Wired To Hunt

Follow Wired To Hunt
Share on
Copy link to clipboard

Dive deep into the world of whitetails with leading expert Mark Kenyon. Each weekly episode covers specific and actionable strategies for the next generation of whitetail hunting addicts. Get your fix through the stories of Mark’s learning experiences as a whitetail hunter and valuable insights prov…

MeatEater


    • Jun 23, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekly NEW EPISODES
    • 1h 17m AVG DURATION
    • 917 EPISODES

    4.9 from 4,659 ratings Listeners of Wired To Hunt that love the show mention: mark and dan, whitetail hunting, whitetail hunter, mark kenyon, dan johnson, bs sessions, wired to hunt podcast, deer hunters, holyfield, hunting strategies, best deer hunting podcast, hunting podcast available, w2h, love the bs, hunting whitetails, informative hunting, dan do a great job, deer management, great work mark, hunting shows.


    Ivy Insights

    The Wired To Hunt podcast is a highly enjoyable and informative show that caters to both experienced hunters and beginners alike. Hosted by Mark Kenyon, the podcast covers a wide range of topics related to deer hunting, featuring expert guests who provide valuable insights and strategies. The show is known for its engaging discussions, entertaining stories, and practical tips that make it a must-listen for any hunting enthusiast.

    One of the best aspects of The Wired To Hunt podcast is the Foundations series with Tony Peterson. These short episodes are perfect for novice hunters like myself, as they provide easily digestible information on various hunting topics. Tony's writing and delivery style keep the content entertaining while still being informative. Additionally, Mark's interviews with industry experts offer in-depth discussions on strategy, tactics, and conservation efforts, making them highly educational for seasoned hunters.

    While The Wired To Hunt podcast has numerous strengths, one potential downside is that some listeners may find Mark's personal anecdotes and stories repetitive over time. Although his willingness to share his mistakes and failures makes him relatable to many listeners, others might prefer less self-reflection in favor of more practical advice or expert insights. However, this is ultimately a minor criticism in an otherwise excellent podcast.

    In conclusion, The Wired To Hunt podcast provides a wealth of valuable information for hunters of all skill levels. The combination of engaging hosts like Mark Kenyon and Tony Peterson, along with their expert guest lineup, ensures that each episode is filled with useful tips and entertaining content. Whether you are a seasoned hunter looking to refine your skills or a beginner seeking guidance on getting started in the sport, this podcast is definitely worth listening to.



    More podcasts from MeatEater

    Search for episodes from Wired To Hunt with a specific topic:

    Latest episodes from Wired To Hunt

    Are Deer Getting Wise to Trail Cameras?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2025


    Back in 2020, I spent some time in Michigan with Mark Kenyon filming our Back 40 series. At one point during a mid-summer stand hanging mission, he decided to check a few trail cameras. I watched as he swapped out SD cards, and then doused each camera with scent-eliminating spray. At the time I thought he was being just a bit too neurotic. Now, I'm not so sure. As trail cameras become more and more ubiquitous across the whitetail sphere, it seems...

    Careers That Allow You to Hunt More

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2025


    Ever considered your career choice based on hunting seasons? You're likely not the first. In fact, a lot of serious hunters will admit that their career choices revolved around hunting. After all, if you have to work, why not do something that allows you to hit the woods as much as you want? You could brave the content creator waters and try to make a living through YouTube, but that route has become oversaturated and highly predictable. If your...

    Trail Cam Photo Contest: Funniest Moments Caught on Camera

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2025


    Trail cameras don't always take pictures of that nice buck that's on your hit list for this fall. In fact, sometimes they can capture strange and downright funny moments in the woods when no one is looking. So we want to see the most hilarious frames your trail camera has snapped. You can upload them right here in the comment section or email them to radio@themeateater.com. To view the official rules of the contest, click here. The winning photo...

    Why You Should Summer Scout for Whitetails in Bad Weather

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2025


    I used to give whitetails a lot more credit than they probably deserve. This led me to be a little neurotic, and often, plan my summer stand-hanging missions during rainstorms. The logic was pretty simple, really. I figured that the rain would cover up my intrusion, and more importantly, wash away all of my scent. That may have been true, I don't really know. What I do know is that heading to the woods during summer rain showers kept producing...

    How A Lost Hunting Property Made Me and My Dad Friends

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2025


    Like most rebellious teenagers, I wasn't much for rules. But the Thanksgiving weekend of 2007, I played it by the book. My dad gave me strict instructions not to leave my hunting blind until dark, especially if I shot a deer. And, Buddy, did I keep that bucket seat warm. My ears were still ringing when I peered through the new hole in the blind's shoot-through mesh. The buck I shot dropped in its tracks, and I could see its white underbelly lying...

    How to Find a Deer Hunting Strategy That Works for You

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2025


    Deer hunting is simple enough, right? Locate, read, and interpret the sign. Then, you formulate a plan to ambush them while they travel, feed, or some combination of the two. In its simplest form, that is how you would hunt and kill a deer. Of course, harvest rates tell us that it's a little more complicated than that. Hunting pressure, deer populations, and a host of other variables also tip the scales one way or another. As much as hunting...

    Summer Groundwork for a Successful Whitetail Season

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2025


    Now that the spring gobbler season has come and gone and the heat of summer settles in, many hunters stash their gear and count the days until the opening morning of deer season. However, the off-season doesn't mean hunters should take a break. In fact, summer may be the most underrated time to scout, strategize, and prepare for a successful fall. I'll admit it, I start getting excited for fall long before it arrives. While most people spend the...

    Best Uses for Old Antlers and Sheds

    Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2025


    I typically give my garage a good cleaning every few months. Every time I do, I pick up some of my old antlers, sheds, and dead heads. I'll reminisce on some of my favorite hunts or make false promises to myself about new spots. Then, I put them back in the corner until the next cleaning, where they go on collecting dust. I'm sure most hunters can relate to this hoarding dilemma. While I won't just throw away a set of antlers, there are better...

    Summer Habitat Improvements for Whitetails

    Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2025


    Prepping for deer season starts long before October. Hanging stands and trimming shooting lanes are important, but that shouldn't be the only preseason work on your schedule this year. While it might not be as sexy, habitat improvements can provide immediate and long-term benefits for private hunting properties. In fact, I'd bet my favorite hunting rifle that habitat management will increase your odds of success more than buying a new tree stand...

    North Dakota Slashes Deer Tags Amid Ongoing Population Struggles

    Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2025


    On Wednesday, May 7, North Dakota finalized its 2025 season dates and license quotas. The North Dakota Game and Fish (NDGF) agency notably cut licenses down to 42,300. This is 7,800 tags or 16% fewer than 2024. The tag reductions apply to most of the state's deer tags, including both either-species tags and specifically designated whitetail tags. Muzzleloader-only licenses were also slashed. The only tag quotas that weren't significantly impacted...

    Summer Archery Drills Every Bowhunter Should Do

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2025


    Summer is the perfect time for bowhunters to sharpen their skills and ensure they're ready when hunting season arrives. While shooting a few arrows at a backyard target is better than nothing, structured drills can dramatically improve accuracy, consistency, and confidence. This past summer, after diving into the saddle-hunting craze, I found myself perched fifteen feet up in one of our backyard trees. The best way to get comfortable with a new...

    New Study Tells You How Far to Look for a Matched Set of Antlers

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2025


    Every shed hunter knows the feeling: the exhilaration of picking up an antler and the instant curiosity about where the other side might be located. It could be resting a few feet away; it could be hidden in a brushy draw a half mile away, or it could be in the next county. There's no way of knowing for certain—but new research may offer some clues. Researchers at the University of Nebraska Kearney recently finished a 13-year study that aimed to...

    How to Find New Whitetail Spots Now

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2025


    It doesn't matter how much post-season scouting I do, I always regret not adding more deer hunting spots to my list. While I think there's merit in compiling historical data and spending time on a few properties, you can never have too many hunting spots for various reasons. Habitat changes from year to year, properties change hands, and hunting pressure heats up. Even drastic weather conditions might alter the way deer use (or don't use) the...

    Running a Trapline Can Make You a Better Public Land Deer Hunter

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2025


    I started my trapping career on the game lands of central North Carolina. By that time, I had already spent a decade hunting public-land deer and thought I had a pretty good grasp on the process. I had no idea that my winter trapping adventures would teach me not only all about furbearers but even more about the whitetails they share the land with. I spent two years learning to trap in my favorite whitetail honey holes but generally viewed...

    How Whitetail Hunters Can Overcome Public Land Overcrowding

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2025


    It's a near-constant drumbeat in many hunting circles. The public land is just too crowded. It's a blanket statement tossed around, at least partially, to blame folks like me for promoting public land whitetail hunting too much. It's also a good statement to use if you want to explain away how you didn't fill a tag last year. It's also, in some areas, true. At least at certain points of the season, it's true. But overcrowding is subjective. The...

    Massive Deer Smuggling Bust Hits 22 Suspects with 1,200 Charges

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2025


    Texas game wardens announced yesterday that 22 suspects have been charged with 1,200 violations related to illegal whitetail smuggling and black-market wildlife trade. The smuggling operation encompassed three deer breeding facilities, ten release sites, one deer management pen, and three illegal, unregistered facilities. The smugglers and illegal breeders are accused of poaching wild deer to replace their own, falsifying mandatory CWD tests, and...

    3 Simple Land Improvement Projects that Will Help You Kill More Bucks

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2025


    Last winter, at least in the Upper Midwest where I live, was dreamy. If you're not passionate about sledding or building snowmen, it was dreamy anyway. We didn't get any real snow to speak of, and for me, that meant I had a lot of time to work on my small deer properties. Every other week, I drove across the river into Wisconsin to work on my ground. I got a lot done, but that opportunity was an outlier and not the rule. This year, real winter...

    The Realities of Travel Hunting for Whitetails

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2025


    It doesn't take long to browse YouTube before you find that there's an unlimited amount of hunting content. For better or worse, you don't have to be a pro to upload your hunting adventures. You can watch everything from seasoned hunters, like the Element crew, chase big bucks across the country to weekend warriors shooting their first GoPro hunts. Regardless of content quality, that endless stream of hunting media has conditioned hunters to have...

    New Research Confirms The Moon Doesn't Affect Deer Movement

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2025


    Like the UFO poster hanging in agent Fox Mulder's office states, I want to believe…that maybe the moon and deer movement are connected. Personally, I've never considered moon phase when hunting, but I know plenty of hunters who live and die by the moon phase and position. The theory that moon phase and position somehow affect buck movement has permeated our modern hunting culture for decades. In fact, hunters of all calibers (old school, newbies...

    Why You Should Focus on Post-Season Scouting Instead of Shed Hunting

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2025


    For most hunters, February marks a definitive end to deer season and likely a welcomed break. Unless you plan to post-season scout, take down trail cams, or join the increasingly popular shed hunting community. February, for me at least, serves as a reminder that the work of deer hunting extends beyond the official seasons. For better or worse, my wife has also come to this realization. As a certified weekend warrior, I already struggle to find...

    Simplify Your Whitetail Gear Setup

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 29, 2025


    Post-season reflection isn't just about missed opportunities, but it's a great time to evaluate your hunting setup, too. Improving your hunting skills requires learning from your mistakes and making changes next season so you don't repeat them. This includes your hunting gear. Just like you might drop or add certain hunting techniques and strategies, you'll also know which gear stays and which gear needs to go to eBay or the dump. As someone who...

    How to Scout and Hunt Flatland

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 28, 2025


    Hunting hill country or mountainous areas presents its own set of challenges. However, the terrain at least provides a starting point that flatlands don't give up so easily. Saddles, benches, or drainages typically stand out on a map. Subtle terrain features and soft edges don't. The lack of terrain and monotonous habitat, especially in the big woods, can be intimidating when you're e-scouting. Unless you're working with hard edges, you'll have...

    Why Trail Cameras Don't Always Tell the Truth

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2025


    Trail cameras can be incredibly handy tools for deer hunters. You can learn more about what deer frequent a specific area, how they use the landscape, and whether or not a booner or a forkie has worked that one scrape. But like all technological advancements in the deer woods, they can serve more as a stumbling block than a resource for many hunters. I like to think of trail camera data as a movie preview. You can infer a lot from a preview, but...

    The MeatEater Crew's Most Memorable Misses

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 17, 2025


    Hunt long enough, and you'll miss. It's just part of hunting. Some misses can be comical. All of them make great stories. Others haunt you for the rest of your days. In fact, I'm positive that whoever came up with the cliché saying that “time heals all wounds” never hunted. I have a few misses that still wake me up in a cold sweat every now and then, including what would have been my biggest buck to date. If there's any consolation in missing, it...

    3 Mistakes Almost All Newbie Crossbow Hunters Make

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 15, 2025


    Hunters like easy, or at least easier. That's not a knock, it's just our evolution put into practice. This is evident in whitetail hunting in a variety of ways, not the least of which is the push for crossbow inclusion in various states. While some folks make the argument that crossbows are really no different from vertical bows, anyone who has shot both knows how that's just not true. Anyone who has been busted drawing a bow in close proximity...

    3 Best Places to Deer Hunt in January

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2025


    At this point in the year, most folks have called it quits, and many states' deer seasons have closed. While many hunters turn their attention to fly tying, ice fishing, or even shed hunting, a lot of hunters, especially down South, are still trying to punch tags. In fact, most of the Gulf Coast states have prime rutting action this time of year. While some of these states might not seem like prime whitetail destinations, they do offer reasonable...

    Yes, You Can Rifle Hunt from a Tree Saddle

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2024


    For bowhunters, saddle hunting rules the current mobile hunting trend. Ultralight lock-on stands come in a close second, but we're in the heyday of saddles. While this might be the go-to method for archers, it hasn't gained as much traction with the rifle-hunting crowd. I constantly meet or talk with hunters who are intrigued by saddle hunting, and they always ask the same question: Is it comfortable? The short answer is absolutely. More...

    How to Hunt Around Gun Pressure

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 16, 2024


    No matter where you hunt, navigating gun hunting pressure presents challenges. In the Midwest, especially straight-wall cartridge states, you might only have to worry about the orange armies for a few weeks every season. In Southern states, gun season might span months. In my home state of Mississippi, gun season basically runs from the week before Thanksgiving to the end of January. On public lands, six of those weeks might be dedicated gun...

    3 Reasons to Hunt the Late Season

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 9, 2024


    For many reasons, the rut can be the best and most exciting time to kill a buck. Even sage bucks let down their guards this time of year, and there's always a chance that one could run through your setup. As hopeful as rut hunting might seem, those same chance encounters can make it unpredictable and frustrating. Even if you blanked during the rut, you should still have high hopes for the late season. By this time of the season the temps, leaves...

    How To Spot Fresh Deer Sign

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 3, 2024


    Whether you're hunting the early season, rut, post-rut, or late season, finding fresh sign should be your top priority. After all, if you can consistently find deer, you'll have a lot of success—and fun—during hunting season. You'll find that phrase (fresh sign) in almost any article you read on deer hunting, including plenty that I've penned. But, like other vague terms, “fresh sign” only becomes helpful if you understand what it means. For...

    How to Kill a Buck from a Natural Ground Blind

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 27, 2024


    One of the big trends in whitetail hunting is box blinds. What was once a Texas anomaly has spread across the whitetail's range in a major way during the last decade. This is a great move if it fits your style and your budget. The other end of the spectrum is the mobile craze, with its saddles and featherweight stands and sticks. I'm a big proponent of embracing as many options as possible, because you never know what you might need to be...

    Thanksgiving Hunting Traditions

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2024


    I know a lot of hunters who observe some sort of hunting tradition around Thanksgiving, whether it falls on the actual day or encompasses that weekend. During this time of year, gun seasons are typically underway. From famed ladder stands to annual man drives or deer-dog camps down South, hunting traditions can be some of the most exciting and fun times of deer season. For a lot of hunters, these traditions have sparked a lifetime of hunting...

    Mark Kenyon's Field Notes: Lessons from an Anemic Whitetail Rut

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2024


    This is not the rut I was expecting. In fact, my 2024 whitetail rut has been about as far from what most whitetail hunters dream of as it could possibly get. I have not seen a single buck chasing does. I have not witnessed a single buck fight. I have not heard a buck grunt, snort wheeze, or even sneeze! It. Has. Been. Slow. But, with that off my chest, I also recognize that there's no point dwelling on it. The important question is this; What can...

    3 Easy Ways to Get Your Deer Out of the Woods on Solo Hunts

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2024


    I've never owned a four-wheeler or a side-by-side. I also rarely hunt places where my deer die close to the road. This reality has led me to consider all aspects of getting deer out of the woods without killing myself via a miserable drag. What that has taught me is that a lot of folks just don't understand what the options are, or how to figure out which one is best for individual hunts. That's a shame, because there's nothing better than...

    Why You Should Rifle Hunt This Year

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2024


    Rifle hunters typically receive unfair generalizations. After all, those fuds make easy scapegoats, tramping through the woods in blaze orange. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of hunters who fit the fud stereotype, but that's hardly an indicator of most rifle hunters. While it's easy for us bowhunters to see rifle hunting as a less refined way of taking game, annual data on man days and successful harvests should tell us that rifle hunting...

    rifles rifle hunt
    How to Track a Buck on Bare Ground

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2024


    They were definitely buck tracks. I was standing on a wide open hillside in the warm afternoon sun, looking down at the tracks and wondering if I even had a chance. We'd had good snow in the early season, but a warm front had come through the day before, pushing a sheet of rain ahead of it that melted every beautiful white inch of accumulation before I had managed to find a track worth following. I was planning to give up on tracking that day and...

    How to Still-Hunt During the Rut

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 13, 2024


    When you think about the rut, still-hunting probably doesn't pop into your head. All-day sits, setting up downwind of doe bedding, or hanging in a funnel usually top the list of rut-hunting tactics. If you've done your homework and put the time in, you'll probably have a decent shot at shooting a buck. But what if all-day sits just don't interest you, or you're hunting somewhere new? Those all-day sits won't do you any good if you're hunting a...

    Saddle Hunting Tips for the Rut

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 8, 2024


    When I first started saddle hunting I thought the money I spent on the gear bought me an instant level-up. If you've hung in a saddle for any amount of time, you know this isn't the case. Sometimes too much freedom leads to paralysis or over analyzing, and this is especially true for saddle hunting. Just because you can theoretically hunt any tree, doesn't mean you'll have a sure shot at a big buck—even during the rut. You still have to read the...

    5 Tips to Simplify the Rut

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2024


    The archery opener has come and gone, along with the entire month of October, and you still haven't crossed paths with a mature buck. Turn the page to November, crisp mornings, cold fronts, and the rut brings the promise of crunching leaves and cruising bucks. Unfortunately, almost as quick as the newfound hope arrives, the grind begins, and you find yourself on the back half of the rut, running low on sleep and ideas. You know that time on stand...

    Face It, You're a Weekend Warrior

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2024


    This is essentially what my wife told me after I returned, complaining, from a recent hunt. It's not exactly the consolation I was looking for, but it was an honest assessment, albeit frank. While she didn't mean it as a slight or even a passive-aggressive dig, she did help me reevaluate my goals and expectations as a hunter who works multiple jobs, has a family, and pursues other commitments and interests. Now, before you tear me apart in the...

    Deer Decoys Done Right During the Rut

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 28, 2024


    According to my wife, I'm a late bloomer with a lot of things. She's not wrong, but one that she doesn't care about but which bothers me a lot, is that I'm just starting to really incorporate decoys into my deer hunting strategy. I've spent so much time hunting public land and other pressured places, which often lack a good class of mature bucks, that it just never really resonated with me. I did manage to lure in a cruising Nebraska buck several...

    Mark Kenyon's Whitetail Field Notes: Preparing for the Rut

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 25, 2024


    Opening day has come and gone. The October Lull is fading in the rearview mirror. And, now, the whitetail rut is staring us right in the hairy eyeball. It's just about here. As you might have guessed by now, my opening day plan did not go as I'd hoped. In fact, the two bucks I've been after in southern Michigan have been complete ghosts. One hasn't shown since October 3rd. The other, which I wrote about last time, has been AWOL since the...

    Claim Wired To Hunt

    In order to claim this podcast we'll send an email to with a verification link. Simply click the link and you will be able to edit tags, request a refresh, and other features to take control of your podcast page!

    Claim Cancel