Days In The Wild - Big game Hunting podcast
John Stallone Interviews Hunting Pros to get inside hunting tips and tactics western big game hunting, bowhunting, mule deer, elk, whitetail deer and predator hunting. Formerly Interviews With The Hunting Masters
Episodes

Monday Jul 27, 2020
Bow Hunting & Mule Deer with Henry Ferguson
Monday Jul 27, 2020
Monday Jul 27, 2020
Title: Bow Hunting & Mule Deer with Henry Ferguson
Show Notes:
As I’ve been working through my broadhead testing to find the absolute best bow on the market, I’ve found that I can’t have it all. If I want good penetration, good flight big wound channels, you always have to give up something to gain something. Henry Ferguson, an avid bow hunting sportsman, and I talk about what we look for in bows and some drawbacks to different designs.
There are so many variables in every hunting situation. You can go with your gut, or you can make the mistake of listening to some friends. Nathan talks about a hunt that ended disastrously because he ignored his own experience and listened to some fellow hunters. And instead of nailing his buck, he totally scared it off. Then he tried a different tactic, and he talks about the two important lessons he learned from this experience.
The energy of your body tunes the animals into what you intend to do. If you want to tip them off every time, do this one move that switches you from innocent bystander to deadly hunter. It’s so amazing how close you can get to an animal they don’t see you as a threat to them. We talk about how we sometimes use this move to get closer to bucks, and a few times when it backfired on us.
If you loved this show, don’t keep us a secret. Like us, share us, and give us a review. Your support continues to make this podcast possible.
What’s Inside:
Some of the most surprising results coming out of my bow testing so far.
The difficulty around finding the perfect bow hunting equipment.
The amazing moment when a buck knows you’re a hunter and not a lost hiker.
Henry shares some amazing hunting stories.
Mentioned in this Episode:
Days in the Wild on itunes
Days in the Wild on Podbean
Phoenix Shooting Bags
Short Description:
We’re talking mule deer with my buddy Henry Ferguson who says that hunting mule deer with a bow is a lot like being a salesman. You have to get used to a lot of rejection. We talk about some hunting fails and what we would’ve done differently, and Henry imparts some of his wisdom after hunting mule deer for years.
Tags:
mule deer, bow hunting, best bows for hunting, stalking mule deer, best bow hunting equipment, Colorado mule deer hunt, Arizona mule deer, Utah mule deer

Monday Jul 20, 2020
Improve Your Bowhunt John Stallone and Ron Nixon 11.33
Monday Jul 20, 2020
Monday Jul 20, 2020
Title: Improve Your Bowhunt John Stallone and Ron Nixon
Show Notes:
If you’re at all interested in bowhunting, then you need to become part of the Broadhead Nation with Ron Nixon. By sharing techniques and ideas, hunters can figure out how to improve themselves. Ron and I talk about what actually matters in bowhunting, and how you can improve your shooting accuracy.
First of all, you cannot control that animal no matter how much you want to. But your bow tune, your arrows, and your preparation are all things that you can manage.
The way you practice needs to mirror what it’s going to look like when you’re actually out hunting. Standing in front of a paper target is not going to make you a better hunter, and Ron and I talk about how to create realistic scenarios that will improve your shot when you’re actually aiming at an animal.
Visualization is another thing you can control, and there is plenty of time in the field to sit down and think carefully about what you should do in different situations. What angle is this elk going to approach from? How long is it going to drink for? Will the does turn back? Playing the “what if” game helps you focus more on the things you can control, like your breathing or the buck shakes.
Never stop hunting. That’s the last thing you can control and the last piece of advice we want to leave with you. As long as you’re learning and getting out there, you’re going to be able to improve.
If you loved the show, like us, share us, and leave us a review. Your support lets us continue to bring you experts in the field.
What’s Inside:
What is your true effective range in bowhunting?
Why you need to change the way you practice.
How a beard could be messing up your shot.
Get consistent shots every time with this piece of advice.
Mentioned in this Episode:
Days in the Wild on itunes
Days in the Wild on Podbean
Phoenix Shooting Bags
Broadhead Nation Group
Hunting Channel on Youtube
Shop Broadhead Nation
Short Description:
If you could focus on one thing that would improve your bowhunting experience, what would that be? Some hunters think a better approach would help them, and they end up focusing on those last 20 yards. Ron Nixon from Broadhead Nation thinks that focusing on the things you can truly control will be the only thing that improves your bowhunting skills.
Tags:
Bowhunting, bowhunting in AZ, better bowhunting practice, improve your bowhunting, improve your aim, best bow technique

Monday Jul 13, 2020
Elk hunting with Joel Turner Part 2 -11.32
Monday Jul 13, 2020
Monday Jul 13, 2020
Title: Elk Calling That Plays on an Elk’s Instincts, pt. 2
Show Notes:
In this second part of my conversation with Joel Turner, we continue our discussion of our “What would you do?” elk series. World champion elk caller Joel Turner likes to humanize his elk calling to create scenarios that draw out the animals. Every year in the spring, I start thinking about elk like crazy.
Antelope don’t bugle. Mule deer don’t bugle. There is nothing like an elk bugling, and that’s what gets everyone excited about elk hunting.
“You’re never talking to the bull; you’re always talking to the cows”, says Joel. That’s how you can trigger the bull’s reaction. Joel has some other advice for how you can use different calls to manipulate the bull’s reactions so that you can put him in the situation that you want him to be in.
If you find a bull and you know he has some cows, but every time you go in to round up his cows, he just takes his cows and moves away, what would you do? In this scenario, the time period actually plays a part in the bull’s behavior. Joel explains the lull in breeding season, and why a bull will sometimes just stop reacting to you.
Joel’s elk hunting is very simple. The science behind elk hunting is not a variety of theories, ideas, and probable guesses. Figure out the instincts that the elk herd needs to prod them to move in the way you want, and you can easily manage their behavior. Figuring out which sound the elk are making is probably the hardest part, and even that is pretty simple.
I hope that some of you can put some of this knowledge to use this year as you’re out there hunting. Like us, share us, and leave us a review. It helps this podcast stay free and accessible for hunters.
What’s Inside:
As a situational hunter, Joel likes to think about putting the elk in a situation that benefits him.
How to figure out with certainty that a bull is with some cows.
Give a bull every instinctive reason to come to you.
3 more common scenarios that every elk hunter will encounter at some point.
Mentioned in this Episode:
Days in the Wild on itunes
Days in the Wild on Podbean
Phoenix Shooting Bags
Short Description:
Joel Turner returns for the second part of our conversation about elk hunting situations. By simplifying elk hunting down to the basics, Joel uses elk calls to move the elk into situations that he can benefit from. Playing on animal instincts has helped him become one of the best elk hunters that I know.
Tags:
Elk hunting scenarios, elk hunting, bugling elks, calling bulls, challenging bulls, best elk calls, best elk hunting

Monday Jul 06, 2020
Joel Turner what would you do Elk Hunting 11.31
Monday Jul 06, 2020
Monday Jul 06, 2020
Elk Hunting with Joel Turner
Title: Elk Calling That Plays on an Elk’s Instincts
Show Notes:
If you’re not hunting elk all of the time, then sometimes you might forget in between hunts what to do in different scenarios. That’s why I gathered together the best elk hunters around so that you can hear what they would do in similar elk hunting scenarios. World champion elk caller Joel Turner likes to humanize his elk calling to create scenarios that draw out the animals.
It’s rainy, it’s windy, and you haven’t heard a bugle all day long, but you know there’s elk in the area, what would you do? Joel hates elk hunting in the rain, but he’ll slide into the area where he thinks the elk are and he’ll give them a breeding scene. He demonstrates what that sounds like for me.
Calf sounds are a whole different instinctive sound for elk, so Joel likes to use this sound more often. For people, what is the one sound that gets everyone to come out of the house? Not some lady yelling, that’s for sure. Mammals are all programmed to pay attention to a crying baby, so hear how Joel uses that instinct to draw the herd out.
Joel likes to humanize the situation, or figuring out what people would do in a situation and then translate that into elk sounds. He talks about a few different ways you might be able to do that, and how that helps you predict what the elk will do.
If you loved this episode, please give us a review. It helps me keep this free and lets me reach more people. And remember to get out there and enjoy nature.
What’s Inside:
If the bulls aren’t bugling, you have to give them a reason to bugle.
How to use the calf sound to find where the elk are at.
What “glunking” is and why you want to use it.
Animals are all trying to learn from sex and fighting, and you’ll want to use that to your advantage.
Mentioned in this Episode:
Days in the Wild on itunes
Days in the Wild on Podbean
Phoenix Shooting Bags
Shot IQ
Short Description:
What is one of the worst sounds in the world? Learn how to use crying babies to your advantage the next time you go elk hunting when you mimic a scared elk calf. Champion elk caller Joe Turner thinks up realistic scenarios that draw out the elk into open ground, and he uses mammal instincts to play on the elk herd.
Tags:
Elk hunting scenarios, be a better elk hunter, elk bugling, glunking and elk, calling an elk, finding elk, best elk bugles

Thursday Jul 02, 2020
Dana Sacia Hunting For Connections Bonus episode
Thursday Jul 02, 2020
Thursday Jul 02, 2020
Dana Sacia Hunting For Connections
Phoenix Shooting bags Owner Anthony Stallone interviews Dana and discusses Hunting for connections.

Monday Jun 29, 2020
Elk Hunting Scenarios with Jason Phelps Part 2 11.30
Monday Jun 29, 2020
Monday Jun 29, 2020
Elk Hunting Scenarios with Jason Phelps Part 2
Show Notes:
We’re back today to pick Jason Phelps’ brain again about how he’d react in certain elk situations. Of course, Jason’s elk calling technique is a huge part of how he hunts, so he shares a lot of different types of bugling calls and what they mean.
If there’s a specific bull that you want to kill, but you can’t identify him by his bugle, you’ll need to make a decision about which bull to kill. Weighing if you’re okay just targeting any bull may be impacted by how long you’ve waited to pull that tag. Jason talks about the factors that go into this decision for him.
As soon as you get close to a herd, the bull rounds them and moves them away from you. This can happen again and again, wasting an entire day of a hunt. We might feel like we have to get a response from the bull, but many of us are making this number one mistake, according to Jason.
Keeping in mind the hierarchy of the bull’s decisions can help you see why they react the way they do. They’ve got three main decisions that they’re always thinking about, so getting inside a bull’s head will help you predict their behavior.
Sometimes there just isn’t a clear answer. Some situations are tough because any way you move, you’ll spook them or you won’t have a clear shot. Try to be patient and read the situation, and be honest about the potential outcomes. Jason says that it’s okay to sit down and just admire the huge bull in front of you.
What’s Inside:
Jason’s restaurant analogy will make you think differently about chasing down a herd.
In September, if Jason sees cows, he always assumes there’s a bull there.
One of the benefits of giving a low, lazy bugle.
Day 1 of a ten day hunt or day 10 of a ten day hunt make a big difference in Jason’s strategy.
Mentioned in this Episode:
Days in the Wild on itunes
Days in the Wild on Podbean
Phoenix Shooting Bags
Phelps Game Calls
Phelps Game Calls on Instagram
Phelps Game Calls on Facebook
Short Description:
Every hunter might approach a common scenario differently, so I ask Jason Phelps for his opinion. The rain in Washington plays into some of his strategy, but so do the elk calls his company manufactures. Jason has some suggestions for how to avoid common hunting mistakes, and when to take a deep breath and just appreciate being outdoors.
Tags:
elk hunting, elk scenario, elk bugling, elk calling, satellite bulls, challenging the bull, calling cows, elk hunting in WA

Monday Jun 22, 2020
Jason Phelps Elk Hunting Scenarios Part 1 11.29
Monday Jun 22, 2020
Monday Jun 22, 2020
Title: The Elk Scenario with Jason Phelps
Show Notes:
As a designer of elk calls, Jason Phelps from Phelps Game Calls has a lot to say about how to talk to a herd of elk. The weather, the time of day, even the pitch of your call, will all help how responsive a bull is to you. Jason shares some tips for how to prod a bull to respond, and when you should press your advantage during the hunt.
For Jason when he’s hunting, he’s looking for certain responses from the bull. He wants that rut-crazed bull coming at him. Since a lot of his hunting has been done in the Northern US, he knows some of the ways he does things will be very different for other hunters in different parts of the US.
When the sun starts to rise, you should be able to hear the elk. So Jason puts in a little extra effort to plan to hear the elk the night before to pinpoint their location. The elk are creatures of habit and will do the same thing day after day until they’ve been bumped or disturbed.
As a 90% bugle caller and only a 10% cow caller, Jason talks about his strategy for attracting their attention. He talks about when he chooses to use the cow caller, and why he prefers the bugle caller so much more.
Jason cut his teeth hunting in southwest Washington, some of the wettest woods anywhere. That constant rain can impact the length of the rut, and requires some creative strategies to work around that problem. Rather than describing some more effective calls that he’s discovered, he demonstrates them for me.
What’s Inside:
To start the rut, sometimes a little creative bugling is all that it takes.
Jason always recommends getting as close as possible before starting to call to the elk.
Warm weather and dry weather will definitely affect the elks’ behavior.
One of the best times to hunt elk is after a midday rain, according to Jason.
Jason demonstrates some of his most responsive bugling calls.
Mentioned in this Episode:
Days in the Wild on itunes
Days in the Wild on Podbean
Phoenix Shooting Bags
Phelps Game Calls
Short Description:
Experimenting with bugling sounds can improve your chances of prodding an elk to respond to you. Jason Phelps from Phelps Game Calls uses bugling to challenge a bull, find a herd, prod a response from cows, and enrage the elk he wants. He talks about how hunting in the rain affects elk season, and he demonstrates some of his favorite bugling calls.
Tags:
elk hunting, elk scenario, bugling elks, bugling bulls, finding elks, elk hunting in the rain, tracking elk, location bugling, start an elk rut

Monday Jun 15, 2020
Elk Hunting Scenarios with Corey Jacobsen, part 2 11.28
Monday Jun 15, 2020
Monday Jun 15, 2020
Title: The Elk Scenario with Corey Jacobsen Part 2
Show Notes:
Sometimes in elk hunting, you’ll keep running up against some of the same scenarios. In part 4 of the Elk Scenario, I continue my conversation with Corey Jacobsen from Elk 101 about how he approaches these common scenarios.
Most of what Corey hunts is just general, over-the-counter tags. So five or six elks bugling all at once is elk heaven to him, and he doesn’t worry too much about which ones he goes after. But when you’re competing against other bulls in the wild, how do you make yourself stand out? Corey talks about the direction the conversation should go when you’ve figured out which bull you want to go after.
When there are a lot of elks bugling, it can be hard to make yourself heard over them. Corey and I both have some good strategies for interrupting a bull by bugling over them, or creating a scenario with sound that catches the attention of a bull.
Challenging a bull may not give you the results you want, and there are a lot of different reasons for this. Depending on the size of the herd or the age of the bull, you may want to choose a different approach.
When Corey hears the bulls bugling and running, they’re usually moving up a mountain. Trying to get them to turn around is a common situation. Even though they have the upper hand, it could be an advantage or a disadvantage, depending on the terrain. Corey’s recent experience demonstrates some of the tricky parts of being below a herd.
For Corey, he loves calling. If an elk won’t bugle back to him, his first instinct is to move on. I might choose instead to use some other audible sounds to prod him to respond. We talk about different ways to get a response from a quiet bull.
What’s Inside:
Eliminating opportunities on a hunt is one of the last things you want to do.
It’s illegal to call an elk in a national park.
How to tell an elk to shut up, according to Corey.
Big rubs and puny bugles don’t always mean big bulls or small bulls.
Mentioned in this Episode:
Days in the Wild on itunes
Days in the Wild on Podbean
Phoenix Shooting Bags
Elk101
Short Description:
Learning to talk to elk can change your entire hunting experience. Expert elk bugler Corey Jacobsen describes how he changes his bugling tactics based on different scenarios. Attracting the attention of a quiet elk versus catching the attention of a herd of trumpeting elk requires entirely different calls. The nuances of elk bugling will make you appreciate the hunt even more.
Tags:
elk hunting, elk scenario, bugling elk, calling elk, finding bull elk, elk in Utah, elk hunting in Idaho, stalking elk

Monday Jun 08, 2020
Elk Hunting Scenarios with Corey Jacobsen, part 1 11.27
Monday Jun 08, 2020
Monday Jun 08, 2020
Title: Elk Hunting Scenarios with Corey Jacobsen, part 1
Show Notes:Over the next few weeks, I’ve invited a couple of different guys to talk about how they hunt elk. Ithink this is a neat perspective and a cool way to learn from others when you see the differentways other hunters react to different scenarios.With some research beforehand, Corey knows what kind of elk he’s going to see. That meanshe’s not in a hurry to shoot the first elk he sees. The temperature and the water conditions willimpact the behavior of the elk, so you’ll need to be aware of that. Corey shares his strategy forhunting elk when the hunt doesn’t go the way he pictured.The desert states seem to have an on/off switch for the ruts, says Corey. How well managed astate is seems to have some impact on this. Nevada, Arizona, and Utah have a much differentconcentration of elk, demographics, and the bull-to-cow ratio are all different than Idaho andOregon, so your hunting approach may need to change.It’s rainy and you haven’t heard an elk in hours, so what would you do? This is a very realconcern if you’re in an area like Oregon. Depending on the camping conditions, Corey mighttake the day off or just keep going. His approach depends on a number of different factors.Corey thinks that creating opportunities within the hunt will change your ability to find success.He applies this idea to midday hunting, which is one of his favorite times to hunt. The averagehunter goes out before daylight and hunts for two or three hours before they head back to campfor lunch and a nap. Corey hunts all day long for a lot of different reasons.What’s Inside:● The early season in the desert states is very different from the early season in themountain states.● If you’re an elk addict like Corey, you can never really stop thinking about hunting elk.● In the desert states, water is going to be your friend.● Corey adjusts his elk hunting strategy based on the full moon and the weather.
Mentioned in this Episode:Days in the Wild on itunesDays in the Wild on PodbeanPhoenix Shooting Bags
Short Description:
When factors like the weather, a drought, or a full moon can all affect elk hunting, how can youchange your strategy to compensate for that? Corey Jacobsen, a self-proclaimed “elk addict”talks about how he’d adjust his plans based on different scenarios. No elk hunt goes perfectly,so being ready to adapt your game plan will help you come away with the animal you set out toget.Tags:elk hunting, bugling for elk, elk demographics, elk hunting in Idaho, weather and elk hunting, elkhunting and full moon, elk hunting strategies, hunting elk midday

Monday Jun 01, 2020
Michael Batease Elk Hunting Scenarios part 2 ep 11.26
Monday Jun 01, 2020
Monday Jun 01, 2020
Title: The Elk Scenario with Michael Batease (Part 2 of Elk Scenario)
Show Notes:
I think seeing the same scenarios through the eyes of other hunters is a really great way to see how other hunters who know a thing or two about elk hunting deal differently with the same situation. It can help you compare different hunting strategies, so that when you come up against the same kind of situation, you’ll have some great options.
If you’ve got a bull that’s answering you all morning long, but every time you get close, he takes his females and moves just a little bit away, what do you do? The transition between a feeding area and a bedding area may be causing this behavior. Michael talks about what you want to be hearing when the bull is bugling back.
Getting close to a bull, but they just don’t want to stand and fight is a little bit like a keyboard warrior. Michael suggests you get parallel to the bull, and talks about how he creates a “story” to attract the interest of the bull by flipping the script on him.
We as people have to stay far enough back that the herd bull can’t see us, so getting them to take your challenge seriously can be hard. Michael and I talk about the kind of decoys we’ve used, and what kinds are better for certain circumstances.
Hunting on open prairie with nearly no cover is when Michael breaks out the ultimate predator decoy. He talks about how visual stimulation and light calling can be used to work a bull, and get him to move to where you can take him down. Sometimes Michael likes mounting the decoy on his bow to free up his hands which lets him focus on getting closer to the herd.
What’s Inside:
Determining the size of a bull by sound can be deceptive sometimes, says Michael.
Michael talks about how to play on the herd dynamics.
If a herd bull deals with satellite bulls all day long, how are you going to get him to move?
We talk about the different kinds of decoys we’ve used and when they worked well (and when they didn’t).
Mentioned in this Episode:
Days in the Wild on itunes
Days in the Wild on Podbean
Phoenix Shooting Bags
Elk Calling Academy
Elk Calling Academy on Facebook
Elk Calling Academy on Youtube
Elk Calling Academy on Instagram
Short Description:
Sometimes just bugling at a bull elk won’t cause any sort of reaction from him. Michael Batease from Elk Calling Academy has expert advice on how you can talk to a bull so that they actually react to you. By recognizing the different kinds of sounds a bull produces, and what those sounds mean can make the difference between putting in elk in the ground and wasting an entire hunting trip.
Tags:
Elk hunting, hunting scenarios, bugling bulls, stalking bulls, mimicking cows, elk decoys, do decoys work, hunting elk bulls