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.

Aptitude Outdoors traveled to FTW Ranch in Texas to film, photograph, and run social media for the Wild Sheep Foundation’s Women Hunt® Field to Fork Course. This immersive program teaches new hunters ethical shot placement, marksmanship, field dressing, game processing, and the conservation principles behind responsible hunting. This year marked a milestone as all 12 participants harvested their first deer. Capturing their growth, confidence, and excitement reignited our own passion for hunting and conservation storytelling. This project reflects our mission to highlight programs that build ethical hunters and strengthen the future of wildlife management.

In Arizona’s Harcuvar Mountains, a groundbreaking conservation effort has created a vital new water source for desert bighorn sheep. The Reinhardt–Newton Water Catchment, built through a partnership between private landowners, the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society, and funded by the Wild Sheep Foundation, marks the first guzzler the Society has ever constructed on land it owns. To document this unique project, the Wild Sheep Foundation hired Aptitude Outdoors to capture the hard work, collaboration, and determination that made it possible. This short film highlights how creative partnerships can restore habitat and strengthen the future of bighorn sheep in the region.

ulf Great White Sharks: Return of an Icon explores the powerful conservation story behind the great white’s unexpected return to the Gulf of Mexico. Guided by award-winning wildlife journalist Chester Moore and featuring insights from leading scientist Dr. Megan Winton of the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, the film uncovers historical sightings, groundbreaking satellite-tag data, and the conservation policies that allowed this apex predator to rebound. From viral shark tracks to emerging Gulf research, the documentary reveals how great whites are reclaiming their place in a recovering ecosystem—and why protecting them is vital for the future of marine conservation.

Resilience in the Rocks captures the Texas Bighorn Society's historic effort to translocate desert bighorn sheep from Elephant Mountain to Franklin Mountains State Park, creating a second disease-free herd critical for the species' future. Supported by Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas Tech University, Tango82 Aviation, and the Wild Sheep Foundation, this project marks a pivotal moment for conservation in Texas.

Discover the critical efforts to save North America’s wild sheep from devastating threats like Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae and habitat loss. Learn how conservation organizations and hunter funding play vital roles in preserving these iconic animals and their ecosystems.

Discover how the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation ensures sustainable hunting practices while funding critical wildlife recovery and habitat restoration efforts. Learn how hunters play a key role in preventing overpopulation and supporting endangered species, maintaining balance in ecosystems and biodiversity.

Discover how the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation uses regulated hunting to fund critical wildlife protection and ecosystem management. Learn why banning hunting, as proposed by animal rights activists, could harm wildlife populations by removing essential conservation funding.

Explore the early conservation movement's impact on waterfowl hunting, highlighting key legislation like the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the role of organizations such as Ducks Unlimited. Learn how ethical hunting practices and habitat conservation efforts shaped modern waterfowl conservation strategies.

Discover the pivotal role the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 played in safeguarding whales, dolphins, and seals from extinction. Learn how this groundbreaking legislation transformed marine conservation and continues to protect vulnerable species from modern threats like climate change and habitat loss.

Northwest Ohio is under siege as the invasive spotted lanternfly spreads at an alarming rate, threatening to devastate Toledo's agriculture and natural landscapes. This article breaks down how this pest could cripple Ohio's vital grape, apple, and hardwood industries, and what it means for the region's future.

Explore the incredible recovery of seals along Cape Cod, once nearly extinct due to overhunting, and how their return has reshaped the marine ecosystem. Learn about the role of the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy in balancing conservation efforts for both seals and their apex predator, the great white shark.