Xtreme Performance Outdoor Network

By request, Chris sits down with Donny Walston and Steve Burkholder for this prequel episode of the Big Country story. They discuss the life of one of the most controversial coonhounds of the 21st Century and give the whole story-no holds barred. Where did Big Country come from What influential breeders and hunters played the big role The greatest completion run of any blue tick alive What is wron...

This week Josh is lucky enough to sit down at the PKC World Hunt with Mr John Strickland, and Mr Ashley Oxendine, owners of one of the most notorious dogs in coonhound history, Platinum Champion BIG COUNTRY!  Josh sits down and talks with John and Ashley about everything Country!   Is Big Country better than Bad Habit? Is Ashley ever going to take a vacation? What’s next for Big Country? Country w...

Shannon Raska is a third generation houndsman from the state of Texas. His grandfather and father were both members of the South Texas Wold Hunters Association. Shannon is still raising, training and hunting the same family line of coyote hounds that was started in the late 1930s.  Chris travelled to Texas and hunted with Shannon and this podcast was recorded in the field in the middle of what Sha...

Having been a fan of Tucker Taylor's hoods for awhile before having a chance to talk to him, I was pretty excited about getting a chance to record with him on my way home from Wyoming earlier this year. While being kind enough to host me, he also was nice enough to talk about what his experience was like getting into falconry, flying red-tailed hawks and Cooper's hawks, his path to hoodmaking, and...

Release Date: 04-24-23 Game Wardens and Houndsmen have always had a special relationship. Albeit, adversarial, it is a relationship that is steeped in  mystery, misunderstanding and at times; outright hatred. It is a relationship that also comes with a long history and tradition. For way too long it has been widely accepted that the Houndsman’s job is to outsmart the game warden and the game warde...

Tracking Off the Charts part 1&2 (episodes 351 and 354) brought in a flood of questions. Heath and Houndsman XP favorite, Mark Dufresne, breakdown the concepts that were covered in these in depth and highly informative episodes in a way that makes it easy to understand.  Topics Covered: Operative conditioning Scent association When to introduce odor How to “wake up” a pup’s nose Do s and Don’t s ...

While working in Wyoming earlier this year, I was able to take a bit of time on some days off and visit friend and fellow Houndsman XP/Xtreme Performance Outdoor Network collaborator Chad Reynolds. Chad was able to take some time and record with me after one of his usual busy days at the ranch, and we talked dog/animal training, the rigours of growing a successful business, and what his falconry h...

Seth and Chris sit down to talk about the feelings and excitement of mentoring new Houndsmen while reflecting on their own journeys with their own mentors and how much it meant to them. This is an episode that will have you laughing, reflecting, and ready to get you into the woods with a friend! ►Get Your Houndsman XP Info, Gear & More Here! www. HoundsmanXP.com ►Become a Patron of Houndsman X...

Release Date: 08-18-19 Readers of hound hunting books like Life of the Greatest Guide, Slash Ranch Hounds or Meet Mr. Grizzly, by McCurdy, Evans or Stevens respectively have, no doubt, yearned to experience the thrill of hunting mountain lions and bears on horseback in the old West. Our guest in this episode, Chris Todd of Kingman, Arizona doesn’t have to live the lifestyle of the western lion hun...

Release Date: 07-29-2019 In this episode of Houndsmen XP, Steve and Chris sit down for a visit with Cleave and Becky Dwire of northern Nevada for a great conversation about their experiences as professional outfitters, specializing in dry ground lion hunts. Becky talks about her experience being a professional trainer and working with the most elite canine trackers in the world at Angola Prison in...

Release Date: 07-26-21 The invention of competition raccoon hunting or nite hunts, as they are commonly referred to, is the most impactful facet of the Houndsman lifestyle. Any and every hound that is being hunted today has been impacted in some way by the competition coonhunting game. Dale and Clel Lee hunted hounds from Elbert Vaughn and Berton Oney. Who hasn’t heard of Dave Dean and his Hammer...

The last episode recorded at the THA meet was with Spence Wise, a longtime falconer from Florida. It was fun talking to him about a lot of the changes he's had to adjust to during his many years of falconry, including having to adapt to habitat loss (and finding out that one of his favorite hunting areas used to be where my parents now live), transitioning to hunting with merlins, and beach trappi...

Release Date: 02-14-22 Josh Whitaker is the kind of guy you just immediately like. He is fun to talk with, he is a hard hunter and dedicated Houndsman. He and his twin brother Jason co own Whitaker Brothers Hunting Company out of Trinidad Colorado.  Josh and Chris talk lion hunting, how he and Jason got their start and styles of hounds they prefer. They hunt diverse terrain from high mountain to h...

Your Favorite Dog Of All Time is back with another great group of friends talking about their beloved hounds! As always you are going to hear a variety of folks with a variety of dogs! Your Favorite Dog never gets old, and neither do those awesome memories and stories! Enjoy! ►Get Your Houndsman XP Info, Gear & More Here! www. HoundsmanXP.com ►Become a Patron of Houndsman XP! Check out our Tai...

Release Date: 04-21-23 From racing dirt bikes to handling dogs for the biggest names in competition coonhunting, Duell Murphy has strived to be a professional at everything he has been involved in. Host, Bruce Matthews,corners Duell for this in depth interview. Duell will discuss growing up in the coonhunting capital of the world, Indiana and how he developed a passion for hunting Treeing Walker C...

Release Date: 03-04–22 On this episode of The Truth Josh sits down with renowned big game houndsman and Houndsman XP team member Shorty Gorham to talk puppy training.   Hound puppy training is one of if not the most difficult type of dog training there is, and there are many differences between training a dog to compete in the east, and training a dog to trail lions in the arid southwest.   Josh a...

This is the last of the episodes recorded at the THA meet earlier this year featuring falconers from Texas, and it's a fun one! Tony and Mel Lyons joined me to talk about their unique experiences getting introduced to the world of falconry, particularly in regards to their respective apprenticeships and the harder path they had to take during that time. We have some fun at this expense of our mutu...

Chip Kohser, Seth Hall and Chris Powell make post election predictions, shed some optimism and talk about this once in a lifetime opportunity that we as hunters have to solidify our future as hunters. The only question that remains; are you willing to pay the price? America has given Donald Trump a mandate through an historical election victory. One of the issues that helped him regain control of...

Release Date: 02-08-23 Craig Koshyk is a photographer, writer, hunter, and historian of hunting dogs. His podcast and magazine; Hunting Dog Confidential is heralded as a top resource for hunting dog enthusiast who want to know what lies beneath the surface of these great breeds we hunt.  Heath and Craig take a deep dive into the history of our hounds, where they came from, how they got their names...

Release Date: 09-17-2024 In this special episode of Houndsman XP, Seth premieres his archival interviews of old timers who tell about their upbringing with dogs and share their stories about the old days. Seth’s mission was to capture the voices and stories of these verteran houndsman so that their knowledge and wit can be with us for decades to come. David Hise is a true living legend. His influe...

Release Date: 07-12-21 Saddle up a mule and ride along on this adventure into the high desert of Nevada to chase some lions.  Cleave Dwire and Chris have an in depth discussion about hunting mountain lions. Cleave has over twenty years of experience chasing lions with hounds in the most diverse region of the Untied States. He unselfishly shares his observations with listeners. Houndsmen at any lev...

We're down to the last few episodes that were recorded earlier this year at the Texas Hawking Assocation meet! In this episode, Nichole Moore sits down and discusses hawking with Harris's hawks, Cooper's hawks, and also what it's been like to pursue her career in zoology. These last few episodes that were recorded at the THA meet were just as fun as the rest, so look forward to getting them out to...

Release Date: 03-28-22 What makes a bear dog?  What traits do bear hunters need in a hound to successfully track, trail and catch the American Black Bear?  Chris travels to Greeneville, Tennessee to the American Plott Association’s annual Breed Days. Breed Days is held in the heart of bear bear hunting country. Chris calls it the “cradle of Civilization for North American bear hunting”. Greenville...

Release Date: 11-15-21 Houndsman XP listeners will enjoy and in depth look at one of the leaders within our community; Mr. Alan Bridges of Athens, Georgia. Alan is a dedicated coonhunter, hunting a successful line of English Coonhounds at high levels in competition events. Alan serves as the President of the North Georgia Houndsmen Association. Alan and his family are also leaders in the beef indu...

Release Date: 10-21-22 As one of the few that breed, raise, train, and compete at the highest level with their own Treeing Walker Coonhounds, Chris Saunders has a unique perspective about hunting for big money, as well as a unique story as to how he got involved with hunting for large purses.  We will learn about the style of dog Chris hunts and prefers, as well as what it takes to compete at the...