Okayest Hunter ®

Choose The Woods with Shaun Ridder

Shaun Ridderbush (Host of Camp Okayest) joins the show to share the wild story of the day his truck rolled into the river during a kayak tournament, and how walking away from it changed everything. We talk hunting, creativity, burnout, family, and why time in the woods has a way of resetting your priorities. A conversation about getting 1% better, finding stillness, and remembering what actually matters. Enter our Strut Season Sweepstakes for a chance to win over $5K in turkey gear: https://www.okayesthunter.com/pages/okayest-hunter-x-gerber-gear-strut-season-sweepstakes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Protecting Knowles-Nelson Now

If you hunt, fish, hike, bike, or take your kids to a local park in Wisconsin, there’s a good chance the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program helped make it possible. This week, we sit down with Charles Carlin of Gathering Waters and Team Knowles-Nelson to break down what the program actually does, why it’s wildly popular with voters, and why it’s on the verge of being completely defunded. We talk about matching grants, public access, trout streams, the Ice Age Trail, legislative gridlock, and what happens if funding hits zero on June 30. This is not abstract politics; moreover, it’s about access, habitat, and whether the next generation inherits more opportunity... or less. Take action here: https://action.knowlesnelson.org Learn more: https://knowlesnelson.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marrying a Hunter (And Becoming One) with Elizabeth Kay

This week on the pod, we sit down with Milwaukee radio host Elizabeth Kay for a conversation that’s less about inches of antler and more about everlasting memories. Elizabeth didn’t grow up hunting. No g💥ns or deer camp, but instead, city life, Bay View roots, and visits to the locker in Richland Center. Fast forward 13 years, a husband who “was practically born with a gun in his hand,” a German Shorthaired Pointer, and one unforgettable bear hunt that changed everything. We talk about what it’s like to marry into hunting culture, the intimidation factor of picking up a shotgun for the first time, why missing birds might matter more than hitting them, and the moment she looked at her son’s mounted bear and finally said, “Now I get it.” This one goes deep into storytelling, relationships, ego, imposter syndrome in the woods, and why hunting is often less about the kill and more about connection. It’s about supporting your partner’s passion, building traditions, raising kids in the outdoors, and realizing the mount on the wall might outlive all of us, but the memory is what really lasts. There’s pheasant poppers, vocal cord warmups, roadkill rack debates, and a whole lot of heart. If you’ve ever wondered how someone goes from “I’d never pick up a gun” to “Thank you, bird,” we think you'll enjoy this one! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Evicted

This one’s a little different. No guest this week. Just a candid, behind-the-scenes conversation about how the Okayest Hunter went from a half-serious idea, a couple bad logos, and some pretty average deer… into a community, a media company, and something that we believe means a great deal to a lot of people. We talk about the early days. The first deer that didn’t score big but meant everything. Why humor mattered. Why ego didn’t. How deer shaming became the line in the sand we didn’t even realize we were drawing at first. And how stories (not antlers) ended up being the point. This episode digs into the evolution of the brand, the podcast, the network, and the mindset behind it all: hunting as a grounding force, not a scoreboard. A space where kindness beats clout, where your tag is your tag, and where a “small” deer can still carry a big story. We also get honest about the business side. The risks. The mistakes. The merch boxes stacked in home offices. The trade shows that barely broke even. The realization that we’re a media company first, and why that actually matters if you care about hunting culture long term. If you’re new here, this is the origin story. If you’ve been around a while, this is the reminder. Either way, thanks for being part of it. We don’t take that lightly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Moving to Iowa with Justin Synan

Moving states is one thing. Moving your family, your career, and your entire hunting identity is something else entirely. In this episode, we sit down with Justin Synan to talk through the real story behind his move from Virginia to Kentucky and ultimately to Iowa. We dig into what actually drives those decisions: family, faith, frustration, opportunity, and the reality of chasing big whitetails without losing yourself along the way. We talk about the culture shock of new states, the realities of hunting pressure and baiting laws, why you can’t just “trip into” a big deer, and how expectations can quietly ruin the experience if you’re not careful. Justin opens up about what worked, what didn’t, and how perspective changes when kids, marriage, and long-term goals start weighing more than inches of antler. It’s a candid conversation about risk, patience, and figuring out what “success” actually looks like, both in the woods and at home. If you’ve ever daydreamed about moving to a whitetail mecca, felt stuck where you’re at, or wondered whether the grind is worth it, this episode is a great example of what it could look like to make the move. Presented by: Nosler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices