Realtree Outpost

Will Brantley sits down with Mark Hayes, design engineering manager at Mathews Archery, to talk about the new-for-2023 Phase 4. The flagship compound is a continuation of the CrossCentric Cam series, but with some major differences. Hayes says it's the quietest bow Mathews has ever built. 

Laran Kaplan's big buck story ran a few weeks ago on the Realtree Rack Report, and it quickly became a reader favorite. Kaplan's first bow buck grossed near 200 inches, and the story behind it just might have you questioning some of your own hunting tactics. Host Will Brantley sat down with Laran Kaplan for the full story in Kaplan's own words. 

Will Brantley talks with Corrine Bundy, VP of Marketing for Elite Archery, about Wisconsin bowhunting strategies and tactics, and then they take a deep dive into the all-new Omnia, Elite's just-released flagship compound for 2023. They also discuss the ground-breaking S.E.T. tuning system featured on the Omnia as well as other recent Elite models including the Kure, EnKore, and EnVision. 

Will Brantley talks with Jeremy Eldredge, Director of Marketing for Hoyt Archery, about the HBX and HBX Pro binary cam system that's been featured on Hoyt's latest flagship compounds. They also swap a few elk stories, talk carbon risers, and preferred setups. Brantley presses for details on the yet-to-be-released 2023 models, and poses the question — will Hoyt ever build a crossbow? 

 Will Brantley and Kerry Wixs discuss  Kerry's two giant velvet bucks he has taken this season, along with his scouting and hunting tactics for harvisting these two great whitetails in two different states. 

Season 3 of Realtree's Outpost debuts with Will Brantley and Mike Hanback talking about old-school scouting tactics like long-range glassing, monster bucks hidden in garages for decades, and why Indiana has become the nation's best-kept secret for giant whitetails. 

Host Will Brantley sits down with Kentucky turkey hunter Jack Canady, who's been hunting Kentucky turkeys since the '60s. During the 2022 season, Canady was set up on a group of longbeards when he was attacked by a bobcat. Canady's neck was broken during the attack, and he recounts the tale first-hand. 

Brantley sits down with Missouri hunter and long-time Realtree Pro-staffer Brad Harris, who gets credit for inventing the original grunt call. Harris is an expert game caller with a lifetime of hunting experience, so in addition to telling the grunt call story, he shares some strategies for aggressive deer calling. 

Will Brantley talks sub-gauge turkey guns with CVA's Rick Taylor. The CVA Scout is a single-shot .410 with a Realtree Timber stock and Jeb's choke tube, and it's already proving itself in the turkey woods. Brantley and Taylor talk loads, patterning, accessories, effective range, and more. 

Will Brantley and Miles Fedinec recap a recent turkey trip to Texas's North Zone, where the weather was terrible. Following a massive wildfire a few weeks prior, the guys were faced with heavy fog followed by 90-degree heat and gale-force winds. Through all of it, though, the turkeys were going crazy, and some key lessons were learned about hunting Rio Grande gobblers in particular.   

This week we dig into the nitty gritty of some exciting turkey research happening right now in Alabama, spearheaded by Auburn University's Dr. Will Gulsby. Brantley and Dr. Gulsby discuss sound meter monitoring to learn the effects of habitat and hunting pressure on gobbling, GPS tracking hens during nesting season, and the importance of analyzing gobbler sperm counts. Plus, we talk predator control and coyote trapping on the beach. 

Host Will Brantley sits down with Turkeys for Tomorrow co-chairman Ron Jolly to talk about the state of wild turkeys in the Southeast, the history of TFT, and the exciting new research projects the organization is funding right now. 

Realtree's turkey hunting editor Steve Hickoff swaps hunting stories with host Will Brantley. They discuss the highs and lows of mentoring new turkey hunters, being a hunting guide, being guided by others, and plans for the upcoming spring season.   

Will Brantley and Mike Handback talk about big bucks, full moons, warm weather, crossing into Canada, and other takeaways and experiences from the 2021 deer season. 

Will Brantley checks in with an update on the western Kentucky tornadoes in December, as well as a Rut Report recap. Then we join Bowhunting.com Editor Brodie Swisher for a great discussion on taking kids hunting, shooting chickens and sparrows with BB guns, and the pros and cons of electronic devices in the woods. 

This week, we catch up with Northeast Region Rut Reporter Tim Kent, who shot a great New York buck in late November. Although the rut action is beginning to wane in most of the country, there's still some good hunting ahead. Plus, Kent and Will Brantley discuss why some properties hunt better during the rut than others, and why a few days each season seem to be magical all over the country. 

Will Brantley joins Browning's Rafe Nielsen at the end of a late-November hunt in western Nebraska. Rafe was after a whitetail, Brantley was after a mule deer, and both found success on big bucks. They talk about rut behavior differences in the two species, and then take a deep dive look at the rifles they were shooting, along with the all-new 6.8 Western cartridge.  

This week, we check in with Northwest region reporter Jackie Holbrook, who's been chasing mule deer in Montana and seeing big-time rut action. We'll hear her story of a successful hunt on a big buck. Then we'll shift gears and check in with Midwest reporter Josh Honeycutt. The hunting is unfortunately tough in that region right now, as mature bucks are locked down hard with does. Still, Honeycutt has predictions for better hunting to come in the next couple weeks. 

The rut's moving fast! We check in with Northeast Region Rut Reporter Tim Kent for an update on buck activity in his home area of upstate New York, as well as surrounding states in the East. Then, we jump across the country for another update from Miles Fedinec, who hiked to the top of a mountain just to give us word on the mule deer status in the Southwest ... and an update on Texas whitetails, too. 

Will Brantley checks in with Northwest Rut Reporter Jackie Holbrook on the mule deer and whitetail movement in Montana. Holbrook reports that a recent big snow has had bucks on their feet, but the best activity is yet to come. Then we circle up with Midwest reporter Josh Honeycutt, who's on his way to his Ohio hunting lease. Honeycutt fills us in on the latest from the region, and also shares the story of his big Kentucky buck from last weekend. 

We'll be checking in every week of the rut with the Outpost Rut Report edition. We've got a team of reporters in the field reporting on buck activity from coast to coast. Whether you hunt the big woods in the northeast, southern swamps, or desert mule deer, we talk about it on Realtree's Rut Report. This week, we're checking in on the Southeast and Southwest regions with Mike Hanback in Virginia and Miles Fedinec in Colorado. 

Southern deer get hunted hard, and the big ones don't come easy, even on a well-managed place like Realtree Farms. Tyler Jordan shot the farm's biggest buck to date back in late September, and the story of how that buck came to be is a testament to cooperative wildlife management among all the neighboring landowners and hunt clubs. In this Outpost episode, we'll hear about that buck, talk about cold fronts, and how southern hunting has changed over the past decade — and the slammer bucks that are coming out of the South as a result. 

In the final episode of our five-part series on the history and impact of spinning-wing decoys, we join Southeast Missouri duck hunter and North Delta outfitter Eric Rinehart. This guy grew up in SEMO, and he says mallard ducks of today don't fly on bright, sunny days like they used to — and he believes spinning-wing decoys are part of the reason why. 

Gary Zahm is a well-recognized waterfowl photographer. He's also a lifelong hunter, and a former California refuge manager for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Zahm remembers the early days of spinners—back before the Mojo Mallard. In this series on the spinning wing decoy controversy, Zahm's input is both insightful and nuanced. 

Pat Pitt hails from Olive Branch, Mississippi, and has been a duck hunter since 1965. He's traveled the world in pursuit of waterfowl, and is recognized as one of the nation's top duck and goose taxidermists. Pitt also believes spinning-wing duck decoys should be outlawed. He believes the decoys themselves have caused major behavioral changes in today's ducks, and that they're emblematic of a duck hunting culture that's changing for the worse.

Brian Lovett is Realtree's longtime waterfowl editor and author of The Duck Blog on Realtree.com. He's hunted ducks and geese all over the country, and in a variety of settings. He remembers the first time he saw a spinning-wing decoy in action, too — and he says for a time, it was nothing short of a magic bullet. 

In this five-part series, we take a deep look at one of the most influential, effective—and controversial—pieces of hunting gear in modern history: the spinning-wing duck decoy. In part one, we'll hear the behind-the-scenes story of the Mojo Mallard, the first commercially successful spinner, from Mojo president Terry Denmon. 

Stephen Tucker is best known in the deer hunting world as the guy who shot The Tucker Buck with a muzzleloader in November of 2016. That buck stood for a couple years as largest hunter-taken non-typical whitetail of all time. But Tucker's killed some dandy bucks in more recent seasons, too, including a pair of full-velvet studs during The Volunteer State's special 3-day archery hunt in late August. In this episode we'll get into Tucker's strategies for scouting and setting up to hunt big feeding pattern bucks on crop field edges. 

Miles Fedinec is one of the West's best antelope guides. In this episode, we dig in on field-judging antelope, shooting tips for bowhunters, must-have ground blind equipment, and how this summer's drought is affecting Western big game. 

Will Brantley and David Blanton talk target panic. Blanton is a 40-year veteran bowhunter, and has always been a self-professed "puncher." But bad habits have been creeping into his shooting the last few years, and this summer Blanton has committed to fixing them by learning to shoot a hinge release. Hear how that's working out, and how he'll transition back to a thumb-break release for hunting this fall. 

Will Brantley and Steve Hickoff recap the 2021 turkey season, with highlights from the Northeast, Southeast, and Great Plains. We also talk new turkey research, and how states like Arkansas and Alabama are changing hunting regulations in an effort to address recent turkey population declines. 

Will Brantley and Mike Hanback talk taxidermy, and talk through the reasons why it can take so long to get a shoulder mount back from the shop. But how long is too long? Should you wait a year? Two years? 

Don’t field-dress that deer near your stand, or you’ll ruin it for the rest of the season! That’s conventional wisdom with the time-honored stamp of approval from the old guys in deer camp. But does that mean it’s true? Do gut piles really spook deer?  Mike Hanback and Will Brantley discuss the pros and cons of gutting your deer where it falls.

Travis "T-Bone" Turner talks about his recent diagnosis with Alpha-Gal, the tick-borne illness that causes allergic reactions to red meat. Plus, he shares the stories of his three giant bucks from one incredible 2020 hunting season. 

Realtree's Michael Pendley tells the story of the archery elk hunt with his son, Nathanial "Potroast" Pendley, last fall in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky. There's a tire fire, a near gun fight over scrap metal, and one awesome DIY hunting tale here that you don't want to miss—especially if you're one of the thousands who applies every year for a Kentucky elk tag. 

Building a nest predator trapping program into your yearly land management checklist is one of the best things you can do to improve the local turkey poult production. Host Will Brantley talks trapping techniques and favorite baits with Tennessee trapper and turkey nut Kerry B Wix. 

Host Will Brantley interviews hunting consultant and guide Miles Fedinec on the state of the outfitting business, and how the pandemic affected it. Some outfitters were hit hard, but some are doing better than ever. Plus, tips for taking your first hunt out west. 

Brantley interviews long-time Realtree turkey guru Steve Hickoff on the state of the wild turkey in 2021. Some states are changing regs and season structures due to turkey population declines, and Hickoff provides the update. 

Tyler Jordan passes the torch to Will Brantley, the new host of the Realtree Outpost podcast. They cover deer season takeaways, wintertime trapping, and plans for spring gobblers.    

Tyler Jordan sits down with UFC fighter Bryce Mitchell. Bryce made his debut in his custom Realtree Edge camo shorts back in October. Bryce talks about his love and passion for the outdoors. They also discuss Catfish, Hushpuppies, and the time he rear naked choked a deer!

Tyler Jordan talks with Bow Hunter Planet's Dave Thomas to chat about some of the new things happening with his platform and future of the archery industry. They also talk about some of the new bows for 2020 and that there still may be new bows yet to be released.

Tyler Jordan and Bryan Brown chat about how they approached  their Kansas hunt to ultimately be successful when Tyler takes a 156" 8 year old buck. They focused on this buck when showed up on spartan camera the day before they arrived in camp. He was one of the only mature bucks to show up on the cameras on their lease and had quite the history with other hunters in the area!

Tyler Jordan and Bryan Brown chat with Mike Stroff, Host of "Grigsby" and Savage Outdoors. Mike is a guide and outfitter by trade, and has operations in multiple different states. Mike is one of the most knowledgeable hunters in the industry and gives us a little insight on how and when he likes to hunt some of these big midwest bucks. He also tells us how he juggles four camps in four different states all at the same time.

Tyler Jordan and Bryan Brown chat with Jim Sunford about Tyler's Milk River Giant that he killed during rifle season. They talk about the history of the Milk River and how the hunting has evolved over the years with EHD outbreaks and hard winter kills.

Tyler Jordan and Bryan Brown break down their successes and failures while bowhunting the early part of the season, starting in Nebraska coming all the way back home to Georgia. Bryan breaks down his hunt for a 165" buck they nicknamed 'Big-heavy' and Tyler breaks down his hunt for a 150" Georgia giant. While recording the podcast, news broke about Riley Green punching his Nebraska tag on his second trip out to the cornhusker state, so he joins in on the podcast for a quick recap of his hunt!

Stand access, scent control, and wind direction are some of the most important factors on an early season deer hunt. On this week's Outpost Podcast Tyler Jordan chats with Will Brantley about a few early season do's-and-dont's and a few tips that have made them both better early deer season hunters. 

Michael Waddell takes the short trip down to the Realtree offices in Columbus, GA to catch up with the entire team before the grind of deer season starts. Tyler Jordan and Bryan Brown chat with Michael on the podcast about the all-new Roadtrips format on the digital Realtree 365 app. Michael shares some memories on his most memorable hunts over the years with Roadtrips and also some never before heard stories that even Bill and David don't know about!

Tyler Jordan and Bryan Brown sit down with Phillip Culpepper to talk about Phillip's new digital show, Hunt Club. Phillip talks about a few of his most memorable hunts during his time at Realtree. He'll also talk about what the future looks like in his new venture, which will air on youtube as well as the Realtree 365 app.

This week we chat about how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the hunting and fishing industries. We also have special guest and Development Director of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Foundation, Mr. Johnny Allred. Johnny speaks specifically on how the pandemic has affected Tennessee's license sales, gun sales, and other topics that relate specifically to Tennessee's department of natural resources.

Dr. Duck and The Fowl Hunter sit down with Realtree's David Blanton to discuss everything for this years duck season, taking the next generation of hunters, and the reward of hunting public land.

Duck Commander's Justin Martin and John Godwin sit down with Realtree's David Blanton to discuss the past duck season.  They also discuss different ways to make you a better duck hunter.