The Wild Huntsman podcast typically features authors of books related to all aspects of hunting but especially history and cultural aspects of hunting. LaMere’s interviews have included historians, gun makers, artists and knife experts.

Giltner is joined on the podcast by Johnathan Wilkins, head of Black Duck Revival, a lodge/educational center in Brinkley, Ark., that is working toward preserving traditions of duck hunting and celebrating the outdoor sporting traditions of people of color in particular.

Giltner’s book, published in 2008, re-examines the dynamics of race relations in the post–Civil War South from the perspective of field sports. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, wealthy white men from Southern cities and the industrial North traveled to the hunting and fishing lodges of the old Confederacy, escaping from the office to socialize among like-minded peers. These sportsmen depended on local black guides who knew the land and fishing holes and could ensure a successful outing. For whites, the ability to hunt and fish freely and employ black laborers became a conspicuous display of their wealth and social standing.

Hunting and fishing had been a way of life for all Southerners ― blacks included ― since colonial times. After the war, African Americans used their mastery of these sports to enter into market activities normally denied to people of color, thereby becoming more economically independent from their white employers. Whites came to view black participation in hunting and fishing as a serious threat to the South’s labor system. Giltner used slave narratives, sportsmen’s recollections, records of fish and game clubs, and sporting periodicals to offer perspective on the African American struggle for independence from the end of the Civil War to the 1920s.

“The Wild Huntsman” can be found anywhere podcasts can be found (Apple, Spotify, etc.), or you can find them at 

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Dr. Scott Giltner was featured in the podcast titled “Black Codes, Segregation and the Ugly Legacy of White Supremacy and Jim Crow.” He discussed the immediate impact of the 13th Amendment and how Southern leaders attempted to maintain power and economic control. The discussion included the philosophy that formed the basis for white supremacy and how it was used to justify repression of the black population.

Giltner explained the origins of the term “Jim Crow” and offered examples of segregation laws and their impact on black citizens in the 1880s to the 1960s. He talked about early opposition to Jim Crow, including the Plessy v. Ferguson case that established the concept of “separate but equal,” and its political impact in the form of the “grandfather clause,” poll taxes and literacy tests.

Dr. Patrick Hotle was featured in the podcast titled “Istanbul, Not Constantinople: History of the Byzantine Empire and the Ancient City of Constantinople.” He discussed the history of the Byzantine Empire and the ancient city of Constantinople. He explained the division of the Roman Empire under Diocletian and establishment of the city of Constantinople by Constantine, then emphasized the geographic and economic importance of the location of the Byzantine capital.

Hotle emphasized the concept of “Nova Roma” and the difference between the Eastern and Western Roman Empires. He details the reign of Justinian, his territorial ambitions and the establishment of the Justinian Code. He tells of General Belisarius’s military conquests and his role in defeating the Nika Rebellion. The history of Empress Theodora and her importance to Justinian are the focus of the second half of the discussion. Hotle completes the conversation with a description of the Hagia Sophia, the rise of Islam in the region and the eventual fall of Constantinople in 1453.

Both hour-long podcasts can be found at .

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