The WHTL Podcast - Whitetail Deer Hunting Tactics, Stories & Expert Guests

Welcome to the WHTL Podcast, your source for Whitetail Deer Hunting Tactics, Stories & Expert Guests. In this episode, we're back in the studio with Jake Roberts. We Discuss: * Nine all-day sits without seeing a deer set up a first buck on sit number ten. * A ridge can be productive for just a few days, so think in odds instead of rules. * A steep drainage and timber transition can funnel bucks between two doe bedding areas. * Start with topo, use leaf-off imagery for cover, then turn on LiDAR for benches and roads. * Build one skill at a time, starting with reading terrain and hunting the wind. * A quiet sit on promising public ground can be a cue to move during the rut. * Narrow a big property to three spots, then let the next day's wind and thermals decide. * Thermal Lab Pro shows how your scent can change direction even when the forecast wind holds. * A ridge point or creek bottom can collect scent from several directions. * Dew and rain can delay rising thermals by slowing how quickly the ground warms. And So Much More! Follow along on social! IG - @WHTLDEER TikTok - @WHTLDEER YouTube - @WHTLDEER Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them! - Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding -Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_ -OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt -Painted Arrow: ⁠⁠\(bit.ly/PaintedArrow\)(http://bit.ly/PaintedArrow) - Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/

Josh Teulker has recorded more than 340 episodes of Before the Echo since October 2021, and he still says the hardest part of the rut for him is patience. A mostly public-land hunter in Indiana, Josh once got permission on a Kansas property by knocking on a door, set up on a rut funnel, and he and his buddy both killed bucks. Last November he killed a big Indiana buck in the first week of the month, in a spot he says is empty the other eleven months of the year. In this episode, Josh makes the case that the rut doesn't make mature bucks stupid, it makes them vulnerable, and he explains how that changes the way he hunts November 5th through the middle of the month. He and Cameron compare his approach of hunting where the does are, instead of the tightest funnel on the map, and why he thinks public-land bucks avoid the obvious rut funnels. Josh talks through using SD card cameras and years of timing data to know when a spot turns on, why he'll stay in the tree from 11 to 2, and the mistakes (complacency, a bad exit, the wrong wind) that make hunters swear the rut never happened. Topics covered: Why the rut makes mature bucks vulnerable, not dumb, and why they can still smell you Not waiting on the perfect moon or cold front, and why a warm early November can mean fewer hunters in the woods Hunting doe bedding areas and the "destination" instead of the funnel, and how that compares to last week's rut funnel approach Why public-land bucks avoid the obvious pinches and saddles, and how to find the subtle trails and thick, nasty cover they use instead Using SD card trail cameras and historical data to know which 4 or 5 spots to hunt November 5th through the 10th Spots that are dead 11 months of the year and go hot for a few days in November How close to a doe bedding area a buck cruises, and how to set up downwind without getting behind him Stay or go: when to give a spot a few days and when to move on, with gun season starting the second weekend of November in Indiana Why he's now a believer in all-day sits, the Kansas day he saw six bucks between 11:30 and 12:30, and the midday statistics from Johnny Eberhart that changed his mind Mobile hunting in the rut and when it makes sense to leave a stand The biggest rut mistakes: complacency, how you leave the stand, and sitting a funnel on the wrong wind Gear for sitting all day: saddle, back support, knee pads, a bigger platform, heated socks and vest, a hand muff, and midday caffeine Learning to hunt through podcasts and YouTube, and how both hosts picked up the "nitty gritty" from content The one thing Josh wants to improve this rut: being patient and going in only when the time is right MDRN Whitetail — Where woodsmanship and technology collide. Follow along on social! IG - @modernwhitetail YouTube - @WHTLDEER Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them! -Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding -Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_ -OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt -Painted Arrow: bit.ly/PaintedArrow -Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/

Welcome to the WHTL Podcast, your source for Whitetail Deer Hunting Tactics, Stories & Expert Guests. In this episode, we're live from Booger Bottom, Georgia with Michael Waddell. We Discuss: * Hunting stops being fun when chasing a big buck becomes the only goal. * A trophy room turns into a memory room when the hunt outweighs the score. * The one thing you control on any hunt is being a cold-blooded, efficient shot. * Deer duck most between 30 and 40 yards, so aim for the top of the heart and come up. * A stripped sight can quietly move your pins, so check your gear all season. * Realtree Road Trips was built on DIY hunts with buddies, not outfitters. * A radio-collared Kansas buck stayed within about a square mile during the rut. * Being scent-free is a myth, so hunt the wind even when using a cover scent. * Hunters fighting each other over bait and crossbows is a bigger threat than antis. And So Much More! Follow along on social! IG - @WHTLDEER TikTok - @WHTLDEER YouTube - @WHTLDEER Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them! - Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding -Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_ -OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt -Painted Arrow: ⁠⁠[bit.ly/PaintedArrow](http://bit.ly/PaintedArrow) - Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/

Chaos and insanity are the words everyone uses for the rut. This week, Cameron and Tre Kerns go back through last week's conversation with Joe Miles and pull out the parts you can use right now, as a cold front moves in and the rut gets going. They break down why Joe stopped hunting bedding and hot sign during the rut and started hunting funnels instead, what separates a hard funnel from a soft one, and how to find funnels in flat ground and hill country, including a couple of onX tricks. They also get into the all-day sit and Joe's "one hour closer" mindset, why the X on the map matters more than perfect access, how to orient your stand to see both ways down the funnel, and when to switch from hunting sign to hunting the funnel. This is the Recovery. We go back to last week's episode and pull out the details you can apply to your next hunt. Presented by Hawke Optics. Topics covered: - Hunting the funnel, not the destination (food or bedding) - Hard vs. soft funnels, and why a hard funnel lets you hunt both winds - Finding funnels in hill country and flat terrain - Using onX to find funnels and map the web of deer trails - Building a funnel with a fence - Why food is the last of a rut buck's worries - The 10-to-2 window and staying on stand all day - Joe's "one hour closer" mindset for long sits - Wind: two trees, one tree, or get mobile - Access vs. the X on the map - Stand orientation: see both ways down the funnel - Why bouncing around in Kansas cost us - When to switch from hunting sign to hunting the funnel Haven't heard the full interview yet? Listen to last week's episode with Joe Miles first, then come back for this one. Next week: Josh Teulker on hunting the rut. MDRN Whitetail — Where woodsmanship and technology collide. Follow along on social! IG - @modernwhitetail YouTube - @WHTLDEER Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them! -Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding -Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_ -OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt -Painted Arrow: bit.ly/PaintedArrow -Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/

Welcome to the WHTL Podcast, your source for Whitetail Deer Hunting Tactics, Stories & Expert Guests. In this episode, we're live from Michigan with Tony LaPratt. We Discuss: * Tony leaves his produce business to build a career in deer management and boot camps. * Getting down in a buck's bed reveals the escape routes and sightlines that matter. * A 4½-year-old buck requires a different approach than the young deer on a farm. * Secure bedding and browse give mature bucks a reason to stay through daylight. * Small plots, screening, and winding routes turn a quick visit into more buck time. * Two usable entrance points help keep access from becoming a property's biggest problem. * Human urine around a stand is one hunting belief Tony says deserves a harder look. * Several small sanctuaries create shared edges where multiple buck patterns overlap. * Doe numbers depend on property size, and doe harvest stays away from key buck stands. * Tony drills corn and soybeans together and plants when local farmers plant. And So Much More! Follow along on social! IG - @WHTLDEER TikTok - @WHTLDEER YouTube - @WHTLDEER Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them! - Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding -Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_ -OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt -Painted Arrow: ⁠⁠\(bit.ly/PaintedArrow\)(http://bit.ly/PaintedArrow) - Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/

Every November, the rut turns into chaos. Deer are running everywhere, cameras stop making sense, and it's easy to bounce from stand to stand on a guess. Joe Miles has a system for that, and he's run it for the last five years. Joe is the founder of ASIO Gear, the host of the Mission Whitetail podcast, and has been bowhunting whitetails for more than 30 years. In this episode of the MDRN Whitetail podcast, presented by Hawke Optics, Joe breaks down how he stopped chasing bedding, food, and fresh sign during the rut and started hunting true funnels instead. He defines what a real funnel is (and what it isn't), shows how to find one on a map and on foot, and explains how to dissect the trail system to pick the one tree that covers it all. He also gets into why stand placement matters so much, and why the hardest part of the whole system is staying in the tree. Topics covered: - What a true funnel is: a geographical or man-made feature that dictates whitetail travel, and why "dictate" is the key word - Real examples, from a duck pond fence in flat South Carolina ground to a giant bluff in Kentucky - Funnel vs. pinch point, and why proximity to bedding and food doesn't matter to Joe during the rut - How to dissect a trail system with a buddy and find where all the trails come closest together - Tightening a funnel with brush, hinge cutting, and mock scrapes - Hard-sided vs. soft-sided funnels, and what Joe is willing to give up when the setup isn't perfect - Hunting a new property on a one-week trip and getting stands hung for every wind before leaving - Access during the rut: why Joe won't let imperfect access keep him out of the funnel - Why Joe orients his stand to see both ways down the funnel, and the thermals that decide when he goes in and out - The "flier buck" in Kansas and the one trail Joe was willing to give up - Pre-rut scrape lines vs. the pivot to funnels once mature bucks start searching - Trail cameras, calling, and what the cameras don't tell you - The mental grind of all-day sits, and what Joe tells himself to stay put - What to do when day seven ends and the buck never shows - What's new from ASIO Gear: the Stealth jacket and pants, and the redesigned backpack Follow along on social! IG - @modernwhitetail YouTube - @WHTLDEER Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them! -Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding -Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_ -OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt -Painted Arrow: bit.ly/PaintedArrow -Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/

Welcome to the WHTL Podcast, your source for Whitetail Deer Hunting Tactics, Stories & Expert Guests. In this episode, we're back in the studio with Bill and Tyler Jordan. We Discuss: Bill Jordan's hand-drawn camo pattern became Realtree at the 1986 SHOT Show. A Walmart buyer's request for 100,000 pairs of pants pushed Bill toward licensing. Realtree's NASCAR relationships helped a small company gain national recognition. Realtree Outdoors and Monster Bucks turned a camouflage brand into a media company. Bill sold the Monster Bucks concept to sponsors before he knew it would work. Michael Waddell's career at Realtree began behind the camera. Bill recounts two chances at 200-inch bucks within 30 days—and how both went wrong. A camera lens spoiled one shot, and a strand of barbed wire deflected another. Tyler shares the years of management and neighbor cooperation behind a Georgia giant. Bill and Tyler reflect on how deer hunting has changed across two generations. And So Much More! Follow along on social! IG - @WHTLDEER TikTok - @WHTLDEER YouTube - @WHTLDEER Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them! - Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding -Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_ -OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt -Painted Arrow: ⁠⁠[bit.ly/PaintedArrow](http://bit.ly/PaintedArrow) - Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/

Last week Scott Buckley made the case that October is wide open for hunters who pay attention to the weather. In this Recovery, Cameron and Trey Kerns go back through that conversation and pull out the parts you can use this week. They break down how the timing of an October cold front changes deer movement for the days that follow, and what size temperature drop actually counts as a front. They get into why hunting hot sign beats hunting old sign, why scrape lines are a better target than a single scrape, and how close to bedding a scrape needs to be to matter in daylight. They also take on Scott's take on wind: the "just off wind" setup, why the right approach depends on whether you're hunting a small pocket of cover or a big block of it, and why Cameron says that if you don't have an east wind setup, you should build one. This is the Recovery. We go back to last week's episode and pull out the details you can apply to your next hunt. Presented by Hawke Optics. Topics covered: The timing of October cold fronts, and why a front doesn't make a deer appear that isn't there How big the temperature swing needs to be for you to call it a real cold front How long the movement lasts after a front, and why a bigger swing can mean more days of good hunting Why you shouldn't push the envelope in October, and when it makes sense to scout instead of sit Hunting hot sign: how fresh is fresh, and what Scott took from Dan Infalt Scrape lines vs. a single scrape, and why a scrape's distance from bedding matters The late-October scrape window and why waiting too long costs you opportunities Scott's wind take: "just off wind" vs. making sure your wind is safe in every direction the deer can exit cover How terrain changes the wind equation, from North Dakota to West Virginia hill country East winds in October, why they're becoming more common, and how to build a setup for one A look at why Scott lives for scouting and public land, even with a farm of his own Haven't heard the full interview yet? Listen to Ep. 8 with Scott Buckley first, then come back for this one. Next week: Joe Miles on hunting the late October and early November rut window. Follow along on social! IG - @modernwhitetail YouTube - @WHTLDEER Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them! -Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding -Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_ -OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt -Painted Arrow: ⁠⁠bit.ly/PaintedArrow -Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/

Welcome to the WHTL Podcast, your source for Whitetail Deer Hunting Tactics, Stories & Expert Guests. In this episode, we're back in the studio with Skip Sligh and Jack Huston. We Discuss: Poor regulations not based on science and biology do more damage to hunting than technology. The North American Model of Conservation is why big game rebounded across the continent. Thermal drones bought for deer recovery end up getting flown all season long. Missouri and Ohio show what happens when drone laws lag behind the technology. Drone detection systems log serial numbers, launch points and full flight paths. Licensed pilots with logged flights keep recovery drones from becoming scouting tools. Public land needs stricter rules than private ground because it's finite and easily abused. Timber stand improvement is part science, part art, and one of the biggest needle movers. Shooting a doe with two buck fawns in coyote country is often a death sentence for the fawns. Predators can take 70% or more of the fawn crop, changing how many does you need to shoot. And So Much More! Follow along on social! IG - @WHTLDEER TikTok - @WHTLDEER YouTube - @WHTLDEER Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them! Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_ OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt Painted Arrow: ⁠⁠bit.ly/PaintedArrow Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/

Scott Buckley left Michigan for southern Iowa chasing bigger deer, and the move paid off. He's arrowed a public-land buck at 170 inches at 8:20 in the morning on October 3rd, taken a wide 160-inch 12-point by catching him off guard on a rare east wind, and this season got his 10-year-old grandson Carson onto three bucks and eight or nine does. Scott hunts a mix of public land and his own farm in southern Iowa, and he's built a reputation — through his Whitetail Cribs videos and years of content — for killing giant bucks specifically in the stretch most hunters write off: October. In this episode, Scott makes his case that the "October lull" is mostly a myth, breaks down why cold fronts dictate his entire game plan that month, and explains his long-standing habit of hunting rare east winds on purpose because pressured deer haven't learned to be careful of them. He gets into when scrapes are actually worth hunting — and why the biggest, oldest bucks are the least reliable ones to show up on a schedule — walks through a food plot he built from scratch on his farm over a single growing season, and doesn't hold back on what he thinks of Iowa's incoming public-land trail camera ban. Topics covered: Why Scott thinks the October lull is mostly a myth, and what's actually changing in the woods as the month goes on How cold fronts dictate his entire October plan, and why the first day or two after a front beats a whole week of "cooler than normal" His case for east winds — a rare wind direction he hunts on purpose because pressured bucks haven't adapted to it Hunting October mornings: when he avoids it on his own ground, and the one setup (deep timber, a cold front, deer feeding well off in a field) where he'll go in before daylight Scrape strategy: why 3- and 4-year-old bucks show up consistently on cell cam scrapes, while mature 5- and 6-year-olds are sporadic at best Rain and late-October movement, and why he'd rather hunt a cool, drizzly day than wait on clearing skies Building a food plot from scratch on his southern Iowa farm — radishes, oats, and rye through one growing season Scent and scrape "magnets," including the time straight vanilla extract outperformed every commercial lure he owns What he picked up from Dan Infalt about reading the freshness of rubs and buck sign His reaction to Iowa's incoming public-land trail camera ban, and how he'd adjust his scouting without it Advice for young hunters, and what he's learned taking his 10-year-old grandson out Follow along on social! IG - @modernwhitetail YouTube - @WHTLDEER Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them! -Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding -Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_ -OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt -Painted Arrow: ⁠⁠bit.ly/PaintedArrow -Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/