CinSanity Outdoors

Brandon Epperson kills big deer in September while everybody else is waiting on November. 60 cell cams across four states, 12 of them on one 10-acre core area, and a 200" velvet buck to show for it.

We sat down with Brandon (Homegrown Outdoors, KY) and got into why the rut can be dry as a bone, why the ugliest grown-up cattle pasture on the road might be the best door you ever knock on, how he times alfalfa for opening weekend, and Jay's bold claim that the best food plot in Kentucky is a corn pile. Plus Kentucky's one-rule-change-away gun season debate, midday hunting, and why old bucks get lazy.

Clayton, Graham, and Jay with Brandon Epperson. Laid back, no script, just deer talk.

Want to see the faces behind the voices? The full video version is on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HAMIWd965mk

CHAPTERS

00:00 Meet Brandon Epperson

06:04 Why he kills early and skips the rut

07:51 Best big buck state: KY, IN, OH or IL?

08:29 Leasing vs. buying hunting ground

12:49 Do big bucks actually die in food plots?

17:42 Running 60 cell cams in 4 states

20:57 Plant this if you want a buck opening weekend

24:36 Soil is the whole game

26:09 Why trashy fields beat pretty food plots

27:15 The 200" velvet buck: 12 cameras, 10 acres

31:38 "The best food plot in Kentucky is a corn pile"

36:08 What hunting other states teaches you

38:40 Kentucky's gun season problem

43:03 Calling: only when you can see him

44:45 The best access plan in Kentucky

49:41 The 10am–2pm window

51:24 Why old bucks get lazy

53:16 Never plant the same thing twice

57:04 Did hunting TV create the food plot craze?

Joel Burham — known to most as Whitetail Fit — didn't grow up with relatives or mentors helping him cut the learning curve. It was just him and a buddy teaching themselves how to hunt, how to kill mature bucks on any ground they could find and for Joel, eventually how to build his own outdoor brand from scratch with the same dream most of us have.

In this episode, we get into:

• Growing up self-taught
• How to consistently kill mature bucks on permission and public land with no preset stands
• Archery tips for those at any level
• Buying property and what starting with it fresh would look like
• A little of what it actually takes to build a content brand in the outdoor space

Joel's story is proof that you don't need connections, ground you own, or a film crew to go after big game and build something real. If you've ever wanted to create content, chase mature whitetails on permission and public land, or just start from zero and figure it out — this one's for you.

Follow Joel: Whitetail Fit on Instagram @whitetail_fit & YouTube @WhitetailFit

🎧 Subscribe for more hunting stories, strategy, and conversations with the people building the outdoor industry.

AJ Ayres, otherwise known as Deer and Degrees on social media, is living the dreaming Kentucky! Well the start of one. AJ is fresh out of college, building his own work career and deer hunting career. We sit down and not only swap stories with AJ, but we dive into what methods he finds successful for getting permission to deer hunt from people, some tips on producing your own content, the business of land, hunting scrapes, and more. Sit down, buckle up, and enjoy the fresh content!

What does it really take to consistently get on big whitetails year after year?

In this episode, we sit down with Randy Birdsong of HeadHunters TV and Joe Umphries of Big Tine—two longtime friends who have spent decades chasing mature bucks and learning what it takes to manage land and deer herds the right way.

This conversation dives deep into whitetail land management, herd health, predator control, and the strategies serious deer hunters use to produce mature bucks consistently. Randy also breaks down his evolving “Change I Theory”—a mindset shift that has helped him stay on big deer season after season by adapting, spreading out, and avoiding the common mistakes that educate mature bucks.

We also discuss how predator trapping can impact fawn recruitment, why food plots and habitat work matter more than most hunters realize, and what landowners can do to dramatically improve the quality of their deer herd.

If you're serious about killing mature whitetails, improving your hunting property, and understanding how big deer actually behave, this episode is packed with hard-earned knowledge and real-world experience.

If you have followed the outdoor space for a while, you probably have heard about Gregg Ritz and Thompson Center. Now, Gregg is back at the helm of Thompson Center and building it back on the legacy it started. From employees that were that from the beginning, to meeting the needs of today's customers, Thompson Center is back in a big way.

We sit down to talk with Gregg about what is going on with Thompson Center, their plans going forward, and we even learned about some innovations Thompson Center made in the past that were ahead of their time.

But wait there is more! Gregg is an outdoorsman and steward of the land himself. We dive some into his knowledge base on conservation and hunting for not only deer, but turkey and other big game as well.

Trust us when we say there is something in this episode for everyone.

CinSanity Outdoors is presented by:

Tecomate: https://tecomate.com

Chene Gear: https://chenegear.com

Tactacam: https://www.tactacam.com

Conquest Scents: https://www.conquestscents.com

Woodhaven Custom Calls: https://woodhavencustomcalls.com

Mathews: https://mathewsinc.com

Hunter Safety System: http://huntersafetysystem.com

Former MLB pitcher DJ Carrasco joins the podcast to talk about what life looks like after professional baseball—and for DJ, that means continuing to live the hunting life style, whether it be in his home state of Arizona or in Texas.

We dive into:

- Hunting coues deer and elk in Arizona

- Unforgettable Texas hunting stories

- The health benefits of wild game and giving back

- A missed elk hunt thanks to baseball

- Baseball talk

- And more

This episode is a mix of big-league stories, western hunting knowledge, and purpose-driven conversation—perfect for hunters, baseball fans, and anyone who appreciates hard-earned experiences in the field.

In this episode, we sit down with Cameron Coble, an official Boone and Crockett Club scorer who has measured and evaluated some of the biggest whitetail bucks in the country. In addition to Boone & Crockett, he is also a certified scorer for other major record-keeping clubs and a longtime writer for North American Whitetail, giving him a rare mix of real-world experience and technical knowledge.

With decades of experience and laying hands on giant racks, he breaks down what truly separates an average buck from a trophy — and what most hunters misunderstand when judging deer in the field or on trail cameras.

We cover:

• What Boone & Crockett scorers actually look for when measuring a buck

• The most important measurements that impact final score

• The most underrated measurements hunters often overlook

• How to correctly score your own deer

• Giants harvested this year and what makes them special

• Why trail camera photos can be misleading

• The best states for producing giant bucks

• How one-buck state regulations could drastically improve deer quality

• Common mistakes hunters make when judging trophy potential

Whether you’re new to deer hunting or love diving into the technical side of scoring and antler measurements, this episode gives you a clearer understanding of what makes a buck truly exceptional — straight from someone who’s seen more giant deer in person than most hunters ever will.

If you’ve ever wondered how close your buck really was… this episode will change how you look at antlers forever.

We decided to do a podcast with another podcaster and what a treat it was, with Dan Johnson! Dan has been doing this full time for quite a while now, and we had awesome conversations about life lessons in hunting, avoiding that dopamine hit from you phone in the woods, positives and negatives that social media plays in the hunting world today, and more! We even talked about our lovely wives and why they let us do what we do when it comes to hunting. Great stories, superb lessons, and some good laughs! So buckle up butter cup!

Most people know Matt from his time on the mound, but he has a deep passion and love for bow hunting mature whitetails too. After starting out being more of a duck hunter in his youth, he has transitioned more so to whitetails. Having a place in Kansas, he is no stranger to monster bucks and playing the chess match!

We take a deep dive with Matt into the story of the Booner he harvested this year on his Kansas farm and the mental struggles it takes to play the chess match with one animal. We even dive into a little baseball with him and Graham Ashcraft to talk about the differences in the adrenaline rush between being on the mound in an MLB ballpark and having a mature whitetail in bow range.

BONUS: We talk a little bit about his passion for collecting sports cards, and he and Graham talk a little bit about Elly De La Cruz.

Sit back and enjoy the insiders scoop!

It seems that the older people get, the more they get stuck in their ways, and deer hunters are no different. But with that being said, saddle hunting is here to change the way some of us hunt, no matter how stubborn we are about our lock on tree stands.

This week we have a long discussion with Hunter Safety System's Lucas Cagle about saddle hunting and the advantages it provides over a tradition lock on. Yes both are great tool and both have their place, but as a mostly lock on hunter myself, I for one have seen that saddles can have their advantages in certain situations.

Some of this was about challenging ourselves to accept new ways of hunting, and after taking the saddles out ourselves, we have seen the light in the situation. Enjoy!