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A gritty urban whitetail story moves from a painful miss to a clean seven-yard heart shot less than 24 hours later. We share what it takes to ignore social pressure, read suburban habitat, and stay steady when the season tests your patience.

• passing deer on purpose and trusting the plan
• hunting amid construction noise and retention ponds
• adapting to wind in urban edges and funnels
• camera intel, mock scrapes, and timing the drop in temps
• diagnosing a high miss and rebuilding confidence
• Wisconsin tags, gun week strategy, and late-season moves
• food shifts, pressure migrations, and habitat pockets
• social media noise, realistic expectations, and respect for women hunters
• why bowhunting’s grind builds better decisions and better shots

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there who's listening
Don't worry about what other people say on social media. You shoot what makes you happy

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November keeps giving as we chase whitetails across Oklahoma plains and New Jersey thickets, turn misses into clean kills, and rebuild confidence one fix at a time. We share how small tweaks, smarter setups, and steady minds led to an 11-point buck, a buddy’s perfect shot, and a father-son recovery.

• Lone Wolf hunt in Oklahoma with high wind and blinds
• Missed shots, target panic, and the shot process reset
• Final-day redemption on a surprise 11-point buck
• Donating meat and mentoring young archers
• Guiding a friend to a double lung and fast recovery
• Switching trees with a saddle to cut travel routes
• Calling with subtle bleats and tending grunts
• Gear fixes: peep serving, D-loop length, nock fit
• Broadhead confidence and arrow selection
• Public land etiquette, safety, and respect
• Getting kids involved with simple setups
• Closing with gun season safety reminders

Thank you to Rack Getter, HECS, Moultrie, Sever, and all the partners who support our crew and listeners
Once we open up field staff again, if anyone really wants to join and come join a part of the family, we’d love to have you
Be safe out there

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A brutal Halloween storm gave way to a November surge, and our team caught fire with a string of kills anchored by a tight, suburban-style buck recovery and a five-yard heart shot. We trade trail cam dogma for aggressive rut moves, ethics in meat salvage, and practical filming tips that actually help.

• crew hot streak after storm
• small parcel strategy around orchards and marsh bedding
• target bucks Mr Perfect and Warrior weighed up
• shot details, rain, and recovery plan with thermal and dog
• meat salvage decisions and reporting process
• aggressive rut tactics over camera dependence
• saddle setup with screw-in steps and close-range shot
• trail camera grids, timestamps, and off-path placement
• calling preferences in doe-heavy regions
• filming challenges, Insta360 workflow, and power management

Stay looking out for the announcement to our game dinner. I should be announcing the date probably within the end of November

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A cold front flipped the rut switch, and we ride the highs and lows: Peyton’s 650-yard recovery, Zach’s near-misses, a field-edge long shot with a dog track, and Connor’s October 28 magic. We dig into weather, wind, calling, ethics at low light, and why access wins.

• reading the wind and barometric pressure for rut movement
• edge sits with standing corn and late-morning cruising
• when to get aggressive with grunts and snort-wheezes
• low-light restraint and shot accountability
• long-range bow practice for field edges
• tracking strategy with and without a dog
• October 28 timing and midday sits
• scrapes, swollen necks, and pre-estrus tells
• safety harness reminders and lightning bail-outs

“Just wear a safety harness for God’s sakes. You owe it to your family to come home.”

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The rain hammered down, the wind never settled, and a 20-year mystery finally walked into view. We’re fresh off New Jersey’s bear week with stories that run from legendary to hard-earned: Eddie closes the book on “Diamond Bear,” a boar first photographed in 2004 with a hollow diamond blaze on his chest, and we unpack the meticulous bait logs, peanut-fueled strategy, and storm gamble that made the difference. It’s a masterclass in reading daytime bears, avoiding being patterned, and using scent-only sits to force curiosity when bait would only feed competition.

Then we shift to firsts and fixes. TJ times a 30–40 minute drizzle window, scrambles to a rock ledge, and arrows a 300-plus bruin at spitting distance—a case study in making short seasons count. Chris grinds an all-day sit through a nor’easter, puts a perfect lung shot on a bear that still crosses a thigh-deep creek, and leans on a tracking dog to finish the job when rain erases sign. Frank owns a miss after a bear ducks an arrow—yes, it happens—then redeems himself with a tight quartering shot that wrecks lungs. We get real about angles, penetration, and why heavy arrows and patience matter when fat, shield, and weather complicate everything.

We also zoom out: harvest numbers by zone and county, what a 15.7% harvest rate says about pressure and weather, and the cultural logistics you only learn by dragging bears—crew coordination, quads, check station timing, meat care, and why some hunts start with a plan for getting 400 pounds out of a swamp. We even wade into Segment B’s bow ban and make the case for “any implement” access when cold temps favor ethical results. When deer and bears time-share baits and sows drop four or five cubs, management isn’t abstract—it’s on our cameras, in our freezers, and at the check station scale.

Subscribe for more big-animal strategy, share this with a hunter who needs storm-play confidence, and drop us a note: bow or gun for late season, and what’s your best plan for a mile-long drag?

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We trade the “October lull” myth for real field notes on wind, drought, and timing rain, while gearing up for New Jersey’s bear week and a patient whitetail plan built on funnels, scrapes, and clean access. Midwest drought, East Coast color, and tag policies collide as we map the best sits ahead.

• warm, dry, and calm evenings changing wind strategy
• why high winds don’t shut deer down
• drought impacts on scrapes, scent, and sign
• reading turkeys as deer security in open fields
• post-rain movement windows and minimalist rain gear
• e-bike access to reduce noise and ground scent
• funnels, forced movement, and evening-only access plans
• passing good bucks for target deer as patterns flip
• NJ bear tactics without bait and scouting fresh sign
• Wisconsin bear tag delays and team camp plans
• Midwest vs East Coast timing and foliage contrasts
• team-first mindset, content goals, and season outlook

Good luck to everyone in New Jersey heading out for the Bear Woods. Stay safe and have fun

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We chase the early-season swings from hot starts to quiet weeks, then ride along as Kyle breaks a ten-year out-of-state streak with a messy, memorable, and deeply instructive liver-hit recovery. Strategy shifts, habitat puzzles, and why patience under pressure still wins.

• early-season highs and lulls across states
• e-bike access, quiet entry, and setup choices
• New York opener timing and time-off planning
• beans vs corn, drought impacts, and harvest timing
• Kyle’s ten-year standard and the mindset switch
• blind heat, rushed mechanics, and the shot window
• backing out overnight, drone recovery, and ethics
• shot diagnostics: liver hits, angles, and waiting
• mock scrapes, pre-orbital scent, paste vs spray
• October “vanish,” natural selection, and doe bedding
• losing and finding bucks, EHD fears, and evidence
• perspective, grief, camaraderie, and why we hunt

We’ll be starting to plan our third annual wild game dinner—stay tuned for details

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Eddie Mackin, known as Mountain Savage on Instagram, shares his journey from childhood fishing trips to becoming an avid bear hunter across multiple states. His passion for the outdoors began early through his father's influence, creating a foundation for a lifetime of hunting adventures and outdoor experiences.

• Eddie has been hunting bears in Maine since 2017 with Northern New England Outfitters
• Recently brought his son bear hunting, creating a special generational hunting experience
• Successfully harvested bears in multiple states using different firearms and techniques
• Discusses differences between Maine bears (typically smaller) and New Jersey bears
• Explains effective baiting strategies and how bears approach bait sites
• Details the transition from muzzleloader to shotgun with copper impact slugs
• Shares insights on hunting public land effectively in New Jersey
• Describes group hunting tactics that maximize success during drives
• Emphasizes the importance of maintaining friendships while sharing hunting spots
• Explains how he balances his fishing guide business with hunting seasons

Follow Eddie on Instagram at the_mountain_savage and check out his fishing business, Mackens Rippin' Lips Fishing Trips on Lake Hopatcong, where he guides for walleye, hybrid stripers, and more.

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Archery season has officially opened in New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Virginia, with the Boondocks Hunting team celebrating six does and one buck harvested in the first week of action.

• Ryan shares his thrilling success story of taking a mature buck with his recurve bow at 15 yards
• Brief discussion about the tragic loss of two hunters during an elk hunt in Colorado
• Story about a black bear entering a dollar store in Vernon, NJ and biting a woman
• Craig details his Wisconsin hunting strategy around a neighboring cornfield that won't be harvested until gun season
• Debate about "earn-a-buck" programs and a proposal for earning buck tags by harvesting does in previous seasons
• Update on the team's archery competition with 15 deer, one bear, and one raccoon harvested so far
• Tips for finding white oak acorns that are starting to drop and attracting deer

Good luck to all hunters as the season continues! Consider what hunting spots to save for buck hunting versus doe hunting to maximize your success this fall.

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The Garden State Outdoors Podcast crew kicks off the 2025-2026 hunting season with stories from their Delaware trip and preparations for opening day in New Jersey and Wisconsin. They discuss early-season hunting strategies centered around identifying food sources and navigating challenges like earn-a-buck requirements and unpredictable weather.

• Delaware hunting trip focused on targeting bean fields and oak drops
• Deer preferred feeding in shorter bean fields (6-12 inches) versus mature chest-high beans
• Zach had a close encounter with a velvet buck at 37 yards but missed the shot
• Mike survived getting caught in a severe thunderstorm while hunting
• Craig shares Wisconsin preparations and his target velvet buck for opening day
• New Jersey hunters discuss strategies for meeting earn-a-buck requirements
• The team shares season predictions for each other's success
• Early season food sources include white oak acorns that are already dropping
• Wisconsin opener coincides with the end of velvet season, creating trophy opportunities
• Discussion of different regulations across New Jersey, Delaware, and Wisconsin

Stay safe out there, wear your harnesses, and make sure your saddle is properly secured. Good luck to everyone heading into the woods for opening day!

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