Wisconsin Sportsman

On this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman Podcast, Pierce sits down with Tony Van Asten to learn all about how Tony approaches hunting in the hills of the Driftless region, and what he does to locate big bucks. Tony is a Wisconsin native and an outstanding all-around woodsman. Whether he's hunting big bucks, checking the trapline, or scrounging for massive sheds, Tony is an expert when it comes t...

On this episode of the Wisconsin Sportsman Podcast, Pierce speaks with chef and author Hank Shaw about the culinary world of wild game cooking! The guys discuss the increasing interest in hunting and gathering, Hank's personal journey into the culinary arts, and the upcoming Wild Alask & Wild Wisconsin dinner series featuring wild game dishes, that will be held January 29th & 30th at Seven Acre Da...

On this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman Podcast, Pierce is joined by Damon Zito of Vortex Optics to cover everything you need to know about water trapping in Wisconsin! Damon shares the story of how he got into trapping through a co-worker at Vortex, and how the fascination of lesser-seen critters like muskrat, mink, beaver, and even river otters sparked his desire to get into water trapping. B...

On this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman Podcast, Pierce is flying solo covering everything you need to know about fly fishing for Driftless trout this winter! Expect to learn what gear you need to stay safe and warm while hitting the creeks in frigid temps, what bugs the fish are eating this time of year and the flies you need to imitate them, where to find trout throughout a creek this time of...

On this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman, Pierce and Josh reflect on the past year, and discuss their experiences and lessons learned in hunting, fishing, and business. The guys discuss the impact of CWD and the state of the modern deer herd, insights from past podcast guests, reflections on their podcasting journeys and personal growth throughout the past year, highlights and low points of 2024...

On this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman Podcast, Pierce sits down with outdoor writer, Patrick Durkin to talk about Pat's career as an outdoor writer, what Pat's early hunting years were like with a shotgun and a bicycle, the demographic divide across the outdoor landscape, the politics of deer hunting, reducing the deer hunter death count, recreational brush-cutting, the need for public lands,...

The guys dive into Brian's season which started out in North Dakota, the trials and tribulations of targeting a big buck out there, the heartbreak he experienced learning a state that he knows he may not return to, how social media may be numbing us as hunters and taking the spark out of hunting, how he got his spark back after shooting a nice buck with his bow, a close-quarters opening day gun hu...

On this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman, Pierce is joined by outdoor writer, Matt Geiger to talk all about his journey into hunting, the challenges faced by adult onset hunters, and the welcoming nature of the hunting community. The guys discuss the realities of hunting, tools and resources available for new hunters, and the art of writing about hunting experiences. Matt shares insights on the...

In this episode of the Wisconsin Sportsman Podcast, host Pierce Nelles reflects on his deer hunting season, sharing insights and lessons learned from his experiences hunting public land. He discusses the challenges faced during the season, the importance of scouting, understanding deer behavior, and the thrill of the chase as he pursues a big buck. The conversation emphasizes the educational journ...

On this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman Podcast, Pierce is joined by BHA Board Member, Alec Bekkers and Quinn Erdman from Pass It On Outdoor Mentors to talk all about their Colorado elk hunt that was nothing if not eventful, with a touch of Wisconsin Deer camp on top of it all. Alec and Quin share a ton in this episode (almost too much) including how the Wisconsin Deer Camp atmosphere translate...

On this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman Podcast, Pierce sits down with Josh for their annual mid-November recap, the guys break down their rut hunting experiences thus far, what they've been seeing, lessons they've learned, stories of close encounters, where their heads are at, and what their plans are for the rest of the rut. Topics covered include what to do after the magical November 7th mar...

On this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman, Pierce hops on the line with Sean Timmens & Linda Bennett, owners of Spring Valley Tracking & Game Recovery, to talk all about recovering deer after they're hit. Sean & Linda share their accumulated knowledge of blood tracking deer in all kinds of environments, how they got into blood tracking, what training looks like for tracking dogs, what a typical b...

On this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman, Pierce is joined by Cam Maderski & Jacob Sklenar to hear the epic story of how Cam punched the tag on his first public land giant! Pierce recounts the lessons learned from his unsuccessful hunt after putting a bad shot on a nice buck, and then the guys dive into everything leading up to Cam's success. Cam & Jacob highlight the their friendship over the y...

On this episode of the Wisconsin Sportsman, Pierce is joined by the one and only Dave McChesney for a mid-season catchup and discussion around what they've learned this season since making the switch from hunting out of saddles to stands. The guys cover a wide range of topics including the stress and pressure that can sometimes come along with hunting, the weird and wild story of Dave's successful...

On this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman, Pierce is joined by host of the Nine Finger Chronicles Podcast, Dan Johsnon to talk about developing a strategy for hunting the pre-rut, understanding how to quantify different types of deer sign, whether you should prioritize scrapes or terrain features, interpreting night time trail camera photos, the importance of consistency in deer movement, and how...

In this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman, Pierce is joined by Josh Raley to catch up, and have a little therapy session about how each of their fall's have been going so far. The guys cover a wide range of topics such as hunting media, being swamped with busy work schedules and road time, each of their two hunts so far this season, whether or not we can negotiate flying Josh to Wisconsin for a m...

On this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman, we hear part two of Pierce's conversation with Andrae D'Acquisto of Lone Wolf Custom Gear, to talk all about the "bump & dump" style of hunting, how to pull it off depending on time of day, what time of year it works best, how to plan your hunt, the different levels of bumping deer, picking a specific tree to pull this off successfully, using this tactic...

In this episode of the Wisconsin Sportsman podcast, host Pierce Nelles is joined by the XOP team, including Byron Horton, Tom Lalond, and Brock Jensen. They discuss their unique hunting experiences, particularly focusing on their recent project, "Sand Tines", which chronicles a river hunt in Wisconsin. The conversation delves into the planning, logistics, and strategies involved in hunting along r...

In this episode of the Wisconsin Sportsman Podcast, host Pierce Nelles reflects on his journey over the past year and welcomes back guest Gus Merwin to discuss preparations for duck season. They delve into the allure of North Dakota as a prime waterfowl hunting destination, sharing insights on scouting techniques, essential gear, and the importance of building relationships with local landowners....

On this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman, Pierce sits down with Josh Krstic from the Whitetail Addictions Team to talk about Josh's journey as a hunter, overcoming target panic & buck fever, scouting in-season, what early-season sign he keys in on, how to hunt low, brushing in your stand, hunting on highly pressured ground, and staying in the right mindset all season long.  If you're looking for...

On this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman, Pierce is joined by host of the Huntavore Podcast: Nick Otto, to talk all about caring for your venison, ways avoid field dressing mistakes, how to overcome any mishaps, how much cleaning you should do to your venison, keeping the meat cool in warm temperatures, ways to prevent bacteria growth, cleaning equipment that may have contacted CWD prions, and h...

On this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman, Pierce is joined by Sam Bilhorn of Whitetail Partners to discuss what last-minute projects, tasks, and chores folks need to be thinking about to get their hunting properties ready before the archery opener. The guys discuss the importance of early-season strategy, planning and cleaning up access routes, how to think about accessing and hunting draws, bot...

On this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman, Pierce sits down with the lone wolf himself; Andrae D'Acquisto to talk all about the keys to consistently killing trophy bucks, hunting fresh sign, tactically pressuring deer, staying mobile, high-level thermal concepts, and above all else: hunting like a wolf If there's any name out there that's practically synonymous with big deer, it's Andrae D'Acquis...

On this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman, Pierce sits down with the Wisconsin Deer Program Specialist, Jeff Pritzl to discuss all major deer hunting updates, how dynamic of a state Wisconsin is to manage deer in, how the Department of Natural Resources really operates, how public input is crucial to getting things done, why not everyone's hunting situation may be a reflection of DNR data, and ho...

On this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman, Pierce sits down with BHA Boardmember Alec Bekkers, and NDA Field to Fork Coordinator, Brock Rosenkranz to recap their experience at the Beast Mode Archery Challenge, talk about everything that goes into coordinating Learn to Hunt events, lessons learned by both mentors & mentees, and some of the biggest hurdles, motivators, and rewarding experiences for...