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Renown whitetail hunter, researcher and writer Dr. Bob Sheppard joins the show as we get the ball rolling with some in depth whitetail talk to help ease us through the off season blues. Dr. Sheppard’s book “Whitetails” analyzes data collected from over 400,000 whitetail sightings from hunters on over 60,000 acres in Alabama. Today we get into the interesting relationship between a hunter and a mature buck – who is really patterning who? You might be surprised to find out how much a shooter buck learns about you long after you’ve left the woods for the day.
Next, a real treat when avid outdoorsman, good ‘ol boy and country music legend Charlie Daniels stops by. We all know that Charlie can play a mean fiddle but we reflect on some of his favorite outdoor pastimes, from squirrel and coon hunting with dogs to spring crappie fishing. We also dive into his latest record “Off The Grid, Doin’ It Dylan” which came out this spring. There’s never a dull moment with one of the all time greats!
Next up we talk trout, redfish and much more with our good buddy Captain Len Girard who joins us live from the Upper Laguna Madre for our Texas coastal fishing report. What are the fish biting, how deep are they staging, are GULP artificial baits really all they are cracked up to be? What water temperature should you look as a sign that the trout should be moving shallow? We discuss it all and then some with the always affable Captain! Nice sized speck (photo Scott Frederick)
We wrap things up by discussing one of, if not the most controversial issue facing the hunting community today- wolves. As elk herd populations continue to plummet throughout much of the Northwest United States, the common theme always ends up being this truly amazing apex predator. But when elk numbers in historically ideal elk country like Idaho’s LOLO Units are down over 90% of what they were prior to wolf reintroduction in 1994…well it’s clear there is a serious problem.
Since 1995 Idaho alone has seen a 20% drop in the number of elk talks sold. That’s alot of money being taken out of conservation to preserve one species at the expense of many others. Idaho Fish and Game Deer and Elk Coordinator Toby Boudreau stops by to talk some numbers with us. How bad is it really? Can hunters really kill enough wolves during the season each year to help the elk recover? And why should anyone in Texas even care what wolves are doing in Idaho, Montana or Wyoming? We break it all down with Toby on this week’s show. One thing is for sure- wolves prey on whatever is in front of them, not just the young, old or weak as the anti wolf hunters want us to believe. (Photo Michael Cohen)
