The Western Huntsman Podcast

My buddy Scott Reekers with Eastmans' Hunting Journals joins me for a discussion on hunting the West, Eastmans' TagHub, getting tags in multiple states, hunting mule deer and pronghorn, and a pile of other hunting topics. Scott and I have known each other for almost two years, and he's become a huge resource for me personally, this show, and a great friend! His insight is always a huge value and t...

After jumping on Facebook this morning and scrolling through the many different hunting groups, I noticed a ton of new hunters asking some basic questions about finding and hunting deer. Let's face it, most hunting podcasts are geared more towards the advanced deer hunter. This episode is a resource for those who could benefit from getting back to the basics.  Deer are a fundamental hunt, and the...

The whitetail rut is knocking on our front door here in the West, it's a season I always get excited for. The elusive, mature, public land mountain bucks have proven to be a serious challenge to many a hunter. In this episode, I bring in Jon Gabrio. Gabrio is one of the most consistent whitetail killers I know. He grew up hunting mountain whitetail and seems to hammer a giant every season. He shar...

I've always thought highly of James Nash, but after finally meeting him to record this episode, I'm a huge fan. James is a hunter, Marine veteran, outfitter, rancher, and an incredibly insightful dude! In this episode, James and I discuss different aspects of transitioning from military life to civilian life. We bounce around various hunting experiences, his in-person hunting course in Oregon, the...

Johnathan is the founder of Red Beard Outdoors where he promotes "Faith, Family, Fitness, and the Outdoors." His platform has a YouTube Channel, gear reviews, and a podcast to just to name a few things.  In this episode, Johnathan and I talk about his transition into archery elk hunting, how fitness applies to hunters, and how hunter contention is putting the future of hunting at risk. I really en...

Semi Bird is a Marine veteran, a Green Beret hero, a business man, a PHD student, and best of all... a Gubernatorial candidate for the state of Washington! Yet there's much more than that to Mr. Bird. He joins me this week to discuss his story, military and political background, and his platform should he become the next Governor of Washington. We discuss his profound journey from a childhood of p...

I can always count on Garrett Weaver, host of the On Point Podcast, to bring his A-Game for a great conversation. I really value his insight with issues we face as hunters and not to mention, he's truly a badass bowhunter.  In this episode, Garrett and I bounce off all sorts of topics. We have a quick debate around whether hunter numbers are high enough or not, and the importance of winning the he...

It's here! Ready or not, September elk season is upon us and I couldn't be more excited! This is the last School of September for 2023, and what better way to end it than with Jason Phelps?? Founder of Phelps Game Calls, life-long elk hunter, family man, business man, and undoubtedly one of the worlds best elk callers. Jason joins me to layout some of his favorite elk calling tips, hunting strateg...

Ray Livingston is a hunter, survivalist, homesteader, wildlife manager, and a personality on the hit TV show, Mountain Men. I've been following Ray on social media for years. He has an incredible story complimented by a super friendly, yet straightforward personality.  In this episode, Ray and I discuss some of the symptoms of an unhappy society burdened with the comforts of modern life. We talk a...

There are many ways to define homesteading, whether off-grid or not, it's a growing lifestyle choice across the country. I was surprised at the amount of questions I've received around my family's choice to live this kind of life, so I figured it was time to do an episode about it.  In this episode, I discuss our recent move from our old homestead to our new one. I talk about why we moved, where w...

Gabriel Saindon is a husband, hunter, and founder of Ivory Holsters out of Colorado. We were connected through a past show guest and listener who nominated me to win an Ivory Holster, and my name was drawn. Curious, I wanted to get Gabriel's story.  Gabriel is the epitomy of the American dream. Taking an idea to a concept, and then to a full time business. From his basement to a new career, Gabrie...

Trent Marsh is a hunter and Communications Manager for Spypoint. Trent and I talk about trail cameras, camera placement, scouting, and some of the politics and rules around setting trail cameras.  As an avid trail camera enthusiat, I'd be interested in your thoughts and feedback regarding the debate of trail camera use. For me, utilizing trail cameras is a sort of sub-hobby of mine connected to hu...

Brian Barney of The Eastmans Elevated Podcast is one of the most successful bowhunters of our time. He's also perhaps the nicest guy I've met in the hunting space. Brian is powerhouse in the realm of archery elk, mule deer, and just about anything else the American West has to offer.  In this episode, Brian shares his strategies for locating elk in any type of country, backcountry versus base camp...

Return Guest, Dan Pickar, is a writer, editor, and video producer at Eastmans Hunting Journals. He's also a fanatical bowhunter and one of the main content creators for Eastman's Mule Deer eCourse.  This week, Dan and I chat up some early season mule deer hunting strategy. We talk about his journey into the hunting industry. Then, in typical Western Huntsman fashion, the passions boil over the cur...

Return guest Sam Davis returns to the show for a School of September as promised! In most School of September episodes, we explore mostly elk vocalizations, bugling, cow calls, setups, etc... This month, I thought it would be a good idea to offer up a different take for our spot & stalk elk hunters, and Sam delivers! We talk about locating elk in different country, getting close, using terrain and...

Mike Duplan is a retired firefighter, writer, author, hunter, and a guy with enough experience to justify we all take a minute to listen.  In this episode, we discuss his background in hunting and writing, some firefighter stuff, and the hard lessons learned over the years. We talk about how there is this tendency for some hunters to be in a constant search for a cheat code or easy button in hunti...

As far as we know, we're not related. But Justin Huntsman may as well be my long lost brother who actually knows what he's doing behind a bow. Justin is one helluva a big game hunter. From mule deer to elk, and all over the great state of Idaho, Justin has notched many a tag. His wife and him also breed world-class golden retrievers, which my wife and I bought a pup from two years ago. He's a tota...

Jeremiah Doughty is the founder of From Field to Plate, he's a hunter, chef, podcaster, family man, and an awesome guest for this podcast! In this episode, Jeremiah and I discuss butchering wildgame, preparing wildgame, the From Field to Plate concept, mentoring new hunters, preparedness, and lots more! Learn about Jeremiah's past in regards to his food allergy to beef and how he turned that into...

Title Sponsor: Phelps Game Calls, Get 'Em Close! You're in for a treat this episode with my friend, Joe Giglia! Joe is the founder of Elk Bros, a massive elk hunting platform designed to coach hunters to elk hunting success. Online course, coaching, podcasts, and tons of gear, Elk Bros has made quite the impact on the elk hunting community.  In this episode, Joe goes into some major "holes in thei...

Meet my new friend, Wade Sapp. Wade is a singer/songwriter based in Nashville and is making waves with his fresh sound and songwriting abilities. I'm a fan of his edgy yet traditional sound, and you will be too! I reached out to Wade to discuss his music career, his unique sound, his roots of growing up in the South, and his tour coming to Washington and Montana this summer. I really enjoyed getti...

Return guest, Michael Batease with the Elk Calling Academy is back in the saddle this week! Michael is a lifelong elk hunter and familiar face in the hunting community. His unique perspective with elk hunting has notched many an elk tag throughout the years and he has revamped his Elk Calling Academy platform with a new website. It's surely worth a look! In this episode, we talk about some elk str...

Chris Hunt is the founder of a platform called The Code of the West. He's a writer, comic creator, artist, and has worked for some amazing brands like Kryptec and Black Rifle Coffee. I didn't know Chris but followed his page and thought he would be an interesting guy to get on the show... And boy was I right! Chris and I found several commonalities and have likely crossed trails a few times. We di...

Adam is an Alaskan pilot and hunter, family man, homesteader, and a part of the Stuck N The Rut group. Raised in North Idaho, Adam has a TON of stories to tell. In this episode, we discuss his flying background, the Stuck N The Rut YouTube, hunting wolves and other Alaskan adventures, hunters on social media and phony influencers, stolen antlers, and lots more. What I liked about Adam was his unas...

Cody Rich is the founder of The Rich Outdoors, a hunting platform of podcasts, an online hunting course, home to the Rich Ideas Lab, and several products designed for hunters and entrepreneurs. His podcast is one of the original hunting shows made famous by Wapiti Wednesdays and Muley Mondays.  Cody has no shortage of success in the elk woods. His skills are dynamite and backed by notched tags in...

Jaden Bales is the Communications Director for Wyoming Wildlife Federation and a return guest.  This week, we get some Spring Bear updates from Jaden and talk about baiting and spot and stalk. We get into some affects of winter kill this winter, and discuss how you can win the coveted Wyoming Commissioners Tag! Jaden is always a pleasure to get on the show between his great personality and his pas...