If “more deer, more tags” hasn’t moved the needle in California, what will? We make the case for a better message—forest health and balanced wildlife management—and back it up with a rigorous camera trap study designed to deliver real numbers, not anecdotes. With blacktail deer as an umbrella species, we walk through how the right habitat mosaics lift the entire ecosystem, from neotropical songbirds to lions, and why timing burns and managing succession can make or break recovery.

We break down the science in plain language: how spatial and motion-triggered images capture both habitat condition and large-mammal activity, how AI speeds clean data, and how cameras fit alongside fecal DNA and historical surveys. Early results hint at lower densities than many expected across big landscapes, which is exactly why unbiased sampling matters. From oak woodland savannas to montane timber, we map what deer actually eat, how acorn-rich years change behavior, and why catastrophic fires can flip plant communities away from preferred browse if burns hit at the wrong time.

The conversation also celebrates the craft of hunting in Northern California—patiently aging bucks, respecting tight home ranges, and sticking with tough recoveries. Stories of non-typical giants and river mishaps meet a clear ethic: follow the science, tell the truth, and fix the habitat. Agenda 23 is our campaign to rally hunters, non-hunters, landowners, and agencies around shared outcomes: healthier forests, smarter regulations, and a revived outdoor heritage that welcomes new voices.

Want to dig into the data or get involved? Visit mcbadeer.com, check Wildlife Insights for our project dots, and reach us at [email protected]. If this mission resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review so others can find it.

Nilch'i Wind Checks
Nilch’i Wind Checks - An easy to use, must have gear addition to our hunts

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Scent Elimination Products

Tinks
Tinks Scents

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A number on a page says California holds 500,000 deer. Our boots say otherwise. We sat down with Paul Trouett and John Wagenet to map the ground truth of blacktail across Mendocino and the B‑Zones—why herds feel thinner, how habitats shifted, and what it takes to bring the Pacific Ghost back into the open.

We start with lived experience: families who learned safety by feel, close shots in thick manzanita, and the art of reading wind, seeps, and sign. From there we move to evidence. The Mendocino County Blacktail Association built a grassroots model—local dollars funding local projects—then partnered with biologists to study what really changed. The findings are blunt: decadent browse with low protein, vanishing canopy that once offered thermal cover, and heavy bear predation crushing fawn survival. Lions are present but less dense than rumor suggests, while kleptoparasitism and scattered enforcement complicate the picture. Add the fallout from years of illicit grows—poisons, pressure, and missing data—and you get decline by accumulation.

Hope looks practical, not flashy. Oak release and targeted thinning revive acorns and understory nutrition. Prescribed fire and mastication reset habitat quality. Water matters at micro-scale; hidden seeps and mud pockets support both deer and ethical ambush sites. Better bullets improve recovery. Better data reconnects policy to reality. And better access management creates small sanctuaries where a six-year-old buck can make it to seven. We share field stories, study results, and a blueprint any county can adapt: measure, fix habitat, understand predators, and keep the work local.

If blacktail hunting, conservation, and real numbers matter to you, hit play and join the effort. Subscribe, leave a review to boost the mission, and share this with a hunter or landowner who can help turn the next acre into healthy deer ground.

Nilch'i Wind Checks
Nilch’i Wind Checks - An easy to use, must have gear addition to our hunts

Dead Down Wind
Scent Elimination Products

Tinks
Tinks Scents

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Ever wondered if AI can actually help you tag a smarter hunt, or if it’s just another loud voice with half-truths? We put it on the stand and tested its advice against muddy boots, real rub lines, and the stubborn logic of blacktail country. Starting with a simple question—why bucks shred willows—we dug into nutrition, chemistry, and behavior to see what holds up: soft bark that peels clean, high moisture that flexes, and rich scent from torn cambium that supercharges a buck’s calling card. The more we checked those claims against local sign, the more a pattern emerged around riparian edges, shade, and security cover.

We also mapped what AI misses and how to fix it. Good prompts matter. So does verifying species ranges, reading the original studies, and using plant ID apps to tell willow from alder when fresh rubs turn red or orange. If your woods run heavy on hard-bark trees—mature oak, walnut, beech—expect fewer rubs even with deer present; shift your scouting toward flexible young cedar or pines where odor and fiber reward a rub. We share practical tactics like creating starter rubs and adding a scent rope to wake up travel lines, plus a size guide for trunks that mature bucks prefer.

From there we zoom out into habitat work that turns a micro-range into home base: planting multi-purpose trees, shaping water, and letting edges grow thick so bucks can feed, rub, and vanish in two steps. AI can help draft schedules, organize scent charts, and surface follow-up questions you didn’t know to ask—but it won’t replace the craft or the law. We talk ethics, new rules on cams and drones, and why the spirit of the hunt still lives in woodsmoke, thermals, and patience. If you’re ready to use technology without losing your edge, hit play, subscribe, and leave a review to tell us how you’re building smarter sign this season.

Nilch'i Wind Checks
Nilch’i Wind Checks - An easy to use, must have gear addition to our hunts

Dead Down Wind
Scent Elimination Products

Tinks
Tinks Scents

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Ever passed a buck on the first morning and felt it echo all week? We did, and the story unpacks more than a near miss. We break down a Kansas whitetail hunt that swung from single-digit wind chill to warm afternoons, then connect each lesson to blacktail realities in the Pacific Northwest. Along the way, we dig into why food doesn’t force daylight, how wind and terrain shape movement, and what guided hunts can teach you if you ask the right questions.

We compare whitetail aggression and responsiveness to rattling and snort-wheeze with the quieter, tighter game of blacktail in thick timber. You’ll hear how travel corridors and pinch points trump bait in ag country, why 20-plus mph gusts can relax deer on open hills, and how entry and exit routes decide whether mature bucks ever show in shooting light. We also tackle the context most hunters miss: regional genetics, habitat density, and rainfall all skew body size, antler growth, and what a “good” buck really means.

If you’re building a smarter plan this season, use our three-part framework: e-scout for habitat edges, put boots on the ground to find the bedroom door, and pressure-test your access until it’s silent and scent-safe. For whitetail, layer in biologist intel on buck-to-doe ratios and rainfall to boost daylight odds. Whether you hunt pop-up blinds on greenbelts or hang-ons above finger ridges, the core holds: habitat first, wind always, corridors over hype. Your tag, your memory. Subscribe, share with a buddy who needs a wind check, and leave a review with your biggest “I should’ve shot” story.

Nilch'i Wind Checks
Nilch’i Wind Checks - An easy to use, must have gear addition to our hunts

Dead Down Wind
Scent Elimination Products

Tinks
Tinks Scents

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Bucks broadcast more than tracks. They paint the woods with scent from orbital, forehead, tarsal, metatarsal, and interdigital glands—messages about identity, rank, breeding readiness, danger, and direction of travel. We break down how to read that code, why blacktail scrapes differ from whitetail, and how to separate fleeting “dominance rubs” from dependable, year-over-year rub lines that actually put deer in front of you.

We share hard-won tactics for finding annual rub lines along edges, overgrown skid roads, alders, and viny maples, including how to read rub sides to infer bedding and travel direction. You’ll learn how tarsal staining correlates with testosterone and age class, why metatarsal scent helps blacktail and mule deer synchronize escape, and how interdigital glands quietly mark trails and “hot zones” after a spook—one reason careful entries and exits matter as much as stand choice. We also dig into mature buck behavior: how three-plus year-olds favor thicker cover, stage until dark, and avoid the obvious paths that does and young bucks use.

Body language and sound round out the picture. Relaxed ears and tail twitches, pinned ears and raised hackles, lowered heads and squared shoulders—each cue tells you when to draw or wait. On the audio side, we compare doe and buck grunts, when a fawn distress call helps or hurts, and the precise moments a snort wheeze flips a switch in a lone rutting buck. Expect practical, field-ready advice: how wind carries estrus scent across a valley, why clearcuts glow with night rubs that waste daylight sits, and what a doe’s “blow” actually means for your next hour in the stand.

If this breakdown sharpened your game, follow the show, leave a quick review, and share it with a hunting buddy who reads the woods by sight but not yet by scent. Your support helps more hunters turn sign into success.

Nilch'i Wind Checks
Nilch’i Wind Checks - An easy to use, must have gear addition to our hunts

Dead Down Wind
Scent Elimination Products

Tinks
Tinks Scents

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

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Big blacktail aren’t a mystery when you respect their routine. We sit down with Mark Boon to unpack how a hunter who once struggled close to home stacked two strong seasons back-to-back and sealed a Pope & Young buck in September. The shift wasn’t magic; it was method. Mark traded rut-only hopes for a locating-first strategy, used trail cameras as tools instead of toys, and learned exactly where his buck entered and exited a tight bedding core. One sixty-yard stand move transformed sparse encounters into near-certainty.

We dig into the five factors and how to time sits without overthinking the moon. A storm front, a twenty-degree temperature drop, and rising pressure created the daylight window Mark needed—no scents, no bait, just a clear plan built on summer patterns. You’ll hear how data trims empty sits, how naming a target buck fuels grit, and why blacktail fidelity lets you build one season on the last. If logging or predators don’t blow it up, that buck you saw in October is likely there next October, and that changes everything about how you scout, wait, and move.

We also share the small tweaks that add up: running five to six cameras for data rather than dopamine, treating failure sets as guidance instead of dead ends, and even adding a simple access drag that sparked rubs, scrapes, and a mid-road brawl. Mark’s looking ahead to an Oregon elk tag while keeping blacktail options open, proof the system fits September velvet, October rifle, or December archery without starting from scratch. If you’re ready to swap luck for a plan and turn “maybe tonight” into “this is the window,” press play, subscribe, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway so we can dive deeper next week.

Nilch'i Wind Checks
Nilch’i Wind Checks - An easy to use, must have gear addition to our hunts

Dead Down Wind
Scent Elimination Products

Tinks
Tinks Scents

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

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A chocolate-antler blacktail at 20 yards on opening morning isn’t a fluke—it’s the outcome of a system built on habitat, scent discipline, and patient stand time. We sit down with Cully Scroggins to unpack how a summer-long pattern, a tight entry route, and a believable scent profile turned a thick patch of viny maple and ferns into a daylight magnet. If you’ve ever been told big bucks only move at night, this story will change your map—and your mindset.

We trace Cully’s path from glassing clear cuts to hunting the “right 20 yards,” where cover, wind, and micro terrain do most of the work. He explains why he skipped estrus, leaned on synthetic bedding cues, and treated scent control like gear, not a guess. The payoff wasn’t just photos; it was confidence. Does and fawns kept the area “alive,” the dominant buck shifted the whole mood when he arrived, and a calm draw behind a tree ended with a perfect heart shot and a short death run. Along the way, we pull in hard-won lessons from his college whitetail days—access, permission, and reading edges—and show how those skills translate directly to blacktail success.

We also zoom out to talk herd health, genetics, and policy. From minerals and protein (where legal) to identifying dominant lines like “Scarface” and “Mr. Krabs,” we dig into what actually grows better deer and steadier hunts. Whether you’re wrestling with camera failures, baiting bans, or just the myth of nocturnal movement, you’ll leave with a clear, repeatable plan: find real thick, set smart, enter clean, and let behavior tell you when to draw.

If this conversation helps you rethink your approach, follow the show, share it with a hunting partner, and leave a quick review so more blacktail hunters can find it. Got a tactic that changed your season? Tell us—we might feature it next.

Nilch'i Wind Checks
Nilch’i Wind Checks - An easy to use, must have gear addition to our hunts

Dead Down Wind
Scent Elimination Products

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

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Ready to stop throwing Hail Mary hunts and start building a plan that works? We open the playbook for 2026 and share every path you can take to become your own guide, from the Trophy Tactics course to small-group coaching and immersive field days. You’ll hear exactly who each option serves, how to choose based on your schedule and learning style, and why disciplined note taking and quick troubleshooting turn trail cam photos into tagged bucks.

We walk through the online and in-person Trophy Tactics formats with clear dates, deposits, and discounts, then dig into the monthly coaching program that runs May through January. Coaching adds structure, SMART goals, and real-time support between sessions, so you never feel stuck when a target buck shifts patterns. Two included field days make the system tactile: you’ll evaluate habitat on the ground in March, then build a complete set in August—kill spot, wind, access, stand, blind, drags, and scent—so you’re ready when the season opens.

Alumni Mark and Alex share how they translated the framework into results. One used weekly online cadence to reflect, question, and stack skills; the other leaned on a fast “test set” pivot and a new blind to capitalize when a buck daylighted in a different spot. Their stories underscore the core idea: success is no accident. Data, timing, and decisive moves beat panic every time.

We also unveil the next step: the Hunters’ Gathering, an expanded, multi-day, multi-species weekend at Cascades Camp. Learn blacktail from us, elk strategies with Trent Fisher of Born and Raised, bear tactics with Heather Aldrich, and turkey calling and setups with our own Alex Cheney. Food and lodging are included, capacity is limited, and you’ll get hours of access to ask questions, compare notes, and leave with a kit to hit the ground running.

If this is your year to move from guesswork to a system, pick your lane—course, coaching, field days, or the full Gathering—and commit. Subscribe, share with a hunting buddy, and leave a review telling us which class you’re eyeing next.

Nilch'i Wind Checks
Nilch’i Wind Checks - An easy to use, must have gear addition to our hunts

Dead Down Wind
Scent Elimination Products

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Support the show

When the sky flips, deer and elk rewrite their script—and we show you how to read it. From August scorchers to winter squalls, we map out what animals actually do in heat, wind, rain, snow, and sudden barometric swings so you can plan smarter sits and stay safe doing it. We start with early season strategy: water and wallows for elk, shady alder–conifer drainages for blacktail, and the way thermals carry cool air and scent through the places bucks already prefer. You’ll hear why rotating shade is a real tactic for deer, and how that scraggly summer coat changes where and when you’ll see them.

Then we tackle wind with two truths hunters often miss: moderate wind can be your ally, but big timber and big gusts introduce real danger. We compare open-country whitetail movement in high winds to how blacktail and elk tuck into leeward pockets, and we lay out practical setups that balance visibility, scent, and safety. Rain is where most folks misread sign; we explain why steady showers tend to bed deer down, how hard bursts push them to their feet, and why the best movement happens between showers and right at the edges of a front. Layer in pressure trends and you get a reliable forecast for daylight activity—rising numbers are great, but sharp drops can kickstart prefront feeding too.

Snow and extreme cold bring their own gifts. Fresh tracks make patterns obvious, post-squall movement can be fast and generous, and cold snaps elevate mid-day action as animals burn calories to stay warm. We also clear up rut confusion: day length sets timing, heat simply shifts the show into the night. Finally, we draw a hard line on thunderstorms and dangerous winds—lightning, falling timber, and overloaded senses make those windows not worth the risk.

Want more filled tags and fewer empty sits? Watch the radar, track pressure, and hunt the moment of change. If this breakdown helped sharpen your plan, follow the show, share it with a hunting buddy, and leave a quick review telling us your best “between showers” or “after the front” success story.

Nilch'i Wind Checks
Nilch’i Wind Checks - An easy to use, must have gear addition to our hunts

Dead Down Wind
Scent Elimination Products

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Support the show

Shopping for a hunter can feel like trying to read a gear catalog in another language. We make it simple with a clear map of what actually gets used, what’s worth upgrading, and how to time big purchases so you don’t overspend. From arrows, ammo, and batteries to heated vests, merino layers, and trail camera essentials, we share the real-world picks that carry a season—not just a single trip.

We also dig into the details that matter: why a better headlamp changes dark hikes, how alpaca and merino manage sweat across multi-day hunts, and which boots match still sits versus mountain miles. If you’re weighing big-ticket buys, we talk timing for bows, rifles, optics, and how to gift the shopping trip so specs don’t get missed. For trail cams, we cover lifespan, off-season care, SD card systems, and the little add-ons that prevent headaches in the field.

With Camo Fire and Black Ovis winding down, we lay out a smart deal strategy: lean on local shops for expertise, compare Amazon with Walmart’s online-only inventory, watch brand promos, and consider used communities for budget wins. We also explain why knowledge beats gadgets—coaching, classes, and curated gear guides can deliver annual results without the guided hunt price tag. Want a low-stress, high-impact holiday plan for the hunter you love? Use this guide, share it with your gift team, and turn guessing into confidence.

Enjoyed the episode? Follow the show, share it with a friend who’s shopping for a hunter, and leave a quick review to help others find us.

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