On Step Alaska

Jaden Bales from Backcountry Fuel Box is back on for the second time to talk about eating tags, living the brochure, quality of life, purpose, self-reliance, elk hunting, wolves and handling feedback. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When I was in elementary school my brother, dad and I trapped mink and marten and wanted to get enough to make some mittens and a hat for my grandpa. Grandpa died before we had enough material but I still have the furs. So I decided to get back into trapping a bit to finish the job. In this episode I share my earliest trapping memories and recap when I tagged along with a couple buddies who were c...

Cody Rich (Backcountry Fuel Box and The Rich Outdoors) and I talk entrepreneurship, how to not become self-absorbed, when DIY is not DIY and our dream hunts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I don't really have goals for 2020, just my eye on a couple focus words to keep me from being one of those types whose only purposes are killing, catching and posting. I do all three, but that can't be it, because there aren't enough steelhead, a big enough buck or enough likes to compensate for a lack of purpose. So I'm going to continue to focus on having fun at work, creating mediocre content a...

"I wanted to put quality food in people's packs." In this episode I talk with Heather's Choice owner Heather Kelly. Heather was born and raised in Alaska and owns a dehydrated food company based in Anchorage. We talk why Alaska is worth coming back to, why nutrition is important and combatting entrepreneurial obstacles.    

Paranoia is part of new boat ownership, right? And it eventually goes away? Please say yes. In this episode I talk about the joys of owning a real boat and the 2 a.m. storm worries. I also talk about failed stalks during duck hunts, learning new things and release some of the darkness that comes from teaching 1984 in my Science Fiction Literature class. Not just from the surveillance perspective,...

John Peterka runs Sagebrush Dry Goods in Kake, Alaska. Not exactly the hub of outdoor gear so in this episode John and I talk business dynamics and small town life in southeast Alaska. We talk about how he arrived in Kake, how he became accepted by the community, why his latest float plane flight got turned around and of course, what makes Sagebrush Dry Goods so special.    

This is the time of year that New Year's Resolutions fail because it's eating season. From late October to the end of December it's trashy Starbucks drinks, candy, pie, treats, and food in socially acceptable over-eating. After 70 days of terrible eating, no wonder people only last a week in January. Anyway, I talk about the end of deer season, the beginning of coping with those dark cold Alaska d...

Two straight weeks I took a buck, so I was looking to get my 4th and final blacktail, this time with my bow. I talk about what I've learned, the importance of reflection to improve rather than running the same program, and what happened with that buck at 14 yards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's rut season up here in Southeast Alaska so Ryan John and I talk about hunting muskegs. We talk scouting muskegs, what Google Earth can't show you, the importance of hunting the entire way to the muskeg not just the muskeg itself, how long to stay, being quiet, and when to eat snacks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I talk with Juneau resident Kayla Roys about the Roadless Rule. Kayla was born and raised in Juneau and works for Trout Unlimited. We talk features of the Tongass, the impact of logging, and how saving the forest does impact the economy of the region as logging is a way of life for many families who can't simply go out and find another job. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adch...

Inspired by the dude who dropped off another dude into the cove in which we were anchored, I podcast from a secluded beach after taking a buck. I punched the tag at 8:45, so by the time I was back to the beach, I had four hours to kill before my buddies returned from their muskegs and we headed back. Shout to Dave for picking the spot and supplying the boat and tender. Learn more about your ad cho...

So halfway through another unsuccessful day hunting blacktail in the rut, I got a message and a picture from my girlfriend of her and her first ever big game animal, a 5x5 Wyoming elk. I also read part of an email I got from a listener and how perspective changes with success. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a day chasing ducks and deer (both unsuccessful) I recap the learning curve, attitude, and why realizing that no one really cares is the best medicine for stress management when things don't go as planned. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First time hunting mule deer, antelope and lower 48 elk for my girlfriend Abby and me. Trekked 64.7 miles in the hills, mountains and on the prairie. Had some great stalks, a couple good chances but couldn’t get one down. Probably did a lot of stuff wrong but it was still some of the most fun I’ve ever had hunting. Thanks to Jaden Bales from Backcountry Fuel Box for providing some insight and dire...

Jaden Bales from Backcountry Fuel Box and I talk about the risks in the entrepreneurship game, the loaded outdoor field, betting on yourself, favorite hunts and of course, food. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm afraid that we will be totally aware, and not get anything done. Soundbites suck. The global climate strike on Friday was 4-million people deep. Awesome. People care, and there are millions of people who didn't strike Friday who also care about earth. So now what? The "how" is the most important part of this and just because someone thinks the Green New Deal is outlandish doesn't mean he or sh...

Ryan and I were glassing for black bears and two dudes appeared. I went over to them, introduced myself and asked what their plan was so we wouldn't be in the way of each other. They said they were heading to a different peak. We told them we were hunting the bowl in front of us. An hour later, we haven't seen them moving across the flat between peaks. We do see a bear 300 yards beneath us. Then t...

Human history is filled with heart-felt good and unfathomable evil. Unfortunately, that will continue. As a whole, we will do evil to others and evil to ourselves. However, individually we can find ways to fight it. Plenty of people have found ways to live healthy, fulfilling lives. It is not impossible to be healthy and happy. People everywhere are holding themselves to those standards. Know thes...

After seeing Harrison Gottschling's Dall Sheep hunt on The Heart of Hunting, I had more questions, so I talked with Harrison and Steve Frith, who filmed the hunt. We talk about staying positive and motivated to keep hiking after rams blow out, are shot by other hunters or are on the opposite side of the valley. We also talk about the authentic reactions that can't be staged, how to keep that persp...

I call it Episode 105, but it's really 106. Anyway, I'm selling my 15-foot Boston Whaler with a 70 hp Yamaha (200 hours) and looking at upgrading to a mid-level boat to extend my range. I am primarily looking for a boat from which to hunt, camp and set pots, with fishing coming a close second. With that in mind, I've been overwhelmed with the questions that are really unanswerable because the perf...

How does a student from Ketchikan High School measure up against students from the Lower 48? Pretty well. I talk with 2018 Ketchikan High School Valedictorian Largim Zhuta. As a senior Largim was part of the 2018 High School Academic Decathlon Division III National Championship team and just finished his freshman year at Santa Clara University. We talk academic transition, Alaska stereotypes, soci...

I've always liked reading and listening to hunters and anglers who tell stories with their audience, not their ego, in mind. A good hunting story is about a little bit of suffering, a little honesty and just the right embellishment. With blacktail deer season 11 days old, hunters have some great stories that I love hearing, and others with simple, chest thumping tales that tell you more about thei...

Opening Day in the alpine did not disappoint, but it didn't exactly go as planned for Fairbanks resident Steve Shannon and myself. We recap our hunt, but thanks to a lack of specifics and more closing thoughts, I recorded a preface which comes before the recap. In that preamble I talk about why doing hard things is step one for self-confidence and the hypothetical that acts as justification for ch...

Steve Frith from The Heart of Hunting and I talk filming hunts, how to get started, the importance of a good eye rather than expensive gear and the importance of a solid, safe hunting program. Steve recently released the short film of Harrison Gottschling's Dall sheep hunt. Harrison told the story of his hunt on Episode 58 of this podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adcho...