On Step Alaska

In this episode I talk about why stagnancy sucks, the process of getting better and how bad the weather looks for the deer opener. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My buddy Ryan John and I both have plans to chase mountain goats on over the counter tags in August. In this episode we talk our strategies, what he’s learned, how goat hunting is different than alpine deer, why he no longer weighs his pack during training hikes, and the considerations that come with hunting goats with a bow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back! I didn't make time to podcast the last two weeks because I was outside hiking, camping and looking for fish. In this episode I talk about social activities outside, masks as a guard against Covid and the government, and pressure cooking salmon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is it better to fish new water with only a vague idea of what might work and what's possible, or after having seen a YouTube video of the best the water has to offer? I ponder this with my buddy Kurt Johnson is a firefighter in Lodi, California. We talk about evaluating content online, his latest trip to the Truckee River in California and my trip to the North Tongue in Wyoming. We close up with t...

Mule deer results are out for Wyoming and this guy was lucky enough to draw one. In this quick episode I talk about my lack of luck drawing cool tags, finding new opportunities to enjoy the outdoors, the importance of the reset in times like these, and the dangers of recreational anger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I e-scouted three spots for a potential mule deer hunt in Wyoming and had Wyoming Wildlife Federation's marketing director Jaden Bales evaluate my spots. Without giving the specific areas away, I breakdown why I chose them, and Jaden evaluates my work. We discuss vegetation, land texture, how long to let a pocket rest if other boots have been in there, elk vs. mule deer territory and chronic wasti...

I extended my range by buying a 2008 North River in November. Since then I've been learning as I go and sharing what limited knowledge I have about shopping, boats and the fears of catastrophe with friends who are in the market. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When I enter my e-scouting bubble, nothing much exists outside of mule deer, terrain, and hunting with my girlfriend in the fall. When I exit my bubble and am reminded of the volume of suffering, anger and divisiveness in the world, it's difficult to know what to say. Would it just be some gross, self-congratulatory, "look at how virtuous I am" post which would detract from the point? Or is it bet...

Tomorrow (May 21) is a big day. Not the big day, but a big day. Results for the Wyoming elk draw will be released and I will find out if the call practicing I've been doing will be put to use for a September archery hunt for cow elk. In this solo episode I talk about preference points, why I may never draw a bull elk tag and why my podcast introductions are weak. Learn more about your ad choices....

Jaden Bales works for the Wyoming Wildlife Federation and hosts Muley Monday for the Rich Outdoors Podcast. He and I talk mentorship, identity, what your Instagram post can and can't say about you. We also talk about hunting bears. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hunting spring black bears with a bow is a program my buddy Jesse Knock has figured out pretty well. In this episode he and I talk where to find big boars, staying calm, judging size and the best archery moments which don't always end in a notched tag. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adam Krick and I last talked about Afognak Elk, this time we discuss learning the spring black bear game. We talk the key elements of learning how to find, stalk and track black bear, and how quality bacon is the key ingredient for bear breakfast sausage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Weird" "strange" and "crazy" are some of the most used words these days. This is because there really isn't anything else to describe what's going on and using a thesaurus to find a synonym doesn't really make anything better. I escaped my pandemic-induced lethargic week of distance teaching with a weekend in the woods chasing grouse, setting up game cameras and setting shrimp pots. It was anothe...

Before his role in Netflix's teen drama Outer Banks, Ketchikan High School graduate ('16) Rudy Pankow was washing dishes from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. at the Cheesecake Factory to make ends meet while pursuing his dream in Hollywood. I talk to my former student about the struggles, seeing through the fake, staying focused, and how the thought of not letting his home town down motivated him through the dry...

Fairbanks resident Steven Shannon and I talk about his spring caribou, the future of the 2020 Alaska hunting season and teaching in this weird time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ketchikan resident Larry Jackson and I discuss charter fishing, the economic impact of Covid-19 on education, political divisiveness, being informed, where we go from here, and what the summer will look like. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yesterday I finished my 14-day travel quarantine so now I am allowed to move about the city to buy my own necessities. In this episode I talk about my new freedom, the reconstructing my personal history to remember a particular brown trout and how tragic events proved to be motivators which made me live with more purpose. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex Ramirez and Dave Schonzeit are the hosts of the Beer, Fly Fishing and Food podcast out of California. I fished the Yuba River with Alex last week so the three of us talk dry fly fishing, why striper fishing is maybe their current favorite, fly fishing icons, history, technology and of course, a little food and beer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A lot changed while I was in California trout fishing this past week, but I am home now, a half day into my 14-day quarantine. My buddy Dean returned from a school trip in Portugal a week ago, so I get tips from him about coping with the isolation. We talk about being ethical, hindsight, appreciating friends willing to grocery shop, what we miss about March and the importance of wearing shoes. Lea...

Fly fishing for steelhead is one of my all-time favorite things. In this episode I talk about the latest trip to the river, what I use, why I use it, and why what I use shouldn't necessarily dictate what you do. Casting style and individual taste should drive what you end up buying but I do offer some advice regarding southeast Alaska set ups for steelhead and why I bought a 6-weight for trout fis...

According to yesterday's weather, spring is getting close and with it the chance to catch steelhead, camp, hike and hunt bear and grouse. According to the Internet, however, we are doomed. President Trump or socialism, or authoritarian governments, or climate change, or coronavirus, or guns, or not having guns will lead to our demise if we don't act now. So there is something to be said for living...

Caleb Martin runs xplorealaska.org and is a hunting fanatic. He and I talk about the draw results, why it's fair, what to do if you didn't draw, the best types of meat, the need to justify and how important it is to represent your lifestyle well since there are plenty of people with political power who see hunters as cruel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this quick, solo episode I talk about why it's stupid to try to show off in front of guides or experts, why someone taking you to see where they trap is an exercise in extreme trust and the idiocy of pot stirring posts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adam Krick has wasted no time becoming an Alaskan. Since moving to Metlakatla four years ago he has taken an elk on Afognak, a caribou in the interior and bear and deer in southeast. He and I talk about his elk trip to Afognak, making the most of the lifestyle here, steelhead fishing, deer populations and what it's like to be an athletic director in Alaska. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Cody Rich says buy experiences not gear. I've been taking his advice (for the most part) and saving money for new experiences. However, that doesn't mean buying a Wyoming bull elk tag when I don't know what I'm doing. In this episode I talk about why elk keep me up at night, focusing on disciplined spending so I can have more fun not more gear and why I'd one day like to go to one of those propert...