Oklahoma Outdoors

Jonny Griffin joins the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast this week to talk about his company Hype Outdoors. Hype Outdoors is about pretty much anything that gets you excited outdoors, from hunting to rock climbing. Jonny's true passion though is definitely big whitetails. Jonny and John start things off talking about filming your hunts and all the work that goes into it, especially self filming. Jonny walks us through a morning in the life of a self filmed hunter, from waking up hours earlier to slowing down to film all the small things that make a big difference in the long run.

Jonny is also involved with Quest Hunt Co. and is helping bring the deer hunting competition to Oklahoma. The contest is made up of two person teams that compete for prizes at the end of the season. Lastly, the two just talk a little deer hunting. Jonny talks about what he looks for in a stand site, and how he scouts public land. Jonny puts a lot of time in on OnX and Google Earth before ever stepping foot in the field, and contributes a lot of his success to that method. If you are looking for a reason to get excited for the upcoming deer season, this episode will do that and more!

Eric Bonicelli had never done any western big game hunting before he moved to New Mexico. Once he got settled in, he realized he had landed in a sportsman's paradise and immediately began taking advantage of it. He drew a once in a lifetime oryx tag, a barbary sheep tag, an elk tag in one of the state's most coveted units, and several deer tags. New Mexico is one of the few states that does not have a preference point system, and Eric says that is exactly why hunters should be looking into hunting in New Mexico. Sure you may go your entire life without drawing an elk tag in the famous Gila Mountains, but you might also draw it the very first time you try!

If you think this episode of the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast is only about a single state though, you are greatly mistaken. Eric has also found some amazing international hunts that are much more affordable than most people think. And he throws in some tips and things to watch out for that can raise the price if you aren't careful. He has hunted rivers flowing with ducks in Nicaragua, and bruised his shoulder shooting doves in Argentina, both of which cost him less than a guided midwestern whitetail hunt! If you have a once and a lifetime type hunt on your bucket list, this episode might just help you make that hunt become a reality. 

This week John and his guest tackle one of the most requested topics of the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, Bowfishing! Bowfishing started gaining popularity in the late 80's and early 90's, but really took off in the 2000's. Casey Minshew is well known in the trinity river bowfishing circles, and his specialty is large alligator gar. Casey has been called on and acted as a guide by biologist conducting research, and even had the pleasure of taking Tim Wells on an adventure. Though he is highly regarded and respected, he does little guiding and mostly just enjoys bowfishing and the challenges of finding and hauling in giant gar.

On this episode Casey and John spend a little time talking about the gear you need for bowfishing and how it differs from traditional archery equipment. They then spend a little time talking about the difference between bowfishing at night versus the day, and how to locate and shoot fish at night. Then comes Casey's favorite topic, finding and shooting huge alligator gar. Not only does he talk strategy, he also gives a lot of general information about alligator gar and their behavior and habits. If you have ever been interested in bowfishing, you will definitely want to check out this episode. Every time Casey puts his boat in the water, his goal is to find a 7 foot fish! 

It all started 22 years ago when a film maker wanted to showcase a unique style of catching catfish by hand called Noodling. Out of that documentary came the Okie Noodling Tournament and festival in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. Today the tournament is much more than just a celebration of catching fish, but a full on family fun filled festival complete with booths, food trucks, and concerts. This weeks episode of the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast is all about the upcoming festival and noodling tournament.

Jennifer Samford is a long time employee of the City of Pauls Valley and has helped organize and run the Okie Noodling Tournament for many years. Jennifer and John discuss all the fun and attractions waiting tournament goers at this weekends event. Jennifer gives all the details about how to enter the tournament, when people can start fishing, and when participants have to be at weigh in. She also highlights the concerts and live performances, as well as gives some general tips for people to have the absolute best time possible. Be sure to clear your schedule and get to Pauls Valley this weekend for the Okie Noodling Tournament!!

This episode of the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast is a very special one. John takes a little road trip and records this episode with his great uncle Harvey. Harvey was born in 1939 and lived most of his life within a stones throw of the Red River in both Oklahoma and Texas. Harvey has done a little bit of everything through out his life. He began farming cotton at a shockingly young age, he was hauling cotton gin equipment on a truck to west Texas before he was old enough to have a drivers license, and even helped out with a gold mining venture for a short time. While all of that was going on he also got his pilots license, drove a mail truck, and came surprisingly close to catching a state record fish.

Harvey talks about what he hunted before their were any deer in the area, and how he vividly remembers seeing his first whitetail doe. Oddly enough his first ever deer was a mule deer he shot in Canada, and that's a memory he will never forget for more than one reason. He tells all kinds of stories from hunting and fishing, and even a great story about pulling a jet through downtown Ada. You will want to listen to this episode over and over again, and will be laughing all the way through.

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This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John is joined by new friend and guide Les Standstipher. Les and his son Keaton own and operate S&S Guide Service in the Lake Eufaula area, as well as fish the Crappie Masters National Trail. A unique aspect to this week's episode, is that John and his wife Mackenzie got to fish with Les prior to them recording this episode. So instead of just asking questions over the phone, Les got to teach John first hand. Now that John has a better grasp on the subject, his questions can be much more targeted and educational for the listeners.

Les brings all his knowledge from fishing tournaments and guiding to the table this week as he and John deep dive into the crappie fishing water. They cover Les's complete rod and reel setups for both guiding and tournaments, his crappie specific boat, and all the ins and outs of finding crappie. The two talk about water temperature, depth, and clarity and how the fish react to each. Les gives an explanation of livescope technology and how he uses it, as well as how it has completely changed how people fish for crappie. Les really knows his stuff, and is also just an overall great guide and person in general. 

If you have ever wanted to shoot your bow more accurately, this episode of the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast can help. Chris Hammond is a professional archer from Oklahoma who shoots for Mathews (as well as many other sponsors) on the pro circuit. Chris and John break down every aspect of a shot, from your grip to your release and everything in between. You'll probably find yourself holding your arms up and following along as you listen.

Not only do the two talk shooting form, Chris also talks about his battle with target panic and how it almost caused him to quit shooting competitively all together. He talks about how he dug himself out of it, and the training he did to get to where he is today. John also asks for some good practice scenarios for both target archery and hunting, and finishes with a tough question many have been asking recently. How far of a shot is to far?

We have another exciting announcement this week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast! Will Bellis and Andrew Shults have years of real estate experience between them and are excited to share their new venture with all of us, Arrowhead Land Company. John and the guys talk about all your land buying questions including how to find land in this crazy market, the steps you need to take when purchasing, and what kind of finances you need to have ready going into it. They also talk about some of the differences between buying land and buying a home. 

The guys also answer some general hunting land questions. What kind of features should people look for when buying land? Do you look for different types of features in different parts of the state? And so many more. John also asks them a popular question that he gets through social media on a regular basis, what part of the state is best for hunting?

The boys from Bowhunting League are back for this episode of the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast. Ben Harrison and Dan Porter are the brains behind the FREE nationwide archery contest known simply as the Bowhunting League. The BHL is made up of three person teams from all across the country that come together to compete for thousands of dollars worth of prizes, and did I mention that it's free to sign up? 

Ben and Dan go into the details of the league and talk about all the different ways to get involved. They have a turkey competition, an elk competition, a one shot archery competition, and the main event, the deer competition. Dan and Ben also tell John some of the things they have learned since starting the league, like how there are big bucks all over the country that most people don't know about, and how to plan out a multi state year. This is a great lighthearted episode, which is a great representation of the league itself. When it all comes down to it, the BHL is about community and sharing the passion we all have for bowhunting whitetail deer. 

Big things are happening at the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast this week. John has not one, but two exciting announcements on this episode so you are definitely not going to want to skip this one.  One of those announcements has to do with this weeks guest Steve Alexander. Steve is the owner of Private Water Fishing, a north Texas based company looking to grow its presence across the Red River into Oklahoma. Private Water Fishing is a membership based company with access to over 100 private fishing lakes across Texas and Oklahoma. 

If you are looking for a top notch secluded fishing destination, Private Water Fishing has you covered. This company doesn't just accept any ol pond out there, and the majority of these private lakes are over 10 acres in size. Each is managed for both fish quality and to provide a great fishing experience. After a lake is booked, it has to wait through a mandatory rest period before it can be reserved again in order to keep the fish from being over pressured. Like what you're hearing? Listen to this episode and don't forget to stick around till the end for a second exciting announcement!