The Outdoor Hour

In this week's episode Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton are joined by Kurt Kuklinski from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to discuss the recently released MeatEater episode Oklahoma Mule Deer (a film project we've called Dust Bowl Mule Deer). This film project tells the story of the work being done by ODWC and Oklahoma State University to better understand the Mule Deer population...

In this week's episode, Trevor Groves joins Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton to tell stories from his fifteen day trip hunting caribou and Dall sheep in Canada's Northwest Territories. After years of preparing and planning, it's the things he never saw coming that made this such a memorable experience. After nearly two weeks of trekking through some of the most isolated terrain on the planet, Trevo...

In this week's episode Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton are joined by Kyle Muzny to recount his trip to Reindeer Lake in Northern Saskatchewan chasing massive lake trout and pike on the fly rod. Trout Camp, an impressive fishing outfit way up North, offers anglers an opportunity to learn traditional tactics for fishing and preparing their harvest with comfortable accommodations and friendly staff....

In this episode Taylor Maples recounts his week chasing Tarpon on a fly rod off Florida's Atlantic Coast. There are a small handful out outdoor experiences that Taylor says have altered his brain chemistry, and jumping tarpon on a fly rod is among the most impactful adventures he's had. Josh Stratton, a seasoned salt water guide, has some unique perspective to offer as Taylor relives and wrestles...

In this episode Taylor Maples chats with Brett Lowry to discuss his business and the custom rowers bench he built for Taylor's 30 year old Clackacraft drift boat. Trout Boat Cap'n has become a leading producer of high quality personalized boat seats with unmatched attention to detail and master craftsmanship. On top of his growing business creating rowers benches, custom cooler seats, and more for...

In this week's episode Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton chat with Jacob DeVecchio from Oklahoma Fungi, the premier resource for mushroom education in Oklahoma. For many, Springtime in the outdoors offers a multitude of opportunities; turkey hunting, shed hunting, and morel mushroom hunting. Jacob is one of the foremost figures in Oklahoma's fungi community and sheds some light on the #MushLove move...

In this week's episode Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton discuss Oklahoma Senate Bill 941 with two of the bill's architects, Catherine Appling-Pooler, National Deer Association's Director of Policy, and Randall Cole, Oklahoma Ducks Unlimited's State Policy Chair. Today the bill has bipartisan support in both Oklahoma's House and Senate--but it hasn't always been that way. After numerous evolutions o...

In this episode Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton catch up with Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation's Wildlife Diversity and Research Supervisor Kurt Kuklinski. Kurt was an integral part of the recent Dust Bowl Mule Deer film project with The Mule Deer Foundation, MeatEater, and Oklahoma State University and joined the guys at Western Hunting and Conservation Expo to talk about the project...

In this episode Taylor Maples chats with Sarah Blue and Jessica Curran from Ledger Outdoors about their female owned outdoor brand and their first experience as vendors at OKC's Backwoods Hunting and Fishing Show. As newcomers to the outdoor industry but lifelong outdoor enthusiasts, Sarah and Jessica have blown away at the positive reception they've felt and the community they've found after step...

In this episode Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton talk about the end of Show Season in the Outdoor Industry, culminating with the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo in Salt Lake City, including the premier of MeatEater's Dust Bowl Mule Deer film project with the Mule Deer Foundation, Oklahoma's Department of Wildlife Conservation, and Oklahoma State University. Taylor also recaps his weekend trip...

In this episode, Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton catch up after several weeks apart while Josh represents the Mule Deer Foundation on the road for Show Season. Josh shares stories from the road, Taylor teases an upcoming fishing trip to the White River targeting big brown trout on the fly at night, and more!

"If every season were as hard as this one, I'd quit." In this episode Taylor Maples is joined by Brad Clay from Final Descent Outdoors to talk about the challenges they experienced in the 2023 deer hunting season. Plus, the guys find common ground in trying to fit their outdoor pursuits around more and more demanding family activities.

In this week's episode Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton are joined by MeatEater's Ryan Callaghan to talk about a joint project in Oklahoma’s panhandle between MeatEater, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, Oklahoma State University, and the Mule Deer Foundation. Dust Bowl Mule Deer is a film project which tells the forgotten story of the last mule deer population segment in the countr...

In this episode, Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton chat with Rhett Acker, owner of Oklahoma Drone Recovery Company, about his first season using thermal drones for deer recovery. Rhett first joined The Outdoor Hour back in September (S2 Ep18) alongside Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Game Warden Wade Farrar, producing the most-downloaded episode of 2023. Now with an entire deer season u...

In this episode Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton are joined by Captain Chris Wittman from Captains for Clean Water to talk about an organization spearheading conservation of precious waters in the United States lead by those who make their living on the water. Listen to hear more about how they got started, why the things they've learned have shaped conservation efforts for other organizations, and...

In this episode, Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton are joined by the Cameron Family from Australia to talk about their lives as commercial hunters. There is so much to learn about he nuances of outdoor lifestyles and cultures around the world, and the Cameron's give an interesting perspective into how America's model compares.

In this episode Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton are joined by MeatEater's renowned wild game chef and James Beard Award winner Jesse Griffiths. Beginning in the restaurant business, Jesse's entry into hunting happened backwards from most of us--rather than looking for things to do with his harvests, he set out to find locally and intentionally sourced supplies for his recipes. The result? One of t...

In this episode Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton chat with Dan Orr and Dane Kaylor about their recent trip to Venice, Louisiana chasing Reds on the fly. Despite some of the worst weather conditions imaginable, the crew managed to land a handful of massive fish and create memories to last a lifetime. If you like stories of anglers overcoming challenges to get it done--this one's for you!

In this episode, Taylor Maples chats with the Big Game Biologist from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, Dallas Barber, about Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Oklahoma. What you need to know, what the ODWC is doing about it, and how you can help in research and mitigation. Plus, we get some deer hunting tips from the guy who knows more about deer than anyone else in the state.

In this week's episode, Taylor Maples shares his experience targeting 30" brown trout on the White River in North Central Arkansas on the fly--at night. After a weekend full of hucking big streamers and mouse patterns, Taylor and Josh Stratton talk about Taylor's new skills and his new appreciation for fly fishing in an unfamiliar environment. A small dose of humility, several massive brown trout,...

In this week's episode we dive into the hot topic of Thermal Drones and their application to deer recovery in Oklahoma. Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton are joined by Rhett Acker of Oklahoma Drone Recovery Co and Wade Farrar, the Assistant Chief of Law Enforcement for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to talk about what's legal, what's not, and what hunters need to know.

In this episode, Josh Stratton is literally breaking in new hunting boots. He and Taylor Maples talk about gear, trying new products, and more. Plus, we settle the argument over scent control--using listener responses to social media polls to help us decide once and for all whether scent control products are a waste of money.

In this episode, Taylor Maples and Josh Stratton discuss where their focuses lie this time of year: a little fishing, a little deer prep, a lot of travel updates, plus a look at all the events on our calendar this Fall--from the Oklahoma Waterfowl Festival to the World Squirrel Cook Off. We chat with our Once in a Lifetime Fly Fishing Trip winners who call-in from Yellowstone to talk about the fir...

In this week's episode Taylor Maples, Josh Stratton, and Todd Lisenbee discuss the films from the 2023 Full Draw Film Tour. From high caliber production values to single-camera operations; from $2,000+ SIKTA kits to Bluey hoodies; from seasoned outdoorsmen to first-timers, this film tour had it all...and then a little more (what did that guy have on his head?) Plus, Taylor finally brought bear cra...

In this week's episode, Josh Stratton recounts his week-long trip to Eastern Idaho fly fishing on The Teton River. Along with catching some great fish, Josh had 10+ moose encounters...more than most outdoorsmen have their entire lives. The Teton Valley of Idaho is home to some of the best scenery in the Lower 48, and the guys enjoy sharing stories from time spent in this heaven-on-earth location....