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/