The Southern Outdoorsmen Hunting Podcast

The best time of year is here — and this week's Q&A digs into why deer "jump the string" and duck your arrow before they ever hear the shot, plus a full round of hot takes and hot tips from the Circle community.In this episode:- Why deer duck your arrow before the sound reaches them — the deer-vision science behind "jumping the string"- Are big-buck killers just sitting in better spots? Consistency vs. hunting brand-new ground- Time in the woods vs. woodsmanship — which matters more...

Want to go deeper? Join our Circle Community here: ⁠https://linkly.link/2o0SnZach Ferenbaugh of The Hunting Public has killed some of his biggest bucks without ever climbing a tree — slipping through cover on the ground, calling them into bow range, and getting close enough to reach out and touch them. In his first-ever sit-down with us, Zach breaks down the woodsmanship behind ground hunting whitetails: reading conditions and other animals, moving through the woods undetected, why deer can't see nearly as well as you think, and why getting closer actually makes a ma...

Rusty & Russten Johnson KNOW how to find mature bucks fast, and they've got the receipts. The summer we recorded this, he had close to 100 bucks over 120 inches on trail camera on PUBLIC land alone, including a 170-class deer and a near-200-inch giant, with no bait and no private honey holes. In this throwback from the back catalog (an episode that produced a pile of listener success stories the first time it aired), Russten and his dad Rusty break down the exact trail-camera system they use to locate big bucks before season — the ridge-running, road-hunting, net-casting method that turns a...

Russ Seale has killed more mature bucks on one specific set of conditions than any other day of the season — and he'll argue the point with any biologist who says otherwise. This is the 3020 Factor: rising barometric pressure behind a cold front, a 10–15° temperature drop, and a steady north/northwest wind. Last year it put two Boone & Crockett bucks on his wall seven days apart — a 190" non-typical and a 184". We get into all of it.In this episode:- The 3020 Factor explained — the exact pressure, wind, and temperature window Russ buil...

Join 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 - htt...

Clay Harper is a DIY traveling hunter who's turned breaking down brand-new ground into a system. He picks a state, a season, and a "theme" long before he ever sets foot on the property, then kills mature bucks on public land across the country. In this one, we get into his early-season playbook: how he reads unfamiliar woods fast, why he hunts the mid-morning window nobody else does, and the mindset shift that's put more bucks on the ground for him than any single tactic.In this episode:...

We just rolled in from the Mobile Hunters Expo in Dalton, and the season is coming fast so this Thursday Q&A is a loaded one. Andrew and Jacob work through a stack of listener questions and Circle hot takes: reading a spotty mast year, finding bucks when the ground's too dry to track, velvet-buck decisions, doe harvest, neighbor management, and a run of rapid-fire hot takes that'll get the comments going. Grab a seat.In this episode: Mobile Hunters Expo recap and this year's record crowd The mast crop...

Archery seasons are opening soon across the country, and early-season success comes down to one thing: acorns. Ben Davis of central Alabama joins us to break down his complete early-season feed tree blueprint — how to find the oaks that are actually hot, the overlooked sign that tells you a tree is about to fire before the deer even pattern it, and how to hunt it without blowing it out. It's a wide-open early-season how-to for every deer hunter, then a deep, technical dive into traditional bow hunting for those who want to take it all the way.In...

Can a mature buck actually recognize your treestand, your climber, or your trail cameras? Andrew opens this one with a story about the biggest buck he'd ever seen in bow range — a buck that stepped out, locked onto the base of the tree he was sitting in, and eased off without a sound. It never saw him. It never smelled him. So what gave him away?From there, Andrew and Jacob work through a stack of your questions from Circle and the website. Classic Thursday Q&A — straight from you guys.In this episode:Do d...

Eddie McRae has bowhunted the same Georgia farms for 40 years — and he says he hasn't been smelled by a deer in nearly a decade. No ozone units, no expensive sprays. Just a scent system he runs 365 days a year and a theory that most deer don't even know what a human smells like anymore.In this episode of The Southern Outdoorsmen, Eddie (of Riverman Custom Calls) breaks down the self-taught, low-pressure approach that's put six mature bucks on the wall in the last four years. We cover deer this time - turkey's coming in a follow-up....

Is a National Forest really the best place to find a mature public-land buck? In this Q&A episode, Andrew and Jacob debate whether National Forests or Wildlife Management Areas consistently produce the biggest deer, discuss how hunting pressure shapes age structure, and tackle several listener hot takes covering roadbed hunting, scent control, hunting shows, antler growth, and more.Topics discussed:- National Forest vs. WMA for mature bucks- What creates big-buck public land- Roadbed & right-of-way hunting debate- Hunting club...

Chuck Bailey (Old Timer Outdoors) has killed dang near every deer on his wall while standing on his own two feet — not from a box stand, not over a corn pile. In this episode, the Louisiana woodsman breaks down the on-the-ground hunting skills most of us have forgotten, why the easy way is quietly making us worse hunters, and a few old-timer scent tricks you've probably never heard of.In this episode:- Why Chuck refuses to hunt from a box stand — and how "devolving" back to hunting on foot...

This week we’re diving into another round of listener-submitted Hot Takes and Q&A! We debate whether it’s really possible to consistently kill mature bucks from permanent stands outside the rut, discuss the biggest factor separating consistently successful hunters from everyone else, answer questions about saddle hunting, sanctuaries, and dream hunts, and share a few stories.In this episode:Is it virtually impossible to kill mature bucks from a permanent stand?The biggest factor behind consistent deer hunting successSaddle vs. lock-on stands after several seasons of experienceWhy “sanctuaries” don’t always work the way hunters th...

Wes Moye is back in the studio, and this time we're breaking down the "Wolf Pack" - the group hunting system he's spent 40 years refining to kill mature, pressured bucks that get bumped by all the other hunters in the woods. Instead of hiding his scent like everyone's taught, Wes weaponizes it. Here's the full breakdown, plus a whole lot of hard-earned wisdom (and a few stories that'll make you laugh).In this episode:The Wolf Pack method explained — how a group uses human scent (not leg power) to move pressured bucks toward waiting huntersWhere the ide...

GPS-collar research has revealed some surprising truths about mature bucks—and much of it flies in the face of conventional hunting wisdom. In this episode, we break down what the data actually says, how it has changed the way we hunt, and why some of the best deer in the woods may be much closer than you think.In this episode:Why mature bucks are often found surprisingly close to roads and parking areasWhat years of GPS collar research has taught us about deer movementThe biggest misconceptions hunters have about bedding areasWhy focusing on individual buck be...

Today, Chris Jones of South Carolina joins us to discuss what it really takes to consistently find mature whitetails on public land. From breaking common hunting myths to reading overlooked terrain features, Chris shares the mindset and woodsmanship that have helped him tag big bucks where most hunters assume the odds are stacked against them.In this episode:Why Chris believes he’s found bigger bucks on public land than he ever did on privateThe biggest misconceptions hunters have about public land pressureHow to identify overlooked areas where mature bucks actually liveWhy miles walked often matter mo...

This week on the Thursday Q&A, we’re tackling some of the biggest debates in deer hunting—from bait, minerals, and food plots to summer scouting, scent, and mature buck behavior. We also answer a listener question about hunting rocky, mountainous terrain in Arkansas and share how we’d approach finding and killing an older buck in big-woods country.In this episode:Do minerals, Deer Cane, and attractants actually work?The biggest mistake hunters make when baiting deerWhy mature bucks prioritize security over foodAre food plots overrated compared to bedding cover?Common deer club management mistak...

Larry Weishuhn is back on the show, and in this conversation he dives into the timeless hunting skills that can’t be bought, downloaded, or replaced by technology. From the story of his very first buck to decades of lessons chasing mature whitetails across North America, Larry shares the woodsmanship principles that have shaped his hunting career.In this episode, we discuss:Larry’s unforgettable first buck and how it shaped his lifelong passion for whitetailsHow the pioneers of modern mature buck hunting changed the way hunters thinkWhy woodsmanship is a skill that has to be earn...

This week we’re diving into your hottest deer hunting takes and answering some of the biggest questions from The Southern Outdoorsmen community. From crossbows and dog hunting to cell cameras, persimmons, and deer behavior, we tackle some of the most controversial topics we’ve discussed in a while.In this episode, we discuss:Should crossbows have their own season?Are Southern gun seasons too long?Should dog hunting be allowed on public land?Are mature bucks more wary of cell cameras than standard trail cameras?Do ozone products and scent control actually work?Are persimmon tree...

Most hunters focus on what to plant, but the bigger question is where, why, and how. In this episode, Caleb Huckaba of Whitetail Hill breaks down the biggest food plot mistakes he sees, how to design food plots that actually produce daylight mature buck encounters, and why strategy often matters more than the seed itself. Whether you’re planting a quarter-acre kill plot on a permission property or managing a large hunting tract, this episode is packed with practical habitat and hunting advice you can apply this season.In this episode, we discuss:...