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Welcome to Hunter’s Brief, your weekly roundup of hunting and fishing news from across the globe. I'm your host, bringing you the latest updates to keep your boots on the ground and your lines in the water.

• US expands hunting on 87,000+ acres of National Wildlife Refuge and Fish Hatchery land
• Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act under congressional review
• Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) faces potential elimination, concerning conservationists
• AI technology revolutionizing biodiversity conservation through data analysis
• Lesser prairie chicken protections threatened despite significant population decline
• Department of Interior renews Colorado River conservation agreements targeting 321,000 acre-feet water storage
• Amendment proposed to expedite federal public land sales in Utah and Nevada
• Bipartisan Explore Act enhances access to federal public lands
• North Dakota enacts 14 new outdoor-related laws effective August 1st

Don't forget to tune in on Monday for our storytelling episode, where we share tales from the field. Subscribe, leave a review, and share the podcast with your fellow outdoor enthusiasts. If there's a story we missed or something you think we should cover, let us know.

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Ever walked into a hardware store covered in blood, desperately trying to convince the cashier you're not a murderer? That's just one of the hilarious mishaps shared by this week's guest, Brian Dowling.

Brian brings a unique perspective as both a firearms expert with an actual master's degree in guns and a veteran who found healing through hunting. Working at XCAL Shooting in Virginia—a massive 97,000-square-foot facility combining shooting ranges, a gym, and a gun store—he's turned his passion into a career that spans gunsmithing, instruction, and product development.

What makes this episode special is the heartwarming thread running through Brian's hunting stories: his incredibly supportive wife. From helping him drag a freshly harvested doe up a hill in a wheelbarrow while wearing pajamas, to stealing "his" perfect pheasant after missing shots all day (much to his good-natured chagrin), their relationship shines through the narrative. When Brian describes seeing his blood-spattered wife hosing down a deer carcass in their yard without complaint, you can hear the genuine admiration in his voice.

The conversation takes us through the challenges of Eastern whitetail hunting, North Carolina hog hunts in eerie swamps, and the comedy of errors that ensues when a hunter isn't properly prepared to transport his harvest. Brian's self-deprecating humor about showing up at a rural hardware store covered in blood to buy rope and a hatchet—prompting the cashier's skeptical "that's what they all say" response to his innocent explanation—will have you laughing out loud.

Beyond the entertainment, Brian offers valuable insights into how hunting serves as effective PTSD therapy for veterans like himself, creating a deeper understanding of why many former service members find such profound peace in the woods. His technical expertise also shines through when discussing rifle zeroing and equipment selection for different hunting scenarios.

https://xcal.com/

https://mimicfirearms.com/

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Xcal

Mimic

Brian

🔭 Upgrade Your View with Vortex Optics! Experience unparalleled clarity and precision with our top-of-the-line binoculars, scopes, and more. Check out our full range at VortexOptics.com

Christensen Arms
Christensen Arms makes the best hunting and long-range rifles in the world. Made in the USA.

Support the show

Hunting Stories Instagram

Have a story? Click here!

Send us a text

🔭 Upgrade Your View with Vortex Optics! Experience unparalleled clarity and precision with our top-of-the-line binoculars, scopes, and more. Check out our full range at VortexOptics.com

Christensen Arms
Christensen Arms makes the best hunting and long-range rifles in the world. Made in the USA.

Support the show

Hunting Stories Instagram

Have a story? Click here!