The Silvercore Podcast with Travis Bader

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
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Silvercore Club - https://www.silvercore.ca/club
Online Training - https://www.silvercore.ca/
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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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

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/
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Silvercore Club - https://www.silvercore.ca/club
Online Training - https://www.silvercore.ca/
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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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

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/
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Silvercore Club - https://bit.ly/2RiREb4
Online Training - https://bit.ly/3nJKx7U
Other Training & Services - https://bit.ly/3vw6kSU
Merchandise - https://bit.ly/3ecyvk9
Blog Page - https://bit.ly/3nEHs8W 
Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.trav
Silvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors
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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

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
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Silvercore Club - https://bit.ly/2RiREb4
Online Training - https://bit.ly/3nJKx7U
Other Training & Services - https://bit.ly/3vw6kSU
Merchandise - https://bit.ly/3ecyvk9
Blog Page - https://bit.ly/3nEHs8W 
Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.trav
Silvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors
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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

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: [email protected] 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/
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Silvercore Club - https://bit.ly/2RiREb4
Online Training - https://bit.ly/3nJKx7U
Other Training & Services - https://bit.ly/3vw6kSU
Merchandise - https://bit.ly/3ecyvk9
Blog Page - https://bit.ly/3nEHs8W 
Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.trav
Silvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors
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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