EP105 When To Setup Mock Scrapes & Trail Cams For Deer Season

Show Notes:

The mock scrape and trail camera combination may be the single most powerful reconnaissance strategy for hunting whitetails that there is, at least for new hunters. On this episode I talk about the best time of year to get out there and setup mock scrapes and trail cameras, both for archery and rifle season.

Take Aways

  • Mock scrapes are great because they focus deer movement for a variety of reasons and they are essentially free.
    • For the cost of some string you can increase your chances of seeing whitetails on camera and in front of your hunting setup.
  • The best way to make good use of a trail camera is to assume it is terrible and will only get photos of what is directly in front of it.
    • If you have a better detection cone then great, but don’t count on it.
  • Setting up scrapes and cameras and checking them, going through the photos, and being outside in the summer can be almost as much fun as hunting. Enjoy every aspect of the hunt.
  • Remember deer often change their habits and locations between summer and late fall.
    • As the cover and food sources change, so do their travel and bedding areas.
    • Do not rely on scouting or camera data that is months old to determine where you hunt.
    • Regularly check trail cameras between August 1 and when you plan to hunt. I recommend every 2 weeks.
  • Stay out of the woods a couple weeks before hunting season starts, let the woods rest from human scent and interference.
  • Listen to this episode to find the best time of year to setup mock scrapes and trail cameras for whitetail deer hunting.

 

EP104 The 7 Basics of Deer Habitat Planning

Show Notes:

There are seven things every hunter needs to know about how to locate, assess, and improve deer habitat to have consistent success in the woods. On this episode I talk about what you can do right now to understand whitetail habitat, find it in the woods, and make adjustments to it to better your chances of success.

Take Aways

  • When deer move they move for a purpose, the more you understand those purposes the better you can hunt.
  • Every deer needs certain things, you need to find or provide them to have good deer movement.
  • People’s intuition is often different from a deer’s intuition. You need to learn how they think.
  • It does not take alot of time or money to improve deer habitat, there is alot you can do at little to no cost.
  • Listen to this episode to hear the 7 basics.

 

EP103 5 Best Areas For Crow Hunting

Show Notes:

Where you setup to hunt crows makes all the difference and determines not only if crows will come to you but if they will come close enough to shoot. On this episode I talk about the best types of places to setup in order to boost your odds of a successful crow hunt.

Take Aways

  • The two biggest factors for picking a good hunting location are acoustics and flight plane.
  • Crows will not come to your calls if they do not hear you, it is a 100% guarantee. Sure call volume is a factor but the sound needs to be able to travel to where the crows are.
  • Crows tend to fly above the tree tops along their approach, you need to consider if the trees are low enough to put you in range, or how you can modify your elevation to be within range when they come.
  • Concealment is also a big part of the hunt. Crows have great eyesight and you need to be well concealed. 
  • Wind can make it hard to call crows because the noise can drown out your calls.
  • Listen to the episode to hear about the 5 best areas for crow hunting.

EP102 What Hunters Need To Know About Recoil

Show Notes:

Recoil is one of the most vivid parts of shooting and hunting for many who are beginners. It permeates people’s thinking and memory and is often little understood and not properly managed. On this episode I talk about the effect recoil has on hunting, the science behind it, and what you can do to better manage it and be a more effective hunter.

  • Recoil effects accuracy, fun, shooter confidence, and health. The better you understand it the more effective of a hunter and shooter you can be.
  • Recoil is a measure of action and re-action, felt recoil on the other hand accounts for the real life factors that determine how it effect us.
  • Felt recoil is a function of bullet weight, powder charge, gun weight, shooter mass, and mitigating factors. Adjust any of those and you can change the felt recoil.
  • There is a macho factor that goes along with heavy recoil, nothing has perhaps done more to damage our sport and dissuade children and newcomers alike than this nonsense.
  • People often use more gun than they need for a hunt, which comes with more recoil than they need, which makes them a less effective marksman and a less effective hunter in many cases.
  • Whether you are hunting coyotes, varmints, turkeys, whitetail deer, elk, moose, or anything in between, do the best that you can to pick a firearm and ammunition combo that is the right balance of power and recoil to do the job well and be as manageable as possible.
  • There are three big things you can do to improve your accuracy and effectiveness with higher recoil firearms, they are covered in the episode.
  • Some people just should not shoot certain guns, the physics of their body size and composition hinder their ability to safely and effectively use high recoil firearms.
    • There comes a point where no amount of practice or pride will improve the situation, it’s science.

 

EP101 Sectional Density & Ballistic Coefficient 101

Show Notes:

Both sectional density and ballistic coefficient are bullet specifications that matter for hunters but one matters a lot more for new hunters. On this episode I break down the need to know fundamentals of each so you can make better ammunition decisions.

Sectional Density:

  • Is one of the most obscure pieces of information printed on a box of ammo.
  • Is a complicated math calculation that you will likely never need to preform.
  • Is something you can understand quickly and easily and can help you from today onward.
  • Is a very important number for telling the ideal use of a bullet if you want to make decisions based on more than marketing.
  • To best understand the meaning of sectional density you need to understand what makes bullets effective on whitetail deer, elk, moose, and other big game.
  • All of this and more is covered in the episode.

Ballistic Coefficient:

  • Is one of the more popular peieces of bullet marketing.
  • Involves more math than is even worth mentioning.
  • Matters a lot for a small number of hunters.
  • Is easy to understand but less easy to apply.
  • Can make the difference between a terrible bullet and a great bullet at certain ranges.
  • All of this and more is covered in the episode.

 

EP100 What Makes The Soul Of A Hunter

Show Notes:

Every man is created with a thirst for adventure. Deep on the inside, we come alive when we pursue those things that fan that flame. On this episode I talk about the soul of a hunter and how this passion can quite literally change lives.

Take Aways:

  • We were not created to live routine, predicable, and tame lives.
  • We are not wired to live life just yielding to the suggestions of others.
  • We will not find complete fulfillment in just meeting societies expectations in a neat and orderly way.
  • Most of your life exists in a framework that is ruled by opinions, positions, feelings, and fictions.
  • Something about getting outside connects us to something real, something solid and grounded.
  • Wild deer and turkeys have minds of their own, they do not behave according to people’s opinions, feelings, and political positions.
  • When we spend time in the wilderness we are cutting through the noise and clutter of our culture and society.
  • When we walk into the woods, we are getting alone with the creation, the creator, and with our own heart. Something rarely done anymore, and perhaps one of the reasons so few live truly fulfilled anymore.
  • Listen to this episode to hear what makes the soul of a hunter.

 

EP99 How To Break In A New Gun – For Real

Show Notes:

How to break in a new gun or a new barrel is one of the most hotly debated topics on the internet. Fortunately, for those willing to venture off the internet, there are real answers to this question. On this episode I give practical, rational, evidence based advice for how to break in a new gun.

Take Aways:

  • Whether it is a new rifle, shotgun, or pistol, there is a wide range of break in protocols that people debate and implement. But which is the best and what is right for you?
  • New hunters do have different needs than some firearms users, but science is science and a proper break in procedure should be universal for all guns.
  • I gathered feedback on this question from multiple gunsmiths who each have 40-50 years of experience making and repairing guns. Hear their insights in the episode.
  • I contacted two of the largest and most reputable firearms manufactures in the country and asked them about this question, to see the break in procedures they recommend for their guns. I share their answers in the episode.
  • Download and listen to the whole episode to hear how to break in a new gun.

 

EP98 The 3 Times You Need To Clean Your Guns

Show Notes:

Every gun needs cleaned, but how do you know when you should clean them? On this episode I give practical, realistic tips for when you should clean your firearms.

Take Aways:

  • Guns are tools that server the hunter. The hunter does not serve the tools.
  • Taking care of your tools and treating your tools better than people are very different things.
  • Guns are not magical or unpredictable, they do not need random unprovoked cleanings from time to time.
  • You should not need to clean a gun every time you use it, unless certain things happen.
  • Listen to the episode to hear the 3 times you should clean your guns.

EP97 Wild Turkey Cooking Basics

Show Notes:

Wild turkey is a culinary treat, but many have had poor experiences cooking it because they try to cook it like something else. On this episode I talk about the unique aspects of wild turkey meat and how you need adjust your cooking methods to bring out the best. 

Take Aways:

  • Most people try to cook wild turkey like store bought chicken without realizing it. That doesn’t work.
  • Lots of people try to roast a gobbler just like they would a store bought turkey and that doesn’t usually work well either.
  • Wild turkey needs different cooking methods for the breasts and the legs. To get the most out of these birds you have to cook them differently than anything else you know how to cook.
  • You cannot just nonchalantly grill turkey breasts and expect great results. You need to know what to do.
  • You absolutely cannot grill turkey legs and expect good results. But there are GREAT ways to cook them.
  • Learn the basics by listening to this episode.

Again and again, I am blown away by how well you can cook wild turkey, particularly the legs. I have known long time turkey hunters to just leave the legs on the carcass and discard them. They claim the legs are not good to eat, but they are trying to cook them like chicken and not getting the same results.

You are not going to get great results if you pluck a whole turkey and try to roast it like a chicken or store-bought turkey. The bird is going to try out. The legs will become jerky before the breasts are cooked through. These are not farm raised birds that spend their lives being groomed for the dinner table. 

The truth is, wild turkey is its own meat and cannot be cooked like any other bird. Turkey legs can be amazing, but they need a low, slow, and moist cooking method to be at their best. I have found great success making BBQ pulled turkey legs into sandwiches and tacos, or just eating it with a fork. You can also cook the legs until tender and pull them apart to make an excellent turkey soup from them.

The bottom line is that wild turkeys need to be treated for what they are, a completely unique game animal with excellent potential just waiting to be unlocked by the right cooking method.

Listen to the podcast episode to hear the rest!

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