Real hunts rarely go as planned. That's where First Light's Navigator hoodie earns its place.

Our crews have run it from September climbs to cold front sits. It manages temp, stays quiet

in close encounters, and wicks moisture on the uphill push. One layer that adapts without hesitation,

no matter of the pursuit. The navigator delivers versatility

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hoodies of all time. Welcome to Backwoods University, a place where we focus on wildlife, wild places, and the people who dedicate their lives to conserving both.

Big shout out to Onyx Hunt for their support of this podcast.

I'm your host, Lake Pickle.

On this episode, we're going to approach one of the most controversial subjects in American wildlife today head-on.

Grizzly bears.

Are they endangered or not?

And more importantly, how should they fit into the modern landscape?

Do we need them here?

Point blank, do grizzly bears deserve to be a part of our ecosystem?

Let's dive in.

Last week, we heard a conversation with one of the most fascinating humans I have ever met.

Tom Parker's stories and insight, Bear Charge and all, were not only fun to listen to,

but they also cued us up perfectly for a bigger conversation for Grizzlies as a whole.

We know that grizzly bears as a species were listed as endangered in 1975. We know that at least in the Bob Marshall Wilderness and Mission Mountain area, that both grizzly bears and black bears faced an ecological shift by the loss of high elevation

white bark pine habitat.

And we know definitively that these days, when grizzly bears come up as a topic in conversation,

new publications, or virtually anywhere else, it most often comes up with a lot

...