Pennsylvania Woodsman

On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman we are kicking things off in a different style.  While we are cruising through summer, we still have a ways off before the fall.  Work, honey-do list, and summer time activities are still the bulk focus of our time.  Therefore, if success in fall is to happen, it needs to be done by maximizing the little time we have to prepare and staying focused.  Mitch and the guest will set a timer for 30 minutes and dive into a topic.  When the timer runs out, it's back to the real world.  Take the same logic with your summer preparation and be deliberate!

This week's guest is Dan Johnson, host of the Nine Finger Chronicles and leader of Sportsmen's Empire Podcast Network.  Just because Dan works "in the industry," does not mean he is blessed with unlimited time to prepare each fall and kill tons of game.  He has a family and a business that requires his undivided attention all year.  Therefore, in order to stay sane in the hunting world, he has to be specific when setting goals and expectations.  This means being realistic and achievable, and yet also finding satisfaction.  Around this framework, we will discuss specifics of preparation for hunting at home and out-of-state trips with what little free time he has available.

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On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitch is joined by good friend Ronnie Folk. Ronnie is retired and has enjoyed many wonderful hunting trips across North America and even abroad into Africa and New Zealand. However, annual hunting trips were not always the norm. Ronnie worked hard his whole life building a successful paving business as well as raising a family, so the time off which we discuss was earned through hard work. 

We begin by catching up on a recent Brown Bear hunting trip Ronnie had this spring in Alaska. While the trip did not result in any shots fired, we still strolled down memory lane as we sat amidst his trophy room of memories. We talk about Ronnie's favorite animal to hunt - elk, and how he transitioned in his early 40s to an avid archery hunter. Ronnie also tells stories of his trips to a camp he used to hunt at in northern PA for bear and deer. It's a fun conversation with a man who worked hard to live out the American dream!

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On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitch is joined by Al Tomechko of Vitalize Seed Company.  For much of the PA latitude, we are nearing the end of the desired planting window for vitalize's summer plot Nitroboost.  Whether you're late to the spring planting party or on the fence of adopting the 1-2 planting system, this episode revolves around potential hurdles or mistakes people commonly make this time of year.  After Al and Mitch decompress via soil biology and farming nerd talk, Al breaks down some common challenges people face adopting "soil health principles."  This episode covers things like when to terminate current vegetation for the next planting, how to wean off chemical use, best equipment for food plot planting on a budget, effective seed to soil contact for broadcasting, and more.  Check out vitalizeseed.com to learn more about the 1-2 planting system and order your seed soon!

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On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitch is riding solo discussing what the month of June looks like amidst hunting season.  June is a tough month; it's not that he doesn't want to be immersed with preparation for next year, but at the moment it's difficult to devote the time.  It's a month to be caught between reflecting on a successful season and how to prepare for the next.  Fortunately, 2023 was very successful from the standpoint of filling tags, so how can it get much better?

With life strings pulling in multiple directions, Mitch takes the time to list out some personal hunting goals he has, chooses which ones he plans to attack this year, and how he plans to stay focused on them while also being present at home.  Bear hunting has become a priority in fall, and he discusses the areas he has room for improving his scouting and successful bear hunting.  He reads through some of his notes he took from last season and discusses the changes he plans to make E-Scouting, road-scouting, trail cameras, and pure boot leather covering ground.  This gradual build-up during the summer months will hopefully lay a foundation for a successful fall.  Lastly, he touches on his weapon of choice - flintlock muzzleloader.  He discusses a concept to institute in a summer practice scheme which includes load development and off-hand shooting to bring to the field this fall.  

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On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitch is joined by good friend Jason Miller from JMiller Custom Calls.  Between Mitch, Jason, and their hunting buddies, a lot of successful turkey hunts unfolded in multiple states.  This season was one that just seemed to always work out in favor of the hunter.  We discuss the hunts that transpired in April during New Jersey and Maryland's opening week of season, and lead into the Pennsylvania season.  

Both Mitch and Jason harvested a turkey in PA on the first two days of the season.  From there, each of them were able to travel all throughout the state of PA and find more turkeys.  We discuss how the location, hunting pressures, and time of season all influenced the decisions made during the hunt.  The guys refer to some of the different turkey calls that Jason makes used in these hunts.  Jason's calls have played a major role in the success in these hunts. Make sure you are on the lookout for the new website JMillerCustomCalls.com and get your calls for next season!

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On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitch is joined by returning guest Bryan Hale of Elk County Outfitters.  One notable trait of Bryan - the man is a grinder.  He works tirelessly to maintain success at Elk County Outfitters for clients and his team.  So how does Bryan stay sane throughout this process?  That's the beauty of hunting - it's a much greater endeavor than killing.  Comradery and fellowship bring greater reward in the end.

As hunters, it can be very easy to stress ourselves out to fill a tag and meet a certain expectation.  This added stress only takes away from our experience and removes us from the present.  We dive into this topic as it relates to PA elk hunting, then shift to discussing the tag lottery system, and of course some awesome 2023 hunting stories.  Hopefully if you're not applying for PA elk, this episode sways you in the right direction!  Even if it doesn't, it definitely makes you think about slowing down and enjoying the process of hunting!

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On this week's episode Mitch is joined by good friend and hunting partner Earl Thomas.  Earl is one of the most passionate turkey hunters Mitch knows, and annually sets out to hunt in multiple states on what has been dubbed the "Redneck Turkey Tour."  Earl has been fortunate to tag a handful of gobblers already this spring and still has a few hunts left.  

Every hunter's experiences lead them to hypothesize and act a certain way while pursuing game.  This has led to many coffee shop conversations such as, does weather impact turkey gobbling?  What about the barometer?  Are we hunting spring gobblers in Pennsylvania too late?  While we don't directly answer those questions, Earl's experience is food for thought.  Turkeys are wild animals, and their brains are much different from humans - they are "finicky" birds!  We may never figure out what makes them do what they do, but persistence and determination go a long way.  This is one of the many reasons why Earl is sending pictures of him with turkeys at any given point throughout March, April, or May.  Enjoy the perspective and experience from this wise ol' bird!

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On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman we are joined by none other than Mary Jo Casalena; Pennsylvania's State turkey biologist.  In conjunction with University research, Mary Jo is working to lead our state in the right direction for long term healthy wild turkey populations.  Ongoing research is monitoring population trends in different portions of the state, and observing surrounding influences that may produce higher, lower, or stable populations.  We discuss habitat types and balances, differences between WMUs, population trends, and more.  This podcast answers many questions about PA turkeys, and also helps us formulate more questions - hopefully to be better stewards of this valuable resource.  

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For all the turkey fanatics out there, this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman is gearing up for opening day on May 4th.  Our guest is Jed Fetter, a diehard PA hunter and president of the Appalachian Chapter for Turkeys for Tomorrow.  This episode covers a multitude of topics including:

-Turkeys for Tomorrow Appalachian Chapter

-Observations and Hypothesis of turkey trends in our hunting areas

-Gear, Scopes on Shotguns, TSS VS Lead

-Opening Weekend vs Late Season

-Pressured bird observations

A lot to unpack in this episode leading into season; it's difficult to stay focused on one topic this time of year when the turkeys are gobbling!  Enjoy your opening day, and be safe!  Turkey hunting has the highest rate of hunting accidents across the nation when compared to all other game species.  Positively identify your target!

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This week on the Pennsylvania Woodsman we are joined once again by Jason Goe from Final Stand YouTube channel.  Previously Jason discussed hunting Sika deer in Maryland, this week we unpack the rest of Jason's successful fall of 2023.  Jason was able to harvest a mountain whitetail with a bow, a fall gobbler, and his first Pennsylvania black bear.  In addition to PA and MD Sika deer, he tagged two whitetail bucks with a bow in MD during the archery season.  Talk about a season to remember!

We breakdown the timeline and story behind each of these hunts.  Throughout this episode, you'll notice two things consistently - passion for being in the woods and attention to detail.  Jason maximizes his scouting trips as much as possible which paid great rewards this fall.  This is especially apparent in the story of his PA whitetail he harvested on a new piece of public mountain land the first year he stepped foot in it!  We cap off discussing the spring 2024 turkey season where Jason plans to hunt MD and PA, with hopes of completing the PA Grand Slam and continuing his streak of harvesting a PA spring gobbler since the early 2000s. 

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