The Bowhunter Podcast

Sure, Indiana is renowned for its high-quality hoops, but the state has also become well-known for its world-class whitetail hunting. On this week's Bowhunting Podcast, Tony Wright of the Hoosier State Record Buck Program joins Associate Editor Mark Demko to talk about the growing number of trophy-caliber bucks taken in Indiana each year, where these deer are coming from and why the state is producing so many mature whitetails.

Long Island might not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of great bowhunting destinations, but this densely populated suburban area in the shadows of New York City is home to a burgeoning whitetail population. Jacqueline Molina from Babes & Bucks of Long Island joins Editor Christian Berg to talk about a passionate group of female bowhunters who are helping control deer numbers in their neighborhood.

The whitetail rut is finally here, and that means magic could literally happen at any moment! On Nov. 3, 2021, Oklahoma bowhunter Zach Meadows took the buck of a lifetime, a 17-pointer that scored 196 6/8 inches net, making it one of the largest non-typicals ever taken in the Sooner State. Meadows joins Associate Editor Mark Demko to share his top tips and tactics for taking mature bucks during the rut.

It's Halloween Week, and that means frightfully good action in the deer woods. Laden Force and Haynes Shelton from North American Whitetail magazine and TV join Editor Christian Berg to discuss the deer-hunting tactics you can use RIGHT NOW to put a big buck on the ground as October comes to a close.

What if you could predict the best days and times to hunt whitetails? Thanks to the all-new Whitetail Activity Forecast from Hunt Stand, you can! The Forecast combines peak breeding dates from more than 4,000 counties nationwide with real-time, localized weather data and predicts peak movement periods for each day and also ranks each day's movement potential from 1 to 100. Hunt Stand's Brian Murphy joins Editor Christian Berg to discuss the new forecasting tool and how it can help you be a more efficient deer hunter.

Bryan Burhans, executive director of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, joins Editor Christian Berg to discuss how he lost an incredible 110 pounds in the past nine months and how it has dramatically increased his enjoyment of the outdoors. Burhans also discusses the challenges of managing Pennsylvania's whitetail herd and the growing role crossbows are playing in the state's archery season.

From a daylong sit in a whitetail stand to a backcountry elk hunt, a backpack is an essential piece of bowhunting equipment. Mystery Ranch's Chris Nolan and Alex Rich join Associate Editor Mark Demko to discuss what goes into selecting the perfect pack for your hunting needs, as well as take a closer look at the company's new Treehouse Series, designed especially for serious whitetail treestand hunters.

Not many hunts are harder than pursuing big-woods whitetails on public ground. In this episode, Steve Sherk of Sherk's Guide Service in Pennsylvania discusses his lifelong passion for pursuing mature bucks on the public, offers tips for locating bucks in areas of vast timber and explains how he used his know-how to build a business that offers a unique opportunity for hardcore bowhunters willing to embrace the ultimate whitetail challenge!

Many bowhunters develop eye problems as they age, impacting their effectiveness in the field. Optometrist and competitive archer Joe Vincent and Adjustable Red Dot co-owner Tim Zelenka join Associate Editor Mark Demko to discuss why our eyesight changes over time, how it erodes our ability to see clearly and focus on the pin and target and how we can cope with the challenge of aging eyes.

Nolan Johnson of California kicked off his 2022 hunting season in a big way, taking a spectacular 4x4 mule deer on the second day of the archery season. Johnson joins Associate Editor Mark Demko to share the story on the hunt, which ended with him taking the longest bow shot of his life at the biggest buck he's ever seen.