Oklahoma Outdoors

This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John is joined by his long time friend Charles Admire for a little preseason BS session. The guys talk about what they have been working on over the summer to help them this upcoming fall, and quickly get into a discussion about how much things have changed since having kids. Charles and John both have 2 year olds, and Charles and his wife recently had their second child. The guys talk about getting older and the delicate life/hunting balance.

John and Charles also spend a good amount of time talking about muzzleloaders, and the challenges they bring. After using iron sights while hunting New Mexico last year, Charles has been swapping the irons out for a scope in order to hunt Oklahoma this fall. John continues to struggle getting his gun to group, and after discovering he was using too much powder, he has little time left to diagnose and problem solve before his upcoming hunting trip in Kansas this September. 

This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John recounts his guided fishing trip down in Florida. Redfish were the number one target for the trip, and one of the highest fish on John's bucket list. His Brother in law Logan tagged along and teamed up with Captain Torin of One More Charters. Right off the bat the guys faced challenges with high summer temps and low tide waters. After some time trying to catch bait, they finally went after the big fish and it turned into a pretty epic morning of fishing.

After the fish tale, John talks about his recent trip up to the McAlester Army Ammunition plant to try and learn a little bit about the area before his hunt in November. The base was open for a traditional bow only 3D course that pushed several archers to their limits. John met some great people, learned some valuable information about the hunt itself, and got a feel for the area. The main thing he learned was just how thick the cedar choked timber was, and how getting a clean shot is going to be extremely difficult!

This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John is joined by Keith Hagen to talk about the upcoming Southern Plains Outdoor Show. The yearly show is meant to be a benefit to help individuals from Oklahoma cover medical expenses due to serious illnesses. Visitors to the show can expect to see vendors, food trucks, and can partake in a cornhole tournament with prizes being awarded to the top team. There are also tons of raffle prizes to be given away, and all proceeds go directly to those in need. The show takes place on August 24th and will be held at The Bridge Church in Mustang, Oklahoma from 10am to 3pm.

This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John has a lot of life and hunting season updates to catch everyone up on. He starts off by talking about his most recent trip out to the ranch where he did some work on his new feeder setup for the upcoming season. He also FINALLY got his cell cameras running after getting a bad batch of batteries and his cameras dying after only a few weeks back in mid June. John also talks about some gear updates he has been working on, including a new traditional bow he bought for his upcoming hunt at the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant. John also got a little work done on his compound bow, and learned a few things about muzzleloader accuracy. To finish things off, John also talks a little bit about his fishing plans on his family vacation to Florida. 

We have a very special episode this week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast. Native American Tribes have a rich history with Oklahoma's land and wildlife. Many of the tribes represented today were on the landscape long before statehood, and have a relationship with wildlife that goes far beyond hunting for pleasure and past time. Trenton Kissee is the acting secretary of interior affairs for the Muscogee Creek nation and has a Natural Resources degree from Oklahoma State University. He joins John this week to educate us on the involvement that the tribes have in promoting wildlife and habitat in Oklahoma. 

Trenton and John talk about the new agreement the big five tribes came to that allows tribe members to hunt on each other's reservation lands. Trenton also talks about some research projects the tribes have been helping on, including opening up some CWD testing sites to make testing available to more people. And just for fun, Trenton puts on the host hat and asks John a few questions about his upcoming hunt on Big Mac aka the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant.

If you could go on any hunt in the world, what would it be? When Andrew Kobe asked himself that question, he knew there was only one answer. That question is what led him to some of the most remote country in North America in search of one of the planet's largest mammals, a moose. This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John and Andrew discuss what all goes into a dream hunt such as this one. The guys start out by talking about how to find a reputable and trustworthy outfitter, no matter what game species you are wanting to chase.

Andrew also lays out the process of packing and traveling with a week's worth of gear and a firearm to another country. The United States part of it was not that difficult, but when he landed in Canada, they were not so easy. He also talks about the type of gear needed for a hunt like this, and some of the things that made his trip more enjoyable. Andrew also talks about the hunt itself, and what it took to get a fully grown moose worth of meat back to his freezer at home.

This episode of the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast is all about gear. John has three out of the ordinary hunts this year that all feature different states, terrains, weapons, and gear. John breaks these hunts down one by one and discusses the drastic differences in gear he will need for the different hunts. John will start off with an early season September muzzleloader hunt in Kansas. After doing a lot of map scouting, John learned that the area of Kansas he will be in is much more remote than he realized. This hunt will probably be a truck hunting scenario, something John has not done much of recently.

Back in Oklahoma, John drew a tag for a traditional archery only hunt which means he will need to polish his archery skills. After testing out an old recurve he had, he discovered a bent limb which makes the more powerful bow not an option. He now has to decide to stick with his 40 pound longbow, or drop some money on a new recurve. He also has to decide if he wants to stick to hunting on the ground or practice shooting a long traditional bow from a tree stand.

The last hunt of his season will take place in the cactus covered mountains of south Texas. Clothing is the main concern on this hunt. Being just off of the Rio Grande River and Mexican border, this area has some of the most unpredictable weather in the lower 48. Add long hikes mixed with hours of sitting and glassing, you just never know what you are going to end up needing to put on or take off in a moment's notice. All while possibly needing to take a 300 to 400 yard shot at any second.

On this episode of the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John reveals a secret project he has been working on all spring. John grew up fishing and duck hunting on small farm ponds, so they have always held a special place in his heart. For the last couple of months, John has made it his goal to turn one particular pond into a fish and duck paradise. While growing a 10 pound plus bass in a 1 acre pond may not be realistic, John's goal is to simply maximise its potential and create a fun and exciting place for him and his friends and family to enjoy.

Almost anyone can gain access to a small farm pond, which is part of the reason John feels so passionately about this project. After a lot of research, John set out to make the best fishery possible out of a one and a half acre pond that has been in his family for about 50 years. John's other goal was to do it as cheaply as possible. Structure, water clarity, and overall fish population are the main concerns, as well as hopefully growing some edge vegetation that will make the pond more attractive for waterfowl. So if that little mud hole in the middle of a cattle pasture is all you have to work with, don't fret. Almost any water source can serve a purpose for an outdoors man or woman willing to put in a little work! 

This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast John is joined by Brian Halbleid of the Migration Waterfowl Podcast. A Pennsylvania native, Brian grew up deer hunting like most young boys and girls in the Keystone state. It wasn't until a little later in life that he was introduced to duck hunting and he hasn't looked back since. John and Brian talk about some of the differences in hunting northern vs southern ducks, and how the timing of when things get good may differ. They touch on a little bit of everything, including decoy spread layout, when to use or not use spinning wing decoys, and the advancement of motion decoys over the years. 

Towards the end of the episode, John couldn't help but talk about deer a little bit. Brian discusses how the human population has changed hunting in his area in recent years, but that it's not all bad change. He also talks about what a difference antler point restrictions have made on the trophy quality in the state, and how education has led to more hunters passing younger bucks.

This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John and his guest Connor Little cover the widely used but rarely discussed topic of deer feeders. For as commonly used as deer feeders are in the hunting world, there is a certain taboo about them that causes most people to stay pretty tight lipped about their use. The fact of the matter is though, where legal, a large majority of hunters utilize feeders. So if they are legal, and people are using them, why not talk about them?

Connor and John talk about the different types of feeders out there and some advantages and disadvantages to each. The guys also talk about "hand corn" or simply placing bait on the ground and its effectiveness in the right situation. Connor talks about the ongoing battle a hunter will have with livestock and undesired critters like hogs and racoons any time a feeder is used on the open landscape.