This episode of the Land & Legacy Podcast is all about family, summertime preparation, and three unforgettable nights in the whitetail woods with Alan Summerford and his son, Reid.

Hunting in the heat of summer, Alan and Reid focused their efforts around joint vetch food plots, putting their preparation and patience to the test. Reid struck first, taking a buck on back-to-back nights and quickly turning the hunt into a father-son adventure neither of them would forget.

Then, on night three, it was Alan’s turn.

Three consecutive nights. Three successful hunts. And a whole lot of memories made together.

From sitting over summer food plots in the heat to putting in the work and making the most of every opportunity, this episode highlights what hunting is really about — time spent outdoors, sharing the experience with family, and making memories that last long after the season ends.

Join Alan and Reid as they break down the hunts, the preparation, the strategy behind hunting joint vetch, and the moments that made this three-night stretch one to remember.

With most things in life, we like to complicate things. On this week's podcast we sit down with Adam Brooke of Veritas Outfitters to discuss archery setups and how to cut through the fluff. We're talking arrow setups, nocks, new bows, and all things archery!

Saddle Hunting: A Private-Land Advantage with Tethrd

In this episode of the Land & Legacy Podcast, Adam sits down with Josh Hillyard from Tethrd Hunting to dive into saddle hunting and why this versatile hunting method can be especially valuable for private-land hunters.

Saddle hunting has changed the way many hunters approach the woods, giving them the ability to hunt from trees that traditional stands simply can’t access. For private-land landowners, that mobility can be a major advantage when it comes to hunting specific deer movement patterns, accessing difficult terrain, and taking advantage of the habitat improvements they’ve worked so hard to create.

Adam and Josh discuss the fundamentals of saddle hunting, what makes the system different from a traditional tree stand, and how hunters can use it to become more mobile and strategic throughout the season. They also explore how saddle hunting can fit into a broader land-management strategy—allowing hunters to adapt their setups around food plots, bedding areas, travel corridors, terrain features, and changing deer behavior.

Whether you’re already hunting from a saddle or have been considering making the switch, this conversation provides practical insight into how this technique can help private-land hunters hunt smarter, minimize pressure, and make better use of the habitat they’ve created.

Tune in as Adam and Josh break down saddle hunting and how private landowners can utilize this technique to become more mobile, adaptable, and effective in the deer woods.

Adam and Alan sit down to discuss one of the most important parts of deer hunting that often gets overlooked: pre-season preparation. A successful hunt doesn't begin when you climb into a tree on opening morning—it begins weeks and months beforehand with understanding the property, studying deer movement, placing trail cameras strategically, and making sure your stand locations actually match the conditions you plan to hunt.

The conversation starts with trail camera placement and why hunters shouldn't simply hang cameras wherever they see a good trail. Adam and Alan discuss using cameras to answer specific questions about deer movement, bedding areas, food sources, staging areas, funnels, and travel corridors. They also cover the importance of understanding when deer are moving rather than simply identifying which bucks are using the property.

What if everything you thought you knew about your deer herd was wrong?

This week on the Land & Legacy Podcast, Adam sits down with Jack Huston, founder of Midwest Deer Surveys, to discuss what thousands of thermal drone flights across hundreds of hunting properties have revealed about whitetail management. Jack has surveyed more than 500 farms covering hundreds of thousands of acres, using thermal drone technology to provide landowners with accurate deer density estimates, buck-to-doe ratios, property mapping, and herd health analysis.

Together, Adam and Jack dive into why so many properties are carrying far more deer than they should, how excessive deer densities suppress habitat quality and antler potential, and why proper doe harvest remains one of the most overlooked tools in wildlife management. The conversation explores the relationship between habitat improvement and herd management, emphasizing that neither can reach its full potential without the other.

The discussion also covers the advantages of thermal drone surveys over traditional trail camera inventories, common mistakes landowners make when estimating deer numbers, and how objective data can remove emotion from management decisions. Whether you're managing 40 acres or 4,000, understanding what's truly living on your property is the first step toward creating healthier habitat, producing older age-class bucks, and building a sustainable deer herd.

If you're serious about improving your property and making informed management decisions instead of educated guesses, this episode is packed with practical insights backed by real-world observations from hundreds of farms across the Midwest.