“We’re asking our team members to be snipers, rally car drivers, CrossFit athletes, butchers. The people we have on our teams just have these extraordinary skill sets. It’s the funnest thing to watch a guy in his first week.”
— Jake Muise
Jake Muise (@mauinuivenison) is CEO at Maui Nui Venison, a company he co-founded in 2017 that works to balance invasive axis deer populations on the island of Maui, channeling that management into incredible nutrient-dense food. Maui Nui was selected for Fast Company’s “Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Agriculture of 2023,” and its venison has been served in restaurants across the country, including Alinea, The French Laundry, and Saison. Prior to Maui Nui, Jake was executive director of the Axis Deer Institute for 12 years, part of a two-decades-long project focused on axis deer and their long-term management in Hawai’i.
Please enjoy!
#678: Jake Muise — The Lava Cowboys’ Rescue Mission, Lessons from a Three-Year Hunt, How to Build Exceptional Teams, Repairing Ecosystems, and Tactics for Relationship and Parenting Success
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Want to hear an episode with someone else who hunts with a mindset of conservation? Listen to my interview with MeatEater‘s Steven Rinella in which we discuss how he got me to overcome a lifetime of negative association with hunting and hunters, why a decline in hunting and fishing license sales in the United States is worrisome, the role of hunters in ensuring prey species remain plentiful, the problem with conservation efforts that become overly politicized, recommendations for reconnecting with nature, and much more.
#470: Steven Rinella on Hunting (and Why You Should Care), Reconnecting with Nature, Favorite Trips, and More
What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
Maui Nui Venison | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
- HHS User Guide | Maui Nui Venison
- HHS Worksheet and Examples | Maui Nui Venison (PDF)
- HHS Worksheet and Examples | Maui Nui Venison (Excel)
- The 10 Most Innovative Companies in Agriculture of 2023 | Fast Company
- The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life by Timothy Ferriss | Amazon
- Alinea
- The French Laundry
- Saison
- Fissure 8 Fast-Flowing Lava | Big Island TV
- Mordor | The Lord of the Rings Wiki
- Animals Rescued and Airlifted Over Raging Lava River (2018 Eruption) | Hot Seat Hawai’i
- How Did the Hawaiian Islands Form? | National Ocean Service
- Volcano Watch — Maui Nui, the Bigger Island | US Geological Survey
- Maui | Hawai’i Tourism Authority
- Moloka’i | Hawai’i Tourism Authority
- Lānaʻi | Hawai’i Tourism Authority
- 22 Hawaiian Phrases to Learn Before You Visit Hawaii | Ambassador Hotel Waikiki
- The Arrival of Māori | 100{1652eb1ffa4184925f6a63a9c04ea6b421acb7a78117241e7d4325cdca8339fa} Pure New Zealand
- Why Referring to New Zealand as Aotearoa Is a Meaningful Step for Travelers | Condé Nast Traveler
- Structure and Growth of the Leeward Kohala Field System: An Analysis with Directed Graphs | PLoS One
- Loko I’a: A Manual on Hawaiian Fishpond Restoration and Management by Graydon “Buddy” Keala with James R. Hollyer and Luisa Castro | University of Hawai’i at Mänoa
- Ahupuaʻa System | Independent & Sovereign Nation State of Hawaii
- The Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World by Wade Davis | Amazon
- Chital (Axis Deer) | Wikipedia
- Axis Deer in Hawai’i | Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species
- The Big Island | Hawai’i Tourism Authority
- First Axis Deer Removed from Hawai’i Island | Hawai’i Invasive Species Council
- What Are Transects, and Why Are They Important for Monitoring Natural Resources? | US National Park Service
- Thermal Imaging, Night Vision, and Infrared Camera Systems | Teledyne FLIR
- FLIR (Forward-Looking Infrared) Drone Footage via Maui Nui Venison | Tim Ferriss, Instagram
- Mongoose | Hawaii Invasive Species Council
- Kaua’i | Hawai’i Tourism Authority
- Hawaii’s Feral Chickens Are Out of Control | The Atlantic
- Using Distance Sampling to Estimate Wildlife Populations | US National Park Service
- Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery | Prime Video
- Wayne’s World | Prime Video
- What Is a Confidence Interval and How Do You Calculate It? | Investopedia
- Why is Volleyball the Fifth Most Popular Sport on the Planet? | VolleyCountry
- Jake Muise: Men’s Volleyball | University of Hawai’i at Manoa Athletics
- Stan Sheriff Center | University of Hawai’i at Manoa Athletics
- The Town of Naval Heroes and Treasuries | Harlingen, The Netherlands
- Cost of Living in Hawaii 2023 | Affording Paradise
- Moon-Fluence | Maui Nui Venison, Instagram
- Key Performance Indicator (KPI) | Investopedia
- Federal Meat Inspection Act | USDA
- The Struggle to Contain, and Eat, the Invasive Deer Taking over Hawaii | Modern Farmer
- Mad Max | Prime Video
- Ranger UTVs (Utility Task Vehicles) | Polaris
- Why Meat from Scared Animals Tastes Worse | Gastro Obscura
- The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate The Three Essential Virtues by Patrick Lencino | Amazon
- What Is a 360 Review in the Workplace? | The Balance Careers
- Mental Toughness Training for Sports: Achieving Athletic Excellence by James E. Loehr | Amazon
- Confessions of the Pricing Man: How Price Affects Everything by Hermann Simon | Amazon
- The Road Less Stupid: Avoiding the Dumb Mistakes That Sabotage Growth, Profits, and Business Success by Keith J. Cunningham | Amazon
- AG1 (Formerly Athletic Greens)
- Delicious, Sustainable Food & Recipes | Patagonia Provisions
- Dr. Stephan van Vliet: Comparing the Nutrient Density of Grass-Fed vs. Grain-Fed Meat | The Natural State with Dr. Anthony Gustin #158
- Nutrient Density Study | Van Vliet Lab
- Soils of Hawai’i | University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
- Soil Orders of the Hawaiian Islands | USDA
- Hostess Twinkies Nutritional Information | Fitbit
- John List — A Master Economist on Strategic Quitting, How to Practice Theory of Mind, Learnings from Uber, Optimizations to Boost Donations, the Primitives of Decision-Making, and How Field Experiments Reveal Hidden Realities | The Tim Ferriss Show #566
- Clawback | Investopedia
- Fight Club | Prime Video
- Giving Thanks Can Make You Happier | Harvard Health
- Want More Gratitude in Your Life? Embrace the Present | GoodTherapy
- Making a Time Machine: 8 Steps (with Pictures) | Instructables
- Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World by Timothy Ferriss | Amazon
- Ric Elias: Earning the Gift of Life | The Peter Attia Drive #79
- Raising Teenagers is a Tug-of-War That Ultimately You Must Lose | P.S. I Love You
- The Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness by Jeffrey Gitomer | Amazon
SHOW NOTES
Editor’s note: timestamps will be added shortly.
- Lava cowboys.
- What does Maui Nui mean?
- A Hawai’i history primer.
- The problem with (and delicious solution to) axis deer in Hawai’i.
- The three-year hunt that became the Maui Nui springboard.
- The life-changing power of volleyball and free pizza.
- Seven on, seven off.
- Processes, metrics, and moon-fluence.
- Surpassing USDA regulations — in the wild.
- A typical night of harvesting.
- The humble, hungry, and smart way to build a world-class team.
- Feedback that separates the As and Bs from the Cs.
- Assigned and recommended reading.
- Nutrient density.
- Clawback allowances.
- Secret Pinterest boards.
- The old lady on the couch game.
- Tug of war.
- Can the business sustainably scale up without selling out?
- Jake’s billboard.
- Parting thoughts.
MORE JAKE MUISE QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW
“We’re asking our team members to be snipers, rally car drivers, CrossFit athletes, butchers. The people we have on our teams just have these extraordinary skill sets. It’s the funnest thing to watch a guy in his first week.”
— Jake Muise
“We have to pick up every single one of these animals and carry them on our backs, because you’re not allowed to drag them. You can either introduce contaminants and/or bruise the meat. And it’s actually one of my favorite parts of the night is it is the complete opposite of the rest of the meat industry. After you’ve killed this animal for food, you’re carrying this animal on your back into its next stage of life with the food. And there’s an individual connection with each one of these animals. And it’s something that every guy on our team really takes pride in, is being able to pick up these giant, 250-pound animals across razor sharp lava.”
— Jake Muise
“At Maui Nui … we find the balance that’s best for all of our communities: ecosystem communities, food system communities, our human communities, nearshore fisheries.”
— Jake Muise
“Kids are your greatest joy, and they will frustrate you more than anybody on the planet can.”
— Jake Muise
PEOPLE MENTIONED
Related and Recommended
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