Sportsmen's Empire - Whitetail Hunting

School stress, college pressure, and the weird little moments that shape who your kids become - this conversation gets real fast. Dan Johnson and MCKV unpack the back-to-school season from both sides of the parent-child divide, with an honest take on homesickness, independence, and why some kids need more support than others. They start with a surprisingly deep detour through Karate Kid, Rocky, an...

Western hunts get a lot easier when your gear, sleep setup, and ammo are dialed in before you leave home. Dan Johnson sits down with Wisconsin hunter Nick Brewer to break down the real-world system he uses to chase mule deer and pronghorn in Montana and Wyoming without wasting time, money, or energy. Nick has spent roughly 15 years hunting out West, and he shares the hard-earned details that only...

Indiana bowhunter Seth Taylor has learned something most hunters spend years chasing: success in the woods has a lot less to do with giant bucks and a lot more to do with reading sign, managing pressure, and keeping the whole thing fun. If you’re a public land hunter, a mobile bowhunter, or someone who’s ever talked yourself out of a good setup, this conversation will hit home fast. Dan Johnson an...

Antelope and mule deer don’t just test your shooting. They expose every mistake in your glassing, rangefinding, wind reading, patience, and ability to disappear into terrain without blowing the whole stalk. Dan Johnson and Kurt Belding trade hard-earned stories from the field and break down what actually works when you’re chasing pronghorn and mule deer with a bow. From 80-yard antelope shot windo...

This episode is all about the reality of trying to balance work, the summer heat, and the hunting season you’ve been looking forward to all year. Sometimes the grind doesn’t just make hunting harder—it takes opportunities completely off the table. We talk about how work schedules and brutal heat can keep you out of the woods, the frustration that comes with missing opportunities, and why you have...

The best deer hunting season prep is happening right now, and if you wait until opening week, you're already behind. Dan Johnson breaks down the late-summer decisions that can make or break your fall, from access routes and wind shifts to scouting acorns, reading tracks, and avoiding the mistakes that blow deer out of small properties. With season approaching fast, Dan shares what he's doi...

This episode takes listeners to Goodman Ranch in Tennessee, where the hosts visit with Chris, the ranch manager, for a wide-ranging conversation about hunting, hospitality, and what makes the property such a unique destination. The discussion covers the ranch’s move from one owner to another, how the team got started, and the effort it takes to manage a large game property with a healthy mix of an...

The best deer hunters aren’t guessing, they’re asking why. Connor Little sits down with Mike Turnage of Map to Movement for a masterclass in reading whitetail country the right way, from the maps to the boots-on-the-ground details that actually put you on deer. If you’re getting ready for bow season, scouting pressured public land, or trying to stop over-relying on trail cameras, this episode will...

In this episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitchell is joined by Matt Mentzer for a deep dive into archery, bowhunting, and raising kids who genuinely enjoy the outdoors. Matt shares how shooting a bow with his kids grew from casual evenings in the backyard into competitive 3D archery, coaching, and eventually bowhunting together as a family. The conversation explores the challenge of keeping k...

On this episode of The Wisconsin Sportsman, Pierce is joined by Wyatt Barber to dive into insights gained in the whitetail woods through flying thermal drones! Wyatt is a Colorado-native who moved to Wisconsin to pursue a career as a professional fighter, before starting his own business as a drone pilot doing both crop spraying and deer recovery. In this conversation the guys dive into where big...

In this episode, we sit down with Brian Anderson from G5 Outdoors and Prime Archery for a conversation that goes far beyond bows and big bucks. Brian shares his journey from his early beginnings—how he first got into archery and the outdoors—to the path that eventually led him to become a key part of G5 and Prime. It’s a candid look at the persistence, passion, and values that shaped his career in...

Vitalize Seed, Grandpa Ray Outdoors, Northwoods Whitetail, Real World Wildlife Products In this episode of Maximize Your Hunt, host Jon Teater discusses the importance of land management and food plot strategies with various experts. The conversation emphasizes the significance of plant diversity and species interaction in creating effective food plots that attract deer. Experts share insights on...

The river-bottom deer hunting playbook is changing, and Lucas Psycho is already adjusting. From dry-year deer shifts and EHD pressure to why trail cameras might actually be making hunters weaker, this conversation gets into the kind of on-the-ground tactics that separate guys who find bucks from guys who just chase screenshots. Dan Johnson and Lucas catch up on family, coaching varsity basketball,...

On this episode of the We Do This Too Outdoors Podcast , I sit down with my boy Lamar Ferris for one of those conversations that’s real from start to finish. We get into Lamar’s journey, what shaped him into the man he is today, his connection to the outdoors, and the experiences that have kept him pushing forward. This ain’t one of those rehearsed conversations either—we’re talking life, lessons,...

Most of what feels like "family chaos" is really chronic stress, comparison, and a brain trained to chase the next thing. Dan Johnson and MCKV break down why so many parents and couples stay stuck in frustration - and what it actually takes to become calmer, more grateful, and harder to push off center. Dan opens up about a nonstop stretch of travel, parenting, wrestling tournaments, and a...

CWD, fake hunting trends, and corporate money are quietly reshaping the future of whitetail hunting - and Kevin Vistison thinks most hunters are looking at it all backwards. Dan Johnson sits down with Kevin for a raw, wide-ranging conversation that starts with gear and quickly turns into one of the most provocative hunting discussions of the year. From the brands he trusts to the ones he refuses t...

Heavy mobile hunting gear gets exposed fast in the field. In this episode, Jake Fleischman breaks down the stand, sticks, boots, clothing, and carry system he trusts for Wisconsin public land, and explains why simpler, lighter gear keeps winning as the miles add up. Dan Johnson and Jake dig into the real-world tradeoffs behind run-and-gun whitetail hunting in bluff country along the Mississippi, w...

This episode is a re-release with John Hudspeth. Connor breaks down how to approach a new deer property, figure out where the deer are moving, and get ready for whitetail season. It’s a good listen for anyone hunting a new lease or trying to learn a new piece of ground. Check out Troll Co. Clothing at trollco.com/hunting and enter EMPIRE25 for an awesome discount. Check Out www.outdoorsy.com and e...

Most elk hunters make one costly mistake: they move too much, call too much, and blow out the very bulls they’re trying to hunt. Kurt from Western Obsession breaks down the smarter, harder way to hunt elk, and why staying put, reading wind, and letting the glass do the work can change everything. Returning guest Kurt joins Dan Johnson to unpack the exact mindset and field strategy behind successfu...

Today we recap the weekend at the World Deer Expo in Birmingham, AL. Discussion about how the guys with the expo have things figured out. Smooth set up experience leading to a weekend of meeting so many great people. We have found a gem in Henderson, TN, The Goodman Ranch that we will do a show from in the future. Brad was renamed Aoudad Brad. 3 Days of meeting and discussion of taxidermy and hunt...

This week on the podcast, we start with a hunt that manages to hit both a frustrating low and an exciting high in less than 30 minutes. What begins with frustration turns into a breakthrough—and serves as a good reminder that sometimes the best thing you can do in the woods is slow down, pay attention, and be patient. We also dig into scenting conditions and some of the data I’ve collected over th...

Baiting changes everything in Georgia deer hunting - and if you think public land and private land play by the same rules, this episode will change how you hunt. Dan Johnson sits down with Eric Chesowitch for a wide-open conversation that starts with NASCAR, turns into a crash course on southern whitetails, and lands on the real tactics that separate tag soup from a punched tag. Eric breaks down w...

In this episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitchell is joined by Chase Morris for a conversation about keeping hunting fun, sharing the outdoors with good friends, and making the most of every season Pennsylvania has to offer. Chase is the kind of outdoorsman who doesn't discriminate—deer, bear, turkey, ducks, pheasants, trout, or whatever else is in season, he's probably chasing it. We...

Everyone wants the result—the mature buck, the filled tag, the transformation, the moment when all the preparation finally pays off. But very few people see what it takes to get there. In Part III of The Becoming Series , Jeremy explores the quiet work that happens long before anyone sees the outcome. The extra arrows, the early mornings, the workouts, the hard conversations, the decision to keep...

Early season deer success starts long before opening day - and if you wait until the week before season, you are already behind. Dan Johnson and Jason Thibodeau get brutally honest about what actually matters right now: arrow prep, tree stand checks, food plot work, trail camera settings, and the biggest mistake hunters make when they expect results without putting in the work. They also get into...