#423 : CORRUPTION IN THE HUNTING INDUSTRY

The hunting industry isn’t just facing a crisis of deer populations—it’s being systematically hijacked by a shadow network of government-funded nonprofits, politically connected outfitters, and left-leaning media empires that profit from fear, misinformation, and the erosion of hunter autonomy. Steven Ziegler, investigative journalist behind Rack Junkies, exposes how the National Deer Association, despite losing 97% of its paid memberships, continues to thrive on $266,000 in public grants—funding a podcast with fewer than 200 Apple ratings and 50 YouTube views. He reveals that Montana’s Outfitters and Guides Association blocked public access to 20,000 acres of elk hunting land using political insiders, favoring wealthy out-of-state hunters while claiming to promote conservation. Behind the scenes, a 'scientific industrial complex' distorts data—Wyoming’s CWD predictions of a 15-year deer collapse never materialized, yet the narrative persists. Ziegler dismantles the myth of neutrality in wildlife science, showing that many state agency scientists lack hunting experience and are aligned with left-leaning academia. Even Meat Eater, a flagship hunting brand, is now owned by the Churning Group, a left-wing activist investment firm that funds Democrat candidates and anti-hunting legislation—proving that the line between advocacy and exploitation has vanished.