Adam Foss - Lessons Learned from a Life Afield

Adam Foss is a world-class hunter who has transformed his passion for wildlife and wild places into a rewarding career in filmmaking and photography. Adam has been obsessed with wilderness adventure for practically his entire life. At age 24, he was the youngest person to take all four species of North American sheep with a bow, an amazing achievement for a hunter of any age. But despite this accomplishment and others, Adam is much more focused on the process of the hunt—spending challenging days in the mountains, forming long-lasting friendships, stewarding public lands, and conserving legendary big game species. • Adam was born in the Canadian Rockies and spent his youth bow hunting with his father and older brother. As he grew older, his hunting trips expanded in geography and complexity, and he has now hunted many of the world’s wildest places for some of the most renowned big game. Adam initially considered a career in wildlife biology, but decided to go the creative route instead—he and his wife are now the owners of Foss Media, a company that creates films and photography for some of the most iconic outdoor brands today. As you’ll hear, Adam is passionate about wildlife, storytelling, and conservation, but he is equally humble, grounded, and grateful for being able to do what he loves on a daily basis. • We caught up over Skype, as Adam and his wife are currently traveling around Canada and the American West working on creative projects. We had a fun conversation and managed to cover a lot in just over an hour. We discussed Adam’s childhood in Canada and the lessons he learned from hunting with his father and brother. We chatted about how Adam values the process of hunting over the end goal of taking an animal and our shared theory that hunting taps into something primal in our human DNA. We talked in detail about conservation, specifically the role of public lands in both the United States and Canada. Adam also offered some wise advice to people who want to learn to hunt but may not have a long-standing connection to the sport. And as usual, we discussed Adam’s favorite books, films, and his most powerful outdoor experience. • This was such a fun conversation, and it’s clear that Adam has thought long and hard about these issues. I really enjoyed getting to know Adam, and I think you will too. ••• http://mountainandprairie.com/adam-foss/ ••• TOPICS DISCUSSED: 2:58 - How Adam describes his work 7:15 - Adam’s upbringing in Canada 8:50 - Hunting with his dad in the mountains 10:45 - University in British Columbia and more far reaching hunts 12:30 - Adam’s early career goals 14:30 - Lessons learned from hunting with his father 17:45 - Breaking down hunts into manageable peices 20:45 - The mental game of hunting 23:00 - Process over goals 25:45 - Adam’s love of adventure and challenges 27:35 - Influences and mentors 33:15 - Adam’s current goals for a hunt 38:00 - South America trip 39:30 - Hunting as a part of human's DNA 43:15 - Advice to new hunters 48:15 - Importance of public lands 52:15 - Thoughts on wolves and ecological balance 59:30 - Favorite books 1:02:55 - Favorite documentaries 1:05:20 - Most powerful outdoor experience 1:15:00 - Connect with Adam online