Bama Wall Hangers - Hunting Podcast

Today we're talking with Matthew Reeves of Southern Pursuit. Matt spends most of his time hunting both public and private lands in Alabama, but the nature of his job and past schooling as a forester has had him constantly moving around the southeast. Because of his situation, he's been forced to learn how to adapt to his surroundings and try to find success on bucks in different terrain types & habitat. From Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, & Georgia, Matt is constantly adding to his "hunting arsenal". There are so many different tactics discussed through the episode, it would be hard to summarize it all in one paragraph. However, if you find yourself hunting public land in the South, no matter what terrain type you may be in, you're sure to find something in this episode that you can relate with! Make sure to check out Matt's YouTube channel, Southern Pursuit, to see some of the cool hunts talked about in this episode. 

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This week we're talking with our good friend Adam Crews of Tennessee about how he found success on a great public land buck during a late season "secondary rut" hunt in Kentucky. Adam breaks down his thought process going into this short 2 day out of state hunt, telling us what he was looking for & what sign he was keying in on that ultimately lead to him putting an arrow in a great buck. It's no secret that the month of November is a magical time for deer hunters in most of the country. It's the likely time of the year that most of us are putting in for vacation to have the best odds of killing a mature buck when he is most vulnerable.  There's no doubt that it can be your best chance, however, December shouldn't be overlooked. There have been many studies about what is known as the secondary rut that would typically fall 28 days after the primary rut. These studies have narrowed down a lot of the rut action to one of two things: 1. Does that have not been bred yet, and 2. yearling/doe fawns that are coming into sexual maturity later in the season. As Adam experienced, this time of the year can be just as productive, and in some cases more productive than the primary rut. Adam shares with us the story of this specific hunt and how he used past experiences to put him in the right place to capitalize on a buck during this secondary rut. 

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Thanks for tuning into the Southern Ground Hunting Podcast. We've got a great episode this week. Our beloved co-host is TAGGED OUT in Alabama. Drew fills us in on the story and tactics that went into him filling his last buck tag. We're also joined by our buddy Jordan Pope, who also recently tagged out on public land in North Alabama, with two of his bucks being in a 3 day timespan. As always, when we share hunting stories, we're trying to dive a little deeper into the strategy of the hunt. Both Drew and Jordan's hunts, like so many of our past guests, were based around finding the thickest cover around. Specifically pine thickets & clear cuts. The more successful southern deer hunters we talk to, the more it drives home the point of big bucks staying in thick areas. While thick cover still comes into play during the rut, it can be hunted a little bit different. Jordan gives us some insight into how his setup changes around thick cover based on the time of the season and what point of the rut his area is in. 

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As 2020 comes to a close, a sigh of relief comes across the nation. As bad as this year was for us, we had some incredible guests on the podcast! This week, Parker is going to run you through some of the top "gold nuggets" from some of our most popular guests of the year. We hear success stories from every one of you all season long talking about how these guests helped you be successful in the whitetail woods. So to close out the year, we thought it would be great to highlight these pieces of wisdom from some of the greatest hunting minds we've had on the show. We'll look back on convos from guests like Michael Perry, Jamie McCay, Matt Powell, Nathan Killen, Reese Johnson & Land Smathers. All with different hunting styles, but tons of success chasing big mature public land bucks in the South. 

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In this episode Parker and Hunter Lindsey breakdown two big buck hunts that Hunter was able to have in the 2020 season. The guys talk about the learning curve with hunting public land, but more importantly the things that Hunter has been doing to increase his odds.

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This week the guys are breaking down a couple of rut hunts that Parker had last week, resulting in filling his third buck tag for the season in Alabama. There were a lot of things that went into this hunt. 1) The grind. Perhaps one thing most people who kill a lot of public land bucks share in common is the desire to grind for as long as it takes. Go the extra mile, wake up 3 hours earlier, go places many are not willing to go, and do it for however long it takes. 2) Understanding thermals. As Parker talks about these hunts, he shares how much having a good understanding of thermals has contributed to his success more than almost anything. It's not hard to read buck sign and know what area to hunt. The hard part is knowing where to set up to get the opportunity to kill those bucks. Thermals can make or break you! 3) Hunting the area at the right time to have an encounter with a buck on your first sit... the rut! Mature bucks are in their most vulnerable state during the rut. If you have a spot you know holds big bucks, the rut is the best time to go after them. 

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We've got a great episode for you this week. We're talking with Jason Newton of North Georgia. We get into the nitty gritty of his hunting style, searching for mature bucks in the steep mountain country. Jason has killed some big bucks in his lifetime, mostly in the big woods/mountain country of Georgia. Today we're breaking down how he keys in on certain features in these steep hills and hollers, that tend to produce the most big bucks. We talk about wind, thermals, thick cover, but most importantly... terrain. If you're from the eastern portion of the south, you've more than likely dealt with some of the same type of territory as Jason. Big woods, monotonous, bluffs... just difficult to navigate land. As Jason points out in the episode, there are certain things that you can find in these places that can produce great mature bucks if you put in the time and effort. Jason also talks about the importance of being mobile in his hunting strategy, all the way down to the type of vehicle that he drives. Speaking of which, Jason's "Vandalizer" Van is a deer killing machine! This was one great episode, and you're sure to learn something no matter what part of the country you're hunting. 

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There's an old phrase that hunters often use, "don't leave deer to find deer". That phrase holds true in today's podcast. Drew recaps his last two weeks of hunting, telling the stories of two different bucks he's killed since the last time we talked. We break down his hunt by talking about what led him to hunt that area. Not rubs, not scrapes, but good old fashioned deer tracks. The guys discuss the important of finding tracks and why it's an incredibly productive sign to look for. Drew tells us about this area where he had found a ton of tracks, and after hunting it several times the deer sightings did not seem to slow down. We've talked to several guests who consistently kill deer out of the same tree, which might go against the "first sit, best sit" theory. In this case, Drew continued to hunt this same spot and eventually it paid off. While the majority of this property has a pretty low deer density, this spot seemed to be a pocket. We've learned that once you've found a pocket of deer, you've found a great thing!

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One thing that doesn't come to mind when thinking about Texas, is of course public land. With such a small percentage of public, it can be extremely difficult to find a place to hunt without forking out thousands of dollars. Sure you have Whataburger on every corner, so there's a plus side to living in the Lonestar state. However, if you like to chase big bucks on public land, Texas can be a difficult feat to take on. Our good friends, Tyler and Kc, started documenting their adventures on Texas public for YouTube, and it has been a journey to watch. This week we are joined by one part of the duo, Tyler Jones. Tyler has had success on big bucks in Texas for back to back years, and he shares with us some of the strategies he's used to elevate himself above the rest. We discuss some of the difficulties that come with hunting on public land in Texas like: weird antler restrictions, heavy baiting culture, flat topography, & of course hunting pressure. We hear Tyler's take on those challenges, and how he has overcome them in his hunting style. 

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It's the magic time of the season for ALMOST everyone! During this episode, Parker and Drew are recapping their last two weeks of hunting. They discuss the deer movement during this time of the season, specifically in Alabama. Parker shares the story and strategies he used to kill a buck on public land in Alabama, mainly how our November could be translated to most state's October "Lull". He shares some of the things he believes can lead to success during a time when bucks tend to lay low, especially when trying to cautiously but aggressively get into a buck's core area. After that, Parker talks about his recent successful trip to Kentucky where he killed a stud mature buck, also on public land. The difference is, it's the heat of the rut and bucks could be anywhere. Parker tells us how he narrowed down his focus and was able to tag out extremely quick! 

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