Epic Outdoors Podcast

On this episode Adam and Jason sit down with the host of the Finding Backcountry Podcast Dustin Wittwer to talk about western Mule deer management and the Muleys Matter Movement. Dustin was one of the first supporters of Muleys Matter, especially after seeing the issues Mule deer face in his home state of Wyoming. Dustin is also the owner of Backpack Logistics, a company that helps you plan and pack meals for any hunting trip.

In this episode the crew sits down and we get the full rundown of Josh's recent Colorado Mule deer hunt. From hiking his guts out in the snow to encountering what may be the largest Colorado Brown bear in existence, he had no shortage of entertainment during the 2nd season. The crew also discusses what attributes a Mule deer can have that will immedately "trip the trigger". We also get a little taste of what's to come with Jason and Josh's upcoming Whitetail hunts!

In this episode the crew sits down with Justin Finch, a well known western big game hunter, to talk about his 2nd season Colorado Mule deer hunt. From harvesting an awesome buck at 11,000 feet elevation, to a near death experience, this is a podcast you don't want to miss.

In this episode we dive into Western Big Game managment stratagies especially in the state of Utah. The last few years, the Mule deer population has been dealt a tough blow. With public opinion and state organization strategies differing, hunters have been frusterated to say the least. We discuss the Muleys Matter Movement, how you can get involved and how to enter your unpunched tag in the drawing for some awesome prizes. You can find all the details about the Muleys Matter Giveaway at muleysmatter.com!

And we're back! In this episode of The Epic Outdoors Podcast we get a recap of everyone's muzzleloader and archery hunts! It's been a long season for the crew here at Epic. We have been busy hunting for the last few months and like many of you, hunting the West has been interesting this year. We dive in on some of the reasons why this year was so different.   

A few of the guys sit down and talk Mule deer across the West. It's been a busy early season for the entire crew here at Epic Outdoors with Wyatt and Adam ringing the bell early with their archery Mule deer. The others are jumping from state to state, both hunting and guiding. We also put a call in to Clint Lindstrom, who has spent plenty of time this year in Wyoming and Northern Utah. We get his take on Big Game in those areas. Finally, get all the details about our license application service.

In this episode the crew sits down with Wyatt Bowls as he takes us through his incredible harvesting of a Limited Entry Mule Deer. Wyatt has been waiting for as long as he can remember to draw a tag like this and although he felt the pressure of 20+ years of waiting, he was able to make an incredible play and notch his tag with an absolute Monster Mule deer.

Adam Bronson's 2023 Archery Mule Deer hunt was a nail biter. From spooking him twice to forgetting a knife to skin him with, it was great to sit down and hear the whole story. It was a tough hunt that required some master level hunting skills from Adam, or as Devin would call them "Ninja Hunting Skills". We also talk about the rest of the crew's early season tags and where everyone will be for the next few weeks. Good luck to everyone as many of you start off your season! We hope your hunts are EPIC and that get tagged in tons of moster bucks and bulls in the next few weeks!

In this episode, after giving Logan plenty of grief about modern dating, the crew finishes off the last few questions that were asked to us over the last few weeks. We had a lot of fun answering all of your questions and talking with you on Instagram, as we move into hunting season we will be doing a lot more status updates from the field and working in the office less. We wish all of you luck for the upcoming season! This last few questions had a lot of depth and things for us to discuss, what would be our ideal senarios with technology in hunting and how Mule Deer tend to grow depending on their size.

In this episode the crew attempts to knock out a few more questions from our Q&A and if you've ever listened to an episode of ours before, you know we tend to get a little side tracked. In this episode the crew talks about hypotheticals when it comes to hunting, state selection and buck types. The crew also dives into some of the most painful memories to relive and tells their stories about the biggest ones that got away!

In this episode, we dive into the first part of the questions we've been collecting from all of you over the past few weeks! Whether it's discussing our favorite piece of optics or revealing this year's hunts we haven't shared with many people yet, we had a blast going through all the questions you sent our way. Make sure to tune in next week for another exciting Q&A segment. If you missed the chance to ask us your questions for this podcast or simply prefer a one-on-one conversation, don't hesitate to give us a call at 435-263-0777.

One of the first people to take the idea of organized conservation and apply it to Desert Sheep was Eddie Pribyl of the Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn. Eddie started this faternity with 8 others in 1964 and it is the world's oldest wild sheep conservation group. This group specializes in creating sustainable habitat for Nevadas Desert Bighorn Sheep and 67 other species. Almost everyone who's had the opportunity to hunt Desert Bighorn in Nevada owes some thanks to Eddie Pribyl and the FDB. All hunters are wildlife conservationists. It would be almost impossible to speak with an avid big game hunter who isn't concerned about the wildlife populations, youngling health or habitat strength. The crew was very grateful to be able to sit down with a guy like Eddie and hear about his stories and experiences building up the hunting habitats we enjoy today. The FDB is a non-profit organization with no paid staff members. If you are looking to get involved visit fraternityofthedesertbighorn.com or @fraternityofthedeser

This week Jason and Adam sit down with the Nevada DOW and talk big game in the West, and Nevada specifically! June 30th is the deadline for the Nevada Dream Hunt Application so be sure to get your name in the hat for that as soon as possible!

In this episode the entire Epic Outdoors office sits down to call the winners of our 2023 Summer Hunt Giveaway, and as always we are so excited to be able to give these away and share in the excitement with the winners. Thank you to everyone who participates in our Giveaways, we appreciate all of you! There are some hunt winners that don't answer our calls during the live podcast, every measure is taken to reach out to them after the fact and inform them of their win. All 2023 Summer Hunt Giveaway winners have been contacted.

Scouting season is upon us and there is no better way to kick it off and get a head start in your units than by putting up a few trail cameras! This year we may see technology at a disadvantage while old school hunting methods and knowledge from years previous are more useful than they have been for years. Here at Epic Outdoors we are lovers of all wildlife and want to ensure that certain species don't become forgotten, so this week we shed a little light on something Josh has had on his mind for some reason. When is the last time you've seen a porcupine? For Porcupette Awareness day (Holiday invented by Josh) we are giving away something special, here is how you get in on it: On your Instagram Feed, post a selfie with you and any Wild Mammal. Tag @epic_hunts in your post Use #vortex_surprise and #epicscouting in your post For 10 bonus entries, take a selfie with a porcupine! Must be posted by 06/23/2023 @ 4:00 P.M. MST

We have officially entered the final countdown for our Summer Hunt Giveaway! If you haven't gotten your name in the hat for some hunts, now is the time! The crew has a good chat with Colten Petersen (IG: @heavyhorned), to discuess some of the bucks he's been on for the past few years, and these are not your average bucks. Colten has had the opportunity to hunt and harvest multiple bucks scoring over 200 in his life, and if you ask him its all luck. But we know the real story. It takes hard work, dedication and resilience to have success like that as a Mule Deer hunter. We also get a chance to hear the story of Wyatt's Alaskan Sheep Hunt for the first time!

Jason sits down with Robby Denning as a guest on the RokCast Podcast to talk about everything Mule Deer. Robby Denning has been a long time friend of Jason and the Epic Crew, so naturally we were excited to talk to him and hear about how things are going in Idaho, Wyoming and the rest of the Western US. Robby has been primarily a Mule Deer hunter his whole life, rarely hunting anything else. With that much passion and knowledge of Mule Deer, we were sure it would be an educational and interesting sit down, and we were not dissapointed. We talk everything from deer management strategies to the bucks that got away and those that didn’t!

This week Jason Carter and Adam Bronson sit down to discuss the anticipation leading up to the end of the draw results season, the growth we can't wait to see and a few last minute reminders to apply to some of the last application opportunites. We also get our friends Chad Roberts and Justin Vanhulle on the phone to talk mainly about what Idaho and Arizona are looking like this year and what they expect to see out of their favorite states. Each of them also shares stories about some of the coolest bucks they've hunted, especially one that scores upwards of 290"! Thank you to everyone reaching out to sponsor the Muleys Matter program! The website is finally live, visit it here!

On this episode we get an insight into some of the crews draw results as well as their expectations for the rest of the draw results coming up for this year. We also talk about what steps you should take after drawing a tag, especially when drawing for the first time. Here at Epic Outdoors we have access to information that nobody else in the business does, hooking you up with outfitters and people who have hunted your exact units before, as well as top shelf research in our Outdoor Publication. With Logan gone the crew talks about his most recent adventure of being stuck in the hills with a new hunter.   The crew sits down with our close friends Ben Hepworth and Craig Sanchez to talk about the state of wildlife in Idaho and New Mexico, getting a first hand insight into what those states are looking like heading into the growth season. We also discuss all things Big Game here in the Western US and give insights on recent changes to guidelines and policy.

It's a rare occasion when the podcast table is full here at Epic Outdoors, but when it is you're sure to be entertained. Jason, Adam, Wyatt, Devin, Josh, Logan and Cache all get together and discuss hunting plans for 2023, what their excited for and what dissapointments they've had for draws. Cache and Logan share their favorite kill stories. The crew dates themsevles with what technology was availiable to them growing up and what they remember using to hunt and scout in their early years! For mentioned picture and video references, watch The Epic Outdoors Podcast on Youtube or check out @epic_hunts on Instagram!