Through the Gates

The fight to protect hunting, fishing, and science-based wildlife management is bigger than any one state. From Colorado and Arizona to New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, and beyond, sportsmen and women are facing growing political, legal, and ballot-box challenges that could reshape the future of wildlife conservation across the American West.
In this episode of Through the Gates: Save the Hunt, host Dan Gates sits down with Chuck Podolak, president of Conserve and Protect Arizona, to discuss the lessons learned from Arizona's wildlife policy battles, the growing importance of state-to-state cooperation, and what the hunting and conservation community must do to prepare for the next fight.
Chuck explains why Conserve and Protect Arizona was formed, how it works alongside established wildlife conservation organizations, and why a dedicated political organization can play a critical role in defending hunting and responsible wildlife management. Drawing on Colorado's Proposition 127 campaign and Arizona's fight over hound hunting, Dan and Chuck examine what happens when conservation organizations, hunters, anglers, trappers, falconers, and other sportsmen unite around a common purpose.
In this episode, we discuss:
Why the political battles over hunting and wildlife management are spreading across Western states.
The role of Conserve and Protect Arizona in defending hunting and science-based wildlife management.
Lessons from Arizona's historical ballot fights over public-land trapping and efforts to restrict hound hunting.
How Colorado's Amendment 71 changed the requirements for constitutional ballot initiatives.
Why hunters and conservation organizations must work together instead of becoming divided by individual interests.
The difference between broad conservation coalitions and dedicated political advocacy organizations.
Why relying entirely on volunteers may no longer be enough to defend hunting rights.
How sportsmen can communicate with non-hunters, urban voters, and the general public.
The importance of proactive public outreach before the next ballot initiative or legislative fight.
The challenges of competing with well-funded animal-rights organizations and litigation-driven advocacy.
Why hunting and fishing revenue matters to wildlife management and conservation funding.
How wildlife agencies can help communicate the value of wildlife conservation to the public.
Why Western states need stronger networks for sharing resources, funding, expertise, and political support.
The long-term challenge of protecting hunting traditions as Western populations become increasingly urban.
Dan and Chuck also discuss the importance of maintaining a unified message, preparing before a threat becomes urgent, and building relationships that allow sportsmen and women in one state to support their counterparts in another.
The central question: How can the hunting and conservation community build the relationships, public support, funding, and political infrastructure necessary to protect the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation for future generations?
This conversation is especially relevant to hunters, anglers, trappers, wildlife managers, conservation advocates, and anyone interested in the future of public-land hunting, wildlife policy, and responsible wildlife management.

What happens when the fight to protect hunting, fishing, and wildlife conservation moves from the field to the political arena?
On this episode of Through the Gates, Dan Gates sits down with Cable Smith, host of the Lone Star Outdoor Show, for an in-depth conversation about the future of hunting, science-based wildlife management, public lands, predator hunting, and the growing political challenges facing sportsmen across America.
Cable shares how he went from a radio broadcasting graduate with a passion for bass fishing and duck hunting to building one of the longest-running outdoor media platforms in the country. With more than 800 weekly episodes, decades of hunting experience, and a growing role in conservation advocacy, Cable has seen firsthand how the outdoor industry has changed—and why hunters can no longer afford to ignore wildlife politics.
The conversation explores the lessons Colorado's Proposition 127 fight holds for other states, why public lands matter even in states dominated by private property, and how hunting traditions connect families and communities across generations.
Dan and Cable also discuss chronic wasting disease (CWD), mountain lion and bear hunting with hounds, wildlife commissions and political decision-making, the funding behind North American wildlife conservation, and the importance of protecting the right to hunt and fish for future generations.
With Colorado's Amendment 83 on the ballot, this conversation takes on added significance. Dan explains how a constitutional Right to Hunt and Fish could help protect Colorado's outdoor heritage while preserving wildlife management authority and science-based conservation.
Whether you're a lifelong hunter, an angler, a public-land advocate, or someone who cares about the future of America's wildlife, this episode connects the dots between hunting, conservation, politics, and the responsibility to pass our outdoor traditions on to the next generation.
IN THIS EPISODE:
Cable Smith's journey building the Lone Star Outdoor Show
Why hunters must get involved in conservation politics
Lessons from Colorado's fight against Proposition 127
Public lands, private land hunting, and access for future generations
The traditions and family connections built around deer and elk camp
Backcountry elk hunting and the rewards of DIY hunts
Mountain lion hunting, houndsmen, and ethical decision-making
Chronic wasting disease and wildlife management controversies
Texas wildlife policy and the role of state wildlife agencies
Why science should guide wildlife commissions
The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation and conservation funding
Colorado's constitutional Right to Hunt and Fish and Amendment 83
Why apathy is not an option for hunters and conservationists

What happens when our idea of perfect, untouched nature conflicts with the realities of wildlife conservation?
On this episode of Through the Gates, Dan Gates sits down with Trinity Vandenacre of Life in the West for an in-depth conversation about hunting, wildlife management, predators, ranching, conservation, and the misconceptions shaping public opinion across the American West.
Trinity challenges what he calls the “pristine myth”—the belief that nature was once perfectly balanced and would return to that ideal if humans simply stepped away. Drawing on his experience in the Western way of life, he discusses why wildlife management is more complicated than many people realize, why historical comparisons can be misleading, and why responsible human involvement matters to the future of wildlife.
The conversation explores the role of regulated hunting in maintaining wildlife populations, the debate over wolves and other apex predators, Colorado’s growing human population, forest management, wildfire, habitat, and the challenges of communicating conservation to people outside the hunting and ranching communities.
Dan also opens the episode with an update on Colorado Amendment 83 and the constitutional right to hunt and fish, discussing traditional methods, existing hunting restrictions, the role of Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), and the importance of science-based wildlife management.
Whether you're a hunter, angler, rancher, wildlife enthusiast, or someone who simply wants to understand how conservation works, this conversation examines the difficult questions facing wildlife and the future of the American West.
IN THIS EPISODE
Colorado Amendment 83 and the constitutional right to hunt and fish
What “traditional methods” means in the debate over hunting and fishing rights
Trinity Vandenacre’s journey into Western lifestyle and conservation content
The “pristine myth” and the idea of untouched, perfectly balanced nature
Why regulated hunting is a wildlife management tool
Wolves, elk, moose, beavers, and the complexities of predator-prey relationships
Yellowstone and why its wildlife management experience may not translate directly to Colorado
Hunting, wildlife abundance, and the funding of conservation
Ranching, public lands, forest management, and wildfire
How social media shapes public perceptions of hunting and conservation
Why conservation requires looking forward instead of trying to recreate an idealized past
FOLLOW TRINITY VANENACRE
Find Life in the West and Trinity Vanenacre on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.
SUPPORT CONSERVATION AND THE FUTURE OF HUNTING
Learn more about the effort to protect hunting and fishing in Colorado:
SaveTheHuntColorado.com
Learn more about wildlife conservation advocacy:
WildlifeDeserveBetter.com
If you care about wildlife, conservation, hunting, fishing, and the future of the American West, help us spread the conversation.
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Colorado is at the center of some of the biggest battles over hunting, wildlife conservation, government policy and the future of the West.
In this extended episode of Through the Gates, Dan Gates sits down with two guests who approach those issues from very different positions — but ultimately arrive at many of the same questions about leadership, government, conservation and the future of Colorado.
First, Chris Tymeson, Vice President of Government Affairs for Safari Club International (SCI), joins Dan to discuss the growing national and international fight over hunting and wildlife management.
Tymeson spent 22 years as the chief attorney for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks before moving to SCI, giving him a unique perspective on wildlife management from both the government and advocacy sides.
The conversation covers why Chris believes Colorado has become “ground zero” for the anti-hunting movement, the growing threat of ballot-box biology, wildlife commission appointments, predator management, firearms legislation, ammunition restrictions, trophy-import bans and the importance of sportsmen's coalitions.
Chris and Dan also discuss Colorado’s proposed constitutional right to hunt and fish, Kansas' experience establishing a constitutional right to hunt, fish and trap, and why protecting hunting and fishing at the constitutional level could become increasingly important as political pressure on wildlife management grows.
The conversation also goes far beyond Colorado. Chris explains SCI's work around the world, including international hunting, African wildlife conservation, trophy-import restrictions and the consequences that can occur when outside political interests attempt to dictate how other countries manage their own wildlife.
Then, after the sponsor break, Dan sits down with Kevin Grantham, former Colorado Senate President, former member of the Joint Budget Committee and current Fremont County Commissioner, who is running for Colorado State Treasurer.
Grantham discusses the Colorado state budget, government spending, TABOR, the role of the State Treasurer, the state's investment portfolio, PERA, unclaimed property and what he sees as the biggest problems facing Colorado's fiscal future.
The conversation also explores the changing political landscape of Colorado, the urban-rural divide, population growth, changing demographics, the relationship between state government and rural Colorado, and whether Colorado needs greater political balance.
For hunters, anglers and conservationists, this episode also offers an important reminder: wildlife conservation doesn't happen in a vacuum. Wildlife management, public lands, natural resources, hunting and fishing are all influenced by politics, elections, legislation, commissions and the people who occupy positions of authority.
From the national fight to protect hunting to the political and financial decisions shaping Colorado, this is a wide-ranging conversation about who controls the future of Colorado — and what happens when politics collides with conservation.

ABOUT THROUGH THE GATES
Through the Gates brings together wildlife professionals, hunters, anglers, conservationists, politicians, biologists, attorneys and policymakers to examine the issues affecting the future of wildlife and the outdoor heritage of the West.
#ThroughTheGates #ChrisTymeson #KevinGrantham #SafariClubInternational #Colorado #ColoradoHunting #WildlifeConservation #Hunting #Fishing #WildlifeManagement #RightToHunt #Conservation #ColoradoPolitics #TABOR #SaveTheHunt

What does it really mean to be a hunter? Is it about filling a tag, harvesting a trophy, or everything that happens along the way?
On this episode of Through the Gates, Dan Gates sits down with Jordan Budd, a Nebraska-based hunter, guide, filmmaker, and outdoor storyteller known for her work with MeatEater and Rockslide. Raised on her family's third-generation cattle ranch in northwest Nebraska, Jordan developed a passion for hunting, archery, and filming at an early age. Today, she has built a career around guiding hunters, pursuing big game across the West, producing outdoor films, and helping tell the story of hunting and conservation. Dan and Jordan explore the changing culture of hunting, the pressure to harvest, and the influence of social media and outdoor television on hunters' expectations. Jordan shares why some of her most meaningful hunting experiences have had nothing to do with whether she filled a tag, and why showing the realities of an unsuccessful hunt can be just as important as documenting a successful one. The conversation also takes a deeper look at the challenges facing today's hunters, including declining hunting opportunities, increasing difficulty drawing tags, wildlife habitat conservation, and the role of science-based wildlife management. Jordan discusses her family's ranching legacy, changes in Nebraska's mule deer and whitetail populations, the impacts of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD), and the growing presence of elk. Dan and Jordan also discuss the importance of hunting ambassadors, women's growing influence in the outdoor industry, predator management, grizzly bears, wolves, and the need for hunters to stay engaged in wildlife policy and conservation issues. From high-country archery mule deer to the realities of guiding, filmmaking, motherhood, and maintaining a family ranch, Jordan offers a candid perspective on what it takes to build a life in the outdoors—and why protecting hunting opportunities matters for future generations.
In this episode:
Jordan's journey from a Nebraska ranch to the outdoor industry
Why hunting is about the experience, not harvest
Social media, hunting television, and unrealistic expectations
The challenges of guiding hunters and managing expectations
Archery hunting, mule deer, elk, and Western hunting opportunities
Women's influence and representation in hunting and conservation
Ranching, wildlife habitat, and the importance of private land conservation
Nebraska's changing deer populations, EHD, and elk expansion
Predator management, wolves, grizzly bears, and wildlife policy
Outdoor storytelling and the future of hunting films
Why hunters need to be engaged in conservation and wildlife decisions
STREAM TO SHOW -
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVjalEoOauqM3xLSHrq3FO680x-XriQcD

SUPPORT THE RIGHT TO HUNT AND FISH IN COLORADO
Sign the Initiative 302 petition: savecoheritage.org
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