Cutting The Distance

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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Jason and Dirk discuss how the advancements in technology may push the boundaries of ethics, fair chase, and how it is shaping the future of hunting. They tackle subjects like thermal, smart scopes/sights, cell cams, drones and AI.

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This week's Pendlton Whisky Q&A took us down a rabbit hole! "How do I get into the hunting industry?" Dirk has a great conversation with hunter, entrepreneur, and good friend, Jon Gabrio. They recap Jon's black bear and elk hunt from last year, then take a deep dive into working in the hunting industry.

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Just a normal guy doing everything he can to chase his dreams. Tucker Stanley got a late start on hunting after playing college football as well as in europe but he's dead set on making up for lost time. In the last 6 years Tucker has killed a 200" muley, 170" mountain whitetail, some great bulls and we wanted to jump into the stories and how he has made it happen.

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New year, new me! Ever felt like "It Must Be Nice" when you see other hunters take to the field out of state? Dirk has a great conversation with financial adviser Jeff Bynum about how to afford those out of state hunts that you feel like they are just out of reach. 

Financial Outfitters Group: https://www.finoutfitters.com/

Jeff Bynum and Financial Outfitters Group offers Investment Advisory Services through Coho Advisory Serv...

So you may have heard about the potential world record elk that recently was killed in Washington? It was everywhere on social media!!! You may have also saw others try to discredit the accomplishment. Jason and Dirk sit down to discuss the topic through their point of view. They discuss the legality, circumstances, finances required as well as public perception and give their opinion on what may have eased the negative attention t...

Dirk catches up with Josh Boyd every year, just exchanging hunting stories and expressing opinions and ideas from our experiences while hunting. This episode Josh recaps his amazing hunting season and then takes us down memory lane with the story of his giant whitetail buck from years ago. We also talk a little about the diseases that whitetail deer face and what game managers are doing about it.

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We all face adversity everyday, and some days have some huge set backs. This week Dirk talks with motivational speaker and hunter, Sidney Smith. Sidney is a double amputee who has overcome loosing both legs, only to go on and lead an extraordinary life. Sidney still enjoys hiking in the mountains and hunting, not to mention competing in Iron Man, and Bodybuilding competitions. His story is uplifting and motivating to say the least.