Overdrive Outdoors Podcast

Josh and Kevin- End of "season"

This week, Josh and Kevin have our own "fireside chat" We talk a bit about grilling, cooking wild game, including how do you like your venison cooked? medium, med rare, or fresh off the carcass, and the potential dangers of eating some game meats. We then move on to discussing, again, the new Michigan coyote hunting season and the regs associated with damage control and how its written. We then move on to talking about some recent hunts, including Josh taking out a recent guest from the podc...

Matt and Joe- Generations to Hunt Podcast

This week we have a fireside chat with Josh, Kevin, Joe Davis and Matt Raysin of Generations to Hunt podcast. We talk about a little bit of everything, starting with talking about a new rifle that Kevin won this year from Rock River Arms, and what to NOT do with a new rifle. Then we move on to some deer hunting, discussing traditional bows, and other bow hunting info like saddles and stands that the guys have used. We hear Matts background in the outdoors, we talk hunting dogs for rabbits an...

Mark Kayser and Buck Wells

On this episode Kevin is joined by Buck Wells and Mark Kayser. Mark, in his own words, is ".. just an “average Joe” blessed with an exciting career", who has done everything from writing and photography to promotions and then into marketing and TV shows, all about hunting and the outdoors. Mark was born is South Dakota, and now resides in Wyoming where he hunts and continues his work, with a lot of Big game, bird hunting and predator hunting. He tells us about his dog that joins him for sh...

Coyote Q&A with Tony Tebbe and Josh Smith

This week on the Overdrive outdoors podcast, Josh and Kevin are joined by Tony Tebbe and Josh Smith. Josh had responded to a post we made on Michigan Coyote hunting outdoors facebook group to have the opportunity to speak directly with Tony, Josh and Kevin to ask questions to try to up his chances in the field. We start by talking about the past weekends hunt with Josh Mapes, Kevin and Dave from Razor Broadheads. The we get right into it by hearing Josh's current state of hunting, the strugg...

The Fight for Michigan's Proposal G

This week we bring you an important episode in regards to the hunting and fishing future here in Michigan, but this isn't just a Michigan battle, this trend is spreading across the country. Merle Jones, from the MTPCA, joins us again as we talk about what happened at last week's NRC meeting. The DNRC voted to put a season back on coyotes after we've had a year round season since 2016. That is a poor choice for managing these predators in Michigan, but bigger than that is WHY they made tha...

Jordan Hoover and Elliot Hubbard

This week Josh and Kevin welcome Jordan Hoover and Elliot Hubbard to the show. Jordan hails from Michigan's upper peninsula where he has been hunting for over 30 years. Elliot hails from the eastern lower part of Michigan. We start off talking about some recent hunts then get right into it. Both Jordan and Elliot have been very active in various sportsman's issues here in the state, mainly deer, but also now the predator hunting issues. Jordan does a good job of breaking down the various iss...

Kelsey Shetler

This week Josh and Kevin are joined by Kelsey Shetler. Kelsey is a 1st generation cattle rancher and hunter from East Texas. Kelsey shares with us growing up down in Texas, getting into working with cattle, and how she got started in predator hunting. Kelsey has been doing a great job on not just predator hunting, but hunting competitions down there, and taking some great pics and videos in the process. We ask her about one of the things that drew us into following her on social media, h...

LIVE FROM THE FIELD- Josh and Todd

This week, Josh and his friend, Todd, are live from the field on a Friday night. Todd tells stories about hunting when he was younger, and the guys discuss why Todd is now getting back into hunting after a bit of time off. They talk about Todd's choice of weapon, scope and ammunition. Of course we have the typical banter back and forth that would happen on a regular Friday night with your buddies. Between stands, Josh describes the events that took place, setups and sounds used. We get insigh...

Bucky Lindgren

This week, Josh sits down and talks to Minnesota resident Bucky Lindgren. Bucky has been a predator hunter for quite some time, and he tells us all about how he got involved in it. Bucky talks about the calibers he prefers to use, rifle scopes he likes and all the changes in gear through the years. Bucky tells us about the terrain they hunt in Minnesota and how he hunts that terrain. They talk about using vocals to hunt coyotes, which both prefer over using distress sounds. Bucky also talks...

Jeremy Nickel

On this episode Kevin and Josh are joined by Jeremy Nickel. Jeremy tells us about growing up in Oklahoma where he started hunting predators at a young age with a 22 and a 30-30. We talk with him about how he progressed, primarily self taught, and his choices in equipment, callers, firearms, and optics, as well as the tactics he uses in the varied terrain of his home state. We also talk to him on how that has changed, when in 2022, Oklahoma started allowing night hunting. He tells us ab...

Merle Jones- Predator Politics part 3

This week are are again joined by Merle Jones, public relations director for MTPCA. We start off talking about some recent hunts including a unique scenario with a fox and coyote in the same spot, where Kevin was able to capitalize on both, and then a couple hunts with Josh where he took a friend out to get him his first coyotes. Then we delve into the current situation here in Michigan where the DNRC is looking to put a closed season back on coyotes. The proposal is to have season closed ...

Merle Jones- Predator Politics Pt.2

This week Kevin and Josh welcome back returning guest Merle Jones, public relations director for Michigan trappers and predator callers association (MTPCA). We start off by discussing some recent hunts, including the SPI and GLRPC tournaments, how the conditions were less than ideal, yet the results for the GLRPC were really good, while the SPI was more subdued. We also talk about field experiences with the new FREQ game call, both Merle and Kevin have been using it in the field, and th...

Janell and Brian - Predator Solutions of Michigan

This week Josh and Kevin sit down with Janell Whitenight and Brian Haase of "Predator Solutions of Michigan". Brian and Janell tell us about their upbringing in the outdoors and what got them into predator hunting. They tell us about how the 2 of them started hunting together and the 1st hunt that led them down the path of Predator Solutions of Michigan. We talk about the species that they hunt, including predators, rats and pigeons to help farmers out, along with deer and turkeys, then w...

Chris Kreiner- First Cat Success

This week, Josh and Kevin are joined by returning guest, Chris Kreiner. Chris was recently successful on his very first Michigan bobcat after a few years of trying, having some screw ups, and ultimately keeping at it and getting it done. The guys talk about how the predator season has been so far for them, and we discuss a little about the "easiest" states we have called in. They talk about their favorite times of the year to call, and how this season so far has seemed unusually slow. Chris b...

Deer season wrap up - bobcat success!

This week, Josh and Kevin talk about Kevin's success on a Michigan bobcat earlier this week. They discuss aspects of what made the hunt a success and briefly talk about previous hunts, including gear used and tactics. We then recap Josh's deer season, including the experiences with his daughter, sons and Mom. We also talk about Josh's thoughts on using the .350 legend now for 3 seasons, rifle hunting vs archery, and shotgun vs rifles for coyotes. Happy New Year everyone. Thank you all for lis...

Predator Politics-Merle Jones

On this week's episode, Josh and Kevin are joined by Merle Jones. Merle has been very active in the Michigan predator hunting and trapping world of politics, from back to being a huge face for centerfire at night to current issues. We talk about how Merle got involved, and what it's been like working on political/ legislative issues to one on one talks with various hunters and trappers. Merle discusses with us current and potential future issues facing predator hunting and trapping in Mic...

Predator Masters- Jason Mosler

On this episode Josh and Kevin are Joined by Jason "Mo" Mosler. Jason is the President of the "Predator Masters" forum. Forums have been around way before other social media platforms, and with close to 60K members Predator Masters is still going strong. Jason tells us about the history of the forum, talking about the founder and trying to honor his vision for the forum. We discuss what the forums have to offer, the advantages of forums, and the types of folks that are on there. From beg...

Maniac Outdoors- Harry Howland

On this episode we welcome guest Harry Howland of Maniac Outdoors to the podcast. We discuss some tips on what tools are needed to assemble AR15's and some recent hunts. We then talk with Harry about what Maniac Outdoors is, the products they offer including- Mineral supplements - artificial lures such as the "rut fuel, gland fuel and scrape fuel" Harry also talks about the development of the products, how they are made, and the pluses of using synthetic products. Harry talks about his per...

Blake Guldi- Predator Hunter Outdoors

This week, Kevin and Josh are joined by Blake Guldi from Predator Hunter Outdoors. Blake is the General Manager at PHO, and in this episode he tells us about his background and getting into hunting that led to him to join PHO. We discuss a couple recent hunting experiences, then get into more about the products PHO offers and how the market trends have been from 6 years ago to now. Blake describes the advice that PHO gives to prospective customers, to ensure that they get a product that wil...

GIRLS HUNT TOO! Alivia Mapes

This week, Josh and Kevin welcome special guest Alivia Mapes. Josh and Alivia recount her deer season so far, the highs and the lows, the high being Alivia getting not only her first deer, but a very impressive buck. We also discuss some of the the thoughts Josh and Kevin have (and Alivia) on youth hunters, the hows and whys, Alivia also shares her advice to other young hunters that may be on the fence about hunting. We also discuss what Alivia is doing with this deer, how they are going to...

TAGGED OUT! Heidi Bambach

This week, Josh and Kevin welcome fellow Michigander Heidi Bambach to the show. We start off talking about a recent hunting incident in Iowa where a person was killed while predator hunting and our thoughts on it. Heidi hails from the thumb area currently but moved to Michigan from New Hampshire. Heidi tells us about NOT growing up hunting and how she came to get involved and why, we talk with her about her experiences starting off and coming up as a woman in the hunting community and the per...

Rut Report Ep. 2 Sweet November

Today on the podcast, Josh and Kevin deep dive into Josh's success on public land November 2, 2023. Josh describes exactly how sick he was at the time, not even wanting to be in a tree but forcing himself to be there. Josh talks about history he has had in this one area, scouting, walking for miles and trying to narrow it down to the exact right spot to be. They talk about using trail camera data, specifically from the Tactacam Reveal cellular cameras, and how that data can also be put to use...

Rut Report Ep 1

Varminter Online Magazine

This week on the OOD podcast, Kevin talks with Eric Mayer and Cache Carlson of Varminter online magazine. Eric and Cache talk about there coming up hunting, growing up as a hunter in California (Eric) with a mother that didn't support hunting, and Cache growing up in a hunting/ farming environment. We talk about how Eric started Varminter.com and the early years through today's format and content. We discuss how the politics of California lead to Eric moving to Idaho where Cache grew up and...

Deer Season Struggles- Josh and Kevin

This week Josh and Kevin discuss a recent coyote hunt with Kevin, the good and the bad. Then go on to talk about Josh's archery deer season so far, a slow start to 2023 deer hunting for him. Then Kevin describes a ongoing project, a 7# ar10 in .22-250, describing the components used and idea behind it. Thank you all for listening! www.predatorhunteroutdoors.com code: tripod for 10% off tripods and mounts code: light for 20% off lighting products Predator Hunter Outdoors www.huntwise.c...

Bear Camp Recap- Josh and Kevin

In this weeks episode, Josh and Kevin begin by discussing the image portrayed by outdoorsman. Why we feel it's important to present things for the public in a positive and tasteful manner, both in pictures and how the various outdoor groups interact each other. We then discuss some recent hunting activity, Kevin talks about his part of a bear hunting trip in the U.P, including getting to watch a wolf for awhile, and Josh talks briefly about his recent deer hunt at the Bowhunter Chronicles ...

The Pressured Hunting- Tyler Shulters

This week, Josh sits down and talks with Tyler Shulters of The Pressured Hunting. Tyler and Josh discuss a recent hunting incident in Florida that claimed a young girls life, and how some things are never really on their minds as far as what all is possible while out hunting. Tyler tells about growing up in the deer woods, hunting with his Uncle and Dad, and now passing on the tradition to his own children and sharing the experience with the whole family. He tells about his allergies to, o...

Stealth Outdoors- Uncle Lou

In this episode Josh and Kevin talk with "Uncle Lou" from Stealth Outdoors. Thhey talk with Uncle Lou about his background hunting, his coming up from gun, to bow, to now a crossbow. Also the style of hunting he likes to do, which not many people do anymore. "Still hunting" with a crossbow. We discuss pros and cons of bow vs crossbow, and why "it really doesn't matter". We talk about how Stealth Outdoors came to be, the products they offer, and meeting different folks at shows around the c...

Getting the Perfect Shot- Heather Rymar

On this episode Josh and Kevin talk with Heather Rymar. Heather has been putting out some great wildlife photographs here in Michigan for quite some time that we have been following. We get to hear about how Heather came up in the outdoors, fishing, hunting and camping with her family. How that transitioned from a passion for the outdoors into the photography she does today. She also shares with us some thoughts on women in the outdoors, including information on women's specific groups ...

Catchin' up with Ben Van Wieren

on this week's episode Josh and Kevin sit down with Ben VanWeiren. Ben started the michigan predator hunters forum in 2002 that was THE spot for information and camraderie for a lot of michigan hunters pursuing predators. Ben tells us how and why it got started and about some of the early members. We share a few hunting stories from back then, and then talk about carp fishing and bowfishing. Ben has really been doing more carp fishing, and gives some insight on fishing specially for them...

2023 Updates and Season Plans- Kevin and Josh

On the Overdrive Outdoors podcast this week, Josh and Kevin get together and talk about a variety of different things. They discuss recent hunts and the upcoming bow season. We talk about preseason deer scouting using thermal and providing that info back to landowners. We discussed having the family out to hunt, with Josh's daughter and his mom wanting to get their 1st deer this year. Josh Talks about how he would like to modify his shotgun with a red dot optic and we talk about options for t...

The Worlds WORST Bowhunter- Adam Miller

On this episode of the Overdrive Outdoors podcast, Josh Mapes talks with Adam Miller, owner of the Bowhunter Chronicles Podcast. Josh and Adam discuss the ideas behind the Bowhunter Chronicles podcast and the Patreon hunt camp that they sponsored last year. They discuss the value of helping folks that want help, and the camaraderie of the hunt camp . We get to hear the story of the "World's worst bow hunter" directly from Adam. They also discuss a recent hunt that Adam went on in the Upper P...

Slock Master- Tim Wells

In this week's episode Kevin and Josh are joined by Mr. Tim Wells, the Slock Master himself. This episode with Tim Wells is part of the series of podcasts with guests that were instrumental in our early years of our hunting journey, the folks that got us interested, entertained and educated us when we were just getting into it. In this episode we talk about how he got into hunting, starting at an early age, and even using primitive weapons to take game with his whole family. We talk about his...

Competition Shooting- Randy Budde

This week Kevin and returning guest Randy Budde talk about competitive long range shooting here in Michigan. Randy has been participating in a pair of long range shooting matches at South Kent Sportmans Club and Marksmanship Training Center this year. In this episode we discuss what the matches are (Bench, steel, silhouette and PRS (Precision rifle series), rules and details of matches and how they differ , calibers used, optics used and equipment regulations for the matches. We discuss how ...

Skills crossed over- Brad Echelberger

This week Kevin talks with Brad Echelberger. Brad has a history of working in both Military and Law enforcement roles, from Army Rangers to SWAT units. Brad recently came up and went out coyote hunting with me, and while not successful we did see a coyote. I wanted to talk with Brad about the cross over of skill sets from MIL/LE and hunting in the field. We talk about similarities and differences in everything from the guns, ammo, optics and tripods. We also discuss safety and how it relates...

MTPCA-Carl Roeller

This week Josh and Kevin talk with Carl Roeller, the Michigan Trappers and Predator Callers Association Predator Caller Outreach Director. In this episode we talk with Carl about some recent hunting experiences, what the MTPCA is about, what they offer and membership. We also talk about the up coming convention in Evart, MI and what types of activities they will have for the whole family, calling seminars by quite a few well know Michigan folks, trapping demos, activities for the kids and m...

Razor Broadheads- Dave Buikema

This week, live from the studio (Josh's house) Kevin and Josh along with Greg Kooienga are joined by Dave Buikema of Razor Broadheads. (http://www.razorbroadheads.com). In this episode Dave tells us about the company and the products, including the "why's" of how they came to the design as well as answering all of our questions The Razor Broadheads are a cut on contact, double bevel design and heavier than standard weights, and Dave talks about why a heavier broadhead may just be what you w...

Calibers and Conundrums with Kevin and Josh

In this episode Josh and Kevin discuss the status of the podcast, now in our 3rd season, and why we do it. We reply to listener questions regarding caliber selection, including intended platform pluses and minuses, then delve a little into ballistics, and reloading vs factory ammo, value and performance. We discuss a recent mishap with a caller and the durability of some of them we have used. We also discuss a couple of recent hunts, including some good and some not so good results, and t...

The life of a BLM officer- Boone Vuletich

On this week's episode Kevin talks with retired BLM ( Bureau of land management) agent Boone Vuletich. Boone worked for the BLM in the state of Wyoming, and as we hear in the podcast, all over the place as part of his duties with the federal government, and now in retirement he has taken the role of Fur Buyer. We discuss how he got into the job, what some of the roles of being a BLM agent were, working with other agencies, working in various locations and some of the challenges of the job. ...

New predator hunter Q&A - Ike Imhof

This week, Kevin and Josh are joined by a new predator hunter, Ike Imhof. To start off, they discuss a recent hunting accident that occurred in Indiana, and ways to hopefully prevent such accidents from happening. Later, Ike tells about his upbringing, running raccoons with his family as a kid, getting into deer hunting at a young age, and finally getting involved with predator hunting this past winter when he wanted to find something else to do. Ike asks his questions and Kevin and Josh giv...

Sweet Redemption- Kevin and Josh

This week, Kevin and Josh sit down and talk about this past weekends hunting. There are a few more misses (Mapes'd it with a shotgun) and a whole lot of redemption. They talk about un appreciative deer, jumping directly in front of Kevin's truck. The guys also discuss a listener question- What do you look for when looking at property to coyote hunt? They talk about terrain and travel corridors, tractor trails and creek beds. They discuss safety when hunting, and the touchy subject of what to...

First meeting of the SSA club

This week on the Overdrive Outdoors Podcast, Josh and Kevin are joined by Timmy Ray and Chance Stalcup for the 1st meeting of the SSA club (Sh!tty Shooters Anonymous) . In this episode we discuss a listener question...Using Cell Cameras for predator hunting, we discuss patterning, and gathering data using game cameras. We then get into the 1st meeting of the SSA with our special guest, talking about misses, what can contribute to them and how to fix them, we discuss the use of tripods, leveli...

LIVE FROM THE FIELD! Memorial weekend with Josh and Greg

This week we have another LIVE FROM THE FIELD episode! Josh went out this weekend with Greg Kooienga, and they recorded this episode between 2 different nights out in the field. Topics discussed include- Expectations based on animal activity vs REALITY Ball head vs leveling head MAPES'D IT! NV vs Thermal for a new predator hunter Tripod quality, leveling heads vs ball head Weather conditions Sounds used AND A LOT OF LAUGHS! THANK YOU ALL FOR LISTENING! www.predatorhunteroutdoors.com code:...

Fireside chat- Kevin and Josh

Smoking meat, attempted roasts, hits, misses and appreciating our guests. On this week's episode, Josh and Kevin start off by talking about Josh's new in ground smoking set up, how its built, what all he can do with it, and learning about it as he goes. We briefly discuss the experience of having the local DNR inform Kevin that someone had called in his legal bobcat harvest as an illegal harvest. Then we talk about recent hunting experiences from the past weekend, Josh rode the st...

HIS FIRST TWO! Greg Kooienga

This week, Josh and Kevin sit down and talk to Greg Kooienga. We first recap Kevin's successful turkey hunt from this past Sunday, then we talk to Greg talks about his first successful coyote hunt he went on with Josh last weekend.. After that we talk about competition shooting a bit, where Greg explains Steel Challenge shooting and the setups he uses. * Kevin's turkey hunt * Josh and Greg's successful coyote hunt from last weekend *Greg's 1st time using thermal, shooting off a tripod and...

Driving the struggle bus- Chris Crist

This week, Josh sits down and talks to fellow coyote hunter Chris Crist. Chris has been coyote hunting since 2016, with very limited success. Today, Chris talks about the struggles he has had, learning to use the wind and figuring out where the coyotes are, and Josh answers some questions Chris wanted covered on the podcast. Topics discussed include- Turkey Hunting- Chris' success May 7 2023 Why Chris wanted to start coyote hunting Wind direction- setting up to play the wind Circling to the ...

Torry Cook- MFK

This week, Kevin sits down and talks to Torry Cook, founder of MFK Game Calls. MFK Game calls, located in Arkansas, is widely known around the predator hunting industry for their diaphragm coyote calls, prey distress calls and also for their sound library, available for Foxpro callers. Topics discussed today include- Growing up in a hunting/outdoor family Trapping as a kid First time calling with a Fisher Price tape player E-call to handcall/diaphragm transition The start of MFK Game Calls ...

LIVE FROM THE FIELD! Chris Storey- First coyote hunt

Friday night April 21, my cousin Chris and I got together for a night of coyote hunting. While Chris has spent many years in the deer woods, this was his first time ever going on a coyote hunt, and I wanted to record a podcast as that night went on. We were very successful that night, putting 5 coyotes in the truck, and Chris was able to take his first, second AND third coyotes of his life that night. Topics we discuss include- Chris's biggest buck ID through thermal New hunter struggles- the...

Mitch McEachern- Shooting under stress

This week, Josh and Kevin are joined by second time guest Mitch McEachern, owner of FPS Archery and Firearms in Cadillac MI. The guys discuss quite a few topics this week, including- FFL-shipping firearms 3 gun competition Suppressor use-cleaning your firearms ATF audits SHOT IQ course Hinge releases Trigger panic Muscle fatigue and more! Huge thank you to Mitch for taking the time to talk this week. If you are in the Cadillac area, be sure to stop in at FPS Archery and Firearms and see ev...

Gary Roberson- Burnham Brothers

This week, Kevin got a chance to sit and talk with Mr. Gary Roberson, owner of Burnham Brothers. Burnham brothers was started in 1952, making them the oldest game call company. Gary had met his boyhood hero, Murray Burnham, in the early 80s, and after visiting a few times they started hunting and traveling together. In 1991, Gary purchased Burnham Brothers when Murray was ready to sell the company. Topics discussed in this episode include- Growing up hunting with family Starting to predator ...