Montana Outdoor Podcast

This week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast your host Downrigger Dale talks to none other than the Wizard of the Waterways, Matt Cowen, from Mon-Dak Marine. This time the Wizard is back with all new Tech for your boat. There is so much incredibly cool electronics out right now you just HAVE to listen to this Podcast! Matt covers so many fascinating ideas for boat electronics it will blow your mind. For example, have you ever struggled to follow a set contour on the bottom of the lake while watching your rods, downriggers, and everything else? What if your boat could do all that for you? Yeah, that’s right you tell your boat to follow a certain contour and it just does it by itself all the while raising and lowering your downriggers all on it’s own as well, oh and the whole time showing you right where the fish are! And that is just one type of scenario that Matt talks about. He also talks about the new types of batteries that will keep all that tech working and doing so weighing less and working better than you can ever dream of! How much does all that cost? Matt even covers that too. But what about figuring out how to work all this new technology? Yeah he can help you find all the sonar, fish finding, imaging gear you can dream of and show you how to work it all like a pro! Yup he talks about an incredible service he offers that will train you on all that as well. Matt even covers how to plan a technology layout in your boat so you can add technology as your budget allows and as new tech comes out! Here is the best part, all this cool stuff can truly make you a better fisherman and enjoy fishing more than you ever have! Listen and learn about all the new technology that is available right now. As Downrigger Dale put it, “after talking to Matt Cowen about all this new technology I am more excited about this season than I ever have been before!”.To learn more about Matt Cowen and Mon-Dak Marine, click here. If you would like to learn more about the on-the-water training that Matt offers, just click here. To learn more about electric trolling motors, fish finders and lots of other tech for your boat, click here. You probably will have questions for Matt after you listen to this podcast so just click here to send him an email. Of course, your old buddy Downrigger would love to hear from you as well! Click here to email Downrigger Dale.Remember to tune in to our live radio show, The Montana Outdoor Radio Show, every Saturday morning from 6:00AM to 8:00AM. The show airs on 30 radio stations all across the State of Montana. You can get a list of our affiliated radio stations on our website. You can also listen to recordings of past shows, get fishing and and hunting information and much more at that website or on our Facebook page. You can also watch our radio show there as well.

This week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast Collin Griffiths with Bretz RV & Marine joined your host Downrigger Dale for a great discussion as we continued our series “How to Find the Right Boat for You”. Rigger and Collin covered a tremendous amount of ground, or should we say water covering all kinds of ideas and tips that will help you in your quest to find that boat you have always wanted. Collin from Bretz pointed out that this is a very important decision, not just because boats can be a very expensive investment, but also the right boat can keep you safe, help you find and catch the fish you are looking for and just makes things even more comfortable out on the water. One thing that will no doubt surprise you when you listen, is just how many different brands and types of boats that Bretz carries. Rigger was shocked at the way the Bretz selection is set up so that you can really zero in on the specifics of what you want your new boat to be able to do for you. For example, Collin talked about how more and more hunters are using their boats to get them to their favorite places to hunt and how the right boat can make packing out even a big bull elk a whole lot easier. The whole “using your boat for hunting”, discussion that the boys got into was VERY interesting. Collin also had some very interesting thoughts about the question of jet propulsion or prop propulsion that will for sure give you some things to think about. Speaking of Collin, his story of how he came to be one of the most knowledgeable boat guys at Bretz will really surprise you. As Rigger said after talking with Collin on the podcast, “in all my 60 plus years I have never heard of a career change like that!”. You have got to listen to hear that story! I bet you will never guess what Collin used to do before he joined Bretz over twenty years ago. Of course, that is just one of many things you will learn about when you listen to this week’s Montana Outdoor Podcast!If you would like to learn more about Bretz RV & Marine just click here. If you would like to take a look at all the boats that are available at Bretz across all their locations in Montana, Idaho and Washington click here. If you would like to ask Collin Griffiths a question, please click here to send him an email. Also, if you get a chance Downrigger Dale would love it if you clicked here to email him your thoughts about this podcast and your ideas for future podcasts.Remember to tune in to our live radio show, The Montana Outdoor Radio Show, every Saturday morning from 6:00AM to 8:00AM. The show airs on 30 radio stations all across the State of Montana. You can get a list of our affiliated radio stations on our website. You can also listen to recordings of past shows, get fishing and and hunting information and much more at that website or on our Facebook page. You can also watch our radio show there as well.

This week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast your host Downrigger Dale had a great conversation with Chris McFadden, Owner of Townsend Marine. Chris is another perfect person to help Rigger continue his series on “How to Find the Right Boat for You”. When you listen to this podcast, you will hear Chris give all kinds of great advice like, make sure you learn about the people that work at the dealership before you go in. Have they been in the boating business for while? Do people you know, and trust recommend them? And list goes on from there. Just solid stuff that all to often we forget to check into. One of the many impressive things that Chris talked about was making sure the dealership you are talking to has a very strong knowledge base in the marine industry. For example, Townsend Marine’s top employees have all been there for well over twenty years. That is huge and it shows you that the folks that you will deal with or who will be working on your boat really know what they are doing. Chris also mentioned that this is Townsend Marine’s 30th anniversary! That in itself is amazing. However, what is maybe even more amazing is that customers and their families that did business with them in the beginning are still doing business with them to this day and have been sending the folks that they have met over the years to Townsend Marine. No wonder they are one of the Top Lund Boat dealers IN THE NATION! You really do need to  listen to this podcast. You will be very happy that you did!Be sure and click here to learn more about Townsend Marine. To view all the amazing Lund Boats, click here. To see some of the Pontoon Boats that Chris talked about click here. To view the entire inventory at Townsend Marine, click here. If you have a question for Chris McFadden, just click here to send him an email. Good old Downrigger would love to know what you thought of this podcast or if you have any ideas for future podcast topics, click here to send an email to Rigger.Remember to tune in to our live radio show, The Montana Outdoor Radio Show, every Saturday morning from 6:00AM to 8:00AM. The show airs on 30 radio stations all across the State of Montana. You can get a list of our affiliated radio stations on our website. You can also listen to recordings of past shows, get fishing and and hunting information and much more at that website or on our Facebook page. You can also watch our radio show there as well.

This week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast your host, Downrigger Dale sat down with the owner of Mon-Dak Marine, Mat Cowen. You might recall last year when Matt participated in out series about “How to Find the Right Boat for You” Matt gave some incredible information that was, well, wizard like! Which is how he got the nickname, the Wizard of the Waterways. Not sure if he likes that name Rigger gave him but it kinda stuck. This year on this installment of, “How to Find the Right Boat for You”, Matt opened up with even more of that knowledge from his wizard like mind and  gave us some fantastic  information about things you for sure should consider when buying our next watercraft. For example, a major topic that Downrigger and Matt covered was the question of what is the right horsepower to choose for the boat that you are leaning towards. Matt has an interesting thought on this topic and is something that you for sure should consider, so be sure and listen carefully. Here’s another great question that the boys talked about, should we buy an aluminum boat or a fiberglass boat? Matt gives some real interesting questions you should ask yourself to help you find your answer to that question. Yet another big question that often comes up when we are looking for a boat is, what brand of motor should be on the back of your new boat. Matt talked about some of the top brands like Yamaha, Mercury, and Suzuki, so which brand does Matt prefer? You’ll have to listen find that out! What about the benefits of owning a jet boat versus a prop boat? Well, there’s lots to consider there too and Matt brought up some that you may have never considered. Speaking of things to consider, a big one that a lot of folks forget about when choosing the right boat for them is what are you going to do with the boat in the future, for example with all the new technology that continues to come out every year, are you planning for that? Will there be enough spaces on your new boat to add batteries to power all that new technology?  Yup that’s the Wizard of the Waterways for ya, he is even helping you with things that will come up in the future that will save you a ton of money! All in all, when you listen to this podcast you just might find that you will want to make Matt Cowen YOUR Wizard of the Waterways to help you find the boat that is right for you now AND in the future! IMPORTANT: Don’t miss Matt here on the Montana Outdoor Podcast coming soon when he goes through the latest boat tech. If you would like to learn more about Matt Cowen and Mon-Dak Marine click here. If you would like to learn more about the boats that are in stock right now at Mon-Dak Marine just click here! If you would like to ask Matt any questions about Caymas, Crestliner, or Warrior boats or want him to help you find a used boat that is right for you just click here to email Matt Cowen. Remember to tune in to our live radio show, The Montana Outdoor Radio Show, every Saturday morning from 6:00AM to 8:00AM. The show airs on 30 radio stations all across the State of Montana. You can get a list of our affiliated radio stations on our website. You can also listen to recordings of past shows, get fishing and and hunting information and much more at that website or on our Facebook page. You can also watch our radio show there as well.

This week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast your host Downrigger Dale starts our annual series on “How to Find the Right Boat for You!”. Last year this series was a huge hit and if this episode of the Montana Outdoor Podcast is any indication it looks like this year’s series is going to be even better! Downrigger kicked off the first instalment of the series with Kent Andersen of Warrior Boats. Warrior is a boat manufacturer located 97 miles northwest of Minneapolis in Melrose, Minnesota. Warrior makes some of the finest fishing boats in the world which is probably why you see many of the fishing guides on Fort Peck Reservoir and other areas using them. Of course, Kent talked a lot about why you may want to consider buying a Warrior if you are thinking about getting a new boat this year, but he also gave some fantastic advice on what to consider in general when trying to decide which boat is best for you. If you are even remotely considering a new boat purchase, you FOR SURE need to listen to this podcast and all the other podcasts in the series that Downrigger will have for you in the coming weeks. After all, buying a new fishing boat is a major purchase so you want to make sure you learn about all the boats out there but more importantly you really want to make sure you Find the Right Boat for You! When you listen to this week’s podcast you will learn all about Warrior Boats and all the models they are offering this year, and boy to they have some cool new boats, but as I said Kent really gave some great advice about what to ask yourself to help you zero in on what kind of boat is right for you!To learn more about Warrior Boats and to see all the boats they have to offer this year just click here. If you have any questions for Downrigger’s guest Kent Andersen of Warrior Boats, be sure and click here to email him. If you would like to go see what Warrior Boats are in stock near you or you would like to talk more about Warrior Boats with a local dealer there are two dealers in Montana, click here to check out the Warriors at Mon-Dak Marine in Glasgow or simply click here to reach Wallace Marine in Great Falls. As always, your host Downrigger Dale would love to hear what you thought of this podcast or any of your ideas for future podcasts, just click here to email Downrigger.Remember to tune in to our live radio show, The Montana Outdoor Radio Show, every Saturday morning from 6:00AM to 8:00AM. The show airs on 30 radio stations all across the State of Montana. You can get a list of our affiliated radio stations on our website. You can also listen to recordings of past shows, get fishing and and hunting information and much more at that website or on our Facebook page. You can also watch our radio show there as well.

This week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast your host Downrigger Dale sat down with the President of Bretz RV & Marine, Brandon Bretz. Bretz RV & Marine is truly an incredible outdoor company and a legend in the RV and boat business. Brandon shared some touching and at times funny stories about how this legendary company got its start, and how it almost never became what it is today. Spoiler Alert: Brandon’s story of how the business survived Covid is an unreal roller coaster ride! Bretz RV & Marine is and has always been a family business. Yes, there are for sure all kinds of horror stories about families getting into business but this, fortunately, is not one of them. The Bretz family has always been a close-knit family that for four generations has stuck together through the good times and the bad, and for well over a half a century has been bringing other families closer by getting them out into the great outdoors. When you listen to this podcast you will learn how it all started when his grandfather Frank and his grandmother Vi took over Vi’s parent’s gas station in Missoula. A rather humble beginning for what later was to become one of the most successful RV and Boat dealerships in the Country! What is even more amazing is how they got into the RV business. It all started when a stranger came into their gas station and asked a question. You will have to listen to, as Paul Harvey used to say, “hear the rest of the story”.  You will also get a little peek into the future of what is next for Bretz but rest assured one thing will stay the same as it always has, it will remain a family business and when you walk into the door of any of the Bretz dealerships you will be greeted by a helpful person that absolutely loves the outdoors and can’t wait to show you all things they have that can help you and your family and friends become a whole lot closer and for sure a heck of a lot happier. This Podcast will warm your heart and inspire you to get out and explore everything the outdoors has waiting just for you! Just like Frank and Vi found out all those years ago, you never know what might happen when you listen to an idea from a friendly stranger.When you listen to the podcast you will hear a bit of a recording of Brandon’s grandfather Frank. It is from a video that he made a few years before he passed. You really need to see whole thing, just click here to watch it. For more information about Bretz RV & Marine, click here! To learn more about their incredible story, click here. If you would like to learn about the incredible team of people at each of the six locations in Montana, Idaho, and Washington, simply click here. If you want to see all the RVs Bretz has waiting for you to look at, click here! If you want to see all the boats, they have just click here! Questions? Click here to contact Bretz RV & Marine.Remember to tune in to our live radio show, The Montana Outdoor Radio Show, every Saturday morning from 6:00AM to 8:00AM. The show airs on 30 radio stations all across the State of Montana. You can get a list of our affiliated radio stations on our website. You can also listen to recordings of past shows, get fishing and and hunting information and much more at that website or on our Facebook page. You can also watch our radio show there as well.

This week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast your host Downrigger Dale talks to CSKT Fisheries Specialist, Cindy Benson and one of the top anglers in past Spring Mack Days Tournaments, Jason Mahlen. Jason has won the tournament many times!  You will be blown away by how much cash Jason Mahlen as made fishing in the Mack Days tournaments. Spoiler Alert: the total amount is in the SIX FIGURES! Yeah, this tournament, which starts on March 14th and runs through May 11th, has something for everyone, from the beginner angler to the pro. When you listen to the podcast you will learn that there are all kinds of ways to earn money fishing in this tournament, from just catching a lot of fish to maybe just catching one that is worth $1,000.00! And those are just two of the ways to win. The Tournament takes place on Flathead Lake in Northwest Montana and is one of the richest tournaments you will ever fish in. What maybe even more surprising than all the ways to win cash is the way this incredible tournament is run. For example, you can join in the fun anytime you want between March 14th and May 11th, and it only takes catching one fish to get the winnings going. Now, in addition to learning all about the ins and outs of the tournament you will also hear some great tips on how best to fish this tournament from award winning angler Jason Mahlen. Jason will give you tips on jigging for the lake trout and where he likes to go on Flathead Lake to catch them!  Jason even talks about the type of jigs he uses and what kind of bait has worked well for him. Best of all you will learn just how much fun this tournament is for the whole family to take part in.Want even more info? After you listen to the podcast be sure and come back to this article and click here to send Cindy Benson an email so you can get signed up to take part in the tournament and to get all your questions answered. Cindy has access to all the top anglers that have fished this tournament so she can even get any questions you have about how best to fish the tournament directly from them! If you would like to ask Jason Mahlen a question, just click here. You can also watch lots of different videos about how best to catch the HUGE lake trout on Flathead Lake by clicking here to watch videos about trolling or fishing off the docks for the Monster Macks. If you want to watch videos that will teach you about jigging for Macks click here. You can even read more about what all those videos show you by clicking here! As always, your old buddy and host of the Montana Outdoor Podcast, Downrigger Dale is always available via email by clicking here. Have fun out there fishing for Lake Trout at Spring Mack Days March 14th through May 11th!Remember to tune in to our live radio show, The Montana Outdoor Radio Show, every Saturday morning from 6:00AM to 8:00AM. The show airs on 30 radio stations all across the State of Montana. You can get a list of our affiliated radio stations on our website. You can also listen to recordings of past shows, get fishing and and hunting information and much more at that website or on our Facebook page. You can also watch our radio show there as well.

One of the most popular fishing reports on the Montana Outdoor Radio Show every Saturday morning is the Brian Olson Report. Brian always has great information about fishing on Fresno and Nelson Reservoirs as well as the Milk and the Missouri Rivers. This week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast your host Downrigger Dale caught up with Brian Olson and talked to him about ice fishing on those reservoirs, how to approach going after the fish in them as well as in the Milk and Missouri Rivers once the ice is off and even how to effectively fish the Walleye Spawn. And boy did Brian bring is “A Game”! Brian shared all kinds of fantastic advice from what baits to use in all kinds of different conditions, colors of lures to use, jigging techniques and the list goes on and on. If you want to be able to catch fish in just about all conditions that Mother Nature can throw at you, you really need to listen to this podcast. Brian even gave some great advice on how to get your gear ready for hitting the water once the ice is off and you are ready to get after some spring fishing. On top of that, Brian decoded the mysteries of fishing the Walleye Spawn! Even if you think you have that all figured out you must listen to this podcast! Once you do even the most experienced fisherman is going to have even more success. This Podcast truly is a masterclass on how to get the most out of these great bodies of water, whether you are going after, Walleye, Pike, Catfish, or anything else you will find in Nelson, Fresno, the Milk or the mighty Missouri!After you listen to the Podcast, if you still have questions Downrigger is collecting questions now for Brian and will sit down with him and get them all answered for you. So just click here to email your questions for Brian and he will get the answers right back to you! Also be sure and let Downrigger know what you thought of this podcast and or give him some ideas for topics for future podcasts. Thanks for listening to the Montana Outdoor Podcast!Remember to tune in to our live radio show, The Montana Outdoor Radio Show, every Saturday morning from 6:00AM to 8:00AM. The show airs on 30 radio stations all across the State of Montana. You can get a list of our affiliated radio stations on our website. You can also listen to recordings of past shows, get fishing and and hunting information and much more at that website or on our Facebook page. You can also watch our radio show there as well.

Yeah, it is almost the start of a new license year for the Montana Outdoors. In less than a week it will be time to get a new fishing license and conservation license and then just like that the clock starts to ticking! Yeah, the deadline season is about to begin. The time of the year when you have start thinking about applying for special permits and licenses. It’s that time when parents must start planning on when their kids that have not taken hunter education will get enrolled to take it. What age can take the online test? Did you hear there was a change in requirements? Which State Park where you going to make sure you had reservations for? Did you hear  that the reservation process had changed? RELAX!! Good old Downrigger has got you! This week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast Downrigger Dale talks to Greg Lemon, Head of the Communication and Education Division of the Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks and Emily Cooper the License Bureau Chief of the FWP! Downrigger hit them with a TON of questions about everything from when are all the deadlines for applying for all your permits and special licenses, to what all the changes are in Hunters Education, to how to understand how the bonus points system works and list goes on and on. Greg and Emily completely loaded this podcast with EXTREMELY valuable information. In fact, make sure you download the podcast or at least for sure save this link as you will likely want to listen to it several times. Once you are done listening to the podcast you just might be the most organized and ready for fishing, hunting and more than you ever have been before! In fact, you will learn about a real cool new feature for buying all your licenses online. Here is a big hint: it allows grab any or all the things you bought last year again this year in a few clicks! It is very cool!If you want to get more information about all the things you need to know about the new license year, click here for a great article that, will give you tips, reminders, deadlines and lots of links to most all the info you are going to need. Read it carefully and you will have everything from the number to the FWP Licensing Call Center, which is (406) 444-2950, to links to the Online Licensing System and much more! For more information on Montana hunting licenses and permits, click here. If you would like to email a question or comment to the Licensing Division of the FWP, click here. For great information about Hunter Education, click here. For info about Bowhunter Education, click here. To email a question to the Communication and Education Division, click here.Remember to tune in to our live radio show, The Montana Outdoor Radio Show, every Saturday morning from 6:00AM to 8:00AM. The show airs on 30 radio stations all across the State of Montana. You can get a list of our affiliated radio stations on our website. You can also listen to recordings of past shows, get fishing and and hunting information and much more at that website or on our Facebook page. You can also watch our radio show there as well.

This week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast your host Downrigger Dale talks to Andy Mansoor, CEO of Brixtel Defense along with two other key executives of the Company Jimmy Slaughter and James McCoy. Those gentlemen represent Brixtel Defense an ammunition company that is spending 125 million dollars to build an ammunition manufacturing plant in Glendive Montana!  You may recall if you listened a few weeks back to the Montana Outdoor Podcast when Rigger talked to Governor Greg Gianforte about Montana’s outdoor economy, he brought up Brixtel Defense and talked about them setting up a plant in Glendive. So, Downrigger decided to investigate that and boy did he find out a ton of exciting information! Make sure you listen to this podcast! When you do you will learn things like, which state is home to the highest number, per capita, of innovative firearms and ammunitions businesses in the United States. Spoiler Alert: That state is nicked named The Big Sky Country! What is even more amazing is how many people Brixtel Defense is planning on hiring when they get the new plant up to full capacity. You will also learn why this Virginia based company choose Glendive Montana as the place they wanted to expend their business in such a major way. Another thing the boys from Brixtel told Rigger about was the type of ammunition they will be manufacturing in Glendive. There is much more than that waiting for you to learn when you listen. It truly is amazing! In fact, some of you might just want to go to work for Brixtel and yes when you listen to the podcast you will find out what jobs they are looking to fill and how you can apply! In addition to all that you will learn that Brixtel Defenses’ expansion will have a positive affect on other businesses all across Montana as well!If you would like to learn more about Brixtel Defense, you can click here to head to their website. If you would like to email them your resume, click here. If would like to get their contact info for their headquarters in Virginia or for the new branch office in Glendive just click here. As always Downrigger Dale would love to hear from you with your thoughts about this episode or with your ideas for future podcasts. Click here to email him!Remember to tune in to our live radio show, The Montana Outdoor Radio Show, every Saturday morning from 6:00AM to 8:00AM. The show airs on 30 radio stations all across the State of Montana. You can get a list of our affiliated radio stations on our website. You can also listen to recordings of past shows, get fishing and and hunting information and much more at that website or on our Facebook page. You can also watch our radio show there as well.

This week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast your host Downrigger Dale talks to Cory Medlinger of Superior Hardwoods of Montana to find out about one of the most unique wood products companies in the world! If you are a fan of the podcast or the Montana Outdoor Radio Show you have no doubt heard Cory talk about Superior Hardwoods of Montana a company that his dad started back in 1977. Now you will learn the whole story of how this incredible company started and how it has evolved into providing folks all over the United States and beyond with the most unique wood flooring, beams, siding and more that are beyond your imagination. Cory and his dad, John Medlinger, both have an eye for wood like no one else and we are not talking about just plain old wood. When you listen to the podcast you will hear about exotic woods, like Italian Olive Wood, or Redwood that was once a flume from an old mining operation and even wood that had once been at the bottom of the ocean before Superior Hardwoods turned it into beams that are more like art than something that holds up a ceiling. As Downrigger put it after he was done talking to Cory, “Superior Hardwoods of Montana is so unique that it almost seems like the company was the brainchild of Paul Bunyan and Willie Wonka!”. Yes, this podcast is for sure a “must listen” especially if you are thinking about remodeling, building, or wanting to create something incredible out of wood. Oh, and they are hiring right now too. So, if you love working with wood. Listen and learn how you can join the team at Superior Hardwoods of Montana! If you would like to learn more about Superior Hardwoods of Montana, just click here. If you would like to see some photos of some of the things that have been created from the unique woods they sell, click here. If you would like to contact them, click here. If you would like to send Cory and email, click here. You are of course welcome to call them at (406) 235-7452 or just stop in and see them at 5120 Highway 93 South in Missoula, Montana and let them guide you through the woods! Of course, your host Downrigger Dale would love to hear what you thought of this podcast or hear your ideas for topics for future podcasts, click here to send him an email!Remember to tune in to our live radio show, The Montana Outdoor Radio Show, every Saturday morning from 6:00AM to 8:00AM. The show airs on 30 radio stations all across the State of Montana. You can get a list of our affiliated radio stations on our website. You can also listen to recordings of past shows, get fishing and and hunting information and much more at that website or on our Facebook page. You can also watch our radio show there as well.

This week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast your host Downrigger Dale had an awesome conversation with Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks’ BOW Coordinator, Kylie Kembel. Kylie told Rigger all about the Becoming an Outdoors Woman program.  Of course, with Downrigger being a father of 9 daughters this is a program that is near and dear to his heart! If you have never heard of this program or maybe you have but have never heard about the Montana FWP’s version of it, you for sure need to listen to this podcast! And guys, if you are thinking this is a podcast just for the ladies you are wrong! You can get involved too! Kylie is always looking for volunteer instructors and/or guys who know gals that might be interested in getting involved either as a participant, an instructor and/or someone that just wants to learn a new outdoor skill. So, what all do they do in the BOW program? Well, for starters they have a whole bunch of fun! Specifically, they learn about and go out ice fishing, snowshoeing, hiking, kayaking, paddleboarding, hunting for all kinds of things, and so much more! Basically pretty much anything a person can do in Montana’s outdoors! The best thing you can do is listen to this podcast. You will learn that you have for sure been missing out on a whole lot, and more importantly you will learn how you can get involved!If you would like to learn even more about the BOW program after you listen to the Podcast, just click here. If you have a question for Kylie Kembel and/or if you would like to become a volunteer instructor, simply click here to send her an email or just give her and call at 406-444-5280. If you want to sign up for the ice fishing work shop this 16th and 17th in Kalispell, click here to get more information! If you would like to get emails about future events, click here. You can also check out the BOW Facebook Page by clicking here. To learn about where it all started and find out where BOW programs are at all across North America click here.Remember to tune in to our live radio show, The Montana Outdoor Radio Show, every Saturday morning from 6:00AM to 8:00AM. The show airs on 30 radio stations all across the State of Montana. You can get a list of our affiliated radio stations on our website. You can also listen to recordings of past shows, get fishing and and hunting information and much more at that website or on our Facebook page. You can also watch our radio show there as well.

This week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast your host, Downrigger Dale caught up with a guy who has been VERY busy. We are talking about Josh Parrow of Havre Montana. You probably have heard Josh a time or two on the Montana Outdoor Radio Show give a report from Montana’s Hi-Line or you may have seen him out on the Walleye Circuit or maybe even out on a stretch of railroad track repairing a train engine. Yeah, the guy stays busy for sure. In fact, he and his wonderful wife Kari just welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Aniyah! If that were not enough Josh just became the Region Four Director of Walleyes Unlimited and Kari is the new Treasurer! Oh, but he is not stopping there he also just became a guide under Kits Tackle Outfitters, “Jiggin’ the Dream”! Oh, and wait until you hear about where Josh is going to be guiding! It is long overdue that this great body of water got a guide to help you unlock its incredible secrets! Needless to say, he had a lot to talk about with Downrigger. Listen to the Montana Outdoor Podcast now and hear all about what is going on up on the Hi-Line. Josh gave out all kinds of great news about things going on in Montana’s Walleye Circuit, some awesome projects that Walleyes Unlimited Chapters are doing, great news about youth competing in tournaments and how the Fresno Chapter just helped the Fresno Ice Fishing Tournament hosted by the Fresno Tavern. They gave them a great donation and folks from the chapter will be helping out there Saturday 1/27/24 as well. If you want more information about the Fresno Ice Fishing Tournament you can also click here and read the Article that Angela Montana posted last week. Josh also talked about all the great reasons for joining your local Walleyes Unlimited Chapter. It sounds like you will be VERY happy you did! And those are just a few of the things that Rigger and Josh talked about. We just want to know where does this guy get all his energy anyway!?If you would like to learn more about Montana Walleyes Unlimited and find a chapter near you click here. If you want to get to know the Fresno Chapter of Walleyes Unlimited click here. For information about Josh Parrow’s guiding service click here. To book a trip with Josh and to learn more about Kits Tackle Outfitters, “Jiggin’ the Dream” be sure and click here. If you have a question for Josh, click here to send him and email. As always your old buddy Downrigger would love to hear your ideas for podcast topics, click here to email Downrigger Dale.Remember to tune in to our live radio show, The Montana Outdoor Radio Show, every Saturday morning from 6:00AM to 8:00AM. The show airs on 30 radio stations all across the State of Montana. You can get a list of our affiliated radio stations on our website. You can also listen to recordings of past shows, get fishing and and hunting information and much more at that website or on our Facebook page. You can also watch our radio show there as well.

This week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast your host Downrigger Dale talks with Matthew Rosencrans in the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center. Matthew is the Climate Testbed Director in the Climate Prediction Center and knows a great deal about predicting the weather. In fact, he used to be one of the weather forecasters for the United States Airforce! Over the last few years, the National Weather Services Prediction Team has increased their average accuracy a great deal. So, on average how accurate are they? Listen now and find out! Downrigger talked to Matthew about what the weather outlook is for the rest of this winter here in Montana. Rigger and Matthew even went way beyond that and talked about what the weather looks like for the State this spring, summer, and fall. Is it good news or is it not looking so good as far as moisture and drought conditions? Are we in a El Niño or a La Niña? Do you know what those things are? Who named them that? How is the National Weather Service and their team of scientists like Matthew able to predict the weather that far out? No, it is not a crystal ball! How do storms like hurricanes get their names. Rigger and Mr. Rosencrans get into some incredible topics and most all those topics are all about things that will directly affect you! So, listen now to this week's Montana Outdoor Podcast!If you would like to learn more about the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center, click here. If you would like to learn more about the weather in your area:For northwestern Montana click here or call (406) 329-4840.For northern and central Montana click here or call (406) 453-2081.For northeastern Montana click here or call (406)228-4042.For southeastern Montana click here or call (406) 652-0851.As always if you have any suggestions for podcasts topics just click here to send an email to Downrigger Dale. Remember to tune in to our live radio show, The Montana Outdoor Radio Show, every Saturday morning from 6:00AM to 8:00AM. The show airs on 30 radio stations all across the State of Montana. You can get a list of our affiliated radio stations on our website. You can also listen to recordings of past shows, get fishing and and hunting information and much more at that website or on our Facebook page. You can also watch our radio show there as well.

This week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast your host, Downrigger Dale has a conversation with Montana Governor, Greg Gianforte. Rigger and the Governor get into all kinds of topics about Montana’s great outdoors. Things like: What is the overall outlook for Montana’s Outdoors for 2024? What About Montana’s outdoor economy, which is a huge part of our overall economy, will it keep growing? Can Montana’s population continue to grow without ruining the things that has made it the best place in the world to live? You can get the Governor’s answers to those and many other questions by listening to this week’s Podcast! A few other very interesting tidbits about Montana’s outdoor economy that Governor Gianforte brought up during his conversation with Rigger; Do you know how fast Montana’s Outdoor Economy grew in one year? How many people are employed in jobs directly connected to Montana’s outdoor economy? Spoiler Alert! If all those folks lived in the same town, they would become the 7th largest city in the State! There is a TON of important information in this podcast for sure and even a great recipe for duck from the Governor! So, listen now!If you would like to learn more about Montana’s outdoor economy, click here for an interesting report from the Montana Department of Labor and Industry. You can also click here to get another interesting report about Montana’s outdoor economy from the University of Montana. Rigger and the Governor also talked about the Black Butte Copper Mine and the gold mine near Emigrant Montana that was opposed by the community. Click here to get more information about Black Butte Copper Mine and the Community support. To read an article about the ban on mining near Emigrant click here. If you have a question for Governor Gianforte, click here to send him an email. Downrigger Dale would love to hear your thoughts about this podcast or your ideas for future podcast topics! Click here to email Downrigger Dale.Remember to tune in to our live radio show, The Montana Outdoor Radio Show, every Saturday morning from 6:00AM to 8:00AM. The show airs on 30 radio stations all across the State of Montana. You can get a list of our affiliated radio stations on our website. You can also listen to recordings of past shows, get fishing and and hunting information and much more at that website or on our Facebook page. You can also watch our radio show there as well.

This week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast Manny Clark sits in for Downrigger Dale and counts down the top five podcasts for 2023. There were 51 podcasts dropped in 2023 all of which had tons and tons of listeners. But as always, there were some that of course had more listeners than others. So which ones were the top five podcasts for all of 2023? Which one do you think was the most listened to podcast of all? Was it when Downrigger and the Captain did the podcast out on the Slayer’s boat fishing for King Salmon? Was it when Downrigger interviewed the Energy Keepers CEO about the low water levels on Flathead Lake? What about the Podcast about the Kokanee making a comeback in Holter Reservoir? Well you are going to have to listen to find out! Make sure you listen next week too when Downrigger will interview Montana Governor Greg Gianforte about what’s next for Montana’s Outdoors in 2024! Remember to tune in to our live radio show, The Montana Outdoor Radio Show, every Saturday morning from 6:00AM to 8:00AM. The show airs on 30 radio stations all across the State of Montana. You can get a list of our affiliated radio stations on our website. You can also listen to recordings of past shows, get fishing and and hunting information and much more at that website or on our Facebook page. You can also watch our radio show there as well.

This week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast your host Downrigger Dale talks to Bureau of Reclamation Project Manager Steve Darlinton about the huge projects he is managing that will, among many things, fix the Fresno Dam located just about 15 miles Northwest of Havre, Montana. Fresno Dam was built in the mid 1930’s and since then it has been slowly sinking! Not something you want a dam to do! Especially when you have the towns of Havre and Chinook just downstream from the Dam. How far has it sunk and how dangerous is this situation with the dam? There is so much information packed into this podcast that you may want to listen to it a few times. Rigger and Steve not only talk about fixing the Fresno dam but get into the details of how that will happen and how the work, that will be starting this summer, will affect water levels in Fresno Reservoir. How far will the reservoir water levels be dropping and when will that happen? Listen and find out. Steve Darlinton does a great job explaining everything about this major project! Steve also talks about the other water ways that the Montana Bureau of Reclamation oversees including Canyon Ferry Reservoir, the St. Mary Diversion Dam and Canal and many others. Speaking of the St Mary Diversion Dam and Canal did you know that canal was constructed in the early 1900s and stretches over the great divide to carry water to the Milk River? Steve talks about how that incredible project was constructed all those years ago, of course using tools that would be considered rather primitive by today’s standards, but some incredible hard-working Montanans pulled it off. Course fast forward to today and you can imagine there is a lot of work ahead of Steve and his team to modernize that! Do you know why that project was built in the first place all those years ago? We are guessing you are going to be pretty darned surprised to learn the answer to that question. Listen and find out all about it. Like we said, this podcast is packed full of incredible information, covering the stories of how many of the waterways along Montana’s Highline came to be and what the future holds for them!Learn more about the Fresno Reservoir Dam project by clicking here. Learn about Canyon Ferry Reservoir by clicking here. Learn about the St. Mary Diversion Dam and Canal projects by clinking here. Learn about other Bureau of Reclamation projects going on in Montana by clicking here. Learn all about Bureau of Reclamation projects across the country by clicking here. If you would like to ask Steve Darlinton Bureau of Reclamation Project Manager a question, click here to send him an email. As always be sure and give your thoughts about this podcast and or ideas for topics for future podcasts to Downrigger Dale, click here to email him now.Remember to tune in to our live radio show, The Montana Outdoor Radio Show, every Saturday morning from 6:00AM to 8:00AM. The show airs on 30 radio stations all across the State of Montana. You can get a list of our affiliated radio stations on our website. You can also listen to recordings of past shows, get fishing and and hunting information and much more at that website or on our Facebook page. You can also watch our radio show there as well.

This week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast your host Downrigger Dale talks with celebrity and Montana native Shane Clouse about his involvement with the Montana Wild Sheep Foundation. Shane is a past President of the foundation which partners with the Montana FWP to help with Big Horn Sheep to make sure we will always be able to hunt them. When Shane is not entertaining or working in is businesses, you can find him out in Montana’s Outdoors, bow hunting, fishing or working on his ranch with his beautiful wife Kelly. Shane covers some great information about the health and population of Montana’s Big Horn Sheep. He also talks about how lucky we are in Montana to be the only state that has a certain type of a Big Horn Sheep Hunting season. Shane also talks about his entertainment career, like singing and song writing. Some of you may not know that Shane is also an actor. He starred in a movie called Eye for Eye and has another movie coming out this May called Mr. Pettigrew, both are Westerns. You can find Eye for Eye on Amazon right now. Click here to watch it now. In Eye for Eye, Shane stars with Actor John Savage who has starred in many major films, most notably the Academy Award winning film, The Deer Hunter, alongside Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep and Christopher Walken. In addition to acting in the movie Eye for Eye, Shane also wrote and performed music for the film’s soundtrack. You are going to LOVE this interview as Rigger covers a TON of ground with Shane including his very successful company Pink Grizzly which sells the monstrously popular Montana Wreaths which are sold during the holidays all over the world. One thing you will notice about Shane Clouse as you listen to this Podcast is he truly loves his home state of Montana! Which we would like to think has caused him to be unlike any actor or entertainer in general that you will ever get to know.After you are done listening come back here and Click Here to learn all about the Montana Wild Sheep Foundation. To learn more about Shane Click Here. Or visit his Facebook Page by Clicking Here. You can email him by Clicking Here. Lean all about  Montana Wreaths by Clicking Here! To learn more about the movie Eye for Eye Click Here. To learn more about Shane’s next movie, Mr. Pettigrew coming out this May Click Here. You can find Shane’s music on Apple Music by Clicking Here, or on Spotify  by Clicking Here.Remember to tune in to our live radio show, The Montana Outdoor Radio Show, every Saturday morning from 6:00AM to 8:00AM. The show airs on 30 radio stations all across the State of Montana. You can get a list of our affiliated radio stations on our website. You can also listen to recordings of past shows, get fishing and and hunting information and much more at that website or on our Facebook page. You can also watch our radio show there as well.

This week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast your host Downrigger Dale talks to Brian Wakeling the Game Management Bureau Chief for the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Brian knows everything there is to know about Montana’s Elk Shoulder Seasons. He and Rigger had a VERY interesting discussion about these sometimes confusing and controversial Elk Hunting Seasons. Once you listen to this you may never look at Elk Shoulders Seasons the same. In fact, there is a much better way of understanding them once you stop looking at them as an extension to the regular season. They are basically separate mini seasons all unto themselves. They are designed and structured for different reasons. So, what does that mean? Listen now and find out. There are also lots of rumors and misconceptions surrounding these seasons. Downrigger asks the questions and gets the answers that should clear all those and more up. Things like; How many elk are available for harvest? What dictates why a season will be put in somewhere? Is it true that not all shoulder seasons are on private land? What is the best way to plan a shoulder season hunt? What do all those charts with the rules and regs inside of them mean? Are outfitters allowed to guide in shoulder season areas? How much discretion on who hunts and where, do landowners have? And the list goes on. This podcast will open your eyes and should show you how these seasons, that are going on now, can become huge opportunities for you!If you want to learn more about Elk Shoulder Seasons click here. Once you click there keep scrolling and clicking on links in that page there is TONS of info there! This Block Management webpage has some good info for planning hunts, click here to take a look! If you have questions for Downrigger’s guest Brian Wakeling, click here to send him an email. Do you have ideas for topics for future podcasts? Click here to send an email to Downrigger Dale.Remember to tune in to our live radio show, The Montana Outdoor Radio Show, every Saturday morning from 6:00AM to 8:00AM. The show airs on 30 radio stations all across the State of Montana. You can get a list of our affiliated radio stations on our website. You can also listen to recordings of past shows, get fishing and and hunting information and much more at that website or on our Facebook page. You can also watch our radio show there as well.

This week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast you host Downrigger Dale talks to the Regional Director of the Montana Mule Deer Foundation, Chris Fortune. Rigger and Chris got into a fascinating and at times alarming discussion about the decline of the Mule Deer population in Montana. They cover all kinds of reasons that are contributing to this decline like; the loss of key Mule Deer habitat, the number of CWD cases that have been hitting the population, and the growing population of the Mule Deer’s predators. Now many of you may be thinking it’s the wolf and yes wolves do prey on Mule Deer no doubt, however they tend to focus more on other prey. Director Fortune explains that it is really a couple of other predators that have been doing more damage than the wolf. Which ones are those? Listen now to find out. In fact, Rigger found it interesting that one predator has been kind of flying under the radar since the wolf has been in the spotlight. Rigger also asked Chris about possible solutions to the issues affecting our Mule Deer and what the Mule Deer Foundation is trying to do about all this. This podcast will likely surprise you a great deal as it clears up a lot of misconceptions about the problems facing the Mule Deer. Spoiler Alert: CWD is not the biggest problem! Also, there are ways you can help solve the problems facing the Mule Deer population in Montana. Listen now to find out more!If you would like to find out more about the Montana Mule Deer Foundation, click here. If you would like to find a Mule Deer Foundation chapter near you click here. To learn about recent CWD cases in Montana click here. To ask Chris Fortune, Regional Director of the Mule Foundation a question click here. Do you have comments about this podcast or ideas for topics for future podcasts? Click here to email your host Downrigger Dale. Remember to tune in to our live radio show, The Montana Outdoor Radio Show, every Saturday morning from 6:00AM to 8:00AM. The show airs on 30 radio stations all across the State of Montana. You can get a list of our affiliated radio stations on our website. You can also listen to recordings of past shows, get fishing and and hunting information and much more at that website or on our Facebook page. You can also watch our radio show there as well.