There's an old phrase that hunters often use, "don't leave deer to find deer". That phrase holds true in today's podcast. Drew recaps his last two weeks of hunting, telling the stories of two different bucks he's killed since the last time we talked. We break down his hunt by talking about what led him to hunt that area. Not rubs, not scrapes, but good old fashioned deer tracks. The guys discuss the important of finding tracks and why it's an incredibly productive sign to look for. Drew tells us about this area where he had found a ton of tracks, and after hunting it several times the deer sightings did not seem to slow down. We've talked to several guests who consistently kill deer out of the same tree, which might go against the "first sit, best sit" theory. In this case, Drew continued to hunt this same spot and eventually it paid off. While the majority of this property has a pretty low deer density, this spot seemed to be a pocket. We've learned that once you've found a pocket of deer, you've found a great thing!

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One thing that doesn't come to mind when thinking about Texas, is of course public land. With such a small percentage of public, it can be extremely difficult to find a place to hunt without forking out thousands of dollars. Sure you have Whataburger on every corner, so there's a plus side to living in the Lonestar state. However, if you like to chase big bucks on public land, Texas can be a difficult feat to take on. Our good friends, Tyler and Kc, started documenting their adventures on Texas public for YouTube, and it has been a journey to watch. This week we are joined by one part of the duo, Tyler Jones. Tyler has had success on big bucks in Texas for back to back years, and he shares with us some of the strategies he's used to elevate himself above the rest. We discuss some of the difficulties that come with hunting on public land in Texas like: weird antler restrictions, heavy baiting culture, flat topography, & of course hunting pressure. We hear Tyler's take on those challenges, and how he has overcome them in his hunting style. 

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It's the magic time of the season for ALMOST everyone! During this episode, Parker and Drew are recapping their last two weeks of hunting. They discuss the deer movement during this time of the season, specifically in Alabama. Parker shares the story and strategies he used to kill a buck on public land in Alabama, mainly how our November could be translated to most state's October "Lull". He shares some of the things he believes can lead to success during a time when bucks tend to lay low, especially when trying to cautiously but aggressively get into a buck's core area. After that, Parker talks about his recent successful trip to Kentucky where he killed a stud mature buck, also on public land. The difference is, it's the heat of the rut and bucks could be anywhere. Parker tells us how he narrowed down his focus and was able to tag out extremely quick! 

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This week we're sitting around the campfire (kitchen table) at deer camp in Kentucky. We've got a few guests, some you may recognize and some you may not. We're just hanging out, shooting the bull, and talking about how we plan to kill big bucks on public land during the rut in Kentucky. 

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This is a great episode for southern deer hunters! All across the south it's not uncommon to find big huge areas that have had all of the timber cut. Many hunters see this as a problem, however, it can be an incredible piece of property and can hold some of the biggest bucks in the area. On this episode, Parker and Drew both talk about buck encounters in these clear cut areas (cutovers) from the past week. Drew shares about his encounter with an awesome buck and how he plans to execute on him in the future. Parker breaks down a successful bow hunt in a clear cut from last weekend. He shares the reasoning behind hunting that specific spot, and how the whole hunt unfolded. Fortunately, he was able to notch a buck tag but not without putting in a ton of effort. You can also find this whole hunt on the Southern Ground Hunting YouTube channel!

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It's episode 100! We've got a heck of an episode for you this week with Land Smathers of Mississippi. Land is a woodsman and self proclaimed "River Rat". He has had huge success on big public land river bottom bucks, and this week he's going to share a little insight into his strategies for consistently being successful. He talks with us about his trail camera strategy in the offseason, the food sources he's keying in on, creek crossings, the whole shebang! We get in the details as Land shares a story of a buck he targeted this year, and ultimately was successful at taking using the strategies mentioned. You're sure to love this episode, and we think it's an incredible way to cap off 100 episodes. 

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This week Parker and Drew are going over some of their main takeaways from hunting the early Alabama opener. With 3 deer on the ground already, it would seem as though the deer movement has been good, however that is not the case for them, or many people they have talked to from the area. The guys talk in depth about the areas that are usually hotspots for the mid October opener, that just haven't produced any sightings, nor do they have the amount of sign that they usually have. They also tell the stories of the deer they have killed, talking further about the effectiveness of a high FOC arrow build & some of the tactics they used to come out of the woods successful. Parker also talks about an encounter he had with a huge, mature, and reclusive Alabama giant buck this weekend, and how it nearly worked out! 

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This week we're joined by our buddy Shane Simpson, talking all about tracking dogs: when you should call one, & what to do after the shot. You may know Shane from one of his many ventures: Calling All Turkeys, Shane Simpson YouTube, or the subject of this podcast... the Callie Chronicles. Shane has compiled a ton of data from his past several seasons as a tracking dog handler, and today you'll get to hear some of them. We go over specific scenarios, and Shane gives us the data to support his answers about the decisions you should be making after the shot. If you've bowhunted long enough, you know that sometimes a shot can be less desirable. It's just going to happen eventually. The good news is that today most states allow the aid of a tracking dog for your best chances at recovery. Unfortunately, a lot of bowhunters don't know how accessible a good tracking dog actually is in their area, so they make the mistake of pushing a hit deer and many times not recovering them. This is a great episode to start out the season, hopefully to help you make the best decisions on your next move after arrowing a whitetail. 

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Brodie Swisher of Bowhunting.com joins the show this week. On episode 97, the guys are talking about food sources during the early season. It's no secret that during the month of September and into October, whitetail food changes rapidly. Sometimes it can even be as quick as one day and their whole food pattern changes. Brodie talks to us about his experiences in Tennessee and Kentucky, where he can hunt as early as the last weekend of August. He talks about the constant changes that he's learned to adapt to, and how he sets himself up for success during the early season in the south. 

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Thanks for tuning in to the Southern Ground Hunting podcast. The most common questions we get are usually revolving around the gear that we use. I'm personally not much of a gear junkie, however I do like to use things that are practical for my style of mobile public land hunting. In this episode, I, Parker, am going to give you a full break down of all the gear I'm using. We're going to talk about everything from saddles to kayaks & self filming equipment to arrow set up. Hopefully this will help anyone who is interested in a similar hunting style be able to overcome some of the intimidating learning curves that come with it. 

Be sure to subscribe to the Southern Ground Hunting YouTube channel for detailed videos on most of the things discussed in this podcast! Good luck to everyone hitting the woods! #ExerciseDominion

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