Are states fighting CWD the wrong way?

In Episode 35 of Vulnerable, Cory, Joel, and Chris debate early CWD hunting seasons, aggressive bag limits, resistant deer genetics, and whether current management strategies could actually be working against healthy deer herds.

Joel also shares what he is seeing firsthand across his trail-camera network—including mature bucks hammering freshly worked mineral sites, how rechargeable lithium AA batteries are performing, and the effect extreme summer heat has on camera batteries.

The crew also covers:

• When to plant fall food plots during extreme heat and drought

• Why oats may be one of the easiest late-season food sources

• New York’s Earn-a-Buck program and Michigan’s upcoming pilot

• Summer scouting and early preparation for deer season

• Country Concert stories and behind-the-scenes chaos

• Cooling vests, public-land concerns, and plenty of honest hunting-camp conversation

The big question: Should states harvest more deer in CWD zones—or protect more of the herd and allow resistant genetics to spread?

Drop your opinion in the comments. This is a debate every deer hunter should be paying attention to.

Subscribe to Vulnerable Podcast for real hunting stories, honest debates, practical experience, and conversations that other hunting shows are afraid to have.

In Episode 34, Cory, Joel, and Chris debate how quickly hunting is changing—from public-land trail-camera restrictions and fair-chase concerns to AI-powered cameras that can identify individual bucks and predict their future movements.

Joel also reveals why he may get back in the tree stand to pursue a nine-and-a-half-year-old, one-eyed buck that has survived nearly a decade without ever being seen on the hoof.

The guys also discuss:

• Whether trail-camera bans punish the average public-land hunter
• How mature bucks change after reaching four years old
• Data privacy and who can access your trail-camera locations
• Colorado’s push to protect hunting as a constitutional right
• New rifle and buck regulations in Michigan
• Ohio’s fall turkey rules and statewide harvest numbers
• Why dumping huge corn piles during summer can hurt more than help
• Cory’s new-dad life, Buc-ee’s, and the usual off-the-rails conversations

Where should hunting draw the line with technology? Would you trust an AI trail camera with your pictures, buck patterns, and exact hunting location? Let us know in the comments.

Subscribe to Vulnerable for honest hunting conversations, whitetail strategy, outdoor news, and plenty of unfiltered opinions.

The guys are back after a few weeks away, and there's a lot to catch up on.

Cory shares how becoming a father has completely changed his life, while the conversation shifts into one of the biggest debates in modern hunting: Has technology made deer hunting better... or has it taken away what made it special?

From cellular trail camera bans and hunting pressure to mature buck strategy, food plots, mineral sites, public land adventures, and the growing influence of social media, this episode dives deep into how hunting has evolved over the last 20 years.

We also discuss:

• Becoming a new dad and balancing family with hunting
• Why some states are banning cellular trail cameras
• Are trail cameras hurting mature buck age structure?
• The pressure of chasing one specific giant buck
• Public land vs. managed private land
• Food plots, mineral sites & summer scouting
• Tactacam Defend security cameras
• Soil testing for better food plots
• Upcoming hunts, concerts, and what's next for Vulnerable Outdoors

Whether you're chasing your first buck or your biggest buck, this episode is a reminder that sometimes the best part of hunting is simply being in the woods.

New episodes every week.

🎙️ Follow, subscribe, and join the Vulnerable Outdoors community.

In Vulnerable EP 31, Cory and Joel sit down with longtime hunter Mike Barry for one of the most wide-open deer camp conversations yet.

Mike has been hunting with Joel Snow and 5 Star Outfitters since around 2007 or 2008, and he brings years of stories from chasing mature Ohio bucks, shed hunting, southern Ohio deer hunting, and some giant buck encounters that almost came together.

This episode also dives into the serious EHD outbreak in southern Ohio, how it impacted deer numbers, what hunters were seeing, and how it changed the season in certain areas.

But this one is not just hunting.

Mike also shares stories from his career with the Army Corps of Engineers, including underwater welding, lock and dam work, zero-visibility diving, scary underwater moments, NASA training, and disaster cleanup work in Maui after the wildfires.

We talk about:

Ohio whitetail hunting
Southern Ohio EHD
Mature buck movement
Rut timing and weather
Shed hunting giant deer
180-inch eight-point encounters
Late-season deer hunting
Underwater welding
Army Corps diving
Hunting with Joel Snow and 5 Star Outfitters

This episode is a true deer camp conversation — hunting stories, work stories, laughs, close calls, and real talk.

Subscribe to the Vulnerable Podcast for more whitetail stories, hunting strategy, outfitter conversations, and deer camp talk.

Spotify Title:

Vulnerable EP 31: Underwater Welding, EHD, and Giant Ohio Buck Stories with Mike Barry

Spotify Description:

In Vulnerable EP 31, Cory and Joel sit down with longtime hunter Mike Barry.

Mike has been hunting with Joel Snow and 5 Star Outfitters since around 2007 or 2008, and he shares stories from years of chasing mature Ohio bucks, shed hunting, late-season hunting, and southern Ohio deer hunting.

The crew also talks about the EHD outbreak in southern Ohio, how it impacted deer numbers, rut timing, weather, giant buck encounters, and what makes hunting with Joel different.

Mike also brings a completely different side to the conversation with stories from his career with the Army Corps of Engineers, including underwater welding, lock and dam work, zero-visibility diving, NASA training, and disaster cleanup work in Maui.

This one is part hunting podcast, part deer camp, part wild work stories — and packed with real conversation.

In Episode 31 of the Vulnerable Podcast, Cory and Joel sit down with longtime hunter and hunting-industry veteran Rob Gerard.

Rob shares stories from his time working with major outdoor brands like Horton Archery, Carbon Express, Leupold, SIG Sauer, Benelli, and Beretta, plus his history hunting with Joel Snow and 5 Star Outfitters.

The crew talks mature Ohio bucks, outfitter relationships, old-school hunting camps, Cabela’s and Bass Pro, crossbows, compound bows, trail cameras, and Rob’s wild story of killing a heavy 170-class Ohio buck after a last-minute ground blind setup and a second-chance shot.

A great episode for anyone who loves whitetail hunting, the outdoor industry, and real deer camp stories.

The Laws boys are back for round two on the Vulnerable Podcast, and this one is packed with real hunting stories, turkey strategy, and the kind of campfire conversation that makes this crew so much fun to have on.In Episode 30, Cory Arbogast and Joel Snow sit down with Trevor, Tracy, and Landon Laws to talk about their Ohio turkey trip, hunting through cold rain, longbeards shutting down, calling tactics, coyotes messing with roosted birds, and what really happens when a hunt does not go as planned.Trevor also breaks down his wild turkey season chasing birds across multiple states, including South Carolina, North Carolina, Kansas, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Mexico. The crew gets into Gould’s turkeys, ocellated turkeys, the World Slam, hunting pressure, public vs. private ground, door knocking, trapping, snapping turtles, deer hunting culture, and a whole lot more.This episode is honest, funny, raw, and full of real-world hunting experience from guys who flat-out love chasing turkeys.Hosted by Cory Arbogast and Joel Snow of 5 Star Outfitters.

Happy Father’s Day from the Vulnerable Podcast!

This special episode is all about family, legacy, and the men who shaped us. Join hosts Cory Arbogast and Joel Snow as they welcome their dads — Ken Arbogast and Paul Snow — for a deep, hilarious, and heartwarming conversation about:

Building businesses and raising kids

Life lessons from decades in construction, Honda, and entrepreneurship

Whitetail hunting, duck dogs, deer camps, and wild youth hunts

The roots of 5 Star Outfitters.

Family traditions, small-town Ohio, and what it means to pass it on

From laugh-out-loud stories about trapping foxes and broken down dirt bikes to insightful talk about deer management and duck dog competitions, this episode hits different. Whether you're a hunter, a dad, or just someone who loves a good story — this one’s for you.

👨‍👦 To all the dads out there: we see you, we respect you, and we thank you.

In Episode 29 of Vulnerable, Cory, Joel, and Chris break down an unforgettable start to Ohio turkey season.

Chris gets his first turkey, and the morning turns into one of those hunts you never forget — gobblers hammering from the roost, birds hitting the ground fast, decoys getting worked, and multiple longbeards putting on a show after the shot.

Joel walks through the setup, the calling, why the birds came in the way they did, and what hunters can learn from the hunt. The guys also talk about Ohio’s early spring, turkeys breeding, jakes, fawns dropping early, Michigan possibly moving to a one-buck rule, Illinois tags, old-school turkey hunting, Waffle House, Grandpa Tom, and the infamous turkey gizzard situation.

This episode is part hunting strategy, part campfire story, and part pure chaos — exactly what turkey season is supposed to be.

Subscribe to Vulnerable for real hunting stories, whitetail talk, turkey season breakdowns, and raw conversations from the woods.

This might be our best episode yet.

On this episode of Vulnerable, Cory, Joel, and Chris sit down with JD Piet, the man behind Bustin Fur Audio / BFA and a sound producer and hunter connected with FoxPro. JD records real coyote vocals, pup distress, coyote fights, prey distress, fawn sounds, and other predator sounds used by serious coyote hunters across the country.

This episode goes deep into the world of predator hunting, coyote behavior, night hunting, thermal scopes, calling strategy, and what coyotes are actually doing throughout the year.

We talk about:

How JD went from concrete work to recording coyotes for a living

BFA, FoxPro, and how real predator sounds are made

Raising and recording live coyotes

Why coyotes respond differently in spring, summer, fall, and winter

Pup distress, fawn distress, coyote fights, howls, and prey sounds

Thermal hunting and how it changed the coyote game

Whether coyotes really hurt deer and turkey populations

Fawns, turkeys, raccoons, foxes, and predator impact

Calling coyotes in Ohio versus out west

Giant coyotes, crazy night hunting stories, and real predator behavior

If you deer hunt, turkey hunt, predator hunt, manage land, or just love learning how wild animals actually operate, this is one you do not want to miss.

Coyotes are smarter, more vocal, more territorial, and more complex than most hunters realize. JD breaks it down from years of firsthand experience hunting them, recording them, raising them, and studying how they react.

This episode is packed with real information, real stories, and the kind of hunting knowledge you do not hear every day.

Thanks for watching Vulnerable. Like, comment, subscribe, and let us know what part of this episode surprised you the most.

In Episode 27 of Vulnerable, the crew sits down for another unfiltered round of real hunter talk — recorded April 8th while juggling softball/baseball coaching and life.

Topics include:

Beaver takeover: Massive tree destruction along a creek (entire field edge wiped out), starting 4 dams, and plans for Conibear 330s + drowning sets

Mole trapping stories: One guy catching moles in yards like it's nothing — how far they dig in a night, their "excavator paws," and why they're wrecking lawns

Coyote & predator control: $600/coyote nuisance work in suburbs, late-term pups debate, and switching from coyotes to moles

Trail camera upgrades: Tactacam 3.0 Pro trade-in program review, outfitter features (request photos), vs. Moultrie/Spartan issues, and ideas for a real camera trigger speed test

Deer management: 37 mineral sites done, zinc supplementation for fighting EHD, urban deer explosions in Columbus suburbs, and why land prices in Ohio have ZERO to do with baiting

Stand strategy: The "funnel" spot that changed everything (houses on both sides, deer forced through a narrow strip at 1 PM during the rut)

Turkey & predator talk: Exploding raccoon populations, low poult survival, and more

Bonus laughs: Rollercoaster fails, old trapping dorm room stories, high winds & deer movement myths busted, and life updates (new baby on the way, coaching chaos)

Raw opinions, zero filter, and plenty of "that's exactly how it is" moments. If you love honest deer hunting, predator control, and property management talk — hit play and drop your wildest nuisance animal story in the comments!

Timestamps available soon. New episodes drop when life (and ball seasons) allow.

Subscribe for more Vulnerable hunter conversations!

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