The Rich Outdoors

EP 466: John Barklow on Mountain Hunting Knowledge

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One of the most knowledgable people I know when it comes to mountain survival is by far and away John Barklow @jbarklow. He’s so humble it can be tough to get it out of him but this week I finally get Barklow to open and share some of his wisdom on the podcast. This conversation is full of great insights into how someone who has devoted their entire life to understanding how to survive in the mountains thinks about situations. Barklow likes to give you the tools for how to think about things and not just tell you what to pack or what you might need. This is smart and often times we get caught up in taking shortcuts to the best tools and forget that knowledge from experience is far more useful than gear tips.

Braklow likes to say “exercise your gear” and this is such good advise. One of the best tips I took from this podcast is to practice for less than ideal situations. The take aways from that will teach you far more than finding out good gear works good.

Enjoy this conversation with the very knowledgable John Barklow.

Show Notes: 
Intro – Today – 0h 4m 29s
About John Barklow – 0h 18m 15s
The Hard & Stupid Side of the Line – 0h 29m 28s
Knowing Your Limits & When to Stop – 0h 49m 16s
Preparing Your Gear for the Unknowns – 0h 59m 34s
Choosing Stoves & Hydration Gear – 1h 6m 37s
Advice on Mental Toughness – 1h 21m 11s
John’s Videos & Social Media – 1h 28m 58s

Today’s podcast is brought to you Backcountry Fuel Box, a box of amazing backcountry snacks and meal that shows up to your door every month like its Christmas morning. Each month Backcountry Fuel fills a box with snacks, jerk’s, trail mixes, energy bars, and all sorts of goodies for you test out or stock up on. It’s the subscription box you will actually love getting. If fact if you sign up and don’t like your first box I will refund you 100%. There is no risk no scam just a great deal on snacks for your next adventure. Feel free to cancel anytime or skip whenever. You only pay for what ships. Use Code TRO at checkout and save 10% off.

This podcast is also brought to you by Peak Refuel Meals. Peak Refuel has changed the game of dehydrated meals is always one of the top rated meals from the Backcountry Fuel Box.

Peak refuel has teamed up with UFC fighter Chad Mendes to bring you two of chad’s favorite wild game recipes. Bison Ranch Mashers and Elk Ragu Pasta. These meals are loaded with protein to help you refuel on the toughest of hunts.
These meals are amazing and once you try them, it will change the way you think about dehydrated food forever. Not only is Peak Refuel changing the game in outdoor meals but they are giving back along the way. With every purchase of a  Chad Mendes Limited edition meal, a portion of the proceeds will be donated back to wildlife conservation.
These meals are limited addition for a reason, when they are gone they are gone, so go grab some before they disappear. Also, remember that every order over $49 ships for free. Head over to www.peakrefuel.com to get yours.

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EP 465: Elk Compilation Podcast

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Welcome to The Rich Outdoors where we dive into everything from hardcore backcountry hunting to being an entrepreneurship, and life in general.  It is back! A while back we put together a massive compilation of the best moments of throughout Wapiti Wednesday over the last couple years. What started as a concept for a 1 hour podcast turned into a gigantic project. This compilation is packed full of amazing content and whether you are going on your first elk hunt or have doing this for 20 years there is something in here for you. If you are new to this podcast or just haven’t listened to us in a while you should know that we have an entire elk and mule deer show called Wapiti Wednesday and Mule Monday with new podcasts every week that is only available on our Patreon feed. Its a 100% ad free feed that will cost you $5 a month but there are literally hundreds of additional podcasts that you can’t get anywhere else. If you have ever struggled to kill and elk $5 is a pretty low prices for years of experience and knowledge dropped on our patreon feed. check it out patreon.com/therichoutdoors. sign up and you will get a custom podcast feed just like this one.

This podcast is brought to you by Maven Optics. In my opinion Maven is the absolute best bang for your buck when it comes to buying quality glass for hunting. I have been running Maven’s for year and have been nothing but impressed with them. I love that Maven is small Wyoming based company, and love supporting what those guys are building. Maven is a direct to consumer optics company and because they take the middleman out of optics they can offer an absolutely amazing product at an insane value. If you are in the market for some new bino’s or a spotting scope I highly recommend considering Maven  Built.
 I run the B.2 11×45 and on any hunt that I am glassing a lot I will have my b.5 18×56’s as well. Let me tell you 18’s are a game changer. If you are considering getting a set of 15’s, I would highly highly recommend looking at the 18’s, its one of my favorite pieces of gear these days. The B.5’s are just amazing, and actually really soon they are supposed to launching a 10x and 12x in the B.5 as well which is cool.
Go check them out at MavenBuilt.com. Use the Code TRO-GIFT at check to get a free gift with your purchase of any Maven Optics product
This podcast is brought to you by ON X Maps. ON X maps is not only the number one mapping system for public private boundaries, but for be is my go to Navigation, E-Scouting, and all purpose GPS. With the ability to save maps on my phone before I head out On X has been my go-to system for every hunt. On X is constantly pushing the limits of what a mobile app can do and has launched a ton of great features that make me a more successful hunter. A couple of my favorite features right now are the ability to share waypoints and routes. Whether with my wife before I head out or with hunting buddies sharing waypoints for various pins, I use this constantly. With the ability to now uses tons of different icons and colors my mapping system is more organized and easier to read than ever. These are just a fraction of the new features and why I choose On X maps over anyone else. Be sure to use the code TRO when you sign up or renew and you will save 20% off.

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EP 464: Ty Leary – Host of the new podcast, Life In Full

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This week, I wanted to share an episode where I was the guest on another podcast. Ty Leary, who I consider a good friend and has been on the show multiple times, is launching his own podcast later this week, called Life In Full. He invited me as a guest for one of the first interviews and we ended up having a killer conversation lasting over 3 hours! Ty’s podcast, Life In Full, focuses on the unique aspects of life through organic conversations with good people, over a glass of good whiskey.
Ty really dove deep on this one and knocked it out of the park as an interviewer. In 460 + interviews thus far, I don’t talk much about myself but it was fun to have an open conversation with a good friend who knows me pretty well. Hope you guys enjoy this conversation and do me a favor, go subscribe to Ty Leary’s podcast, Life In Full.

Show Notes: 
Intro – 0:05:11
The Early Days – 0:06:32
Expectations, Podcasting, & Work Ethic – 0:31:55
Small Town Shenanigans, Struggles, & Dynamics – 1:04:33
Business, Careers, & Entrepreneurship – 1:32:11
Generational Differences & Upbringing – 1:55:04
Impactful Life Events, Decisions, & People – 2:16:44
Self Identity, Value, & Criticism – 2:48:59
Trucks, Gear, Toys & Stories – 3:14:30

This Podcast is brought to you by Maven Optics. If you haven’t heard of Maven Optics yet you might be living under a rock. Maven is a direct to consumer company that is flipping the optics world upside-down. As a direct to consumer brand they can offer top tier glass at extremely affordable rates. Maven has really upgraded their line of optics in the last year and thats one cool thing about a direct to consumer brand is that they can launch new products in half the time that a traditional brand can.
Maven now has a full line of rifle scopes. From your entry level hunting rifle all the way up to the newest RS.4 ready for the highest level of competition shooting. The Maven Rifle Scopes are amazing, I have multiple rifle scopes from the RS.1 to the RS.3 and can’t speak highly enough about them, they are rock solid scopes.
One cool new thing Maven just kicked off is that now you can fully customize your RS.3 and RS.4 scopes. Outside of being an insane bang for your buck, the great thing about Maven is that you can custom order your Maven optics in a million variations of color options. Now you can trick out your rifle scope to match. Check out the New RS.3 and RS.4 rifles scopes and use custom builder to design a scope that is uniquely yours. Use the code “TRO-GIFT” when you place your order and you will get a free gift with your order.
This episode is brought to you by Peak Refuel? Peak Refuel has taken hunting meals to the next level. No more surviving off crappy dehydrated meals, in fact with peak refuel you’ll find yourself eating them at home when the family is gone and you don’t want to cook. Maybe thats just me. Peak refuel has teamed up with Chad Mendes and Kuiu to bring you two of chad’s favorite wild game recipes. Bison Ranch Mashers and Elk Ragu Pasta. These meals are loaded with protein to help you refuel on the toughest of hunts.
These meals are amazing, once you try them, it will change the way you think about dehydrated food forever. Not only is Peak Refuel changing the game in outdoor meals but they are giving back along the way. With every purchase of a  Chad Mendes Limited edition meal, a portion of the proceeds will be donated back to wildlife conservation.
These meals are limited addition for a reason, when they are gone they are gone, so go grab some before they disappear. Also, remember that every order over $49 ships for free. Head over to www.peakrefuel.com to get yours.

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EP 463: Country, Americana Artist and Hunter Bo DePeña

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A lot of you probably know that I like talking business and learning business. Some of you probably know that I am also a big fan of new music and underground artists. Recently I got introduced to a gentleman by the name of Bo DePeña. Bo and I hit off talking about the music industry and hunting. We had a fascinating conversation just shooting bows in my back yard and decided we should hit the record button and let all of you join in. Bo is a very interesting guy who has made a pretty good name for himself in the music industry which might be one of the hardest things to do. An avid hunter, Bo has recently also picked up a archery and it was fun to talk about his journey into western big game hunting as well as his journey to build a music career that pays the bills.

Bo DePeña on Spotify

Bo DePeña show Schedule 

This podcast is brought to you by Maven Optics. In my opinion Maven is the absolute best bang for your buck when it comes to buying quality glass for hunting. I have been running Maven’s for year and have been nothing but impressed with them. I love that Maven is small Wyoming based company, and love supporting what those guys are building. Maven is a direct to consumer optics company and because they take the middleman out of optics they can offer an absolutely amazing product at an insane value. If you are in the market for some new bino’s or a spotting scope I highly recommend considering Maven  Built.
 I run the B.2 11×45 and on any hunt that I am glassing a lot I will have my b.5 18×56’s as well. Let me tell you 18’s are a game changer. If you are considering getting a set of 15’s, I would highly highly recommend looking at the 18’s, its one of my favorite pieces of gear these days. The B.5’s are just amazing, and actually really soon they are supposed to launching a 10x and 12x in the B.5 as well which is cool.
Go check them out at MavenBuilt.com. Use the Code TRO-GIFT at check to get a free gift with your purchase of any Maven Optics product.
This episode is brought to you by Peak Refuel? Peak Refuel has taken hunting meals to the next level. No more surviving off crappy dehydrated meals, in fact with peak refuel you’ll find yourself eating them at home when the family is gone and you don’t want to cook. Maybe thats just me. Peak refuel has teamed up with Chad Mendes and Kuiu to bring you two of chad’s favorite wild game recipes. Bison Ranch Mashers and Elk Ragu Pasta. These meals are loaded with protein to help you refuel on the toughest of hunts.
These meals are amazing, once you try them, it will change the way you think about dehydrated food forever. Not only is Peak Refuel changing the game in outdoor meals but they are giving back along the way. With every purchase of a  Chad Mendes Limited edition meal, a portion of the proceeds will be donated back to wildlife conservation.
These meals are limited addition for a reason, when they are gone they are gone, so go grab some before they disappear. Also, remember that every order over $49 ships for free. Head over to www.peakrefuel.com to get yours.
Show Notes:
Intro – About Bo DePena – 0:05:19
Career & Self Progression – 0:15:33
The Music Industry Today – 0:29:26
Time Spent in Texas & NY – 0:38:54
Hunting – 0:44:50
Adapting & Live Events – 0:57:21
Struggles Today – 1:07:40
Obligations, Relationships & Life Balance – 1:13:23
On Stage, Image, & Trends – 1:21:53
Bo’s Music, Where & What to Listen – 1:28:57

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EP 462: Keys to Hunting Success Round Table

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In today’s podcast we sit down with a solid group of mountain hunters to talk about what makes them more successful than 90% of other hunters. Dioni Amuchastegui, Travis Nowotny, and Zach Kenner have all been on the podcast before but it is pretty special to have them all on together in a round table format. Dioni, is one the best mule deer hunters I know and puts so much dedication toward finding and killing big bucks. Travis, is one the only hunters I know that is massively successful at harvesting great animals of every species. In this podcast travis how he is able to be so efficient with his hunting season and we talk about the importance of time efficiency.  As a busy person myself, this is so huge for me and something I preach to others constantly. I have interviewed hundreds of great hunters over the years and I can promise you this is a very common denominator between great hunters.

We also talk about Alaska hunting. Zach Kenner a Washington native, moved up to Alaska and has taken full advantage of all that it has to offer. Like most of us dream of doing Zach has been on some pretty epic sheep and brown bear hunts and we talk about those experiences and really what it takes to just go up and hunt DIY for both.

Show Notes: 
Intro – Background & Skill Level – 0:04:55
Misery, Confidence, & Acceptance – 0:13:00
Time Management & Effective Hunts – 0:21:33
Sheep Talk & Multiple Game Tags – 0:30:14
Alaska Gizz Hunting – 0:35:03
Caribou are reindeer? – 0:42:57
The Call to the Unknown – 0:46:35
When Shit Goes Sideways – 0:52:21
DIY Dall Sheep Hunting – 0:55:28
How Far is Too Far – 0:59:29
Closing Advice – 1:12:40

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