The Southern Outdoorsmen Hunting Podcast

We're still in early season here in Alabama while most of y'all are hunting the rut, so this week we answer your Circle and email questions and tell some stories. Andrew went back to a water oak bottom with the recurve, shook the acorns out of his tree, and heard footsteps 30 seconds later. A doe walked to 13 yards, and then it all went wrong. We also get into food plots that hold mature deer, bucks that jump fences wherever they want, map pins vs. following fresh sign, crossing water quietly, and the dumbest hunts we had when we were starting out.In this episode:- Hot take: should a buck's score matter as much as it does?- Aging deer on the hoof, and where to send off a tooth- What a 3½-year-old buck looked like in Iowa- Rattling for 30 minutes straight on our Iowa hunt- Food plots that hold mature deer: cover, travel routes, and pressure- Why oaks don't pull deer very far in pine country- Bucks jumping the fence anywhere: hunt the crossing or the sign?- Map pins vs. following fresh sign on the way in- Listener tip: pretend the deer have guns- Yes, slip hunting works in the South- How to walk through water quietly- Charcoal and wood ash instead of face paint- What we use for mosquitoes- If you could only hunt with one weapon for the rest of your life- Don't fear failure: a second-year bowhunter rattles in his first bucks- Our dumbest early hunts: a power line 11-point, a fogged-up scope, and a bobcat underfoot- Shaking acorns out of the tree, and a doe at 13 yards with the recurve- Why the shot went wrong: aiming at the whole deer- Brisket hits and the blood that gives you false hope- Tracking a wounded doe through the bedding cover- Putting out utilization cages on food plots- A destination food source with bedding right next to it- Why feed trees still produce on hot early-season days- Don't overlook food plots on public land- Why plots go quiet once the acorns start droppingMentioned in this episode:Join our Circle Community here - https://linkly.link/2o0SnCheck out Plot Lock from Whitetail Hill here - https://linkly.link/2xhlwGrab some Southern Outdoorsmen merch here - https://l.linklyhq.com/l/1u4aKJoin Woodsman Wire - https://l.linklyhq.com/l/1u4aRUse code "SOUTHERN" for a discount on Whitetail Hill food plot seed & trees - https://linkly.link/2myBPUse the promo code "southern" for a discount on your OnX Hunt membership here - https://l.linklyhq.com/l/1tyfmCheck out Latitude Outdoors for your mobile hunting gear - https://2ly.link/1zVDIUse code TSOP15 for a discount on Mossy Oak - https://linkly.link/2ERb8Use code SOUTHERN20 for a discount on all Vortex apparel, including eyewearOur Sponsors:* Check out MyBookie and use my code SOUTHERNOUTDOORSMEN for a great deal: https://www.mybookie.ag* Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.com* Check out TruDiagnostic and use my code SOUTHERNOUTDOORSMEN for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Dr. Stephen Ditchkoff has studied whitetails since 1992 and has spent the last 26 years as a professor at Auburn University, where his team runs a 430-acre deer research facility built to follow which bucks actually breed, which does they breed, and how that changes over a deer's life. We sat down with him for the second time to talk about the rut: why the peak is the worst time to hunt, why the Southern rut runs longer, what does are looking for in a buck, and how mature bucks change the whole breeding season.Our first episode with Dr. Ditchkoff - https://youtu.be/QZncXOxHpfIIn this episode:- Why the peak of the rut is the worst time to hunt- 26 years at Auburn and the 430-acre deer research facility- Are antlers an honest signal of a buck's quality?- How many does one buck can breed in a season- Why Boone and Crockett symmetry isn't what a deer sees- Do does choose which buck breeds them?- Why bucks may be choosy too- Do mature bucks get harder to kill in the rut?- The windows on either side of the peak- "They're running" days vs. actual peak breeding- Why the Southern rut is longer and bucks can't run as hard- Late-born fawns: once behind, always behind- The age bucks breed most successfully- Good mothers vs. bad mothers: a third of does raise most of the fawns- What a doe wants from a buck: immune system genetics- The white T-shirt study- How deer learn: 8,760 hours a year in the classroom- How a grandmother's condition shows up in her grandfawns- What last year's acorn crop means for bucks 4–5 years from now- How mature bucks shorten the rut and move it earlier- Post-rut mortality- Why culling "management bucks" doesn't work- Listener question: where did all the mature bucks go?- What solunar charts actually show- Counting deer with thermal drones- Flying drones over hunters to see how deer react- The buck that walked within 50 yards of a hunter, unseen- The new research he can't talk about yetJoin our Circle Community here - https://linkly.link/2o0SnCheck out Plot Lock from Whitetail Hill here - https://linkly.link/2xhlwGrab some Southern Outdoorsmen merch here - https://l.linklyhq.com/l/1u4aKJoin Woodsman Wire - https://l.linklyhq.com/l/1u4aRUse code "SOUTHERN" for a discount on Whitetail Hill food plot seed & trees - https://linkly.link/2myBPUse the promo code "southern" for a discount on your OnX Hunt membership here - https://l.linklyhq.com/l/1tyfmCheck out Latitude Outdoors for your mobile hunting gear - https://2ly.link/1zVDIUse code TSOP15 for a discount on Mossy Oak - https://linkly.link/2ERb8Use code SOUTHERN20 for a discount on all Vortex apparel, including eyewearOur Sponsors:* Check out MyBookie and use my code SOUTHERNOUTDOORSMEN for a great deal: https://www.mybookie.ag* Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.com* Check out TruDiagnostic and use my code SOUTHERNOUTDOORSMEN for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Jacob's back from his honeymoon! We've interviewed a lot of slip hunters this season, so Andrew finally tried it himself. He used what Zach Ferenbaugh taught us about moving through cover, crouched under a cedar with a recurve, and had two bucks walk to 12 yards without ever knowing he was there. We also answer your questions on late-season quota hunts, whether deer know it's the weekend, rattling in high-pressure woods, and hunting Alabama's SOAs, then talk through our first early-season hunts together.In this episode:- Late-season quota hunt in middle Georgia: clear cuts, water oaks, and green browse- Why so few Southern hunters hunt the late season- Don't overthink low-pressure deer- Do deer know it's the weekend?- Getting help with your property through Circle and the Hunter Hangouts- Listener tip: don't check your phone at last light- A misfire at 20 yards: is the stand burned?- Yes, rattling works in high-pressure Southern woods- How Alabama's SOA draw hunts work, and how to hunt them- The perfect thermal hub with no deer in it- Why big bucks on draw hunts die in the fallow wildlife openings- Jacob's first hunt back and climbing a tree by phone light- Stingy white oaks: hunting mountain oaks, red oaks, and water oaks instead- A spike drinking from a spring seep (have you ever seen a deer drink?)- Slip hunting the edge between the pines and the hardwoods- Two bucks at 12 yards, on the ground, with a recurve- Why early season is the time to slip hunt- Getting winded in a creek-bottom bowl- Why bottoms need calm mornings- Morning spots vs. evening spots- Resting a drainage so you don't burn it out- Hunting the last hour from the groundMentioned in this episode:- Stand Hunting Is Riskier Than Hunting on the Ground | Zach Ferenbaugh - https://youtu.be/_wN0QG2BIQM- Travis Murray on setting up on the ground - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4Eib99ax8kJoin our Circle Community here - https://linkly.link/2o0SnGrab some Southern Outdoorsmen merch here - https://l.linklyhq.com/l/1u4aKJoin Woodsman Wire - https://l.linklyhq.com/l/1u4aRUse code "SOUTHERN" for a discount on Whitetail Hill food plot seed & trees - https://linkly.link/2myBPUse the promo code "southern" for a discount on your OnX Hunt membership here - https://l.linklyhq.com/l/1tyfmCheck out Latitude Outdoors for your mobile hunting gear - https://2ly.link/1zVDIUse code TSOP15 for a discount on Mossy Oak - https://linkly.link/2ERb8Use code SOUTHERN20 for a discount on all Vortex apparel, including eyewearOur Sponsors:* Check out MyBookie and use my code SOUTHERNOUTDOORSMEN for a great deal: https://www.mybookie.ag* Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.com* Check out TruDiagnostic and use my code SOUTHERNOUTDOORSMEN for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

At 76, Ron Poole has been shooting bows for 70 years. He grew up running wild on a game management area along the White River in southeast Arkansas. He has 5 Boone and Crockett bucks and about 27 Pope and Young bucks, and he's never run a trail camera for deer. We drove to his place and sat down in his trophy room to talk about how he finds big bucks: hot feed trees, fresh sign that only lasts a week, open-woods bedding, and leaving a target buck alone until it's time to kill him.In this episode:- Shooting bows since age 4- How he met Richard Fought, after passing nine bucks before 9 AM- Why every feed tree tastes different and the sign only lasts 6–7 days- Why bucks skirt feed trees downwind, and where to set up- Grunt calls that sound like a deer, not a hog- Rattling: tangle the antlers, don't bang them- The 233-inch Iowa buck, runaway mules, and a blowing doe- Why big bucks bed in open woods, not thickets- How a river can split the rut- Leaving your target buck alone until the pre-rut- Finding acorns in the mountains by elevation- Red oaks vs. white oaks in a dry year- Persimmons, locusts, mimosas, and other overlooked deer food- Fertilizing a white oak to make deer pick it first- The doe figure-eight: where to hang during the rut- Reading bottomland timber on an aerial map- Why killing big deer consistently isn't luck- The only scrapes worth hunting- Walking in like a squirrel hunter- Waiting for daylight to walk in, then hunting all day- Carrying a climber and walking until it feels right- Finding one tree in the dark with no GPS- Trapping as a kid and the $27 possums- Hunting with knapped chert heads- Self bows, bamboo bows, Osage, and hickory- Tuning arrows to a stick bow, arrow weight, and broadheads- The 85-pound recurve that outran the compounds- Shooting compounds with no sights at the world championshipsJoin our Circle Community here - https://linkly.link/2o0SnGrab some Southern Outdoorsmen merch here - https://l.linklyhq.com/l/1u4aKJoin Woodsman Wire - https://l.linklyhq.com/l/1u4aRUse code "SOUTHERN" for a discount on Whitetail Hill food plot seed & trees - https://linkly.link/2myBPUse the promo code "southern" for a discount on your OnX Hunt membership here - https://l.linklyhq.com/l/1tyfmCheck out Latitude Outdoors for your mobile hunting gear - https://2ly.link/1zVDIUse code TSOP15 for a discount on Mossy Oak - https://linkly.link/2ERb8Use code SOUTHERN20 for a discount on all Vortex apparel, including eyewearOur Sponsors:* Check out MyBookie and use my code SOUTHERNOUTDOORSMEN for a great deal: https://www.mybookie.ag* Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.com* Check out TruDiagnostic and use my code SOUTHERNOUTDOORSMEN for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Kyle had gone almost 20 years without killing a mature buck with a bow. Then, on Alabama's opening weekend, he jumped one out of his bed at 12 yards in an old cattle catch pen. Instead of leaving, he sat down in the grass, and the buck came back 15 minutes later. With Jacob on his honeymoon, Kyle and Thomas Myers join Andrew to break down that hunt, how to hunt a Black Belt cattle farm, and your questions.In this episode:- Hurricane knocked green acorns to the ground: will deer still eat them?- What can you learn from seeing deer at night?- HOT TAKE: bow shots past 60 yards aren't bowhunting- 20 years of bowhunting without a mature buck, and why- The shooter buck Jacob missed for his wedding- A cold front at the wedding and why Kyle had to go- Slipping into an old catch pen on a high-wind day- Jumping a bedded buck at 12 yards- Overhead cover when you're set up on the ground- Why less gear makes you a better woodsman- Moving through cover: shade, shadows, and stopping every few steps- How a Black Belt cattle farm lays out- Do cattle ruin your deer hunting?- Why bucks on a farm live on 15 to 40 acres- Will a buck come back to a bed you bumped him from?- Hunting pastures like Midwest funnels- The trail camera that missed three giants- When white oaks aren't dropping: mountain chestnut oaks and water oaksMentioned in this episode:- Travis Murray on setting up on the ground - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4Eib99ax8k- 23 Years of Data Reveal the Only Days Worth Deer Hunting | Dr. Bob Sheppard - https://youtu.be/8VhjagGAfgEGrab a wild game cookbook from Thomas at the Hunt Kitchen here - https://thehuntkitchen.com/shopJoin our Circle Community here - https://linkly.link/2o0SnCheck out Plot Lock from Whitetail Hill here - https://linkly.link/2xhlwGrab some Southern Outdoorsmen merch here - https://l.linklyhq.com/l/1u4aKJoin Woodsman Wire - https://l.linklyhq.com/l/1u4aRUse code "SOUTHERN" for a discount on Whitetail Hill food plot seed & trees - https://linkly.link/2myBPUse the promo code "southern" for a discount on your OnX Hunt membership here - https://l.linklyhq.com/l/1tyfmCheck out Latitude Outdoors for your mobile hunting gear - https://2ly.link/1zVDIUse code TSOP15 for a discount on Mossy Oak - https://linkly.link/2ERb8Use code SOUTHERN20 for a discount on all Vortex apparel, including eyewearOur Sponsors:* Check out MyBookie and use my code SOUTHERNOUTDOORSMEN for a great deal: https://www.mybookie.ag* Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.com* Check out TruDiagnostic and use my code SOUTHERNOUTDOORSMEN for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy