The Wild Initiative

-13° F right now and hitting -40° F tomorrow… and I can hardly convince Nyx to come inside. 😂 Hard to believe that these pictures are from less than a year apart. My big little puppy. 🥺

🚨WIN THIS VIKING SEAX🚨
Here is your chance to own this badass Viking Seax inspired blade, handmade from a spent farrier’s rasp used here in Montana. 🗡
Only 50 total tickets are available. $10 per ticket or get 5 tickets for $45. Tickets are available on the website (link in bio). While you’re there, make sure to check out my other products!
This seax is a piece I put together for fun, coming in at 15.5” overall with a 10.5” blade. It’s a beast weighing just over a pound and will serve you well whether you’re splitting kindling or invading the mainland. The handle is made from reclaimed hardwood scrap and accented with stabilized black palm from and a spiked pommel.
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I hate that I get so busy that I don’t take time to actually live the life I’ve built for myself. In all honesty, I’m nervous about this fall that I’ll let myself fall into that same trap and not do the things I love.
Throwing it back to great times pulling tiny Greenback Cuttys, Rainbows and Browns out of Colorado alpine streams with .

Y’all… I’m obsessed. Thirty-three chicks from Hoover’s Hatchery. Soon to be a flock of egg-layers and meat birds. Step-by-step, turning this property into something self-sustaining.
For those going to ask… 8 Assorted Brahmas (straight run), 5 Black Australorp hens, 5 Jersey Giant hens, 5 Sapphire Gem hens, 5 Sapphire Olive Egger hens and 5 Americana hens.
was WONDERFUL through the whole process, helping me out after the incredibly rude and outright hostile folks at screwed up my order and almost took the fun out of the whole process. Hoover’s also has a better selection, better prices, free shipping and offers vaccinations for the chicks! Glad I found them!

Well… not all the fish-selfies can be winners.

Believe it or not, never in my life have I found a shed antler… plenty of dead heads, but never a shed. Well, after nearly a year on the property, I found one half-buried… and look at that sucker!
It’s got a really unique brow tine, a cool ridge on the back of the G2 and a little nub that could questionably be called a point. Hopefully I can find the whitetail this shed came off of this year!

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These farrier’s rasp ranch knives were a super fun stock-removal commission. The customer wanted a pair of knives for a father and son to carry on their belts while doing their cowboyin’.
I cut these both from a single farrier’s rasp and added camo canvas micarta scales from . The rasps present an awesome pattern along the base of the tang and some built-in jumping along the spine. These two are durable as hell and just the right size to carry all day in your belt.
This set doesn’t come with a sheath because they’re going to make their own as a father/son project… but I’m thinking I need one for myself.
Want to get your hands on your own custom rasp ranch knife? Fill out the form at thwld.in/rasp to get on the order list!

And this, my friends, is one of the many reasons why I always keep a pair of fly rods and all my gear in my truck at all times. My buddy was visiting from Texas and when we met up for lunch, he mentioned he’d never been fly fishing. Immediately, I suggested we pick up his license and find the nearest fishing access points in order to get some time behind a fly rod. We didn’t manage to catch anything, but it was fun to show him the basics of fly casting and drifts.

Make sure you don’t miss this weeks episode with my good friend and long-time supporter of the podcast, Britné Prosser. Britné is a mother, small business owner and adult-onset hunter who found success this season, taking her first animal, a spring black bear.
Get it at the link in the comments or search for The Wild Initiative on your favorite podcast platform and SUBSCRIBE!

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Y’all, this was a fun commission to put together (much to the chagrin of my MSU friends). This pair of Griz-themed hunting knives were commissioned for some recent grads who will be attending UM.
As always, these blades were a first. This was a new type of handle assembly and shaping that I’ve never tried before, along with my first time doing a stone wash finish… which I think turned out incredible!
The blades are made from O1 steel and the handles are maroon micarta from . They’ve got a Griz paw in the center and a 550 cord lanyard featuring UM maroon and silver.

Elk season is going to arrive sooner than any of us expect. While I’m a bit behind, I’m still working away to establish zones of pressure, e-scout and locate as many potential hunt areas as possible, so my time scouting with boots on the ground is optimally productive.
If you’re looking to step up your game when it comes to locating elk, you won’t find a better resource than Treeline Academy (treelineacademy.net). It’s the most comprehensive resource for e-scouting around. USE CODE “TWI” TO GET $20 OFF!

Did y’all catch my most recent podcast with Travis McClendon of , and ? We cover a ton from technology, to muley behavior and the efficacy of bugling rutting elk.
Get it at the link in the bio (thwld.in/240) or search for The Wild Initiative on your favorite podcast platform and SUBSCRIBE!

More photos from range day at the conference. Excited to get behind one of these muzzleloaders or a and .life scopes for fall season.
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Was more than excited to finish up my trip to Kalispell by landing my first ever arctic grayling on the fly. Such a cool fish with beautiful colors. Many thanks to Bill with for taking me out and to our guide .

You won’t want to miss this last episode of the podcast. Master mule deer hunter, Robby Denninglays out a ton of great info to help you score the biggest muley of your life.
Get it at the link in the comments or search for The Wild Initiative on your favorite podcast platform and SUBSCRIBE!

I’ll gladly sling brass at the range on someone else’s dime any day. Checking out Brownells, Inc. BRN-180 at the Professional Outdoor Media Association range day.
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📷 Jerad Hill Photo making me look like a pro

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Excited to start the fit and finish work for this hunting knife design I put together. If they come together how I want, I think these may become a regular staple piece.
Two are for commission and I’ve got another not pictures I’m saving for myself. But, one of these will be going up for sale. Hit me up if you’re interested.

After a month hiatus, we’re back with my buddy, Corey Child, aka the best hunter on TikTok. We catch up and have a fun conversation about authenticity, hunting media, elk stories, recruitment and, of course, TikTok.
Get it at the link in the comments or search for The Wild Initiative on your favorite podcast platform and SUBSCRIBE!

More successes with the trapping. This time a beautiful skunk who is now skinned and drying and in the garage. Excited to turn this hide into something.

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Who wants to get their hands on this badass kitchen knife?! This was a commission piece that fell through, so my loss is your gain and it’s now up for sale at a discounted price.
This is my first attempt at a santoku knife, hand forged out of 5160 spring steel. It has a hidden tang with a cool geometric handle.
Reach out if you’re interested!

After almost 200 episodes, he’s back! I’m joined by my buddy and, after a record button mishap, we talk for a while about killing big bulls and a lot more.
Get it at the link in the bio (thwld.in/237) or search for The Wild Initiative on your favorite podcast platform and SUBSCRIBE.

Another success in this endeavor to learn trapping… a red fox. He was a bit scraggly, and I think a coyote or some other critter started to get to him before I did. But, his tail is brining and his skull is cleaned and boiled. Excited to be finding more success learning this new skill.