The Outdoor Hour

In this week's episode Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton are joined by Kurt Kuklinski from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to discuss the recently released MeatEater episode Oklahoma Mule Deer (a film project we've called Dust Bowl Mule Deer). This film project tells the story of the work being done by ODWC and Oklahoma State University to better understand the Mule Deer population in Northwestern Oklahoma. In the film, members of ODWC and OSU, Josh Stratton and other representatives from the Mule Deer Foundation, and MeatEater's Ryan Callaghan share what little we know about Mule Deer in Oklahoma while harvesting a few. After the episode's release, Kurt and Josh discuss their experience and what the response has been among outdoorsmen and Oklahomans alike.

In this week's episode, Trevor Groves joins Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton to tell stories from his fifteen day trip hunting caribou and Dall sheep in Canada's Northwest Territories. After years of preparing and planning, it's the things he never saw coming that made this such a memorable experience. After nearly two weeks of trekking through some of the most isolated terrain on the planet, Trevor found exactly what he was looking for. Listen to hear about the transformational experience of hunting in the Northern Rockies, plus once in a lifetime interactions with massive caribou, wolves, grizzly bears, and finally Dall sheep; this episode has it all!

In this week's episode Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton are joined by Kyle Muzny to recount his trip to Reindeer Lake in Northern Saskatchewan chasing massive lake trout and pike on the fly rod. Trout Camp, an impressive fishing outfit way up North, offers anglers an opportunity to learn traditional tactics for fishing and preparing their harvest with comfortable accommodations and friendly staff. Kyle shares stories from his experience and gives listeners a possible new bucket-list trip to consider. Plus, he becomes the first-ever guest to receive his very own walk-up music, spurring a new Outdoor Hour tradition. Give it a listen!

In this episode Taylor Maples recounts his week chasing Tarpon on a fly rod off Florida's Atlantic Coast. There are a small handful out outdoor experiences that Taylor says have altered his brain chemistry, and jumping tarpon on a fly rod is among the most impactful adventures he's had. Josh Stratton, a seasoned salt water guide, has some unique perspective to offer as Taylor relives and wrestles with some of the experiences from his week on the Coast.

In this episode Taylor Maples chats with Brett Lowry to discuss his business and the custom rowers bench he built for Taylor's 30 year old Clackacraft drift boat. Trout Boat Cap'n has become a leading producer of high quality personalized boat seats with unmatched attention to detail and master craftsmanship. On top of his growing business creating rowers benches, custom cooler seats, and more for bass and drift boats, Brett also guides fly fishing trips around the Oklahoma and surrounding areas. The guys find a mutual love for fly fishing in Arkansas and swap some secrets on closer-to-home options as well. If you love craftsmanship and fly fishing, this episode is for you! Remember, sitting on a cooler shouldn't be a compromise!

In this week's episode Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton chat with Jacob DeVecchio from Oklahoma Fungi, the premier resource for mushroom education in Oklahoma. For many, Springtime in the outdoors offers a multitude of opportunities; turkey hunting, shed hunting, and morel mushroom hunting. Jacob is one of the foremost figures in Oklahoma's fungi community and sheds some light on the #MushLove movement and why more outdoorsmen should be interested.

In this week's episode Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton discuss Oklahoma Senate Bill 941 with two of the bill's architects, Catherine Appling-Pooler, National Deer Association's Director of Policy, and Randall Cole, Oklahoma Ducks Unlimited's State Policy Chair. Today the bill has bipartisan support in both Oklahoma's House and Senate--but it hasn't always been that way. After numerous evolutions over 5+ years the bill now sit on Governor Stitt's desk. Listen to hear what SB941 means for Oklahomans and non-residents in the outdoors, local conservation funding, and more, plus why an unprecedented fifteen National Governing Organizations were compelled to come together in it's support.

In this episode Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton catch up with Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation's Wildlife Diversity and Research Supervisor Kurt Kuklinski. Kurt was an integral part of the recent Dust Bowl Mule Deer film project with The Mule Deer Foundation, MeatEater, and Oklahoma State University and joined the guys at Western Hunting and Conservation Expo to talk about the project and it's implications to Mule Deer research in Oklahoma's panhandle. Plus, now two years after his first guest appearance on The Outdoor Hour, Kurt gives some exciting updates on several on-going research projects across the state and how his team's efforts are shaping our understanding of several game species.

In this episode Taylor Maples chats with Sarah Blue and Jessica Curran from Ledger Outdoors about their female owned outdoor brand and their first experience as vendors at OKC's Backwoods Hunting and Fishing Show. As newcomers to the outdoor industry but lifelong outdoor enthusiasts, Sarah and Jessica have blown away at the positive reception they've felt and the community they've found after stepping out in faith into the unknown.

In this episode Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton talk about the end of Show Season in the Outdoor Industry, culminating with the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo in Salt Lake City, including the premier of MeatEater's Dust Bowl Mule Deer film project with the Mule Deer Foundation, Oklahoma's Department of Wildlife Conservation, and Oklahoma State University. Taylor also recaps his weekend trip to Arkansas targeting big brown trout on the fly and the humbling experience of hunting predator trout at night.