6 Ranch Podcast

Buckle in folks, because this episode is packed with information. Pat Valkenburg is a retired wildlife biologist who spent most of his career studying moose and caribou for Alaska Department of Fish and Game. He now owns a flying business where he specializes in wildlife surveys. With my upcoming moose hunt this fall, I wanted to sit down with an expert, and learn everything I can about this animal; their biology, behavior, evolution, and physiology.  We also get into bears, caribou, wolves, and some insane stories about studying wildlife in Alaska. If you're curious about moose and want to learn more about this fascinating animal, this is the episode for you. 

Tom Bonamici is a craftsman. With a background in product design and architecture, he has produced bags and clothing for several companies including his own. He's a custom wood worker specializing in furniture and timber framing construction with all wood joinery. Tom also happens to be the best person to have on a hunting trip if you forget your titanium spork. In this episode, Tom gives us some really solid advice on how to whittle useful items in the backcountry. What tools to bring, what wood species to use, and some great tips for making spoons, tent stakes, and gambrel hooks. We also cover gear repair and modification so that you can customize your favorite equipment to perfectly fit your needs. 

Tom's Tool Recommendations

Saw - Silky KatanaBoy
Hatchet - Robin Wood Carving Axe
Knife - Morakniv Woodcarving 120

We just wrapped up the first ever SIG Sauer Hunter Games at the Queen Mountain Guest Ranch in Evanston, Wyoming. This competition was meant to challenge each hunter's shooting, glassing, and physical abilities with realistic hunting scenarios. At the Hunter Games, Dustin Parent served as the range safety officer for Team Wolverine and is the perfect person to go over this competition with. Dustin has served as a law enforcement officer for the past 19 years and is the commander of a 26 man SWAT team. He is also the co-founder of Northern New England Outfitters and guides for trophy moose, bear, deer and turkey. In this episode, we break down a successful competition and talk hunting and guiding strategies as I prepare for my own moose hunt this fall.

Dustin Parent
Northern New England Outfitters on Facebook
Book a Trip with Dustin

SIG Sauer Hunter Games
Results and Competitors
SIG Sauer Hunting

Team Wolverine
Elite Guide: Mike Kimmel (Python Cowboy)
Competitor: Most wins in UFC history, Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone
Competitor: UFC Trainer Bo Sandoval

What do you get when you ask two people with no hunting experience listener submitted hunting questions? Turns out, some surprisingly good advice. This week, I'm at the Queen Mountain Ranch in Evanston, Wyoming getting ready for the SIG Sauer Hunter Games, where celebrity and SIG elite guide hunters will compete for the crown. But before the competition starts, I had the chance to sit down with Aisling Meehan & Caitlin Ferdyn, event planners at SIG Sauer. I get their take on learning to archery hunt, tag strategies, e-scouting, and hunting new areas. Our biggest takeaway: you might have to do some walking if you want to be successful. 

SIG Hunting on Instagram

Learn more about the Hunter Games

The best word I can use to describe Kirk Skovlin is tenacious. He's the hardest worker I've ever met, and is something of a local legend here in Northeast Oregon, known for his grit and determination in everything he does. Kirk is an excellent bow hunter and artist. He's been packing horses and mules into the wilderness for decades and has some crazy backcountry stories to tell. I learn a lot about hunting every time I talk to Kirk, and our conversation in this episode is no different. Join us as Kirk tells some of his best hunting stories about cougars, elk, and mountain goats from a full life lived in the wilderness. 

Kirk Skovlin's Art

Kirk on Instagram

Jim Akenson has led a full and adventurous life. He and his wife, Holly, spent over two decades living in the extremely remote Frank Church Wilderness where they served as caretakers for University of Idaho's Taylor Research Station. While  at Taylor, Jim and Holly studied bighorn sheep, cougars, bobcats, wolves, and made countless contributions to our understanding of wildlife biology. For the past 5 years, Jim was the Conservation Director for Oregon Hunters Association, and recently became their Northeast Director of the Board. As a hunter and naturalist, Jim is the perfect advocate for western hunters and is probably the best person to explain all the proposed changes that will likely impact archery hunting in Oregon.

Buy Jim's book -  7003 Days: 21 Years in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness

From Caxton Press

From Amazon

Lorenzo Sartini has wanted to work in the hunting industry since he was a kid. An avid hunter himself, Lorenzo saw a need for convenience in the way western hunters research and plan for hunts with filterable data to accommodate their personal goals. In 2013, he founded goHUNT, the premier and full suite of western hunting products. A goHUNT Insider membership helps you research applications, maximize tag opportunities, and build your multi-state hunt calendar as full as you want it to be. But their newest offline mapping feature puts them over the edge. goHUNT is the only hunting platform that offers real 3D maps, with filters and features that specifically cater to western hunters. This technology has changed the game for me, and I think you'll enjoy hearing the story behind its development. 

GoHunt.com

GoHunt on Instagram

It can be intimidating for people new to hunting and fishing to get into these sports. Women, in particular, often have to deal with the added barrier of being the only female at the range or fly shop. My guests today, Christi Holmes and Jill LaPlante, are two avid outdoorsman doing the work to break down those barriers and mentor women interested in hunting and fishing. Both engineers, Jill and Christi each started women's Northeast hunting groups to promote and empower women to become more involved in the outdoors. Christi is a registered Maine hunting and fishing guide who founded the group Maine Women's Hunters, and Jill founded the group New England Sportswomen. We talk turkeys, dragging deer, and the differences between western and eastern hunting and guiding.

Christi Holmes
On Instagram
Maine Women Hunters

Jill LaPlante
On Instagram
New England Sportswomen

Only 11 people live year-round in the 2.3 million acres of the Frank Church Wilderness, and Aubrey Barton is one of them. Aubrey is the caretaker at Indian Creek Ranch, where she homesteads alone through long cold winters and blistering hot summers. With only 2 weekend trips a year into town, Aubrey is as capable and self sufficient as they come. She grows and harvests hay, packs horses, hunts bear and wolves, runs a trap line and is all around kicking ass in the largest continuous wilderness area in the lower 48.

Aubrey on Instagram

My little sister, Adele Schott, is tough. She's raising kids and cows all at the same time. With her sons, 2 month old Ira and 2 year old Hank in tow, Adele and her husband have recently started a ranch of their own. Mother's Day is just around the corner, and in this episode, we cover what it was like growing up on a ranch, how to raise the next generation of good land stewards, and the best way to cook a burger.                                    

Adele on Instagram