The Outdoor Hour

In this episode, Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton catch up after several weeks apart while Josh represents the Mule Deer Foundation on the road for Show Season. Josh shares stories from the road, Taylor teases an upcoming fishing trip to the White River targeting big brown trout on the fly at night, and more!

"If every season were as hard as this one, I'd quit." In this episode Taylor Maples is joined by Brad Clay from Final Descent Outdoors to talk about the challenges they experienced in the 2023 deer hunting season. Plus, the guys find common ground in trying to fit their outdoor pursuits around more and more demanding family activities.

In this week's episode Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton are joined by MeatEater's Ryan Callaghan to talk about a joint project in Oklahoma’s panhandle between MeatEater, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, Oklahoma State University, and the Mule Deer Foundation. Dust Bowl Mule Deer is a film project which tells the forgotten story of the last mule deer population segment in the country whose movements and existence are largely unknown. The crew documents their experience in one of the most unique ecosystems in the US, and witnesses something biologists have never documented before.

In this episode, Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton chat with Rhett Acker, owner of Oklahoma Drone Recovery Company, about his first season using thermal drones for deer recovery. Rhett first joined The Outdoor Hour back in September (S2 Ep18) alongside Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Game Warden Wade Farrar, producing the most-downloaded episode of 2023. Now with an entire deer season under his belt, we invited Rhett back to hear about the highs, the lows, the humor, and everything he learned this year.

In this episode Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton are joined by Captain Chris Wittman from Captains for Clean Water to talk about an organization spearheading conservation of precious waters in the United States lead by those who make their living on the water. Listen to hear more about how they got started, why the things they've learned have shaped conservation efforts for other organizations, and more!

In this episode, Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton are joined by the Cameron Family from Australia to talk about their lives as commercial hunters. There is so much to learn about he nuances of outdoor lifestyles and cultures around the world, and the Cameron's give an interesting perspective into how America's model compares.

In this episode Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton are joined by MeatEater's renowned wild game chef and James Beard Award winner Jesse Griffiths. Beginning in the restaurant business, Jesse's entry into hunting happened backwards from most of us--rather than looking for things to do with his harvests, he set out to find locally and intentionally sourced supplies for his recipes. The result? One of the most popular and unique restaurants in Austin, TX, an active voice in conservation, and a place among the biggest names and brands in the Outdoors Industry. Listen to hear Jesse tell the story of how his restaurant and New School for Traditional Cookery came to be, share some tips and tricks for processing wild game at home, and challenge our listeners to fall in love with the entire process of hunting--not just the kill.

In this episode Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton chat with Dan Orr and Dane Kaylor about their recent trip to Venice, Louisiana chasing Reds on the fly. Despite some of the worst weather conditions imaginable, the crew managed to land a handful of massive fish and create memories to last a lifetime. If you like stories of anglers overcoming challenges to get it done--this one's for you!

In this week's episode, Taylor Maples shares his experience targeting 30" brown trout on the White River in North Central Arkansas on the fly--at night. After a weekend full of hucking big streamers and mouse patterns, Taylor and Josh Stratton talk about Taylor's new skills and his new appreciation for fly fishing in an unfamiliar environment. A small dose of humility, several massive brown trout, and two vertigo-inspiring nights in a drift boat floating through the darkness make for one trip of a lifetime!