Welcome to the Dig Deep episodes, where we take a single subject and really try to dig in and see what we can learn and gain insight from. In this first episode, we decided to focus in on the incredible life of Fannye Cook. Fannye was a Mississippi native born in the late 1800s and dedicated her entire life to the natural resources of Mississippi. She is truly one of the most impactful conservationists this state has ever seen. If you have ever hunted, fished, camped, hiked, or enjoyed the natural resources of the Magnolia state, you owe this woman a debt of gratitude. 

"Fannye Cook: Mississippi's Pioneering Conservationist" the book:

https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/F/Fannye-Cook 

More history of Fannye Cook:

https://www.mshistorynow.mdah.ms.gov/issue/fannye-cook-pioneer-conservationist 

Archery season is virtually here, and it's past time to start getting ready. I think all of us that bow hunt can agree that getting out and shooting your bow is one of the most fun and necessary things to do to get prepared. that is, unless you have target panic. This summer, I had the worst flair up of target panic that I have ever had in my life. It got so bad that I even had thoughts of canceling some upcoming hunts. Thankfully, I was able to find the resources necessary to conquer it. Shot IQ with Joel Turner is the real deal, trust me on that one. We also dive into some practice tips and routines, general bow setups, and situations you can run into while elk or deer hunting. 

click here to learn more about Shot IQ:

https://www.shotiq.com/home 

In this episode I sit down with my older brother, Brett Pickle, to talk about his very recent, first successful, turkey hunt. Even though the hunt itself happened quick, this has been well over three years in the making. Check it out! 

Lake and Jordan dive into the somewhat controversial subject of whether or not it is acceptable to give names to the deer you're going to hunt. Most importantly, they discuss the topic of tree stand location, which is truly a make-or-break when it comes to whitetail hunting. They also discuss on going challenges of learning a new property and big-pictures plans to make this a successful and learning-filled season. 

Today Jordan and Lake are discussing the ever important subject of stand access. It is not overstating to say that this can easily make or break a hunt, and it is absolutely crucial to finding consistent success. So we do our best to cover the topic in depth. Other subjects discussed include Jordan trying to pull X-games moves on the tractor, and we also answer a very applicable question sent in by a listener. 

We're still trying to wade our way through the unexpected twists and turns that this unorthodox year has thrown at us. between untimely hurricanes and head-high kudzu we've met some new challenges but still remain optimistic! We also dive into some questions sent in by listeners that are very applicable to early season hunting! 

Our friend Michael Hunter is back for round two with the STL Podcast. We discuss the challenges of operating a restaurant during a pandemic, rehash old stories of deboning deer legs in front of a vegan protests, and most importantly, we talk about his new cookbook that is coming out soon! Talking about cooking and wild foods is always a fun conversation and Michael is the perfect guest for it! Check it out!

We went into the mountains in the search of bull elk and came back with some stories worth filling your ears with. Join us as we pick apart the wild adventure that makes up time spent in elk country! We discuss having a bull elk at 2 yards, Wilbur's intense calling style, smelling a rutty elk for the first time, and much more! Check it out! 

We got the chance to sit down with Country Music Artist, Jon Langston, to talk hunting, the path to a music career, the acceptable number of doves to miss, pandemic struggles, killing backyard gobblers, and much more! Jon is a great guy and gave us a great conversation! Check it out! 

Dove Season is this upcoming weekend. Bow season for whitetails is right at a month away. We are so close to fall hunting season in the South being in full-swing that it's hard to contain our excitement. We talk about dove fields, finding new hunting spots, pre-season scouting, indicators that the spot you found is good or bad, Red Lobster biscuits, and much more. Check it out! 

Ted Nugent is not only one of the most notable faces in the hunting community, he is also one of the most passionate and driven individuals when it comes to the subject of protecting hunting rights and the values our country was founded on. In this episode, we talk about EVERYTHING; bow hunting, Fred Bear, controversial game laws, the riots going on, finding solace and release in the woods, and much more. I can promise you that this is an episode you'll want to lean into. Check it out!

We drove so far south in the state of Louisiana that the world stopped and the water started. We spent a full day in the marshes, trying our best to catch speckled trout, red fish, and anything else that we could get to bite. It was an incredible day of fishing thanks to our friend, Travis Lovell, of Reelin Good Charters. Travis has spent his entire life fishing in the bayous of Southern Louisiana, so to say he was able to give us an insightful conversation about how to successfully fish that area would be an understatement. 

One way to beat the heat and boredom that can sometimes set in during the summer months is to hit the water. Jordan and I  collectively regroup after a weekend of fishing in the gulf; discussing things such as shark phobia, wade fishing, stingrays cruising by your ankles, and sight fishing triple tails. Most importantly however, we talk about a upcoming fishing trip to South Louisiana with Jimmy and my dad.

Any turkey hunter will tell you that every turkey they get is special but none captures the heart quite like the first. In this episode I get to share in telling the very special story of my wife's first turkey hunt. As every turkey hunting story should, it's full of unexpected twists and turns. 

A lot of topics topics are covered in this weeks STL Podcast. Fishing competitions with your buddies, whether or not front-boating should be illegal, successfully popping wheelies on a tractor, and getting trail camera pictures of bucks in the pre-season are all part of this episode. As always, we're not short on good stories and laughs, so check it out!!

Jordan and I decided to go back over some of the previous hunting seasons and pick out the most embarrassing/funny stories that never quite made it to video. Some of these things happened when the camera wasn't running, some of them got lost in the editing process, and some of them were just so embarrassing at the time that we just didn't want anyone to know what happened. Needless to say, I don't think either of us have laughed this hard during a podcast episode. Enjoy!

Dr. Robbie Kroger is the founder and mind behind Blood Origins, a nonprofit organization with the mission of sharing the truth around hunting through story telling. In this episode, we dive into deep detail of the subject; how and why this organization came about, the challenges hunting faces around the globe, the heyday of hunting in Africa, the New Zealand Tahr situation, Ricky Gervais's views on trophy hunting. There is no stone left  unturned in this conversation, so check it out!

Maycee Barber is the #10 ranked fighter in the UFC flyweight division. She is also someone who loves to hunt, and simply just enjoys the outdoors. This conversation was both fun and incredibly interesting. It's one of those that you do not want to miss. We talk about all kinds of things including girl scout cookies, punching people in the face for a living, what it's like growing up in a hunting family, and getting ready for an archery elk hunt this upcoming September! Check it out!

Logan Cooke is a punter for the Jacksonville Jaguars, a former Mississippi State football player, a Mississippi native, and of course, an avid outdoorsman. One of our favorite things to do on this show is find people who have an interesting story to tell, and Logan is exactly that. Join us for a fun conversation that includes NFL football, public land hunting, the COVID-19 pandemic, duck hunting in Florida, iguanas, helicopter nurses, and much more! 

Matt Branch is a family man, a form LSU football player, an avid outdoorsman, and a survivor of a nearly fatal gunshot wound that happened accidentally while duck hunting. This is podcast is a story about gun safety, but its mainly a story about survival, determination, and perseverance. There's a whole lot to learn in Matt's story about how to respond to adversity. 

Full-time song writers and passionate outdoorsmen are words that accurately describe Dan and Reid of The Brothers Hunt. These two boys have a story worth telling and definitely worth you listening to. From having the desire to make it as songwriters in Nashville, living a in small houseboat to make ends meet, and finding time to hunt during all the madness. We talk about setting goals, life on the road, making backstrap poppers from roadkill deer, buck shaming,whether or not shooting a jake is okay, and much more. This episode isn't short on stories or laughs. Check it out! 

With it being the week before Father's Day, we wanted to do something special. Father's In The Field is an organization that specifically targets fatherless boys. Their mission is to rekindle and establish the spirit of boys who have been abandoned by their fathers; mentoring them one-on-one in life skills through outdoor activities, and by sharing a Christian understanding of our Heavenly Father’s love and sacrifice for His children. In this episode, we talk with FitT founder, John Smithbaker, about his story and heart for reaching fatherless boys all across this country. 

Sadly, turkey season has come to an end, so it's time to kick off the line of Summer 2020 podcasts. This week Jordan and Lake will be taking a walk down memory lane; talking about some of their earliest experiences with hunting. Everything from deer drives with three-wheelers and rock-filled jugs to backyard wrestling matches are covered in this conversation. If you're looking for a lot of laughs and maybe a little incite, this is the podcast episode for you! 

We’ve got one more turkey trip up our sleeve to finish off the spring and we also have some new territory to explore as we start to wrap our minds around what deer season prep is going to look like over the summer months!

This week Jordan and I discuss the craziness that has unfolded in the early part of our home state's turkey season so far. Everyone loves a good turkey story! Check it out! 

Jordan left us in kansas to go on a week-long turkey binge! We catch back up with him this week to see what all he managed to get himself into, and what he learned along the way! 

This podcast episode is way different than any of the one's we've ever done. It's real. It's honest, and I promise it's worth a listen. In hunting scenarios, in global pandemic scenarios, or just in life scenarios we will face hardships. What's important is how we deal with them. 

Turkey hunting in the Midwest is has become one of our favorite trips of the spring. They grow them big in this region of the country and they like to gobble long and often. In this episode, we talk with our friend Tommy Nails, of Whiskey Ridge Hunts, who has been guiding deer and turkey hunts here for over 20 years. We talk about some of the key differences between turkey hunting here as opposed to turkey hunting in the Southeast. We also talk about the hunts we had this week and what we did to end up successful. 

Lake talks with Professor Mike Chamberlain about the potential implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic on wild turkey populations, especially in the Southeast. It's no secret that all of us here love turkey hunting. So naturally, we want do our best to ensure the availability of good turkey hunting in the future. 

Every turkey hunter knows what its like to experience a streak of bad luck. Well, we had a whole week of it! In this episode we talk about about a Mishap filled week where we did nothing but get whipped day in and day out! It was entertaining to say the least! So come join us and for a few hard-learned lessons and maybe get a laugh or two at our expense!

Turkey hunting when done correctly, and ethically is one the best and most gratifying pastimes we have the privelege of taking part in. It's a challenging and respectful pursuit that makes us better hunters and better woodsman. It drives us to be better conservationist and stewards of the natural resources we've been given to manage. In this episode we discuss, what we perceive to be, one of the biggest threats to turkey hunting and what we all can do to change that. 

Today's episode is about as live action as it gets. We're talking about a successful hunt that happened this very morning! Every turkey that you get a chance to kill is special, no doubt, but when it's an old long spurred gobbler that you've been after for several seasons, it makes it a little more sweet. That's exactly what we were able to do this morning, and we want to go over the decisions and moves we made that put us in the position to kill him. 

Part of what makes turkey hunting so worthy of our obsession is the extreme highs and extreme lows that it offers. There's no in between. You're either on top of a mountain after a few great hunts, or fighting frustration because you just can't seem to make it all come together. We experience an emotional turkey roller coaster this week, and are luckily still here to tell the tale. We have missed turkeys, spooked turkeys, and finally a few killed turkeys. What's most important, however, is what we can take away from all these hunts (failed hunts included) to make us more successful in the future.

The latter half of our trip to South Florida turned out to be just as productive as the first half! We then headed back west to our home state of Mississippi, just in time for the season opener! In this episode, we talk about some of things we do to find success in the earliest points of the season. 

The turkey pre-season talk is over. It's time to hunt! This podcast is coming to you straight from the swamps and palmetto flats of South Florida! We are two days into our Osceola turkey season, and believe when I say that we have some fun stories to share with you! As always, we cover every detail of what makes hunt, as well as go over what worked and what didn't. These two days of turkey hunting have been action packed so we are excited to share them with you! We also talk about a new online video series from Primos that will be kicking off this spring. 

Let's catch up on the action of spring turkey season so far. We've had hens charging at a coyote, very cooperative osceola gobblers, a bonafide sneak hunt, participating in turkey research projects, and more! 

To a turkey hunter, there's fewer things worse than spooking a turkey. It can make you lose sleep at night. It can make you question everything you thought you knew and lose confidence in the woods. On this week's episode, we dive into the sore subject of spooking long beards. We discuss common mistakes and scenarios, share old stories, and most importantly, we discuss ways to keep this from happening. 

The Hunting Public is not only one of the most popular names in the hunting world right now, they are also some of the absolute best when it comes consistently finding and killing turkeys on public land. On this week's episode we talk with Aaron Warbritton and Greg Clements from THP to discuss some of the methods they use that make them so efficient at killing turkeys. Don't miss this episode!

Last Spring Jordan and I had the pleasure of turkey hunting with Dave for a few days in Wisconsin. We finally got to catch back up with him at the 2020 NWTF convention and breakdown that hunt from start to finish. We also dive into great detail about some of the things we noticed that Dave does that play a huge part in his consistent success. This is the type of episode that every turkey hunter can benefit from so check it out!! Also check out the Pinhoti Project on Youtube!

turkey calls, coyote howlers, owl hooters, peacocks, pileated woodpeckers, such and so on. There are a million different sounds that have made claim to being able to make a turkey gobble. In this episode we talk about new calls and gear that we are excited to have out this spring. We also talk about the NWTF convention coming up at the end of this week!! Join us!

Deer season is officially over for us, so we have officially shifted gears towards spring turkey hunting. Join us for this episode as we relive past hunts, talk about plans for this spring, the upcoming NWTF convention, favorite regions for hunting turkeys, and how excited we are to finally be getting back to chasing gobbling turkeys!

Deer season is coming to a quick close. With Cottonmouth being shutdown from the high water, we are headed to high ground for one more deer trip. Our hopes are to end the season on a much-needed high note. We also spend time talking about this past deer season as a whole, discussing in detail, everything that made it the hardest season we have ever faced. 

Despite how much we had all hoped for a good river year, once again the mighty Mississippi River is on the rise. So far at Cottonmouth we have pretty much lost all of our property in LA, the MS portion is cutoff unless you use a boat, and we are days away from the season shutting down in Arkansas. We have one afternoon left to hunt before we have to pack up and head to higher ground. Join us as we talk about the daily struggles of high water and also answer some questions sent in by listeners. 

For many waterfowl hunters, seeing mallards cup their wings and fall through the timber into their duck hole is the ultimate goal. In this weeks episode, we talk to two of the most passionate and knowledgeable waterfowl hunters that we know to discuss the ins and outs of successfully getting on ducks in the timber. topics covered include: scouting, identifying holes that are ideal for ducks to land in easily, calling, decoys, setting up for the wind, new and stale ducks, and much more. This is an excellent episode that you do not want to miss. 

Cottonmouth in January tends to be a happening place. This year, however, is a little unorthodox. The Deer movement is at a low, but the ducks are here in high numbers. We talk about hunting plans for the rest of the month. We also dive fully into the subject of trash ducks. Where did this term come from, and why we so strongly disagree with it.

"How do I get in to the hunting industry?" is probably the most commonly asked question that we get. Ben Brettingen, Executive Producer and Head of Marketing for Primos Hunting, and myself dive into each of our individual stories of how we got started in the industry. We go at this topic in full detail covering, filming, photography, how to get your name out there, who to reach out to, internship opportunities to look into, etc. If you are wanting to get in to the industry, This podcast could very helpful to you.

Join us for the recording from our live show that took place February 28, 2023. We talk about the the people and organizations that came before us and made turkey hunting possible for future generations, we talk with Pete Daughtery from Turkeys For Tomorrow about current research projects, and as always we make room for hunting stories and laughs. 

Jordan and I sit discuss the difference seen between deer and rutting activity between Cottonmouth and Togo Island over the past two weeks. We dissect different hunts, talk about why we haven't been seeing many deer in the food plots, the difference between a young buck tending a doe vs an old buck. Most interestingly, we talk about the ever developing effects from the flood, including one effect that might actually be a positive. Check it out! 

We battled tornadoes and hail storms just to get this podcast episode out for ya'll, but that's just because we think it's worth it! Here at Cottonmouth and Togo Island, it is rut time for the deer! Brad and I discuss the struggles we've faced due to last years record flood. We also talk about some of things we did to finally find some success, as well as tactics we employ for killing bucks during the rut. 

TJ Mallette is the founder and owner of Black Duck Waterfowl in Saskatchewan, CA and Stuttgart, AR. He is also one of the most waterfowl crazed individuals I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. So naturally, he was the perfect person to have come in and talk ducks with. We talk guiding, outfitting, the differences between hunting ducks in Canada vs. the Southeast, and several tips that could help you be more successful.