Beyond the Hunt with Justin Kallusky

On this episode of Talk is Sheep, we continue our series introducing the people behind the Wild Sheep Society of British Columbia with WSSBC Director Justin Kallusky.

Justin is a lifelong hunter, mountain wanderer, writer, deep thinker—and the hunter behind a world-record Rocky Mountain goat. But this conversation quickly becomes about something much bigger than records, inches or animals on the wall.

Justin shares how hunting has been woven into his life since childhood, how harvesting his incredible mountain goat ultimately changed the direction of his life, and how finding the conservation community gave him a renewed sense of purpose and belonging.

We dive into the evolution of a mountain hunter: ego, intuition, risk, maturity and learning that success in the mountains doesn't always mean pulling the trigger. Justin recounts a solo Stone's sheep hunt where worsening weather, a massive grizzly and a series of warning signs forced him to make one of the hardest decisions a hunter can make—turning around.

The conversation also explores Justin's upcoming Rocky Mountain bighorn hunt, the extraordinary privilege of hunting wild sheep in British Columbia, and why he believes hunters have a responsibility to give something back to the wildlife and wild places that give us so much.

At the heart of the episode is community.

Justin talks about finding his people through the Wild Sheep Society of BC, the friendships and mentorship that exist within the sheep hunting community, and why conservation needs more than followers—it needs members, volunteers, advocates and leaders willing to have conversations and bring others into the fold.

It's an honest, thoughtful and occasionally hilarious conversation about mountain hunting, conservation, responsibility, belonging and what happens when the hunt becomes about far more than the animal.

Presented by: @sitkagear

Supported by: @gunwerks

Join the Wild Sheep Society of British Columbia and become part of the community working to put conservation on the ground and protect wild sheep, wild places and our hunting heritage.