On this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman, Pierce hops on the line with Josh Raley to share their turkey hunting success stories! Josh tells the story of his first turkey harvest in Georgia since moving down south in 2023, and how he was able to get his kids on some birds during the youth season before punching his tag. The guys talk about what their springs have looked like so far, how they've been making time to get in the woods, ways their strategies have changed to accommodate life changes, and of course, how it wall went down for Josh tagging his bird, and Pierce tagging his first public land bird in Iowa! All that and more in this week's episode!

Big thanks to our fantastic partners:

onX Hunt: www.onxmaps.com

Huntworth: www.huntworthgear.com

Wisconsin Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: www.backcountryhunters.org/wisconsin

Good Chance Fly Fishing: www.goodchanceflyfishing.com

On this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman Podcast, Pierce is joined by Kyle Zempel, owner of Black Earth Angling, to learn about fly fishing for smallmouth bass on the Lower Wisconsin River! Kyle is a Wisconsin-native, and fly fishing guide in Southwest Wisconsin, who has been guiding for trout and smallmouth in Wisconsin's driftless region since 2013. Kyle shares what his early days of guiding looked like, and how he learned to fish a section of the Wisconsin River that is constantly changing. The guys discuss what the primary food sources of LWR smallmouth key in on, what patterns to use when targeting these fish, the importance of keying in on types of structure rather than spots on the river, how the smallmouth move through the system throughout a year, fishing the river when it's running high or low, what the best type of boat is for fishing the lower Wisconsin River, and much more in this week's episode!

To book a trip with Kyle and and learn more about all the different camps and events hosted by Black Earth Angling, visit blackearthangling.com ,and follow along with Kyle and his crew of guides @blackearthanglingco

Big thanks to our fantastic partners:

onX Hunt: www.onxmaps.com

Huntworth: www.huntworthgear.com

Wisconsin Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: www.backcountryhunters.org/wisconsin

Good Chance Fly Fishing: www.goodchanceflyfishing.com

On this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman, Pierce is joined by Thomas Mlsna, owner of The Untamed Ambition to talk all about holistic land management! Thomas highlights the three pillars of his business: whitetail management, homestead habitat, and agricultural production, and how the three often overlap when working to improve the health of a property. The guys discuss what a holistic management approach really looks like, and how that ties in to creating better whitetail habitat and hunting opportunities. Thomas discusses the effectiveness of rotational grazing, the importance of native plants on the landscape, how more biodiversity leads to better nutrition for wild game, the impact oak savannas really have on a landscape, how he uses OnX at a professional level, and much more!

Huge thanks to Thomas for coming on the show this week! To learn more about The Untamed Ambition and get in touch with him, be sure to go check out theuntamedambition.com where you can find information on all three pillars of the business.

Big thanks to our fantastic partners:

onX Hunt: www.onxmaps.com

Huntworth: www.huntworthgear.com

Wisconsin Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: www.backcountryhunters.org/wisconsin

Good Chance Fly Fishing: www.goodchanceflyfishing.com

On this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman, Pierce is joined by Alissa Kakatsch, the Assistant Game Bird Specialist for the Wisconsin DNR. Just in time for turkey season to kick off, Alissa shares a ton of knowledge in this week's conversation about everything you could possibly want to know about turkeys and turkey management in Wisconsin. Topics covered include the history of wild turkeys here in Wisconsin, what makes great turkey habitat, keys to poult rearing success, spring dominance displays in both toms and hens, how vocalizations change throughout a turkey season, how turkey zones are decided, and current turkey research projects the DNR is working on. All that and more in this week's episode!

Huge thanks to Alissa for coming on the show! If you'd like to learn more about turkey management in Wisconsin, visit: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/WildlifeHabitat/turkeymanagement to learn more!

Big thanks to our fantastic partners:

onX Hunt: www.onxmaps.com

Huntworth: www.huntworthgear.com

Wisconsin Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: www.backcountryhunters.org/wisconsin

Good Chance Fly Fishing: www.goodchanceflyfishing.com

On this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman, Pierce sits down with Tim Landwehr, owner of Tight Lines Fly Fishing Company to talk all about targeting giant smallmouth on the fly! Tim is a Green Bay area native, and lifelong angler who got his introduction to fly fishing by targeting trout before opening a fly shop and guide business specializing in targeting Menominee River smallmouth. Tim shares stories of what his early days as a guide looked like, how his trout background influenced the way he and his guides initially targeted smallmouth, and how their tactics have evolved over the years to bring smallmouth fly fishing not only into the modern era, but into the spotlight! Tim shares stories of how various fly patterns and tactics emerged from his shop, the influence fishing with some of the most famous fly anglers in history has had on his approach to fishing and life, the life of a smallmouth throughout a year on the Menominee, and how you can better understand your local fishery to catch more smallmouth this season!

If you'd like to experience Menominee River fly fishing for yourself this season and learn more about Tight Lines Fly Fishing Company, visit tightlinesflyshop.com and follow Tim and his crew on social media @tighlinesflyfishingcowi

Big thanks to our fantastic partners:

onX Hunt: www.onxmaps.com

Huntworth: www.huntworthgear.com

Wisconsin Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: www.backcountryhunters.org/wisconsin

Good Chance Fly Fishing: www.goodchanceflyfishing.com

On this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman, Pierce is joined by Kevin Creeley to discuss everything you need to know when hunting turkeys in timbered settings! Kevin is the host of The Mid-Atlantic Outdoorsman podcast, and spends his spring time chasing turkeys across multiple states in the east. The guys dive into how Kevin likes to roost birds in timbered settings using his vehicle and access roads, what he does to avoid other hunter pressure, why he prioritizes water and habitat diversity when e-scouting, how he prioritizes which gobbler to go after in the morning, and much more!

Big thanks to Kevin for coming on the show! Go check out the awesome turkey episodes he's got coming out wherever you find your podcasts @mid_atlantic_outdoorsmen

Big thanks to our fantastic partners:

onX Hunt: www.onxmaps.com

XOP Gear: www.xopoutdoors.com

Huntworth: www.huntworthgear.com

Wisconsin Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: www.backcountryhunters.org/wisconsin

Good Chance Fly Fishing: www.goodchanceflyfishing.com

On this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman Podcast, Pierce sits down with Conservation Warden Austin Schumacher to learn all about the life of a conservation warden, what they do, and why you might just want to apply to become one!

Austin has been a conservation warden in Southern Wisconsin since 2018, and has seen a lot of different things in his career. The guys dive into what the conservation warden hiring process looks like, what Austin did to become a warden, what all conservation wardens are responsible for and how that might differ depending on where you are in Wisconsin, some of the most common violations he sees, highs and lows of the job, the impacts of technology he's seeing on the outdoor space, and how being a conservation warden is a great intersection of law enforcement and protecting our natural resources. Most importantly, he shares that the hiring process for becoming a conservation warden opens on April 10th for 2025. If you've ever thought about becoming a warden or want to learn more about what they do, this episode is for you!

For more information and to start your application, see the links below:

Warden Recruitment site: Warden Recruitment | Wisconsin DNR

Where the job announcement will be: Pages - Welcome

DNR General Question Phone Number: 1-888-936-7463

Report DNR Violations Call: 1-800-847-9367

On this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman, Pierce sits down with Dieter Kochan, founder of Faceoff E-Bikes and member of the Whitetail Addictions team, to learn all about how Faceoff E-Bikes came to be, why they're the best tool for hunters to open up new access opportunities for themselves, and why you should try one out for yourself!

Dieter shares the story of his upbringing in the competitive hockey world, and how he was able to work frequent hunting opportunities into his time as a profession player. He then tells us the story behind Faceoff E-Bikes, and the guys dive into how much of an asset these bikes can really be. Dieter shares how he's designed these bikes specifically for hunters, and how he and his customers like to use them to create better access on hunts whether they're on public or private land. After that, the guys dive into Dieters scrape strategy for finding big bucks in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. All that and more on this week's episode!

Be sure to follow along with Faceoff E-Bikes @faceoffebikes www.faceoffebikes.com and if you want to check these bikes out for yourself, stop by the FaceOff booth at the Wisconsin Open Season Expo on March 28th-30th, or swing by Simply Whitetails Archery Pro-Shop in Oregon, WI