#102 | American Elk: The Greatest Conservation Comeback Story Ever Told

What nearly wiped out the American elk — and how did we bring them back? In this episode of the Eastmans' Journal Podcast, Ike Eastman sits down with Eastmans' own Brandon Mason to pull back the curtain on their new documentary, American Elk: A Comeback Story. From 10 million elk across nearly every state, to just 42,000 at the turn of the 20th century — including only 500 in all of Colorado — the near-extinction of the American elk is one of the most dramatic wildlife stories on the continent. Ike and Brandon walk through what the film uncovered: the science-based relocation efforts, the role of Yellowstone as the last stronghold, how Kentucky became a seed population for the entire eastern U.S., and the unsung pioneers who made it all possible. They also get into the bigger picture — predator management, the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, Pittman-Robertson funding, and why hunters foot the bill for far more than just the species they pursue. The film premieres July 17th at the Wilma Theater in Missoula at the RMEF Big Game Days event, and drops on YouTube that Saturday morning. Learn more about our new film here - https://eastmans.com/thecomeback/ 👉 Watch all of the EHJ Podcast episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3oV1kEbu74HrR_GEK5VL9pCc6dME5py_  👉 Eastmans Journal Podcast Sponsors: Browning: https://bit.ly/Browning-Eastmans  Eberlestock: https://bit.ly/Eberlestock-Eastmans  Stealth Cam: https://bit.ly/StealthCam-Eastmans  Hornady: https://bit.ly/Hornady-Eastmans  Leupold: https://bit.ly/Leupold-Eastmans  Precision Pay: https://bit.ly/PrecisionPay-Eastmans