The Ozark Podcast

"Find This Feature and You'll Find Big Bucks" with Brian Slane

7.8K views · 2d ago · 58:27

Guest: Brian Slane

This is the type of hunting episode heading into the rut that you have to watch a few times just to wrap your head around. But once you do? Hunting becomes a whole lot more enjoyable... ⁠⁠Plan your next Ozark adventure to Eureka Springs this fall ⤵

Topics: Predicting the Day · Developing a Deer Hunter System · Rattling · Rub Lines (and vortex) · Cameras and stand Placement

The Old Timers Who Made the Ozarks with Larry Dablemont

4.3K views · 1w ago · 45:08

Guest: Larry Dablemont

"He hid in a cave for 8 months, stole bread to survive, and paid for it with mink furs" ⁠⁠Plan your next Ozark adventure to Eureka Springs this fall ⤵ Nested Treestand Systems: the mobile stand setup for the modern hunter ⤵

Topics: Larry Dablemont Round Two · The story of Fred Dablemont · Larry's childhood · Writing for an Outdoor Magazine at 19 · Deer Mouse Never Before Found in Missouri · An 8,000-Year-Old Mastodon Tusk

The History of the Jonboat: Built for the Ozark Way of Life with Larry Dablemont

8.2K views · 2w ago · 48:26

Guest: Larry Dablemont

The Ozark jonboat wasn’t just a vessel, it was a way of life, and one man’s family built them from scratch. Larry Dablemont, author of 14 books on Ozark life and a lifelong river man, sits down at his Lightning Ridge home to trace the full history of the Ozark jonboat from his grandfather finding a wrecked boat in a drift in 1914 and teaching himself to build one, to Hollywood celebrities floating the White River on multi-day guided trips, to the slow disappearance of the…

Topics: Welcome Larry Dablemont · How the Ozark Jonboat Was Born · The Current and White Rivers · Why Ozark Rivers Are Losing Water · The Anatomy of a Wooden Jonboat · Why Slower Is Always Better on the River

Black Bear Stories, Part 2: The Side of Hunting Nobody Talks About

821 views · 3w ago · 32:01

After 30 days of baiting, $1,000+ in food, and a week off work — Joe Massey drew back on a shooter bear at 17 yards and made a bad shot. This episode doesn't end with a grip and grin. It ends with something rarer in outdoor media: honesty.

Topics: A Shooter Bear Appears · No Blood, No Arrow, and Rain All Night · The Honest Conversation · The Weight of Taking a Life · The Paradox: Why Hunters Love the Animals They Pursue · Wendell Berry's "For the Hog Killing"

Black Bear Stories, Part 1: Passing On a Third Bear and 30-Day Bait Pile Breakdown

1.6K views · 1mo ago · 41:30

500 pounds of bait, 30 days of sweat equity, one week off work, and a shooter bear at full draw... Claim $10 off your Poncho order by visiting Our good buddy Joe Massey is here to pull the curtain back on his 30-day Ozark black bear bait hunt. Joe breaks down every dollar spent, every Friday afternoon in the summer heat filling barrels, and every bear that showed up on camera.

Topics: Why a 30-Day Bait Pile · The Real Cost of Bear Baiting: Food, Fuel, & Time Breakdown · Seeing Bears on Camera · Face to face with a Bear · Day 2 · Drawing back on a bear

The Ozarks' Best Kept SECRET is On the White River Every Fall with Diamond State Fly Co.

5.4K views · 1mo ago · 55:30

Guest: Diamond State Fly Co

Fall on the White River is the BEST time to catch a certain TROPHY fish. Claim $10 off your Poncho order by visiting Whether you've never held a fly rod or you're ready to level up your streamer game, Morgan and Logan lay out exactly what to throw, where to find fish, and how to read the river when the water changes from 700 to 20,000 CFS in a single afternoon.

Topics: Welcome from Ember Shoals in Cotter, Arkansas · Fall Fly Fishing on the White River · Nymphing, Hopper Dropper & Fall Streamer Tactics · How to Read High Water on the White Like a Guide · Flies That Actually Work · Are the New White River Regs Working?

He's Been on the James River for 40 Years: "We're Losing Smallmouth" with Ryan Walker

7.9K views · 1mo ago · 27:42

Guest: Ryan Walker

Data could change how Missouri manages its best smallmouth creeks. Claim $10 off your Poncho order by visiting Ryan Walker is back for part two, and this time the conversation goes deep on conservation. For five years Ryan has been quietly logging every fish, every location, every date, building a citizen science dataset compelling enough to bring before Missouri's regs committee.

Topics: 40 Years on the James River · The Role of James River Basin Partnership · Are Ozark Smallmouth Populations Actually Declining? · Why Ryan Hates Missouri's Current Smallmouth Regulations · How to Approach MDC with Data · The Keys to MDC Reg Changes

The 10% Rule: How to Find Smallmouth in ANY Ozark Stream with Ryan Walker

11K views · 1mo ago · 39:22

Guest: Ryan Walker

The best smallmouth guide in the Ozarks (voted on by YOU) just gave away his entire summer playbook (recorded from a raft on the river). Claim $10 off your Poncho order by visiting Ryan Walker joins the guys mid-float on the James River for one of the most practical fishing episodes the show has ever done.

Topics: The Ozarks' Best Smallmouth Guide · What's Changed in the last 2 seasons · Summer Water Conditions · How to Find the 10% · Early Morning Top Water · The Afternoon Popper Surprise

Is There a Breeding Population of Mountain Lions in the Ozark Mountains? (Plus: Black Panthers)

79K views · 1mo ago · 44:19

A breeding population of mountain lions just showed up 100 miles from the Arkansas border...that changes everything. Claim $10 off your Poncho order by visiting Arkansas' large carnivore coordinator Spencer Daniels drops one of the most jaw-dropping revelations in recent Ozark wildlife history and finally puts the "Game and Fish is hiding mountain lions" myth to rest for good.

Topics: Mountain Lions in Arkansas: What We Actually Know · Where They're Coming From · Breeding Population Confirmed 100 Miles from the Arkansas Border · Could There Already Be a Breeding Pair in Arkansas? · What the Sightings Data Actually Shows · The Hot Springs Roadkill

Bear Season Changes for 2026 and Last Year's Fatal Bear Attacks Explained with Spencer Daniels

14K views · 2mo ago · 44:20

Guest: Spencer Daniels

Arkansas Game & Fish bear program coordinator Spencer Daniels sits down to address the two fatal black bear attacks that shocked the state last year (the first recorded fatalities in over 100 years) and what we've learned from them.

Topics: WARNING: Why We're Covering the Bear Attacks · Arkansas Bear Population Update · Why Bear Encounters Are Hard to Quantify (And What That Tells Us) · 2026 Season Changes: Earlier Opener & What to Expect This Fall · Bait Heavy, Bait Often: How to Get Started Bear Hunting in Arkansas · The Conservation Case for Bear Hunting Over Bait