We have a very special episode this week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast. Native American Tribes have a rich history with Oklahoma's land and wildlife. Many of the tribes represented today were on the landscape long before statehood, and have a relationship with wildlife that goes far beyond hunting for pleasure and past time. Trenton Kissee is the acting secretary of interior affairs for the Muscogee Creek nation and has a Natural Resources degree from Oklahoma State University. He joins John this week to educate us on the involvement that the tribes have in promoting wildlife and habitat in Oklahoma.

Trenton and John talk about the new agreement the big five tribes came to that allows tribe members to hunt on each other's reservation lands. Trenton also talks about some research projects the tribes have been helping on, including opening up some CWD testing sites to make testing available to more people. And just for fun, Trenton puts on the host hat and asks John a few questions about his upcoming hunt on Big Mac aka the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant.

If you could go on any hunt in the world, what would it be? When Andrew Kobe asked himself that question, he knew there was only one answer. That question is what led him to some of the most remote country in North America in search of one of the planet's largest mammals, a moose. This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John and Andrew discuss what all goes into a dream hunt such as this one. The guys start out by talking about how to find a reputable and trustworthy outfitter, no matter what game species you are wanting to chase.

Andrew also lays out the process of packing and traveling with a week's worth of gear and a firearm to another country. The United States part of it was not that difficult, but when he landed in Canada, they were not so easy. He also talks about the type of gear needed for a hunt like this, and some of the things that made his trip more enjoyable. Andrew also talks about the hunt itself, and what it took to get a fully grown moose worth of meat back to his freezer at home.

This episode of the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast is all about gear. John has three out of the ordinary hunts this year that all feature different states, terrains, weapons, and gear. John breaks these hunts down one by one and discusses the drastic differences in gear he will need for the different hunts. John will start off with an early season September muzzleloader hunt in Kansas. After doing a lot of map scouting, John learned that the area of Kansas he will be in is much more remote than he realized. This hunt will probably be a truck hunting scenario, something John has not done much of recently.

Back in Oklahoma, John drew a tag for a traditional archery only hunt which means he will need to polish his archery skills. After testing out an old recurve he had, he discovered a bent limb which makes the more powerful bow not an option. He now has to decide to stick with his 40 pound longbow, or drop some money on a new recurve. He also has to decide if he wants to stick to hunting on the ground or practice shooting a long traditional bow from a tree stand.

The last hunt of his season will take place in the cactus covered mountains of south Texas. Clothing is the main concern on this hunt. Being just off of the Rio Grande River and Mexican border, this area has some of the most unpredictable weather in the lower 48. Add long hikes mixed with hours of sitting and glassing, you just never know what you are going to end up needing to put on or take off in a moment's notice. All while possibly needing to take a 300 to 400 yard shot at any second.

On this episode of the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John reveals a secret project he has been working on all spring. John grew up fishing and duck hunting on small farm ponds, so they have always held a special place in his heart. For the last couple of months, John has made it his goal to turn one particular pond into a fish and duck paradise. While growing a 10 pound plus bass in a 1 acre pond may not be realistic, John's goal is to simply maximise its potential and create a fun and exciting place for him and his friends and family to enjoy.

Almost anyone can gain access to a small farm pond, which is part of the reason John feels so passionately about this project. After a lot of research, John set out to make the best fishery possible out of a one and a half acre pond that has been in his family for about 50 years. John's other goal was to do it as cheaply as possible. Structure, water clarity, and overall fish population are the main concerns, as well as hopefully growing some edge vegetation that will make the pond more attractive for waterfowl. So if that little mud hole in the middle of a cattle pasture is all you have to work with, don't fret. Almost any water source can serve a purpose for an outdoors man or woman willing to put in a little work!

This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast John is joined by Brian Halbleid of the Migration Waterfowl Podcast. A Pennsylvania native, Brian grew up deer hunting like most young boys and girls in the Keystone state. It wasn't until a little later in life that he was introduced to duck hunting and he hasn't looked back since. John and Brian talk about some of the differences in hunting northern vs southern ducks, and how the timing of when things get good may differ. They touch on a little bit of everything, including decoy spread layout, when to use or not use spinning wing decoys, and the advancement of motion decoys over the years.

Towards the end of the episode, John couldn't help but talk about deer a little bit. Brian discusses how the human population has changed hunting in his area in recent years, but that it's not all bad change. He also talks about what a difference antler point restrictions have made on the trophy quality in the state, and how education has led to more hunters passing younger bucks.

This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John and his guest Connor Little cover the widely used but rarely discussed topic of deer feeders. For as commonly used as deer feeders are in the hunting world, there is a certain taboo about them that causes most people to stay pretty tight lipped about their use. The fact of the matter is though, where legal, a large majority of hunters utilize feeders. So if they are legal, and people are using them, why not talk about them?

Connor and John talk about the different types of feeders out there and some advantages and disadvantages to each. The guys also talk about "hand corn" or simply placing bait on the ground and its effectiveness in the right situation. Connor talks about the ongoing battle a hunter will have with livestock and undesired critters like hogs and racoons any time a feeder is used on the open landscape.

The south heads north this week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast as John chats with his buddy Nate Rozeveld from Michigan. Nate is the host of the Michigan Wild Podcast on the Sportemen's Empire and recently came down to join John on an Oklahoma hog hunt. John and Nate cover a variety of topics including how social media may have actually improved Michigan deer hunting for the better. John asks Nate about his thoughts on one of John's favorite topics, the one buck vs two buck debate. Nate also explains Michigan's varied landscape including the famous "U.P." or upper peninsula.

Being a podcast host himself, Nate does a great job of turning the tables and asking John a few questions about his property and hunting in Oklahoma. After seeing John's property this spring, he had some questions about how John sets up and hunts his family cattle ranch. The guys also talk about if you can have "too many mature bucks" on a property and ways you can prevent that from happening.

This episode of the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast is all about summer time. John starts off with a quick story of how he almost went on a last second Canadian black bear hunt! He got invited on not just one, but two bear hunts in the same day. After that the episode gets a little more serious and John covers a few things that all whitetail hunters need to be doing this time of year. He also has a brief discussion on if summer time trail camera data is actually helpful for killing a buck later in the fall.