Pennsylvania Woodsman

In this episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitch is joined by Chris Stivers, co-host of the Average Joe's Hunting Podcast. Growing up in central Illinois, Chris cut his teeth hunting small game before following his dad into the whitetail woods and eventually developing a lifelong fascination with black bears. Chris shares how his perspective on hunting has changed over the years, including the story of passing a big Illinois buck so a young hunter nearby might get his chance. Two days later, that same 13-year-old killed the buck, and Chris was there to help him track and recover it—an experience that helped reshape what success in the woods means to him.

From there, the conversation heads into the mountains of West Virginia, where Chris pursued a childhood dream of hunting black bears and eventually experienced hunting them behind hounds. Mitch and Chris discuss the challenges of mountain hunting, the culture and camaraderie surrounding houndsmen, disappearing small-game traditions, and how social media and trophy expectations have changed hunting. Ultimately, the conversation comes back to getting more enjoyment out of the hunt, appreciating the opportunities we've already had, and occasionally putting our own ambitions aside to help create an experience for the next hunter.

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In this episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitch is joined by Pennsylvania native Chad Hodge for a conversation that starts with old-school deer camp and eventually finds its way deep into a wood duck swamp. Chad shares how growing up between Pennsylvania and Florida pushed him to find his own place among the seasoned hunters he looked up to. What started with archery and learning to work on his own equipment eventually grew into a passion for shotguns, patterning, turkey and waterfowl hunting, product development, and a lifelong pursuit of becoming a better woodsman.

The conversation eventually turns toward Chad's true obsession: hunting drake wood ducks. Chad shares the story of calling in his 500th career drake on the final day of the season, his pursuit toward 1,000, and the lessons learned from decades spent creeping through creeks and beaver swamps. He breaks down calling and identifying wood ducks, hunting without piles of expensive equipment, protecting productive areas, and why this style of hunting can be an incredible way to introduce a kid to the outdoors. Along the way, Mitch and Chad discuss hunting culture, social media, old-school hunting traditions, and the danger of measuring your success against someone else's tailgate. At its core, this conversation is a reminder to learn from the hunters who came before us, pass that knowledge along, and find the part of hunting that means something to you.

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In this episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitch is joined by Josh Craig of Western Hunter 101 to talk about taking the intimidation out of planning a western hunt. Growing up in the Midwest, Josh spent years dreaming about hunting elk and other western game but assumed those adventures required a guide, a pile of money, or knowledge he simply didn't have. Eventually, he realized the biggest thing holding him back was getting started. That experience ultimately led to Western Hunter 101 and a mission to help everyday hunters understand tags, planning, gear, preparation, and the steps necessary to turn a western hunt from a someday dream into an actual trip.

Throughout the conversation, Mitch and Josh tackle one of the strange problems facing hunters today: we have more information, gear, mapping tools, and hunting content than ever before, yet all of it can make something relatively simple feel overwhelmingly complicated. They discuss choosing the right hunt and setting realistic expectations, finding hunting partners who will push rather than hold you back, avoiding the trap of thinking expensive gear creates success, and preparing physically and with your weapon for the opportunities that matter. Ultimately, the message is simple—do your homework, prepare yourself, pick a place, and go hunting. You won't learn everything from a screen, and sometimes the only way to become a better hunter is to quit waiting until you know everything and start gaining experience for yourself.

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In this episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitch sits down with returning guest Jason Miller of JMiller Custom Calls to kick off another New Jersey black bear season. The conversation starts beneath the mount of Jason’s biggest bear yet—a massive bruin estimated around 600 pounds live weight and now in the Boone and Crockett record book. Jason tells the full story of a hunt he almost didn’t go on, from reluctantly climbing into a stand late in an extended season to watching the bear work toward him, the shots that followed, and finally walking up on an animal far larger than he realized. It’s one of those hunting stories where seemingly everything had to line up just right, and it leads to a simple reminder: sometimes the biggest moments happen when you quit worrying about the outcome and just go hunting.

From there, Mitch and Jason look ahead to another bear season and dig into the experiences that have shaped the way they hunt. They compare Jason’s commitment to proven locations with Mitch’s tendency to stay mobile, discuss scouting with a purpose, using bait and cameras for inventory, trusting fresh sign, and knowing when to stick it out rather than chase the next spot. Jason also adds a new challenge this fall by trading his compound for a recurve and setting his stand specifically for a close-range opportunity. More than anything, this is a preseason BS session about black bears, lessons learned through years of scouting and hunting, the camaraderie of bear camp, and why the work and people involved have become every bit as important as punching a tag.

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In this episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitchell is joined once again by Albert Tomechko for a conversation about how deer hunting changes as life gets busier. Between work, kids, sports, family commitments, and everything else competing for time in the fall, the days of building an entire schedule around the perfect weather pattern or hunting every opportunity aren't always realistic. Mitchell and Albert talk about learning to adapt, communicating with family, making the most of limited opportunities, and recognizing how much unnecessary pressure hunters can put on themselves. Social media only adds to that pressure when it seems like everyone else is killing bigger bucks, hunting more states, and spending more time in the woods. But at some point, every hunter has to decide what success actually looks like for them.

The conversation eventually turns toward the practical side of making limited hunting time count. Albert shares how he uses food, habitat, trail cameras, access, wind, and recent information to narrow down opportunities rather than forcing a hunt to happen the way he imagined it. Mitchell and Albert discuss learning from bad stand locations, improving access, knowing when a morning or evening hunt makes sense, and adapting when deer don't follow the plan. More than anything, this episode is a reminder that hunting doesn't have to look the same for everyone—or even remain the same throughout your own life. Whether success means a mature buck, a doe in the freezer, improving a property, sharing a recovery with family and friends, or simply finding a few quiet hours in the woods, the important part is making hunting fit the life you actually have.

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In this episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitchell is joined by Ryan Burnett of Pattern Pros to talk about one of the most overlooked pieces of hunting preparation—actually knowing how your gun and ammunition perform together. Ryan explains how Pattern Pros grew from a frustrating day of shotgun patterning into a way for hunters to test multiple loads without buying full boxes of ammunition that may not work well in their gun. The guys walk through the process of properly patterning a shotgun at different distances, understanding point of aim versus point of impact, evaluating pattern density, and determining which gun, choke, and shell combination gives you the best opportunity when it's finally time to pull the trigger.

The conversation expands beyond waterfowl into turkey hunting, choke tubes, modern steel shot, and even choosing factory ammunition for a deer rifle. Mitchell and Ryan discuss how hunters can spend thousands of dollars on guns, optics, decoys, clothing, and other equipment while overlooking the relatively simple step of testing what their firearm actually shoots best. More importantly, they discuss the ethical responsibility hunters have to eliminate as many controllable variables as possible before taking a shot at an animal. You don't have to be a ballistics expert or gun fanatic—you just need to put in enough time before the season to know what happens when you pull the trigger.

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In this episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitchell is joined once again by his good friend Jason Goe for a conversation about scouting whitetails when time in the woods is limited. As work, family, and everyday responsibilities take up more time, preparing for deer season doesn't always look like it once did. Jason explains why, if he had to choose, he'd put more value on in-season scouting than months of offseason preparation. The guys discuss map scouting, reading terrain and habitat changes, finding fresh sign, and Jason's approach to "speed scouting" his way through unfamiliar areas until he finds where the deer are actually spending their time.

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In this episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitchell is joined by Pennsylvania outdoorsman and country music artist Robbie Jordan for a conversation about hunting traditions, life experiences, and finding purpose along the way. Robbie grew up in a military and law enforcement family where weekends were spent at hunting camp with his grandparents, and Pennsylvania rifle season was treated a lot like Christmas morning. He shares the lessons his grandfather passed down in the woods, how hunting remained a constant through his teenage years and military service, and why returning home to Pennsylvania after the Army gave him an entirely new appreciation for the traditions he grew up with. Robbie also tells the story of an unforgettable late-season flintlock hunt that ended without a filled tag, but with him discovering a black bear and three cubs denned beneath a fallen tree.

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In this episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitchell is joined by Matt Mentzer for a deep dive into archery, bowhunting, and raising kids who genuinely enjoy the outdoors. Matt shares how shooting a bow with his kids grew from casual evenings in the backyard into competitive 3D archery, coaching, and eventually bowhunting together as a family. The conversation explores the challenge of keeping kids well-rounded, allowing their interest in the outdoors to develop naturally, and the role parents and coaches play in building good habits from the beginning. Matt also breaks down his approach to the mental side of archery, target panic, shot execution, release selection, and why learning to trust the process can matter more than chasing a score.

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In this episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitchell is joined by Chase Morris for a conversation about keeping hunting fun, sharing the outdoors with good friends, and making the most of every season Pennsylvania has to offer. Chase is the kind of outdoorsman who doesn't discriminate—deer, bear, turkey, ducks, pheasants, trout, or whatever else is in season, he's probably chasing it. We talk about how his grandfather introduced him to hunting, the camaraderie that keeps him and his buddies coming back, and why experiencing someone else's success can eventually become every bit as rewarding as filling your own tag. We also dive into the good and bad of hunting social media, introducing new people to the outdoors, and why hunting doesn't always need to revolve around trophies or proving something to someone else.

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