6 Ranch Podcast

Justin Russel is back to discuss the results of a study he helped conduct where he captured mountain lions, applied gps collars, and then would go back and find each of the cougar’s kill sites to see what they were preying on. The results are fascinating and made even more interesting when wolves showed up in the region. Consider this episode a blueprint to understanding what and where cougars are...

Justin Russel was a scout sniper in the Marine Corps with multiple combat deployments and is now an accomplished big game hunter. We talk about his path into becoming a sniper and what skills from that job have helped him be successful as a hunter. 

From rural Maine to the Ok Theatre. Run in for some good old fashioned story telling from musician, theatre owner and home builder, Mt Darrell Brann. 

Fellow guides Chad Dotson and Kevin Harlander recap their hunting and guiding seasons and we talk through the changes to the new deer hunting regulations and unit boundaries in Oregon.  Oregon deer hunting Oregon hunting regulations Oregon deer unit changes 2025–2026 Oregon deer season Oregon controlled hunts Oregon hunting units explained Mule deer hunting Oregon Whitetail hunting Oregon Oregon d...

Amy got bucked off a horse and broke her neck. She refused surgery, healed through exercise and visualization, then left the high desert of Oregon to college. She was recruited for the rowing team where she quickly became the strongest person on the oar. Then she got in a boat wreck and broke her back. After recovering from that she tried out for National team and despite being rejected by the coa...

In this special episode of the 6 Ranch Podcast, James connects with Rob Gearing and JT from Spartan Precision— from Branded Rock Canyon in Colorado.  Rob shares the story behind the innovations, the challenges of building world-class ultralight hunting gear, and how decades of experience in the field shaped Spartan’s newest releases. From engineering insights to real-world application, this episod...

Learn how to do an overland trip to Baja, find free camping locations, navigate the border and not get arrested at military check points in this informational episode following my 93 hour road trip. I also discuss the gear I used, how I used it, what worked well and what didn’t. 

I drove 52 hours and 12 minutes to Baja, Mexico to freedive and spearfishing for Marlin. After day two of the trip I sat down with my guide, Angelo, from La Ventana Dive Center for part 1 of a two part episode. We talk Marlin, how I almost got arrested on the way here, the challenges of guiding spearfishermen, and how Angelo almost got eaten be a tiger shark. 

Taylor organizes and guides expeditions to the North and South Pole, across Greenland, over South Georgia Island (following Shakleton’s route) and has some good stories to tell as well as insights into what it takes both mentally and physically to endure these climates. Enjoy the show and check out Polar Explorers if you want to do a trip like this. 

Fan favorite, Madeline Lau is in studio this week with her precious yellow lab puppy sleeping at my feet to talk about river ecology, responsible tourism and to discuss the aspects of marine corps leadership that can be applied to parenting. Enjoy!

Taylor Chism is just your garden variety blonde gal who flies helicopters to fight wildland fire, jumps into canyons from hovering helicopters to tackle wolves, elk, and bighorn sheep for science, flies to Baja by herself in her 70 year old airplane to swim with whale sharks, rescues cow dogs, hunts moose, and has strong opinions about how a life should be properly lived. After a two year absence...

What started as an off-road race using cars that cost less than $500 has turned into the largest organized clean up of trash on public land in the country. Tune in for some laughs, good stories, and to hear how the Sons of Smokey are taking care of our national forests and BLM. 

Danny Bolton is a father, skateboarder, spearfisherman, off-road driving instructor, and hunter— among other things. He’s also a good friend and an all around interesting guy. He came out to Oregon from Hawaii to guide archery elk with me this season and we sat down to talk elk, off-roading and a number of other subjects. Enjoy the show and if you haven’t already, write a review on whatever platfo...

My guests this week are several herds of rutting elk. This may be the best audio recording of elk ever made. Over the next hour you will hear up-close vocalizations from bulls, cows and calves like never before. In some cases you can hear the bulls breathing into the microphone. I captured low frequency growls, grunts and glunks that can only be heard within a few feet of an elk. You’ll hear huffs...

In this episode, we sit down with Cate Havstad-Casad—a hatmaker, rancher, and founder of Range Revolution—to unravel the hidden environmental cost of America’s closets and how she’s forging a different path. From handcrafting custom western hats and wrangling cattle to building a 1,400-acre regenerative farm and launching a luxury leather goods brand, Cate reveals the waking moment when she learne...

There is only one overland company that was born on an elk hunt, and I sat down with the owner and inventor of the Lone Peak to hear the story while mine was being installed on my truck. Since then I’ve spent a few nights in it and used the other features on a daily basis and I have to say, I’m impressed. After another 40 nights sleeping in it, this thing will have paid for itself. Anyhow, enjoy t...

This week I have a very special guest, my mentor and friend, Tim Butler. Tim served in the Marines in the gulf war and since then has worked as an engineer for many if not most of the major gun manufacturers in America. While he may argue this point, I believe he has influenced firearms more than any other individual in the past century, and more than likely, if you’re an American hunter, you own...

The broadhead is the most important part of any archery system. Every other piece of gear you wear, use or carry is simply a supporting effort for delivery your broadhead to the vitals of an animal. This week I drove to Casper, Wyoming to sit down with the intelligent and experienced Mr Bryan Broderick to talk about arrow systems and broadheads. He politely challenged some of my own long held beli...

Nutrition doesn’t have to be complicated so in this episode we make it simple, tell a few hunting stories, and rate the nutritional quality of everything I planted in my garden this year. Check out their website here .

Hannah Mabbot runs Hunt Oregon and guides elk from August 1st through March. Last year she guided 65 hunters with a 90% success rate. I don’t know of anyone who guides more elk hunters than her. We talk about the guide life, hunter expectations, and other goodnesses. 

My guest this week travelled all over the world to work as a cowboy. In fact, he worked on all six continents where the job is done. Meet The Lost Cowboy, Mr J.B. Zielke. From surviving cartel gunfights in Mexico to finding nomadic reindeer herders in Mongolia, to mustering wild cattle in Northern Australia with motorcycles and helicopters, he has had some wild experiences. If you enjoy this episo...

Half a million years ago an early human in Java engraved a zigzag pattern into a shell, and ever since then engraving has been a lasting form of art. Amy Raymond is famous for engraving silver in a western style. We sat down to discuss her art, gun engraving, and many other subjects in this fun episode. Amy has a great sense of humor and is renowned not only for her art but also as a teacher. I’m...

Building a small business is hard. Take a few minutes to listen to the folks at Sound Off Suppression talk about suppressors and the crazy dynamics of reducing the sound of supersonic gases from a rifle and the challenges of starting a suppressor company. 

Steve Bartkowski could’ve played baseball, basketball or football at damn near any university in the country and chose football. He’d go on to be the number 1 draft pick and a hall of fame quarterback. We talk about what professional football was like in the 1970’s and how he started one of the first hunting shows on television. Pretty cool story from an American legend. 

I’ve been a fan of Paul Cauthen’s music since I first heard it, and later learned that him and my little sister were buddies when they lived in Austin. Finally got the chance to sit down with Paul backstage before one of his concerts and talk about stories from his youth where he worked a chain gang in jail, the inspiration for his genre defying music, and his love for hunting and food. Here’s a g...