Themediocrealaskan

Putting the finishing touches on my book A Miserable Paradise which will be released next month. In this solo episode I talk about the editing process, an outline of the book itself and pondering the stupidest way someone could read something. Also check out the winter issue of The Drake and look for the piece I wrote about steelhead fishing. I also wrote a feature-length basketball piece for the Juneau Empire which was fun since my first journalism pieces were about sports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Caleb Martin from the Alaska Outdoor Council is back to talk about the importance of the use of science in maintaining sustainable yield populations in Alaska and protecting public use. He talks about the devastating effects of choosing predators over prey in areas that used to be rich in Dall sheep and moose. We also talk about the importance of education as many people have their hearts in the right place, but just don't have access to the reality of Alaskan ecosystems. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Alaska draws are out and again I drew nothing, but it really doesn't matter. Draw time is the time to get upset at non-residents for drawing the tag locals like and that is an absolute waste of time. In this episode I talk about how insane it is to go out of our way to be upset at people who make the hunts we want to happen, happen themselves. I also talk about how terrified I am of losing the wonder and excitement of a hunting experience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Been neck deep in editing my book (hoping for an April release) and starting another writing project about basketball in southeast Alaska. So I've tricked myself into believing that I don't have time to do a podcast which is an absolute lie. I talk about this in a short solo episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the positive rejection I received regarding my book manuscript, I have decided to self-publish my book A Miserable Paradise and see what happens. I felt like there was a stigma that was something like self-publishing was for authors who weren't good enough to get a book deal. But after talking to some authors and seeing how difficult it is to get a deal and how little you make in royalties, I've decided to go for it. In the latest round of edits I have felt both like I have a solid grasp on expression and that I am a total hack that couldn't write a coloring book. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tongass Talk host Adam Krick (Colorado resident, formerly of Metlakatla) is back to talk about travel hunting, guiding elk in New Mexico, how that compares to hunting elk on Afognak, why Etolin elk hunting might be the most difficult hunt in Alaska, the problem with too much hunting content, how to be successful even when hunting well-known places, plus universal tactics for hunting and starting something new. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So my manuscript was rejected by a publisher, but it's just part of the process. In this episode I talk about the positive rejection email I received and two groups of people I don't understand: 1. people who selfishly choose the worst possible way to read or hear a comment 2. people who thing that by saying you had a good 2020, you are oblivious and hateful. How are we supposed to help people get back to feeling joy, if we only permit anger and misery? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's tag hunting season for non-residents, so Jaden Bales (the Wyoming Correspondent) and I talk about off-season podcast listening habits, ice fishing, cow elk hunts, cow caribou hunts, the decrease of non-resident tag allotment in some states, why increasing population and improving habitat is important and what happens if you can afford the tag but not the hunt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danny Lehr is the co-founder of Caffeine and Kilos, Excel Health and Fitness in Manteca, California, and the good friend who recommended I start a website and podcast. In this episode we talk about how pacing in stupid, growing a business, positive influences, throwing up, flipping dollar bills, and being on a king salmon derby leaderboard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Caribou has always been on the list, but winter caribou seems like the type of Alaskan hunt I need to experience. In this solo episode I blame my Fairbanks buddies for my lack of self-control when it comes to seeking out Alaskan experiences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fairbanks resident Harrison Gottschling is back to talk all things ice fishing including tips, gear and recipes for pike. We also talk fox hats, Arctic gear, the On Deck Freezer, owning chickens and making it through the cold dark winter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For some, the outdoors are an escape from an existence void of the type of purpose and excitement that make them feel happy to be alive. They are dependent on a hunt or hike or fishing trip that will make the dark cloud go away, but unless reality is fulfilling, the dark cloud will return. In this episode I talk about how hunting and fishing can't solve our problems and how the better we are at work and home, the more epic our experiences outdoors will be. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Juneau resident Dallin Hanchett is back to talk about his trip to Cold Bay earlier this month for emperor geese. In this episode we talk conservation, a brief history of the emperor goose hunt and tips for diver ducks and puddle ducks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the deadline for draw applications in Alaska looming, I was feeling the crowd putting in for the tags that I want and wondered if tag-finding services were turning travel hunting into a rich person's game. I texted my buddy Jaden who provided some interesting insight. I talk about Jaden behind his back in this episode about perception vs. reality, tag-finding services and the value of having an outdoor buddy who can provide depth to a subject so you're not berating something you don't really understand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad Elfers is the owner of Alaska Fly Fishing Goods in Juneau. In this episode he and I talk about whether or not guiding and shop owning are all they are cracked up to be, how the internet has changed the business and steelhead tactics in southeast Alaska. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tongass Talk's Ian Hudson and I talk about cultural richness, the different Alaskas, hunting the rut, why enduring terrible winter storms is worth it to live in Alaska and what's on the radar for 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Taylor Balkom is a talented, award-winning freelance photojournalist who used to work for the Ketchikan Daily News. In this episode we talk about getting started in the freelance world, the importance of being able to write as well as shoot, imposter's syndrome, honing the craft and how giving away good content for free undermines the value of good words and photos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After missing with my bow on Nov. 1, I haven't had another shot at a buck, though I have seen at least one every weekend. This is madness. There are only a few days left in the season so I will admit I'm feeling a bit of urgency. In this episode I talk about my two hunts this weekend, why I bow hunt, why I watch Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee and make a reference to 1984 because my students are finishing it for class so its on the brain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I grew up watching Lower 48ers take Alaskan salmon back to their homes and in October I took a Wyoming mule deer back to mine. Traveling to someone else's spot to live out a dream can be a complex issue and one that often leads to debate. For every local angry about meat leaving the state, there's a slice of the local economy dependent upon it. We're all Public Land Owners, but what sort of ethics should a hunter or angler travel with? Jess Johnson, Jaden Bales (both of the Wyoming Wildlife Federation) and I talk about this and how to pack for a road trip in this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fairbanks resident Steve Shannon is back to talk about the highs and the low from the year. Though plans changed, we both scratched out pretty good years hunting. We also discuss e-bikes, tipi tents, and recipes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices