Episodes
Today Mark Livasay takes us though his E-scouting process in Treeline Academy. Mark's proven 12 core principles to finding elk when E-scouting can narrow down any unit in the west to its highest probability. Moultrie launches their new Edge2 and Edge Pro2 Trail cameras and gives tips on best use. PhoneSkope helps us master Digiscoping with their Carbon Pro along with accessory details and the uses of Pyro Putty. Sam then shifts the talk toward the other Rokslide.com gear reviews...
Published 07/16/24
Robby is today's host. Summer is heating up, and a few big bucks are around, even in the most hard-hit winterkill areas.  Before Robby jumps into the next two chapters of Hunting Big Mule Deer, he gives a scouting update and covers advancements in Moultrie Mobile's cellular cams, including the incredible battery life, no SD cards, AI screening for bucks, and Smart Tags for efficient filtering. Then it's on to Deer Drives for the big mule deer hunter. Do they really work? If so, how does a...
Published 07/15/24
Robby hosts Taylor Gregory of the Wood River Chapter of the Mule Deer Foundation.  Find out how removing a single fence in critical mule deer corridors makes a difference in helping mule deer.  They also chat about getting off the "fence" and stepping up to help mule deer. Taylor took a hard look at himself and decided rather than just complain, he'd get his hands dirty helping mule deer where he can. Once he made the decision, the door flew wide open and soon he was co-chair of Idaho's Wood...
Published 07/08/24
Today's Tipsy Tuesday is all about the early season. Up first Larry Bartlet takes a deep dive into the science of meat care in the backcountry. Larry lays out how to mitigate meat spoilage in the early season, along with proven tactics that get the best table fare even when temperatures are warm and your packed in days from the trailhead. Some of the top clothing companies (Stika, Firstlite, Forloh, Skre Gear) talk about their favorites choices to stay comfortable during those hot early...
Published 07/02/24
The Top 1% is a little mini series we are recording with some of the best DIY Mule Deer Hunters in the country. This is the second episode in that series. The guys we really want to focus on and hear from are average hunters, family men, working blue collar jobs somehow taking the top 1% of Mule Deer over and over again on run of the mill type tags that the general public can get, they are getting it done legally and ethically. Dioni Amuchastegui defines the Top 1% and is such a fun guy...
Published 07/01/24
Robby's back to his book, Hunting Big Mule Deer. Today's episode is in on tracking big mule deer, a top technique for buck hunters. Big mule deer can be very hard to track in the big mountains, due to the steepness of the terrain, but you still don’t want to ignore the technique. Even if big bucks are hard to track and shoot in their beds, paying attention to the tracks on the ground will tell you where deer go, where they don’t go, and a keen eye can tell the quality of the age class in the...
Published 06/24/24
Rebecca Levine is on today's episode of the Rokcast, hosted by Robby Denning. Rebecca is a research scientist with the Monteith Shop. She conducted the Meeteetse Moose Project in Wyoming. Dive in to this episode to learn how temperatures and wind affect bull moose differently than cows, when the peak of the moose rut occurs, and how bull moose separate by elevation   PC: Billy Molls The Monteith Shop is one of the leading research organizations on mule deer and other ungulates. Based...
Published 06/20/24
#33 This week's Tipsy Tuesday all about Optic Innovations.  Drew Miles CEO of Tricer USA takes us though their newest innovations and even drops some hints of things to come. Hamilton Boykin lays out Leica USA https://leica-camera.com/en-US/product/leica-geovid-pro-10x42-ab 2024 Optic Innovations. He goes into great detail of the operation of the Geovid Pro AB+ and why every hunter could benefit from the Shot Probability Analysis (or WEZ).   Afterwards Dustin Diefenderfer and Sam talk mental...
Published 06/18/24
Robby hosts Darby Finley, Wildlife Biologist for Colorado Parks & Wildlife. Darby has served over 20 years in Northwest Colorado, the heart of the Chronic Wasting Disease battle.  From day one on the job, Darby has been immersed in the origin, effects, and ongoing fight against CWD.  If you think CWD is just the boogey-man of wildlife management, you might want to listen to this episode. Darby gives evidence of how CWD has cut mule deer herds to the point that tag numbers have to be...
Published 06/13/24
Travis Hobbs and Robby Denning host Dr. Tayler LaSharr of the Monteith Shop.  Tayler studied the mule deer migration in Wyoming in relation to fawn survival. She was looking for a correlation between survival rates of fawns raised in or near agriculture--are mule deer fawns more likely to survive, or are there hazards that actually decrease survival rates? Tayler also discusses how the condition of the mother and how "site selection" affects a mule deer fawn's survival in its first winter....
Published 06/10/24
Kevin Monteith is back, this time busting up the myths surrounding antler size vs age of bucks and bulls. This episode will surprise more than a few hunters. How antlers grow with age has been speculated on for decades, but with more access to accurate lab aging, and researchers like Kevin, a whole body of evidence is showing that what we think isn't always the case. Do antlers peak at five years old, or seven?  Do antlers regress as a buck or bull reaches his later years?  Also, can an elk...
Published 06/06/24
#32 This week's Tipsy Tuesday is focused on Purposeful Shooting Techniques.  Chris Cornelius shares his personal journey into the foundational aspect of killing game animals on demand. Purposeful Shooting Techniques is a "whole system" process approach- accounting for the shooter, the complete rifle system, and proper ammunition. These optimized techniques and processes increase speed and consistency when forced to make accurate on demand shots. Afterwards Alps Outdoorz...
Published 06/04/24
Photo Courtesy of Ben Regan Travis and Robby host Rebekah Rafferty of The Monteith Shop. They discuss Rebekah's research into the phenomenon of mule deer abandoning winter range, and how seasons and landscape shape the winter distribution of deer. Rebekah is the current coordinator of the Wyoming Range Mule Deer Project and brings a wealth of knowledge to the Rokcast on mule deer. This episode on the dynamics of mule deer winter range was recorded at the recent Mule Deer Days,...
Published 05/30/24
  Robby hosts Idaho Fish and Game Deer & Elk Coordinator, Toby Boudreau, and Justin Binfet, Deputy Chief of Wyoming Game & Fish's Wildlife Division to talk Elk Hunting. They discuss the recent article by Dac Collins of Outdoor Life: "Elk Hunters had a Phenomenal Season in Wyoming, While Idaho Saw the Worst Harvest in a Decade" here https://www.outdoorlife.com They dive deep into what may have caused this harvest difference. Is Wyoming managing their elk herd better...
Published 05/27/24
  #31 Tipsy Tuesday has Blake Brown taking us along on his big bull elk hunt in Fiordland National Park on New Zealand's South Island. Roy Sloan president of the Fiordland Wapiti Foundation https://fwf.net.nz/ walks us though the ballot process on how to draw this amazing big bull elk hunt. Roy shares the foundations successes and describes the legal fight to keep New Zealand's Wapiti/Elk herd in Fiordland National Park. Ryan Sapena joins in to let us know what's new at Seek Outside...
Published 05/21/24
At the recent Mule Deer Days in Rock Springs, Wyoming, Robby caught up with Cody Robbins of the TV show Live 2 Hunt with Cody & Kelsey. If giant mule deer are your thing, this is your episode! Cody has taken 11 bucks between 200" all the way up to 288"! He's one of the most successful big buck hunters out there. In this episode, Cody talks everything about hunting giant mule deer: His early days of filming with Jim Shockey How shed hunting helps him locate giant mule deer ...
Published 05/20/24
USGS Migration Route Data. Notice Interstate Locations and Migration Barriers. We hear all the time about urban sprawl affecting mule deer populations. I think the average hunter, (me included) usually only thinks about habitat destruction directly related to communities, homes, and businesses. We don't even consider the road system that link all of these communities together and the impact roadways have on wildlife, especially mule deer.  Of course when we do think about roads and...
Published 05/16/24
Robby reads from Hunting Big Mule Deer: How to Take the Best Buck of Your Life. His chapter on Ambush Hunting is a must if you want to be a complete mule deer hunter. Before he dives in, he recaps some mule deer news and checks in with The Mule Deer Foundation’s spring edition of their magazine--always a good source for on-the-ground mule deer updates. As Robby always says, this stuff will make you a better deer hunter, and better at Ambush Hunting, too Rokcast is powered by onX Hunt....
Published 05/13/24
#30 Tipsy Tuesday has Daykota Kime giving out Bow Tuning tips. Daykota's tuning tips will help everyone get their broadheads flying straight for the 2024 Cold Bow Challenge. Howard Mee lays out the new rule changes and gives us the inside scoop of the Cold Bow Challenge. Finally, Bill Vanderhyden from Iron Will Outfitters talks about the University of Colorado arrow vane study https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/university-study-arrow-vane-designs-for-improved-broadhead-flight.355752/ and...
Published 05/07/24
We are winning the mountain lion fight in Colorado! Robby is back with Dan Gates of C.R.W.M with an update and why we can't let up now. Hunters can and must win this fight! Topics covered in this episode: Update on C.R.W.M since Travis Hobbs' January 1 episode here Funds raised Nonresidents contribute over 80% of individual donations! Are we winning? Why this fight won't stay in Colorado Post-Colorado Long Term Plan Listeners can get involved and support C.R.W.M...
Published 05/06/24
This Tipsy Tuesday is Everything Kifaru with Aron Synder and Anders Christianson. We cover Kifaru's move to Riverton Wyoming, jump into new material choices, and close out with what future holds for Kifaru. This week's reviews start with Les Welch's Mathews Lift https://www.rokslide.com/mathews-lift-review/. Sam then has Dustin Diefenderfer to talk about workouts and what's new at MTNTOUGH (https://mtntough.com/). Sam then shifts the talk toward the other Rokslide.com gear reviews...
Published 04/30/24
Most of us have been there, it's the worst day you can have hunting. You tried to do everything right, yet somehow you made a bad shot and now you have a wounded animal. A truly emotional rollercoaster ride. Now, the trail has gone cold, and you just can't sort the track out any further. It doesn't get much worse than this when hunting. This is where Rocky Mountain Big Game Recovery just might be able to help. I was recently at the Mile High Hunt and Fish Expo and a booth caught my eye....
Published 04/29/24
Robby hosts Brandon Diamond on today's Rokcast.  Brandon is the Area Wildlife Manager for Colorado's Gunnison Basin and beyond.  Brandon has been on the Rokcast before here and brings a depth of knowledge and experience to managing Colorado's mule deer. They talk about the current over-winter survival for the Gunnison Mule Deer and other parts of Colorado.  They talk about the challenges of managing for a variety of users, buck:doe ratios vs. age class, the increasing pressure from technology...
Published 04/25/24
Robby hosts Southeast Idaho Regional Wildlife Biologist, Eric Freeman, on today's Rokcast episode. Eric is tasked with the challenge of moving Idaho's Southeast mule deer herd into the future. Eric recently co-authored an article titled "Harsh Winters Mean Harsh Truths for Southeast Idaho Mule Deer". In this episode, they dive into over-winter counts on the Southeast Idaho Caribou mule deer herd, buck:doe:fawn survival and the interesting trend of bucks surviving at a higher rate than does. ...
Published 04/22/24
  This Tipsy Tuesday has experienced Bear hunters Roger Holscher and Chris Young walking us though their Tips for hunting Idaho. Roger and Chris are well-versed in the planning and logistics of this hunt, but every year is just a bit different. This trip is much earlier than in years past and we have a discussion about the best spring bear hunting time frames. This week's reviews start with Phillip Miller and the Rokslide members' giant optics review...
Published 04/16/24