Today on the show I'm joined by Nick Pinizzotto, Kip Adams, and Lindsay Thomas Jr to discuss one of the most significant changes in the deer conservation world in decades - the merging of the Quality Deer Management Association and the National Deer Alliance into a brand new organization.

Topics discussed:

• Why the QDMA and NDA are merging into a new organization
• The mission of the new organization
• How will this impact deer and deer hunters?
• What to expect for prior QDMA members 
• Will there still be a management and habitat focus in this new organization?
• Thoughts on the legacy of QDMA and the ending of an era
• What the National Deer Alliance leadership learned over its five years of existence
• What NDA can bring to the new org from a policy perspective
• The big wins and wishes that the new org hopes to see come to fruition
• Why we the hunters are the most important part of this new era in deer conservation
• What we need to do in the coming day and years to make a positive difference for deer

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Today on the show I’m joined by Dan Johnson to recap our latest summer whitetail projects and evolving thought processes around summertime deer prep.

Topics discussed:

• Our latest debacles in parenting and the outdoors
• Catching up on Mark and Dan BS
• Hypothetical dream bucks
• The evolution of Mark and Dan's summer trail camera processes
• Scouting new public land
• Why we don't set many tree stands in the spring or summer anymore
• Summertime preparations to hunt a single specific buck
• Dan's new plans for Gnarley Charlie
• Marks latest plans to hunt for Tran
• Concerns around Mark's early September whitetail hunt prospects
• Mark's part-time move
• Our favorite reoccurring segment

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Today on the show I’m joined by DIY bowhunter and Whitetail Addictions team member Heath Cisco to discuss in detail exactly how he locates, studies, and moves in on top tier whitetail bucks.

Topics discussed:

• How Heath and his hunting buddy Justin Hollandsworth handle the sharing of hunting properties
• How to improve your mock scrapes
• Setting high goals for your hunting season
• Seeking out top tier bucks
• Summer scouting for target deer
• Trail camera strategies for specific bucks
• Walking the fine line of scouting VS pressure during the season
• Locating specific buck bedding areas and how to determine if it's a big buck
• What to do when you find a big buck track
• Aggressive hang-and-hunt tactics
• What to do when you visually bump a buck while scouting
• How bucks act differently between farm country and hill country
• How the biggest bucks behave and use wind differently

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Today on the show I’m joined by Justin Hollandsworth of Whitetail Addictions TV to discuss high risk high reward tactics that lead to DIY deer hunting success and much more.

Topics discussed:

• Doing something whitetail related every day
• How Andrae D'acquisto influenced Justin's deer hunting mindset
• Scouting new properties aggressively VS staying out
• The value of hot sign VS year old sign
• Identifying and patterning specific bucks
• The early October morning taboo
• How to hunt "edge winds" and ways to make it work
• When to swing for the fences
• Trailcam positioning 
• Hunting an area VS hunting the tree
• How to quickly and quietly get set-up in a stand during hunting season
• Trim or no trim a new set?
• When's the best time to move stands midday?
• What quality do most great deer hunters have in common?

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Today on the show I’m joined by my friend and DIY whitetail bowhunting extraordinaire Andy May to answer your most pressing and challenging deer hunting questions.

Topics discussed:

• Summer scouting advice
• Our favorite terrain/habitat features for deer hunting success
• How to avoid spooking deer in the fields, while waiting for bucks to come out later
• How we organize our OnX waypoints and other historical information
• What weakness Andy wants to improve on
• The books that influenced our hunting styles the most
• How close should you get to bedding areas with your cameras
• What do great hunters do that average hunters do not
• Hunting small wood lots surrounded by ag
• Why do bucks get old - luck or skill?
• Our first bucks and lessons learned
• How to handle new neighbors

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Today on the show I’m joined by Wisconsin bowhunter and Hunting Beast contributor Joe Rentmeester to discuss his take on the aggressive hunting tactics that have led him to becoming one of the best DIY deer hunters around.

Topics discussed:

• What Joe's early days of hunting looked like
• How he connected with Dan Infalt and started learning from him in-person
• The most important lessons he's learned from Dan Infalt
• How his style differs from Infalt
• Tips for locating and targeting specific bucks
• Ideas for hunting early season mornings
• Predicting buck bedding areas
• How to determine the right spot to set-up VS pushing in farther
• How Joe "won" back to back Public Land Challenges
• One deer hunting "rule" we need to forget
• One deer hunting "rule" we all need to learn
• When to be aggressive, when not

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Today on the show I’m joined by MeatEater wild foods contributing editor Danielle Prewett to discuss everything you need to know to make this your very best summer of wild game cookouts ever.

Topics discussed:

• What was on the menu for Memorial Day weekend
• What kind of wild game comes to Danielle's mind during the summer
• How long is venison good in the freezer?
• Best practices for grilling steaks outside
• To marinade or not? And how to do it best
• The scoop on rubs 
• Summer burger grilling tips
• How to spice up your wild game Taco Tuesdays
• Ideal thickness for your steaks
• Barbecue and sloppy joes
• Tex Mex rubs and cooking techniques
• Other summer wild game favorites
• Ideas for summer camp food

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Today on the show I'm joined by conservation writer and BHA podcast host Hal Herring to explore how to be a conservationist in a post-pandemic world.

Topics discussed:

• When Hal knew he had to tackle conservation and advocacy as his life's work
• Early inspirations
• How to channel anger and frustration with anti-environment/public land acts 
• How to filter all of the information and misinformation when trying to learn about possible threats to wildlife or wild places
• Resources for unvarnished truth related to wildlife and wild places
• How to achieve an informed and relatively unbiased opinion
• How to get politicians to actually listen to hunters and anglers
• Do hunters and anglers still have the stomach to fight for our resources?
• How will COVID-19 impact conservation efforts
• How/when should we begin to push for conservation wins amidst the pandemic
• What to consider leading up to the vote in 2020

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Today on the show Dan Johnson and I are doing some social distance socializing, simply kicking back and catching up - telling hunting, fishing, and foraging stories and maybe even chatting with a surprise special guest. 

Topics discussed:

• Getting in a rut during lockdown
• Dan's turkey hunting efforts this year
• Catch and release turkey hunting and my first real hunt of the year
• My son's first fish
• Dan's mushroom hunting exploits
• Our favorite food to snack on while hanging with buddies
• Plans and preparation for the upcoming season and even 2021
• A surprise guest
• Surprise guest turkey stories

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Today on the show I’m joined by Field & Stream editor-at-large and and author Bill Heavey for a rambling exploration of the relevance of hunting, fishing, and foraging in the year 2020 and beyond.

Topics discussed:

• What Bill's been doing outside during the COVID-19 lockdown
• Has hunting and fishing become more or less important given the current health crisis?
• What Bill still wants to do outdoors before the pandemic or anything else gets to him
• What to make of the renewed urgency to eat/live closer to the land
• How Bill's personal journey to get more of his food from hunting/fishing/forgaging has evolved over the years
• Tips for foraging for wild edibles 
• Eating goose eggs
• The relevance of hunting in the future
• Introducing kids to the outdoors

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