On this week's Deer Season Special Bonus episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitch is joined by fan favorite, Johnny Stewart.  This conversation occurred leading into deer season 2023, and the boys recap Johnny's 2022 WV buck, then dive into the hot topic of hunting pressure.  This rabbit hole discussion leads to a few stories of interpreting hunting pressure around clear cuts, and even a few hunts for bucks close to the road.  As always, there is something to learn from John when he is thinking about whitetails!

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On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman we chat with Jason Say from Wired Outdoors.  Jason is a born and raised Pennsylvania hunter that works hard each and every season to fill his buck tag.  We begin by discussing how the content in which he produces over time has changed.  His goal is to make the most relatable content possible to his viewers.  The things you see him do on his show are things many PA hunters can accomplish with a little sweat equity.

Last year in 2022, Jason had an emotional rollercoaster hunt for a deer that was a gross Boone and Crockett buck.  His strategy for this deer was not much different than his others - hunt smart and as often as possible.  However, the grind for this buck was like nothing he had ever experienced.  After over 70 sits for this deer, he was able to wrap his tag around it during PA rifle season.  You can see everything on the Wired Outdoors YouTube channel and be sure to check out All In: A Deer Hunting Documentary - a story for a magnificent PA whitetail.

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On this week's Deer Season Special bonus episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitch is joined by his buddy Aaron Hepler.  Aaron takes over the hosting duties on this episode and they discuss Mitch's 2023 PA archery buck.  This was Mitch's second largest archery buck on a brand new property.  They discuss scouting the property leading up to the evening of Oct 27 when Mitch put in his first sit of the year on this property hang-and-hunt style.  These two chatty characters swap plenty of deer hunting stories and experiences throughout this episode - this is what it's all about this time of year!

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On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitch is joined by Taylor Fleisher.  Taylor is a well rounded outdoorsman; between trapping and bowhunting whitetails he spends a lot of time in the woods!  Taylor has been known to knock down some good buck with the bow, but this week we are talking about his other passion - furbearers.  Taylor has run a trapline since he was very young with his father.  Now he takes time each year to catch ol' Wile E Coyote.

Taylor breaks down a number of things to better understand land trapping predators.  As with anything, scouting is key, which he discusses how via e-maps, from the truck, and on the ground.  He brings up his preferred method of trap preparation, then a breakdown of making his sets.  He discusses when he prefers food over call lures and other curiosity scents.  There is a ton of information in this episode, whether you're a beginning trapper or have been around the block a time or two, there is something to learn from Taylor!

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On this week's Deer Season Special bonus episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitch is joined by long time friend Travis Bailey.  Mitch and Travis grew up hunting deer and small game together.  We take a trip down memory lane and revisit the story of a buck Travis harvested in 2013 after following along for 3 seasons.  Travis shares that the first two years of trail camera inventory felt like he was hunting a ghost.  He had one late season encounter with the buck in year 1, but chose to pass as the deer had shed one of his antlers.

The story ramps up when in year 3 the camera inventory drastically picks up, as the amount of daylight images increased providing hope.  After harvesting the buck, Mitch and Travis discuss what it was like for each of them to achieve a high level hunting goal of killing a big mature buck of this caliber.  While another deer this size may happen again in the future, the areas we hunt in Pennsylvania don't have this class animal behind every tree each season.  The guys discuss recalibrating their hunting goals and expectations.  This includes a change in hunting scenery, as Travis shares a new passion of hunting bucks on the public land mountains near his home.  This story is one for the record books, enjoy! 

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On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitch is joined by Dan Collins from Hardway Outdoors.  Dan is an all around avid outdoorsman, enjoying the moment while he is in it.  We begin our conversation recapping Dan's recent experience guiding fishing trips in Alaska.  Then we dive into the wonderful world of bowhunting whitetails.

Dan has a passion for hunting with a stickbow and we discuss what the process of preparation looks like for him leading to opening day.  Dan hunted opening week, but left for a trip to hunt Mule Deer out west shortly after.  This leads us to discuss preparation for the time of year we all love - the rut.  Dan shares how he used summertime trail cameras, historical hunting experiences, and knowledge of terrain and pinch points to put himself in the best odds locations for a whitetail buck this fall.  The moral of this episode is to enjoy what you're doing, while you're doing it - it's about the adventure!

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On this week's Deer Season Special bonus episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitch was joined by New Jersey bowhunter, Greg Litzinger.  Greg is a well-known public land bowhunter who loves hunting the mountains targeting mature bucks.  Throughout the many episodes Greg has recorded on other shows, he has discussed various tactics including buck beds and bed hunting.  While you may pick up on a few tactics and tricks, this conversation goes down a different path.

Greg and Mitch converse over numerous deer hunting stories and experiences.  Greg shares with us a hunt for a buck that took him into firearm season, and when faced with the opportunity to harvest the buck with a gun, chose to let him walk.  This was when he realized that bowhunting was truly at his core.  Greg talks about the various habitat and terrain types he has hunted.  While his heart is hunting in the mountains, Greg shares that one of his more recent challenges is hunting big bucks in the Pine Barrens.  When you spend as much time on public land as Greg, you also can have some unique encounters with people.  Greg has some bizarre interactions with the non-hunting community he shares.  

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On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitch is joined by good friend and experienced deer hunter Tim Himmelberger.  Tim was a self taught bowhunter fueled by the same passion as many of us - chasing big bucks.  Tim started out from humble beginnings, and worked his tail off to purchase some properties with a good friend.  This began a new journey - how do you hold the best bucks in the neighborhood?

At the time of Tim's journey, Quality Deer Management and the plethora of land management advice we have today was nearly non-existent.  Everything was learned via trial and error and the school of hard knocks.  Many lessons were learned the hard way, but ultimately they were able to put down some of the best bucks in the neighborhood at a time no one else was doing with regularity.  This conversation is merely a snapshot of a lifetime whitetail phanatic.  You'll pick up some excellent tricks and tactics for hunting bucks during the rut, near bedding, and using things like spot lighting for inventory in the neighborhood. 

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On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman Mitch is joined by fellow podcaster Clint Campbell.  Clint is a Pennsylvania native and diehard bowhunter who is no stranger to the challenges of hunting high pressure states.  Clint discusses some encounters over the past few years and the learning experiences that resulted.  We also touch on how stepping away from bowhunting whitetails throughout the year and having a healthy outlet can actually aid with your focus each fall.  We close the episode discussing some of the guests with the biggest influence on Clint's bowhunting through his years as a podcast host. 

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This week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman Mitch is joined by friends and hunting partners Mark Lesher, Mike Lesher, and Jason Miller.  The four have a round table BS session revolving around their New Jersey hunting trip that took place Oct 9-14.  The area was new to everyone so we first discussed the scouting trips from late summer into fall.  The terrain and habitat type was much different than other areas the group has bear hunted in the past, so it was a unique learning experience.  From here we dove into the events of the week of hunting, totalling over 30 bear sightings, two bears and one buck killed.  A lot was learned on this trip - and we can't wait for next year!

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