Pennsylvania Woodsman - Sportsmen's Empire

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!

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.

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!

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!

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.  

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!

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!