Steve Sunderland (Left) and Coty Soult (Right) of The Open Air Project
Several weeks ago, I got an email from Coty Soult and Steve Sunderland of The Open Air Project asking me if I would like to be on one of their podcasts.
I listened to their introductory podcast (Episode 1) to learn who they were and what they were about. Then I listened to another one about fly fishing (Episode 3) and knew we would have plenty to talk about.
These guys have good “radio voices” so the podcast are easy to listen to and it’s obvious they enjoy spending time in the outdoors and sharing that enthusiasm with others.
They live in Pennsylvania and hunt all kinds of big and small game in the region and fish their local waters, but I notice that talk of a DIY western elk hunts keeps creeping into the conversations.
It is obvious they want to learn more and do more. I can relate to that.
I really like the introduction to their podcasts:
“If you want to do something… get out and do it. And do it now… Do it while you can… Life is just too short”…
Amen to that.
So checkout the podcast. I think you will find it entertaining.
Listen to the Podcast – Episode 18 Dan Roberts (BackcountryChronicles.com)
Go to Steve and Coty’s website at The Open Air Project to listen to their other podcasts.
About the Backcountry Chronicles and The Open Air Project Podcast
My initial thought was they must have contacted me because of the DIY Elk Hunting Guide and posts about Elk Hunting in the west, because that is where the website gets most of the traffic and I get the most questions, but I think they also found us because of our fly fishing videos.
In the podcast we talk about how a southern boy ended up moving in the west in the first place. And about how I started fly fishing and how I lucked into meeting Jim O’Neal; probably the most experienced fly fishing guide on the Provo River (and surrounding areas) and how Jim and I now offer guided fly fishing trips together.
We talked a little about my DIY Elk Hunting Guide and how it helps people navigate the regulations of the different states and how it was designed to introduce people to the different habitats in the west and what it takes for people not familiar with the vast areas of the west to prepare for a DIY elk hunt.
We basically just tell a few hunting a fishing stories.
Like Forrest Gump, I’ve Worn Lots of Different Shoes
I explain how I used to spend most of my time researching birds of prey and hunting with raptors (falconry), then worked as a wildlife biologist and then transitioned again to hunting elk and mule deer and fly fishing.
I must have said something to get the boys excited, because now Coty and Steve want to come to Utah to hunt elk and fish. But who doesn’t want to hunt and fish in the West?
That’s why I moved here 25 years ago.
Nothing More Important than Protecting Our Natural Resources
I think Coty and Steve also have the same values about hunting and fishing that I have.
Hunting and fishing is so much more than simply killing animals.
I have a huge respect for the natural world and try to learn as much as I can every time I go outside whether I carry a gun into that world or not.
There is nothing more important than protecting our natural resources so we can enjoy them (both consumptive and non-consumptive) and teaching others to do the same.
I think these guys have that same respect.
This Homebrew Stout is for Me
And Yes, when Coty and Steve started into the “beer” part of the podcast…
I opened the last 20 year old Imperial Stout left over from a batch I made back in 1996 or 1997.
I wish I could have shared it, but now it’s nothing but a memory.
Trust me boys, I enjoyed it for all of us.
As I told Coty and Steve, I still have 10 bottles of a 12 lb Stout I made from the same time period and I will make sure to save one for each of them if they actually come out here to Utah to hunt and fish.
Now who could refuse an invitation like that?
I’ll bet we can even tell another hunting or fishing story or two.
Comments, Opinions, Questions?