Welcome to the Traditional Bowhunting and Wilderness Podcast! This is a community dedicated to Traditional Archer, Traditional bowhunting and all thing wilderness related.
My name is Jason Samkowiak. For the past 25 years I have been a traditional bowhunter, and an avid outdoorsman my whole life. I live in northern Michigan and spend more than 200 days a year in the woods doing something wilderness related. I have a self taught background in wilderness survival and consider myself a capable woodsman. I also follow a very strict code of ethics on all things hunting and outdoors related. I started this podcast and website to build a community for everyone that has similar interests. To be able learn, have fun, and enjoy everything about the outdoors even when you cant be outdoors.
I’m will be doing one podcast per week, published on Monday mornings. I also upload 2 videos per week on Mondays and Thursdays on Youtube (search traditional bowhunting and wilderness podcast on youtube). Articles are written on a semi regular basis when I have the time.
I feel that it’s time for a podcast and a community dedicated to Traditional Archery. However this is a HUGE project for one person to launch, maintain, and devote countless hours to. I promise to do the best I can as long as I can, to make this community a reality. We deserve this. I’m glad to have the opportunity to provide it. I look forward to each and every day what the future holds here at the Traditional Bowhunting and Wilderness Podcast.
I found your podcasts a couple of weeks ago and listened to a few. I look forward to your podcasts. Keep up the good work.
I look forward to your post. Now I need to catch up on what you have said so far. I have been a bowhunter for 53 years now, still love it.
Thank you for the great podcasts. I am just getting into archery and bowhunting and found your podcast a couple of weeks ago. Lots of good information. Looking forward to the next ones.
I just wanted to take a moment & let you know your efforts are appreciated! I look forward to your podcasts each week & find them informative & entertaining.
I have 2 questions for you that hopefully you can address here or as potential material for future podcasts.
1) You talk about your chain on stands exclusively. As a long time user of climbing stands I wonder about your choice. Do you use them at all & if not why not? I must confess after hearing your podcasts I am seriously considering buying a chain on stand & climbing sticks.
2) What is your take on the use of camouflage, both on your person & gear? I used to be a hard core camo guy & over the years migrated to earth tones & flannel with no apparent loss in success. Recently I have considering investing in camo again & wonder your take on it.
Bob, I dont use climbing stands simply becasue the areas i hunt are mostly oak and pine. both trees that are not very usable with a climbing stand. I feel that the versatility if the hang on stand and sticks makes the trouble of using them worth it. I only use chain on models for big diameter trees as it easy to extend the chains. 99% of the time i use a lone wolf hang on stand and steel gorilla sticks. I like the gorillas becasue they are have a rung on both sides at each step and they are easier on the hands when climbing than the lone wolf sticks.
As for camo, i have some but dont buy it or use it very often. 99% of the time i am in earth tone pants and plaid shirts. I do use a camo vest to keep my harness straps out of the way and beable to use pockets to keep my hand warm. I have nothing against camo. just usually i can find normal clothes that are cheaper and fit better with good patterns. only time i ever buy camo anymore is when i need something for specialized hunts. like waterproof clothing, heavy weight winter clothing, etc. Also if i find a great deal on clearance camo i buy it as well. BAsically i will hunt in anything that doesnt cost me alot of money…lol.
He does not advocate cammo. He believes it is a gimmick. No movement on stand or in the natural blind and cover and concealment both front cover and back cover is what he advocates. He does not wear cammo at all, except for his rain gear which only came in cammo.
exactly right. I do also have a camo kuiu vest that I wear on stand. I like it alot for the wind and water resistance. Only reason my rain gear is camo is because I got it 50% off if I bought the discontinued asat pattern. so I got a 500 dollar set of firstlite raingear for 250, otherwise I would of bought it in a solid.
Hey Jason, what is your current setup. I can see it is a longbow, but what about length and draw weight. Do you have a preference in terms of arrow shafts and broadheads? Do you shoot off the shelf or an arrow rest? Thanks!
Chris,
I use a Robertson Longbow 62″ 63#@26″ draw. I actually have 2 identical Robertson longbows (one is a cocobolo riser and the other is bocote riser) that i alternate each year and have been shooting those 2 bows as my main bows for 10 years. I draw 26 inches. my arrows are goldtip 3555 shafts cut at 27.5 inches, stuffed with nylon rope, 100 grain brass insert, 100 grain steel broadhead adaptor, 145 grain magnus 1 2 blade broadheads and fletched with 5.5 high back parabolic Left wing feathers. My total arrow weight is 740 grains. I do shoot off the shelf, never shot off a rest before. my strings are fast flight plus and 18 strand with loops padded to 20 strands. I’m kind of old fashion in the sense that when i find something that works for me i don’t change it. The arrows baffle me as with all the weight i should need to shoot the 5575 shafts but in all my testing the 3555 loaded like i have fly awesome. to the point that i can shoot bare shafts out to 30 yards the same as my fletched arrows and i can get my big broadheads to fly spot on with my feathers cut down to 1/8 inch tall. so the set up works perfect for me. The 5575 shafts on the other hand did not tune well for me. I never tested my speed or anything like that but this set up is dead quite, hits hard, and works great. I also round the tips of my heads so they are more durable on bone hits. Before the carbons I shot easton aluminum xx75s 2117 stuffed with poly rope and smaller 2 blade magnus heads total weight 740 grains. In the pics above you can see both set ups. With the bear i used one robertson with the xx75 shafts and in the pic with the deer i used the otehr robertson with the goldtips. The bear was the last thing i killed with the xx75s before switching to carbons in 2005.
I really enjoy your podcast as they are informational and give a different perspective/tips to hunting/survival methods I have been taught or experienced firsthand. It never hurts to be knowledgable in multiple ways of completing hunting/survival tasks. Keep up the good work!
Do you have any pre-hunt routines for scent control, or do you even consider that a factor in your hunting preperation?
Allen,
Thank you for the kind words.
For scent control I just try to wash my clothes in scent free soap and in between washings use some scent killer spray. Other than that I just rely heavy on hunting the wind. I always make sure to hunt the wind.
Great site, I have been following your podcast and the information you are putting on your site is top notch. Also way to get the kids involved with outdoors!
Thank Barry!
for real jason thats an awesome cast,
i love ur attitude in the way you are seeing our outdoor-life. even if i am travelling since more than a decade in (outdoor style) trough the world – i am just about get all the stuff to explore my first hunts.
thanx for all the informations you offer – i need them a lot! …
and please keep up the great work.
forgive me my poor writing ;.)
best wishes
hannes
from germany/berlin
Thanks Hannes! Best wishes on your hunts!
I just wanted to add my praise to that of others. I have been listening for the past couple of weeks on a daily basis to and from work. I am enjoying it immensely and look forward to going back to the beginning for the episodes here on the website that do not come up in my phone’s podcast app. I am learning bunches and I like your pragmatism and style.
Some background… I am new to archery – my wife did an amazing thing for me while we were living in Alaska (now in West Tennessee) and got me a Groupon a couple of years ago for an archery lesson (knowing my lifelong love of LOTR and Robin Hood and History Channel shows about traditional archery). I was hooked immediately. At the moment I have a Samick Journey (a longer version of the Sage), which I am eager to replace with a stick bow – something hand made, perhaps make something myself. I am not proficient enough to hunt as yet, but enjoying target shooting until I get a bit better – if it’s any indication, I’ve just moved from three bales of hay stacked up as a target (circle of colored paper on a large nail as an aim point) to an 18 inch target made of those compressed sheets of foam. So, I have a ways to go before it would be ethical for me to even consider going out and hunting.
I have not heard all of your podcasts, so forgive me if this is something you’ve covered, but I wonder if you have done any fabrication of your own gear (e.g. bags or quivers or shirts or whatnot). For some things that isn’t very practical and it’s specialized, but I have enjoyed making some things from scrap materials or bargain bins – shirts, bags, things like that.
Speaking of which, my wife is a wedding photographer and I have a trick for you, in case you haven’t come across it. I carry her gear (lenses, spare camera bodies, lighting, light disks, etc) around for big weddings and keeping track of the charged/dead rechargeable batteries for the flashes bugged me so much that I made red and green drawstring bags out of bandannas – red for dead, green for charged. Comes in REALLY handy…
Please keep up the great work! I look forward to hearing more, though I am going to catch up soon and have to wait for the weekly podcast instead of having the luxury of your back episodes…
Thanks a bunch!
Rush
Rush,
Glad you are enjoying the podcasts!
Have fun with your journey into the world of stick bows and home made gear.
I dont make any of my clothing or other gear right now. There will come a time when i will But currenty my life is to busy with work, kids, family, outdoors, etc. There are alot of things I plan to do when things slow down. but in the meantime I buy most of that stuff.
Great tip on the colored bags for batteries. I do something similar. If dead I wrap with a rubber band. If charged no rubber band. As you know things are very fast paced and hectic on a wedding. So keeping everything in order is important.
Talk to you soon,
Jason
What a great find, thank you! I followed your link on the bottom of your trad gang profile. My family and I moved from metro Detroit last fall to north Idaho. It is much prettier here however the wilderness deer hunting offers new challenges. I look forward to your blog and have enjoyed what I’ve already read. Cheers!
Todd Zolkosky
Mr.Samkowiak I want to thank you so much for taking the time to share with everyone your knowledge and adventures you have been on and planning for that you put on the podcasts and videos. I could never thank you enough and keep up the great work.
Thanks Paul! It’s these wonderful comments that make it all worth doing!
Jason, I found your podcast while searching for something new in podcasting. What a breath of fresh air, you are great! Love your enthusiasm for the sport. I hunt the woods of North Florida’s rolling hills, slues and swamps – all fair chase. I have not hunted out of state in many, many years mostly not having someone to share the experience. Probably due to my high standards of deer hunting and having few vices, so I solo hunt. Well your podcast has inspired me to plan for some out of state hunts next year with my RV in tow. Can you say EXCITED!
Thanks for what you do.
Tom Hall – “Ridgerunner”
Hello from the Bluegrass. This is an awesome site ! Thank you very much. I am getting the videos to play ok but all I get is audio with no picture ? Just checking. Congrats on all the trad kills !!
Awesome podcast. I just discovered it a few days ago, but I’ve already learned a ton! I’m still hunting with a compound for now, since my cross eye dominance makes traditional archery a bit more difficult to master, but I’m working on it.
Thank you so much for everything!
Hey, just ran across your podcasts- I am curious what is the model of the North Face backpack you have in the picture?
I really enjoy the down to earth, good hearted material you post. I’ve really enjoyed all your topics. You have me exploring more hunting situations. I’m planning in the next year a grouse hunt in the north woods on public land with a wall tent. All three things I’ve never tried before. Keep it up enjoy the podcasts. Nice break from the radio on my long commute.
Thanks for your efforts producing such an informative podcast. Don’t disregard us compound bow hunters, your experiences are invaluable for all deer hunters. Truly enjoy your podcasts and can’t wait for your next.
Hey Jason, I’m so glad that you took the time to make this podcast. I am thouroughly pleased with it. I have learned so much, I’ve been bow hunting whitetail a for 14 years with a compound and 1 year recurve, thanks to all your tips and tricks I put my first traditional deer on the ground, it was unreal how I wouldn’t have made it happen without all your wealth of knowledge. Seriously thank you! I cannot wait for next season, I’m gonna probably get a longbow and shoot efoc arrows like you do. I also just got a Canon Rebel T5i with a 18-135 stm lens and I wanna start a photography business too. I’d love to hear your advice and think you should do a podcast about photography, I’d love to hear your insight. I tell all my bow hunting friends about your podcast. Keep it up!
Jason,
I have been bow hunting for over 30 years but just recently switched to traditional archery. I enjoy your podcasts tremendously, especially on my long commute to work each day. The down-to-earth yet valuable information you provide is encouraging. I especially like the no-nonsense approach you take toward hunting gear. The Tucker Chronicles were great – you and John made a great team on the podcast. Keep up the great work!
I loved the affordable bow hunt podcast.Maine has some really affordable bear hunts and for antelope in WY an either sex tag is 275 and a doe fawn tag is 34 dollars for non residents.WY has a ton of public land.Montana also has some over the counter sheep tags for like 1200 bucks.It is a tough hunt in Grizzly country but for the working guy who thought they could never get a sheep tag it is perfect.Also don’t forget about the raffles from various conservation organizations.Love the podcast and thank you for doing them.
Great podcasts! I listen to them as soon as they become available. I just finished listening to the latest re: baiting and how to setup to allow maturee deer to swing downwind of bait. Never looked at it that way, I guess thats why I have big bucks on camera during day hours but never when I’m on stand. I need to change my setup. Keep up the great work.
Jason,
I appreciate what you are doing and sharing with the podcast. I am a new traditional bow hunter and I am trying to soak up as much information about traditional bow hunting as I can. Your podcast is loaded with a wide range of information from novice to veteran and I am grateful for you sharing and for the ethics that you seek to uphold while sharing and hunting. I cannot thank you enough for your willingness to share so guys like me can be successful in our hunting and thereby providing a lifelong skill that we can pass down to our children. Thank You!!
Came across your podcasts a few weeks ago. Great podcasts, enjoying them immensely. Keep up the good work.
I came across your podcast yesterday and binged a couple of episodes while at work. Really enjoyed them. I really like the fact that you give your honest opinion without putting others down. Looking forward to catching up on your older episodes.
I have been listening to your podcasts for over a year and have enjoyed them greatly. Also your dvd on scouting was awesome too. I hope this community continues to grow with the help of all listeners spreading the word to others. Keep it up please!!
Jason,
Thank you so much for all that you do for the traditional bowhunting community.
I am interested in trying a broadhead adapter like the one you specify using.
I am having a lot of difficulty find anything currently available. Can you let us know what kind and where you have purchased yours – or suggest an alternative.
I am shooting 340 spine Easton carbons – 75gr insert – with 125gr Magnus 4blade black hornets – 523gr 17%FOC.
Thank you for your time – and again for all that you do!
best,
Ryan
Ryan,
I buy all my arrow making stuff including the inserts and steel adaptors from 3 rivers archery.
I have not bought any this year as I have a bunch. So don’t know if they are out of stock etc. But if they are they will have them back soon. They are really good about keeping things in stock.
Jason, I really appreciate your YouTube videos and podcasts. My friends and family consider me a pretty good hunter; I have learned a lot listening to you. I found your podcast 296 about deer behavior to be really fascinating.
May God bless you and your family!
Hey Jason,
Just wanted to let you know I’ve been listening to your podcasts for a few years now. I follow you on YouTube and check out your Instagram too. You are truly a “go-getter”! I really love all the info, your strong opinions and personality. You are a gem to the community. Keep it up! I’m currently in the process of moving back home to Wisconsin, from Austin, TX (driving) so about to crush 12 hours of your podcasts into my head. Did several hours yesterday. Anyway. Thank you thank you! Keep in touch!
Thanks Brandon! Gonna be tough going from warm Tx to cold Wisconsin right now..lol I appreciate the comment and glad you are enjoying the content! Talk to you soon and drive safe.
I don’t know if I’m full of elation or regret to have discovered your YT channel because I’ve been binge watching episodes for 2 days!! Great tips and advice from someone who’s living it and not getting paid to say it. Really appreciate your authenticity and no-bull approach, brother. I was searching your vids for your perspective on scent control, elimination, cover scent in regards to hunting white tails. Couldn’t find anything. Did I miss something or is it a topic you’ve yet to address?
Thanks! Glad you are enjoying the content!
I dont do much on scent control or scents as I dont personally use them or worry much about scent control. all I do is use scent free soap and wear normal everyday clothes hunting. So im definitely not the right guy to give any advise on the subject..lol.