Pennsylvania Woodsman - Sportsmen's Empire

In this episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitch is joined by his buddy Cole Seitzinger, who talks about balancing family life with hunting and his transition to hunting with a saddle.  The balancing act requires Cole to be specific with his time to allow success; the saddle helps with his time efficiency.  The conversation begins with the pros and cons of saddle hunting and the impact of content creation on the hunting experience.  From here, Cole breaks down the hunt for his 2023 PA buck.

Cole was able to harvest this buck on the first sit of the year at this property.  He had not hunted it for 3 seasons, in fact the previous sit he also arrowed his largest PA buck to date.  Cole shares the ins and outs of learning the timing of the properties he hunts, and how he had to make an adjustment after missing the best time at another property.  This is part one of two, tune in next week when Cole breaks down his trip to Illinois where he arrowed a bruiser!

In this episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitch discusses his experience with bear scouting and hunting leading into the 2024 season.  After a successful 2023 season, he is back in New Jersey for bigger and better things.  There were many takeaways from last season, forcing Mitch to modify his preparation for an even better outcome this year.  This includes the importance of scouting and finding food sources, as well as the need for fallback options and scouting for people pressure.  

Finding food in summer is a start, but it's also crucial to continue to monitor as the season start to close in. Mitch shares the scale of land he is scouting both with cameras and boots-on-ground, and how he plans to choose stand locations for wind direction and lay of the land.  The goals and outlook for this season are slightly different from normal: be patient, learn from your experiences, and set realistic expectations for the hunting season with the time that's available to prepare.

This week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman is bound to ruffle someone's feathers.  Take it with a grain of salt; it's two average Joe's having a conversation about their opinions of hunting in PA.  Our guest is John Kolb from Suffering Outdoors, and he and Mitch discuss five items that they believe if changed would improve the hunting opportunity in Pennsylvania.  Both John and Mitch are avid bowhunters, so the majority of this discussion revolves around improvements for our own self-interest.

Before we start, let's make it known that we both believe the Pennsylvania state agency does an excellent job of collecting data and making well informed decisions for our hunting seasons.  This is not an episode of critique, rather expanding on what's already worked well in the Keystone state, with a dash of selfish-interest.  We start the episode by listing a few things the state has already implemented that have made hunting regulations easier or created better hunting opportunities.  From here we break down our five points of interest, leading up to our grand finale. Let's just say, the final point argues the use of a trigger during archery season...  What do you think would make hunting PA better?

On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitch introduces Shaun Trump from Northern Duck Calls to the show. Shaun is as passionate about duck hunting as Mitch is about deer. So much so, that he's turned a hobby of building ducks calls into a business. After our introduction, Shaun discusses how he first got into building calls and the complexities of using a lathe and combining it with reeds and cutouts. He also discusses his experiences of hunting ducks in Arkansas, and how the culture of waterfowl hunting is much different when compared to the northeast. You are able to sense a "homesick" feeling from Shaun when he talks about Arkansas, but he quickly changes the subject to building a network and culture here in the northeast around duck hunting. If you're looking to upgrade some duck calls for this season, shop local and check out Northern Duck Calls!

On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, we dive deep into the Radix Hunting Monarch blind line up.  Our guest is none other than Clifford Martin, owner and operator of Radix hunting gear.  One thing to note about Radix is the attention to quality in their products.  That's because Clifford is a diehard successful deer and turkey hunter, and strives to provide the best possible equipment in the field for himself and also consumers.  If it doesn't pass his extensive testing, it gets modified before you can ever get your hands on it!

We begin by breaking down the Monarch G1 ground blind, and work our way up the ladder towards hard shell blinds.  Along the way we discuss the differences in these blinds when compared to competitors you might find out on the market.  With each series of blind, we discuss the structural integrity behind each product, and how each has been modified over time for improvements.  Two main factors come into play with Monarch blinds: structural integrity to hold up to mother nature, and silent use when in close proximity to game.  We also break down each blind and how Clifford view's their purpose in his world of deer and turkey hunting.  Make sure to check them all out at Radixhunting.com!

Troy Dietterich is back on this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman for part two of his property conversion.  In addition to experimenting with different food plot practices, he is creating more usable cover and native browse on his property.  This includes converting a 3-acre crop field back into wildlife habitat.  In this episode we discuss: field layout, goals and objectives, vision of balance between cover and food plots, screening and plant establishment, maintenance and upkeep, and most of all - patience.  Enjoy the process and keep some of Troy's learning experiences in mind for your next habitat project!

Sometimes good things just take time.  This week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman is no exception, as this is a slightly longer conversation.  Our guest is Cory Gulvas and we dive into the world of traditional archery.  Cory's passion has driven him to competition level shooting, solely hunting with a recurve, and even bow building.  In that time, Cory has faced nearly any obstacle that a new stickbow shooter could possibly experience.  Take notes if you're a noob!

Cory is often approached for advice, and typically finds people struggling with the same things repeatedly.  We discuss getting into traditional archery for the correct reasons, choosing the best equipment to start, aiming methods, shot execution, target panic, and much more.  If you've been struggling to figure out how to overcome many of these common issues when shooting a trad bow, your questions may be answered in this episode. 

Branching off from last week's episode, we discuss weed management and some key in-the-field observations.  Mitch mentioned that there are three common "modes of action" to control weeds including mechanical (tillage, hand pulling), chemical (herbicide), and biological (plant competition).  Is it possible to manage weeds with only one?  This week's guest on the Pennsylvania Woodsman is Troy Dietterich who shares some interesting observations from his personal hunting property.

Troy and his wife prefer to limit the use of pesticides on their property.  This is something anyone can do successfully if they stay dedicated and work hard towards.  That's not to say it doesn't come a little more difficult and with a greater learning curve.  Troy has used a multitude of seed blends and management styles on his food plots; some successful and some not.  We dive into what worked, what didn't, and what key observations were made in order to make better decisions moving forward.  This episode is a great example of just because someone says you should do something a certain way (this includes recommendations from Mitch!), doesn't mean you can't modify tactics to better serve your property and personal goals!

No-till and soil health have almost become buzz words in the food plot world.  The practices themselves are sound and have a good purpose when it comes to wildlife use.  But does that mean you need to keep up with the Jones' just because someone else told you so?  This week Mitch shares his exposure to no-till food plotting, a few of the reasons why he adopted it, and shares a few hurdles you may face when making the transition.  This is all from the hip first hand experiences in Agriculture as well as food plots.  He discusses weed management, moisture management, and low budget planting equipment with practices to ensure you don't encounter the same challenges as he and many others.

On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitch is joined by Nate Sellers of Average Jack archery.  The episode dives into opening the case and dusting off your bow from last season.  We discuss how to get back into shooting shape - this includes, reps, routine, gear checks, tuning, and more.  Practice makes perfect, but what about when you don't have a lot of time to practice?  Being intentional about what you are practicing, and practicing it the correct way goes a long way if reps are frequent but short.  Small steps build confidence for shooting at game this fall - start now!