Hound Dog Podcast Network by The Sportsmen's Empire

In this episode of Houndsman XP, Chris and Steve stretch the “Xtreme” credo to the max with a visit to the South Texas ranch country to hunt bobcats with Professional Bull Riders (PBR) celebrity, bullfighter Shorty Gorham. Shorty is not only known the world over for his professional bullfighting and his popular bullfighting circuit and company American Freestyle Bullfighting, but also for his crack pack of running Walker cat hounds. Chris and Steve see firsthand how Shorty’s hounds approach their big cat-catching work with every bit the energy and gusto that their master exhibits in the bull ring.

Gorham, growing up on a southern California ranch was in his words, “a cowboy in a surfer school.” Being a guy that has always met danger head on, Shorty has been a natural at fighting 1,700-pound tornados in bull flesh, major event after thrilling major bull riding event.
Learning that Shorty was also an accomplished houndsman, Chris and Steve, with an introduction by Carnivore TV producer and former Houndsman XP guest Gary Roberson, seized the opportunity to go to Texas to hunt with and to interview Shorty Gorham, a major win for the Houndsman XP audience.

In this episode, recorded mid-hunt on a south Texas afternoon, the boys are joined by Gorham and Roberson in what is an interesting and very entertaining look at the exciting and very dangerous world of bull riding. They also dig deep into the background and abilities of the pack of running-stock hounds Gorham uses to consistently catch bobcats and mountain lions for his enjoyment and for that of the clients that book guided hunts with him. Airing on the week of the PBR World Finals are held in Las Vegas, listeners will be able to closely identify with the TV coverage of the epic event. This is an episode for the listener that likes his hound-hunting on the razor edge of excitement and that’s no bull.

In this episode of the Houndsman XP podcast, the boys renew a longtime friendship with Louisiana’s Mike Cauley, best known for the successful exploits of his Bayou Cajun Plott Hound pack on wild hogs and on bears, both the blacks of the Northwoods of the US and Canada and the giant browns of Sweden.

Cauley primarily hunts hogs in the swamps and bayous of southeastern Louisiana where he has caught hundreds of the species over the years. He has also made three trips to Sweden to hunt the country’s huge brown bears after shipping several Plott Hounds to hunters there. One of the bears taken with Cauley-bred Plotts ranks fourth among Sweden’s largest trophy bears. Cauley’s experiences hunting brown bears in Sweden are thoroughly examined.

Discussions move to questions about why he chose hogs as his game of choice and why he chose the Plott breed over other breeds of hounds. An in-depth discussion evolves concerning the bulldog’s role in hunting hogs, what makes a good catch dog and how hounds and bulldogs are trained to work together. Cauley’s favorite bloodlines of bulldogs and curs used for catching dangerous wild boars are also explored.

Our hosts implore Cauley to describe the typical Deep South hog hunt with dogs, the type of territory he hunts and the type of equipment he uses on the hunt. Cauley also discusses the advantages and the pitfalls of using the same dogs on hogs and bears. Realizing many of the hogs Cauley catches are taken alive, additional questions emerge about how hogs are caught and what are the risks to hunter and hound. An exciting story of Trapper and the junkyard hog helps to make this inaugural episode on hog hunting one that listeners will surely enjoy.

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Houndsman XP’s Lauren Vrany debuts in the co-host role as she, Chris and Steve
interview one of the most successful and innovative women in hound sports,
Wisconsin’s Erika Froeming.

In her longstanding role as chairperson for the UKC Heartland Classic “Four Wheeler”
coonhound event held annually in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, Froeming’s leadership has
established the event as one of the premier events of its type in the country.
Froeming’s emphasis on mentoring and the family have earned high marks nationally by
those that recognize the importance of promoting, preserving and protecting hound
sports for future generations.

The discussion covers Froeming’s background as the daughter of a houndsman, her
early experiences with hounds, favorite hounds and hunts of her experience and the
mentors that inspired her to take that important role to the next level.

The lively, often humorous discussions make this one of the most enjoyable podcasts in
the history of the program. Froeming’s confident, articulate style warms the listener to
her stories immediately and her work in establishing pro-hound educational programs
for the Wisconsin DNR, along with her Coon Hunting and Fur Handling classes
establish her as one of the nation’s foremost educators of, and ambassadors for the
hound sports.

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Chris travels to the White Mountains of Arizona to participate in a bear hunting adventure with the Sportsmen For Heroes (SFH) foundation.   Professional outfitter and SFH founder Sonny Tapia specializes in hosting epic outdoor adventures for veterans.

In this episode, warriors Sergeant Major Robert Glass, US Army Special Forces (Retired) and Sergeant Chris Davis, US Army 10th Mountain (Retired), share their insights about hunting, their impressions of hunting with hounds, and the battles of everyday life after war. Sergeant Davis shares his very revealing impression of hound sports from the outside looking in.  Sergeant Major Glass, talks about the emotional impacts of war and his journey to return to hunting after war.

Listeners will feel the passion that drives an outfitter compelled to give something back to our nation’s warriors.  Tapia’s emotional investment is revealed through his thoughts on his commitment to provide epic adventures to returning veterans.  Recorded at bear camp, 9,500 feet into the White Mountains, group members share their insights on hunting, conservation of wildlife and the preservation of the hunting tradition.  This episode enables Houndsman XP listeners to experience bold new heights in hound hunting on many levels. 

In this blockbuster episode Chris and Steve catch up with Lane Denny, the hottest handler in the exciting world of coonhound competition today. The Houndsman XP team captures Denny just six days after one of the most prestigious wins in the world of coonhound competition, the UKC World Coonhound Championship. The interview captures all the excitement of the 2019 World Championship in Iowa as well as showcasing this 23-year old’s amazing resume of wins including the PKC Youth World Championship in 2014 and the 2018 PKC Senior Showdown in which Denny won the keys to a brand new 4x4 pickup truck.

Handling a seven-year old Treeing Walker female coonhound named Emmy to each of the major wins, Denny introduces listeners to this amazing canine competitor and reveals the heart of a top-competing hander and hound team. Denny’s devotion to Emmy shines throughout this episode and leaves no doubt that here is a hunter totally in love with his hound.

Denny discusses his upbringing in Oklahoma, his earliest memories of coon hunting and takes the listener along on each of the casts as he relives his major wins. This is an episode for any lover or hounds and especially for those that possess, as does Denny, the overwhelming desire to compete. Houndsmen young and old will benefit from this energy-packed and inspirational interview with an extremely well-centered young man. This is a must-listen episode for anyone that has wondered why coon hunters enjoy competition hunting. It will also strike a chord with anyone that marches to the heartbeat of the hounds.

In this episode of the Autumn Oaks trilogy, Chris and Steve are joined in the
Houndsman XP booth on the final morning of the event by Mark Zepp and Jason Duby.
Zepp is one of the most-recognizable figures in hound hunting on several levels and is
equally well-known in the field of predator calling. His videos on the subject have earned
widespread acclaim. Duby is a field representative for Double U Hunting Supply, the
podcast’s signature sponsor. Taking advantage of the quiet before the storm of activity
that is Autumn Oaks on its final day, this early morning get together has that
comfortable feel of old friends getting together to shoot the breeze.

Listeners will be amazed at the variety of levels at which Zepp has impacted the sport
as an entrepreneur, supplier, photographer, videographer, and as a national
representative for one of the dog sport’s most-recognizable brands, Garmin/Tri-tronics.
Zepp takes the conversation through his years growing up on an Ohio farm, his early
love for hunting and trapping and his subsequent desire to pursue a career in sporting
dogs and predator hunting. Steve and Mark recall their first meeting that spawned a
friendship spanning more than thirty years.

Duby made the trip across the country to represent Double U and takes the opportunity
to discuss the well-known hunting supply company as well as his impressions of
Autumn Oaks through the eyes of a western houndsman. Duby discusses the sport of
fox hunting with hounds and reveals his preferences in the hounds that participate in the
age-old sport.

Meet Lauren Vrany. Lauren, is 32-year old and hails from “the Great State of Wisconsin.” She dons the headset at the UKC Autumn Oaks event to tell her story in this exclusive Houndsmen XP interview. From cheese curds to hunting bears, this episode is packed with great stuff. 

Chris and Lauren discuss her new journey into the word of hound ownership and hunting. A great story of how a rescued Bluetick coonhound recruited her into the sport of hunting with hounds is presented in this high energy and humorous episode.

Lauren is a free spirit who is not afraid to drive across the country to put her Blueticks to the test. Whether pulling her vintage RV to a northern Wisconsin bear camp or on a trip to the largest stage for coonhound performance, Lauren jumps into it with all the gusto and energy indicative of a person who is hooked for life.

Lauren and Chris discuss the challenges of being a woman in the sport, as well as her perceptions of women who are getting more and more involved in the sport of hunting with hounds. Her energy and candid views will be refreshing for Houndsmen XP listeners. 

In a world where hunting is under attack and there is so much bad news for the future of hunting and hunters, listeners will be encouraged as they listen to Lauren’s story of beating the odds. In contrast to national statistics showing a decline in recruiting new hunters, her story is breath of fresh air for our beloved sport.

In this episode, recorded live at the 2019 edition of the UKC Autumn Oaks coonhound extravaganza in Richmond, Indiana, Chris and Steve present an inside look at the most popular and best-attended coonhound event in the Midwest.

Staged at the mammoth Wayne County Fairgrounds each year on Labor Day weekend, Autumn Oaks has been drawing coonhound enthusiasts by the thousands since its inception in 1960, fifty-nine years ago.. A wide array of attractions including a 700-dog Nite Hunt, the world’s largest coonhound bench show and a mammoth gear-oriented trade show offer non-stop activities for coonhound enthusiasts of every persuasion.

With crowds of hunters filing by the Houndsman XP booth, Steve reflects on his memories as manager of Autumn Oaks in the 1980s and 1990s while Chris recalls his involvement with the event from the standpoint of an Indiana conservation officer, a position he enjoyed for twenty-eight years.

The hosts track the event from its inception in Greencastle, Indiana through its travels to Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina and Ohio before the Homecoming to Indiana event brought “Oaks” home to stay in 1985. Many aspects of the event are explored in this interesting episode.

Listeners having attended Autumn Oaks will reacquaint themselves with an old friend. Newcomers and those that have never been to Autumn Oaks will appreciate a first-hand view of what has become a must-do event each year for an ever-growing segment of the North American hound community.

This episode finds Chris and Steve visiting coon hunter, journalist, historian and acclaimed author Sid Underwood of Texas in what turns out to be a stimulating interview, Texas-style. The gentile Underwood brings a wealth of interesting subject matter to the Houndsman XP podcast microphone including accounts of early hunts with iconic Texas houndsmen, famous hounds of history and a nostalgic trip to the famed Texas State Coonhound Championship of days gone by.

Underwood is the author of an acclaimed volume titled Depression Desparado – The Chronicles of Raymond Hamilton, the story of a Texas bank robber and hooligan who was a confederate of outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. Chris and Steve explore Underwood’s inspiration for his amazingly-authentic and stimulating account, one the writer synopsizes with the phrase, “They’s a lotta meanness back in them days,” The discussion of Hamilton’s involvement with Old Sparky, the electric chair at the Texas State Penitentiary strikes a familiar cord with Chris as listeners will see.

Underwood, who still actively coon hunts for pleasure and in competition, has been a strong advocate for the hound sports through his involvement as a writer, field representative and widely sought bench show judge. In one of Houndsman XP’s most interesting interviews, Underwood establishes himself, not by his own admission but by his irrefutable resume, as one the hound sport’s most interesting and influential resources.

Joe Kondelis, founder of The Western Bear Foundation sits down with Chris and Steve for an in-depth look at a foundation that is effectively working to protect the black bear resource and the ethical hunting of black bears across the United States.

This trio goes deep into the current management of bears and what hunters from every region can do to maintain a healthy black bear population and the houndsman’s opportunity to manage them within the scope of the most effective wildlife management tool, hunting.

The Western Bear Foundation has found the right recipe to effectively work in concert with game managers in the west. Joe shares his ideas about how eastern bear hunters can elevate their credibility and expand their influence with state game agencies and within the hunting community.

This episode truly is one to unite Houndsmen across the country against the forces that work tirelessly to take away our heritage and rights to hunt.