Ryder kicks off deer season solo on the home place—one bolt in the quiver by dad’s orders. A 4-year-old eight strolls to 15 yards, the bolt flies, and the woods erupts. Then it twists: a bigger ten shows, then an even heavier buck. No second shot. Just a whisper-call with dad, a blood trail like paint, and a rite of passage sealed. “The ice has my heart, but the woods has my soul.” Yeah—felt that.

From there we crack open our own first-buck files: a Pennsylvania stump sit, an orange safety whistle, and a .308 that zipped through; a ladder-stand chocolate-milk moment with a thumping .300 Win Mag; a buddy-stand six-point that lit the fuse for filming it all. Climbers with seatbelts, milk-jug beers, and tree stands that bucked back—plus the tech shift from no-intel sits to cell cams and why stripping it down sometimes makes the hunt again.

We wrap on what’s next: studio rhythm now, remotes all through deer season, Michigan to Ohio to Missouri, waterfowl and whitetails, and Deadwood coming in hot. Buckle up—season’s rolling.

Lives well lived. Stories worth telling. Join the brotherhood at keeferbrothers.com and grab the free companion app.