Pennsylvania Woodsman

This week on the Pennsylvania Woodsman we are going back to the biology classroom.  We have a conversation with the state’s furbearer biologist: Thomas Keller.  Tom is a down to earth family man who enjoys hunting and trapping as much as the next guy in line.  When he reached out to us to share information about this potential reintroduction, skepticism was fairly high.  Is it really worth bringin...

On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, we chat with listener Charlie Baer.  Charlie laid down his best buck to date this past archery season and we break down his hunt and the steps leading to his success.  Over the past few seasons, Charlie has developed a mobile hunting system that works for him using a saddle and sticks.  We discuss how this style of hunting has changed his mental...

On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman we are discussing current events happening in our neighboring state; New Jersey.  On November 15th, the state voted unanimously to reinstate a bear season from December 5-10th.  There has not been a bear hunt since 2020.  During that time frame, there has been an explosion in the bear population and a substantial increase in bear-human conflicts....

On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman we are first joined by Nick Otto from the Huntavore podcast on Sportsmen's Empire.  Nick calls in to join us during the start of Michigan's firearm deer season, something Pennsylvania will be doing in just another week.  Nick's podcast focuses on the aftermath of a successful hunt and how to break down and properly process game for quality table...

This week on the Pennsylvania Woodsman Mitch and Robby have a round table discussion with some experienced PA black bear hunters.  Returning to the podcast is Mark Lesher, along with Chris (Chopper) Schroeder and Robby's dad, Rob Henne.  We cover a multitude of topics including scouting, finding food, reading terrain, adapting to hunting pressure, planning drives with the wind in mind, communicati...

Most deer hunters impatiently wait for the first week of November.  Now that it's here, are you ready?  Have you formulated a game plan to capitalize?  Was the work you did to prepare in the off season enough?  This week on the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitch is joined by Jon Teater from Whitetail Landscapes.  Jon is a professional whitetail hunting property consultant, avid deer hunter, and the host...

The first time Mitch heard Paul Campbell from the Ohio Outdoors (O2) podcast say the words, "the month of October belongs to turkeys," he thought Paul needed to be checked into a mental hospital!  However, after chatting with Paul and Brett Barry on this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, there may be some merit to those words after all!  Both Brett and Paul think about turkeys the way m...

There are tons of fantastic deer hunters across the entire country.  Each and every one of them has a unique set of tactics they bring to the table.  Usually they are developed specific to the regions they hunt most.  Deer density, hunting pressure, food sources and more all affect the strategy of targeting mature whitetails.  While there are many great hunters who can relate these components well...

Pennsylvania is one of the few states that does not allow baiting or the use of hounds for hunting black bears.  With the extreme diversity in habitat across this state, harvesting one with a bow can be a difficult task.  However, with the season expansion and increase in bear population, archers taking the field in pursuit of these bruins have slightly better odds then they may have historically....

This week on the Pennsylvania Woodsman we chat with the boss man himself, the man behind Sportsmen's Empire, Mr. Dan Johnson.  We converse over our current life routine including family life with children and slowly lead into hunting season.  Dan discusses the recent changes in hunting properties he is experiencing from losing one of his main properties and having to pull his gear off the land wit...

Pennsylvania began allowing hunters to recover wounded big game with dogs during the 2018 season.  While we always aspire to place shots that require short track jobs, it's only part of hunting to make a bad shot.  On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman we sit down with bowhunter and blood tracker Otto Shick.  Otto is a humble farmer from Southeast Pennsylvania that has been bowhuntin...

It's that time of year when all the stars begin to align, the weather is cooling down, and it's finally go-time.  You've waited all year long for this, and you're going to do everything in your power to spend the maximum amount of time in the field.  How many times do you tell yourself that this task or event can wait until after hunting season?  It's so easy to get caught up in the mindset that h...

This week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman Mitch and Robby catch up with Matt Zirnsak from The Push Archery.  Matt is from western Pennsylvania and is a diehard bowhunter who is partial to taking a recurve to the field. We begin our conversation with Matt's introduction to bowhunting and traditional archery, then navigate from flinging arrows to competitive status.  We discuss a ton of thing...

On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman we chat with Donovan Remp and Austin Schlenker.  These guys are completely ate up with bowfishing, and we have a fantastic B.S. session all about shooting fish.  If you've never tried bowfishing, these guys will peak your interest.  Not only is it extremely stimulating, as the title states, some of the species they are targeting make for incredib...

September is here, which means deer season has arrived!  That includes the special regulations season in Pennsylvania including units 5C, 5D, and 2B.  It's a fantastic opportunity to get in the deer woods slightly before the rest of the state.  On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, we chatted with someone who has found repeated success on opening day during this early season.   Our...

This week on the Pennsylvania Woodsman we chat with Garrett Regalski who is the owner of Fowl Intentions and co-owner of PA Boyz Outdoors.  Garrett eats, sleeps and breathes goose hunting and adjusts life around chasing the flyways.  For six months out of the year he is putting his shotgun through constant use and abuse in any weather you'd imagine.  Needless to say, opening day cannot come fast e...

On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman we are chatting with Phil Holcombe about the Pennsylvania Bowhunters Festival.  Phil is now the third generation leading with his team of volunteers to make this event happen annually.  It is the oldest gathering of bowhunters in the world!  It's an opportunity for fellowship, comradery, archery shooting, networking, and just pure bowhunting fun!...

Trail cameras are arguably the most helpful scouting tool available.  Even though recently an ethics debate has emerged, they are still valuable when learning animal patterns and behavior.  Many of us find ourselves adding to our arsenal of cameras each season.  More cameras means more pictures, which can definitely lead to a massive time investment as well as a headache in organization.  However,...

It's that time of year where final preparations are coming together for archery season.  Food plot planting is in full swing throughout most of the country and beginning to pick up here in the northeast.  Social media is blowing up with guys tilling and planting, promoting different seed blends and manufacturers.  But how do you really know what fits best for your situation?  This week on the Penn...

There is something special about digging in the dirt, especially, when you know the dirt under your fingernails belongs to you. On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, we chat with Mike Daquilante about his experiences manipulating his 130 acre farm in western Pennsylvania.  For 25+ years, Mike has been removing invasives, planting food plots, and trying to leave his property better t...

When this episode drops, there are only 71 days remaining before Pennsylvania's statewide archery season opens.  Season preparation is in full swing for many diehards and the anticipation is creeping up.  That also means the time of year is approaching when sportsmen and women are spending less time at home with family.  How do you handle the balance between your outdoor passion and family time? O...

This week on the Pennsylvania Woodsman we pick back up where we left off in last week's conversation with Cory Gulvas.  Cory discusses a little more whitetail hunting strategy which then leads us into what he is truly most passionate about: traditional archery.  Mature mountain bucks in the northeast can be an extremely difficult quarry to encounter in the first place.  But connecting on one with...

This week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman Podcast we chat with a fairly well known Pennsylvania Native, Cory Gulvas.  For those who do not know, Cory killed the number 2 typical whitetail with his recurve during the 2020 hunting season in Pennsylvania.  Cory is extremely humble and believes there was a lot of luck behind that success story.  However, we believe that luck is something that f...

It can be so easy to be consumed by your passion in the outdoors.  Whether you're after a Pope and Young, going on a cross country turkey hunting tour, or logging hundreds of hours casting a line, it can become quite infectious.  But at the end of the day, why do we do what we do?  For one, our own self ambition can drive us to chase thrill and adventure.  However at the end of the day, there is m...

This week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman Mitch dives into some season preparation with a bit more philosophy than direct strategy.  As June slips away into the heat of summer, time to prepare for the upcoming archery season is also fading.  Work has taken a significant chunk of Mitch's time but he still managed to help out and share the latest status of food plots at his hunting locations...