Rokcast

A different kind of episode today. We all agree breaking 200" of antler for a mule deer is pretty much the pinnacle of western hunting right now, but what if only half your body actually worked?  Robby hosts Jason Rindlesbach of Morgan, Utah on today's episode.

Jason has taken some great mule deer but the story he tells today is the one of his very best buck--grossing well over 200" and probably netting all-time typical--but it was the physical odds that Jason is overcoming to stay in the game for as long as God gives him that is inspiring. This episode will make us all think about our finite life on this planet.

So listen in to a great story about breaking 200.

You can follow Jason's instagram here Instagram

See his November 4th, 2024 post on this buck for more information.

Tipsy Tuesday#51 Jeremy Dugger on killing coyotes and saving deer. Jeremy explains how a group of friends sharing information on coyote hunting stands has hugely impacted his local deer units. Jeremy takes us though his process of finding, calling, and efficiently killing coyotes. Mike Moore is back with his Argali Alpine sleeping bag review. Phil Mendoza takes us though the 2nd annual Mile High Hunt and Fish EXPO on April 11th-13th. Sam then shifts the talk toward the other Rokslide.com gear reviews and recaps the latest Western news.

Argali Alpine sleeping bag review-https://www.rokslide.com/argali-alpine-sleeping-bags-review/

Mile High Hunt and Fish EXPO- https://milehighhuntexpo.com/

 

Howl for Wildlife- Take Action

Check out Rokslides 2024 Best Gear- https://www.rokslide.com/best-gear-of-2024-rokslide-edition/

Visit Rokslide's Rokcast Forum to submit questions, request a topic or give feedback.

To be a guest on Tipsy Tuesday please send an email to [email protected]

[ Rokcast is powered by onX Hunt. For 20% off, use Promo Code “Rokcast” at onX Hunt here.

We're talking Colorado Bucks on today's Rokcast.  Robby hosts Brandon Diamond, the Area Wildlife Manager for Colorado’s Gunnison Basin. Like previous episodes he’s been on, Brandon brings a depth of knowledge and experience to managing Colorado’s mule deer. They talk about buck survival after the 5-year plan, and its effect on buck:doe ratios, age class, and more.

They also talk the challenges of managing for a variety of users with increased technology, communication among hunters, and why the rifle seasons in the next 5-year plan didn't move much earlier, even though there was support from the CPW for this change.

They also talk about the number of Gunnison Mule Deer deer licenses issued under the current limited quota management verses the OTC management this system replaced in the late 1990s, including buck to doe ratios.  You might be surprised at this data! It's all about Colorado Bucks on today's episode.

Rokcast is powered by onX Hunt. For 20% off, use Promo Code “Rokcast” at onX Hunt here https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt/app+

You can listen to previous episodes with Brandon Diamond here

Gunnison Mule Deer and Beyond with Brandon Diamond - Rokslide

and here

Colorado Buck Hunting in 2023 - Rokslide

Robby hosts RokStaffer Josh Boyd for a Western States Winter Update.  Josh is a professional Hydrologist and keeps a close eye on snowpack across the West. He's a frequent guest on the Rokcast because he is a great resource when determining how the weather affects our big game animals, especially mule deer.

Today, Josh will be giving a West-wide Snowpack update and talk about other water issues like Snow Water Equivalent, Soil Moisture vs. the Drought Monitor, a dying La Nina and more.

Please welcome Josh back to the Rokcast for your Western States Winter Update

See snowpack map here:

Snowpack and Precipitation Index Maps | Natural Resources Conservation Service

Snowpack Maps (usda.gov)

Rokcast is powered by onX Hunt. For 20% off, use Promo Code “Rokcast” at onX Hunt here https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt/app

You can find Robby’s books, Hunting Big Mule Deer and The Stories on Amazon here

or signed copies from the Rokslide store here

Tipsy Tuesday#50 HOWL for Wildlife on the Offensive features strategist Mike Costello. Mike walks us though the current state of affairs and outlines where hunting can be in 5 years. Learn how to help HOWL for Wildlife go on the offensive to give wildlife management back to the professionals in Colorado. The team from Zero Fox Given joins in to tell what they are all about. Luke Schultz takes us though his Pomoly Circle 6 tent, and Rich Cotte from First Hunt Foundation tells us about some opportunities to give back. Sam then shifts the talk toward the other Rokslide.com gear reviews and recaps the latest Western news.

Zero Fox Given LLC- https://zerofoxgivenllc.com/

POMOLY CIRCLE 6 Review- https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/pomoly-circle-6-review.385914/

First Hunt Foundation- https://www.firsthuntfoundation.org/

Howl for Wildlife- Take Action

Check out Rokslides 2024 Best Gear- https://www.rokslide.com/best-gear-of-2024-rokslide-edition/

Visit Rokslide's Rokcast Forum to submit questions, request a topic or give feedback.

To be a guest on Tipsy Tuesday please send an email to [email protected]

[ Rokcast is powered by onX Hunt. For 20% off, use Promo Code “Rokcast” at onX Hunt here.

With good fawn to doe ratios being reported in multiple western states, Robby talks about how he uses this information to decide where to hunt now and in the future.

He also jumps into other topics:

The National Deer Association report on shifting hunter harvest to more mature bucks

You can read that report here

Mature Buck Harvest Rises to Another New U.S. Record

https://deerassociation.com/mature-buck-harvest-rises-to-another-new-u-s-record/

Also, Robby shares four gross scores from mule deer vs. their lab age results, sent in from a listener. The bucks ranged from four to seven years old. The size of their antlers vs. their age might surprise you.

Robby also talks about the slider feature on the National Drought Monitor in anticipation of his upcoming episode with Josh Boyd, Hydrologist for U.S.F.S, on the water season update for 2025 in the next few weeks

You can link to the Drought Monitor here

Comparison Slider | U.S. Drought Monitor

https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Maps/ComparisonSlider.aspx

Learn about fawn to doe ratios and a lot more in this latest episode.

Rokcast is powered by onX Hunt. For 20% off, use Promo Code “Rokcast” at onX Hunt here https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt/app

You can find Robby’s books, Hunting Big Mule Deer and The Stories on Amazon here

or signed copies from the Rokslide store here

Tipsy Tuesday #49 Gear Straight from the Expo in Salt Lake City Utah. After roaming every nook and cranny at the Expo here's some gear you might have missed. The newest and best water filtration systems, delicious freeze-dried food, innovative digiscoping setup, micro panning ball head, minimal effort European mounts, supporting veterans in need. All that and more in this Gear Straight from the Expo episode. Sam then shifts the talk toward the other Rokslide.com gear reviews and recaps the latest Western news.

Hardside Hydration-https://www.hardsidehydration.com/

Grakksaw- https://www.grakksaw.com/

Kapture Gear- https://kapturegear.com/

Trail Goods Co- https://trailgoods.co/

Wiser Precision- https://www.wiserprecision.com/

Grayl-https://grayl.com/

SGT. Daniel Gurr Foundation-https://www.danielgurrfoundation.org/

 

Howl for Wildlife-https://www.howlforwildlife.org/take_action

Check out Rokslides 2024 Best Gear- https://www.rokslide.com/best-gear-of-2024-rokslide-edition/

Visit Rokslide's Rokcast Forum to submit questions, request a topic or give feedback.

To be a guest on Tipsy Tuesday please send an email to [email protected]

[ Rokcast is powered by onX Hunt. For 20% off, use Promo Code “Rokcast” at onX Hunt here.

Bonus episode! Due to Western Hunt Expo, we're a bit late getting this to the Rokcast listeners. Idaho released their Idaho Mule Deer proposals to grow more big mule deer, recently. Problem is, now you only have 4 days to comment on these proposals to grow more big bucks. Robby hosts David Vedder of the Southeast Idaho Mule Deer Advisory Group. David explains the proposals they want to send to the Idaho Fish and Game commission if the public approves them, but the comment period is only open until Sunday 2/23/25. This is your chance to have a say in your mule deer hunting future. The Idaho Mule Deer proposals are some of the most aggressive ever to come out of Idaho to help grow more big bucks. So listen to the episode and then head over to

Southeast Region Deer Proposals | Idaho Fish and Game

here

https://idfg.idaho.gov/rules/big-game/seasons/southeast/deer

to leave your comment.

There are also proposals for all of the 7 regions in Idaho that you can comment on.  Both residents and non-residents can have their voice heard.

The episode with Idaho Biologist Eric Freeman mentioned in this episode can be found here

Idaho Mule Deer Management with Eric Freeman - Rokslide

https://rokslide.com/idaho-mule-deer-management-with-eric-freeman/

If you've ever wondered what mule deer eat and what it looks like, today's episode is your huckleberry (possible pun intended).

Luke Schultz is a Habitat Biologist for the Wyoming Game and Fish and a wealth of knowledge for mule deer hunters (listen to his last visit on the Rokcast here Mule Deer on the Edge).

Luke and Robby dive into identifying the major (and some minor) plant types that mule deer in the Intermountain West and beyond eat throughout the year.  It's an in-depth discussion that also includes a visual aid: A complete thread on Rokslide.com's mule deer subforum. You can see many of the plants they discuss in this episode here

https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/plants-every-mule-deer-hunter-should-know.395040/

Plants every mule deer hunter should know:

Big Sage Brush

Bitterbrush

Oak Brush

Aspen

Serviceberry

Mountain Mahogany

Sticky Geranium

Willow

and more.

Learning what mule deer eat is one of the top questions Luke Schultz and Robby get from mule deer hunters and this episode aims to answer that question.

There is also a sweet app available that can help you identify plants. Check it out here. Wyoming Wildflowers on the App Store

Also, if you're an iPhone user, your camera app has a plant identifying feature. Just snap a photo of any plant, and look for a button to auto-populate at the bottom of the image.  It's an " i " inside a circle.  Press that and it should link you to a suggested plant species/genus.  It's not perfect, but a great way to start learning about what mule deer eat.

Rokcast is powered by onX Hunt. For 20% off, use Promo Code “Rokcast” at onX Hunt here https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt/app

You can find Robby’s books, Hunting Big Mule Deer and The Stories on Amazon here

or signed copies from the Rokslide store here

Tipsy Tuesday#48 Everything Argali with Brad Brooks, takes though the origin, and thought process behind Argali Outdoors products. Everything Argali gives Brad's take on best uses of each shelter, gives up the details the new sleeping bag, and even dives into knife design. Brad closes with Argali's vision of the future and ways customers can impact those designs features. Rokslide member Kyle Sandusky reviews the SecureIt Agile Model 52 Pro. Brad Carter joins in to tell us about MTN HNTR out of Afton Wyoming. Sam then shifts the talk toward the other Rokslide.com gear reviews and recaps the latest Western news.

Lea's Bighorn Sheep

Ultralight Tripod Review

Selway 6P Review

Yukon 8P Review

Alpine Sleeping Bag Review

Carbon X Trekking Pole Review

Howl for Wildlife

Check out Rokslides 2024 Best Gear- Here

Visit Rokslide's Rokcast Forum to submit questions, request a topic or give feedback.

To be a guest on Tipsy Tuesday please send an email to [email protected]

[ Rokcast is powered by onX Hunt. For 20% off, use Promo Code “Rokcast” at onX Hunt here.