Days In The Wild - Big game Hunting podcast

Wyoming Elk Draw review and changes

Dave Barnett joins me to discuss the WY draw some upcoming possible changes, how to navigate the Wyoming elk draw, Wyoming elk hunting tag strategies and Wyoming elk hunting opportunities  

In Field tips for Taxidermy prep with Josh Todd

In Field tips for Taxidermy prep with Josh Todd
 
Show Notes:
Josh Todd owns McDowell Mountain Taxidermy, a small custom shop in North Scottsdale. Taxidermy is Josh’s hobby and passion and he’s selective about what he takes in and works on. He also does a ton of refurb work cleaning up and bringing an animal back to life. Here, Josh and I get into in-field care to help your taxidermist give you the best possible product. There’s a lot you can do in the field and the moment you get something down, the clock starts ticking. Hunters often have that mentality when it comes to meat, but the same applies when you want to come back with a proper mount or something life-size. In warm weather, fur can start slipping pretty quickly, so the sooner you get the animal cold, the better. 
 
Josh talks about customizations and mannequins available and why having enough cape and shoulder is important. He also gives us a solid play-by-play from getting a bull down in an elk hunt to taking it to the taxidermist. Even though you’re racing the clock, don’t forget to take those hard-earned pictures – you’ll have time for those. Josh walks through all the right cuts and includes a ton of great details. When you’re packing up, never use trash bags or plastic bags and go with something breathable made for game hunting. And don’t forget to keep everything on ice.
 
One of the biggest issues I have is how to keep a larger animal with a big rack cool enough until it makes it to the taxidermist. Josh shares some tips on how you can get creative and do things right to get the best end result. We talked about his preferred methods for European mounts and whitening techniques and processes. Josh and I wrap up by talking about velvet antlers and how to handle them. Try your best not to touch the antlers because they’re super delicate by the tips. Velvet is developing organic tissue and it’s important to get it cold as fast as possible.
What’s Inside:
What to do in the field to preserve your kills the right way.
A play-by-play of what to do from getting a bull down to taking it to the taxidermy.
How to keep things cool when you have a larger animal/big rack.
What to do with velvet antlers.
 
Mentioned in this episode
Phoenix Shooting Bags save 20% with code johnstallone
Howl for Wildlife: https://www.howlforwildlife.org/
GoHunt: https://www.gohunt.com/
 
Short Description:
Josh Todd owns McDowell Mountain Taxidermy, a small custom shop in North Scottsdale. Josh talks about customizations and mannequins available and why having enough cape and shoulder is important. He also gives us a solid play-by-play from getting a bull down in an elk hunt to taking it to the taxidermist. We discussed his preferred methods for European mounts and whitening techniques and processes. Josh and I wrap up by talking about velvet antlers and how to handle them.
 
Tags:
big game hunting, hunting tips, hunting guide, buck hunting, hunting stories, taxidermist, elk hunting, deer hunting, mannequin, velvet, taxidermy tips, days in the wild, john stallone, josh todd, hunting podcast

Over the Counter Hunting Stories with Mike Herne

Over the Counter Elk Hunting Stories with Mike Herne
 
Show Notes:
Mike Herne is here for a little campfire hunting story session. Mike’s an avid hunter and bow hunting is his passion, although he recently picked up a rifle and enjoyed it. The army is Mike’s day job where he works in a professional development academy. In his spare time, he writes hunting and outdoor-related content for Black Rifle Coffee through their publication, Free Range American. Mike shares some of his favorite hunts and elk is hands down his favorite animal to chase with a bow. He grew up on the east coast sitting in tree stands looking for deer and the first time he heard an elk bugle and saw an elk, he was hooked.
 
Most of Mike’s elk hunting experience has been in Colorado. He went on a cool trip last year with Aron Snyder and South Cox from Kifaru International where he called elk for Aron on a pretty awesome tag. Mike loves elk hunting because of the instant gratification you can get with bugling versus sitting and waiting for deer to show up. His first over-the-counter-archery elk hunt was when he was stationed in Fort Carson, Colorado. After a deployment, Mike took a couple weeks off to hunt. It was a tough hunt, and he shares some lessons he had to learn the hard way.
 
The following season, Mike went back out and saw some quick success. The learning curve he experienced during his first hunt helped give him a leg up. He learned a ton about bugling, including when and when not to do it. Mike shares stories about a filmed trip he took with Free Range American that showed the reality of the over-the-counter hunting experience. We also talked about the similarities between calling elk and turkeys, hunting white tail deer, and lessons learned about creating illusions with noise and calls. Mike’s a great example of someone who takes what he learned from previous hunts and elevates his game the next season.
What’s Inside:
Mike’s first elk hunt and the lessons he learned.
How Mike used his experience to find success in hunting.
Elk calling and bugling tips.
 
Mentioned in this episode
Phoenix Shooting Bags save 20% with code johnstallone
Howl for Wildlife: https://www.howlforwildlife.org/
GoHunt: https://www.gohunt.com/
 
Short Description:
Mike Herne is an avid bow hunter with some great stories, including a great one from his first time in Colorado. Mike shares some of his favorite hunts and elk is hands down his favorite animal to chase with a bow. He learned a ton of lessons and is a great example of someone who found success from integrating his experiences. 
 
Tags:
big game hunting, hunting tips, hunting guide, buck hunting, hunting stories, elk hunting, bugle, Colorado, bow hunting, archery, over-the-counter hunting, deer hunting

Coues Deer Hunting with Creed Christinat

Coues Deer Hunting with Creed Christinat
 
Show Notes:
Creed Christinat is known for taking some pretty nice bucks and he joins me to talk about Coues deer. He’s 33 years old and lives in a small Arizona town called Elfrida. Creed works at a coal and natural gas power plant and when he’s not at his day job, he’s raising his family along with his wife. He’s also a passionate hunter and Coues deer is his specialty. Coues deer can really get under your skin and those who are in the know are aware they’re unique. Creed hunts them primarily with a bow, which is a next-level challenge, and here, he shares some stories and tips from his trips. 
 
One of the things I love about Coues deer is they’re a white tail that you’re spotting and stalking. They stay in small groups unlike mule deer and for me, they’ve always been a great animal to hunt. I hunt them with a rifle, but Creed has a different perspective on bow hunting. Even though most people hunt Coues in December or January, Creed’s favorite time to hunt them is in August and September. They’re visible then, they haven’t been hunted in months, and there are fewer people to compete with. If you find a deer in late July or early August, chances are they’ll be there for you in the archery season. The only downside is antler development, which changes from year to year. 
 
Creed walks through what he does to locate big bucks, whether he’s hunting in the desert or high pine country. He likes to target places that are less hunted, which sometimes can be deep in the wilderness or places that are completely overlooked. Creed gets into what an ideal buck canyon looks like, including proximity to permanent water. He shares his primary plan of attack, what he looks for when patterning and stalking, and how he knows it’s time to go in for the kill. Creed talks about how his techniques have changed over the years and how he continues to improve. We wrap up by talking about the different seasons, Coues deer behavioral characteristics to pay attention to, and Creed shares a story from a hunting trip he had with his brother.
CHECK OUT CREED'S IG
What’s Inside:
Benefits to hunting Coues deer in the early season.
What Creed does to locate big bucks.
What an ideal big buck canyon looks like.
Creed’s primary plan of attack when patterning and stalking.
Lessons learned from hunting over the years.
Key Coues deer behavioral characteristics.
 
Mentioned in this episode
Phoenix Shooting Bags save 20% with code johnstallone
Howl for Wildlife: https://www.howlforwildlife.org/
GoHunt: https://www.gohunt.com/
 
Short Description:
Creed Christinat is a passionate hunter from Elfrida, AZ and Coues deer is his specialty. Creed walks through what he does to locate big bucks, whether he’s hunting in the desert or high pine country. We talk about the different Coues deer seasons, top techniques, and lessons learned from hunting throughout the years.
Tags:
big game hunting, hunting tips, hunting guide, buck hunting, hunting stories, Coues deer, bow hunting, Arizona, archery, Coues country

John Huber trigger control

Synchronizing the Senses with John Huber
 
Show Notes:
I love getting technical and talking about muzzle breaks, triggers, and long-range accuracy, but we’re going to be looking at these a bit differently than I have in the past. I’ve had John Huber from Huber Concepts on the podcast about six years ago and he’s back so I can pick his brain. John’s been into physics since he was a kid and eventually got into manufacturing methods. Today, he primarily builds triggers and muzzle breaks and he’s an expert at synchronizing the senses.
 
John and I talk about his trigger design and how he’s changed the design using mathematics to improve accuracy. It’s all about sensing pressure and recognizing moments in time so your senses sync up and you hit a target. It’s all about time and energy management, and John translates all the data he collects into mechanical engineering. We talk about timing when pulling a trigger and how John gets the trigger to break more in sync with natural human impulses.
 
Today’s selection of firearms and poundage in terms of triggers are made so we have to fit into their mold. I use a two-stage trigger and John talks about what that is and how it functions. From a usability standpoint, the two-stage can get you closer to that “trap” moment and cut down delay. We get into muzzle breaks and the math and physics involved to design them more efficiently. The calculations to make these improvements are complicated, but they make all the difference in terms of a great hunting or shooting experience.
 
What’s Inside:
John’s unique trigger design and how he came up with it.
How John uses mathematics to enhance trigger.
What a two-stage trigger is and how it functions.
Muzzle breaks and how they work.
Hunting stories from John.
 
Mentioned in this episode
Phoenix Shooting Bags save 20% with code johnstallone
Howl for Wildlife: https://www.howlforwildlife.org/
GoHunt: https://www.gohunt.com/
Huber Concepts
 
Short Description:. 
John Huber of Huber Concepts is an expert when it comes to building a better trigger. He works his magic by taking math and physics and translating it into mechanics to create an optimal shooting experience. We talk about how John “synchronizes the senses” and he also shares a couple of great hunting stories.
 
Tags:
big game hunting, hunting tips, hunting guide, big buck hunting, hunting stories, trigger, muzzle break, long-range accuracy

Graylight Hunter Marlon Holden into the mind of a Mule deer hunter

Marlon and I discuss mule deer hunting tactics and philosophy 
GRAYLIGHT
#giantbucks  #desertmuledeer #bigbucks #hoytbowhunting #muledeer #bowhunter #graylighthunter #mountainhunter

Hunting Coues in AZ with Shane Edgar

Shane Edgar Coues Deer Hunting 
 
Shane and I discuss the different rifle hunts in AZ for coues deer. We give advice on where when and how to find coues deer. We talk about glassing techniques as well as the differences of each hunt and what to expect. 

Throwback Thursday Duwane Adams How to Glass

Throwback Thursday Duwane Adams How to Glass
2006 interview with My good friend Duwane Adams. Duwane and I talk about the fundamentals of being an effective glasser. Duwane is one of my mentors that took me from a mediocre glasser to being very skilled at picking apart the terrain 

Washington Hunting Opportunities Justin Stanley

Justin Stanley- Washington Hunting Opportunities :
Justin shares with us some of the over the counter hunting opportunities in Washington state and some late rut hunts that are an excellent way to spend winter. 
 
Follow Justin here 

Eddie Willy Coues Deer Hunting Throwback Thurs

Eddie Willy Coues Deer Hunting Throwback Thurs
Coues deer hunting AZ  podcast