Ryan Furrer Podcast

Here you go folks! The first episode was so well received we had to go back and see what Steve was up to. If you like hunting big mountain bucks on public land this show should tickle your fancy. If you missed the first episode you can go back just 2 shows to episode 23 and  give it a listen. I might mention, it's definitely worth doing so. If you have been following Steve's social media you've probably noticed there is no shortage of giant big woods bucks on his trail cameras. (He post new pictures almost daily from some of the 150-200 trail cameras he's running on about half a million acres!) Yes! I said it. half a million acres!In round 2 we delicately go over some of the tactics Steve plans on using from opening day and on throughout the fall.  If all goes as planned I feel sure that Steve and some of his clients my have a taxidermy bill to worry about in the near future. Steve is a great down to earth guy who certainly knows how to hunt big mature bucks. This show was a pleasure to bring to you. As always, please leave us some comments, and hit the subscribe button. 

This episode of the Ryan Furrer podcast I was joined by the Robbie Kroger and Cody Heitschmidt of Blood Origins. Also sitting in on the chat was a past guest on the Blood Origins podcast my good friend Rob Harrity You ask, what is Blood Origins? Well, If you are a listener who cherishes the freedom to hunt, fish, and enjoy all that mother nature has to offer Blood Origins and their platform is for you.Below is an excerpt from the Blood Origins website;   No matter your personality or background, an innate desire to learn more about why you are the way you are exists within most of us. It’s introspection, a desire to dig deep within yourself and your past to determine what makes you tick the way that you do. Stories about generations of outdoorsman have seated into your conscious, evoking thoughts of your own hunting adventures. Each story stirs a distinctive scent deep in your lungs. It pervades your being. It makes you smile. These questions of self and belonging are not unique to any one of us. These stories answer the question of where you belong, to whom you belong.           We took a deep dive into what drives Robbie and Cody. What is their why? With that,What is your why? What drives you to the outdoors? This was a great episode, with some great discussion, with some great people. I hope you enjoy it.  as always please leave us some comments. 

"You Ain't No Crabber!" HA! Now this, was some great discussion! We rolled up our sleeves and did some deep divin' (well, not that deep because as we learned in this podcast the water quality of the Bay doesn't lend itself to clarity). Even so, we got into the nitty gritty details of what's going on with the water quality with, 2 guys who spend, let's just say, A LOT of time fishing it.  Bay fisherman and crabber of 26 years CJ Canby. Capt. of the FV Miss Paula. And fairly young (8 years) Capt. Luke Mcfadden of the FV Southern Girl. Don't let Luke's for lack of better terms "inexperience" fool you. He's been working on boats since about the age of 12 and has amassed millions of followers with billions of downloads on social media with his everyday quick video segments explaining exactly what is happening with "a day in the life of a bay waterman" His social media platform is telling a story with seriousness, humility, and humor. If there is a day that these guys aren't fishing the bay in fishing season, then that's only because they're working on their gear.  We cover it all. What got them started, (the old days) the fishing now, vs then.  The water quality and how it effects their lively hood. What's is, or isn't being done about it, and why. This one was so good we decided to follow up with maybe a more "lighthearted" vol 2 (Coming soon)With that, as always let us know what you think. hit the like, and share. Enjoy. 

If you are a deer hunter who wants to hear about a guy who strictly hunts public land in the East, this podcast is for you! In fact, Steve Sherk has never hunted private land. Yep! Go back and read that again. Steve has never hunted private land. This was some great conversation about how Steve hunts big deer in the big woods,  we barely scratched the surface. Things covered;Sherks Guide ServiceCoverBedding areasAccessTime of year and much more. Like I mentioned we barely scratched the surface so Steve has agreed to come back on closer to season to cover some more. To see trail cam photos of giant public land bucks be sure to give Steve a follow on facebook at Steve Sherk Jr or on Instagram at Sherksguideservice Between now and then If you have any questions for Steve or something specifically you would like us to talk about send me an email at my new email address Ryan@ryanfurrerpodcast.com and I'll be sure to bring it up.Speaking of new email addresses we also have a brand new website! So please check it out as well at www.ryanfurrerpodcast.com We're in the infancy stages now but you can go back to any past podcast and  I'll be uploading more podcast, blogs, articles, and video links as we move forward.  It's exciting times for the podcast- As always any feedback is welcome. I hope you enjoy it. 

What can I say!? Except it never gets old listening to someone like Barry Wensel! This episode is just that. Me listening to one of the greats share his stories. He has tons of them too! This barely scratched the surface. Barry's whole life he's had a knack where strange/ funny things just "happen" to him. So we dove into that. Things coveredHow to use your bow in self defense. (maybe he'll start a school?) How not to talk to a GrizElk calling 101Mating habits of Black bearsTrust me.. If you like to laugh, you wont want to miss this one... 

With this episode of the Ryan Furrer Podcast I was joined by Thee Turkey Doctor- Dr, Michael Chamberlain. Wow! Michael has dedicated his life to wild turkey research, research that has helped state agencies keep a huntable population in their states since the re-introduction days for hunters to enjoy. The amount of information Michael and his students (past and present) have about the wild turkey is literally mind blowing.  We honestly barely scratched the surface.  So that's why I persuaded Michael to come back on to bring more "turkey talk" in the next few weeks. From peak gobbling times, to brood laying, predators, turkey survival rates, DNA testing, incubation periods etc,  the list goes on, we talked about it. I cant stress enough the amount of info Michael is armed with when it comes to wild turkeys, and the fact that at the end of the day he's like most others, just a "down to earth" solid, good guy, that likes to hunt turkeys. So please- sit back and listen to the show, it's a good one. I  hope you enjoy it as much as I. Thanks! 

In this episode of the podcast I sat down with one of my good friends and long time Professional Archer, Tony Tazza. When I say long time, Tony starting shooting Professionally back in the late 90's. So yeah- He's been around. The word "professional" get's used often to describe someone who makes their living mostly when involved in a sport. (Someone is a "pro" baseball player, or a "pro" golfer. etc) They get paid to play a "sport'  Another way to use the word "professional"  is as a descriptor to someone's character.  And honestly, the two ways of description should coincide when you're paid to participate in a sport in the publics eye, but oftentimes that isn't the case.  EXCEPT when we are talking about Tony Tazza. Tony not only get's paid to shoot a Bow and Arrow, he's also one of the nicest, most modest, approachable guys you could talk to on and off the archery course. I actually heard one of Tony's competitors say one time that "he's the nicest guy in archery" Not only is has Tony been a "pro" archer he also owns his own Archery Pro Shop "The Archery Zone" in Johnstown, PA.  Before that, a very well respected sales representative for Hoyt bow company, selling bows to Bowhunters, and Target archers in archery shops throughout PA, WVA, and MD.  With over 15 National Titles, Tony's modest character and pedigree has allowed him to pursue one of his life's passion for over 25 years.  Other topics discussed The Good Ole" days How the Archery Hunting scene has changed in PAThe fact that Tony couldn't remember how many national Titles he's wonThe future of archery    And much, much more.. As always, I hope you enjoy the show! 

In this episode of the Podcast I'm joined by long time Outdoor Writer, Ben Moyer. Ben is a life long resident of PA. Growing up hunting and fishing throughout the mountains  set him on his lifelong journey of adventures he later made it his living writing about. We cover everything from how and why he started writing, PA's rich hunting heritage, as well as how with around 6 million acres of public land, and about 121 State Parks PA is a mecca for outdoor recreation.  Things also discussed The amount of "gear" one can accumulate over a lifetime of being an outdoor enthusiastWill Ben write a book? The Future of huntingAs always- I hope you enjoy the show. 

In this episode of the Ryan Furrer Podcast I spoke with my good friend, Kip Adams. Kip is the Conservation Director for the National Deer Association. (Formally QDMA)Every year for the past 13 years Kip and his team put together the "Deer Report". Over 65 pages stuffed with state-by-state harvest data, hunting trends, disease information, fawn recruitment rates, and much more.To me- this report may be one of the most under utilized tools of information a hunter has available to them, It has that much of valuable information.  Other things discussed were PA Black BearsKips past as a Bear Biologist Winter time habitat improvementHunting Camp's  When it comes to "all things whitetail" Kip is a wealth of knowledge.   There will be more episodes like this to come. As always please leave your questions and comments. Thanks!

Will Brantley is a permeant fixture in the outdoor industry. One that wears many different hats you might say. From his freelance writing, he's also the  Hunting Editor of Field and Stream magazine, as well as along with  his wife they own Brantley Outdoors which specializes in content management and consulting for some of the industries largest brands.  Ohh, let's not forget,  they also do some guiding in the fall at their place in Western KY.  They stay busy. Will is very versed in "all things Outdoors" Topics discussed but not limited to: The unfortunate shooting on Reelfoot lakeTrials and tribulations of a Public Land HunterHunter recruitment Youth involvementAs always please share your thoughts and feedback. Enjoy! 

Wow! This episode delivers on many different levels from a history, artifact point of view. Gene is a wealth of knowledge when is comes to Bowhunting history and honestly this chat didn't even begin to scratch the surface. We talked about how for some hunters they are skipping the "romance" portion of being  a hunter. The part where you become curious about the history, curious about your weapon, or maybe the landscape of where you are hunting.   Curious as to who was doing it before you? How long ago? With what? And the most important the, why?  Way before social media and "hero" shots, what drew them to the woods or mountains. Was it food? Maybe in some cases, but let's be honest. Food isn't the reason we hunt, I mean It may be "A" reason, but not "THE" reason.  There's a much deeper interest than that for most hunters, I'm sure of itGene is one of those guys who in his 60 plus years of being arguably one of the greatest Whitetail Bowhunters of all time, he ask those questions. Then he seeked those with answers out- and later shared their stories.  I'm fortunate enough to be one of the people Gene shared those stories with. Now I'm bringing them to you.  I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I did making it. 

Whoa! Hold on boys and girls of the hunting scene, this is going to be a HOT TOPIC!! On this episode of the Ryan Furrer Podcast I'm joined by past President and current Board Member Jim Willems from Pope and Young. The main topic of discussion was the highly debated issue of the modern day Crossbow. Yes! There I said it- we're actually sitting down having a discussion about crossbows and if they have a place in the actual bow season.  Let's be honest if you're a bowhunter the advancements in crossbow technology in the last few years really has to leave you scratching your head.  Just the other day I saw a crossbow ad where their marketing read "Meet your next rifle!" HA! So why not sit down with one of the top guys at Pope and Young. I mean P&Y is the organization that is actually responsible for us as bowhunters having an actual bow season in the first place, so I would think their opinion would be valid.I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I'm personally not anti-crossbow, I am however starting to question how far this is actually going to go. Where does it end? So this isn't a crossbow bashing podcast,  It's a discussion that more hunters should be having.  Hopefully from this episode they do. If you don't stand up for something, you'll fall for anything. We said it in the podcast- speak up, become heard, get involved with Pope and Young, or your State Bowhunting Organization.  As the great Fred Bear said, "If you're not working to protect bowhunting, you're working to destroy it" Please, as always have a listen and feel free to share your comments or questions.  

Here we go! My first ever solo episode. I thought about it, kicked it around for a while and figured- ahh, why not!? So here it is. I mention in the beginning that if you don't like it you can turn it off at any point. LolI had some listener questions that I wanted to spend some time on with the details. Things covered;Flintlock MuzzleloadersThe late season Pros/ ConsMy season in a nutshellIs it to early to think about shed hunting!? Things to look forward to with the podcastAnd much more.. I really hope you like it. I also enjoy the feedback so please keep it coming. 

In this next episode of the Ryan Furrer Podcast ( RFP) we are joined by one of the greatest Whitetail Bowhunters of all time.  He also happens to be the twin brother to one of the greatest Whitetail Bowhunters of all time as well. Twin  brother to Barry,  Mr. Gene Wensel! Even though this episode was a bit longer, we didn't even scratch the surface. Gene has already agreed to follow up with a sequel- Part duex coming soon. Stay tuned ( pun- intended)It's important to me to introduce (via the podcast)  the likes of Barry and Gene Wensel to all huntersAs hunters we owe a great deal to them as they paved the way for a lot of today's Outdoor Television. Not only that- they're just great down to earth, funny guys. The type you just want to sit around the fire and listen to.  Most- if not all of the younger hunters today know the modern day "celebrity" hunters, but have never heard the likes of the Wensels, Rodger Rothar, Bart Schleyer, Paul Schafer etc.Hopefully I can do my part to help change that.   Things we covered, but not limited to.On the not so serious side:Barry's boogersGene's eating habitsWho's older?Fred bear's toothbrush, and socksOn the more serious side, but not so much;Hunting and technologyGetting kids involvedThe back countryAnd everything in between.In all seriousness this episode will give you good insight to Gene Wensel as a person. We were just more so shootin' the breeze. So grab a drink, sit back and enjoy the listen.  As always let me know of your questions and comments.  Thanks!

In this episode I'm joined by Giant Chasing, Master of Bowhunting Legend, Mr. Don Higgins.     (yes- I capitalized that as it should be his title.)Some things covered, but not limited to:Don and I had some great conversation about why we, or in this case, he hunts rather than the typical what, and how one hunts. We went over some of Don's past hunts- from his early childhood where he killed his first buck on his family farm which started that internal fire of learning everything there is to know about whitetail deer and habitat they need to thrive in. That in-turn lead him on a 20 year journey of changing the landscape of that farm that eventually not only has many other deer calling it home, but also Don's biggest buck harvest to date. We also  talked morning vs evening hunts.Cold weather sittin' And the fact that Don's has NEVER turkey hunted. Plus much more..  As always, give us a like, subscribe and leave any question or comments you may haveEnjoy!    

Super excited about this next episode of the Ryan Furrer Podcast with my friend and legendary Bowhunter, Barry Wensel.  I was very anxious to get this podcast recorded and out to the masses, as over the years I've found that a lot of new bowhunters, or even hunters in general for that matter have never heard of Barry and/or his twin brother Gene. ( Check them out on Brothers of the Bow.com) That's really unfortunate especially in today's world with the amount of hunting "content" that's out there floating around all the different platforms.  Here's why. Barry and Gene are 76 years young- Barry started self filming his own hunts when he was 14 years old! That's right, 62 years ago! Ha! He's also credited with killing not only the first deer but the fist 2 deer on video back in the early 80's (Bowhunting October Whitetails) which started the ball rolling with what now has become the "industry" of oudoor television. Yes- he/ they are the epitome of what we like to coin certain old-school types as the O.G'sYeah I'm sure someone would have filmed their own hunt sooner or later, but at this point Barry was the first. Since then Barry still continues to hunt, self film and kill giant Whitetails like no other. Oh yeah! let me mention, he has only ever hunted with traditional equipment. Yep! Big mature 5.5 yr old or older bucks all inside the 25 yard line with mainly a recurve bow in hand. The real "Stick and String"  Pet peeve of mine.. As with all the other episodes please give a like and subscribe to the podcast. You can give feed back or submit listener questions via social media, or at Rpfurrer@yahoo.com With that- out of the respect of Bowhunting I bring to you, Barry Wensel. Hope you enjoy! 

In this next episode of the RFP I was joined by special guest(s) John Plowman (Director) and Ben Moyer of Pennsylvania's Hunters sharing the Harvest (HSH) This program is special, it will pull at your heart strings. I helped with HSH a few years ago and it really raised my eye brows as to how needed it is/was.  I learned 1 in 6 PA families are food insecure this time of year. 1 in 6 folks!The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture estimates that before the pandemic more than 1.53 million Pennsylvanians experienced chronic hunger EVERYDAY! Including 478,500 seniors, and 437,000 children. Since the pandemic the food banks are reporting a significant increase in their communities with an average of around a 65% increase in food demand. Hunters can help! Hunters are helping! Hunters as a group are some of the most passionate, caring, giving people I know. Last year alone (2019) HSH had a record setting year with over 160,000lbs of venison donated. ( The most in the Country) To break it down for you 1lb of venison is roughly 4 meals. That's 640,000 meals donated by hunters! Guess what though!? It wasn't enough- they still fell short, the food banks needed more. This year HSH has set a goal of 200,000lbs of donated venison. If you ask me, that's very achievable. I don't like to use the term "we need awareness" As awareness is just a word thrown around by some as it's going to fix an issue. But more so, we need people to ACT on their awareness! It's one thing to be aware, but it's a whole other to do something. That's why I'm doing this podcast, now we as hunters need to do more, do your part if you can.  Go to sharedeer.org find a participating butcher in your area and help fight hunger! 

In this episode of the RFP we have special guest and family friend, Josh Merschat. Josh along with his wife and kids are the owner(s) of Northwest Montana Outfitters out of Trout Creek Montana. Not only is Josh the owner, he's one of the hardest working backcountry guides in the business. (Seriously, you better lace up your boots when you hunt with this guy, he'll walk your toenails off!) Ha! I mean it- He's done that before.  You see,  his dad, uncle  and grandparents we're taking him to the mountains when Josh was just old enough to walk.  It's literally in his blood.  It's who he is and what he's meant to do. He and his family are from PA,  but every year for about the last 18 or so when those summer days were starting to wain and the bulls were going hard antler, he'd pack up and be gone! After he's done chasing  screaming bulls and rutted up bucks- he moves on to running hounds after those big cats that lurk in the shadows of the mountains that very few people see.  That gets him through late winter.  Then he's home for only a short break then back at it treeing the spring bears. He's a hunter- he hunts. hard. But... Not only is he a backcounty guide, he's dabbled in bull riding, raising bulls to bull ride, rodeo clown, horseman, stone mason and as I mentioned, a houndsman (specializing in big cats, and bears) basically- a modern day cowboy, an  all around great dude and dad! So- If you have any interest in hunting anything in the west, or chasing big bears, and big cats with hounds, or just want to hear some cool story telling-  give this episode a listen. As always- let me know what you think! 

Its NOVEMBER! This episode is a must listen for you as you travel to and from your favorite hunting spot. Here's why.If you're anything like me (aside for trying to pick a restaurant to eat at with my family) This is a very daunting task.  You end up going back and forth in your mind hundreds of times trying to decide which spot to sit.  Well, give this episode a listen as it just might help you decide on what stand you should sit that day....Possibly, maybe? Some of the things covered but not limited to:Skipping work to hunt. (rutcation)The wind and the rain (I left out fire)Ridgetops and creek bottoms The misnomer of sex ratios- (simple) Math with a deer nerd. Ha!The secret to killing big bucks! (yep- there's a secret)    And much, much, more . As always please enjoy. Leave some feedback, ask questions, or just simply tell us some stories. There is more to come as we "work" and by work I mean "hunt" our way through November.Good luck out there! 

Big Buck Breakdown! Who doesn't like to hear about world class-  giant bucks!?  Well in this episode I had the pleasure of sitting down with avid bowhunter Chad Lytle.  Get this, Chad had not one, but two encounters with this mega giant in the same day! Some of the topics discussed were, but not limited to;Playing the lotteryWhen it comes to mega giant bucks, do we really have friends!? The nose bleed section Lucky BuckInterrogations after the fact. Please give it a listen and as always leave some questions or comments below.