Themediocrealaskan

Human history is filled with heart-felt good and unfathomable evil. Unfortunately, that will continue. As a whole, we will do evil to others and evil to ourselves. However, individually we can find ways to fight it. Plenty of people have found ways to live healthy, fulfilling lives. It is not impossible to be healthy and happy. People everywhere are holding themselves to those standards. Know these people, spend time with these people - people who do real things and refuse to give in to the negativity or are manipulated into thinking other people can do it for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After seeing Harrison Gottschling's Dall Sheep hunt on The Heart of Hunting, I had more questions, so I talked with Harrison and Steve Frith, who filmed the hunt. We talk about staying positive and motivated to keep hiking after rams blow out, are shot by other hunters or are on the opposite side of the valley. We also talk about the authentic reactions that can't be staged, how to keep that perspective fresh and universal hunting principles that apply for mule deer in the Lower 48 and blacktail in Alaska. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I call it Episode 105, but it's really 106. Anyway, I'm selling my 15-foot Boston Whaler with a 70 hp Yamaha (200 hours) and looking at upgrading to a mid-level boat to extend my range. I am primarily looking for a boat from which to hunt, camp and set pots, with fishing coming a close second. With that in mind, I've been overwhelmed with the questions that are really unanswerable because the perfect boat doesn't exist. Fiberglass? Heavy-grade aluminum? Regular aluminum? New? Used? Get the right boat and upgrade the motor or buy a great motor and get a boat that will work? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How does a student from Ketchikan High School measure up against students from the Lower 48? Pretty well. I talk with 2018 Ketchikan High School Valedictorian Largim Zhuta. As a senior Largim was part of the 2018 High School Academic Decathlon Division III National Championship team and just finished his freshman year at Santa Clara University. We talk academic transition, Alaska stereotypes, social media's impact on being homesick, learning from failure and starting to figure out the meaning of success. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I've always liked reading and listening to hunters and anglers who tell stories with their audience, not their ego, in mind. A good hunting story is about a little bit of suffering, a little honesty and just the right embellishment. With blacktail deer season 11 days old, hunters have some great stories that I love hearing, and others with simple, chest thumping tales that tell you more about their need for validation than their skill as hunter. This happens a lot in podcasts and outdoor writing and I hope I don't fall into that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Opening Day in the alpine did not disappoint, but it didn't exactly go as planned for Fairbanks resident Steve Shannon and myself. We recap our hunt, but thanks to a lack of specifics and more closing thoughts, I recorded a preface which comes before the recap. In that preamble I talk about why doing hard things is step one for self-confidence and the hypothetical that acts as justification for choosing a 4-point over a forkie rarely happens (never for me) and if someone just wants to shoot 4-points, he or she should just say it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steve Frith from The Heart of Hunting and I talk filming hunts, how to get started, the importance of a good eye rather than expensive gear and the importance of a solid, safe hunting program. Steve recently released the short film of Harrison Gottschling's Dall sheep hunt. Harrison told the story of his hunt on Episode 58 of this podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After fishing 7 rivers in 4 states over the last 15 days, Trout Fest 2019 is over and it's time to get into the alpine for blacktail bucks. In this short episode I talk about the importance of always having something to look forward to, and why it's impossible to say one is better than the other. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My buddy Danny Lehr went from high school teacher and CrossFit gym owner to full-time business owner as co-founder of Caffeine and Kilos. We talk about some of the keys for individual and business growth, the importance of mindset and practice, as well as the need to grow as life changes otherwise one is doomed to stagnancy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Though we identify as hunters and anglers, we are hunting and fishing only a fraction of our lives. We have to make sure we take care of ourselves in the off season too. If we are lucky enough to be outdoors 100 days out of the year, that's less than a third of our annual days. What are we doing with the rest of our lives? And if we are totally at the mercy of success so we can tell other people how awesome we are as anglers or hunters, we run the risk of being too dependent on success for fulfillment. The better shape we are in emotionally and physically for our hunt or trip, the better the experience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the last three weeks I've been able to camp on the banks of some excellent rivers in Wyoming and Colorado. I talk about my favorite trout flies, why catching "the fish" each river isn't always a good thing and why meeting locals makes the experience better. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tanner Harms was one win from becoming an All-American, but lost to his nemesis at the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Now he's adjusting to a new identity that doesn't involve wrestling. We all move on from who we were in high school, college and even as adults. For some, finding an identity can be difficult because they've been known as ____________ for so long. I talk to Tanner about lessons learned from sports, chasing a fulfilling lifestyle, and not living off old memories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when outdoor companies and personalities get huge? Does quality, content or customer service suffer? Should politics play a role in a company you support? Fairbanks resident Harrison Gottschling and I discuss brands, products and outdoor companies we like to support as your average run-of-the-mill outdoorsmen. Harrison and I discussed his Dall sheep hunt in Episode 58. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gym owner Chuy Medina (Resident CrossFit, Modesto, CA) and I talk about the importance of being self-aware, the difference between being who you are and just wanting other people to think you are something morally or otherwise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From a tiny town on an island in Southeast Alaska to graduating from Medical School from the University of Washington, my buddy Stephen Ellison had every excuse at his disposal. However, he refused to listen to any of them. He weekend warrior hunts Dall Sheep, moose and took me to his special blacktail deer place where I took my first 4-point buck. We talk the easiest solutions to addressing health, living quotes, hunting food and prepping for our moose hunt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who knows enough to really be able to give good advice? We're all just fumbling around trying to figure stuff out and if we listened to advice we shouldn't then make the same mistakes someone told us to avoid, right? Life is weird, but entertaining. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I recently checked my social media and podcast motives...am I in this for likes and money? If so, I need to check myself because if I need likes or sponsors to feel validated, I'm screwed. I also continue to try and put word to the need to the idea of making it easier for hunter and anglers to travel to other states. They have every right, but what local wants more pressure? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If I had one night left, what am I going to go eat, what am I going to go drink and who do I need to go talk to?” That's Matt Hamilton's motto and in this episode we talk about being a good guest, good local, and the real value of being a widely known artist. Hint: it's not money. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While glassing for black bear, I ponder arrogant story tellers, expectations, societal norms, home ownership and putting words to lifestyles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The idea of escaping reality is a tricky one because not only do you have to define escape but also reality. I touch on those as well as being alone on hunts and the coming invasion of summer tourists, of which I will be one myself this summer, so I can't be judgmental. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices