6 Ranch Podcast

Connection to place and community are terms we often throw around, but do we really know what they mean at their core? For me, this land, the 6 Ranch,  is the biggest part of who I am. And growing up in this small community shaped me. Cory Carman, a member of my community, is one of those people who understands. Cory grew up on a century old family ranch right here in Wallowa. With a desire to giv...

When it comes to safely and securely storing firearms, there's a lot of opinions and misinformation out there. Most people have one or two large, and often disorganized, gun safes that are heavy and awful to move. These safes are kept in obvious locations that thieves think to check first. They aren't truly fireproof or fail proof. But there are better options. To shed some light on what...

As is tradition, we're starting season 4 of the 6 Ranch Podcast on a spring bear hunting trip along the river. In this episode, we're talking ballistics as I'm joined by Joshua Manke and Weston Rogers of G9 Defense, an incredibly innovative ammunition company that is designing bullets with more accuracy and lethality. With a team of just 17 folks, G9 is not a big company, but they&a...

Robin Pace has spent literal years of her life on rivers. She’s been a rafting guide for the past 11 years, rowing some of the biggest whitewater out there. As a former guide myself with the same company, Robin and I had a good talk about all thing’s whitewater. We covered some basics like cooler hacks, gear preferences, and camp cooking, while also getting into it with stories of big water, injur...

Hells Canyon is a special place to me. The rugged terrain and powerful Snake River is beautiful, but harsh. My guest today, Mike Baird, has been guiding folks down the Snake for years and feels the same about it. I consider Mike's knowledge of Hells Canyon to be as encyclopedic as anyone out there. It was Mike who first taught me the history of the canyon on a guide training trip years ago, a...

It's tough to take life too seriously when you're drinking scotch with good friends. In this episode, I'm joined by my buddies Paul Pagano and Lyle Witherrite, to catch up on life and tell some war stories, while sneaking a few dad jokes into the mix. We also discuss leadership principles and share some of the greatest leaders we've had the privilege to work with in the Marines...

The timber industry has always been a part of western life, especially where I grew up in Wallowa County. As a kid, there were 5 sawmills here, running 24/7. But due to harvest regulation changes, there were zero by the time I graduated high school. A lot of hard-working folks lost their jobs overnight and our local economy was in crisis. David Schmidt was the first to open a new mill in the count...

Jeremiah Stent and his partner Aimee produce the best pork I've ever had in my life. As the owners of Square Mile Ranch here in Northeast Oregon, they operate a direct market meat business. On the hoof meat is a bit different than most folks are used to. When you buy pork or beef from them, you're buying that animal live, and you know it will be well cared for and killed humanly right on...

It's tough being a salmon. Very few fish survive to spawn, as they face seemingly insurmountable obstacles on their journey to the ocean and back. Obstacles that are naturally occurring, like predation, but many more that are human caused. From my home on the 6 Ranch, a juvenile salmon has to make it through 8 major dams before reaching the ocean, losing many siblings along the way. These fis...

When he was just seventeen, José Correa left his home in Mexico, and everything he'd ever known to come to the United States. He walked for ten straight days through the desert, with no food or water for the last three. I have to wonder, what situation could be so bad to make someone risk death just to come to America? In this episode, José shares the story of why he had to leave home, his lo...

This week's episode is a bit different than what you're used to. Instead of me asking all the questions, I'm going to be the one on the spot. My good friend and frequent guest on the show, Greg Jones, interviewed me in his stone house, armed with listener questions. This episode is less about giving advice, and more about just getting to know me. We discuss my love for my home, the...

I spent my summers during college fighting forest fires on a rappel crew. It was some of the toughest, most physically demanding work I've ever experienced, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for my fellow wildland firefighters. And as a rappeller, I also have a healthy rivalry with smokejumpers. My guest today, Ken Poole, was a smokejumper from 1977 to 1983. Over the course of his car...

When it comes to archery lethality and shot placement, there are tons of common misconceptions out there. Here to bust some of those myths is the incredibly knowledgeable  Dr. Randy Greenshields. Randy has been a practicing veterinarian for the past 29 years and has been bow hunting for just as long. With his extensive knowledge of animal anatomy and personal archery experience, Randy is the perfe...

Spearfishing is my favorite thing that I'm bad at. I'm absolutely fascinated by it, and how similar it is to bow hunting. Today, we've got a double header for you, two interviews with two different spearfishing experts, Steph Schuldt and Kiley Umeda. Steph gave up the corporate life, sold all her belongings, bought a sailing catamaran, and now lives in the Bahamas where she's i...

It's a new year, which means states are rolling out new hunting regulations. Keeping up to date in your own state is enough of a challenge without also trying for nonresident tags. Luckily, you don't have to navigate the system alone. My guest today, Jared Brown of The Draw, consults with hunters to maximize their opportunities nationwide. Jared himself is an avid hunter and outdoorsman...

Most hunting stories you hear pick up just when things are going well. Even if there was struggle along the way, it always seems to work out in the end. But as hunters, we know that's often not the case, and things don't always go according to plan. In this episode, Casey Richmond, and I swap some of our unsuccessful hunting stories. Casey hunts, traps, and works for Eberlestock, a compa...

If you want to be a more effective hunter, you need to up your glassing game. My guest today, Cliff Gray, is just the person to aid in any hunter's goals for improvement. Cliff has founded and operated some of largest and most remote wilderness outfitting businesses in North America and has personally guided for years. Recently, Cliff sold all his operating outfitting businesses and is now fo...

Britt Marshall was a SoCal girl from Orange County. She had nothing against hunting growing up, but it wasn’t something her family ever did. Never in a million years did she think she would live a life filled with hunting trips and family meat processing nights. But then she met my good buddy Bam at a stoplight and the rest is history. Britt is married to a hunter, is now a hunter herself, and is...

I travel to many different states each year to hunt, but one of my favorite places to go is Texas. In fact, I just got back from an awesome Texas hunt where a buddy of mine harvested a beautiful scimitar oryx. Texas' rich species and terrain diversity offers some incredible opportunities, but if you've never traveled out of state to hunt, the planning process can be daunting. I'm he...

Nothing, and I mean nothing, is worse than losing an injured animal. I would go so far as to argue that when it comes to finding that animal and ending its suffering, it’s unethical not to use every available tool in your toolbox. One tool that we can potentially add to our arsenal is the use of drones. Mike Yoder is on the leading technological edge of hunting with his company, Drone Deer Recover...

As one of the most dangerous animals in Africa, and certainly one of the most difficult to hunt, there's a good reason that cape buffalo are referred to as "black death." Mike Fell, a professional hunter guiding in east Africa, knows not to underestimate these animals. But even the most experienced hunters can be caught in a dangerous situation. About 6 months ago, Mike found himsel...

The 6 Ranch Podcast is coming to you from Kansas this week, as I'm joined by Shane Smith and Cody Tutak of Six Star Outfitters. Shane and Cody have spent their whole lives in Kansas and guide for white-tail and turkey. And with 25 collective years of coyote hunting experience, they also make a lethal team in coyote hunting competitions. In this episode, Shane and Cody walk me through how to h...

The lower 48's grizzly bear population is expanding, something that Jaden Bales of Wyoming is well aware of. As an avid hunter, Jaden knows the risks and is here to share some tips to keep you safe in bear county. He's also the Communications Director for Wyoming Wildlife Federation, where his job is to bridge the knowledge gap between scientists and the public so that Wyoming residents...

A life in rural Alaska is a totally foreign concept to most people. Unless you’ve experienced it, you have no clue what it takes. Patrick Lumba is one of the few who’s lived in the Alaskan bush. Though he currently lives in Wassila, Alaska, Patrick spent 9 years in the little town of Galena. With no roads in or out, and a population of 470, Galena is truly remote. In this episode, Patrick describe...

I've gotten a lot of questions lately from folks who want to hunt spring bear, but don't know where to start. Something that catches new bear hunters off guard, is the fact that, in some states, you need to be applying for spring hunts right now. So, I decided to sit down and give you a step-by-step guide to western spring bear hunting. I’ll walk you through why to hunt, how to apply, an...