How To Hunt Deer

This week, we mix things up a bit on the How to Hunt Deer Podcast! We air a recent episode of the Design. Build. Hunt. Podcast which features the Whitetail Partners Crew breaking down a 40 acre whitetail property design. No matter the size of your parcel, you can capitalize on its strengths to improve your hunting. This episode will show you a few ways you can do just that.  Check out the Sportsme...

There's still a lot of season left. But for many of us, the passing of the rut means it's time to return to the real world. Work, family, holidays, and all those obligations we neglected in October and early November now demand our attention and we simply can't spend the time in the woods like we did earlier in the year. The season isn't over, but it's a great time to reflect on what you've learne...

In this episode of the How to Hunt Deer Podcast, Josh covers the highs, lows, and all the tough in-betweens of the first half of rutcation '23.  Josh's rut hunt is over, so time to recap! This episode was recorded at the midway point of Josh's rutcation, after some pretty bad flops and blown opportunities. The takeaway? Have FUN! Hunting the rut really is a marathon, not a sprint. And the worst th...

In this episode of the How to Hunt Deer Podcast, Josh talks with Pierce Nelles about their plans and strategies for hunting the rut.  Ahhh... Sweet November. Time for those cagey bucks to blindly follow does into range, practically asking to be shot, right? Well... it's complicated. The rut may smile on you and you may be in the deer, or you may be just off the action and wondering if deer even ex...

Aaaahhhh, sweet November is upon us! The rut will soon cure our every woe, and whitetail bucks will throw caution to the wind and run circles around our stands just waiting for us to take a shot at them… right? While the rut can be the best of the year to arrow a mature buck, this is no time to take it easy. In fact, increased buck movement should motivate whitetail hunters to work even harder to...

The best time of the year is here! The wind is brisk, cool, and from the north, the ag fields are being cut, and the bucks are starting to cover more ground, laying down sign and  in search of the first hot does.  This can only mean one thing, the pre-rut is upon us! In this episode of the How to Hunt Deer Podcast, Josh talks with Pierce Nelles about their thoughts, plans, and strategies for hunti...

Opening day is in the rear view and for many, early season aspirations have turned to broken dreams. Now the deer movement seems to have dried up in all of our tried and true spots. What happened? Is this the (cue the ominous music) OCTOBER LULL?! Well, yes and no. Studies Show that deer movement increases throughout the month of October with no decrease. But the experience of many hunters is that...

It's your state's archery opener. You make the long hike back to a secluded spot where you never run into people. You know there's a big buck in the area, and that you have a good chance of running into him if you play your cards right. As you ascend the tree, you all of a sudden hear someone yelling to you. Your heart sinks as you realize there's another hunter already setup 50 yards from your tr...

It's no secret. Hunting on relatively lightly pressured, manicured private land is very different than hunting the highly pressured public piece down the road. But is one really better than the other? Both have their advantages and disadvantages, and both can afford you a great time chasing whitetails! In this episode of the How to Hunt Deer Podcast, Josh talks with Greg Kazmierski of Whitetail Pa...

For deer hunters, the early season is often where the high hopes of summer fade into disappointment and confusion. But it doesn't have to be that way. If you're tired of blanking early season and wondering where all those bucks you had on trail cam throughout the summer went, then this episode is for you! In this episode of the How to Hunt Deer Podcast, Josh talks with Jacob Sklenar about how Jaco...

How much thought have you put into your camo system heading into the season? Sure you've got your treestands dialed in, you know how to get that saddle feeling just right, you've shot your bow and have your pack filled with just the right gadgets. But your camo is some of the most important gear you bring into the woods with you. It's often responsible for you spending more time on stand or headin...

This week on the How to Hunt Deer Podcast, Josh talks with the National Deer Association's Chief Conservation Officer, Kip Adams, about trends reported in the 2023 Deer Report. Each year, the National Deer Association produces the Deer Report, covering the latest in deer harvest reports, management trends, and challenges face by deer and deer managers. The guys discuss some of the surprising trend...

Early season whitetails. Some people hate 'em. Some people love 'em. Everyone agrees that deer hunting early season can be a challenge. While it's true that success rates in the early season are lower than say the first week of November, the early season really does provide a great opportunity to arrow a great buck while others are still waiting for it to "feel like fall". The challenges of huntin...

Ever wish you could piece together on of those DREAM seasons? Like one where you get to hunt FOUR DIFFERENT destination whitetail states in a single year? Such is the case for John Hudspeth for the 2023-2024 season. John is the host of the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast and knows a thing or two about whitetails. His success speaks for itself, and he regularly kills top-tier bucks. But this year, John w...

If you've been hunting very long, you've probably though to yourself, "Man, I wish someone else could see what I'm seeing out here!" And so the desire to self film is born. There are lots of options out there for filming your hunts, from professional grade camcorders to cell phone mounts, and each option has its pros and cons. But if you're looking for an affordable, simple, lightweight option tha...

Hunting season starts just next month for many in the whitetail's range. Stands are being hung, velvet pics are rolling in, and hit lists are being built. Unless you hunt large parcels of primo whitetail ground, you might think that being able to target and hunt specific bucks just isn't a possibility on your property. Well Nate Thomas from the Missouri Woods & Water podcast has been successful do...

In this episode of the How to Hunt Deer Podcast, Josh talks with Pierce Nelles of Wisconsin about their 2023 hunt plans and "shooter" standards. Chances are, the 2023 deer season is going to look a little different than previous years for Josh and Pierce. They both had great deer seasons last, tagging nice bucks with their bows and learning a ton along the way. This year, both of them find themsel...

In this episode of the How to Hunt Deer Podcast, Josh talks with Alex Christianson, Ryan Corkwell, and Jeff Stringer from Vantage Point Archery about what makes their broadheads stand out. Vantage Point Archery produces a head to make just about anyone happy. Single bevel, double bevel, two blade, three blade, 100 grains or 300 grains, they've got you covered! In this episode, the good folks from...

Right now, much of the whitetail's range is experiencing pretty significant drought conditions. Whitetail destination states such as Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, and Missouri are among the worst hit. This will certainly affect ag production, food plots, mast production, and even browse. If the drought continues into the fall, these conditions will create a difficult hunting season for many. But if yo...

Though it's hot and buggy, the summer is a great time to get boots on the the ground for some deer scouting. The woods are thick and green, but there is still much that can be discerned this time of year, such as preferred bedding, food sources that will be prime come opening day of deer season, and what bucks are hanging around the areas you hunt. One guy that scouts hard during the summer and ha...

Late July/early August is a great time to do some digital scouting and hang some stands. Understanding thermals and their impact on wind currents can help you take your scouting and stand sight selection to the next level. Thermals can make or break a hunt. Not only do they influence how deer move across the landscape, but hunting with thermals in mind can be the difference between you watching as...

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last several years, you know about saddle hunting. While saddle hunting has been around for a long time, the resurgence in its popularity recently had many asking the question, Is saddle hunting just a fad? While it's not for everyone,  most deer hunters could benefit tremendously from having a tree saddle as another tool in the belt. They're undoubte...

It's late June! Hopefully you're ironing out your hunting plans for this fall. If your like many hunters, those hunt planning conversations with your spouse can look more like arguments, with neither side walking away very happy with how things went down. What if there's a better way? A way to argue less AND hunt more? And what if that way is NOT a divorce? In this episode of the How to Hunt Deer...

In this episode of the How to Hunt Deer Podcast, Josh talks with Clint Campbell about how Clint finds velvet bucks in the big woods of PA. Clint is the host of the Truth from the Stand Podcast and he KNOWS how to locate big bucks in the big woods. In this episode, we talk about some of Clint's favorite spots to hang cameras, how he interprets the intel, and how he turns that intel into a fall hunt...

In this episode of the How to Hunt Deer Podcast, Josh talks with outdoor writer Tony Peterson about hunting public land bucks in the big woods. Tony is an avid whitetail deer hunter who travels the country every fall in pursuit of whitetails. He gets to hunt big deer in some of the coolest places, yet the big woods of Wisconsin draw him back year after year. From e-scouting to mobile hunting to wh...