The Blacktail Coach Podcast
We're here to share tips, strategies, and stories of hunting the Pacific Northwest.
Whether you're a seasoned hunter or just getting started, we'll help you turn preparation into achievement and passion into results.
So gear up and get ready, because SUCCESS IS NO ACCIDENT!
Episodes
86 episodes
Coyote Hunting Part 3 with Cody Sanchez
Coyotes don’t read gear reviews, and they don’t slow down when they hit your call. We’re closing out our coyote hunting series with Cody Sanchez by getting brutally practical about what consistently puts fur on the ground in real Pacific Northw...
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Season 2
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Episode 30
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36:11
Coyote Range And Real-World Scouting: Cody Sanchez Part 2
Coyotes feel random until you zoom in on what they repeat. Aaron sits down with Cody Sanchez for week two of coyote hunting and gets specific about what “range” looks like in real timber country: tight home cores for established breeding pairs,...
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Season 2
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Episode 29
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41:01
Coyote Hunting With Guest Cody Sanchez
Coyotes don’t play by daytime rules, and that’s exactly why so many hunters are turning to night stands and thermal optics. We sit down with Cody Sanchez of Thermal Dispatch to unpack what really changes after dark—why coyotes move more, respon...
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Season 2
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Episode 28
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35:28
We Recap the Shows, Spotlight Allies, and Tackle IP28’s Threat to Hunting, Farming, and Public Lands
The shows are finally in the rearview, the colds are fading, and the conversations we had at the booth lit a fire under us. We met listeners who’ve packed freezers and missed shots, shook hands with makers who obsess over the little details, an...
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Season 2
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Episode 27
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36:48
The Outdoor Industry: Chatting With Clay Bond From Bonded Outdoors
What if your mount could tell the whole story every time someone walked past it? We sit down with Clay Bond from Bonded Outdoors to talk about turning memories into heirlooms with personalized leather tags and shoulder-mount patches that hold d...
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Season 2
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Episode 26
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38:10
Interview With Gary Sims From Blacktail Solution
Think blacktail won’t daylight over bait? They’re not stubborn; they’re spoiled for choice. We bring on Gary Sims—cofounder of Limbsaver and the mind behind Blacktail Solution—to explain how flavor, precision nutrients, and smart timing flip th...
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Season 2
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Episode 25
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38:06
Blacktail Locating and Tactics with Bud Braaten
Not every buck is meant to be chased. We dig into Bud’s hard-won blacktail system—how a season of empty sits became a framework for finding “killable bucks” on pressured public land. The shift sounds simple but it changes everything: hunt the a...
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Season 2
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Episode 24
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38:49
Habitat Over Predators: Why Deer Numbers Rise Or Fall
What if the biggest lever for stronger deer herds isn’t predator control, but the ground under their hooves? We dig into fresh data, field studies, and on-the-ground observations across California, Oregon, and Washington to challenge a common a...
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Season 2
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Episode 23
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36:41
Declining Licenses, Bottlenecked Gates, And The Myth Of “Too Many Hunters”
The trailhead looks crowded and it’s tempting to say hunting has exploded—but the numbers tell a different story. We dig into decades of data from California, Oregon, and Washington and find steep declines in license sales even as state populat...
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Season 2
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Episode 22
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38:05
From Boot Camp To Big Buck: Joe Riley's So. Oregon Success Story
Burn country can feel empty until you read it the right way. We sat down with Joe to break down how a brutal two-fire landscape in Southern Oregon still held mature blacktails in daylight—and how a simple, disciplined system made them visible a...
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Season 2
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Episode 21
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40:09
The Case For Clear Cuts In Modern Blacktail Hunting
Let’s rethink what success looks like in blacktail hunting. When schedules tighten, budgets pinch, and weather goes sideways, clear cuts offer a practical, ethical path forward that keeps us learning and in the game. We explore why open ground—...
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Season 2
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Episode 19
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31:11
Four Grown Men, Zero Bucks, Plenty Of Laughs
A season that humbled us also sharpened us. We went all in on named target bucks and ran into a wall of warm temps, atmospheric rivers, and shifting deer behavior that pushed daylight activity into a crawl. Cameras that fired pre-season went qu...
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Season 2
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Episode 18
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36:57
Agenda 23: A New Path For California’s Deer And Forests with Paul Trouette
If “more deer, more tags” hasn’t moved the needle in California, what will? We make the case for a better message—forest health and balanced wildlife management—and back it up with a rigorous camera trap study designed to deliver real numbers, ...
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Season 2
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Episode 17
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54:15
Inside Mendocino’s Blacktail: Habitat, Predators, And The B‑Zone Project with Guests Paul Trouette & John Wagenet
A number on a page says California holds 500,000 deer. Our boots say otherwise. We sat down with Paul Trouett and John Wagenet to map the ground truth of blacktail across Mendocino and the B‑Zones—why herds feel thinner, how habitats shifted, a...
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Season 2
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Episode 16
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54:32
How AI Helps Hunters Decode Deer Rubs And Habitat Choices
Ever wondered if AI can actually help you tag a smarter hunt, or if it’s just another loud voice with half-truths? We put it on the stand and tested its advice against muddy boots, real rub lines, and the stubborn logic of blacktail country. St...
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Season 2
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Episode 15
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41:08
Whitetail Vs. Blacktail
Ever passed a buck on the first morning and felt it echo all week? We did, and the story unpacks more than a near miss. We break down a Kansas whitetail hunt that swung from single-digit wind chill to warm afternoons, then connect each lesson t...
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Season 2
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Episode 14
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39:15
How Deer Talk With Their Nose, Eyes, And Ears To Rank, Breed, And Survive
Bucks broadcast more than tracks. They paint the woods with scent from orbital, forehead, tarsal, metatarsal, and interdigital glands—messages about identity, rank, breeding readiness, danger, and direction of travel. We break down how to read ...
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Season 2
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Episode 14
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38:33
Year Two, Bigger Buck: Mark Boon's Success Story
Big blacktail aren’t a mystery when you respect their routine. We sit down with Mark Boon to unpack how a hunter who once struggled close to home stacked two strong seasons back-to-back and sealed a Pope & Young buck in September. The shift...
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Season 2
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Episode 13
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38:29
From Clear Cuts To Confidence: Cully Scroggins Success Story
A chocolate-antler blacktail at 20 yards on opening morning isn’t a fluke—it’s the outcome of a system built on habitat, scent discipline, and patient stand time. We sit down with Cully Scroggins to unpack how a summer-long pattern, a tight ent...
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Season 2
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Episode 12
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56:35
Blacktail Coach 2026
Ready to stop throwing Hail Mary hunts and start building a plan that works? We open the playbook for 2026 and share every path you can take to become your own guide, from the Trophy Tactics course to small-group coaching and immersive field da...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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43:49
How Extreme Weather Changes Deer And Elk Behavior
When the sky flips, deer and elk rewrite their script—and we show you how to read it. From August scorchers to winter squalls, we map out what animals actually do in heat, wind, rain, snow, and sudden barometric swings so you can plan smarter s...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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35:58
Stop Guessing: How To Choose Christmas Gifts Your Hunter Will Actually Use
Shopping for a hunter can feel like trying to read a gear catalog in another language. We make it simple with a clear map of what actually gets used, what’s worth upgrading, and how to time big purchases so you don’t overspend. From arrows, amm...
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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39:48
Stop Second Guessing Your Hunt
Ever feel that nagging urge to change everything mid‑sit? We’ve been there. This week, we dig into why second guessing wrecks hunts and how a simple, structured plan—paired with honest data—keeps you on track to tag mature blacktails. We lay ou...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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35:50
Smokey Crews Lessons from a Lifetime of Bowhunting: Bulls, Bears, and Hard-Won Wisdom
Some hunts hinge on perfect gear. Most hinge on better judgment. We sit down with Smokey Crews to unpack the quiet moves that turn a fleeting chance into a clean kill—why he swears by a Chuck Adams side quiver through thick coastal brush, how a...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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39:57
From Double Shovels to Do-It-Right: Smokey Crews on Records, Dedication, and the Hunt That Never Stops
A record is a number; a trophy is a feeling. That line sets the pace as we sit down with Smokey Crews to unpack the mindset, effort, and odd twists of fate behind a lifetime of tags—from a rare, double-shovel caribou taken on the first morning ...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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39:21