Oklahoma Outdoors - Sportsmen's Empire

Spring is quickly making way for summer, and John's thoughts have been shifting towards the upcoming fall and all the different places he'll be hunting. On this episode of the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John gives a peak behind the curtain of what has been going through his mind when it comes to gaining access to more properties. Every hunter dreams of buying their own farm or hunting place, but that's not always in the cards. This year John is determined to gain access to more ground, and possibly even in other states. John talks about the trouble he has had finding a credible least online, and gives some good tips on how to find land owner information for good ol knocking on door permission.

This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John is joined by Justin Townsend of Harvesting Nature and the Wild Fish and Game Podcast. If you have a desire to do more with wild game than just deep fry or grill it, Justin is here to help. Harvesting Nature focuses on educating hunters on how to get more out of the game they take. No matter if you are wanting to create a culinary masterpiece, or just looking for something to change up the usual routine. Justin and John touch on a few of the more popular wild game species in Oklahoma including whitetail deer, wild hogs, and waterfowl ranging from ducks to greater Canadian geese. There is so much to cover that the guys didn't have time to deep dive into any particular topic, so be sure to check out Harvesting Nature online or tune into the Wild Fish and Game Podcast to learn more about getting the most out of your wild game!

This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John heads west to chase Rio Grande turkeys with his long bow! This was John's first turkey hunt of the year, but knocking the dust off would prove to be difficult with how much water was on the ground. John had an odd combination of wet muddy ground and hot 90 degree temperatures that made finding turkeys difficult. After putting several miles on the side by side, the first evening proved to be uneventful. The scouting mission was not a complete failure though. Two other hunters had been on the property for three days before John got there, and while scouting he found a big section of the property that they had not been able to access due to the deep mud. That is the area John chose to focus on the following morning, and he found himself surrounded by gobbles with daylight breaking!

This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John heads west to chase Rio Grande turkeys with his long bow! This was John's first turkey hunt of the year, but knocking the dust off would prove to be difficult with how much water was on the ground. John had an odd combination of wet muddy ground and hot 90 degree temperatures that made finding turkeys difficult. After putting several miles on the side by side, the first evening proved to be uneventful. The scouting mission was not a complete failure though. Two other hunters had been on the property for three days before John got there, and while scouting he found a big section of the property that they had not been able to access due to the deep mud. That is the area John chose to focus on the following morning, and he found himself surrounded by gobbles with daylight breaking!

We have a very important episode this week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast. At the end of March, the governor of Oklahoma signed the "License Modernization Act." This legislation drastically changes the current license structure for the state and is set to go into effect this summer. This act combines current licenses, simplifies many, and raises some costs. One change that is sure to strike up some hot conversations is how the non resident deer license has almost doubled! John walks through the act and talks about the good and the bad of what is about to take place. This episode isn't all legislative talk however. John also talks about his recent hog hunt with the boys from up north. Two Michiganders and one Ohio native make the trek to Oklahoma to help John and his family with their hog problem, and do a pretty dang good job of it!

This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John is joined by fellow Sportsmens Empire podcast hosts Nick Otto and Nate Rozeveld. This podcast was recorded as Nick and Nate were driving down from Michigan to Oklahoma for a few days of exciting hog hunting action. The Michiganders were loaded down with firepower and coolers and ready to take on whatever may come their way. Nick was able to come down and hunt with John in 2023, but this was Nate's first trip down to hunt hogs. The guys talk about some of the stereotypes around hogs like the crazy population numbers and how tough the animals are. They also have a discussion about different firearms and calibers that are used to hunt wild pigs. Nick voices his goal of changing the negative perception hogs have at the dinner table, and vows to change the minds of Oklahomas and others about what a great gift these tasty creatures can be if taken advantage of. Don't forget to check out Nick (The Huntavore) and Nates (Michigan WIld) podcasts also available on the Sportsmens Empire Podcast Network!

Welcome to the first turkey hunting episode of 2024! Keith Hagen joins the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast again but instead of mule deer the guys chat about wild turkeys. Along with Keith's taxidermy business, he has been a turkey guide in Oklahoma for several years and has helped beginners and experts alike bag big 'ol Toms. This episode covers a little bit of everything. Keith and John talk about map scouting, the importance of camouflage, calling and reading birds, and more. Keith talks about his decoy preferences and again, reading the birds to give them what they want. Towards the end of the episode they cover actually killing a bird and all the different weapon choices out there. From a trusty ol 12 gauge to the new .410's on the market that are quickly growing in popularity.

This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, Tyrell Roy is back to talk about his Kansas public land whitetail adventure. Tyrell is a very accomplished whitetail hunter, and consistently kills mature bucks on his family farm and permission properties in northern Oklahoma. Like many of us whitetail nuts though, he was looking for the next challenge. He found all the challenge he could handle a little ways north on Kansas public land. After not drawing a tag in 2022, Tyrell set his sights on 2023 and was determined to make it happen. After the buck he scouted all summer was taken by another hunter on opening day, it was back to square one with the season already under way. With Kansas's recent trail camera ban, Tyrell had no other way to scout than boots on the ground and dirt on the tires. It took all season, but after a tip from a friend he was able to make a play on a great whitetail buck. If you have ever wanted to chase western whitetails, this is an episode you need to hear!

Spring is here and gobble filled mornings are just around the corner. This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John is bringing back an old turkey story from a few years back. John and his good friend Stiles headed to the Texas panhandle with Stiles's son, SV. It had been many years since the guys had driven out to Stiles's grandmother's place to chase big tom turkeys, but when they got there things fell right into place again. Not only were they successful at tagging a couple nice birds, but John also got to learn a lot about hunting with kids. SV is a trooper, and has never met a stranger, but when it comes to being quiet and still, it's hard to ask too much from a youngster. John got to see first hand that fruit snacks and peanut butter crackers could be just as important on a hunt as box calls and decoys.

John is fresh off the dozer and this week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast he is talking about manipulating habitat to put mature whitetail bucks in shooting range. There are a lot of videos, podcasts, and articles about habitat improvement, but this week John takes it one step further than just making a hunting property better for wildlife. While you are improving the landscape, why not also improve your hunting? This is an interactive podcast where John uses drone photos of his actual hunting locations to talk about how you can improve your property while also improving your hunting. Be sure to check out the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcasts social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram before hitting play on this episode. There are 4 pictures with labels that will help create a visual of what John is talking about during this episode. From the drone shots, you can see how John creates food plots, bedding areas, and travel corridors that all work together to put John in a position where the deer feel completely comfortable but also offer him shot opportunities. Don't want deer coming from the east because they'll get your scent? Manipulate the landscape in such a way that makes them come from the west. And don't think you have to have hundreds of acres to use these strategies. The three locations John uses in this podcast are all in a 140 acre area.

This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast John hosts traditional bowhunter Nathan Lattimer. Nathan grew up hunting with a compound bow, killing his first deer at only 12 years old. After years of hunting and taking several nice bucks, he began to feel some of the challenge slipping away. Looking to shake things up, he gave his compound bow to his son and picked up a Bear recurve and never looked back. Nathan doesn't claim to be an expert at traditional archery, but his journey into hunting and being successful with his recurve is a great story of determination. John and Nathan start out by talking about some of the obvious differences between compound and traditional hunting. Next, Nathan talks about his mindset going into the woods. John asks about his "standards" and if they changed after limiting himself to trad gear. John then asks Nathan to talk about some of the things he has learned that would translate back to hunting with a compound if he were to switch again for some reason.

One thing that makes Oklahoma so unique is its wide variety of game animals. This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John talks with Keith Hagen of Southern Plains Taxidermy about hunting Oklahoma mule deer. Keith grew up hunting whitetails like most of us, but after spending some time chasing mule deer in western Oklahoma and Texas, they have become a huge part of his yearly hunting routine. Keith strictly hunts mule deer with a bow, making it all the more challenging. Keith and John go over some of the differences in mule deer behavior, and the differences in hunting them versus whitetails. Keith talks about his equipment and what he thinks is important for specifically hunting Oklahoma mule deer as opposed to states further west. Keith also uses his experience as a taxidermist to give some pointers on field care for your trophy if you plan to get it mounted, and some good and bad strategies for getting your animal out in the sandy brush country of the Oklahoma Panhandle.

This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John takes some time to cover a wide variety of topics that have been on his mind. First up are a few exciting events coming up that any outdoor enthusiast should be attending. After that, John digs into the 2023-24 deer harvest numbers published by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservations, and a new thought he has on why this deer season seemed a little odd. John also discusses some turkey harvest numbers and why he is optimistic about this upcoming spring season. After nerding out on some numbers, John goes over a recent news article he came across about how wild hogs may be good for the environment. While hogs have their place, John is afraid this particular article had a hidden agenda in its midst. To round things off John touches on a few other topics like using forestry mulchers on hunting properties, preference points, and planning ahead for this upcoming hunting season.

If the term "hard work pays off" was ever to describe an individual, it might just be talking about Bryson Ziegler. Bryson joins the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast this week to talk about his awesome 2023 season which saw two great mature bucks hit the ground. The first buck Bryson took broke all the rules of big buck hunting. He killed the 7.5 year old on a morning hunt in the middle of the "October lull". If that isn't impressive enough, Bryson then took an even larger buck on a small permission property. He didn't just fool this buck once. After missing the buck with his fathers recurve, he put in the work to relocate the bruiser and again got him within bow range and made it count.

We hit something a little different this week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, sandhill crane hunting! John's good buddy Charles just returned from a bucket list hunt and one that John was quite jealous of. Sandhill cranes are present in large numbers in western Oklahoma and Texas, and as Charles will discuss in this episode, make for a fun and engaging hunt. The "ribeye of the sky" are not as easy as you might think to hunt, and possess a keen eye for anything out of the ordinary. Charles and his buddies were able to hunt cranes and geese on this trip, which makes for a great comparison of the two species and helps people relate to something they may be a little more familiar with. Charles talks about the strategy they used, the decoy set ups, the size shells, and the hides the group used to put a 14 man limit on the ground one day, and a stack of geese the next. If a crane hunt isn't already on your list, it definitely will be after this episode!

This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John is joined by Oklahoma Drone Recovery founder Rhett Acker. Rhett was on the show back in September (episode 141) to talk about his company and the services that they offer using thermal drones to recover anything from downed deer to pets and people. This time, the guys dive into Rhett's very successful fall of recovering hunters' deer and all of the lessons he learned along the way. Rhett did a great job of keeping up with statistics this year, and learned a lot about what a wounded or dieing whitetail does in the moments after the shot. The thing that surprised John the most, was how many deer they found that were still alive hours later. Another interesting point was how the animals acted based on the weapon that was used. This episode is packed full of lessons for beginning and seasoned hunters alike.

John is back this week with another great episode of the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast. This week, John takes a little stroll down memory lane to look back at another amazing year in the great outdoors. From chasing turkeys with a bow in Nebraska to hang and hunts after giant Iowa Whitetails, it was a year he will not soon forget. Though he ended the season with a few tags still in his pocket, John had a great year on his old stomping grounds in Oklahoma. It's hard to complain about a year that involves tagging two mature bucks totalling almost 300 inches of antler. After a look to the past, John then turns his attention to the future. He has been keeping an upcoming fall hunt a secret for quite some time, but it is now time to let the cat out of the bag. John plans to shift his focus in a slightly different direction in 2024, and a direction he has been pulled in for quite some time. All these plans and more are revealed in this episode so be sure to listen up!

A fan favorite is back on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast this week. John's wife Mackenzie joins him this week to talk about hunting, family, kids, and the balance of it all. This episode was a hit last year, so John decided to double down and go for round two. John and Mackenzie start off by talking about how much more challenging this hunting season was now that their daughter Hallee is getting older and fully mobile. Hallee is at the age where she needs constant supervision and is always getting into things. So when John took off for the deer stand it put a lot more pressure on Mackenzie. On the other side of the coin, John felt that same pressure which made leaving much harder on him. The hope of this episode is to help all couples out there know that they are not alone. Life balance is tough, no matter if it's hunting, work, or just the hustle of modern day society. John and Mackenzie have found that communication and expectations are monumental in retaining a healthy relationship during the fall, and honestly year around. They go through the things that have helped them communicate better and get through a fun, but challenging state of life. Even if you are young, single, and ready to mingle, this episode is packed full of good lessons for the future.

With deer season winding down across the country, why not get a head start on hunting next year's buck. This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John talks about practical things a hunter can do to start putting themselves in position to tag a buck next year. Trail cameras can do more than just take inventory this time of year, and maybe you shouldn't let those food sources dry up just because you can't hunt them any more. John runs through a list of five things that hunters and land managers can do in the coming weeks to get a jump on 2024. Post season scouting is important, but it is also important to have a plan to maximize efficiency and not do more damage than good.

Nick Otto of the Huntavore podcast joins John this week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast. Nick made the long trip from Michigan to Oklahoma last spring to help John with his wild hog problem and try to debunk a few of the myths around cooking wild hog. After the hunt, Nick butchered the hogs into larger primal cuts to take back home and work his magic. It wasn't long before he was sending John photos of beautiful pork that would rival anything you can buy in a grocery store. Thick cut pork chops, bacon, cured hams, and whole smoked pigs just to name a few of the cuts he tried, and all of them turned out great. Nick also kept track of the size and sex of the hog just to make sure there wasn't any added bias in the results. If you have ever been interested in doing something with all those wild hogs other than throwing them in the ditch, you really need to check out this episode!