Joining Kyle in this episode of wide-ranging topics is returning guest Renée Thornton, Founder and Chair of the Wild Sheep Foundation's Women Hunt® program.

During a year overshadowed by the impact of a cancer diagnosis and major surgery, Renée prioritized her well-being through the things she loves best: travel, hunting, wildlife conservation and giving back.

Kyle and Renée talk about achieving the notable accomplishment of travelling to all seven continents; African hunting and the striking beauty of Namibia; volunteering on a critical Desert Bighorn Sheep restoration project in Texas; the new Women in Hunting® community; and the thrill of building a brand new Sheep Show® event open to everyone: the inaugural Beer & Bubbly social hour!

The Beer & Bubbly social is a great way to enjoy a free glass of beer or bubbly while meeting up with old friends and making new ones. No need to register, just show up at 5pm outside the Tuscany ballroom at the Peppermill Resort. Generously sponsored by the New Mexico Wild Sheep Foundation and hosted by Women Hunt®, Women in Hunting® and the Rubye Mayflower Blake Legacy Fund, this event is for everyone.

There are chances to win a Weatherby rifle, a Weatherby shotgun and an assorted gift bag during the social, just for sending in your photos and a brief story (need not be present to win.) We're looking for photos of women of all ages in the outdoors. They can submit them themselves - or by men who are proud of the women in their lives! - at https://www.wildsheepfoundation.org/womenhunt/story

Talk is Sheep is the Official Podcast of the Wild Sheep Society of BC. The official sponsor of the Wild Sheep Society of BC is SITKA Gear and our Conservation Partners - Frontiersmen Gear, Gunwerks, OnX Maps, Precision Optics, Schnee's, Stone Glacier, Wild TV, YETI and Zeiss.

We welcome Professional rodeo and auctioneer emcee, Caleb Dorenkamp to the podcast to talk about rodeoing, conservation, emceeing and hunting.

Talk is Sheep is the Official Podcast of the Wild Sheep Society of BC. The official sponsor of the Wild Sheep Society of BC is SITKA Gear and our Conservation Partners - Frontiersmen Gear, Gunwerks, OnX Maps, Precision Optics, Schnee's, Stone Glacier, Wild TV, YETI and Zeiss.

Merry Christmas to our wild sheep family.

On this one Kyle and Greg, over whiskys have a fun chat about the year that was and the year that will be.

We chat about all things wild sheep - Sheep Show in Reno, our new whisky release, plans and guests for our Salute to Conservation and Mountain Hunting Expo.

Do you think you know the name of our 2025 whisky release? The first person that can guess the new name correctly we will send you a WSSBC hat or shirt. Send your best guesses to kstelter@wildsheepsociety.com.

Talk is Sheep is the Official Podcast of the Wild Sheep Society of BC. The official sponsor of the Wild Sheep Society of BC is SITKA Gear and our Conservation Partners - Frontiersmen Gear, Gunwerks, OnX Maps, Precision Optics, Schnee's, Stone Glacier, Wild TV, YETI and Zeiss.

We welcome Mackenzie Clarke to the podcast to talk about Bighorn Sheep in the Okanagan. Mackenzie is the Senior tmixʷ Biologist for Okanagan Nation Alliance and she is tackling the issue of Psoroptes Mange in Bighorn Sheep in the region.

Recently Okanagan Nation Alliance and the Wild Sheep Society of BC signed a Memorandum of Understanding focusing on the recovery on these wild sheep populations. Mackenzie dives into the multitude of issues that are plaguing these herds, what ONA is doing and her specific role in the project.

The Wild Sheep Foundation and their Chapters and Affiliates through their Grant in Aid program partnered on this year's Psoroptes Mange Drug Treatment Trials. The goal is to see if captive Bighorn Sheep can be cleared of the disease using drug treatments and if so how long they can remain cleared of the disease.

Mackenzie is incredibly knowledgeable and this is a great discussion on the great work the Okanagan Nation Alliance conducts throughout their territory for many species including Grizzly Bear. The Wild Sheep Society of BC is grateful for this opportunity to work together with Okanagan Nation Alliance on this project and other initiatives of shared values.

Talk is Sheep is the Official Podcast of the Wild Sheep Society of BC. The official sponsor of the Wild Sheep Society of BC is SITKA Gear and our Conservation Partners - Frontiersmen Gear, Gunwerks, OnX Maps, Precision Optics, Schnee's, Stone Glacier, Wild TV, YETI and Zeiss.

This is a bonus update for Talk is Sheep to:

-announce the winner of our Jurassic Classic Rifle and 50/50 raffles

-introduce our Gift of Conservation promo where you can win a $500 Sitka Gift Card

-update our listeners on our plan for Sheep Show in Reno

-highlight our upcoming raffles

-wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

WIN a $500 USD Sitka Gift Card through our Gift of Conservation Promotion.

Check out the details at www.wildsheepsociety.com/membership.

Pick up tickets on our Wild Sheep Raffles.

2025 Yukon Dall Sheep Hunt Raffle - Iron North Outfitting

www.rafflebox.ca/raffle/wss-bc

2025 Yukon Mountain Caribou Hunt Raffle - Rogue River

www.rafflebox.ca/raffle/wss-bc-caribou

2025 Alberta Pronghorn Antelope Hunt Raffle - Silver Sage

www.rafflebox.ca/raffle/wss-bc-antelope

Talk is Sheep is the Official Podcast of the Wild Sheep Society of BC. The official sponsor of the Wild Sheep Society of BC is SITKA Gear and our Conservation Partners - Frontiersmen Gear, Gunwerks, OnX Maps, Precision Optics, Schnee's, Stone Glacier, Wild TV, YETI and Zeiss.

We sit down with Landon Birch and Morgan Anderson to discuss Stone's Sheep, specifically those in Region 7A in the Central Northwest part of British Columbia. Landon is completing his Masters Studies on these wild sheep and is working closely with Morgan Anderson of BC's Ministry.

Population surveys revealed what appeared to be declining Stone Sheep population in the study area. This led to a deeper dive into these populations which ultimately resulted in Landon specifically studying how habitat quality was impacting these populations. He brings us up to speed on the status of this WSSBC supported project while Morgan provides valuable context from the provincial government's perspective including an update on region 7A's sheep populations.

Talk is Sheep is the Official Podcast of the Wild Sheep Society of BC. The official sponsor of the Wild Sheep Society of BC is SITKA Gear and our Conservation Partners - Frontiersmen Gear, Gunwerks, OnX Maps, Precision Optics, Schnee's, Stone Glacier, Wild TV, YETI and Zeiss.

It is a long journey from the London Zoo to Africa studying bushmeat harvesting to the Comox Valley woodlands. We sit down to speak with Vancouver Island hunter Janna Rist about her personal journey into hunting.

Janna grew up in a family where her father would often go into the woods in pursuit of protein. While she always had a keen interest, Janna herself was never the one pulling the trigger. A few decades later she found herself in British Columbia and having developed a strong connection to canines and interest in blood tracking, the path led her naturally to hunting.

Without a mentor, Janna was in search of the right fit for her foray into hunting. Enter Women Hunt®. After hearing Wild Sheep Foundation's Women Hunt® Chair Renée Thornton speak on a podcast about their program, Janna was hooked. She quickly learned all she could about the program and after applying waited patiently hoping to be chosen.

Janna, having just returned from the Women Hunt® Field to Fork™ course in Texas, discusses the program, her journey and her passion for hunting. She has a deep appreciation for conservation and wildlife, however despite growing up in the UK and being a highly educated PhD, she was unfamiliar with the North American Model of Wildlife.

Janna is an articulate and passionate hunter and it is exciting to hear her share her journey and enthusiasm to hunt. You don't want to miss this episode of Talk is Sheep.

For those interested in Women Hunt® be sure to visit https://www.wildsheepfoundation.org/womenhunt.

Talk is Sheep is the Official Podcast of the Wild Sheep Society of BC. The official sponsor of the Wild Sheep Society of BC is SITKA Gear and our Conservation Partners - Frontiersmen Gear, Gunwerks, OnX Maps, Precision Optics, Schnee's, Stone Glacier, Wild TV, YETI and Zeiss.

We welcome Chad Hall to the podcast to talk Sheep Hunting and the courage involved to face your challenges whether they are in the mountain or in the operating room.

Chad, a lifelong passionate hunter, was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer when he was just 19. He spent the next two years fighting the cancer. He underwent several surgeries to remove a large tumor from his femur and endured more than 300 days of extensive chemotherapy before finally bringing the disease into submission. His entire knee had to be replaced, and he lost parts of his quad muscle, femur and tibia. After these surgeries, Hall spent thousands of days in physical therapy learning to walk again. He learned through his experience that life is short and to get the most out of his. One of his lifelong dreams was to train so that he'd be physically strong enough to hunt wild sheep.

We discuss Chad's journey in the Sheep Hunting world and how he recently completed his FNAWS/Slam. We dive into how he got involved with Sheep Shape and the challenges he faced along the way as well as the other survivors that were part of the show. We also discuss Chad's most recent Bighorn Sheep hunt.

Check out Chad's journey at @chadreelwild and the Sheep Shape youtube Channel.

Talk is Sheep is the Official Podcast of the Wild Sheep Society of BC. The official sponsor of the Wild Sheep Society of BC is SITKA Gear and our Conservation Partners - Frontiersmen Gear, Gunwerks, OnX Maps, Precision Optics, Schnee's, Stone Glacier, Wild TV, YETI and Zeiss.