Deer Hunt - Big Buck Registry - Fueled By Treestand Wingman

The deer drag of a tracker can last for hours. Trackers venture deep into the big woods, on the trail of a mature buck, wherever the track may roam.  By necessity, trackers become some of the most skilled navigational woodsmen on the planet. The ones that don't become skilled with a compass and TOPO map, never came home.  Joe DiNitto is a deer tracker and hunts the Adirondacks of New York.   He has been tracking big bucks on snow for 30 years now, and he doesn't appear to be slowing down any time soon.  Joe is patient and waits for those snow days before stepping into the woods. This style of hunting doesn't require scouting, scent control, playing the wind, tree stands, or moon phases, but it does require snow, a compass, a flashlight, and preferably a GPS.  Joe says the first step to shooting a big mature buck using this method is finding the "Holy ______" buck track.  From there, it is a game of pursuit and persistence and a pure disbelief in the word "can't".  Joe shares numerous stories in this interview

Please Nominate Us Podcast Awards If you wanted to test out a new kind of face paint that doesn't crack under pressure, meaning is doesn't run or disappear when faced with a severe perspiration situation, where would you go to test it?   For Brian Hardy, Florida was the ideal testing ground because first, it is the perfect environment to sweat, but more importantly, he lives there.  During an scorching mid-west hunt, Brian became fed up with traditional petroleum based, hard to clean up face paint, so he set out with his wife to create a healthy, easy clean up, no-run solution to these face paint problems. And, living in Florida, he conducted  test trials right in his own back yard.  Now, after years of trial and error, you will soon see Hardy Face Paint in some of the largest outdoor sporting good shops on the planet.  While we had Brian's attention, we decided to grill Brian on how to hunt deer in Florida.  We had no idea that you could have a rain out in deer hunting, but at least  now, even if you tried t

Please Nominate Us Podcast Awards Adam Hays III says that to kill a 200" buck, you must surgically remove them from the face of the earth.  This means planning, lots of planning. The first step is to actually hunt where a big deer lives. It's a simple strategy, but an essential one. Step two through the kill shot is a bit more complex.  Using the Red Moon phases of a product he created called the Moon Guide, Adam uses the high likelihood daylight deer movement days to plan his hunt in conjunction with a mental thesis of the buck he pursues.   Does Adam hunt the days when the Red Moon isn't present?  You bet. He says they are perhaps more important than the days of the kill hunt  - these are what he refers to as observation hunts.  Adam is also a fan of hunting the wind to the bucks advantage, hunting outside in, and learning which tree will become the kill tree.  Adam explains all these strategies in more detail during the interview. Notebook required.  OUR SPONSORS: Advanced Treestands, Covert Scouting Camer

Fred Bird is full speed ahead. A turkey hunter at heart, Fred found his dream job with the National Wild Turkey Federation as a Regional Director where his primary focus is raising money for the preservation and conservation of the wild turkey.  A huge and positive side effect of using dollars to create better habitat for turkey is the creation of habitat for all species.  Fred understands this and easily discusses his passion for the preservation of the hunting heritage. Fred may spend lots of time in banquet halls raising money, but make no mistake, Fred's field skills are top notch. And as you might imagine, Fred is one heck of a good turkey hunter. Turns out he's a pretty good deer hunter too (although he won't admit it).  We enjoyed Fred's passion and commitment to the outdoors so much that we launched another podcast with him called The Strut Zone NWTF All Access, which is now the Official Podcast of the National Wild Turkey Federation. Fred isn't just a desk and phone kind of guy. As he says, he likes

Roger Raglin is an outdoor television pioneer and he has been entertaining us with his deer hunting videos for over 30 years.  We don't see him slowing down any time soon as he continues to create and edit his own work.  Sure, maybe his perspectives on hunting and society have changed, but his drive is still alive.  Many people would not typically associate hunting with higher education (at least the liberals don't), but as we've learned there's more way more to Roger than hunting videos and television. Roger is an accomplished pianist and musician and is well known for his gospel collections in Oklahoma and often played along side Pentecostal preacher turned comedian, Sam Kinison.   Roger also spent many years as an academic where he pursued a PhD at Duke University and has many degrees to his name. Despite Roger's passion for learning, his real love is with hunting and the outdoors.  Roger was inducted into the 2011 class of the National Outdoor Hall of Fame and he is one fantastic story teller. OUR SPONSOR

Kalobe Miller is an accomplished deer hunter out of Pennsylvania, and without a hunting mentor to turn to, he learned to deer hunt through trial and error.  One such lesson:   Kalobe says that that the hunting pressure in his area is so high that learning to pattern the hunter is just as important as learning the pattern the deer. His goal is to shoot and kill one good mature buck each season. And to do this, Kalobe likes a good clean hunt. A clean hunt to Kalobe is when everything is in sync- the wind, the timing, the gear placement, your walk to the stand, right down to the noises you made getting in and out.  Using game cameras, he starts his observations in May and as he says, he likes to stick with 'em. What this means is that Kalobe likes to find out how they go from food source to food source, sometimes up to 8 miles of observation.  Kalobe says the answers are there if you do your homework and he prefers a healthy dose of black face paint. OUR SPONSORS: Advanced Treestands, Covert Scouting Cameras, Ho

Can hunting survive without conservation?  Can conservation survive without hunting?  History tells us that they need each other to survive.  Hunting without rules will surely devastate a species.  Conservation regulation without hunting has shown that hunting dollars matter greatly, and without the economic backing, poachers have a field day.   This is perhaps no better represented as in the case of the white rhino where the horn of the rhino brings big bucks in the far east to supply a culture's demand based on ancient medicinal beliefs.  Cole Reid, from the Stewards of Wildlife,  is all to familiar with these concepts as he is attempting to herd 2500 rhinos on his ranch in Texas. This herd will perhaps one day supply the world with what could be the only white rhino started-culture on earth. Cole is a long time deer hunter and now world conservationist. Stay tuned as we explore a global view of conservation and hunting in this episode. Oh, and we talk a lot about deer hunting too. OUR SPONSORS: Advanced Tr

When you meet Heather Shepherd for the first time, you'll be hard pressed to know that you are face to face with a hardcore hunting machine.  Her modesty, quiet demeanor, and lack of desire to be in the spotlight, will leave you guessing. Unless you do ask, you wouldn't know that Heather is in line to be the President of North Carolina's Dixie Deer Classic, or that she holds a North Carolina state record for black bear kill, or that she is a crack shot - frequently killing game at 500 yards or more, and that she recent killed an alligator with her knife. What? Yes, true story. We caught up with Heather recently at SHOT Show, Las Vegas and we were psyched when she said yes to joining us on the podcast.  Heather is the real deal. OUR SPONSORS: Advanced Treestands, Covert Scouting Cameras, HB Seed Company, The Eurohanger, Morse's Sporting Goods DEER NEWS: 5 Herbicides Every Deer Steward Should Know Driver Attempts CPR on Deer in Minnesota HERE'S WHAT WE DISCUSS: A North Carolina Girl, A Country Girl You Have

When James Blakenbeckler first picked up a .177 pellet gun as a kid, he probably didn't realize that it was the beginning of a career in the Marine Corps and eventually the hunting industry.  But then again, maybe he did.  Qualifying on the Marine Corps firing range was a piece of cake as James spent many an day shooting his gun growing up.  James is a planner. So much so that he would calculate exactly how many days he could be absent in high school to pursuit more time in the treestand. Today, James is part owner of Open Season TV and we were lucky enough to have him as a guest on Episode 200 of the Big Buck Registry Deer Hunting Podcast.   We cover everything from buck body language, to Game Cam placement, to calling deer like most turkey hunters call in turkeys. We also learn how James plays the wind, uses thermals to his advantage (something he learned in the Marine Corps), how deer act natural around platforms placed at least 6 feet off the ground and how to begin your deer season (right after the last

Josh McDaniel is a stone cold deer hunting machine.  But so is his wife, Krysten McDaniel. Pay no attention to Krysten's well groomed hair and manicured nails - it carries no merit.  Over the years, together they have zoned in on hunting big mature whitetail in some of the best whitetail areas in the country, namely Kansas, Illinois, and Indiana.  Josh taught Krysten everything he knows about deer hunting, and now, each are lethal.  Josh says that studying the individual habits of each buck you hunt is crucial to success because bucks are as individual as people.  They each have their own unique habits and it's your job as the student to identify when to move in for the kill. And, that these studies can sometimes take years, not months, to figure out. OUR SPONSORS: Advanced Treestands, Covert Scouting Cameras, The HB Seed Company, Eurohanger, and Morse's Sporting Goods DEER NEWS: Threat of Moose Tick Looms Continued Reintroduction of Wolves in New Mexico Teen Who Jumped into Bass Pro Fish Tank May Face Charg

Rob Richardson lives a primitive life,  commuting across a pond to get to and from his home and vehicle for work.  His home is equipped with solar electricity and Rob's cell phone reception allows him to watch his favorite show The Rifleman.  But television is the least of his concerns.  Rob's true form of entertainment is found in the woods, hunting for sheds, or deer, or turkey or checking game cameras or talking to others about shed hunting, or helping others find a wounded deer, or playing fetch with his shed hunting dogs.  And when he's not doing any of those things, you might find him with a brush and easel, painting an image of a buck that he has stuck in his head.  Rob finds many a shed in his New Hampshire deer woods each season, which is unusual considering how few antlers there are to actually find in New Hampshire.  Rob sticks out as one of those outdoorsmen that seems to be particularly gifted at his craft, so, we felt an interview was only appropriate. OUR SPONSORS:  Advanced Treestands , Covert

As a whitetail hunter, can you imagine growing up in Buffalo County, Wisconsin and having access to some of the most renowned whitetail in the country?  Shanyn Hart didn't imagine this.  She grew up learning how to hunt in Buffalo County. Despite the fun and the endless camaraderie that Shanyn enjoyed while engaging in endless deer drives with her father and friends, she eventually decided to pursue her whitetail passion in Iowa, where she says the attitude towards the herd is much different than the home she left.  Iowa has given Shanyn a new view on deer management and she has developed some of her own strategies relative to numerous food plots to keep multiple big bucks on her property. She also has a method for treestand placement  and getting in and out of the stand. And now, because of her social media presence, Shanyn is about to launch into the world of Outdoor Channel television with a show called Miss Wildgame.  Stay tuned, Shanyn can hang with the best deer hunters in the country. OUR SPONSORS:  Ad

When faced with copious amounts of free range organic meat, aka venison, what else should one do but cook it.  That's exactly what started a new way of life for Stacy Lyn Harris who now lives a life that is, for all intents and purposes, a homesteading lifestyle.  But there's a twist.  Stacy Lyn, who engages fully in preparing wild game, growing her own produce from heirloom, non-GMO seeds, and harvesting honey from her own hives, prefers to add vibrance, and color, and spice to the way she goes about it. In fact,  her blog is dedicated to bringing her day to day homesteading endeavours to life with great stories, colorful pictures, and mouth watering recipes. OUR SPONSORS: Advanced Treestands www.AdvancedTreestands.com Covert Scouting Camera www.DLCCovert.com Horny Buck Seed Company www.HornyBuckSeed.com Eurohanger www.Euro-Hanger.com Morse's Sporting Goods www.MorseSportingGoods.com DEER NEWS: Indiana Deer Crash Stats Still Staggering Poaching Becomes Felony in New Mexico Bra Gets Tangles in Red Stag's Ant

When the leafs start to change color each fall, and the drive to deer hunt all day reaches its peak, the tune of the "hunting widow" is amplified across the country. Not to exclude the other hunting seasons, but deer hunting seems to take the brunt of this near syndromatic phenomenon.  Laura Eakin, the wife of a hardcore deer and elk hunter, once fell victim to this situation.  And, in an effort to pseudo-retaliate against this status quo, Laura started a podcast known as The Hunting Widow Podcast.   It started as a project where Laura planned to gather her hunting widow friends and verbally express their disdain for the situation.  That was the intent, but what actually happened was something completely different.  Instead of forming a quasi support group laced with microphones, Laura found herself interviewing lady hunters from across the country, beginning a life of hunting for herself,  and has formed what is arguably the only lady-hunter focused podcast in the iTunes catalog.  Laura goes into detail abou

Scott Shawl has been solving puzzles for a while now. Technically his family has been solving the big buck deer hunting puzzle since the 1800s. Ask Scott about the 300+ pound monster whitetail that his great grandfather Daniel Shawl shot back in 1914 and you'll quickly realize that the Shawl's have a long tradition of hunting whitetail bucks in places most hunters won't go. For Scott, a trip deep into a swamp with hip boots to hunt high pressured bucks is not uncommon. Scott says that hunting pressure gets so high that a even a buck which hides deep in thick swamps can walk 100 yards and live, but beyond that, it's probably a dead deer. Scott has learned to adapt his hunting to go where other hunters won't hunt, a strategy similar to Dan Infalt. Scott says that Dan helped him perfect his craft by getting closer to big bucks sleeping in swamp beds. We cover lots of ground in this show. You made want to consider buying a wet suit when it's over. OUR SPONSORS: Advanced Treestands www.AdvancedTreestands.com Cover

Nick Percy is joining us once again, but this time with a different take on food plots. The last time that we spoke with Nick was in June 2016 found here: www.BigBuckRegistry.com/killerfoodplots ,  when our focus was on food plots for the fall. Now, as the snow melts away in the Northern Zone, we learn from Nick that there are several kinds of seeds that we can throw atop frost ridden soils and let mother nature take over by working the seeds into the soil naturally. There's a point to this.  As deer come out of their food scare winter habitats (especially in the northern United States), having a rich crop of green protein and nutrients will get the herd back into shape quickly as the rest of the world follows suit down in the weeks to come. But, there are soil considerations to consider too, like ph, soil temps, and minerals.  Nick takes us through his bag of tricks for early spring food plot preparation. OUR SPONSORS: Advanced Treestands www.AdvancedTreestands.com Covert Scouting Cameras www.CovertScoutingC

Wayne Bolton walks miles.  We suggested that he try out a FitBit, just to keep track. As the "Shed Hunting Fool", over the last 20 something years, Wayne has spent almost every hour he had available from around mid-January to mid-April hunting for every antler he could locate. We estimate that this would be the equivalent of a second full time job and a second part time job if anyone is counting. But that effort pays off.  It's not uncommon for Wayne for find 50+ sheds a season (down from 100+ when the competition wasn't so great) and because he spends most of his shed hunting time in southwestern Ohio, he's finding some of nature's greatest sheds in America.  We were curious about how Wayne goes about this craft, how it relates to deer hunting, and how we could learn from his techniques and apply them anywhere in the country.  Oh, and stick around for Wayne's deer hunting story about a buck named Curley. It's a good one. OUR SPONSORS: Advanced Treestands www.AdvancedTreestands.com Morse Sporting Goods www.Mo

Growing up in Ohio and working for different farms and construction companies, Matt Light learned what hard honest work was like.  On the football field, he found a home where strength met aggression and technique.  In the hunting woods, he found an appreciation and passion for the outdoors where focus on technique mattered just as much as it did on the football field.  Matt paid little attention to football outside of his hometown high school team, but college football recruiters were paying attention to him.  He played a full collegiate career at Purdue along side Drew Brees and soon found himself playing along side Tom Brady for the New England Patriots from 2001 to 2012.  Matt says that football taught him many lessons in life, but so has hunting where he says sometimes you just have one of those days where everything goes your way. Today, after spending 11 years in the NFL, he has set his sights on raising money for the Matt Light Foundation (www.MattLight72.com) where he hopes to help the slightly misgu

Maybe's it's revenge from when Dan Infalt was charged by a buck at age 9, or maybe it's just that Dan's strategizes a deer hunt more than most. Whatever it is, Dan Infalt is one heck of a good deer hunter.  Dan begins a hunt with maps, not just to determine where the big bucks bed, but to determine where everyone else hunts, so that he doesn't. Dan loves to hunt buck beds that are surrounded by water where other hunters and most predators (except for Dan) won't travel. He also enjoys a good game of cat and mouse, scouting during the season, backtracking on buck sightings,  and feels that one of his key ingredients to killing big bucks is his ability to keep the swamp monsters guessing by rarely hunting the same set twice. Dan reveals many of his tips and tricks in this show. And just in case you have more questions, we've set up a special session with Dan on Faceook LIVE on our Facebook page on Thursday at 6pm. www.facebook.com/bigbuckregistry Here's the Link to the Follow Up https://youtu.be/GeVepvZqkqA DEER

Picture if you can traveling to a remote area,  being stripped of all your clothing, meeting a complete stranger (also naked), and being left to fend for yourselves in the raw elements of the forest or jungle. Could you do it?  This is a real scenario for Laura Zerra, one of the original cast members of the Discovery Channel's Naked and Afraid. We first met Laura at a dinner table in Las Vegas and turns out there's much more to Laura than being a reality television star.  As you might suspect Laura is full of life.  She is a survivalist and a hunter. In this episode we learn quite a bit about the elements of survival, tips on surviving in the wilderness, sleeping in coyote dens, what tarantulas taste like, and how to learn from the animals you hunt, and why Laura developed a style of hunting called persistence hunting.  OUR SPONSORS: Advanced Treestands www.AdvancedTreestands.com Morse's Sporting Goods www.MorseSportingGoods.com DEER NEWS: Baiting Bill Could Change Hunting in Alabama 2016 Iowa Deer Harvest T