Ohio Outdoors Podcast - Sportsmen's Empire

This week on the show we discuss lead ammunition and if we as hunters should be transitioning to ammunition made from safer metals.  We cover what impacts lead ammunition may have on the game we are harvesting and also various non-game species that come into contact with the lead.  We also discussed differences in performance between lead and non-lead ammunition.  Jason shared a story relating to...

This week on the show we discuss proposed regulation changes for the 2021-2022 hunting season.  One of the major proposed changes for whitetail deer is to allow deer management permits to be used in all counties across the state as opposed to only select counties as the previous regulation allowed.  Another proposal relating to whitetail deer is to eliminate the restriction on harvesting does on p...

This week on the show we spent some time discussing recent outdoors stories that have made their way through various news outlets.  We talk about how the media tends to report only negative stories and how we as outdoorsmen need to be very aware of how we are perceived by the non-hunting public.   Ohio Huntsman is Powered by Simplecast

With many of the national trade shows not being held this year we wanted to be sure our listeners were still able to hear about a few cool new products that came out of the trade shows this year.  We discussed everything from the new rifle from Savage Arms to the continued growth of 350 Legend and the advancements in ammunition offerings   Ohio Huntsman is Powered by Simplecast

This week on the show we had Amy Kuchenbecker from Blue Clay Kennels on to discuss shed hunting dogs.  She discusses the growing sport of shed dog competitions and explains what the competitions consist of,  We then discussed some techniques that can be used to try and get your own dog to find more sheds.    Ohio Huntsman is Powered by Simplecast

This week on the show we discussed the new waterfowl regulations that include some changes to some season dates, participation requirements, and also increased bag limits.  We also discuss some new opportunities to enjoy the outdoors via things like a new boat ramp that recently was opened by the ODNR.   Ohio Huntsman is Powered by Simplecast

We are all crossbow users but this week we discuss if modern crossbows are still archery or have they evolved into something else?  We discuss some of the new crossbows that have been announced recently and whether they may be a step too far or just new technology that will become the new normal.  We also discuss the challenge state game agencies face in deciding what should be allowable hunting e...

This week we discussed our muzzleloader seasons and focused much of the discussion on our annual muzzleloader hunt at our grandparents' farm.  We covered the details of each of the deer drives we executed and what we learned from each of them.  We also had the pleasure of bringing a few new faces along for our hunt at the farm, so we discuss how we feel that experience went for them.  Jeff also di...

Every year we do a review of our hunting season and discuss how we feel things went for us individually.  This week we share that conversation with the listeners of the podcast.  Unless you live in a cave you know the world was hit with a global pandemic that caused many people to change their plans in 2020 and that included some plans relating to our seasons.  However, we still managed to get a f...

This week on the show we discuss the "second" rut.  This phase of breeding is not nearly as cut and dry as the traditional rut, but still can be a great time to catch mature bucks on their feet during daylight.  Biologically this occurs when does that are not bred come back into estrus and/or yearling does what have reached sexual maturity come into estrus.    Ohio Huntsman is Powered by Simplecas...

Brian Banbury from the ODNR Division Of Wildlife joins us on this episode to provide details about the first wild deer in Ohio to test positive for CWD.  We cover where the deer was found.  What the ODNR is doing in response to the positive test.  What hunters in the surveillance area need to know.  As well as how hunters throughout the state can get their deer tested.  We will continue to keep yo...

Things turned around pretty dramatically for the second half of Ohio's 2020 week long gun season.  Opening day harvest numbers were down pretty significantly but hunters made up for that shortfall during the second half of the season.  Deer harvest numbers closed out the week with the total harvest being higher than the previous three year average.  Our luck turned around as well with both Jake an...

This week's show was recorded at our hunting cabin as we spent the first 3 days of Ohio's gun season chasing whitetails in the Wayne National forest.  Everyone who hunted the first couple days of the week knows that weather played a large role on success rates this year.  We discuss our successes and mostly failures as we tried to navigate one of the most challenging years for weather in recent me...

This week on the show we tackle the age old question "Does a rutting buck cause the meat to taste bad?".  We each go through our theories on why this is believed by many in the whitetail world and what we think contributes to "off" flavors and how to try and prevent or minimize them in your harvest.  We also touch on the differences in taste between does vs. bucks and young deer vs old deer.  Let...

This week we discussed the hot topic of saddle hunting.  Jason bought a saddle for this season and has now had a few weeks to get his feet wet, so we figured it was time he shares his experiences with the listeners.  His position on the topic is different than what you might expect with all the recent craze around hunting from a saddle.  He also mentions some obstacles he has had to overcome that...

On this week's episode we discuss our annual "rutcation" trip down to our cabin in Southern Ohio.  The original plan included 5 guys but in line with how this year has gone, nothing went according to plan.  However; We still managed to get some good hunts in and have a little success and learn along the way.    Ohio Huntsman is Powered by Simplecast

This week Jeff discusses his first waterfowl hunt.  He made the decision last year to get into waterfowl hunting and started collecting the knowledge and resources required to be successful.  With Ohio's waterfowl season opening, Jeff finally had an opportunity to put all his hard work and preparation to the test.  He walks us through his set up and also what adjustments he had to make on the fly...

This week we discuss the multiple uses of our public lands.  We foreshadowed this topic in a previous episode when we discussed that the pandemic would increase outdoor activities and the use of our public lands.  This has certainly happened and with the opening of various hunting seasons across the state it has now started to cause some tensions between people hunting and people doing other outdo...

This week on the show we talk about Jeff's experience on the lottery hunt his niece was drawn for.  He tells us the story of the hunt and what he was able to take away from the experience.  We also discuss skills that can't be taught in magazines or in a Youtube video that are important for success in the woods.     Ohio Huntsman is Powered by Simplecast

This week's show is our take on every deer hunter's favorite time of the year. The Rut!! We all have talked about the rut over and over and everyone has their own ideas and opinions on it, so we decided to discuss when we think the best 7 days to be in the woods to kill a mature buck during the 2020 rut.     Ohio Huntsman is Powered by Simplecast

This week on the show we discuss invasive species and their impact on the native species in various ecosystems across Ohio.  This conversation was initially focused around the wild hog problem that is quickly spreading across the country and what thoughts/ideas we have to try and slow/control the spread; however, We also discussed various other invasive animal and plant species across various ecos...

With the 2020 season upon us, we thought it would be a good idea to run through the regulation changes for this season as well as some reminders for other things that seem to trip people up every year.  We discuss changes to some of the upland bird season dates and bag limits.  We discuss the new regulation that allows active duty military and veterans to hunt during the youth waterfowl season.  T...

This week on the show we discuss a few listener submitted questions that have come up recently.  We discussed how much land is required to qualify as a landowner in Ohio and therefore use a landowner tag.  What time does dove season open in Ohio, sunrise or noon?  We also reviewed the laws for hunting with handguns in Ohio and a few other questions as well.   Ohio Huntsman is Powered by Simplecast

This week on the show we talked to John Windau from the ODNR about the new smartphone app.  He introduces the app and tells us why the ODNR decided to create a smartphone app.  We also got the chance to ask him some questions regarding what information the ODNR will have access to from users of the app and how they intend to use it.   Ohio Huntsman is Powered by Simplecast

With waterfowl seasons beginning to open up across Ohio; we found it timely to discuss bird bands on this week's episode.  We discuss the idea of shooting a banded bird as being a trophy, but harvesting a collared or tagged big game species is thought to be much less desirable.  We also discuss a few reasons as to why there is a significant portion of the population that refuses to report the harv...