After being diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, young hunter Cade McKinley was given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pursue a California bighorn sheep along Oregon’s John Day River through a special youth permit made possible by a partnership between the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, landowner Blake Philippi, and the Wild Sheep Foundation. This powerful story highlights the resilience of a young hunter and the strength of the wild sheep conservation community as they rally together to create hope, healing, and unforgettable memories in the mountains.

Aptitude Outdoors was honored to have our photography featured in the Conservation Impact Study from the Wild Sheep Foundation, appearing alongside the writing of Chester Moore. Sent to Arizona’s remote Harkuvar Mountains, we documented the Rinehart-Newlon water catchment build—an ambitious partnership creating critical water access and new opportunity for desert bighorn sheep.

In 2025, Aptitude Outdoors documented conservation and hunting work across the Gulf Coast, Texas Hill Country, Arizona, Oregon, and South Padre Island. Projects included filming Gulf Great White Sharks The Return of an Icon, covering a major desert bighorn sheep guzzler project for the Wild Sheep Foundation, documenting a California bighorn sheep hunt they sponsored in Oregon, and capturing the Women Hunt Field to Fork program at FTW Ranch. Additional work included photographing and filming the Hunt Fish Podcast Summit and producing a redfish fly-fishing campaign for Mudfish Adventures. Each project highlighted real on-the-ground conservation and the people driving it.