Hunt The Land

This week we are talking about our recent deer hunting roadtrips to Ohio and Arizona on OTC tags!

Mark and Luke join us from southern Arizona to talk about there over-the-counter mule deer archery hunt in progress. They have been seeing lots of mule deer, coues deer, hunter, javelina, and cacti!

This week Moriah is telling the story of his recent successful deer hunt on public land. Last week's episode we discussed red oak hunting strategies and they produced a big Indiana buck this week!

This week we are talking about recent hunt over one of the most overlooked late season food sources, red oak acorns! We have stories to tell of encounters with bucks and shots fired!

Moriah drew a rare Gila National Forest rifle elk tag for unit 16A. In this episode we tell the day by day story of the hunt and how we killed a good bull in three days!

This week on the show Mark shares how his TN deer season turned around in the blink of an eye. Mature buck down in TN!

It has been an eventful last few weeks and on this episode Mark shares stories from his 2020 NC buck and doe, as well as his first TN doe!

We are finally back with weekly podcast posting! This episode is all about opening day in Indiana and a successful bow hunt off the ground!

Joining us today is fellow Mississippi hunter John Zimmerman to discuss ghillie suits for bowhunting. John tells us how to build a custom low-cost ghillie suit at home along with some tips for customizing it to your needs. We then discuss the success John has had using his ghillie suit to get within bow range of deer on the ground! The Untamed video on building a ghillie suit

When you kill a deer far from the truck it can be a daunting task to get it out. Over the last few years of public land deer hunting the South and hunting the West we have developed a quick clean system for quartering deer in the field and packing them out. In this podcast we discuss the gear you need and walk you through the process!

We are answering listener questions on this show about various subjects around hunting like clover food plot establishment, deer sexual segregation, and of course...how we approach emergencies of the fecal kind while hunting.

This week we are discussing fall food plot plantings. Specifically we cover what you should plant, how tow plant it, and when to plant it.

How old is he? A common question after killing a buck or when deciding whether to shoot him. Today we are discussing the three most commonly used methods for aging deer: tooth wear and replacement, cementum annuli, and aging on the hoof. We share how these methods were developed and what the current body of scientific literature says about their accuracy. See cited papers below.   -Tooth Development and Wear as Criteria of Age in White-Tailed Deer -Aging White-Tailed Deer by Tooth Replacement and Wear: A Critical Evaluation of a Time-Honored Technique -Physical Characteristics for Age Estimation of Male White-tailed Deer in Southern Texas -Accuracy and implications of visually estimating age of male white‐tailed deer using physical characteristics from photographs

We are unpacking the top points Dr. Haus made during our interview last week and applying them to our current hunting situations. If you haven't yet, listen to episode 108 prior, as we interview Dr. Jacob Haus about research he did on collared mature bucks on public hunting land!

Dr. Jacob Haus of Bemidji State University joins us to share findings from his graduate research on collared mature bucks on a public hunting area in Maryland. Jacob shares a wealth of knowledge through his observations of real world public land deer movement and answers such questions as why are some bucks so hard to kill? Do bucks choose travel routes based on wind direction? Do bucks bed in the same place repeatedly? Are some bucks unkillable?

This week we are catching up after several weeks away from our normal updates. Moriah shares the stories of his recent fishing trip to northern Michigan and Mark discusses his family farm hunting setups and recent work trip to the farm!

Our deer hunting 101 short course was designed for the first time deer hunter or someone interested in the sport. This is the second part of the two part series and we cover topics such as finding a place to hunt, picking a hunting spot, where to shoot a deer, recovering a deer after the shot, and processing venison.

This is an introductory course on the basics of deer hunting. Today we describe how state agencies manage hunting seasons, how you can become licensed to hunt, and what equipment you will need. Part two covers how you can find hunting spots, shot placement, and meat care.

As habitat managers we frequently make recommendations and choices based on providing habitat characteristics similar to "natural conditions." Today we discuss exactly what is natural across the East and whether this should change the way you approach management decisions on your property.

This week we are discussing our favorite types of fishing and fishing trips we would like to take in the future. We also discuss past memories from research and discuss Moriah's recent move to the midwest.

Andrew Maxwell from the Southern Outdoorsmen shares with us his background in GIS technology. Andrew takes us through an in depth discussion on how common map data are generated and which free internet apps can take your map scouting to the next level! Recording this podcast with Andrew was a game changer as some of the information he shared will allow next level digital scouting like you never thought possible! onX Hunt CalTopo Sentinel Hub

Graduate student Jacob Dykes from Texas A&M University is joining us today to discuss his fascinating research from past and present. Jacob discusses research on deer selection of thermal refuge and how he is studying their relationship with cattle on the landscape. During his masters research, Jacob studied food plot plantings and the effects of fertilization. He has some very interesting results to share that will make you a better land manager and likely more successful hunter!

We are celebrating 100 episodes so this week's episode is special. We are reintroducing ourselves and telling the story of how we the genesis of the podcast came about. We finish out the episode with a series of questions about our outdoors experiences and tell some of our most embarrassing stories.

We are planning several hunting trips to the West this year and have each been developing a list of gear that we need to purchase before we go hunting out west again. On this episode we discuss these planned purchases and how we prioritize which pieces of gear we need to buy.

This week on the podcast we are discussing Moriah's thesis research. First we talk about Arizona deer and sheep tag applications and what you can do to start planning an Arizona hunting trip. We then talk about Moriah's experiments concerning acorn production and how deer respond to acorns!

Ever dreamed of finding elk sheds out west? We just returned from a four day shed hunting trip to New Mexico where we found lots of elk and mule deer sheds. On this episode we discuss what we learned on the trip and how we found sheds.

With both of us moving into new states this fall and tackling completely new public ground today we are discussing what we look for when selecting public land hunting properties. We cover the search for hunting properties, evaluating them at the computer, and eventually selecting areas to focus on within them.

Today we are discussing hardwood forest management. We first take a look at different forest regeneration techniques for hardwoods and then discuss mid-rotation management that can be used to improve these forests for deer and turkey!

There are many free taxidermy options if you are willing to do a little at home work. Today we discuss easy European skull mounts you can do in your kitchen, turkey pelt mounts, and a DIY pedestal for shoulder or European mounts!

This week we are discussing pine rotations in the south. We break down the common rotation of loblolly plantation pines and discuss each stand entry and how it accomplishes timber management goals. We further discuss this rotation from beginning to end in the context of improving habitat for deer and turkey and specifically how it can be tweaked to meet wildlife management goals.

Over the years we have tried a lot of different products and types of gear. Today we are discussing the ones that have not worked well for us and what may be better alternatives. Gear included ranges from archery accessories and treestands to land management products.

We are re-capping Mark's weekend turkey camping trip where he tagged two Alabama public land longbeards on consecutive days!

This week we are catching up on our recent exploits in the woods. We are talking about Moriah's shed hunting trip to Tennessee where he was looking for elk sheds. We then wrap up with Alabama turkey hunting updates and the story of Mark's first bird of the year!

Mark shares with us the results of his thesis research on forest stand improvement (FSI) and prescribed fire as habitat management tools for deer and turkey. Specifically he shares how forest thinning affected the plant community, if fire damaged trees, whether non-target trees were killed by herbicide, and the ideal herbicide mixture for forest stand improvement projects.

There are many similarities between the novel COVID-19 virus which has recently turned the world upside down and Chronic Wasting Disease in deer. In this podcast we discuss the changes in our lives COVID-19 has caused and discuss how it is spreading through the human population similar to CWD in deer.

We are always talking about habitat improvement on the podcast, so today we are defining exactly what habitat is for deer, ruffed grouse, and bobwhite quail. There is a lot of confusion in the world of wildlife about habitat and habitat improvement; today we are clearing the air.

This week's podcast is all about deer research! We both recently attended and spoke at the Southeast Deer Study Group meeting in Auburn Alabama. Today we are talking about some of the coolest research from the conference as well as answering the question, "where is Mark going?"

This week we are discussing a habitat improvement technique that anyone can do with a chainsaw or a hatchet and herbicide! First we talk about a recent shed hunting roadtrip to Arkansas with lots of excitement from finding sheds, wading water, and a wild pig charge. We then discuss cover edges on the landscape and why edge feathering is an easy and time efficient habitat improvement technique. Finally we discuss how to feather edges and considerations that should be made before edge feathering.

To close out the Alabama deer season we are talking about a hunter's first deer ever! Also, Moriah talks about a recent shed hunting roadtrip to Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana!

Defining objectives for your property is the most important step to developing a management plan that will fit your property and situation. This week we discuss the pros/cons and main differences between micro-managing and landscape management approaches to property improvement.

To test our map scouting skills we both swapped hunting areas with each other to map scout. Mark is looking at a bottomland hardwood property in Mississippi and Moriah is looking at an upland pine plantation in Alabama. Each of us share six map scouted spots with the other and hear what kind of experience the other has with it and whether it is good or not.

Both of our deer seasons have come to an end so we are reflecting on lessons we learned this year and general trends we have noticed over the last 5 seasons of combined public land hunting experience in Alabama and Mississippi. Also discussed: recent Alabama rut action and an Arkansas shed hunting roadtrip!

Mark has tagged out in southeast Alabama with the bow! Here's the story of how historical trail camera photos led to the harvest of a 5.5 year old Alabama stud with the bow!

Wherever you hunt inconsistent winds can make any hunt a bust when they blow your scent to the deer. We have found that most days in the south have widely inconsistent winds and that there are several land features that magnify this problem. In this podcast we discuss land features that cause inconsistent winds and those that help you predict winds, thermals, and consistency.

It has been another exciting week of rut hunting in the south, and this week's story is about Moriah's recent buck harvest. After a week of hunting hard with very few sightings Moriah's luck turned around when a yearling buck and this 4.5 year old stud walked into 20 yards!

This week we are sharing the story of Mark's public land double! What started out as a typical day in the Alabama public woods turned into a successful hunt with a doe and mature buck on the ground!

 The pre-rut is heating up in central Mississippi and today we are talking about a successful hunt from early December. Moriah shares his story of last minute hunt where he shot a nice buck with his muzzleloader after watching him displaying rutting behavior!

It's December and the rut is fast approaching in many parts of the Deep South. Today we are discussing rut hunting mistakes that we struggle with and how you can avoid these.

This is a quick mid-week update from the woods in North Carolina where Moriah is hunting the rut in the mountains and Mark is hunting post-rut in the piedmont. It's been a rough week, and although we have had opportunities things have not worked out in our favor.

Another week of deer season has passed and Mark managed to get another doe with his bow. We talk over his public land setup for this doe, the Mississippi struggle, and our upcoming NC rut plans this week.

We just wrapped up an exciting weekend of hunting. Mark had the opportunity to get a young hunter is first buck ever and did some rut hunting at home. We cover these stories as well as our plans to mentor new hunters over the coming weeks!