Days In The Wild - Big game Hunting podcast

Throwback Thursday with Colton Gibbins

Throwback Thursday with Colton Gibbins
 
Show Notes: 
 
Colton Gibbins is an expert hunting navigator in the Idaho playing field. When this episode was recorded, Colton has had 16 seasons under his belt and has been a guide in Idaho for several years. Idaho offers a great population of elk during hunting season and it’s a great place for bowhunting and rifle hunting. Originally a bowhunter, he shared how he also had to know his way behind rifles because of Idaho’s hunting zones and units system. We sat down and talked about everything and anything you need to know for a great Idaho hunting trip, including Colton’s know-hows, insider knowledge in navigating areas and how hunting zones and units in Idaho works.

Reading Animals and Using Decoys with Danny Farris

Reading Animals and Using Decoys with Danny Farris
Show Notes:
Danny Farris and I sat down to talk about reading animals, using decoys, and a whole lot more. Danny’s an experienced hunter in Colorado: he’s the owner of Ultimate Predator Gear,  a columnist for Bowhunter magazine and a host for the Hoyt bowhunting podcast, among other things. When it comes to bowhunting – Danny’s your guy.
 
Danny owns a decoy company, so we kicked off by talking about using decoys effectively. Everyone has their own thoughts on decoys, but Danny says they’re most effective during the rut. The hormonal changes that go on during the rut make decoys extra effective. 
 
From there, we talked about deer hunting. Danny has a lot of knowledge on how deer behave, so it was great to hear him talk about reading the species. We swapped a few stories about just that – how to read deer in the field, and how to predict their next move. That’s easier said than done. We both had a few stories about using decoys during these types of situations on the hunt. 
 
A lot of this comes from your ability to make decisions in high pressure situations. We talked a bit about how we handle those moments. I’ve gotten pretty good at keeping my cool, but that’s another one of those ‘easier said than done’ things. “The ability to stay calm enough to make sound decisions,” as Danny calls it, is a huge skill to have for hunters. It was great to talk about this skill with Danny – it’s an underrated one to have in your arsenal. 
 
What's Inside:
- How to use decoys effectively.
- When to use a decoy.
- What is spot and ambush hunting?
- How to keep cool when it’s time to take the shot. 
- Stories about elk, deer, and turkey hunting.
 
Mentioned in this episode:
Howl for Wildlife: https://www.howlforwildlife.org/
Phoenix Shooting Bags: https://www.phoenixshootingbags.com/
Ultimate Predator: www.ultimatepredatorgear.com
 
Short Description:
Expert bowhunter Danny Farris joined me on the podcast this week to talk about using decoys effectively. Danny is the owner of Ultimate Predator, a company that makes decoys for bowhunters. Everyone has their own opinions on decoys, so it was great to hear some expert advice on how (and when) to use them. 
 
Tags:
Bowhunting, decoys, archery, mule deer, colorado, hunting psychology, turkey hunting, elk hunting, big game hunting, days in the wild, danny farris, bowhunter, hunting tips, hunting stories

Throwback Thursday with Chad Roberts

Throwback Thursday with Chad Roberts
 
Show Notes: 
 
This episode is a must-listen for anyone who’s looking into hunting in Arizona. We got juicy hunting knowledge from a very experienced Arizona deer hunter, Chad Roberts. This was part of my state-to-state deer hunting series and my conversation with Chad is one for the books. We talked about deer tags, weather, terrain, seasons, deer behavior and of course, hunting tactics. Chad absolutely loves the challenge of tracking deer and he walked us through his process from start to finish. Whether you’re a beginner or a veteran hunter planning a hunting trip in the AZ field, this episode will definitely give you a great bird’s eye view.

Predator Hunting with Levi Adamson

Predator Hunting with Levi Adamson
Show Notes:
I talked to Levi Adamson about predator hunting. Levi’s an experienced hunter, who spends most of his time hunting predator species like coyotes, foxes, and bobcats. He’s got years of hunts under his belt, so it was great to hear everything he had to say. 
 
Levi talked a bit about how he got into predator hunting in the first place. With all the success Levi has had with predator hunting, I picked his brain a bit to get some more info. 
 
We talked a lot about how Levi finds areas to hunt. He has a unique strategy that he’s honed over the years. But, we both agree: the best places to hunt are areas with low hunt pressure. Levi and I both look to hunt in the areas where everyone overlooks. From there, Levi and I traded stories about coyote and bobcat hunting. He’s got plenty of great ones.  Predator hunting comes with its own ins-and-outs, and Levi’s got stories to cover just about all of them. 
 
Levi also ran through his entire hunting strategy, from start to finish. It was great to hear how he hunts – he provided lots of great info here for both beginners and experts. Levi talked about his calling sequence, which led us to talking more about predator calling. 
 
What's Inside:
- How Levi scouts hunting locations.
- We swap stories about coyote hunting and fox hunting.
- Levi’s strategy for coyote hunting and calling.
- A start-to-finish rundown of Levi’s hunts.
- How to call various predator species. 
 
Mentioned in this episode:
Howl for Wildlife: https://www.howlforwildlife.org/
Phoenix Shooting Bags: https://www.phoenixshootingbags.com/
 
Short Description:
I sat down with Levi Adamson to talk about predator hunting. He’s hunted all kinds of predators, including bobcats, foxes, coyotes, and more. We swapped some stories about these hunts, and Levi took us through his entire hunting strategy – it was great to hear firsthand what it takes to have success with predator hunting. 
 
Tags:
Predator hunting, fox hunting, bobcats, coyotes, predators, arizona hunting, hunting for beginners, big game hunting, days in the wild, levi adamson

Throwback Thursday with Brandt Smith and Steve Ficco

Throwback Thursday with Brandt Smith and Steve Ficco
 
Show Notes: 
 
If you want tactics for success, this TBT episode is for you. Brandt Smith and Steve Ficco both are police officers in Colorado who use their tactical training in big game hunting. During this interview, Steve was running with 27 years of hunting experience and Brandt just shot his biggest buck so far, the year before. One thing quite unique to this duo is they didn’t use guides or outfitters when they hunted. They were all about DIY hunts and became experts at it. These two know whitetails and elks like the back of their hand and they spilled the beans on how their tactical and stealthy approach in hunting became their bread and butter. 

Hunting, Kids, and Conservation with Jeff Barlow

 Hunting, Kids, and Conservation with Jeff Barlow
Show Notes:
I sat down with Jeff Barlow, owner of SneekTec, at the Hunt Expo to talk about some things we deal with as hunters today. Jeff is a lifelong hunter, so he had plenty of great information and insight to share. 
 
We kicked off by talking about hunting with our kids. It can be a struggle to keep kids entertained, but Jeff and I agree that people generally underestimate young ones. If we push our kids to perform, it’s amazing what they can do. We both love hunting with our kids – it was great to swap some stories about those experiences. 
 
From there, we talked about how to teach the kids how to shoot. This got us on the subject of hunting and shooting practice, and what kind of drills can help improve accuracy. Shooting targets is one thing, but hunting in the field is another skill entirely. 
 
I also talked with Jeff about Howl for Wildlife. In today’s world, it’s more important than ever that hunters stand up for our sport. We went through how we got started, and some of the organization’s earliest victories. During my work with Howl for Wildlife, we’ve learned a lot, so it was great to talk about hunting activism with Jeff. 
 
Before we wrapped up, Jeff talked a bit about SneekTec, and what they’re working on these days. 
 
What's’ Inside:
-How to hunt with kids.
-It’s important to push your children to be their best.
-Shooting drills for fitness and accuracy.
-How we started Howl for Wildlife, and what the organization does today.
-What SneekTec is, and how it’s useful for hunters. 
 
Mentioned in this episode:
Howl for Wildlife: https://www.howlforwildlife.org/
Phoenix Shooting Bags: https://www.phoenixshootingbags.com/
SneekTec Boots: https://sneektec.com/
 
Short Description:
Jeff Barrow and I sat down to talk about a few things we deal with as hunters and parents. We discussed how to take kids hunting – and how to make sure they actually enjoy it. From there, we went on to discuss Howl for Wildlife, how the organization started, and the importance of hunting activism today. 
Tags:Family hunting, activism, conservation, hunting with kids, big game hunting, howl for wildlife, days in the wild, jeff barlow, hunter parents, hunting activism, hunting organization, hunting stories, hunting experiences

Throwback Thursday with Paul Medel

Throwback Thursday with Paul Medel 
 
Show Notes: 
 
Welcome to my new series, Throwback Thursday. I’ve gone through my episode archives and picked out some of the best and my favorite episodes from my entire podcasting journey. 
 
Today, we have Paul Medel, owner of Elk Nut Outdoors and a good friend of mine. In this throwback episode, Paul and I talked about elk vocalization and what they’re talking about. We also touched on how to decipher these calls as well as which ones to use and when to use them.

Bowhunting and Archery with James Yates

Bowhunting and Archery with James Yates
Show Notes:
James Yates, an experienced archer and bowhunter, joined me in this episode, where we covered everything we could possibly talk about.  He has a whole lot of knowledge on bowhunting, from techniques to setups and a whole lot more. It was great to hear what James had to say about bowhunting, archery, and hunting in general. 
 
He started off by letting us peek into how he got into the sport, and he told some stories about his early days of bowhunting. He talked a bit about how he sees bowhunting and why he loves it so much. 
 
We swapped a couple of stories about bowhunting, before we discussed how bowhunting changes throughout the year. Bucks don’t show with the same intensity throughout the year, after all. James has done some bowhunting here in Arizona, so it was great to hear about his experiences. We traded a couple more stories about hunting around the country, and we talked a little about how we plan bowhunting trips versus rifle trips. We also touched on a bit more about his strategy for picking bowhunts, too.
 
We capped off the podcast talking technique. James has so much bowhunting knowledge, we could have done a whole podcast on technique and setup alone. But hearing some in-depth info from him about getting the most out of your equipment is definitely a major plus.
 
What's’ Inside:
- Bowhunting tips, tricks, and techniques from James Yates.
- Stories about bowhunting all over the nation.
- Information about bowhunting setup and equipment.
- How we plan bowhunts versus rifle hunts.
- How to get the most out of your bow. 
 
Mentioned in this episode:
Howl for Wildlife: https://www.howlforwildlife.org/
Phoenix Shooting Bags: https://www.phoenixshootingbags.com/
James Yates on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yates_in_the_backcountry/?hl=en
Western Hunter Magazine: https://westernhunter.net/
 
Short Description:
James Yates and I talked about all things bowhunting this week on the podcast. We covered the whole gamut, from James’ favorite bowhunts, to technique, setup, and more. James has years of experience, so, it was great to hear all that he had to say about the sport. This one’s a must-listen for bowhunters.
 
Tags:
Bowhunting, hunting for beginners, archery, big game hunting, buck hunting, technique, bow setup, days in the wild, hunting podcast, bowhunters, james yates, rifle hunting

Throwback Thursday with Robby Denning

Throwback Thursday with Robby Denning 
 
Show Notes: 
 
I've got another great episode from the vault. I got together with Robby Denning a couple of years ago and we talked mule deer. Robby told us all about his love for mule deer hunting, and how this passion led him to being the field expert and published author that he is. We learned a ton that day. He shared some of the secrets to his success. There's a lot of good information that's still valid for us today.

BC Moose and Caribou Ban Tanner Dannish

Tanner Dannish of Frontiersmen Gear sits down and talks with me about the proposed closures in BC for moose and caribou hunting. 
 
Frontiersmen Gear (@frontiersmengear) • Instagram photos and videos
 Take action here 
The Wild Sheep Society of BC and many others are disheartened to learn that wildlife is once again being used as a bargaining chip. It has come to our attention, along with many concerned stake and title holders across the province that the BC government is making secret deals, with the end goal of putting the entire Region of 7B Peace under moose limited entry, and a complete closure of caribou hunting.
These proposed decisions have been made in blatant contradiction to the Vision, Principles & Goals of Together for Wildlife, the Provincial Wildlife Management Strategy. It is unacceptable that in the adolescence of the Strategy’s implementation its Vision, Principles and Goals are being disregarded in decision making. Instead of upholding these, the proposed decisions are being made under social values, instead of science and evidence-based management and dealing with the cumulative effects of resource extraction.
The WSSBC maintains that it is our intent to recognize and support the rights and title of First Nations in the province and has and will continue to work alongside them on projects.  The province needs to put an immediate stop to using wildlife as a pawn in social management decisions that only fuel divisiveness. The division created when we only manage access to wildlife, rather than manage wildlife is unacceptable when the province is committed to implementing Together for Wildlife.
This agreement goes farther than hunting.  This affects everyone that uses the outdoors, including hikers, anglers, campers and all who love to embrace the beautiful backcountry. It is imperative to the sustainability of wildlife and habitat, and outdoor recreation that land use decisions, and their associated management plans do not occur in the shadows.
It is critical to sound, successful stewardship that the province supports organizations like ours in building bridges between Stakeholder, Non-Governmental Conservation Organizations and First Nations in pursuit of bettering shared values, rather than place us at ends with one another.
Impact of 7b Closure & Science-based Wildlife Management Stats:
Current moose population estimate 60,637
 Sustainable harvest for moose 5-10% of the population
 Sustainable harvest for moose in wolf control zones 15-20%
Conducting wolf control for caribou recovery in 12 management units
 Sustainable moose harvest 4,801-7,455 in Peace Region – government is proposing a harvest of ~635 animals
 There is no scientific support to close caribou hunting or reduce model hunter harvest by 50%
Net loss
50% hunter harvest, 70-80% reduction in hunters, 75-85% reduction in hunter days
Economic loss $14-16 million in resident hunter expenditures