perspective of it where they were writing about things like you know, yosemite, you know they were writing about beautiful places, these places that, like everybody looks at, they go, oh, look at the mountains, look at, look at all this beauty. Meanwhile, hunters, we do love those places, but we also love the swamps, we love the marsh. We love these places that have a different type of beauty, that sometimes it's not mainstream, it's not like looking at at grand teton, you know, but we love it because the life and we love to be there because the ducks and you know, I feel like that's what you're showing in the show, as you say, these places that you can't see from the highway, but hunters spend time there, you know anglers spend time

Speaker 1: 33:05

there, you know yeah, you know, um, this is, this is maybe this may not sit right with some of the hunters what I'm about to say, like I, and like I can understand that hunting is conservation from the sense of you know where, if you, you know, speaking of waterfowl, like your duck stamp and and your licenses go towards, go towards this wildlife and obviously there's um, there's a my thing with conservation. It's very specific, it's very specific to my, my lens, through louisianians, and I'll say it again Conservation to Louisianians. Nowhere, okay, nowhere in my, aside from, I would say, maybe even you, I don't know, get your perspective here. Louisiana has a really the ability. Like I grew up, I could get out of bed with my dad and be in a duck blind in 30 minutes. Like I grew up, I could get out of bed with my dad and be in a duck blind in 30 minutes.

Speaker 1: 34:10

Where a lot of these camps exist are in the habitats of all this wildlife, whether that's the inland redfish, the marsh redfish or the blue herons or the waterfowl or so on. Right, there's where people live, where the mass of people live. Then there's these kind of wetlands and habitats, but all in the middle there there's this blend of of people live. Then there's these kind of wetlands and habitats, but all in the middle of there there's this, there's this blend of where people live and the habitats, and my point is that Louisiana's in a lot of ways share the same habitat as this wildlife, whether that's a, whether that's a migratory wildlife or one that residents there the whole time. And part of conservation to a lot of Louisiana's is conserving and preserving this way of life that they've had for all of their existence, of being in this state, or how they grew up and so on. And I guess my point is that I don't know of a lot of other like places where they have that relationship with the outdoors so fluently. It exists in such a level where it's almost second nature to be at a certain place. It's not, it's where you spend every weekend, not just special weekends. It's, I guess, you know, I can see it in places like texas, like on these ranches, where you have this really direct access to wildlife, or places like the chesapeake bay, where there's this big old estuary in north america, on the east coast, and all these things happening in in cities and cities and towns that converge on it and so on.

Speaker 1: 35:44

But you know, louisiana. It just, it has such a cultural identity in these marshlands, in these coastal areas, in these river bottoms that preserving them, conservation towards the wildlife there and the lands there, is all part of also preserving their own culture, identity and food and music in all these different places. So, you know, it's, it's Making sure that these places continue to exist is not just because, like, oh, I think they're beautiful, they are, I think they're're. You know, the fish should live there, they should. But it's also like, no, I grew up here. I want my kid to grow up here, I want his kids to grow up here. This is why we have to conserve it too.

Speaker 1: 36:37

The wildlife is important, yes, it's part of the reason why we come here to fish, to to provide meat and substance for our own family. But I also want to preserve this cultural opportunity for my generations of legacies to come after me and do the same thing, whether they're related to me or not. So it's, um, it becomes this very deeply entrenched part of our identity to preserve these places and Yosemite, and as beautiful as they are, it's like, you know, most people don't grow up there right, like their places you visit are, you know, Sequoia national park and so on and so forth. It's a beautiful places worth preserving, no doubt, but it's like you don't find like people having homes and camps in these areas and saying this is part of my cultural identity to have here. So I think it's a very interesting, thought provoking kind of question. But I would ask you, being somebody so I didn't grow up on a ranch, I don't have, you know, access like you do. So how does it play into your life?

Speaker 2: 37:42

Yeah. So for for me, you know I live, we live on a thousand acres in Wimberley and I spent a good amount of the season hunting blue quail on about 300,000 acres to and change out towards West Texas. It's a different, it's a different level of responsibility when you have to manage the land. So as a Texan, you know a lot of land is private here and you know I think it's like 97% of the land is private and with that comes the responsibility to manage it and make sure that it's healthy. And so when I'm driving around the ranch in Wimberley, you know I can drive past some rocks or some bare soil somewhere and I can say, man, I really need to get some grass growing in that area. And then I then I can say, oh, man, I really need to get some little blue stem growing in that area, and so that may spur a project where I'm trying to propagate little bluestem or remove cedar or whatever it is. But this ranch when a rock moves on it, I know it. But when I go we have a place. So this is a good contrasting thing. Because I live on this property. It's like an extended yard. I have a sense of ownership to it in a different way and a sense of responsibility in a different way, because if I don't do it, nobody else will, and the natural forces that used to do it wildfire, bison, things like that have been removed from the playing field. So now I have the responsibility to do the things that those big impactors were doing. We've got a house outside of a town, coeur d'Alene, idaho, and so I try to escape up there in the summers to go trout fishing.

Speaker 2: 39:32

I'm on in a. The County that we're in, shoshone County, is almost the exact reverse of Texas. It's 97% national forest. So I mean I get to run around up there in the national forest, enjoy it. Fish, check out elk, see grouse, see moose, like just is a great time and I appreciate it and I have a sense of ownership to it as an American citizen, but I don't have a sense. I have a sense of responsibility to it as an American citizen, but I don't have a sense. I have a sense of responsibility to take care of it, but I don't have a sense of responsibility to manage it because I'm not directly managing it. And that's where I think you know it's easy for a Texan, particularly a Texan rancher, to understand the role of conservation and understand that you have to like, actively do things. But when you appreciate public land, you may not know all the work that has to go into keeping a healthy ecosystem. So somebody goes to Yosemite, they go home and they're like, oh man, that was awesome.

Speaker 2: 40:42

I like to say this I use this to try to explain it best to people If you are a kayaker or maybe a rock climber or a mountain biker and I were to say to you, you tell me, oh, I'm going to Wyoming, and I were to say, well, there's no elk in Wyoming, you could in theory look at me and say, okay, and Because you can still camp, rock climb, backpack, kayak, you can do all those things. Mountain bike, you do all those things. But if you're an elk hunter, you can't elk hunt.

Speaker 2: 41:22

And also if you're a hunter in general, I find that when you say you know a big species is gone, we go, why? And then we go. And then I might say, oh, well, it has to do with you know, these wolves or these beavers or whatever. And then you'll say, okay, well, why, why else? And then you'll say, well, it impacts this, impacts that, and eventually, if you're an angler, even those elk being gone are going to somehow impact your fishing, like, and so then you're going to ask what can we do to fix it?

Speaker 2: 41:52

Because I can't do. And this is, look, we're humans, so we're all a little bit selfish, right. You're like I can't do the thing I love, so I got to fix it. I think that's what you're referring to in Louisiana is the nexus of those two things. So it may be public waterways that you're recreating on, but what I love about Louisiana is that hunting and food are central to life there, and it's central in such a big way to life there, and it's central in such a big way it permeates through all of the culture there that there is a that sense of ownership of the public waterways but then a set sense of vested interest in the hunting that happens there, and so I think that's you nailed it on the head that that you guys have pride and ownership and a different level of engagement with the public land than, say, somebody does with Yosemite.

Speaker 1: 42:48

Yes.

Speaker 2: 42:48

I want to get your take real quick on it, like on that, and also something that I mentioned to you that like punctuates this, not even just with hunting, but food culture in general.

Speaker 2: 43:02

About Louisiana I was telling you about how my father-in-law, on a previous call, he was working for the railroad and he was in New Orleans and he went out with a multi-generational family from New Orleans and they went out to eat. And they'd gone out to eat, I think, multiple times, and the guy told him we go out to eat three times a week because we feel that it is our responsibility, our civic responsibility to our community here in New Orleans. If we want to have these nice restaurants, we have to support them, even especially in the downtime between conventions. Louisiana's are committed, man, y'all are committed.

Speaker 1: 43:41

Yeah, when you, uh, when you told me that story, I thought that was so interesting, um, and it made so much sense to me. I didn't grow up in New Orleans, but you are 100 percent right that people really do enjoy, enjoy being to go out and get taken care of at a nice restaurant. But, to phrase it in the civic duty point of view of if you like doing that and you want to have great restaurants and you need to go out and support them, I just can, I, I, I see so much of myself in that and even though, like, I've never really thought about it kind of in that economy style way, but to your point, like Louisiana and look we just there is a relationship with food that I have not seen anywhere else. In fact, there's a lot of food historians that will say that Cajun food. You know most of the things, you know there's a joke about I-10 in South and anything above I-10 is in Louisiana and that's obviously not true. But I understand why people say that. True, but I understand why people say that that cajun coastline, that's i-10 and south.

Speaker 1: 44:48

A lot of food historians in america would say that's the last regional american food left in the country and you know, there's texas, there's the southwest, which is like three states. Right, there's the new england states and everything that happens in the chesapeake bay, like, yes, that's a, that's a food culture, but we're talking about a sliver of a fingernail of a country. Food culture exists in like deep, deep, you know um roots in that area and and doesn't really get out, like you know, of course it bleeds in to above I-10. It bleeds into Mississippi and it bleeds into East Texas, but it's not as condensed, you know, it's the closest I can think of. Is Central Texas barbecue right, like in the amount of condensed, really great barbecue restaurants that happen in Central Texas? Yes, there's great ones in East Texas, but are they as condensed as they are in Central? Probably not Right. Yes, there's great ones in east texas, but are they as condensed as they are in central? Probably not right.

Speaker 2: 45:47

But that's different, because your guys I think your guys is a lot of it centers around wild game, a lot of it.

Speaker 1: 45:54

I mean, you know when I grew up, my dad duck hunted and that's what we did. Now we'd have 200, 300, 400 ducks in the freezer at a time that we would trade out to red fishermen, like people that ran beagles for rabbits and squirrel and so on, deer hunters, hog hunters and we would trade me because we didn't we didn't hunt or fish in that way, and so I grew up with wild game and fish in my freezer and not necessarily ones that we caught, but it was on this like kind of neighborhood barter system. Right and to your point, I didn't. I would say half of Louisianans look at their diet and say half of it is what I've caught or or hunted or somebody that somebody gave me that they caught on. There's a lot of people that a lot of people that catch a lot of redfish. A lot of people that catch a lot of redfish go every weekend. They can't possibly, so they give their redfish away or speckled trout to different neighbors and so on.

Speaker 2: 46:53

Definitely a system of that well, I want to share a recipe with with you. Actually it's easy and this is actually I'm going to share one with you and I'm going to tell you something that I appreciate about your recipes and get you to touch on a little bit. We're getting kind of close to the top of the hour and a half here, but I could talk all day this stuff with you easily. My favorite duck recipe I'm probably going to put it out around the same time this podcast comes out is simple Smoked duck, so I just shot teal this past weekend. I was excited to get out there, so I shot these teal. I'm going to smoke them and then I slice them and I make toasted brioche with mint jelly that jelly that everybody puts on their leg of lamb.

Speaker 2: 47:38

I put a little of that on there with truffled peanut butter.

Speaker 1: 47:40

Oh my goodness, it's so good.

Speaker 2: 47:42

It's so. I mean, once you got the duck smoke, that's the like that's the most time consuming. But once you got the duck smoke, that's the like that's the most time continued.

Speaker 1: 47:49

But once you got the duck smoked, dude, I'm telling you, it's like the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich you'll ever have you had me hanging on every word just now and after every everything you said, after every little piece, the duck, mint jelly, the truffle, peanut butter, the brioche, I was like I'm not, whoa, didn't expect that.

Speaker 2: 48:10

Didn't expect that you got. Okay, you got to try it. You got to try it. You got to try it. You're going to love it. I'm not going to do it myself Like I think I got to try it from your hands. Okay, yeah, I'm in. You know when you're coming to Texas, you let me know.

Speaker 1: 48:26

Yeah, like that's kind of funny. You know, mint jelly. Mint jelly is one of those things that chefs like scoff and laugh at. You know, Big time American lamb back in the day was probably older, more muttony, so you'd use mint jelly to kind of cover up all that stuff which you see a lot in wild game. Right, you see a lot of that same type of thing in wild game, so I'm just kind of laughing. So tell me about truffle peanut butter.

Speaker 2: 49:03

Do you buy it, I'll make it. So I get, I'll, I'll food process some fresh peanuts and we'll drop a little oil to kind of get it a little looser, and then I'll add truffle oil to that. I've made it with fresh truffles too before. Or if I'm in a bind, you know, I'll try to get an unsugared peanut butter. I want the sugar in there and I'll add some.

Speaker 2: 49:25

I'll fold some truffle oil into that. I mean to me. I just keep it simple. It's like if you have those things in your fridge that can just become an easy midnight snack.

Speaker 2: 49:33

It's easy to make you know, once the ducks are smoked and you know if you didn't shoot your own ducks, you can go get smoked duck breast, and that's good too. Are you smoking just the breast or the whole? I the whole duck, and then I'll use the other pulled meat for other stuff. But I like to use the breast for the sandwich because it's really good on the sandwich.

Speaker 1: 49:54

Those legs. Right there, man, that's just screaming to be a gumbo. Right, that's to make the sandwich. But then when you make a stock from all your bones and your backbones, if you're smoking them from whole, save your legs, throw that in a gumbo just to stew there you go.

Speaker 2: 50:11

That's it, that's it, that's it.

Speaker 1: 50:13

That would be the Cajun way.

Speaker 2: 50:16

Maybe we have the gumbo and the sandwich, Maybe it's like it's a one, two, you know, like your soup and sandwich.

Speaker 1: 50:21

It's like a gumbo.

Speaker 2: 50:22

A whole soup festival around it. The funny thing is, for the bougie folks out there, like when I used to be in the wine business, this was the sandwich I would make to have with the most expensive burgundy you could find. It tastes so good with pinots, with burgundy, oh man.

Speaker 1: 50:44

I'm going to blow on my mom right now.

Speaker 2: 50:45

We're going to have it. It. I don't know if you're gonna make it down here this season, to texas, but we should plan to meet up, um, and I'll make it for you. I'll bring a good bottle of pinot. That's what I like about about the duck camp dinners is you're showing food, but you're also showing food that's authentically made in a camp, so you're not making all your sauce. You're not taking this like I need to make all my sauces from scratch. I need to do this and this and this. You're putting together things that are practical. They make sense. Is that? Did you? Was that? Again? I know you did shot whatever you wanted on season one, but going into two, three, was that a conscious like you know what? No, I'm going to make this practical. Two, three, was that a conscious like you know what? No, I'm going to make this practical.

Speaker 1: 51:26

I think cooking at camp is practical in nature and that's what we all do. Of course, there's some things that, if we want to splurge and if we have the resources to do it, and so on, like I don't know, grind our own meat right, like Jesse did on episode three. Well, I just happened to buy a grinder that I could travel with so I could do stuff like that. But in the past I would never do it because we didn't have a grinder and blah, blah, blah. But look, the point is to represent the camp as close to humanly possible as it is every weekend with your best friends, and we don't really stray from that much at all and that's why you get these very, you know um, practical camp style recipes. Because you know, like we're not, I do make my own duck stock and this year I made a lot of duck stock. I made probably about 40, 50 quarts of it. So I'll take that and bring it to different camps this season because I have it to use. But I have no problem using a best choice box chicken stock from walmart, like there's not. It's not a matter of like, oh, I'll only make my own duck stock. It's a matter of do I have duck stock. Yes, I'm going to use that if I have it. If I don't fucking get some chicken boots, cubes for all I care, you know, just do what you can to make it the best you can like. That's really the point of all this. So, you know, when I, when I bought that little, that little meat grinder, and jesse was like I'd like to make lasagna, I was like that would be really cool, maybe we'll shoot enough ducks to make lasagna. And we ended up. You know, you know that was that was fun. But yeah, certainly, look, I mean.

Speaker 1: 53:16

The other thing is that this is everybody but myself have day jobs, right? They, a lot of them, work in oil and gas, or they may be machinists, run CNC machines. One of them sells maritime equipment like life jackets and straps and different things for offshore oil and gas. Companies Like these are nine to five blue collar guys that in the weekend, this is where we come to have fun. And I'm just the guy was like, hey, we should videotape it and see, see what happens. So the recipes reflect who these, who these guys are, who these people are.

Speaker 1: 53:55

Now, of course, in Louisiana, like my, my wife was watching episode five the other day she was like I cannot believe that the men all know how to cook this well. And that was just. That's just the reality of growing up in Louisiana. I grew up with my watching my dad as a great home cook and all his friends were great cooks, and whether that happened in the garage or underneath the shed or at home or in the camp, in the fishing camps or whatever it was, always I was surrounded by great men cooks, and that you see that reflected in the camp today. But they are no different from a CPA or a lawyer in Ohio, like in the sense of they're just working folks that like to go out and be a deer camper, fishing camper, duck camp, and so again, the food is reflective of where you're from and how you grew up.

Speaker 2: 54:43

But those cook. I mean, they really cook well, they're all great cooks.

Speaker 1: 54:48

Like I don't need I actually I like I don't. I say I get this pass because I'm the, I'm the chef or the cook at the camp. But all these guys know how to make an incredible gumbo, an incredible jambalaya, shrimp, egg stew, great fricassees, all those classic like, of course, when, when it comes to like duck a l'orange on episode you know, uh well, season one, I can't remember what episode in that season, but duck a l'orange was inspired by the classic French dish duck a l'orange. We just make it in a very camp way, very like South Louisiana camp, rustic way, making a gravy from satsumas and and onions and duck duck stock and so on and so forth. So you know, like, yeah, I had those little touches, but those guys, man, they all, they all know how to cook Right.

Speaker 2: 55:38

So you know duck camp dinners. Season three is out, season four we're hoping for. I mean, if you don't do a season four, you're gonna have a lot of disappointed people out there.

Speaker 1: 55:51

Yeah so grateful for the people who have supported this show. Obviously, the sponsors of it, the brand brand partners like boss shot shells, slappy mama, conoco phillips, the louisiana office Tourism all played huge roles in season three. But you know, as creators we can have the best content that in the world we have this great idea, but none of it matters if you can't put it somewhere where people watch it and can absorb it and share it and so on. So I'm very fortunate to have we're very fortunate as creators to have places like YouTube that have an open opportunity for you to post 60 second things or 44 minute things, like we do at Duck Camp Dinners, and have people actually better comment like share and so on. That is the other part of this whole thing. It's like none of this works without me being able to show those brand partners where this is being showcased, who is watching it, the type of comments that are resonating with folks. So much matters when it comes to those things and how we talk to our partners that want to invest in the show, because I've been approached a hundred times by different videographers, different production companies that say I can this for a fraction of the cost, for infraction of the time and so on and so forth. And I'm not under the pressure to make a bunch of money off of this show or make any money off this show, because I do so many other things which allows me to keep the creative and the kind of.

Speaker 1: 57:24

The vision of Duck Ham Dinners are like very pure, and maybe I couldn't make it for cheaper. Maybe if I did make it for cheaper there would be no issue on making season four. But I was told this a long time ago by a, by the very popular and successful TV producer, when I went, when I pitched them Duck Camp Dinners, and they were like man, I love the show, I love you, I love the message. It's not for us, but keep doing it and no matter what, keep doing it the way you want to do it. And if you keep doing that, eventually it'll get to where you want it to be or where you think it should be and so on. But you got to keep doing it the way you want to do it.

Speaker 1: 58:04

And I'm kind of taking that to heart because if I went a different route, if I did it for cheaper and did it for quicker, I just believe in fact I know it just wouldn't have the same. It just wouldn't be as special. It wouldn't be as it wouldn't. It would. Yes, you'd get it done, it would be quick, it would be cheaper, but it wouldn't connect with folks in the way that it does. Maybe I'd make more money and I'd better go to the bank and say, heck, yeah, that was a good business, but I do.

Speaker 1: 58:36

I don't want to create things that don't personally mean a lot to me and the other people watching it, and I just think the type of investment that we put into the music, into the edit, into the lenses that we use on the video, like into all that stuff, into the voiceover equipment I have in my office, like all that like really matters. So, in terms of, we want to, it's for, it's made for everyone, right, but we want it to be a premium show. We wanted to feel like we spent the 12 months it takes to make this show right and not two weeks.

Speaker 2: 59:08

If you're somebody who's interested in hunting, if you're somebody who's already hunting, if you're somebody who's interested in food conservation.

Speaker 2: 59:17

this rings true to so many people, so they should definitely get out there and watch it and comment on it, and share it with their friends, because the the hunting and fishing world needs more of this content, and the world needs more of this content so that we can get a deep understanding. As the campfire burns low and the stories settle into memory, we've come to the end of another episode. A heartfelt thanks to Chef Jean-Paul for sharing his journey with us From salt marshes to Big Apple and back again. Your passion for authentic cuisine and conservation is truly inspiring. And to you, our listeners. Your support keeps this show thriving.

Speaker 2: 1:00:01

Before you head back out into the wild, consider hitting that subscribe button. It's like leaving a trail marker, ensuring you never miss an episode. Your subscription keeps the campfire burning and our community growing. Remember, folks, every time we gather to share these tales, we're not just passing the time, we're passing on a legacy. Until next time, keep your boots muddy, your spirits high and your eyes on the horizon. There's always more to explore in this wild world of ours. We'll be right back. We'll see you next time.