DIY Sportsman - Sportsmen's Empire

Aero Hunter is releasing a new saddle to their lineup. The Kestrel Flex offers minor, but significant changes to the popular Kestrel saddle that really put them on the map in the bow hunting community. After tweaking multiple designs since the release of the Kestrel, tested and modified by people like Bobby and others, Aero Hunter finally got to a design they were happy to release. This podcast goes over the key attributes of the Kestrel Flex and answers some of the main questions a consumer might have. For instance, what are the main differences between the Kestrel and the Flex? Will the Kestrel be discontinued? What will the price point and order delivery times be like? Is there a difference in comfort. In addition to answering those questions, Bobby gives additional background to help explain the thought process and reasoning behind bringing the Flex to the market.

In this episode Bobby talks about his recent Utah turkey hunt. Yes, Utah has turkeys - and yes, they do live up in the mountains. This is the third straight year that Bobby drew an early season tag to hunt turkeys in Utah. Typically it's the type of tag you'd only draw about every other year. Most of the birds he was able to locate were not too far under the snowline on the mountains. In the past he'd attempted to hunt these birds by roosting them and then sneaking close to the roost trees before first light the next morning. This year, he changed up his tactics and had success. Bobby talked about what calls and gear he took into the woods for this western style turkey hunt, and the two discuss how often times minute differences in the particular call's sound can get some birds to respond when nothing else will. Garrett also discussed his first season experience in Minnesota and upcoming plans to hunt Wisconsin with Shane Simpson.

This week's guest is Harmon Carson, located in the state of Louisiana, a state not known for good deer hunting. Hunting pressure is high, the firearms season is extremely long, the woods are dense, and hunters are able to use dogs. Despite all of this, Harmon has had consistent success, and he gets it done with a traditional bow. Much of this podcast focuses on Harmon's strategy for hunting deer in these dense Louisiana landscapes. He heavily relies on trail cameras due to the lack of agriculture, and he puts a ton of time in the woods with boots on the ground. We also talked to him about some of his hunts out west, about traditional archery, self filming, and saddle hunting.

Garrett went on a scouting trip with Sean McVeigh from Sean's Outdoor Adventures YouTube channel. The two have been trying to plan a group hunt for the past couple years and should finally be able to make it happen this year. The location chosen was an area of "big woods" habitat in Central Wisconsin that neither person has been to before. The idea is to have a March scouting trip, and August follow-up scouting trip, and finally a weekend hunt in early October, before the rut. Sean and Garrett primarily chose different areas within the forest to focus their time on. So much of the discussion in the podcast goes in depth on why certain terrain features or strategies were focused on. Sean's strategy focused largely on the combination of oak trees and topographical funnels. Garrett's strategy also focused on oak trees, but mainly those located near bedding in swampy areas.

In this episode Garrett and Bobby cover a wide range of topics. Rapid thawing is happening in many areas, which affects spring scouting plans and has caused localized flooding in areas. The absolute best time of year to cover a lot of ground in marshes or wooded swamps is the narrow strip of time when the water is still frozen yet most of the snow is melted. Food sources can become really obvious if there is some remaining snow. Garrett noticed a large volume of tracks moving through and around a tamarack swamp. While pressure and thermal cover could have been good assumptions for why the deer were there, the pressure hasn't been strong in months and the tracks are too sporadic to be just bed to feed. Bobby and Garrett talked about what type of secondary browse sources could be located in that swamp. While discussing upcoming plans for turkey hunting and western trips, Garrett and Bobby talked about why some states ask for additional costs when applying for tags, such as mandatory small game or fishing licenses, while others allow you to apply with just a few dollar fee. Many midwestern states manage their tags through OTC purchases and doe harvest numbers. Would creating a limited draw system for bucks with easier tag availability to meet doe harvest numbers create more revenue for the state and its conservation related programs? Or would it cause fewer people to hunt? In addition to those topics, Garrett and Bobby talk about how they'd potentially change access or hunting strategy in the Missouri hills based on thoughts and observations after the season.

In this podcast Garrett does a quick review of all of the boots he has used for whitetail hunting over the past several years. Some boots have served as great all around options for scouting, turkey hunting, and western hunting in addition to whitetails, while others are very specific use. The boots reviewed in this podcast share a similarity. None of them are rubber. That isn't to say that rubber boots are inferior - certainly they have their place. That being said, there are lace up options that many whitetail hunters overlook because of reasons such as scent control that can really be great options due to their support, weight, and breathability. One important characteristic of boots for the later whitetail systems is insulation and warmth. While Garrett has packed in heavy pack boots to change into at the tree, he also believes there can be better options to have insulated feet without dealing with moisture from sweat on the walk in.

In this episode, Garrett and Bobby talk with Kyle Null, president of New Breed Archery. Kyle basically started building bows in his garage for himself and his friends. That eventually grew into a full time business. Now New Breed specializes in one-of-a-kind bows direct to consumer. Kyle explains the logic and reasoning behind how he designs his bows: axle-to-axle length, titanium limb bolts, the cam system, limb stops, etc. Kyle isn't just a bow designer, he's also an avid bow hunter and target archer. So Garrett and Bobby made sure to ask all sorts of questions regarding shooting, tuning bows, and arrow set up. If people are interested in getting a new bow, there's also a discount code introduced in the episode.

Bobby went on two big trips near the end of 2018. First he hunted the isolated population of Sika deer on the Delmarva peninsula with a good group of hunting buddies. Shortly after, he went ice fishing in Utah for the first time in his life, catching a good bag of cutthroat trout. We discuss that first-time ice fishing trip first, then dive into the Sika hunt in greater depth. Sika deer are not native to the United States. A very small group of them was brought from overseas, where they slowly populated the peninsula of land containing bits of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. Despite the name, they are actually more closely related to elk than deer. However, they are similar in size to a whitetail fawn. Hunting strategies for Sika deer vary based on game laws and time of year. Maryland manages their Sika herd, whereas Virginia allows for more of a depopulation strategy, where hunters can take liberal daily bags of the non-native on a national wildlife refuge. Early season bowhunters can stand hunt or call if they're willing to brave the mosquitos. Later season gun hunts tend to revolve around still hunting, stand hunting, or making small pushes in the watery swamp.

On this episode we chat with Sean McVeigh from the Sean's Outdoor Adventures YouTube channel. Sean has produced hundreds of videos over the years with a focus on helping people hunt whitetail deer. Most of what he's known for is hunting in the Northeast, on public land in states like Pennsylvania and New York. Over the last couple of years however, Sean has made a move to the big buck state of Iowa. In our discussion, Sean talked about some of his perceptions about Iowa, and his initial experiences doing an out-of-state public land hunt as a non-resident. He also told us about zone structure, private vs. public, and landowner information. Now that he's an Iowa resident, Sean wants to try and purchase land. Maybe not enough to totally replace public and permission-based access, but enough to have a worthy investment. Lastly, given Sean's involvement in content creation, we wanted to get his thoughts on the modern era of information sharing and social media. It has certainly changed the way people learn and grow within hunting. However, it has come with a few downsides as well. Overall, it was a pleasure chatting with Sean and learning about his recent adventures in Iowa.

The ATA show is right around the corner, so Garrett and Bobby discussed all the things that they really hope to see come out of the event. The industry tends to cover two very separate styles of hunting. One caters to the private land crowd, with box blinds, food products, and land management resources, while the other (growing) side caters to the run and gun hunter. Of course, there are plenty of brands and products that are a potential fit for all archers as well. Technology improvements will receive a lot of press and debate, so the two are interested to see what product "steals the show". Besides just ATA talk, Garrett and Bobby wanted to revisit broadhead and arrow selections. With a few podcasts earlier in the year specifically based on arrow weight, terminal performance, and broadhead style, Garrett in particular tried a more "deeply penetrating" setup of a heavy arrow and small cut-on-contact monolithic fixed blade. The potential advantages to such a set up are allowing for increased shot opportunities when the shoulder becomes a non-issue on whitetails (with the right setup). After trying the heavy arrow setup for a whole season, Garrett discussed whether or not he'd stick to the high penetration setup or dial back to something allowing for bigger blood trails next season. Bobby is still on the hunt for a perfect traditional arrow. Trying to choose the perfect setup is something that simply never gets old.

Bobby and Garrett have certainly spent time discussing various climbing methods in past podcasts; however, this time Garrett goes more in depth, reflecting on various methods used now that the bulk of this year's season is now over. While many mobile hunters are totally satisfied with 4 climbing sticks as their end-all-be-all method for climbing trees, there are plenty of guys who push the envelope. Some climb with a single stick. Some climb with nothing but rope and arborist techniques. Others climb with spikes or gaffs. Each could potentially have an argument made in favor of it. This year in particular, new climbing aider methods to use in conjunction with Wild Edge steps really started to make waves throughout the mobile hunting community. With the ability to bounce ideas off of one another on forums and social media, mobile hunters came up with a couple very unique ways to climb upwards of 20 feet with as few as three steps, equaling close to three pounds. These methods look really good on paper, but are they as good in reality? Garrett tried a multistep aider in conjunction with steps throughout most of late October into November. In addition, he used his trusty climbing sticks early in the year and again in late season. Reflecting on the season allowed him to make some honest insights about the pros and cons of each style of system, and when one might be better than the other for speed, safety, ease of use, and portability.

Garrett and Bobby discuss cold weather clothing. While there are certainly similarities between what garments a western hunter might choose to wear versus an eastern tree stand hunter, there are even more differences. Part of the contrast between regions is where the discussion starts off. Puffy jackets, down, synthetic, and face material noise properties are main areas of discussion. Apart from base layers and insulating garments, there are other major areas of interest for whitetail hunters. One is choice of gloves of muff. Another is whether or not to wear a facemask. A huge area where a lot of hunters have issues is boots. The interesting thing is, many of the challenges that hunters face in regards to cold feet aren't a direct result of what boots they wear. Other things such as foot sweat, sock choice, chemical warmers or lack thereof, and breathability can all play a role. Even the choice of whether or not to wear pant legs inside or outside of rubber boots can have a major impact with deep snow on the ground. Ultimately, late season clothing can make or break a hunter's ability to grind it out in the late season months and take advantage of the increased patternability of deer as the season nears its end.

Garrett and Bobby met up to hunt the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri, in an area close to where Bobby grew up. From the start, this was going to be a very limited time hunt, since archery season essentially shuts down during firearms season, and the two each only had archery tags. That area of the forest is like many areas that are known as "big woods" in that the habitat is mostly a monoculture. Apart from varied topography and creek bottoms, there isn't much in terms of habitat variance and transitions. Oak trees can be found in all elevations, meaning food, at least at this time of year, is found nearly everywhere for the deer. Private agricultural fields can break up the monotony; however, they typically aren't found on the public ground. The first several days of the trip included many hours of scouting both on maps and on foot. Initially, it seems as if the deer could travel anywhere, at any time, for any reason. However, after comparing notes and looking at all of the sign as a whole, patterns began to emerge in terms of cruising elevations and funnels. On area in particular that really stood out was a steep, round bowl in the terrain. This bowl, possibly the result of a decades-old sinkhole, created a sharp ledge that deer needed to go around. While there wasn't as much sign there initially, Garrett decided to sit there anyway based on the likelihood that any deer seen would come within range. After recapping the hunt, Garrett and Bobby conclude with lessons learned, and what they would have done differently the next time around. Many people shy away from large, unbroken blocks of timber; however, they represent a large amount of the public lands that we have available in this country for whitetail, and hunters can certainly hope to have success when knowing and learning about the key things to look for. Missouri Hunt Recap

Bobby and Garrett discuss their recent hunts and harvests as well as plans for the coming weeks. Bobby flew back to his Missouri home down and was able to shoot a doe within an hour of being in the tree. One of the interesting things for that particular hunt was that Bobby used an EZ V flipped around backwards only hours out of pulling it out of the package. That's a pretty bold move, and he explained his process and also thoughts around using the sight for the first time. Missouri has a ton of public land, so in addition to that success, Bobby started heavily scouting for rut sign and pinch points. Garrett is headed down to Missouri to hunt; however, first he's headed to southeast Minnesota. This is the same area of the state that the public land challenge was held. The pressure in this area of the state for firearms opener is very high. That leaves two potential strategies. One strategy is to anticipate pressure and hunter access routes to set up over escape funnels leading into a lower drainage full of security cover. The other, which Garrett plans to do, is to find overlooked and hard to access public that is likely surrounded by lower pressure private land. In that case, there could be a mixture of hunter-based deer movement and normal rutting activity. Garrett also recently shot a doe on a "Beast-style" hardwood point leading out into the cattails. The large doe was bedded in seclusion around 50 yards from the set-up tree. What was interesting about that particular hunt was the body language and behavior of that lone doe. The two discuss ageing methods such as tooth wear and lab-based data and why it might be challenging to get the actual age of that doe.

The subject of this podcast is bow hunting through the transitions of October. Deer aren't on their summer patterns, and they aren't moving like they will during the rut. That doesn't mean that they aren't huntable or even killable this time of year. Just take a look at social media. While there aren't as many success photos as you'll see during the rut, there are still an awful lot of deer dropping... even nice bucks. There are plenty of hunters who even prefer early season over the rut when they are after a specific deer. Food sources are one thing that is undergoing changes. Depending on what location of the country you're in, acorns might still be a key factor. In the upper midwest, the best of the acorn crop is starting to wind down, but that might not be the case further south. In any case, change in food sources is a key aspect of movement to be aware of, because it can be a huge reason as to why deer seen a few weeks ago seem to have disappeared. Weather over the course of October can vary intensely. In the upper Midwest, you could have temperatures that are either above 70 or below freezing with snow. Weather is hotly debated in deer hunting, especially that "first big cold front of October". Countless hunters wait for that big event before they really start hitting the woods. But what does the science have to say about it? GPS studies have been gathering data that contradicts what hunters have always preached about weather conditions and deer movement. Most hunters use October as a precursor month with which they use to get some reps in the woods before the real action heats up in the rut. But there's much more to it than that for those who are willing to read the sign and stay on top of transitioning deer patterns.

On this episode DIY Sportsman podcast, Aaron Lasco shares the graphic details of being charged by a mountain lion while archery elk hunting in Montana. Without a handgun or any type of bear spray or other protection, he picked up his bow out of instinct and shot the quickly approaching cat in the face. The story didn't end there. Aaron called the Fish and Game department to report the incident, and they quickly arrived on the scene to do a thorough investigation of the self defense claim. We asked Aaron about the thoughts and feelings rushing through his head, the lessons he learned, what he'll be doing differently next time, and how the logistics of the wildlife department's response might be able help others who find themselves in a similar situation.

Garrett has been self filming his hunts for over 12 years. In this episode, he covers many of the details for those looking to either get started or refine their game. One of the biggest questions initially surrounds equipment. What type of camera? How many cameras? What type of camera arm? But equipment is really just one initial piece of the puzzle. There are various options for different needs; however, self filming has a specific set of equipment that tends to best blend quality and ease of use. The next biggest question is on video editing software. There is software that is free, software that is thousands of dollars, and a whole lot in between. Garrett explains what features he uses on a regular basis to help the listener determine what might be best suited for them based on their needs. The most challenging part of self filming is getting footage without screwing up the hunt. The easiest thing to do is to film with only action cameras and forego a camera arm. That does give you a bit of a hit in production quality. Self filming with a camera arm can certainly be done. It is challenging, but there are logistical things that help. They have to deal with stand setup, camera settings, and most importantly, knowing how and when to move.

On this episode of the DIY Sportsman podcast, Garrett and Bobby announce the winner of the Aero Hunter saddle giveaway, but also have a discussion with the inventor of the EZ V sight, Aaron Lasco. The sight concept was born out of necessity for Aaron, but it looks radically different than any other pin sight on the market. The shape of the V inserts allow the hunter to frame up an animal to judge its range. Ranging devices such as this one have been used in the military for over 100 years, but they have never made it into the archery world. Some archery sights in the past have offered ranging claims by using the height of the animal, which we know can vary widely. Aaron claims that his sight works because it works on the width of the animals vitals, which varies very little within a species as that animal grows old. There are plenty of questions that pop up when people first see the sight or hear its claims. We made sure to ask Aaron as many questions as we could to both satisfy our own curiosity and provide accurate information for those who might be interested in the concept or thinking about getting one for themselves.

In this episode of the DIY Sportsman, we are giving the listeners instructions on how to win an Aero Hunter saddle. But much more than that, Garrett and Bobby dive into their season plans, and what work they've specifically done over summer to help make the season a success. Bobby will start off chasing mule deer with his recurve, and transition to elk and then Missouri whitetails. Garrett will start off September bow hunting both Minnesota and Wisconsin for whitetails with both longbow and compound. He explained his summer task of scouting new areas on foot, the reason for finding new land in the first place, and how continuing to learn that land over the season will plan out. While the two start off by simply stating plans and intentions, they also discuss various other topics in the hunting world, such as the metro hunts, what they do when the find illegal tree stands, using drones for aerial scouting, and the use of cellular trail cameras for gathering real time intel.

This week we have Shane Simpson back on the podcast. Many people know Shane as a turkey hunter, but he also recently bought a dog and trained it to track specific scent trails. In just the first fall, his dog Callie tracked over 30 deer with a very good success rate. Shane and Bobby were able to connect very well since they both have experience in using dogs to track deer. They compared notes and talked about the advantages of certain breeds over others depending on the terrain. In addition to just talking about the dogs, Shane gave some insight on what the deer would typically do once hit. Often the general rule-of-thumb guidelines that hunters are taught don't hold up, or at least might be misunderstood. This fall, Shane will be documenting and producing videos on YouTube for his tracking jobs as part of The Callie Chronicles.

In the second part of the Q&A podcast, Garrett and Bobby go over the remainder of the questions sent in by listeners through Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Part one answered quite a few questions relating to saddle hunting and set ups. Part two contains more questions about saddles, but also mobile hunting logistics in general. Cold weather clothing, packing gear efficiently, archery set ups, and more are all covered.

In this week's episode we're answering listener questions. There were actually enough that we needed to split the podcast up into two separate parts, so we really do appreciate you guys being so involved. The topics are all across the board but generally geared towards mobile whitetail hunting. In both segments, there are lots of questions pertaining to tree stands, saddles, and climbing methods. In the first part, we also answer questions about what specific locations we hunt, choosing a camera set up for self filming, planning a DIY bear hunt in the Boundary Waters, arrow fletching, and handheld GPS. And we are doing a GIVEAWAY. Details are in the podcast.

In bow hunting, we care not only about getting the arrow to the animal, but also getting the arrow through the animal. Troy Fowler, also known as "The Ranch Fairy" does a ton of experimenting with various arrow and broadhead setups to investigate their performance on game. With an unlimited access to hogs, Troy is not only able to fling lots of arrows at live animals, but also wait for the specific shot opportunities to test how a setup performs in ideal or non-ideal situations. With his background and experience, Troy really wants to help share what he's learned with deer and elk hunters. Since large hogs are such a challenging animal to penetrate, set-ups that consistently perform well on them also work well on antlered game. We talk about arrow weight, FOC, broadhead types, and even fletching options that perform best.

In today's episode we're featuring the Aero Hunter Kestrel, a hunting saddle that is the result of years of development and prototyping. You'll learn about Bobby's involvement with Aero Hunter and the design history of the kestrel. For those of you who are still on the fence or really don't understand the reasons behind the whole saddle hunting thing, we will be going into detail on some of the advantages and common questions that we see. In addition, we'll be discussing features that are making their way into an all new Kestrel model to be released. If you're even remotely interested in learning about what saddle hunting has to offer, this is the episode for you.

On today's episode, we have special guest John Lusk, the man behind the Lusk Archery Adventures YouTube channel. John has hunted a variety of game in the US and Africa and is a total broadhead junkie. He's shot and tested most of the broadheads on the market, both in controlled tests and through animals. He's also not afraid to talk about what he likes and doesn't like. We discuss cheap knock-off heads, premium machined broadheads, 2 vs 3 vs 4 blade, single vs. double bevel, mechanical vs. fixed, broadhead concepts that have never been brought to market, steel choices, and selecting broadheads based on species and terrain.

This episode takes a dive into two great spring past times, turkey hunting and sturgeon fishing. The Rainy River sturgeon run is unique. There aren't a ton of opportunities for anglers across the country to intentionally fish for lake sturgeon (and even harvest them). Given that it also takes place during a time when most other area fishing opportunities for game fish are closed, it tends to draw a pretty massive crowd. A fight with a sturgeon can take dozens of minutes, even on heavy tackle, and often the fish are older than the people catching them. Obviously most of the listeners will be familiar with turkeys, and many already have several weeks in the books for 2018 depending on their location. Minnesotans had to deal with over a foot of snowfall 72 hours prior to opening day, which is a rare occurrence, even that far north. The opening morning hunt was significant for reasons other than the snow, however. It also used a strategy that is still somewhat overlooked in the modern age... ignoring the toms and communicating with hens, a strategy that was also discussed on our recent podcast with Shane Simpson.

For western hunters, ounce counting is fairly common, and it has been for a while. The drive to become ultralight has typically lagged behind for whitetail hunters as a whole. However, for the mobile, run-and-gun hunter, weight is a bigger concern. Accessories that used to be made from steel are now offered in aluminum or composite. People buy smaller tree stands or switch to saddles. Manufactures are now used to listing weights for their products. Some modern whitetail hunters go to the ounce counting extremes of drilling holes, cutting fabric, and swapping components in their store bought equipment. In this podcast, Garrett and Bobby have a discussion about the whole "ultralight" mentality when it comes to Whitetail hunting specifically. Some items it makes total sense to shave weight on. Trimming some items can have safety impacts. But overall, there are usually certain trade-offs that come into play which need to be carefully balanced for each individual.

In this week's episode, Shane Simpson is interviewed about turkey hunting tips and calling strategy. Shane is lives in Minnesota but produces an annual video series titled, "Calling All Turkeys" each spring. He travels across the country, filming himself and others hunting turkeys on both public and private land. Garrett and Shane hunted turkeys together in 2015, and Shane's run-and-gun tactics influenced how he turkey hunts public land to this day. Shane doesn't just hunt turkeys; he's also a competition caller. He has won more than 20 calling titles and has placed in numerous others, including winning the Minnesota State Calling Championship in 2011, 2015 and 2017 and he finished 2nd-Runner Up in the 2015 Grand National Owl Hooting Championship. Along with producing Calling All Turkeys, Simpson does freelance work for numerous hunting industry companies including Field & Stream and ScoutLook. He is also an outdoor writer with some of his work appearing in the National Wild Turkey Federation's "Turkey Country" and "Jakes Country" magazines.

This podcast is sort of a campfire style discussion about archery setups between Garrett and Bobby. It starts with equipment and styles that they're using, especially with the upcoming turkey season. They discuss shooting with opposite handed bows, using Quivalizer style setups, peep eliminator systems, vanes and feathers, broadheads, limbs, tabs, targets, and other miscellaneous items that are either new or noteworthy. The discussion also turns into a debate of archery theory. Is is better to follow a strict shot process from the moment you nock an arrow, or mentally hit the reset button as soon as you're at full draw? Does high FOC benefit a compound bow shooter? Are arrow spine calculators actually accurate? Are two blade broadheads always superior? Is it better to adjust your arrow weight to your eye's "natural" trajectory or choose a setup based on ideal numbers and make it work?

On today's Episode, Garrett and Bobby talk spring scouting, or post season scouting depending on your climate. Historically they've each placed a very different level of reliance on this strategy of gaining intel on hunting land and sometimes look for very different things. Garrett uses spring scouting as a primary method for learning bedding areas and piecing together big picture research. Bobby on the other hand places little stock on spring scouting with a much larger reliance on real-time intel from in season scouting later in the year. They also touch on shed hunting and why shed hunting and spring scouting shouldn't necessarily always be lumped together. Out west, shed hunting has recently been placed under a much larger spotlight due to issues with deer being pressured in their wintering areas in order for people to collect sheds to sell. Shed hunting restrictions and bans have even been put in place in many areas; however, there is still the large question of "where to draw the line" since people are still finding ways of blurring the boundaries while staying within the law.

Garrett and Bobby team up with two special guests, Scott Hamilton and Greg Godfrey, to bring a recap of the Saddlepalooza event hosted on the Ft. Stewart military base in Georgia. The event brought people from all over the country who share a similar passion for hunting out of saddles. While one of the main attractions was hog hunting on the base, there was a tremendous amount of knowledge being shared right at camp. Nearly constant demos on tree climbing methods and platform options were being showcased. The group goes in-depth on their experience at Saddlepalooza as well as thoughts on their favorite climbing methods and gear from the event. There were definitely some opinions that have been swayed after being able to collaborate with several like minded people at the same time.

In this episode of the DIY Sportsman podcast, Garrett and Bobby discuss money and hunting gear. The fact is, not everybody has a ton of disposable income. The hunting industry and social media at times makes it seem as if you need the latest and greatest to be successful. In fact, many of the big name guys started out from much more humble beginnings. Often, it's the hunter, more-so than the gear, which makes the difference. That being said, there are plenty of opportunities for people to get good or even great gear for much less than retail price at various locations and at varying times of the year. DIY solutions can also be a good way to save a few bucks when applicable. These are the types of things discussed on this week's episode.

In this Episode, we discuss ice fishing gear from the perspective of someone with a lot of experience fishing the upper MidWest (Garrett) talking to a total newbie (Boudreaux). Topics covered include electronics, rod styles, augers, safety gear, and shelters. Through plenty of trips with various anglers, Garrett has not only tried plenty of gear himself, but has also had the opportunity to observe other equipment in actual use on the hard water. It should come as no surprise that which equipment a person chooses will vary greatly depending on the species they're after and the amount of cost they're willing to sink into it. Much of the information in the podcast is presented in a way as to help someone decide what they would need to first get started with minimum investment, along with what the next steps up would be.

Today's episode is a special one. We've brought on our first guest, Shawn Chadwick, to discuss ozone with. He has a PhD and works as a chemical engineer, so if anyone understands what's actually going on with ozone scent elimination, it's him. In addition, he's also a hardcore whitetail hunter and understands how we need to address these things in a real world sense. None of us have any affiliation with any scent control products, so what you'll hear is truly our unbiased thoughts. Just a fair warning, the beginning of the podcast is pretty technical. We go over the background of ozone, what it is, what's it's used for in industries outside of hunting, how it's used in industries outside of hunting, and the mechanism by which it attacks scent. After that though, we transition into the real meat and potatoes of the podcast, which deals with real world application of ozone for both in-the-tree generators and generators designed to go in totes or closets.

In their final podcast of 2017, Garrett and Bobby dive into a full on review of all the new products they tried over the course of the year. Archery equipment is tackled first, from compound and trad bows to arrows, insert systems, and broadheads. Next, the two cover new camping gear for spending days at a time in the backcountry. With Garrett's transition to hammock camping, he explains some of the major differences in a high end hammock vs. a cheaper entry level hammock, and the differences in quilt sizing for a hammock vs. sleeping on the ground. Mapping and electronics are covered, as are climbing sticks, saddles, and clothing. Despite trying a bunch of new gear in 2017, the two already have plans for new things that they want to try for the following year. This includes optics, broadheads, camping gear, and other miscellaneous items. As a supplement to this podcast, listeners can check out diy-sportsman.com, where fully itemized gear lists exist for various hunt types.

With December upon us, most hunters have either filled their tags or hung up the towel. However, late season can still be a great time to have success for those willing to brave the elements. Late season hunting extremes and tactics vary quite a bit based on location, but food and bedding are still the biggest keys. In this episode, Garrett and Boudreaux discuss in detail how their gear and clothing system changes once the temperatures drop, as well as additions such as chemical, electrical, or gas-based hand warmers. They discuss strategies to locate and pattern deer in late season. Garrett hunts in a much colder climate than Boudreaux does for whitetail, and generally deals with more snow, colder weather, and agriculture-based food. In the slightly warmer areas, Boudreaux generally keys in on finding natural browse.

Every time mid-October rolls around, hunters frantically search for guidance on rut timing. Will it be earlier or later than last year? How will the weather or moon phase affect the rut? How accurate are the predictions in popular magazines? When should I take my rut-cation? With the increasing popularity of social media, many have turned to Facebook groups to get real time rut reports. But are they just handicapping themselves? There has been plenty of scientific research of the topic of rut timing. In this podcast, Garrett and Bobby discuss what factors have actually been proven to affect doe estrous cycles as well as overall deer movement. In addition, they tell the listeners how they can take their own data to come up with an accurate assessment of doe estrous timing in their area, which may quite well vary from rut calculators or even nearby areas due to genetic diversity.

In this episode of the DIY Sportsman Podcast, Garrett and Boswell talk about firearms deer hunting. Garrett grew up hunting the annual 9 day season in Wisconsin which occurs after the rut, and recently started participating in the Minnesota gun season, which is timed during the heat of the rut. Boswell doesn't do as much gun hunting on his own time anymore, but his job requires him to be a avid marksman as he takes numerous animals for both population reduction and wildlife research, often in semi-urban areas. Gun hunting strategies can vary widely based on terrain, hunting pressure, and time of year. The two discuss very specific strategies for hunting marshes, hill country terrain, and farmland in both high and low pressure areas. In addition, they discuss calibers, bullet type, and proper shot placement to drop a deer in its tracks every time.

In this episode of the DIY Sportsman Podcast, Garrett and Boswell discuss scent control... their philosophies, routines, and experiences. Both use a scientific approach to analyzing scent, and understand the challenges with trying to apply laboratory success and marketing claims to real world scenarios with new variables. They discuss the published studies using tracking dogs as well as weather conditions in which tracking dogs have been observed to follow scent more easily. Spoiler Alert! Rain may not be the friend everybody treats it as. Scent control has a lot to do with confidence. There are hunters who swear by hunting the wind and have success. There are also hunters who swear by a strict regimen and have success. These types of contrasting examples make it even more challenging to get a mental grip on something that we already have such a hard time comprehending. The fact that we can't smell as well as deer opens the doors wide open for assumptions, marketing campaigns, and arguments. Listen to the podcast in order to learn something new, or possibly reaffirm assumptions you already have.

In this Episode, Garrett and Boudreaux discuss in-season scouting. Many hunters do a fine job of preseason scouting - glassing fields, sitting in observation stands, and checking trail cameras. But once the season rolls around, their focus shifts almost entirely to hunting. Often, it's easy to get caught up on what the deer were doing before the season, which can make it hard to adapt once patterns change. Maybe you've secured access to a new piece of property mid-season. How do you go about learning the property without screwing up your hunts? Garrett and Boswell each have fairly opposite, but successful strategies for in-season scouting. Listen to their discussion to help improve your own in-season scouting skill set.

In this week’s episode, Garrett and Boudreax discuss Garrett’s recent successful DIY public land mule deer hunt in Colorado. After briefly discussing the climax of the hunt, they dig into the gear used, cost of the trip, and lessons learned. This was Garrett’s first time camping in a hammock, and he used a homemade 9×9 tarp to provide protection against the elements. The two hosts discuss other opportunities for DIY gear and whether they provide value over cheap camping gear you may already own, or top of the line gear from reputable manufacturers. The intent is that this podcast can help serve as a guide for those who are planning a DIY hunt of their own out West.

In Episode 2, Garrett and Boudreaux dive into their vast experience using and testing climbing sticks. They discuss the pros and cons of various models on the market, as well as their own personal favorite features, and what they’d like to see from manufacturers in the future. The discussion also includes the value and safety considerations of aftermarket modifications such as webbing aiders.

In the first episode of the DIY Sportsman podcast we meet the hosts Garrett Prahl and Bobby Boswell and learn more about what topics will be covered in this podcast.