Pennsylvania Woodsman

Welcome to the Pennsylvania Woodsman Deer Season Special series!  These bonus episodes will launch every Friday from October through December.  Each week's show revolves around hunting stories and experiences with an array of deer hunting fanatics.  This week's guest is Arron Bleise, the host of The Fall Podcast.  We discuss Arron's podcasting journey to over 300 episodes, balancing family life with deer hunting, 2023 deer hunting plans, early season deer hunting success, hunting pressured states versus trips to "fantasyland states," and more.  Good luck and stay safe in the deer woods!

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Bear seasons are opening throughout parts of the Northeast; New York just finished an early bear season in parts of the state, New Jersey opens Oct. 9 and Pennsylvania on Oct. 14.  When food is in abundance, your chances are the greatest to run into bears.  But even with fall bear seasons and a multitude of food sources, your statistical chance of killing a bear in PA each year is less than 2%.  How do you begin to tackle such a feat with an animal in such low numbers relative to whitetail deer?

This week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitch has New Jersey native Jay Lyon back on the podcast.  Jay is a diehard bear hunter that has been successful consistently throughout the northeast harvesting bear as a solo hunter using a multitude of tactics.  Jay talks about how important it is to cast a large net scouting and not be afraid to put miles on boot leather to find the key components of a good bear hunt.  It's simple (or so it seems), find food, find cover, find bears.  What's tricky is not missing out on the hottest food source on a day-to-day basis.  This means in season scouting and good knowledge of the land, thinking one step ahead on what food becomes available during the fall.  Hunt hard, and scout harder; you'll have a better chance then you realize!

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Opening day of Pennsylvania statewide archery season is opening this coming weekend, so if you're not fired up by now, this episode should help!  On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitch is joined by Grant Forney and Brandon Miller of the Everyday Outdoorsmen YouTube channel.  This is an old fashioned B.S. Session discussing many topics including:

- videoing hunts and content production

- discussing hunting with non hunting community

- equipment and stand setups for public land hunting

- season goals and expectations, and how they have adapted over time

- hunt scheduling during preferred times of season, and more!

Additionally, Grant and Brandon discuss some of the products they use from show sponsor Huntworth.  They break down their preferred camo, garments, and accessories which they use from the warm early archery season, to late season when Heat Boost Technology can be brought into the field.  Huntworth gear is suited for all kinds of weather as well as budgets, and the Everyday Outdoorsmen have put it to the test!  Thanks for listening and good luck to everyone this season!

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On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman we sit down with Brian Good from Triple Trophy Taxidermy.  Brian has pursued this art of taxidermy from a young age and has never ceased learning and honing his craft making trophies come alive (almost).  Brian is an avid hunter, and we of course discuss his interest in turkey hunting, hunting with his children, and everyone's favorite, whitetail deer.  WIth each of these hunts, there comes a different level of care and preparation if you plan to have them mounted, which Brian breaks down easily for everyone.

Triple Trophy stands for the three big game species here in Pennsylvania - turkey, bear and deer.  With each species opening this fall, skinning and handling each properly are vital.  Are there additional tools to keep in your kill kit for preparation?  How should you handle skinning and field dressing?  Should you take measurements for a taxidermist?  We cover this and more!  Brian provides insight to how he handles certain aspects of his work, which highlights the quality of the product he delivers.  This is a major reason why people will travel to take their trophy to him.  If you're looking for a quality taxidermist, check out Brian near Ringtown, Pennsylvania! 

https://www.tripletrophytaxidermy.com/

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On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitch catches up with owner and operator of Little Mountain Outfitters in Richland, PA, Devon Zimmerman.  Devon is a diehard bowhunter that loves to tinker with archery equipment and share his knowledge and experience.  For most of his bowhunting career, Devon has chosen to shoot mechanical broadheads with moderate arrow weights between 450-525 grains.  With the popularity growing in FOC, heavy arrows, single bevel and machined broadheads, he decided to find out for himself.

Last year, the setup that tuned well in his bow was over 600 grains, tipped with a VPA broadhead with over 200 grains of the weight in the front.  Devon had a good sample size in year one shooting multiple doe and a nice buck throughout October and November.  From those experiences, he decided to shoot something very similar again this year.  We discuss the advantages and disadvantages among both commonly used arrow setups, why he feels this current arrow works well for him, but ultimately is not for everyone.  No matter where you land in the debate of arrow setups, every experienced bowhunter's perspective is an opportunity for us to learn something new or approach this from a different angle.  Regardless, make ethical shot decisions for your setup and capabilities!  Thanks for listening!

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On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, we are taking a slightly different course. With deer season right around the corner, we've been focused on preparation. From strategies to harvest your target, to meat preparation, we've got you covered for this fall. But everything revolves around filling an antlered deer tag these days. What about antlerless deer? Are enough being harvested in your area?

This week's guest is Dustin Kieffer from Mark M Kieffer and Son. Dustin is a third generation grain farmer in central Pennsylvania, farming around 3200 acres. After a quick back story on the operation, we dive into a controversial topic - too many deer. This episode does not have any motive or suggestion to the problem. It's simply to provide you the listener, a different perspective in the community. We discuss the changes in deer pressure over the previous decades, and how this operation is adjusting it's farming practices to the ever growing deer population in this region of the state.  We as deer hunters are not the only ones who appreciate deer. Some people depend on us harvesting them for their income!

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On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsmen, Mitch starts off with an update on season preparation.  Nothing like waiting until the last minute to get stands, plots, and more ready for opening day!  Habitat management and private land hunting strategy are something Mitch enjoys deeply, and these recent projects got him fired up; prompting a little bit of philosophical argument between private land and public land hunting.  At the end of the day, do what you love!

The main course of this episode Mitch is joined by Nick Otto, host of the Huntavore podcast on Sportsmen's Empire Podcast Network.  Prior to marriage and kids, Mitch used to butcher deer within 1-2 days of harvesting during early season when the weather was warm.  Now, it takes a bit more planning to accommodate processing into daily life.  Processors are always an option, but if you enjoy doing it yourself and want to save some coin, this episode may help you out!  Nick discusses the proper measures to take after the shot during the early season.  We navigate field dressing, skinning, quartering, cleaning, aging, temperature, and more.  Lastly, if you do not have a walk-in cooler, Nick provides some excellent tips on how to turn household appliances into a poor man's deer cooler, buying you time to process!  This is a fantastic episode for quality table fare! 

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On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitch speaks with none other than Mr. Whitetail himself, Larry Weishuhn. Larry is an award winning outdoor writer and professional biologist who has forgotten more about whitetails then most folks will ever know. Mitch and Larry reconnect after meeting a year ago at a local game dinner where Larry spoke, and begin by discussing Larry's one hunting trip to Potter County Pennsylvania. 

We discuss whitetail biology and hunting experiences throughout Larry's career. Also, tactics from spot and stalk to rattling, and how whitetail biology as well as hunting pressure can impact their success. We also discuss our favorite hunts outside of whitetails including black bear and a story which combines flintlock muzzleloaders and yogi bear. Thanks for tuning in!

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On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitch talks with the executive director from Hunters Sharing the Harvest, Randy Ferguson.  Since 1991, HSH has received nearly 2 million pounds of donated venison provided to food banks and shelters; 200,000 pounds alone was donated during the 2022-23 deer season!  Randy shares how this grass roots program has grown over the past 30 years and where he believes they are headed.  You'll learn about deer processor involvement, hunter involvement, and how hunters can benefit thousands of people with quality lean protein!  This season, consider using one of your tags to donate meat to families in need.  You can find out all you need to participate in this episode, and for more information visit sharedeer.org.

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This week on the Pennsylvania Woodsman we chatted with Garrett Regalski, co-owner of PABoyzOutdoors social media page.  Garrett eats, sleeps, and breathes goose hunting, and we have a good old fashioned B.S. session on the matter.  Garrett talks about last season's success from multiple limits to multiple bands.  This year may require a slight adjustment to time available with a new job in place, which he touches on briefly.  We discuss essential gear versus time and money wasters, decoy spreads and well camouflaged blinds, and do you really need to pattern a goose gun?  Learn from Garrett by his experience, and get fired up for the season right around the corner!

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