Cutting The Distance
Jason Phelps and Dirk “The Bugler” Durham from Phelps Game Calls leverage their experiences as badass competition callers, call makers, and dedicated hunters to bring you the tips and tricks they use all season long that make them successful in the field. From turkey to elk and beyond, join Jason and Dirk every Thursday as they host the very best experts when it comes to hunting and calling. Tune in now so you too can get ’em close.
Episodes
After many attempts, Jason was finally able to convince his wife, Sondi Phelps, to come on to the podcast and talk about her upbringing, the struggle growing the business with two small kids and full time jobs, as well as her journey to becoming a hunter, and a few stories from the hunts.
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Dirk and Bradley Dammerman of Idaho Whitetail Guides catch up on Bradley's Spring bear season, and then take a deep dive into a conservation organization that Bradley jus started: North Idaho Houndsmen Association. They talk about conserving the animals hound hunters love to pursue. They also talk about issues Hunting Outfitters here in Idaho are facing with the new tag drawing system nonresidents will face in 2026.
Jason and Dirk get back together again after a busy spring and shoot the breeze about their bear hunts. Jason and close friend Tyson, hunt bears in Idaho. Dirk hunted black bears in the great state of Alaska on an invite from Christensen Arms. They discuss the highs and lows of bear hunting and throw in a few bear hunting tips.
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In the spirit of Father's Day, Jason and Dirk enjoy comparing their Father's personalities and atributes. They discuss their dad's backgrounds, and reminiscing about their first times hunting with them.
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In this episode, Jason Phelps takes on 10 of the toughest elk hunting questions every serious hunter should ask. From calling strategies and terrain tactics to handling hung-up bulls and the mental grind, Jason breaks down exactly how he approaches each scenario in the elk woods. With decades of experience and countless bulls called in, he shares hard-earned insight into what works, what doesn’t, and why. Whether you're a new...
With a few minutes left on the time clock in some states this spring to bear hunt, Dirks talks baiting statagies with Mark Livesay from Treeline Academy. They touch on escouting and dig in deep on Mark's favorite baiting tricks. If you have a little time left to hunt and were pondering if it's worth setting up a bait this late in the game, give this a listen and head out with bait in hand!
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This week's guest, Jimmy Gruenwald, aka Jimmy Kits, talks about getting the right items in your backpack's first aid kit. We talk tourniquets, quick clot, and more. Don't skip this episode - your life may depend on it!
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Inspired by Mother's Day, Dirk reflects on how his mom was there to support his elk hunting and deer hunting endeavors from the beginning.
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In this episode, I sit down with NWTF biologist Chuck Carpenter to talk turkeys in the Pacific Northwest. From tough mountain hunts to population trends and harvest models, we cover what it takes to sustain healthy turkey numbers—and how understanding their biology can make you a better hunter. We also dive into hunting during the “henned up” phase, calling strategies, and how pressure affects gobbling and decoy e...
In this episode, Jason steps away from just talking calls and hunting tactics to share a more personal side of the journey. Building Phelps Game Calls, chasing bulls every fall, being a dad and husband, and trying to juggle it all—it’s not always as clean or easy as it might look from the outside. He talks about burnout, learning lessons the hard way, what success really means to him now, and how his priorities have shi...
Jason sits down with Joe Elliston and Dennis Stokes of Initial Ascent to dive into the story behind their hunting pack company. They talk about what inspired them to start the brand, the hands-on prototyping process, and the rigorous testing their packs endured before ever hitting the market. The conversation highlights the innovation that sets their pack system apart, as well as where they're headed next in the world of high-perfo...
Gear reviews and elk hunting go hand in hand. This week Dirk and Gabe Gerrish of Backwoods Pursuit talk about behind the scenes of his recent elk hunting film, "Chasing Tradition," and also the ins and outs of reviewing hunting gear.
Link to Gabe's website: https://backwoodspursuit.com/
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Everyday, hunters and sportsmen look at moving to the country and building a sustainable simple life. Dirk talks with long time friend Mark Bonnalie, aka "Modern Rural Civilian," about his origin story and the inspiration to sell everything and move to rural acreage and begin building their homestead.
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I'm back in nerd mode looking into bullet construction—how they perform at different distances, their accuracy, consistency, and what happens on impact. Instead of going down the rabbit hole alone, I’m joined by Madi Woodward from Nosler to break down “purpose-built” bullets and what to consider when selecting the right one. Plus, we’ll discuss Nosler’s line of suppressors and their impact on hun...
Dirk gets to talk with one of his favorite podcasters - Brent Reaves. Brent hosts "This Country Life" on the Bear Grease podcast and is an avid sportsman and advocate for hunting. They talk about Brent's upbringing and his take on hunting turkeys.
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Ever wonder what it's like having a "Shed Antler" dog? Dirk and Idaho hunting guide and outfitter Chris Cabral talk about Chris' labs and what it's like shed hunting with a dog. They also take a deep dive into bear baiting, and talk hunting mountain lions and elk in Idaho's rugged back country.
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Jason sits down with Bryant Sentman and Cory Toombs of Tall Timber productions. They talk about their most memorable day in the field, who they would hunt with if they had a chance, amongst a bunch of others. They then dive into the elk obsession project , how it originated and where it's going from here.
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Dirk and Ryan Carter from DC Outfitters discuss guiding and scouting limited entry units in Utah. They cover trail camera seasons, shed antler hunting seasons, and the new requirement for Idaho non-resident shed hunters to purchase an Idaho hunting license.
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Jason sits down with Ashley Stuckless to discuss his journey. Ashley is an aspiring film producer and recently caught Jason's eye with a pair of stone sheep hunting films. The series of films takes you from the Lows to the Highs of sheep hunting. They discuss getting into backpack hunting, the approach you should take, Ashley's favorite adventures and the future of High BC.
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Dirk's best friend and brother-in-law Randy Wise joins the show today. Besides being jokesters, Randy and Dirk have had some big adventures over the years. From Randy getting impaled on an elk hunt, to falling over 30 feet from a treestand breaking his body, their first elk hunt, and schoolboy shenanigans, they share some of their favorite moments.
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