Kyle Gemas | Mountain Hunting, Dall Sheep & Mental Toughness | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 1007

Apr 1, 2026

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Texas outdoorsman Kyle Gemas shares raw lessons from his Alaska mountain hunts—from crawling through claustrophobic alders in the Wrangells to covering 85 miles over 10 days in the Brooks Range for Dall sheep. Kyle breaks down his Leukotape foot care system, how 15+ tarpon tournaments prepared him for backcountry suffering, and why he's pursuing the North American Grand Slam of wild sheep. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro: From Arapaima to Mountain Hunting 01:24 - Getting Hardcore Into Mountain Hunting 04:01 - Why Start With Mountain Goats vs Sheep 06:32 - The Seven Day Wrangell Mountains Meat Grinder 08:51 - Flying Into McCarthy, Alaska via Piper Super Cub 11:02 - Water and Food Strategy for Backcountry Hunts 14:52 - Crawling Through Claustrophobic Alders 19:38 - Mental Limitations vs Physical Limitations 22:43 - Guide Ben and Packer Spencer 25:45 - The Goat Float: Glassing From a Raft 27:30 - Northern Lights and a Day Six Ram 32:36 - Mountain Goats: Easy to Find, Hard to Kill 41:18 - 15+ Tarpon Tournaments and Competition Lessons 46:46 - Tripling Training Time for the Dall Sheep Hunt 48:57 - 85 Miles Over 10 Days in the Brooks Range 51:53 - Leukotape Foot Care Strategy 56:59 - Learning From Guide Blake: Barefoot Glassing and Constant Snacking 01:00:26 - The First Few Days Reset My Suck-O-Meter 01:04:34 - Pursuing the North American Grand Slam of Sheep 01:06:05 - Mental Clarity and Leading by Example 01:09:44 - From Mountain Alders to Islamorada Tarpon 💰 DEALS AND DISCOUNTS ✅ Star brite - Premium marine care products - https://bit.ly/4o80cws ✅ Danco - Marine accessories and solutions - https://bit.ly/tomrowlandpodcast2 ✅ 1st Phorm - Performance supplements and nutrition - https://bit.ly/4liX1Rz ✅ MTN OPS - Backcountry performance nutrition - https://bit.ly/40niijr ✅ GORUCK - Military-grade rucksacks and training gear - https://bit.ly/3NsHVwj ✅ Free Knot Guide - Essential fishing knots - https://bit.ly/3UnAeIP 🎧 LISTEN ON ▶️ YouTube: https://bit.ly/44OXmoz ▶️ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4bqZip9 ▶️ iHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/3N9j4O9 ▶️ Spotify: https://bit.ly/4drkga6 🎯 CONNECT WITH KYLE GEMAS Kyle Gemas is a Texas-based outdoorsman, fly fisherman, and mountain hunter pursuing the North American Grand Slam of wild sheep. 🎯 CONNECT WITH TOM ROWLAND 🌐 Website: https://www.tomrowlandpodcast.com 📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomrowland 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saltstrong 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/tom_rowland 📩 SUBSCRIBE for weekly episodes on fishing, hunting, and the mindset that connects extreme outdoor pursuits. #MountainHunting #DallSheep #BackcountryHunting #TarponFishing #AlaskaHunting #BrooksRange #WildSheepFoundation #MountainGoat #FlyFishing #TomRowlandPodcast