A raw, unfiltered look at bear hunting that challenges everything you thought you knew.

What drives a hunter to pursue one of North America’s most powerful predators? This conversation digs into the emotional, philosophical, and deeply personal realities behind bear hunting, moving far beyond surface-level debates around conservation or sustenance.

Filmmaker and lifelong hunter Jack Evans and his father Mike, chair of the Boone and Crockett Club’s communications committee, share the story behind The Bear Hunter, a documentary born from years of backcountry hunting, global journalism, and time spent immersed in wild ecosystems from the Yukon to Africa. What unfolds is an honest exploration of the tension every hunter feels—the balance between reverence for wildlife and the act of taking a life.

You’ll hear how Fair Chase ethics, wildlife conservation, and personal responsibility intersect in the field, especially during high-stakes pursuits like grizzly bear hunting. The discussion also pulls back the curtain on the spiritual side of hunting—those quiet, often unspoken moments that shape a hunter’s values far more than the harvest itself.

This isn’t about justifying hunting. It’s about confronting the hardest questions head-on. What makes a hunt ethical? Why pursue animals we don’t need to survive? And how can storytelling through film reshape how non-hunters view the role of hunters in conservation?

For hunters, anglers, and anyone who values wild places, this is a rare look into the mindset that defines a life spent outdoors.

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