Wisconsin Sportsman

Everybody loves a good hunting story. They allow us to relive hunts from the past, and bring others into those special memories. But not all hunting stories are created equal. Some, in fact, are a good as they are painful. Such is the case for Julian Young's hunt for a buck he called "The Big 6." After tons of encounters, years of history and trail camera photos, and a single minded focus on takin...

Deer season is so close you can almost smell it! If you haven't already, it's time to break out the gear, get things organized, and make adjustments based on what you liked, or didn't like, from last year's kit. Few folks in the hunting industry know gear quite like Dan Johnson. He hosts the Nine Finger Chronicles Podcast and the Hunting Gear Podcast on the Sportsmen's Empire Podcast Network. In t...

It's almost deer season! Over the next couple of weeks, we're going to be bringing you success stories to get you in a whitetail state of mind! In this episode of the Wisconsin Sportsman, Josh talks with Caleb Hewitt about the hunt for Caleb's 2020 archery buck. Caleb hunts a medium sized property in Wisconsin. While attempting a hang and hunt in 2020, Caleb's target buck ALMOST busted him as he w...

In this episode of the Wisconsin Sportsman Podcast, Josh talks with Alec Bekkers and Matthew Reel about the Wisconsin chapter of the BHA and the upcoming Wisconsin State Rendezvous. Back Country Hunters & Anglers strives to be the voice for our wild public lands, waters, and wildlife. They accomplish this through education, conservation work, and advocacy. Essential to this mission is volunteers l...

Over 90% of the sate of Wisconsin is in the midst of a significant drought right now. In fact, much of the whitetail's range is in the midst of a drought. As deer hunters and habitat managers, how should we adapt? In this episode of the Wisconsin Sportsman Podcast Josh talks with Sam Bilhorn of Whitetail Partners about strategies for overcoming drought conditions. Sam shares his steps for creating...

In this episode of the Wisconsin Sportsman Podcast, Josh talks with Nathan Woelfel about his new book, The Year of 500 Fish.  Nathan Woelfel is a serious Wisconsin Sportsman. He does a little bit of everything, from fishing to upland and waterfowl hunting to deer hunting. If you can do it outside in Wisconsin, Nathan is all about it. But somewhere along the way, Nathan's relationship with fishing...

In this episode of the Wisconsin Sportsman Podcast, Josh talks with Melissa Pierick and Kevin Thusius from the Ice Age Trail Alliance. According to their website, the mission of the Ica Age Trail Alliance is to conserve, create, maintain, and promote the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. Visit iceagetrail.org to learn more. Check out the Sportsmen's Empire Podcast Network for more relevant outdoor co...

In this episode of the Wisconsin Sportsman, Josh talks with Jacob Sklenar about Jacob's approach to map scouting and how that's contributed to his success in the whitetail woods.  Jacob is an engineer by trade, and this definitely shows in his approach to map scouting! He's organized, methodical, and has developed an approach that consistently puts him the the vicinity of big bucks. In this episod...

In this episode of the Wisconsin Sportsman Podcast, Josh talks with Pierce Nelles of Good Chance Fly Fishing for part 2 of a discussion about essential gear for Driftless fly fishing. Tune in, gear up, and go catch some Driftless trout! Check out the Sportsmen's Empire Podcast Network for more relevant, outdoor content! Connect with Josh and The Wisconsin Sportsman Podcast on Instagram . Connect w...

Let's face it, we all need to find access to more hunting land. Your grandma's back 40 could be sold by a family member that doesn't share your passion. One year, your cherished lease might not hold the deer or turkeys you're after. The geese may totally avoid that crop field you've had permission on for years and spend their mornings on the neighbor's field. That public piece you've put so many y...

It’s almost summer! It’s hot, the woods are thick, and the water is calling your name. But for the die-hard whitetail hunter, the work never stops. It’s time to get boots on the ground for some summer scouting! While fighting ticks, thick vegetation and a three-digit heat index may not sound like a lot of fun, summer scouting can set you up for success this fall, especially if you’re covering unfa...

Turkey season is winding down, but it ain't over until it's over! In this episode of the Wisconsin Sportsman, Josh talks turkey hunting, calling tactics, and decoy strategies w/ Matt Streim of Weathered Oaks Game Calls. Matt is a turkey hunting savage and has had an incredible 2023 Spring Turkey season. In this episode, he and Josh recap Matt's season, talk calling strategy for different scenarios...

In this episode of the Wisconsin Sportsman Podcast, Josh talks with Pierce Nelles of Good Chance Fly Fishing about essential gear for Driftless fly fishing.  The guys kick things off with a quick recap of the last couple weeks of Pierce's turkey season then move on into the topic at hand: Driftless fly fishing. There are lots of options when it comes to fly fishing gear, and much of it can seem fi...

In this episode of the Wisconsin Sportsman Podcast, Josh talks with Pierce Nelles about how he recently scored on a double bearded WI gobbler.  Pierce encountered a series of unfortunate events that led to him missing out on a few of the tags he was hoping to have for earlier in the turkey season. Needless to say, by the time Pierce's turkey season rolled around, he was chomping at the bit! After...

Wisconsin's turkey season is shaping up to be a good one and it's still going strong! Despite bad weather for the Period A opener, Josh was able to connect on a public land bird at 3 o'clock on opening day. Tune in to hear how scouting, knowledge of the land, pushing through bad weather, and making a new friend resulted in a successful hunt and a kill on film! Check out the Sportsmen's Empire Podc...

In this episode of the Wisconsin Sportsman Podcast, Josh and Pierce discuss the ups, downs, and eventual success of Josh's recent Iowa turkey hunt.  Josh had a Period A tag for Wisconsin this year, and as luck would have it, some season 2 tags in Iowa were available that just so happened to be good for April 14-18. So Josh scooped up an Iowa tag anticipating a pretty vanilla hunt in the land of th...

Are you interested in filming your hunts so you can share your experiences with friends and family? If so, this is the episode for you! In this episode of the Wisconsin Sportsman Podcast, Josh talks with Zoe Phillips of TACTACAM about how she got into the outdoors and TACTACAM's product lineup. They cover not only features of each camera in the TACTACAM lineup, but also soem tips and tricks for ge...

It's April, and that means many outdoorsmen and women in Wisconsin have fishing and turkey hunting on the brain. But wait! Don't forget about those whitetail chores! April is a great month to wrap up some of the major projects on your deer hunting ground and get yourself in a great position to tag a mature buck next fall. But do you know how to capitalize on this time of year to better your deer h...

Josh's turkey hunting road trip (dare we call it a Turkey Tour!?) begins in less than two weeks! Having added an Iowa tag to the list, Josh reached out to the host of the Nine Finger Chronicles Podcast Dan Johnson to talk about planning for out of state hunting trips and what to expect for Iowa.  Dan is no stranger to out of state trips. Each year, Dan hunts a handful of states, including some lon...

Turkey hunters in the south are off to the races, chasing gobbling birds through the swamps and pines. Meanwhile, much of the rest of the country waits for the temps to finally warm and the last of the snow to melt, still a couple weeks away from thinking about turkey hunting. But what if there was a way for you to hunt turkeys RIGHT NOW, weeks before the season begins in your state? In this episo...

In this episode of the Wisconsin Sportsman, Josh talks guiding hunts and turkey hunting strategy with Jeremy Dersham of Ridge & River Running Outfitters. Jeremy has been calling in turkeys for hunters since before he could hunt for himself. His passion for the outdoors and chasing wild game has led him to make a career of guiding hunters in highly successful hunts for waterfowl and turkey in Wisco...

Spring is right around the corner, and with it, those vicious blood suckers that cause over half a million Americans to fall ill each year: ticks. No matter your favorite outdoor pursuit, ticks pose a significant problem. Fortunately, there are many things we can do to protect ourselves and our loved ones while in the field.  In this episode of the Wisconsin Sportsman Podcast, Josh talks with Bria...

In this episode of the Wisconsin Sportsman Podcast, Josh talks with Dylan Hazen about turkey hunting, learning from the best, and filming your hunts.  Dylan is a Wisconsin native and long time hunter. Growing up primarily as a gun deer hunter, his passion pushed him to spend more time afield so he picked up a bow. That same passion has now led him to a career path where he has gotten the opportuni...

The next two months are arguably the best time to get in some post-season scouting for whitetails.  Antlers are dropping, snow is melting revealing even more sign from last fall, and the woods are as open as they'll be all year. These conditions create a real opportunity for whitetail hunters to maximize their time in the field. Couple these conditions with the fact that bumping deer this time of...

While turkey hunters in many states ring their hands about the future of the wild turkey in their states, Wisconsin turkey hunters have a lot to be thankful for. Once extirpated from Wisconsin, the wild turkey is an incredible testament to the impact sound conservation practices and volunteer organizations like the National Wild Turkey Federation can have for the game animals we love. As a turkey...