From a frosty morning in BC’s Cariboo, Hana Erikson sits down with a special guest Thomas Giles for a raw, powerful conversation about grit, wilderness, and what it takes to fight your way back.

Thomas is a hardcore hunter and horseman—until life flips overnight. After pushing through a fly-in moose hunt with a broken shoulder, Thomas suffers a massive stroke at age 34 and has to relearn how to speak, walk, and rebuild his life from the ground up.

He shares the moment it happened—alone at home—when his puppy Jesse instinctively braces him upright as his right side goes dead weight, buying precious time until help arrives.

From ICU, to stroke ward, to rehab, Thomas describes a 55-day hospital stay and a mindset that refuses to quit—then the next battle: his stroke was triggered by a failing aortic valve, leading to open-heart surgery on November 25.

And then comes the turning point: getting back on a horse—using a step ladder to mount—discovering the horse is literally helping him “feel” what his body can’t yet feel on his right side, and accelerating his recovery.

This episode is equal parts heavy, hilarious, and inspiring—proof that the mountains don’t just test you… they can also help heal you.

In this episode

• A stroke survivor’s minute-by-minute account of fighting to get help, and the dog that wouldn’t let him go down
• The medical “why”: heart murmur history, calcium to the brain, and the emergency chain that saved his life
• 55 days in hospital and the stubborn, daily push to stand, walk, and speak again
• Open-heart surgery and the long road back—then returning to hunting, horses, and the wild
• Back in the bush: a fly-in moose hunt redemption arc… and a grizzly at 19 yards

Presented by: @sitkagear

Supported by:

@yeti

@zeisshunting

@frontiersmengear

@onxhunt

@stoneglacier

@wild_tv

@schnee_hunt

@precision.optics

@gunwerks

This week on Talk is Sheep, we sit down with longtime Wild Sheep Society of BC supporter and Lex Ross Award recipient Don Lynum.

Don’s love for precision shooting and custom rifles is only matched by his passion for wild sheep conservation. We unpack the origin story behind the BiG BoaR rifle series—created in memory of Don’s friend Dave Marsh (aka “BiG BoaR”), and built into one of the most meaningful fundraising traditions in our community.

Over the last decade, Don has donated 20 rifles in 10 years, a program that has generated an estimated $300,000 for conservation in BC. We also preview the Big Boar 2026 plan and what’s coming next.

Episode Sponsor: Precision Optics

• How Don’s “perfect mountain rifle” obsession started—and why it never really ends
• The legacy of Dave Marsh and the story behind the BiG BoaR name
• The real-world conservation impact of consistent community giving
• A look ahead at the Big Boar 2026 rifles and what makes them special

Presented by: @sitkagear

Supported by:

@yeti

@zeisshunting

@frontiersmengear

@onxhunt

@stoneglacier

@wild_tv

@schnee_hunt

@precision.optics

@gunwerks

What matters most in conservation—perfect opinions, or real effort? In this year-in-review conversation, Kyle Stelter and Greg look back on the Wild Sheep Society of BC’s biggest wins, hard lessons, and the reality of doing conservation work in real time.

They dig into major investments on the ground, the role of the Mountain Wildlife Conservation Society in expanding capacity, and why building a strong national voice for hunting and conservation is more important than ever. You’ll hear updates on cornerstone initiatives like the Fraser River Test-and-Remove program, ongoing habitat restoration for Stone’s sheep, and active wildlife health work—including psoroptes treatment trials—plus the challenges of fire management and long-term landscape stewardship.

The episode also highlights how this work gets done: members, volunteers, and community, from fundraising events and membership promotions to celebrating our people through the RAM Awards and bringing the next generation in. If you care about wild sheep and wild places, this one’s a grounded look at what it takes—and what’s coming next.

Presented by: @sitkagear

Supported by: @yeti @zeisshunting @frontiersmengear @onxhunt @stoneglacier @wild_tv @schnee_hunt @precision.optics @gunwerks