The Silvercore Podcast with Travis Bader

Ep. 195: Dallas Brodie, OneBC Leader: Taxes, Firearms and Crown Land | BC Election 2026

OneBC leader Dallas Brodie sits down with Travis Bader for the first conversation in the Silvercore Podcast's BC Election 2026 series. The conversation runs in three parts: the person, the party and the platform. Brodie traces her path from corporate lawyer, youth defence counsel, broadcast journalist and Residential Tenancy Branch arbitrator to her election as MLA for Vancouver-Quilchena in 2024. She talks about getting her PAL in 2021 and her expulsion from the BC Conservative caucus in March 2025. On the platform, Travis puts questions from the Silvercore community to her on OneBC's proposed 25% cut to personal and corporate income tax and two-point PST cut, a 10% savings target for every ministry, the party's position on the federal firearms buyback, a provincial storage program and a provincially appointed chief firearms officer, hunting licence revenue, moose and caribou declines, Crown land access, Aboriginal title and the Cowichan decision, SOGI 123 in schools, public safety and addiction, and her first 100 days. ABOUT THIS SERIES On September 25, 2026, Travis invited the leaders of all five parties with seats in the BC legislature to the same long-form conversation, with the same format and the same community questions, and followed up on September 28. At the time of recording, OneBC accepted, the BC NDP declined, Centre BC was arranging a date, and the BC Conservatives and BC Greens had not responded. Any leader who accepts before the October 24 election gets the same opportunity. The views expressed are the guest's own. Silvercore does not endorse any party or candidate. During the conversation, Ms. Brodie names Silvercore as an example of a contractor for a provincial firearms storage program. Silvercore has no storage plan and no arrangement with OneBC or any other party. CHAPTERS 00:00 About this series: who was invited and who answered 01:37 Welcome, Dallas Brodie 02:47 Law, broadcasting, business and the road to the legislature 07:21 Fishing, a PAL and learning to shoot 12:29 A public decision with a personal cost 19:48 Federal influence, labels and political debate 26:23 The strongest argument against her platform 28:15 SOGI 123 and what is taught in schools 37:11 The 25% tax cut and how it is costed 40:24 A 10% savings target, including health and education 41:17 The federal gun buyback and a provincial storage program 46:37 Hunters, conservation and listening to the experts 51:38 AI and decision-making in government 58:17 The RCMP, the buyback and a provincial chief firearms officer 1:02:47 Where hunting licence money goes 1:04:44 Debt, deficit and the snap election 1:06:41 Moose, caribou and predator management 1:10:25 Crown land access and Aboriginal title 1:14:58 Affordability: what changes for a young family 1:17:40 Repeat offenders and open drug use 1:20:53 The Cowichan decision and private property 1:28:21 Improving life for Indigenous people 1:30:09 Intergenerational trauma and policy 1:36:39 Polarization and leadership 1:42:33 Her first 100 days 1:44:12 Her pitch to voters who have never voted OneBC 1:45:29 Closing thoughts FIND OneBC https://1bc.ca _____ The Silvercore Club keeps you sharp and has your back. $5M excess liability insurance for hunting, fishing, and shooting across Canada and the US, member discounts, and a community that gets outside. $59/year. Join the Club - https://www.silvercore.ca/club Firearms & hunting courses - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Merchandise - https://www.silvercore.ca/collections/all-merchandise Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.trav Silvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors This content is for information and entertainment only. Nothing here is professional, legal, or safety advice. Firearms, hunting, and outdoor activities carry real risk. Know and follow the laws that apply to you, use safe practices, and get proper training from qualified professionals before acting on anything discussed. Silvercore accepts no liability for how this information is used.

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Ep. 194: Jay Nichol: Why Most Hunters Fail Before They Leave the Truck

Jay Nichol spends around 140 days a year in the mountains. He guides black bear, mule deer, mountain goat and coues deer across British Columbia, Alberta and Mexico, and runs The Mindful Hunter, an unsponsored gear-review and podcast platform that has grown into Mindful Hunter Outfitting, the Forged in the Backcountry apparel line, and Mindful Munitions, a new Canadian store for the gear he trusts. In this conversation with Travis Bader, Jay explains what he changed after too many clients missed their shot in spring bear camp, how 18 years of sobriety shaped the way he leaves home for a hunt, and what sends hunters out of the backcountry early. From Jay: The Truth About Training for Mountain Hunting (free downloadable plan): https://youtu.be/wAugmpvZrtc Free downloads and tools: https://www.mindfulhunter.com/tools Kowa TSN-88A Sweepstakes: https://forgedinthebackcountry.com/blogs/resources/kowa-tsn-88a-sweepstakes Find Jay Nichol: The Mindful Hunter: https://www.mindfulhunter.com The Mindful Hunter Podcast: https://mindfulhunter.podbean.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MindfulHunter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindful_hunter Mindful Munitions: https://mindfulmunitions.com Forged in the Backcountry: https://forgedinthebackcountry.com Forged in the Backcountry on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forgedinthebackcountry Mindful Reviews: https://www.mindful-reviews.com _____ The Silvercore Club keeps you sharp and has your back. $5M excess liability insurance for hunting, fishing, and shooting across Canada and the US, member discounts, and a community that gets outside. $59/year. Join the Club - https://www.silvercore.ca/club Firearms & hunting courses - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Merchandise - https://www.silvercore.ca/collections/all-merchandise Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.trav Silvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors This content is for information and entertainment only. Nothing here is professional, legal, or safety advice. Firearms, hunting, and outdoor activities carry real risk. Know and follow the laws that apply to you, use safe practices, and get proper training from qualified professionals before acting on anything discussed. Silvercore accepts no liability for how this information is used. ____ 00:00 Introducing Jay Nichol 03:00 Leaving home at 15 04:00 Only as sick as our secrets 08:00 Stolen CDs and the start of addiction 14:00 Addiction as a sense of purpose 18:00 The rite of passage nobody gave him 24:00 Letting people help you 26:00 Two mistakes: no mentor, no community 32:00 The annealing hot take 35:00 University with no high school diploma 40:00 Proving something to his father 43:00 Ego death and moments of clarity 49:00 Clean your house before you leave 52:00 The dark years, 2023 and 2024 56:00 Tapping out versus breaking 1:01:00 Why men talk shoulder to shoulder 1:09:00 Hours per day doing what you love 1:12:00 Anger as fuel, and compartmentalizing 1:17:00 Telling his daughter no 1:19:00 1,200 rounds in five days 1:22:00 The kneeling logging road shot 1:24:00 Buy a 223, shoot 1,000 rounds 1:27:00 Kill the weak parts 1:30:00 Zone two and the StairMaster 1:36:00 Travis on going into AFib 1:42:00 The illusion of learning 1:45:00 Nothing died, so you failed 1:47:00 36 deer in 105 minutes 1:50:00 Spend it on field days, not a spotter 1:52:00 Forged in the Backcountry 1:56:00 Outfitting in BC, Alberta and Mexico 2:00:00 Launching Mindful Munitions 2:04:00 Why the focus is men

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Ep. 193: Mark Twight: Trained the 300 Cast, Then Walked Off Aquaman

Mark Twight joins Travis Bader on the Silvercore Podcast for a conversation about alpinism, Gym Jones, the training behind 300, and life after peak performance. The booking took five years and one condition: in person only. Twight climbed in the Alps, Alaska and the Canadian Rockies, including The Reality Bath, a route that went unrepeated for 37 years. He climbed the Slovak Direct on Denali in 60 hours with Steve House and Scott Backes. His books Extreme Alpinism and Kiss or Kill were picked up well outside climbing, including by military units who found the chapter on attitude and character applied to their work. He later worked on nine feature films, most of them with director Zack Snyder, building physical transformations against production deadlines. In this conversation, recorded in person in Montana, Twight talks about what separated him from better technical climbers, why he keeps walking away from things at the top, and what he has found in the valley since. Topics covered: - Growing up the son of a National Park Service law enforcement ranger - Taking up shooting in 1995, and mentors including Brian Enos and Pat Rogers - Getting disqualified before firing a shot in his first match in 21 years - Self image, permission to fail, and why some competitors stall - Mount Hunter in 39 hours nonstop, and the arithmetic of pack weight - Writing while drinking, and the decision to stop - Building the cast of 300, and why fast results do not hold - Leaving the Aquaman job when the paycheque became the only reason to stay - Declining physical capacity, and purpose after achievement A conversation about total commitment, and the bill that comes due for it. Learn more about Mark Twight: Website: https://www.marktwight.com Substack: https://marktwight.substack.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wfmft _____ The Silvercore Club keeps you sharp and has your back. $5M excess liability insurance for hunting, fishing, and shooting across Canada and the US, member discounts, and a community that gets outside. $59/year. Join the Club - https://www.silvercore.ca/club Firearms & hunting courses - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Merchandise - https://www.silvercore.ca/collections/all-merchandise Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.trav Silvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors This content is for information and entertainment only. Nothing here is professional, legal, or safety advice. Firearms, hunting, and outdoor activities carry real risk. Know and follow the laws that apply to you, use safe practices, and get proper training from qualified professionals before acting on anything discussed. Silvercore accepts no liability for how this information is used. ____ 00:00 Five years and a one word reply 06:20 A ranger father, an anti-authority son 12:50 Nine films, mostly with Zack Snyder 17:20 Forty pounds and a changed life 20:00 Extreme Alpinism reaches Special Forces 26:50 The mountains are not clever, men are 28:40 Guns are stupid, then a range day 31:30 Brian Enos, Gunsite and mentors 41:50 Back to competition, DQ'd first match 49:40 You never outperform your self image 51:20 Permission to fail 57:20 Seven lives in one lifetime 1:01:00 Mount Hunter, 39 hours nonstop 1:04:50 The Slovak Direct in 60 hours 1:11:00 Why he stopped climbing 1:16:30 Writing drunk, and what it cost 1:29:00 Coming down to the valley 1:38:40 Borrowed beliefs and in-group politics 1:44:40 Hunters, conservation, common ground 1:47:20 Paragliding before anyone knew how 1:56:40 Something to rebel against 2:00:20 The first gym, and what it taught him 2:06:40 Invitation only, everyone on parole 2:12:30 300 and the website that crashed 2:16:30 Fear, rationalization, walking away 2:23:20 Walking off Aquaman 2:31:50 Fast results are unstable results 2:46:20 Why dangerous things matter 2:51:40 Risk tolerance over technical skill 3:03:40 No off-ramp for veterans and athletes 3:08:00 Intent instead of intensity 3:17:30 Saying goodbye to Daryl Miller 3:23:20 What success means at 65

Ep. 192: "I Wanted to Live My Life Armed" | Ian Sim Returns

Ian Sim spent nearly three decades in the RCMP. In December, alone in his apartment, the strokes came. He saved the wine, booked an Uber to emergency because it was faster than an ambulance, and days later faced a decision about a clot-busting drug with minutes on the clock and nobody to call. The man who returns to the Silvercore Podcast is in what he calls the afterglow. Colours are brighter. Food tastes better. Any familiar face is an old friend. Ian cold-called the SAS out of directory assistance and got a yes. He policed Wreck Beach by getting out of the car and learning names. He wrote a counterterrorism paper that got him summoned to the principal's office, and he has rebuilt his off-duty carry proposal into something a province could adopt on its own. And he answers the question an RCMP recruiter asked him at 19: do you have a healthy or an unhealthy interest in firearms? His answer got the room to go quiet. Ian speaks as a private citizen. His views are his own, not those of the RCMP. _____ The Silvercore Club keeps you sharp and has your back. $5M excess liability insurance for hunting, fishing, and shooting across Canada and the US, member discounts, and a community that gets outside. $59/year. Join the Club - https://www.silvercore.ca/club Firearms & hunting courses - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Merchandise - https://www.silvercore.ca/collections/all-merchandise Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.trav Silvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors This content is for information and entertainment only. Nothing here is professional, legal, or safety advice. Firearms, hunting, and outdoor activities carry real risk. Know and follow the laws that apply to you, use safe practices, and get proper training from qualified professionals before acting on anything discussed. Silvercore accepts no liability for how this information is used. ____ 00:00:00 Welcome back 00:01:00 The warning shots 00:12:00 The big one 00:18:00 The clot buster decision 00:29:00 A song and a $5 bill 00:43:00 Is there any such thing as a coincidence? 00:53:00 A Reaper in the desert 00:56:00 Cold-calling the SAS 01:04:00 The afterglow 01:12:00 They don't look like supermen 01:19:00 Radio, Wreck Beach and who works for whom 01:32:00 Smart on crime 01:35:00 Off-shift carry, the proposal rebuilt 01:48:00 Define the problem first 01:55:00 The paper and the principal's office 02:10:00 A Liberal beat him to it 02:14:00 "I wanted to live my life armed" 02:26:00 The next sidearm 02:36:00 Courts and credibility 02:38:00 Until next time

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Ep. 191: The Next Mission: Kyle Lamb on Cancer, Faith, and the Poems He's Never Published

Retired Delta Force Sergeant Major Kyle Lamb returns to the Silvercore Podcast to talk about his new book, The Next Mission, co-authored with his wife Melynda. Kyle spent 21 years in the US Army, 15 of them in Delta Force, and fought in the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993. The day episode 124 finished recording, Kyle got a phone call telling him he had bladder cancer. He had just told Travis, on tape, that he was living as though he had six months left. What happened next changed how he and Melynda live. In this conversation: The phone call after the last podcast, and the lung finding that followed for his wife Why The Next Mission reads the Bible through a special operations lens, and why Bible scholars are not the audience Ehud the left-handed assassin, and how researching a bronze dagger led to Herodotus and tin from ancient Britain The Apostle Paul chained to a Roman soldier, and the two words that would have stopped his beating Why Melynda's name is on the cover, and the five chapters she red-X'd out of Leadership in the Shadows Two poems read aloud that have never been published anywhere Twelve years without a drink, and the conversation in Hawaii that changed how he saw it Why the Christian who did the most for his faith in two years is a Muslim friend What tribe actually means, and why it has nothing to do with skin, geography, or religion The redactions left visible in the book, and the note inside the cover confirming no AI was used The Next Mission is 432 pages, published June 6, 2026. Signed and personalized copies are available direct from Viking Tactics. It is priced at $27.17, a reference to Proverbs 27:17, iron sharpens iron. Kyle Lamb and Viking Tactics Signed copies: https://www.vikingtactics.com/shop/the-next-mission/ Stay in the Fight Foundation: https://www.vikingtactics.com/stay-in-the-fight-foundation/ Team VTAC Podcast: https://kylelamb.libsyn.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vikingtactics _____ Silvercore Club - https://www.silvercore.ca/club Online Training - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/canadian-firearms-safety-course-online Other Training & Services - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Merchandise - https://www.silvercore.ca/collections/all-merchandise Blog Page - https://www.silvercore.ca/blog Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.trav Silvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors ____ 00:00 The best conversations happen off the record 01:41 Welcome back, Kyle Lamb 02:19 The year-end question, and what happened that same day 03:40 "Mr. Lamb, you've got bladder cancer" 04:50 Then it was his wife 06:20 What he said to God in the truck 11:20 Time is the gift 13:30 Nims Purja and purpose after achievement 16:20 What's the mission today? 23:00 How the book started: Ehud and the bronze dagger 26:10 The Apostle Paul, chained to a Roman soldier 30:15 Battlefield reflections and the audiobook 31:15 Why Melynda's name is on the cover 33:50 Speaking, elk season, and his grandson's first hunt 36:10 The attention span of a squirrel 39:40 The Kyle pile 45:40 The guns he'd never get rid of 50:20 Commander's intent: reach the unreachable 51:30 Don't wear your faith as a badge 55:20 The Muslim friend who sent him a Bible verse 1:04:20 What tribe actually means 1:08:30 How his prayers changed 1:11:50 Twelve years without a drink 1:14:30 What an answer to prayer looks like 1:21:00 The farther from the flagpole 1:26:20 "If I shoot guns, I get paid" 1:29:20 The path of Musashi 1:34:40 Two poems, never released anywhere 1:46:10 What the public doesn't see 1:47:20 The five chapters his wife red-X'd 1:50:50 Putting the light on evil 1:51:50 Meek is not weak 1:56:40 Cutting twenty percent 2:00:40 Why he writes at a sixth grade level 2:15:20 Do you feel guilt? 2:22:20 The motorcycle in the classroom 2:26:30 Where to get the book, and why it costs $27.17 2:28:20 The redactions and the unit approval

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Ep. 190: John Barklow: They Needed a Mountain Warfare Expert. They Picked a Diver.

John Barklow spent 26 years in the U.S. Navy, most of it teaching Naval Special Warfare how to survive the coldest, most unforgiving mountains on earth. After 9/11 the military needed mountain warfare experts and almost none were left. They picked a diver from Cleveland, Ohio, and his work went on to reshape cold weather survival training for a generation of special operators. In this conversation, Travis Bader and John go far past gear. They get into the mindset that keeps you alive when things go wrong, the difference between chasing happiness and building satisfaction, and why the hunting and firearms communities are so quick to turn on their own. John breaks down his famous rewarming drill in full: what to do if you fall in cold water in the backcountry, why you keep your wet clothes on instead of stripping them off, and how your own body heat dries your system from the inside. He explains how to train it safely in your own backyard before your life depends on it. He also tells the story of a British Columbia horseback hunt that nearly ended under 1,400 pounds of falling horse in the dark, opens up about two hip replacements and refusing to let the old man in, and shares, for the first time publicly, who wrote the foreword to his new book. Some of the best survival lessons of your life are the ones John learned the hard way, so you don't have to. John's first book, Knowledge from Storms, is available for pre-order now. This episode includes a giveaway. Details are in the show and on our channels. Learn more about John Barklow: Book: Knowledge from Storms (St. Martin's Press) Website: knowledgefromstorms.com Instagram: @jbarklow Courses: outdoorclass.com Free videos: Montana Knife Company YouTube, MKC Survival Guide series _____ Silvercore Club - https://www.silvercore.ca/club Online Training - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/canadian-firearms-safety-course-online Other Training & Services - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Merchandise - https://www.silvercore.ca/collections/all-merchandise Blog Page - https://www.silvercore.ca/blog Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.trav Silvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors ____ Timestamps 00:00 Cold open: they picked a diver 01:00 The best introduction he's ever had 02:00 Cleveland, Ohio does not grow mountain men 05:00 Enlisting in the Navy at 19 07:00 The cardinal direction: a heading he couldn't name 08:00 Breaking the script he was handed 10:00 Happiness versus satisfaction 17:00 The harder you work, the luckier you get 18:00 When it goes wrong in the mountains, who does he call? 21:00 COVID, and the birth of Knowledge From Storms 23:00 The inciting incident: his drill in a competitor's marketing 27:00 Why the hunting and firearms communities eat their own 28:00 The camo wars, and refusing to fight in public 31:00 Trust is slow to earn and fast to lose 34:00 Travis at 16: the station wagon, the cabin, and hypothermia 38:00 Where he learned cold: diving, the Sierras, and Mark Twight 41:00 After 9/11: rebuilding a lost cold weather capability 42:00 Making the soldier durable 45:00 The rewarming drill on camera, and Adam Foss 47:00 The static rewarming drill: clothing is shelter 48:00 Why building a fire can be the wrong first move 49:00 Trap the heat, then move 51:00 An hour in: the shivering stops 54:00 Do it in your backyard, not in the middle of nowhere 57:00 Granddad in denim, and what modern gear actually changed 59:00 The active rewarming drill: one bucket, any trailhead 1:02:00 Mark Twight wrote the foreword, announced here first 1:05:00 Extreme Alpinism: the book that prepared men for war 1:06:00 Going light without getting forced out: the margin of safety 1:09:00 Three days pinned in a Mount Rainier blizzard 1:11:00 Planning builds confidence, confidence builds decisions 1:13:00 Keeping your world small when the float plane leaves 1:16:00 We romanticize the mountains. Here is the rest of it. 1:19:00 The PPCLI research miss 1:20:00 The BC horseback hunt that went wrong 1:22:00 1,400 pounds of horse in the dark 1:24:00 Giardia, and the unforced error he owns 1:28:00 Two hip replacements, and not letting the old man in 1:32:00 Who the book is for 1:35:00 OutdoorClass and Montana Knife Company 1:38:00 Start higher on the mountain, but climb it yourself 1:39:00 Student of the game: enjoy where you are

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Ep. 189: Why This Wildlife Artist Hides His Paintings in the Wilderness | Casey Braam

Get the free bear guide Casey Braam and Travis Bader made, and enter to win an SAI Optics red dot, at : Silvercore.ca/bear Every download is a contest entry. Silvercore Club members are entered for free automatically, and can earn a second entry by downloading the guide. Wildlife artist Casey Braam hikes into wild places, paints what he finds, posts clues online, and gives the painting to the first person who figures out where he is and hikes out to meet him. He calls it the Art Outside Project. In his second time on the Silvercore Podcast, 101 episodes after his first, Casey explains why he is doing it. The reason is bigger than art. It comes down to getting people outside and teaching them to actually see the world they live in. Casey and Travis also go deep on spring bear hunting: reading sign, judging and selecting bears, why patience and selectivity make the whole thing richer, and the hard-earned rule that can save your hunt, shoot a bear until it is down and done. From there it opens up into what makes any outdoor experience richer over time, the value of risk and the "question mark," raising kids who get dirty in a world full of cameras, and why there is no fence between us and the natural world. If you have ever felt like you walk through the woods on autopilot, this episode is about switching that off. Free bear guide and SAI red dot giveaway: Silvercore.ca/bear Gear and partners mentioned: -IBI Precision rifles and barrels. - https://ibiprecision.com/ **Silvercore Club members get 10 percent off through the member portal. - Norma Bondstrike ammunition- https://www.norma-ammunition.com - SAI Optics - https://armament.com/collections/sai-optics-riflescopes Find Casey Braam and the Art Outside Project: Website: https://www.artbycaseybraam.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cabraam/ _____ Silvercore Club - https://www.silvercore.ca/club Online Training - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/canadian-firearms-safety-course-online Other Training & Services - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Merchandise - https://www.silvercore.ca/collections/all-merchandise Blog Page - https://www.silvercore.ca/blog Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.trav Silvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors ____ Timestamps 00:00 Why he gives his paintings away 01:53 The bear skulls, the invitation, and two styles of hunting 05:09 Hunting for the experience, not just the kill 07:35 Eleven bears in a day, and the animal he knows best 14:09 The free bear guide, and why every bear looks 400 pounds 16:20 A mama and cub at fifteen yards 18:28 "It's not the one": passing on a taker 21:00 The propeller-sound bear and a tactical retreat 25:00 Tiffany's shot, and the bear that got back up 28:44 Shoot it till it's down: tracking, anatomy, and lost bears 33:00 Why cranked magnification gets you killed up close 38:45 The Art Outside Project, and what sparked it 40:50 Why getting people outside changes them 45:24 Teaching your lazy brain how to actually see 52:38 Two hours on a shoreline he'd seen a hundred times 55:29 What makes a painting, or a meal, worth more 1:00:09 How any business can steal this playbook 1:04:07 The ingredients of a richer adventure 1:07:02 Closer to death, more alive: the question mark 1:17:12 Who's standing next to you when it happens 1:18:33 Raising kids who get dirty in a panopticon world 1:25:10 No fence between us and nature 1:29:41 The giveaway, the guide, and the gear

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Ep. 188: Why Canada Really Bans Your Guns | Blair Hagen NFA

Get your FREE Authorization to Carry guide: https://www.silvercore.ca/authorization-to-carry Blair Hagen has spent 30 years fighting Canada's firearms laws, and now, days after the National Firearms Association lost its president Rick Igercich, he is the one holding it together. In this episode of the Silvercore Podcast, Travis Bader sits down with Hagen, executive vice president and now acting president of the NFA, for a clear-eyed look at where Canada's gun fight actually stands in 2026: the assault-style firearm confiscation, the Order in Council (OIC) bans, the handgun freeze, and the amnesty that keeps getting extended because almost no one is complying. Hagen survived two armed robberies behind the counter of a Vancouver gun store, then was refused a permit to protect himself. He explains why firearms in Canada get banned for how they look rather than what they do, why a serious gun charge is the first thing a prosecutor drops, why the numbers behind the confiscation do not add up, and the one thing every gun owner can actually do that works. What we get into: Why "assault-style firearm" is a political marketing term, not a legal one The "comply or become a criminal" trap inside the current buyback Estates, the handgun freeze, and how a widow loses a collection's value The NFA Save Firearms program and storing prohibited firearms legally Whether you can still buy and transfer a handgun in Canada, and where an Authorization to Carry fits in Whether you have owned firearms your whole life or have never touched one, this is a conversation about property, rights, and who decides what is yours. Find the NFA: https://nfa.ca NFA on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/national_firearms_association/ NFA on Facebook: https://facebook.com/NFACANADA NFA on X: https://x.com/CanadasNFA _____ Silvercore Club - https://www.silvercore.ca/club Online Training - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/canadian-firearms-safety-course-online Other Training & Services - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Merchandise - https://www.silvercore.ca/collections/all-merchandise Blog Page - https://www.silvercore.ca/blog Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.trav Silvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors ____ Timestamps: 00:00 Cold open 00:46 Remembering NFA president Rick Igercich 02:28 How Blair got into the fight: the registry and David Tomlinson 08:38 Canada's gun culture, and a global audience listening 12:49 Two armed robberies behind the counter 17:00 Denied a carry permit in a store full of guns 20:19 "What can I do?" and the early '90s political wasteland 26:00 Property rights and the slippery slope 30:35 The amnesty extension and the courtroom no-win 34:32 Why gun charges get dropped first, and "assault-style" spin 40:49 Estates, the widow problem, and the caliber ban 48:24 "We do not make mistakes": the inheritance test case 50:44 Magazines, deactivation, and rules you can't comply with 57:03 OIC chaos and the meaningless word "variant" 1:03:15 Aesthetics over ballistics: why guns really get banned 1:09:41 Talking guns with someone who fears them 1:13:22 The handgun freeze and the Save Firearms program 1:22:00 The toll of 30 years on the line 1:24:45 Cooking the numbers: only 4,000 Mini-14s? 1:29:00 The quiet plan to put gun stores out of business 1:33:31 The Conservative Outdoors Committee and revolving-door courts 1:37:57 Which org to support, and what you can actually do 1:45:08 Closing, and Blair's goodbye to Rick

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Ep. 187: The Price of Speaking Up: Fined $29,000 for Walking in the Woods | Jeff Evely

Jeff Evely served 20 years in the Canadian Armed Forces, with deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. He came home, retired to his hometown in Cape Breton, and within months found himself arrested at a war memorial he was trying to guard, then later fined nearly $29,000 for walking in the woods during a Nova Scotia fire ban. He fought back. And he won. In this conversation, Travis sits down with Jeff to unpack the $29,000 ticket, the court win against the Nova Scotia government, the trucker convoy and Rolling Thunder arrests, and what it actually takes for one person to push back against institutions that have stopped listening. They also get into the Fourth Turning, stoicism, Carl Sagan and skepticism, the limits of the courts, why politics is downstream from culture, and the deepest personal cost Jeff has paid for standing on principle. A conversation about courage, consequences, and what it costs to hold the line. Find Jeff Evely: Twitter / X: @JeffEvely _____ Silvercore Club - https://www.silvercore.ca/club Online Training - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/canadian-firearms-safety-course-online Other Training & Services - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Merchandise - https://www.silvercore.ca/collections/all-merchandise Blog Page - https://www.silvercore.ca/blog Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.trav Silvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors ____ Timestamps 00:00 Cold open 00:42 Twenty years in, vaccine mandates out 02:00 Refused at the Legion, the lone protest begins 04:09 Trucker Convoy, taking down the fence 05:00 Arrested walking to the war memorial in his medals 07:00 Rolling Thunder and the limits of standing on your rights 10:10 The Fourth Turning and why institutions are collapsing 18:17 Anything currently going right 20:51 Portapique, gun policy, and the firearms debate 23:51 Wildfires, arson, and the climate narrative shift 25:28 How the Silvercore Club came to exist 35:42 The $29,000 fine and the court win 46:00 Why courts alone won't change the culture 48:15 Carl Sagan, skepticism, and a logical framework 52:20 COVID, the fog, and the totalitarian impulse 59:41 Anarcho-tyranny and the strategy to destabilize 01:03:00 Shame, accountability, and bringing consequences back 01:14:00 May Day Kids in Crisis and confronting Poilievre 01:22:32 Victimhood, cultural Marxism, and the trans question 01:28:40 The greatest price: his daughter 01:31:09 Raising kids on logic, what could change his mind 01:35:00 Hard times, strong men, and how we raise the next generation 01:37:13 Close

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Ep. 186: The Pentagon Just Released 162 UFO Files. A Canadian Forces Insider Read Every One.

Last Friday, the Pentagon released 162 declassified UFO files through a brand-new portal called PURSUE. The first formal federal release in 80 years. Some are calling it disclosure. Some are calling it a nothing burger. Rocky Swanson has spent his life inside the kind of system that handles this material. Joined the Royal Canadian Army Cadets at twelve. Served a full career in the Canadian Armed Forces, including a NORAD posting. Came home and became deputy fire chief in the town he grew up in. He was approached by the federal government to advise on a Canadian UAP initiative alongside sitting members of parliament. He was a guest co-host on a podcast that interviewed Lue Elizondo, the former Pentagon official who put UFOs on the front page of the New York Times in 2017. He got close enough to see the seams. In this episode Travis and Rocky walk through the Pentagon release, the actual evidence in the new tranche, why three pilots are not the same thing as three radar tracks, why Skinwalker Ranch matters more than people think, what really happened inside AATIP, who Bob Lazar actually is, and why the most interesting UAP case Rocky has ever encountered did not come from the Pentagon at all. It came from an F-18 pilot over the Canadian Arctic. Rocky believes in the possibility of life out there. He does not believe the people on stage right now are the ones who have found it. If you came to this conversation looking for someone who will tell you what to believe, you are in the wrong place. If you came looking for someone who will tell you how to think about this honestly, settle in. _____ Silvercore Club - https://www.silvercore.ca/club Online Training - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/canadian-firearms-safety-course-online Other Training & Services - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Merchandise - https://www.silvercore.ca/collections/all-merchandise Blog Page - https://www.silvercore.ca/blog Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.trav Silvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors ____ Chapter timestamps 00:00 Cold open. The Pentagon just released 162 UFO files 01:50 How a mutual friend's UAP footage started this conversation 03:40 The conservation officer sighting that no one can explain 07:30 Reading the Diary of a CEO UFO episode like a detective 09:20 What an actual thermal imagery expert sees in the new footage 17:00 The Nimitz Tic Tac case is not what you think it is 21:00 Rocky admits he was starstruck by the Pentagon witnesses 24:00 Wile E. Coyote, age 9, and Rocky's own first UFO sighting 27:00 The 2016 moment that pulled him back into the rabbit hole 33:00 Applying arson investigator rigor to UFO claims 36:00 Why the Go Fast, Gimbal and Tic Tac videos were chosen 39:30 Why is Trump releasing the files now? 42:00 The intelligence friends who believe, and won't say why 45:00 What would actually change Rocky's mind 47:00 Rocky's CIA-adjacent contacts and how grifts get built 50:00 The isotopic ratio testing story that fell apart 51:00 When the Pentagon tried to read him in to NORAD programs 54:00 The Sky Canada Project, and what Canada is actually doing 56:00 Asking the base commander permission to study UFOs 57:00 F-18 pilots who saw things they couldn't explain 1:01:00 Japan Airlines Flight 1628 and the Arctic walnut-shape sighting 1:03:00 The Canadian general who became Rocky's most credible witness 1:09:00 Collective ignorance versus a cabal 1:12:00 Bob Lazar has the credibility of a Labrador retriever 1:15:00 Those who talk don't know. Those who know don't talk. 1:19:00 Skinwalker Ranch and the dino beaver problem 1:23:00 How Paul Hellyer got used by the UFO community 1:26:00 Religion, ufology, and the snake-kissing Pentecostal connection 1:28:00 Admiral Tim Gallaudet, hauntings, and pre-positioned belief 1:33:00 Why humans are drawn to this in the first place 1:39:00 Science asks questions. Ufology asks you to believe. 1:42:00 What Obama actually said. What Trump actually meant. 1:45:00 Don't be pulled down the rabbit hole 1:46:00 The series begins. What we'll do next.

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Ep. 185: 37 Dead at the Bluebird Cafe: Why Canada Won't Talk About It with Dr. Noah Schwartz

Dr. Noah Schwartz is the political scientist who decided he could not write honestly about Canada's gun community without going through the licensing system himself. He took the PAL. He took the RPAL. He sat at 84 kitchen tables across this country. What he found is a story most Canadians have never heard. In this episode we cover the largest deliberate mass casualty event in Canadian history that almost nobody remembers, why the handgun freeze was announced after a shooting in Texas, the policy framework Czechia used after a university massacre that did the opposite of what Canada did, and what it means that single-shot black powder pistols were banned alongside Glocks. Get Targeted: https://amzn.to/4wbl61w More from Noah: https://noahschwartz.ca and @NoahSchwartzy on X _____ Silvercore Club - https://www.silvercore.ca/club Online Training - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/canadian-firearms-safety-course-online Other Training & Services - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Merchandise - https://www.silvercore.ca/collections/all-merchandise Blog Page - https://www.silvercore.ca/blog Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.trav Silvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors ____ Timestamps 00:00:00 Cold open and Silvercore Club 00:01:16 Welcome and meeting at the NFA event 00:02:01 What political science is and how Schwartz fell into firearms research 00:05:18 Breaking suburban-Ottawa preconceptions, his first time shooting in rural Alberta 00:08:51 American gun rights vs Canadian citizenship, the load-bearing distinction 00:11:27 What being treated fairly looks like, the handgun freeze and inheritance 00:13:55 Teaching gun politics at university, viewpoint diversity in the classroom 00:17:54 Storytelling, evolution, and why narrative beats statistics 00:23:00 Mass shootings, mental health framing, and why fear overrides evidence 00:25:46 Why Targeted exists, and who it is actually written for 00:27:30 The two factions of Canadian gun advocacy, hunters and sport shooters 00:31:23 Civilian-military reconnection, rifle shooting as the first federally funded sport 00:33:18 The aesthetics theory, what black rifles communicate to both sides 00:36:14 Canadian identity, the CBC, the National Film Board, and the gunless cowboy 00:39:20 Finland and the Nordic security model 00:41:11 The case for a Canadian firearms museum 00:43:41 Making the gun the object instead of the person 00:45:00 The largest deliberate mass casualty events in Canadian history, including Bluebird Cafe 00:48:13 Why cars and alcohol kill more people but face less regulation 00:51:13 The 6 percent problem, gun owners as a political minority 00:53:01 Interest group capture and why the community loses 70 percent of the time 00:55:30 Reconnecting firearms to national defence, Carney's civil-servant proposal 01:01:30 The OIC, executive overreach, and why parliament matters 01:04:35 Black powder pistols banned alongside Glocks 01:05:15 Why the handgun freeze was announced after Uvalde, Texas 01:08:19 The Czech Republic, Charles University, and a different policy response 01:10:30 The real causes of crime, mental health, and harm reduction 01:12:30 How current laws stop gun owners from seeking mental health help 01:17:51 Blake Brown and the Angry White Men question 01:22:32 Why treating the media as the enemy is a losing strategy 01:25:23 Personal agency and not outsourcing your voice to organizations 01:28:04 RCMP variant reclassifications and the case for objective criteria 01:33:00 The Bader 2020 OIC affidavit, prohibited weapons absurdities, charge stacking 01:37:15 What he would tell a PhD student starting on Canadian firearms policy 01:39:00 Suppressors and the next policy fight 01:40:29 Closing message to young Canadian hunters and sport shooters 01:42:34 Wrap

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Ep. 184: The Secret Language of Animals: How to Hear What the Wild is Saying About You | George Bumann

George Bumann can hear a coyote two miles away and tell you there's a wolf on the ridge. He's watched ravens rat out approaching eagles before they're visible. He's tracked a mountain lion by thinking like one until the birds around him started treating him like a predator. The uncomfortable truth? Every time you step into the woods, the entire landscape is already talking about you. Your location, your mood, your intentions. All of it, broadcast across hundreds of yards before you see a single animal. George spent four decades decoding animal language from his home at the edge of Yellowstone. In this episode, he reveals what the animals are actually saying, why experienced hunters are still missing most of it, and the one skill you can start practicing this weekend that changes everything. Buy Eavesdropping on Animals here: https://amzn.to/4tfPJRH Georges Website: https://www.georgebumann.com/gb/ Georges Art: https://georgebumann.myshopify.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/georgebumann/ _____ Silvercore Club - https://www.silvercore.ca/club Online Training - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/canadian-firearms-safety-course-online Other Training & Services - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Merchandise - https://www.silvercore.ca/collections/all-merchandise Blog Page - https://www.silvercore.ca/blog Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.trav Silvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors ____ 0:00:00 - Introduction and sponsor messages 0:01:54 - George Bumann joins the Silvercore Podcast 0:03:09 - What inspired George to write Eavesdropping on Animals 0:04:00 - Tracking foxes as a kid and the mystery of how animals know you're there 0:05:16 - Why George stopped hunting: health, family history, and an honest reckoning 0:09:00 - Why stepping away from hunting actually deepened his understanding of wildlife 0:11:19 - The Eden epiphany: the moment birds revealed the hidden language of the wild 0:16:02 - The coyote's word for "wolf" and how George reads animal alarms at distance 0:21:03 - Establishing a baseline: spotting the absence of normal 0:22:00 - Spidey sense, military awareness, and why rural kids have the sharpest instincts 0:25:24 - Indigenous wisdom: thinking happy thoughts on a moose hunt 0:27:27 - Your emotional state changes how animals perceive you 0:30:00 - Clever Hans the horse: what animals read in us that we don't know we're broadcasting 0:34:00 - Tracking a mountain lion by getting inside its head 0:37:48 - Crows that recognize your vehicle and hold grudges 0:42:37 - Ravens and wolves: Norse mythology meets field observation 0:49:13 - A grizzly bear encounter in British Columbia 0:54:28 - When the squirrels alarm you, the hunt is over 0:56:13 - The chickadee alarm system: counting the Ds to measure danger 1:00:00 - Trying to outsmart ravens (and failing) 1:03:20 - How your mood changes every animal encounter 1:07:07 - Prairie dogs describing your shirt colour and how fast you walk 1:08:06 - Disabilities as superpowers: ADHD, hearing loss, and trained senses 1:14:04 - Sitting with Jon Young and discovering what 70 observers reveal 1:17:41 - How AI is transforming animal language research 1:22:00 - Why game calls fool judges but not turkeys 1:24:45 - How do you call a beaver? 1:29:54 - Animal accents: why crows sound different in California, Alaska, and Maine 1:35:20 - The honeycomb landscape: reading the shape of silence 1:36:08 - Don't walk like a human: moving through the woods like a squirrel or turkey 1:40:24 - Why being quiet and receptive makes you a better person, not just a better hunter 1:44:47 - Silvercore Club member question: the single most important thing you can start doing now 1:46:22 - Faith, nature, and finding your church outside 1:49:40 - It's about belonging: why nature connection fights loneliness and depression 1:52:49 - Closing thoughts and part two teaser

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Ep. 183: Charged by a Brown Bear at 2 Meters - Torkel Norling on Tracking, Stress & the Never-Quit Mindset

Torkel Norling does 200 to 300 wounded game recoveries a year. He gets called by Swedish police in the middle of the night to track traffic-hit wildlife, hunts brown bears and lynx with dogs he's bred himself, and just wrote the book on modern blood tracking. Literally. In this episode, we cover the massive differences between Swedish and North American hunting culture, what happens during a real police tracking callout at 2 AM, a brown bear charge that stopped two meters from his face, the mental framework that separates good trackers from great ones, and why the "never quit" attitude matters more than breed, gear or method. Whether you track with dogs or alone with flagging tape and a headlamp, this one's for you. Guest referral by Erik Rohdin of Nordic Tales and American Trails. - https://open.spotify.com/show/0S6FLXVhVbXXD802ws5j1w Instragram - https://www.instagram.com/torkelnorling/ Modern Blood Tracking Book - https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/modern-blood-tracking/ _____ Silvercore Club - https://www.silvercore.ca/club Online Training - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Other Training & Services - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Merchandise - https://www.silvercore.ca/collections/all-merchandise Blog Page - https://www.silvercore.ca/blog Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.trav Silvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors ____ Time Stamps [00:00:00] Intro and welcome [00:02:12] Swedish government-hunter relationship vs. North American friction [00:04:53] 12,000 wildlife accidents a year: Torkel's tracking operation [00:06:00] Moose population decline, wolves and Allemansrätten (right to roam) [00:07:44] BC vs. Sweden moose numbers and management philosophy [00:10:02] Why Sweden shoots cows and calves first, the science behind it [00:13:52] Wolf politics, the rural-urban divide [00:16:00] Two hunting traditions: independent forest dogs vs. continental driven hunts [00:18:48] Travis's Swedish hunting experiences, from Sollerön to the Norma estate [00:25:18] Advice for hunters without dogs, and why Torkel says there's no substitute [00:28:18] Police callout walkthrough: what happens when the phone rings at 2 AM [00:33:33] Hulda the scent hound, trained to only track on asphalt [00:36:22] The two-dog system, switching from tracker to bay dog [00:38:25] Close calls with wounded game, the mentality that separates good from great [00:40:52] The brown bear stories, dog sacrifice and a charge in the dark [00:46:36] Why Torkel felt zero stress with a bear two meters away [00:48:33] Travis on tunnel vision: skiing, motorcycles and a grizzly survivor [00:51:24] The stair model for stress, starting low and staying below the red line [00:53:14] Inoculation training: visualization, close-range drills and the safety bubble [01:01:02] Physical fitness as the foundation for mental toughness [01:02:16] The never-quit attitude, what elite trackers all have in common [01:06:21] Breaking tracking into single missions: find the start, follow the track [01:08:00] When you lose the trail, go back to the beginning and find your mistake [01:13:53] Practical tips for tracking without a dog [01:18:11] Drones, night vision, thermal: what Sweden allows after the shot [01:20:55] How Swedish hunt teams self-regulate without conservation officers [01:24:00] Bear hunting regulations, the two-dog limit and Plott Hounds from North America [01:29:44] Dog injuries and the reality of close-quarters predator work [01:35:05] Old methods vs. new, why emotion and tradition block progress [01:40:22] Top performers share knowledge freely, ego kills development [01:44:27] Where to find Modern Blood Tracking and how to connect with Torkel

Ep. 182: "I Shouldn't Still Be Here" | Sir Drifto on Risk, Adventure & Knowing When to Stop

Nathan James, known online as Sir Drifto, holds the world altitude record for the highest electric paramotor flight and has flown hundreds of miles in a vintage open cockpit biplane with his dad. He's also the kind of guy who once tried to fly a paramotor under a bridge and lost his sponsorship in the process. In this conversation, we talk about what happens when the risk-to-reward ratio flips, why real adventure can't be bought through a booking agent, the Camel Trophy / Defender Trophy comeback, growing up on dirt bikes and two-strokes, what every young person should experience at least once, AI and predictive surveillance, and why the simplest eras might have produced the most capable people. Nathan is heading to British Columbia for the Defender Trophy, the successor to the legendary Camel Trophy, and this conversation captures exactly the kind of person they'd want behind the wheel. Silvercore Podcast 182 Nathan James - Sir Drifto Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sirdrifto/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SirDrifto _____ Silvercore Club - https://www.silvercore.ca/club Online Training - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Other Training & Services - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Merchandise - https://www.silvercore.ca/collections/all-merchandise Blog Page - https://www.silvercore.ca/blog Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.trav Silvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors ____ Timestamps: 00:00 Intro and the Sir Drifto origin 01:34 Life is short and the risk-to-reward ratio 03:03 When risk stops falling only on you 05:20 Dirt bikes at eight and the berm that changed everything 08:33 Counting birthdays you didn't expect to reach 10:13 Regret as the real balancing act 11:50 Contrived hardship vs. real challenge 14:23 What every young person should experience once 17:36 The Wall-E problem and the softening of capability 22:01 Technology, instant gratification, and lost patience 24:06 Face-to-face connection as the future commodity 27:21 Photoshopping a report card and the sinking jet boat 30:29 The world record electric paramotor flight 40:42 The altitude and would he do it again 42:12 Why winter was the only option 43:22 Flying a Piper Cub cross-country with his dad 47:15 The broken fuel gauge and cornfield contingencies 52:11 The Defender Trophy (Camel Trophy successor) in BC 57:56 Whether it'll be televised 01:00:23 Safety third 01:01:17 Flying a paramotor under a bridge 01:04:12 The helicopter laser incident and federal consequences 01:12:28 AI, facial recognition, and pre-crime prediction 01:16:54 Favorite movies and books 01:22:06 Write down your bucket list and challenge every excuse

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Ep. 181: "The Old Version of Yourself Has to Die" | Josh Botha

Josh Botha showed up to his first precision rifle match with a blind-magazine .204 Ruger and no idea what he was doing. A decade later, he's a four-time Team Canada World Championship competitor, senior designer at MDT (Modular Driven Technologies), founder of the BC Precision Rifle League, and the man behind North Star Precision Training. In this episode, Josh shares his journey from South Africa to England to BC, how archery led him into the precision rifle world, what it's really like inside MDT's culture, and the massive news about MDT acquiring Lone Peak Arms. We dig into the mental game of competitive shooting, the NRL Hunter format, wind reading, barriers to entry for new PRS shooters, the role of faith in business and life, and why one person stepping up can change everything. 🎁 This month we're giving away a SAI Mini Red Dot to an active Outpost listener - Silvercore Club members, activate the Outpost in your member portal to enter! 🔗 Connect with Josh: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jbotha_/ North Star Precision Training: northstarprecisiontraining@gmail.com and https://www.instagram.com/northstarprecision/ BC Precision Rifle League: https://www.instagram.com/bcprecisionrifle/ MDT Sporting Goods: https://www.instagram.com/mdttac21/ Optics - https://armament.com/ Ammo - https://www.norma-ammunition.com/ _____ Silvercore Club - https://www.silvercore.ca/club Online Training - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Other Training & Services - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Merchandise - https://www.silvercore.ca/collections/all-merchandise Blog Page - https://www.silvercore.ca/blog Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.trav Silvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors ____ Timestamps: 0:00 Intro & SAI Mini Red Dot Giveaway 1:30 Meet Josh Botha: Competitive Shooter & MDT Designer 2:16 Knocking Over Josh's Rifle at a PRS Match 4:24 Growing Up in South Africa & Moving to England 7:00 Family Moves to Canada: Landing on Canada Day 2006 8:33 BC as the Best of South Africa and England Combined 10:00 From BCIT Mechanical Engineering to "Pretensioneer" 11:55 MDT's People-First Culture and Hiring Philosophy 13:16 MDT's Origin Story: From Rooster33 to Martin's Vision 14:28 MDT Acquires Lone Peak Arms: What It Means 16:50 Passion vs. Career: Drawing the Line 18:48 How Archery Led Josh Into Precision Rifle 21:00 First PRS Match: A .204 Ruger and No Idea 22:00 The BC Sniper Match & Why the PRS Community Is Different 27:00 PRS Attracts "Weird Gear Math Nerds" — And That's Great 28:00 The Mental Game: Almost All of It Is Mental Now 29:13 Conscious Competence to Subconscious Mastery 30:06 Wind Reading: The Great Equalizer 30:50 Barriers to Entry: Cost, Fear & PRS .22 Matches 33:50 Launching North Star Precision Training 37:00 Training Venues & The BC Long Range Problem 38:00 Biggest Mistakes New Precision Rifle Shooters Make 39:27 Dealing with Match Pressure & First-Stage Jitters 41:00 NRL Hunter: The Most Fun Match Format Explained 46:00 Gear vs. Skill: LRF Binos, Tripods & Weight Limits 48:03 MDT's Content & Media Strategy: Becoming a Media Company 52:00 Education as Marketing: Magpul, Glock & MDT 54:50 AI in the Firearms Industry: Spanish & French YouTube Channels 57:37 Suppressors: Will MDT Get In the Game? 59:00 Fighting for Suppressor Legalization in Canada 1:02:49 The Power of One Person to Create Change 1:07:55 Leveraging Mentors & Asking for Help 1:08:46 Faith at MDT: A Quiet But Real Foundation 1:11:05 Josh's Faith Journey & Losing His Mom 1:13:29 A Transformative Six Months: Growth Through Trials 1:16:27 What's Next: 4th World Championship & Rimfire in Lithuania 1:19:00 Building a World Championship Rimfire Rig 1:20:14 Product Design: When "Done" Meets "Perfect" 1:23:21 MDT's Most Popular Products (Magazines & Chamber Flags) 1:24:38 CAPRA: The Canadian Precision Rifle Association Board 1:26:39 Addressing Conflict of Interest Criticism 1:30:28 Growth of PRS in Canada: From 75 Members to National Teams 1:32:12 Where to Find Josh & Final Thoughts

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Ep. 180: The Outpost

This episode introduces something new inside the Silvercore Club. It’s called The Outpost. A private weekly podcast for members where I share reflections from the field, lessons that stay with me, and thoughts that don’t always fit the format of the public show. In this episode, I explain what The Outpost is and why I created it, and then share one of those private recordings titled Bear With Me. Some experiences change how you see preparedness, responsibility, and awareness. This is one of them. https://www.silvercore.ca/club _____ Silvercore Club - https://www.silvercore.ca/club Online Training - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Other Training & Services - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Merchandise - https://www.silvercore.ca/collections/all-merchandise Blog Page - https://www.silvercore.ca/blog Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.trav Silvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors ____

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Ep. 179: Melt Your Face Off Hot Wing Challenge | The Wild Kitchen x Silvercore

This was supposed to be a hot wing challenge. It turned into something else. We sat down to take on a melt your face off hot wing challenge and ended up in a real conversation about food, marriage, work, ambition, comfort, and the choices that shape a life over time. The heat ramps up fast. Talking becomes harder. Filters disappear. We talk about building something from scratch, walking away from paths that look good on paper, raising kids with intention, food as memory, food as connection, and why comfort has a way of slowly pulling people off course. This episode also introduces The Wild Kitchen Podcast, a show about food, authors, hunters, foragers, and people who still know how to make things with their hands and feed the people they love. Nothing here was planned. Nothing was cleaned up to make it tidy. If you’re into honest conversations, good food, and doing things the hard way on purpose, this one will land. Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-wild-kitchen/id1871562316 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IVrTjpZePPuoKprNkgZx6?si=afb700ee09994cf4 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thewildkitchenpodcast/ _____ Silvercore Club - https://www.silvercore.ca/club Online Training - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Other Training & Services - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Merchandise - https://www.silvercore.ca/collections/all-merchandise Blog Page - https://www.silvercore.ca/blog Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.trav Silvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors ____ Timestamps 00:00 We commit to the hot wing challenge 01:45 Why the first attempt failed 04:10 What The Wild Kitchen is really about 07:30 Starting something and sticking with it 10:50 Food, memory, and why meals matter 14:40 The meals that never leave you 18:20 Heat kicks in and thinking gets harder 21:45 Comfort food and emotional attachment 24:50 Death row meals and what they reveal 30:15 What we wanted to be as kids 35:05 Leaving the path you were expected to follow 39:40 Work that feels honest 45:30 Food, family, and presence 50:00 Heat level check and regret 53:10 Old skills in a modern world 58:20 Belief, curiosity, and asking better questions 01:03:45 Pushing through discomfort 01:07:40 Failure, momentum, and self trust 01:12:20 Dealing with criticism 01:16:10 Grandparents, food, and inherited habits 01:20:40 Preservation, fermentation, and patience 01:24:10 Processing animals and community 01:28:10 What the future actually looks like 01:32:30 Final wing and closing thoughts

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Ep. 178: Why Training Fails Under Stress | Chris Butler on Perception, Video Evidence, and Use of Force

What looks obvious on video often tells the least important part of the story. Chris Butler has spent decades inside high consequence decision making, as a search and rescue technician, a police inspector, a force science instructor, and an expert witness called into hundreds of use of force cases. In this conversation, we dig into how stress bends perception, why traditional training often fails under pressure, and how video evidence can mislead investigators, leaders, and the public. We explore the difference between performance and learning, why mistakes are essential for real skill acquisition, how decision making degrades under stress, and what trainers, coaches, and leaders across any field can learn from force science. This episode is for anyone responsible for training others, leading teams, or forming opinions based on partial information. Key themes and takeaways Why performance during training is not the same as learning How retention and transfer actually work under stress The danger of linear, checkbox driven training models Decision training vs technique training Why video evidence feels convincing but can be wrong Frame rates, fisheye distortion, and perceptual gaps Leadership responsibility when public emotion is high Moral courage and restraint in the age of instant judgment Who this episode is for Law enforcement and military trainers Coaches and instructors in any high pressure domain Leaders responsible for public trust Civilians who want better frameworks for evaluating viral footage Links to Chris Butler’s work Trainer’s Bullpen Podcast - https://www.trainersbullpen.com Trainer’s Bullpen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trainers-bullpen/id1661836359 Trainer’s Bullpen on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/2xxGiZkTlRlNh9NYl4AdGT Chris Butler, Force Science Instructor - https://www.forcescience.com/author/chris/ Linkedin - https://ca.linkedin.com/in/chris-butler-b330943a _____ Silvercore Club - https://www.silvercore.ca/club Online Training - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Other Training & Services - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Merchandise - https://www.silvercore.ca/collections/all-merchandise Blog Page - https://www.silvercore.ca/blog Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.trav Silvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors ____ Timestamps 00:00 Pressure bends perception and memory 01:10 Meeting Chris Butler before COVID shut everything down 03:00 From search and rescue to policing 05:10 When training mistakes nearly got people killed 07:30 Why personal skill does not equal teaching skill 09:45 The failure of linear, technique based training 12:10 Why law enforcement training ignores learning science 14:20 Performance vs learning explained 16:45 Retention and transfer, what actually matters 19:20 Why firearms qualification is meaningless 22:00 How force on force training changes outcomes 24:30 RCMP research and evidence based qualification changes 26:40 Decision training vs technique training 29:50 Why mistakes are essential for learning 33:10 The danger of spoonfeeding solutions 36:30 Why training under pressure works 39:10 Can this apply outside law enforcement 41:40 How experts analyze use of force incidents 44:10 Why video never tells the full story 46:50 Frame rates, missed actions, and false conclusions 49:30 Body cameras distort distance and threat perception 52:30 Leadership failure under public pressure 55:10 Moral courage and protecting your people 57:50 Final thoughts on training, leadership, and restraint

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Ep. 177: SBS Special Forces Veteran on Violence, Awareness, and Self Protection

Violence arrives fast and leaves a long shadow. Former British SBS Special Forces veteran Sonny Smith returns to the Silvercore Podcast for a grounded conversation on awareness, personal safety, and the realities of physical confrontation. Drawing from experience in UK Special Forces, executive protection, surveillance work, and professional bare knuckle boxing, Sonny talks through how people are selected as targets, how situations escalate, and where confidence drifts ahead of capability. We discuss awareness as a practiced discipline, avoidance as a measure of competence, and the responsibility that comes with force. As the conversation deepens, it turns inward. We explore life after high risk work, mental health, identity, and the weight carried once the external danger fades. Sonny speaks openly about his personal experiences with ayahuasca as part of a broader reflection on trauma, accountability, and integration, without instruction or advocacy. This episode is a clear-eyed look at judgment, restraint, and what survival demands, both in moments of danger and across a lifetime. Buy Man Protect Here - https://a.co/d/2C4SVkx Follow Sonny - https://www.instagram.com/sixsightco/ Six Sight Training Wing - https://www.instagram.com/sixsight.co Six Sight Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@SixSight _____ Silvercore Club - https://www.silvercore.ca/club Online Training - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Other Training & Services - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Merchandise - https://www.silvercore.ca/collections/all-merchandise Blog Page - https://www.silvercore.ca/blog Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.trav Silvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors ____ Timestamps 00:00 – Why most people misunderstand violence 03:45 – Bare knuckle boxing and reality versus fantasy 08:55 – Confidence, competence, and dangerous gaps 13:40 – Awareness without paranoia 18:25 – How predators actually select targets 23:10 – Situational awareness beyond buzzwords 28:00 – Subtle cues people miss before violence starts 33:15 – Why most self protection training fails 38:05 – Avoidance as a trained skill 43:20 – When violence becomes unavoidable 48:10 – Knives, firearms, and uncomfortable truths 54:30 – The psychological cost of physical confrontation Mental Health and Psychedelics 01:00:05 – Life after violence and high risk careers 01:04:30 – Trauma, identity, and suppressed damage 01:10:15 – Why some people turn to ayahuasca 01:16:40 – Expectations versus reality 01:22:30 – Integration, responsibility, and accountability 01:28:10 – Mental health without shortcuts 01:33:40 – What survival actually means long term

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Ep. 176: What Do You Want to Be Remembered For?

As the year comes to a close, I reached out to a small group of past guests and asked them one question. What do you want to be remembered for? Their answers, and my own, are shared here. This episode is chaptered. Listen straight through, or move to the voices that resonate most with you. Take your time with it. This is the final episode of the Silvercore Podcast for 2025 This Year End project is Silvercore Podcast Ep. 176 ### Thank you to the guests who took part in this project If you’d like to learn more about the people who shared their reflections, you can find them here. Kyle Lamb Viking Tactics Website: https://www.vikingtactics.com Instagram (Viking Tactics): https://www.instagram.com/vikingtactics Amie Battams Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amie.flyfish/ Colin Dowler Colin keeps a low public profile. His story was first shared here: Silvercore Podcast – https://www.silvercore.ca/podcast/ep-09-now-youre-bleeding-too-bear April Vokey Anchored Outdoors Website: https://anchoredoutdoors.com Podcast: https://www.anchoredoutdoors.com/podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aprilvokey Jason Budd Tantalus Mountain Guides Website: https://tantalusmtnguides.ca Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tantalusmtnguides/ Seb Lavoie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slavccmdr/ Kevin Kossowan From the Wild Website: https://www.fromthewild.ca Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevinkossowan/ Kelsi Sheren Podcast, speaking, and writing Website: https://www.kelsisheren.com Instagram Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/thekelsisherenperspective/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelsie_sheren/ Shaun Taylor The Collective Podcast Website: https://the-collective.ca Instagram (podcast): https://www.instagram.com/the_collective_ig/ Instagram (personal): https://www.instagram.com/shauntaylors1/ Chance Burrells The Collective Podcast Website: https://the-collective.ca https://www.instagram.com/chance_burles Tiffany Bader Silvercore Outdoors Website: https://silvercore.ca Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bader.tiffany/ _____ Silvercore Club - https://www.silvercore.ca/club Online Training - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Other Training & Services - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Merchandise - https://www.silvercore.ca/collections/all-merchandise Blog Page - https://www.silvercore.ca/blog Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.trav Silvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors ____ (00:13) - Intro – What Will Remain (01:38) - Kyle Lamb (08:25) - Amie Battams (11:10) - Colin Dowler (14:13) - April Vokey (17:00) - Jason Budd (19:46) - Seb Lavoie (28:34) - Kevin Kossowan (39:13) - Kelsi Sheren (47:53) - Shaun Taylor (52:55) - Chance Burles (01:01:43) - Tiffany Bader (01:03:48) - Travis Bader – Reflection

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