DIY Sportsman - Sportsmen's Empire

Todd Havel from Wisconsin is the guest on this podcast. He's spent decades hunting and tracking mature bucks in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan. The conversation we had went into enough detail that it made sense to split into two parts. In the first part, Todd talks about his experiences tracking, and breaking down the habitat and tendencies of older bucks. Todd has witnessed them doing things differently than other deer. They spend most of the year in a tight area, but tracking during the rut gives a great opportunity to locate what otherwise would be a hard-to-find deer. We discuss habitat features, sign that might be left, and tracking skillsets, with several examples. For instance, what happens when there isn't any snow? How far will a mature buck travel in a day? What do they do before bedding down? How do you practice being able to take a quick shot? Even though some of the topics are tracking specific, there are many parallels that can be applied across the board for hunting older bucks in the northern timber. DYI Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

On today's episode we have Parker McDonald. Those of you who are diligent listeners to the Sportsman's nation podcast network will of course know Parker already through his Southern Ground Hunting Podcast. Or, perhaps you've seen some of his deer or turkey hunting episodes on YouTube. He's one of my go-to guys when I have any questions related to water access or kayak set up, and we certainly go in-depth into kayak rigging, propulsion, and accessories that make the most sense for hunting. Some of his thoughts on motors and lighting were not what I would have originally expected. Being from the South, Parker's turkey seasons are now well under way. We start off with a great discussion into what Parker's been doing so far, and sort of expand into a general discussion that talks about hunting in Alabama vs other states, access strategies and other topics. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Over the past several years, I've started incorporating more and more ground setups into my hunting routine. Sometimes they're intentional, while other times they're impromptu, but they are always situational. In this episode, I dive into what makes a set up better or worse for a ground hunt as opposed to a hunt from a tree. Certainly there are obvious scenarios in which there are no suitable trees where ground hunting makes sense. However, there are even times and situations where ground hunting in hardwoods could make sense. Once the location and scenario calls for ground hunting, there are definitely several things that can impact how good or poor the setup is on a micro level. Back cover, front cover, overhead cover, sun location, wind and thermal flips, and expected shot location all play a key role in whether or not you'll get picked off. Many of these lessons I've found out the hard way either hunting for deer or turkeys. Comfort plays a key role in preventing fidgeting, so I discuss the various seat and back support options that I've found to work best over the years. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

On today's podcast, we're going to try something a little different. Right now is absolutely prime time to be out in the woods doing some post-season scouting. Here in the Midwest, the snow is pretty much all melted in most places with the recent warm weather. I've been out in both Wisconsin and Iowa putting boots on the ground, and I will be back out every weekend from now until turkey season. For this episode, I've gone back through some of the guests we've had on historically who I've discussed post-season scouting with, and I've taken relevant snippets from each of those episodes. I think it's interesting because each guest has their own little spin based on the terrain they hunt and their style. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simpleast

Today we've got a great episode lined up with Troy Pottenger. We go into a great level of detail on his process for systematically locating specific deer to go after, along with perspective on the amount of time and energy generally associated with finding even a single deer Troy would go after. We talk about when he does his boots on the ground scouting, when he sets up is trail cameras, where, and very importantly how and when he checks them to keep a low impact. We also dive into the specifics of what makes a bulletproof setup. How, in the mountains, wind speed and thermals can override one another or combine to give general wind directions. Troy discusses how he accesses his areas, be it from ridgetop or valley access, and how he makes his final approach, and what types of natural barriers are in place to prevent deer from ever discovering his scent trail. There's a lot of good info packed into this episode, and I learned quite a bit on the finer details that I'm really interested in implementing in some of the areas I hunted last year. DIY Sportsman is Powered by SImplecast

We have a great episode today. I've got Paul Putera back on as a guest. Now, I did an episode not too long ago with Paul detailing his Big Woods scouting and hunting tactics in a lot of detail, and breaking down the story of his Pennsylvania hunt. Well, he's kept at it and even in the time since recording that last episode has knocked down a couple more great bucks in the Northeast. Today, we're more specifically discussing mature buck behavior. What do they do differently that all of the other deer we see in the woods, and why do those things make them so hard to hunt. There's some good real-world examples in this one, as well as a good general feel for how much time in the woods you really feel like you need to be spending to accumulate a handful of dynamite big buck spots. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

The obvious answer to "when to post-season scout" is "anytime you can". Most hunters though are limited by family obligations, house projects, or desire for other pursuits like fishing or shed hunting that time of year. So being able to choose the most effective time to get out in the woods to learn the land and previous season's sign can be important. In this episode, we discuss how to answer that question. In addition, the answer is broken down by habitat type. Certain types of terrain have much more forgiving scouting windows than others, and it can make sense to strategize a spring scouting season around which land has the tightest window for "best scouting" and filling in the gaps around it. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Ted Bright is one of those guys who takes an above average approach to overall health and wellness. Fitness and hunting are both large contributors, with most of his meat consumption coming from wild game, be it venison, wild turkey, or even other "non traditional" types of meat. In this podcast we discuss Ted's primary approach to cooking venison, how he ages meat, why he likes to cook large amounts, like a whole shoulder, at once, and how he incorporates planned secondary dishes from leftovers of the primary meal. His methods are usually artsy in nature, rarely following a set recipe. He also utilizes venison fat much more commonly than the average deer hunter. We also touch on portions better suited for "hot and fast" versus "low and slow", cooking wild turkey, and even an experiment with groundhog. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Although the deer season isn't 100% oven quite yet, many hunters have begun to transition over to other winter activities, which makes this a good time to recap 2020 with the annual gear list review. Some of the items mentioned have already been thoroughly reviewed in other podcasts or YouTube videos, so I spend less time on those specifically. Other items, particularly the ones in bold on the list, I go into a little more detail on. 2020 has certainly been an odd year, but my gear list has finally gotten to the point where it's refined enough that I could happily move on into the next season without any strong desire for changes. That said, there are always new things I like to try, or items for specific use cases. Each one of these categories therefore also has a "wish list" portion in regards to things I'd like to try out for next year. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

I traveled down to the state of Iowa for the first time to perform a firearms deer hunt. The gun tags for non-residents take significantly fewer points to draw than do non-resident archery tags. In some zones, this could allow a hunting opportunity nearly every year, in a timeframe that doesn't interfere with any other rut hunting. My primary strategy with no prior boots-on-the-ground knowledge was to utilize e-scouting with an emphasis on expected hunter pressure to determine the best locations.In addition to breaking down how the strategy worked out, I also talk about whether or not I'd plan on doing another shotgun hunt in the future versus applying for points towards an archery tag every few years. Clothing usage was also something I experimented with, using only puffy layers as my primary outerwear to scale the large hills. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

This podcast is a rut recap from my 3rd annual Missouri hunt. This hunt starts with a day-by-day breakdown of what areas were scouted, what decision was made based on deer sign available at the time and the overall context of peak breeding timeframe. Overall, I managed to spot around 25 deer in the four days of hunting the big rolling timber, and had shot opportunities, as did other people in the group.The back end of the podcast recaps more of a lessons learned, and strategy changes based on hindsight. It also dives into advice for others finding themselves in the same type of scenario, which might have been different than what I did with the group hunt atmosphere and location. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

In this podcast I tell the story of how I scouted into an area that I ended up killing my biggest buck to date. From the time we left the truck, we'd gotten a near shot opportunity, climbed trees and hunted from the saddles, got back down and covered a total of 4.5 miles before finding a spot that dictated that we sit in ambush again. No sooner had we gotten set up on the ground than this guy came walking in, and I got my opportunity. In the podcast I talk about the weather and its impact on the decisions we made, along with specifically what sign we saw that caused us to stop scouting and sit again. I also had this buck on camera from October a few times but nearly three quarters of a mile away at the time, and primarily nocturnal photos with with unpredictable travel. Mobility really was what made it happen. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Today's episode is a must listen for anyone hunting big woods areas or who deem themselves mobile hunters (or simply would like to become more mobile). Paul Putera has a knack for locating older bucks in the big timbered lands of the Northeast, scouting and hunting them down, and shooting them with a bow. Most of his bow kills are even from the ground. Throughout the episode we do a hunt breakdown on his most recent Pennsylvania buck, and discuss some of the details behind his methodology and strategy. For instance, how does one actually still hunt a big buck successfully? How much scouting versus hunting time should you expect to put in? Is the pre-rut better than the rut? (spoiler alert: Paul says very much so for older bucks) We also talk about food sources and seasonal shifts from early season all the way until the end of the year, and how to employ tracking as a key skillset. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Everyone is prone to making mistakes on public land. I'm certainly not immune, as I've made many over the years. Reflecting back on some of my failures or shortcomings, I've come up with a list of ten potential pitfalls that can be easy to fall into when hunting on public land.This list is certainly not all encompassing, but hits on a lot of key items that would be good for new public land hunters to be aware of. There are also a few mistakes that I think even some of the more experienced guys can fall victim do without having someone else to bounce the idea off of or refresh their viewpoint. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

This week's episode starts with a more detailed hunt breakdown from North Dakota. The group podcast and videos don't go into as fine of detail to the exact lay of the land, wind direction, and learnings about deer bedding in river bottoms as this description. Next, I give an overview of the new Tethrd One sticks, their design aspects and things I either like or don't like about them at this point. The latter part of the podcast dives into how we're trying to stay on top of the transitioning patterns of the deer locally. The acorn crop has been very weak overall, which has shifted much of the diet to browse. We keep holding hope that there's still an oak to stumble across that actually dropping acorns and is a major draw, but in the meantime deer are still bedding and feeding in the areas we'd expect in the marshes. Cell cams, where legal, have started to become a bigger part of the game plan this year, from monitoring other hunter pressure to determining when some of these pattern shifts will occur throughout the year. I review models from Spypoint, Tactacam, and Exodus. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Today's episode was recorded in North Dakota during our public land trip. Like I had mentioned on some earlier podcasts, Shane Simpson was of course up there again. Plus some of the Tethrd crew tagged along. And, the Ranch Fairy showed up. So we essentially got together and did a little round table with Greg Godfrey, Jared Shaffer, Carl Kossuth, Shane, Troy aka Ranch Fairy, Dylan Hazen, who was filming for Tethrd, as well as myself. We talked about our experience thus far, broadhead and arrow setups along with some ad-hoc broadhead testing on a deer carcass, cyber scouting, North Dakota laws, and lessons learned on the trip. We recorded outside, so there is a little bit of wind noise, but not too bad. A tornado siren started about 40 minutes in, so we apologize for that, but it was a little out of our control. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

In today's episode I have Bill Thompson as a guest to talk about Spartan Forge. In essence, this is an app that hunters would be able to utilize to tell them when and where are the best times and places to hunt. What makes Spartan Forge unique, however, is how those predictions are made. See, Bill has spent a couple decades working in military intelligence where massive amounts of data are filtered through computers to identify patterns. Then the computers will use those patterns to predict what will happen on future events. This is what's referred to as machine learning, and a big part of the beginning of the podcast goes into a little more detail on exactly what's going on, and why such a massive amount of data couldn't be analyzed meaningfully by an individual or even groups of individuals. During development, Spartan Forge's machine would be fed more and more data to make it more accurate, but would then be tested against new real world deer data to assess accuracy. So, really, there's no human bias. As a data guy myself, I found this whole discussion very interesting. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Today's podcast focuses on early season strategy. The exact timing of that early season opener can have a huge impact on the exact scenarios at play. September 1st is a different world than October 1st. That said, the overall strategy is the same, which is to try and capitalize on a bed to food pattern. In the episode, I'll lay out specific plans and scenarios for how those should play out in the back-to-back-to-back openers of North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Another topic of the podcast is locating early season bucks. Locations before and after velvet certainly change, but inventory gain can still be a huge value add, especially if you have room to roam. The trickier scenario is locating deer in areas where glassing, shining, and trail cameras aren't viable options due to terrain or legality, and I discuss possibilities and strategies there as well. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

In today's episode I'm tackling some of the more common questions that have been coming through with the season right around the corner. Some are mobile gear related, but many are also archery related. Quite a few people are adjusting their arrow set ups and recipes in an effort to achieve better penetration. While some are working through the process just fine, there are some other issues that frequently pop up with challenges in getting good arrow flight. I discuss some of the very important key steps that need to happen before the parts of the process that get the most visibility. Unfortunately, they can be some of the harder things for individuals to adjust at home, but they are important nonetheless. Lastly, I do a quick run down on the arrow setups that both my wife and I are locked in on for the hunting season. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

This podcast is a recording of a bow hunting discussion that occurred at a recent Tethrd get together near their headquarters of operation in Minnesota. Members at the table were Jon Eberhart, Andy May, Ernie Power, Greg Godfrey, and Jared Shaffer. Plenty of topics were discussed in detail, starting with a chat about archery, going peepless, and realistic practice for hunting season. Greg and Garrett talked about out-of-state preparation, and Andy dove into detail about his updated strategy for his nonresident Iowa hunt, as well as a high country mule deer hunt. Jon Eberhart also gave great insight about what things to look for in plains state habitat to help hunters focus in on the simplier, high probability areas. Andy and Jon discussed their preseason strategies, from glassing to speed tours. The group all discussed tips that have helped them achieve success along the way. This one is a must listen. This episode is also co-released on the Tethrd Nation podcast, which is another great place to learn about saddle hunting. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Today's podcast focuses on identifying pinch points. They are certainly more sought after in hunting strategies revolving around the rut, but pinch points can also provide value in locating deer movement from bedding to feeding. Pinch points or funnels can take one of several major forms: Terrain, Vegetation, Water, and man made pinch points. During the podcast, I talk about specific examples of pinch points for each of those categories, how deer might use them, and also how to find them through either topo maps, aerial imagery, or boots-on-the-ground scouting. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Today I have Skip Peterson on the podcast, the Director of Operations for Gearhead Archery. I wanted to get Skip on because I've had a fair number of questions and comments about Gearhead after buying one this spring. I've only of course had a decent amount of experience with the B24, but less so with all of their other models. And I can tell by certain conversations that when some people think of Gearhead their mind goes to some generalizations about the bows from back when they first came onto the scene, which might not necessarily apply to their current bows, like draw length ranges and extended releases. Skip gives some background about how the company progressed from their original offerings into the current lineups, how someone would choose between a B series, T series, or Disrupter, and how he strongly believes that some of the technologies not only make the bows unique, but also impact how well they perform both in the woods and on the target line. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

I did something that wasn't sure I'd ever do... apply for an Iowa tag. Specifically, I applied for a 1st shotgun season tag, which is relatively easier to draw and doesn't interfere with other archery rut hunts like South Dakota or Missouri. In fact, it doesn't really interfere with any of my other planned firearms hunts either. But this does bring up a topic that's obviously very fresh in my mind, which is scouting and preparing for gun hunts. It can be very different than an archery hunt, unless it's a gun hunt during the rut and in a low pressure area. In this podcast I talk about the three primary factors I look at in relation to a gun hunt: Timing, Pressure, and Terrain. Timing and pressure both dictate to a fairly large extent the overall strategy, but terrain dictates the exact set up. I dive into three specific terrain types that I have the most historical experience with: Hills, Marsh/Swamp, and Big Woods terrain, and how I tackle each a little differently when it comes to exact setup. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

On this Podcast, I talk with Andy May about all things archery with a bow hunting focus. Most people know Andy as a meticulous, detail oriented deer hunter, but his mindset works the same with archery. He actually started archery before becoming a bow hunter. We discuss various things on the equipment side of bow hunting, from his arrow building process to releases, peep sights, broadheads, vane configuration, proper stabilization, and bow fit to minimize the amount of pin float that you see at full draw. In addition to the equipment side of archery, we also talk at length about the mental side and the shooting process. Having struggled at times with target panic in the past, Andy explains exactly how he activates his release now based on advice from several professional shooters. Certain circumstances like fast shooting opportunities or high winds can create minor differences in how he activates the release, but everything stems back to a achieving a reliable, high-confidence shot. One thing Andy does that many people could likely benefit from is record data from most of his shooting sessions. That allows him to track trends over time to determine which combinations of gear actually provide the best forgiveness, instead of basing opinions on other reviews or good/bad days at the range. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

On today's episode I have a guest you should be familiar with, Ted Bright. Ted and I did a podcast about his deer season last fall where he knocked down a couple of really nice public land bucks in Missouri. Well, he also had a banner season this year turkey hunting as well. Between birds he killed or called in for his son or close friends, Ted totaled up over a half a dozen gobblers this year. It was a significant jump from previous years, so a lot of what we talked about was exactly what he did this year and how it was different from years past. We talk about several of those hunts in detail. The general style is the quintessential run and gun style of hill country hunting. The turkey hunting style Ted has adopted isn't entire a new concept, but it is one that many people try to employ, especially when hunting larger chunks of non-agricultural land. He's refined his strategy and gear list to carry only the absolute essentials, which we go over as well. I hope you enjoy the episode; I certainly did. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

My wife shot her first turkey during her first ever turkey hunt this past week. The hunt took place in western Minnesota, on private land that was a mixture of rolling hills, woodlots, and hardwood swamps. Minnesota season structure saw some changes this year. Instead of each of the early seasons being draw only, each week was opened up to over-the-counter. That combined with many people being off of their normal work schedules, has caused a big spike in public land pressure. Therefore a hunt like this one was really enjoyable to have access to. This podcast breaks down the details of the hunt and answers some of the questions that remained unanswered in the video, like why we didn't shoot a coyote that had snuck in to under 5 yards. The turkey season is far from over, with the vast majority of our hunts still yet to happen. I also discuss some of our favorite way to cook wild turkey legs. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

We all know that access can be vitally important for deer hunting, yet it's often still overlooked in terms of ease or convenience. This is especially true in areas where you might only have one parking area or location to access a property. Depending on the type of habitat you're hunting, a unique access could be either water-based or land-based. Water based access has the advantage of typically allowing you to enter from an area where deer aren't used to. It can also allow for less scent on the ground, and easy back-side morning access when deer are bedded in brush against a creek, for example. You generally have options for kayaks (either sit-in or sit-on-top kayaks), canoes, or small boats. They each have pros and cons and areas where they excel, and I talk through those considerations in the podcast. Land-based access doesn't have as any tools or equipment associated with it, but there are still important considerations for unique access. Wind or thermals and other hunting pressure are very important. Dropping thermals in hills can make morning access from the bottoms more advantageous, especially when deer are feeding up high at night. Accessing from up high in the morning could blow those deer out before you're even set up. Morning access in swamps or flat ground can often mean looping around to the backside for set up options. In the evening, rising thermals and the fact that deer are bedded are the important things to note. Deer in hill country will often bed close to busy access points where either sight or rising thermals allows them to keep tabs on access. It can be to your advantage to access from higher locations, even if it means starting out low, climbing up and then paralleling the hilltop before a final top-down access opportunity. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Jared Shaffer is a successful mobile hunter from West Virginia and Media Director at Tethrd. Despite not hunting in a well known state for deer, in what can be challenging terrain, he is able to get on bucks and turkeys every year. A large part of that success has come from taking on a very mobile strategy and employing so-called Beast tactics in hill country. Unlike hills in Midwestern states, the land in West Virginia has more of a big woods feel. There isn't much agriculture, and the woods can be fairly thick. In this podcast, Jared discusses his annual strategy and what things have played the biggest impact in his learning curve over the years. He does a complete hunt breakdown of his oldest buck ever, a 5.5 year old shot less than 100 yards from his bed. In addition, we discuss how tactics change from early season through the rut, what specifically to look for, and how to set up on the right sign. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Jonathan Boehme runs the Catman Outdoors YouTube channel, where he posts great content on self filmed deer and turkey hunts, fishing, scouting, and DIY projects. You may have also seen him on other channels like The Hunting Public and Southern Outdoorsman. Though Jonathan is a great resource to talk about many things outdoors, today we focused on turkey. His home territory in Tennessee shares many similarities to some of the hilly public that I hunt in SE Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. In the podcast, we discuss Tennessee's turkey management structure, locating birds, calling strategies, seasonal changes, gear, and setting up without decoys. Jonathan often hunts with his homemade wingbone calls, and he talks about how he makes them and what he sees in the woods versus using more common call types. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Saddlepalooza 2020 is in the books. The trip was almost cancelled last minute due to flooding, but some last minute heroics from some of the group members allowed for a location change and the trip to go on. The annual get-together/hog hunt took place at Ft. Stewart in Georgia. This is a massive military base that is open to public hunting but only under strict rules. Some areas are open to archery only, while others are open for all weapons. Various zones can open or close for access on any given day.I went out into an archery only unit with a few other guys on the first hunting day. With a little bit of luck, I was able to shoot my first hog at about 10 yards. The second day, I hunted with Catman in a rifle zone, using a rifle. I talk about that hunt as well on the podcast. Of course, part of the event that's exciting for most is the saddle demo day, where people can get together and try out different saddles, climbing methods, platforms, and accessories to experiment, learn, and discuss. I talk about some of the popular or newer items or methods from the demo day as well. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

It's getting to be about time for spring scouting in many areas. It's one of those types of scouting that can pay big dividends, especially in certain areas. One thing you need to be aware of, however, is to focus in on things that you know will be relevant during the time you'll be hunting the area in the following fall. Fresh sign this time of year might not translate due to differences in food sources and even bedding. Last year's fall sign will typically be visible, however. It's also important to realize that boots on the ground in the spring is a nice supplement to looking at aerial photos. I will often look at the map and plan a route and walk it. Afterwards, I'll look back at the map with a newer perspective and determine the next area I want to check out.Beyond the basics of spring scouting, in this podcast I go into deeper detail for the exact strategies I have employed and will be employing this spring in the specific areas that I hunt. Sometimes, an overview doesn't go into quite enough detail, but specific examples can shed additional light. I talk about cattail marshes in Minnesota, farm country in North Dakota, and both hill country and big woods in Wisconsin. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

In this Episode of the DIY Sportsman podcast, I start off by answering listener and viewer questions. Sometimes I get good questions via private message that would be useful to answer for a larger crowd. These questions range from archery and arrow setups to hunting specific strategy questions. The exiting topic of the podcast, however, is the new bow that I bought not long after ATA. I picked up a Gearhead B24 after shooting several models of shorter bows and reflecting for a few weeks before making a decision. Although I have only had the bow for a short time, I give my thoughts so far about the string angle, ability to hold on target, balance, adjustability, and grouping at long range. I have to say that I'm very happy with the decision so far. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Nate Sellers is an archery and bowhunter from Pennsylvania. He runs a YouTube channel titled Average Jack Archery as well. In addition to being a teacher during the school months, Nate has been putting in hours at the local bow shop for years and has helped hundreds of archers get set up with hunting rigs and arrows. In the podcast, we talk quite a bit about archery. In particular, we talk quite a bit about what things are practically relevant for most guys out there vs which things are fun to talk about but over the head of the average guy looking for basic advice. Nate has an inviting demeanor and good way of convening helpful information in a way that makes sense. He also took two deer in Pennsylvania this season with his bow, so we talked a bit about the differences in the season structure and hunting culture in his state compared to most other whitetail states out there. In PA, up through this year, there is still no Sunday hunting or hunting during the peak breeding date range. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

In this podcast, I recap my hunts from this year along with specific gear highlights. First, there were certain pieces or gear or systems that really stood out and made a positive enough impact that they will surely continue to be a part of my system going forward into next year. Next, I discuss gear that I used where I had overall positive experiences with, along with some downsides or quirks that left some room for improvement. To finish the discussion, I talk about gear that didn't play much of a role in my 2019 setup but I'm really excited about for 2020. It ranges from climbing methods to camera systems. And finally, I give some initial thoughts on what I'd be really interested to see out of ATA this year. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

In this episode I interview Ted Bright from Missouri. He's knocked down two nice bucks this year and has historically done very well in the rolling hill country public land of Missouri. Ted and I talk about his hunting background as well as the stories of his success this year. Ted gives insight on his scouting style, climbing method for run and gun hunting, and experiences with a recent change to an arrow setup built for better penetration. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

In this podcast I discuss an alternative to the usual layering advice given to and by whitetail hunters for tree stand use. Nearly everyone is familiar with using the big, bulky insulated parkas and jackets, whether they're inexpensive or from top shelf brands. Those garments are usually well thought out and useful in the tree. The downside is that for mobile hunters in particular, the amount of bulk and weight carried in just for layering gets fairly extreme in cold weather. Western hunters are familiar with packable insulation, but often those options are noisy and don't have good windproofing or pocket layout. The compromise here is a system in which you layer a functional whitetail specific shell garment overtop of a packable insulation layer. Base layers can be worn while walking in, and the shell can provide additional wind blocking if needed while the insulation takes up minimal pack space. You ultimately have to weigh out which type of system makes more sense. One is easier in terms of purchasing and sizing. The other offers benefits for long treks to the tree. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Conner Wakefield hasn't been hunting for all that many years, but his experience gained during that short time is definitely above average. In addition to hunting his home state of Iowa, he also travels to hunt out of state, generally sleeping in a tent and self filming the trips for his Whitetail Drifter channel on YouTube and social media pages. In this podcast, Conner talks about the decisions made during a recent successful hunt on public land in Wisconsin. We also talk about lessons learned, adapting to sign, gear, and filming hunts. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Garrett and his wife Sam went down to Missouri for a public land group hunt with some of the crew from Tethrd. The overall hunt for them was Saturday through Tuesday. Most of the first day was boots-on-the-ground scouting with a few hour sit at the end. Warm weather continued into Day 2 with highs in the 60s and very little daytime deer movement for the entire group. Sunday night into Monday, a big weather front moved in, and the temperatures would drop straight from 65 to 12 degrees by Tuesday morning. Monday morning was windy, with temps in the mid 30s and rain. We waited inside until the rain turned to sleet and eventually snow by around noon and then hit the woods. Knowing we'd only have a few hours and that Tuesday morning would be the clear, calm day after the storm, we hung our saddle platforms in a thermal hub and started walking back to a spot to ground hunt. As we worked back through a riverbottom area, we found several sets of tracks in the fresh snow (hours old) and saw a small buck following a doe. We found a deadfall and decided to tuck into it for the evening. It turned out to be a good decision, and the story plays out fully in the podcast. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

In this episode of the DIY Sportsman, Garrett recaps the strategy and sightings of the past several weeks, and how the setups have related to deer sign, particularly scrapes and bedding. His wife Samantha has also been hitting the woods for the first year ever. They've been attempting to work into areas and setups where there are high odds of seeing any deer, even if the movement and patterns end up being more sporadic and unpredictable. Garrett's been experimenting with a boot system that so far has been paying big dividends in terms of warding off cold feet as well as being quiet and capable of crossing deep water. He also compares and contrasts the Mystery Ranch Pop Up 28 with a recently acquired 2019 Sitka Fanatic Pack. Each have their pros and cons relating to functionality and intended use. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Through observation and study of other successful hunters, there are certainly common themes that keep showing up. In an effort to try and summarize those themes, I believe we can lump many of the key techniques or thought processes into one of three key areas of skill-sets: Analyzing big picture research, performing boots-on-the-ground activities, and general woodsmanship or knowledge of the animals we're pursuing. Some people will emphasize certain skills or techniques as being the key to their success, but often a deeper inspection shows a blend of scouting techniques combined with an underlying level of woodsmanship that is difficult to teach or express into words. In this podcast I separate these skill-sets to identify certain tasks or methods that can improve your intimate knowledge with an area (boots-on-the-ground), ability to take a step back and gather larger scale intel from maps or observation (big picture), and why a huge stepping stone for a lot of people (woodsmanship) tends to be the lesser talked about gap for people to really tie everything together.

Garrett and Bobby both did planned Western bowhunts in early September. Bobby hunted mule deer bucks around timberline in the heavily hunted public lands in northern Utah. He talks about his strategy throughout the hunt, strategy behind camp location, water collection, and glassing. He was able to locate a couple of decent bucks and even place some stalks.Garrett went elk hunting in an OTC Colorado archery unit. This steep, heavily timbered unit doesn't have the best elk numbers; however, they are definitely around and can be called in despite not being vocal. The strategy that Garrett and his hunting partner employed was to be very mobile and call often. Their encounters all occurred during stationary calling sequences. Garrett talks through all of these encounters, including a shot taken, with lessons learned and gear comments. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Garrett's North Dakota hunt ended with a buck on the ground. Shane Simpson also shot a nice buck on the trip. The YouTube videos for the hunts show a lot of strategy and important details that led to the kills. That said, in this podcast, Garrett dives into a little further detail about the findings and adaptations needed to try and find deer in this new area. The plans discussed in the previous podcast worked in some instances but not in others. Primarily, the strategy of glassing deer in fields was nearly fruitless with one small exception. After finding this out, Garrett discusses how the plans had to change. In addition, he talked about additional scouting that they did after the tags were filled and plans to scout again in the off season based on this seasons' learnings.

In this podcast, Garrett goes over his final season checklist, including the gear he's taking out to North Dakota later this week to hunt alongside of Shane Simpson. By this point in the year, all of the bow shooting and testing is locked in - no more changes. The first trip of the year will be based solely on map scouting, and the plan will vary from there. If multiple nice deer are located from the road, the plan will be different than if glassing isn't proving to be fruitful. The next trip following up the North Dakota hunt will be elk in Colorado. Since there's so little time to prepare between hunts, all of the prep work for that trip has been done as well, so Garrett explains how the two person strategy this year will deviate from past trips out west.

Bobby Boswell has an intense passion for replaceable blade knife design. He uses this style of knife on a very regular basis throughout the year doing work as a wildlife biologist, and he also uses them in the field for gutting or skinning game. The list of knives that Bobby has tested include models from Havalon, Tyto, Kershaw, Kestrel, Gerber, Civilware, Outdoor Edge, Columbia River, Gerry McGinnis and more. Topics of review include weight, ease of use, handle style, folding vs. fixed, safety, price, and utility. There are even replaceable blade knives that have attachments for things other than blades, such as bone saws or even backpacking sporks. Every knife seems to have a set of pros and cons, but Bobby lays out what features he's found to be the best in certain brands as well as what he'd wish to see from certain manufacturers.

Ricky isn't a well known guy on the hunting scene, but that's mostly because he likes to fly under the radar. He has a ton of hunting experience on both public and private and has a man cave full of mature bucks to show for it. Part of his strategy is to target multiple states and have a multi-year plan in place. This allows him to increase opportunity while not spreading himself too thin. The primary states he focuses on are Minnesota, which he can hunt every year, North Dakota and Iowa. Each of those states has a very different range of habitat types and hunter pressure. Ricky tries to get on a good buck in Minnesota as early as possible so he can focus valuable rut time for one of his other states. Ricky is very calculated in his methods and strategies, but also has an open enough mind to work with whatever situation is presented. He hunts out of a tree stand, saddle, or on the ground. One of his detailed North Dakota hunts takes place in a tree in below zero temperatures. The next has him in a ghillie suit sneaking into 30 yards of a 170" buck. We talk about his thoughts on weather, moon phase, clothing, boots, scent control regimen, landowner permission strategy, and scouting strategy. This is definitely a podcast where you can pick up tidbits to apply to your own hunting methods.

Shane Simpson is a guest once again on this episode. Garrett and Shane have both been doing a large amount of boots on the ground scouting in mosquito and deer fly infested swamps in Minnesota and Wisconsin. This type of scouting isn't the most popular or enjoyable, but it can still have value depending on the type of intel needed. Shane discusses how the locations where he plans on hunting this year aren't new, but the tactics and techniques are. People who know Shane from his turkey series know that he possesses good woodsmanship, so applying new tactics will come more easily to someone like him. Shane discusses some of the key things he's been focusing in on with his summer scouting and how he plans on using that information this coming fall.

Garrett tested a bunch of different arrow weights from under 400 grains to over 1100 grains and then analyzed the speed, kinetic energy, and momentum. Often there’s a fair amount of debate for which metrics are most important when it comes to choosing a hunting arrow. In this podcast, Garrett and Bobby discuss why they think momentum is the more important metric than kinetic energy when it comes to penetration (although kinetic energy certainly isn’t worthless) and they discuss the results of the testing. Spoiler alert, momentum increased with higher weights… a lot. And it showed no signs of slowing down. It’s important to remember that momentum is just one factor to look at when choosing a setup for hunting. Speed (trajectory), arrow flight, shot placement, broadhead style, and the animal you’re shooting at, all play into the equation. This podcast does get pretty technical, but it does have some no-nonsense takeaways for even the typical whitetail hunter.

In this podcast Garrett talks about his recent honeymoon trip with his now wife, Samantha. This trip was to the Kenai peninsula of Alaska. The trip was certainly fishing focused with some free days for hiking and other activities. The three main species of fish pursued were Sockeye salmon (reds), Chinook Salmon (kings) and Halibut. Garrett explains the differences in the three types of trips and which are most feasible from a DIY perspective. In addition, Bobby and Garrett discuss the main differences between what you could expect from hiring a guide for any of those species of fish versus what you could expect on a DIY trip. Bringing home fresh fish is a huge component of this type of trip, so Garrett also discussed the procedure for getting fish from the river back home in a reliable and inexpensive manner.

Jason Samkowiak is a traditional bow hunter from Michigan. He takes pride in scouting and learning how deer utilize the natural landscape throughout the season, and he has been very successful over the years. He is also one of the most meticulous people I know in regards to his system and his gear. In this episode, we talk to Jason about hunting in Michigan. In particular, we talk about strategies throughout the year, including breaking down big woods habitat, natural food source transitions, and scouting strategy. We also talk about his out of state trips and how he travels, camps, and packs his deer out of the woods most efficiently. The Traditional Bowhunter and Wilderness podcast that Jason runs is another wealth of information, and he recently launched an online course teaching his methods as well, which we discuss near the end.

The JX3 Hybrid is a revamped version of the old Guido's Web, a saddle-like hunting system that blends some components of saddle hunting with some of the familiar comforts of a tree stand. In some ways, the Hybrid feels like sitting in a lawn chair up in the tree. An extendable aluminum fork holds you out away from the tree to help with positioning and keep knee pressure non-existent. I used the Hybrid while hunting longer days in November this past fall. That gave me a good opportunity to test the comfort as well as other important aspects like tree selection, weight trade-offs, and modularity. The Hybrid can definitely have a place in some people's systems. Like anything, there are pros and cons which need to be factored into your style of hunting.