Oklahoma Outdoors

We have a double header this week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast. Roy Potter is the owner of Woods County Whitetails in western Oklahoma and this week he joins John to talk about the wonderful hunting accommodations his outfit has to offer. From a litteral 5 star chef and comfortable lodge, to the sprawling private ranch with comfortable blinds, food plots, and feeders, Woods County Whitetails is your one stop shop for top notch whitetail hunting. "You're going to see a lot of deer" is Roys promise to his guest, and they have taken some really nice bucks over the years also.

Part two of this episode is another project of Roys that was spawned out of his outfitting business, and that is the Okie Hides blinds. Roy had trouble finding the right blind that could stand up to the elements western Oklahoma could throw at them, while also being comfortable and having all the features he was looking for. Eventually Roy took it upon himself, and he and his team set out to make the perfect blind for their needs. What they came up with is a large elevated blind with a pitched roof and windows in all the right places. So check out this episode and their website to learn all about Woods County Whitetails and Okie Hides blinds. 

Welcome to part two of the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast mini series with the Oklahoma branch of the National Wild Turkey Federation. This week's guest is biologist Annie Farrell. Annie covers a large area including Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska which means she has seen a little bit of everything. For the purpose of this episode however, John and Annie stick to mostly Oklahoma terrain and statistics. 

The conversation starts off by going back in time a little bit, discussing turkeys as a native Oklahoma bird, their decline, and restocking efforts that have grown into the flocks we see today. From there the two cover topics all across the board including Rio grande vs Eastern subspecies and the habitat needed by each of them, polt survival, recent population declines, and what is being done about it. Annie also gives private land owners some things they can do to help more wild turkeys survive on the landscape. 

This episode of the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast is the first of two episodes with Oklahomas chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation. In part one John is joined by guest Bobby Armstrong. Bobby lives in western Oklahoma and is the "Save the Hunt Coordinator" for the state, and also serves on the Oklahoma state board of directors for the NWTF. This weeks topic is mostly about hunting, with a little bit of biology and conservation thrown in at the end.

Bobby started his turkey hunting journey in Arkansas, and talks about how back in the 80's a successful hunt might be as little as seeing a turkey track or hearing a lone gobble. One thing about him is that he truly relishes todays hunting opportunities, and even with what a lot of people are calling down years, he reminds us that we are still very blessed. John and Bobby start small with beginner calls and basic noises and cadences people should be able to make before going into the woods. The two work their way up to calling in birds and how different situations need different approaches, and also tackle decoys and the ups and downs that come with them. John tells a story of the all too common gobblers hanging up on a fence, and Bobby gives his two cents on what he would do in that situation. Towards the end John asks Bobby's opinion on shooting jakes, and how the overall population in the state is doing.

This weeks episode of the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast is one of the more random ones, but its because this weeks guest is such an avid outdoorsmen that we had to cover a little bit of it all. Bransen Shelton of Three Rivers Outdoors is a man of many parts. He enjoys bird hunting with his dogs, shed hunting, deer hunting, trapping, photography, and his most recent venture of coon hunting. It was just to hard to pick one topic so John and Bransen just touched on all of them.

The two kicked it off with some shed hunting talk, and Bransen talks about how much he has learned about deer and their travel behavior after getting more into shed hunting with his dogs. He also says it is easier to train a dog to shed hunt than most people believe. The guys also discuss Johns recent burn at his property, and Bransens upcoming burn on his own property and the prep that goes into it. Bransen also tells the story of his nice 160" class whitetail he took off his own 50 acre place and the improvements he is making in order to make it a yearly thing. Bear hunting and the Oklahoma quail population are a couple more of the random discussions covered in this episode, and to hear the rest of them you're just going to have to listen to this episode!

When a guy stops by your booth at a trade show and asks if you like big buck stories, you have to assume he has a few. That's exactly what happened with Andrew Mack a few weeks ago, and he did not disappoint. This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John and Andrew have a good ol fashion storytelling conversation. Andrew starts things off with a western Oklahoma spot and stalk rifle hunt from 2021 where he calls in a nice heavy horned buck. 

John and Andrew jump down a few rabbit holes between stories also. Andrew talks about calling deer and how he feels you almost can't over call. They talk about how Kansas genetics got into southeast Oklahoma deer. They also talk about one of Oklahomas controlled traditional archery hunts, and how it is even more challenging that it appears. Within that discussion they get into buck to doe ratios and the list goes on. All in all this is an episode that has a little bit for everyone. 

On this episode of the Oklahoma Outdoors podcast, John takes the microphone all to himself to tell stories and update listeners on some exciting news he got this week. Over the weekend, John fulfilled a bucket list adventure at the Blue River public fishing and hunting area managed by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Not only did he catch his first Oklahoma trout, but also managed to make a giant fool of himself, and get distracted by some deer sign along the way.

After wrapping up the story of his fishing adventure, John shares two big deliveries that showed up at the ranch this week. One of them is going to make his upcoming deer seasons much more comfortable, and the other is an old friend that is going to help take his habitat work to the next level! John goes into detail about some exciting habitat work he has planned in the upcoming weeks, and how he now hopes to get more work done than he could have ever dreamed of. 

Spring is right around the corner, and that means food plot time. This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John is joined by Steve, Andy, and Kenton of Plot Dr for an in depth lesson on how to get more out of your food plots. Steve is the owner of TIP Inc out of Wisconsin, a large agriculture company and the parent company of Plot Dr. Andy and Kenton are agronomists that help develop and teach people about the different Plot Dr products. The three take their knowledge of big ag, and shrink it into a more user friendly food plot size. 

If you are used to hearing surface level food plot topics like what seed to plant to bring in more deer and when to plant it, this is not what this conversation is about. This podcast takes a deep dive into improving your soil, getting your ph right, when and how to use lime and/or calcium, and how all of this plays a part into a better and healthier deer herd. Steve, Andy, and Kenton work with people every day to improve their soils, crops, and food plots, so put your thinking cap on and listen as they discuss the entire Plot Dr line and how it can help you and your deer. 

On this weeks episode of the Oklahoma Outdoors podcast, returning guest Dwayne Carter talks about a deer season he will never forget, for better or for worse. The season started off strong, with Dwayne getting his daughter on a nice mature buck for her first deer ever, and even tagging a nice buck of his own. Sounds like the start to a great year right?

With one buck in the freezer and another tag in his pocket, Dwayne began searching for a larger buck to help his teams standing in the Bowhunting League competition. With his teammates both getting nice bucks of their own, Dwayne had the most room for an upgrade. After talking to a local farmer, Dwayne got a hot tip about a big typical ten point that had been visiting a wheat field and quickly bagan hunting it. This is where the story takes some unfortunate turns, and Dwayne has more than one incident that did not go his way. 

Did you know there are African safaris that are more affordable than a trophy elk hunt? Mckenzie Sims of Hunterz Hub is this weeks guest on the Oklahoma Outdoors podcast. Mckenzie has been fortunate enough to hunt all types of game from across the world. Originally from Wyoming, he has hunted more common destinations like Africa and New Zealand, but has also ventured into less touristy corners of the globe like Russia and even Pakistan. Mckenzie loves hunting far away places, and has a passion for helping others experience these hunts that many consider out of their grasp. 

John and Mckenzie talk about some of the main hurdles that stand in peoples way from booking one of these dream hunts. They also talk about ways to navigate those hurdles, and make them less daunting. They discuss hunting Africa in quite a bit of detail since it is one of the more popular destinations, but Mckenzie also suggests some other destinations and game species that might interest someone looking for a more out of the ordinary experience. Also covered in the podcast are travel tips for taking a gun or bow abroad, and tips on how to get your trophies back to you in good condition.

This week's Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast guest is Alex Epperson, or more commonly known as Oklahoma's worst angler! Alex is a husband, father, Army vet, youtuber, and very passionate bass fisherman.  Alex and John cover fishing the spawn in this episode, and Alex has some interesting thoughts about the timing of the spawn, and some unique tips and tactics he plans to try out this spring. Alex cut his teeth as a bank fisherman, so shallow water bass are definitely his thing. He is the first one to admit that he is not a spawn expert, but his knowledge was more than enough to teach John a few things. The thing that stands out most in this interview is Alex's passion and desire to become better at his craft, so even if you are a seasoned angler, this episode is definitely still worth a listen!