The MeatEater Podcast Ep. 873: Clovis First, Saving The Great Lakes, and the World’s Largest Wildlife Crossing
May 7, 2026
Brian Lynn, VP of Marketing and Communications at Sportsmen’s Alliance, dives into Washington’s Game Commission controversy. They discuss alleged collusion, deleted records, and legal fights. Conversation also covers Idaho hunting tech bans, saving Great Lakes whitefish, Clovis-first debates, and the world’s largest wildlife crossing.
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One Hour Tarpon Fight Lost Under A Bridge
- Steven Rinella describes hooking a huge tarpon on the third cast and fighting it for an hour before losing it under a bridge.
- He highlights the chaotic first three seconds and techniques like the two-handed strip and 'down and dirty' turns to break the fish's will.
Game Commission Capture And Transparency Failures
- Washington's game commission has been captured by animal-rights-aligned appointees, producing policy shifts like canceling the spring bear hunt.
- Brian Lynn cites deleted records, private emails, and open-meetings violations as evidence of collusion that changed hunts and rules.
Follow The New Idaho Hunting Tech Rules
- Idaho's HB 939 bans drones, thermal/night vision, and transmitting trail cameras for big-game hunting Aug 30–Dec 31 to protect fair chase.
- The law includes predator and wounded-game carve-outs and relies on wardens' on-site judgment to enforce intent.