In this episode of the DIY Sportsman podcast, Garrett talks about how to navigate the vast amount of changes that occur between the beginning and the end of the month. Changes include food sources, amount of available security cover, hunting pressure, and hormones. Garrett reviews data of daylight mature buck sightings from the 2020 season in locations near doe bedding throughout the month, and how it compares to sightings before mid-month. Strategy wise, being successful in early October requires a different mindset and skillset, and it can be important to not overpressure good pre-rut areas too early before bucks have started shifting over or showing up in daylight because of impact on the does. However, Garrett talks about a scouting strategy that has proven to be fairly low impact to gather intel before the pre-rut to help stay on top of anything that may have changed from the prior year.  DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

DIY Sportsman | Sportsmen's Nation

Navigating the October Lull through Pre-Rut

On today's episode of the DIY Sportsman podcast, Garrett interviews Jake Bush about hill country bucks. Jake has lived and hunted in both New York and more recently southern Ohio, and has been able to find a great degree of success scouting, locating, and patterning bucks in the big woods hills. They breakdown each portion of the season and talk about strategies for each. Jake discusses why a less commonly sought after wind direction is actually his favorite for setting up because the wind and thermal interaction allow him to get set up more undetected. Jake also discusses his experiences hunting scrapes, and which ones he likes to focus on or ignore, and he talks about his scouting methods from shed hunting through summer glassing and trail camera work. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Hill Country Hunting Strategy with Jake Bush

In this episode of the DIY Sportsman podcast, Garrett and his wife Sam discuss their recent Nebraska public land deer hunt. Nebraska is of course a large state with some varied habitat, but they decided to go to a region where mule deer were more sought after to reduce the likelihood of pressure from other whitetail hunters. In the episode, the couple talks about the challenges they faced, lessons learned about the area and habitat, as well as a recap of their hunting strategy. Sam was successful in shooting a doe, so she talked about her mindset during the closing moments and how it compared to some of her experiences earlier in the week with close calls and calming of nerves.  DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Nebraska Hunt Recap

On this episode of the DIY Sportsman Podcast, Garrett outlines a list of things to do now before the season starts, to make sure that the opener goes as smoothly as possible. The three categories where there are some great opportunities are Archery, Gear, and final Pre-Season Scouting. We are close enough to the season in many states that if everything isn't already flushed out and tested, you can feel a little behind. The last few weeks before the season should be allocated for getting reps in and building additional confidence with a system that has already been locked. However, not everyone will find themselves in that type of a scenario. So in that case, Garrett outlines some things that you can do to try and play catch up and have maximum confidence going into the season.  DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Pre-Season Hunting Checklist

In today's episode Garett talks to Johnny Stewart, who's got quite a bit of experience hunting in the northeast but also is a traveling hunter and has spent time in many states across the Midwest as well. The topic of conversation is mature buck behavior, which seems at a first glance like it could be a narrow topic but really isn't. One thing that's very obvious in this discussion with Johnny is that older bucks don't operate the same as other deer, but on top of that, they individually have so many different characteristics and behaviors that trying to describe what any given buck might do is challenging. There are so many specific scenarios that could be at play. Johnny talks about what commonalities he does see, how he goes out to locate and keep tabs on deer, and how he knows when he's ready to go make a move on a particular deer. There are plenty of examples throughout the episode that might help someone relate to something they might be seeing in their own neck of the woods.  DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Mature Buck Behavior with Johnny Stewart

On this episode of the DIY Sportsman podcast, Garrett talks to Sam Shaffer, owner and operator of Titanium Archery products, to talk bow stabilization. After the background discussion, they first dive into vibration suppression and noise, which is a really interesting topic when it comes to deer hunting and one which deserves more research. Then they talk bow stabilization, and what the perceived benefits are for bowhunters, how they can be measured, pitfalls to watch out for, and putting together a set up that actually works for you rather than attempting to band-aid underlying issues or creating new balance issues. It's a good discussion that definitely goes a little into the weeds at some points, as with most of these gear focused podcasts. That said, the information should be helpful for new or experienced archers alike.  DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Stabilizers for Bow Hunting with Sam Shaffer

In today’s episode Garrett discusses some of the logistics for planning out of state hunts. Let’s face it, more and more people are trying their hand at doing these types of hunts. The popularity has certainly increased due to the media and content from people doing them, and surely the pandemic in some ways is likely boosting those numbers as well. Most of the hesitation to doing an out of state hunt is either due to the confidence level that you’d actually be able to get what you would want out of that hunt. But a large part is surely also due to the logistics, and not knowing what you don’t know.Over the past several years, Garrett has hunted in Missouri, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Iowa, Colorado, and Georgia, outside of his home state of Minnesota. This year he'll be adding Nebraska and Pennsylvania to the list of states as well. Some of those trips have been group trips, others solo. Some early season, some rut, and some late season. Most were driving, but a couple have been flying, so hopefully this episode will be able to shed some light on the things to be aware of if you’re looking to plan your first out of state hunt this fall. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

How to Plan Out of State Hunts

In this episode of the DIY Sportsman podcast, Garrett discusses getting your bow and arrows set up for the upcoming hunting season. Perhaps this is the year you're deciding to try your hand at doing your own bow work, or have maybe dabbled in it in the past, or just have not been happy with something about your hunting setup in the past. The episode goes over bow set up and tuning from scratch. After discussing bow the bow tune, Garrett discusses arrows and tuning. Unlike bow tuning, arrow tuning has more to do with finding the more forgiving match to your overall system and ensuring each arrow flies consistently with the rest. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Bow and Arrow Prep for Hunting Season

On this episode of the DIY Sportsman podcast, Garrett talks to Greg Litzinger, who some of you might also know as the Bowhunting Fiend. Although he's located in the northeast, there are definitely many parallels from things that he sees and posts about compared to what Garrett sees in the upper Midwest.The conversation starts with discussions about scouting, summer plans, and tendencies and challenges faced when trying to hunt various terrain types of public land. Greg located a giant buck close to his home with trail cameras and talked about some of the actions he's putting in place now to try and have a chance at him this fall. Some types of public land seem to get pressured more based on the quantity of social media content describing how to hunt them. Greg and Garrett have both noticed lower pressure in areas that seem harder to pick apart. Later in the episode, Greg talks about technology, the challenges of self filming, and even archery.  DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Summer Plans and Public Land Challenges with Greg Litzinger

Trail cameras are the topic of today's discussion. In particular, I'll be talking about summer strategies on public land. It seems like much of the info we hear on summer trail cameras focuses around putting them in high visibility areas, along field edges, fence rows, or next to minerals. Well, what if you don't have access to agriculture? What if minerals or other feed is illegal on the land that you hunt? What if you're afraid of theft in high traffic areas? Well, today I'm going to outline some alternative strategies that I'll be employing throughout the summer to try and inventory several different pieces of public across multiple states to get a good preparation for the upcoming season.  In addition to discussing what some of the higher odds locations to place those cameras might be, I also talk about camera density in an area, how to minimize false triggers, maximize the number of true triggers, and how to keep those pesky ants from destroying your camera electronics. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Summer Public Land Trail Camera Strategies

For many people throughout the country, turkey seasons are winding down or have ended. But there are still plenty of opportunities in states like Wisconsin or Minnesota which still have ongoing seasons throughout the month of May. Turkey hunting can require a little shift in strategy this time of year. Birds have been pressured hard, but that same hunting pressure has largely relaxed by now. Hens are spending a lot more time on the nest, and the days are very long. That can give some great opportunity for those willing to put some time in the woods.This episode does a detailed breakdown of my wife Sam's successful public land hunt this past weekend, and I go into some of the methods and strategies that have proven to be successful on late season gobblers. Many of the questions you see from other turkey hunters revolve around "what type of calling". But that's only a very small, and less important in my opinion, piece of the puzzle.  DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Late Season Turkey Hunting

In this episode, Todd talks about some of the experiences he's had starting up bowhunting again more recently. Much of the knowledge he's gained over the years tracking fed right into his archery strategy, and he was able to tag a nice buck. It wasn't without its own set of challenges however. Notably, Todd talked about how hunting pressure from guys who had a similar hunting style caused some challenges he wasn't used to from rifle hunting. We discuss the relative ease of patterning specific bucks in the big woods. Todd feels that there is a common misconception of those deer being nomadic, but he finds that the commonly repeat the exact same things year after year, without minor disturbances like crop rotation present to alter patterns. We talk boots on the ground and trail camera strategies to learn those patterns and take advantage of them.  DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Tracking Mature Bucks with Todd Havel Pt. 2

Todd Havel from Wisconsin is the guest on this podcast. He's spent decades hunting and tracking mature bucks in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan. The conversation we had went into enough detail that it made sense to split into two parts. In the first part, Todd talks about his experiences tracking, and breaking down the habitat and tendencies of older bucks. Todd has witnessed them doing things differently than other deer. They spend most of the year in a tight area, but tracking during the rut gives a great opportunity to locate what otherwise would be a hard-to-find deer. We discuss habitat features, sign that might be left, and tracking skillsets, with several examples. For instance, what happens when there isn't any snow? How far will a mature buck travel in a day? What do they do before bedding down? How do you practice being able to take a quick shot? Even though some of the topics are tracking specific, there are many parallels that can be applied across the board for hunting older bucks in the northern timber.  DYI Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Tracking Mature Bucks with Todd Havel Pt. 1

On today's episode we have Parker McDonald. Those of you who are diligent listeners to the Sportsman's nation podcast network will of course know Parker already through his Southern Ground Hunting Podcast. Or, perhaps you've seen some of his deer or turkey hunting episodes on YouTube. He's one of my go-to guys when I have any questions related to water access or kayak set up, and we certainly go in-depth into kayak rigging, propulsion, and accessories that make the most sense for hunting. Some of his thoughts on motors and lighting were not what I would have originally expected. Being from the South, Parker's turkey seasons are now well under way. We start off with a great discussion into what Parker's been doing so far, and sort of expand into a general discussion that talks about hunting in Alabama vs other states, access strategies and other topics. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Turkey Hunting and Kayaks with Parker McDonald

Over the past several years, I've started incorporating more and more ground setups into my hunting routine. Sometimes they're intentional, while other times they're impromptu, but they are always situational. In this episode, I dive into what makes a set up better or worse for a ground hunt as opposed to a hunt from a tree. Certainly there are obvious scenarios in which there are no suitable trees where ground hunting makes sense. However, there are even times and situations where ground hunting in hardwoods could make sense. Once the location and scenario calls for ground hunting, there are definitely several things that can impact how good or poor the setup is on a micro level. Back cover, front cover, overhead cover, sun location, wind and thermal flips, and expected shot location all play a key role in whether or not you'll get picked off. Many of these lessons I've found out the hard way either hunting for deer or turkeys. Comfort plays a key role in preventing fidgeting, so I discuss the various seat and back support options that I've found to work best over the years. DIY Sportsman is Powered by Simplecast

Hunting From The Ground vs. Treestand

The DIY Sportsman Podcast focuses on covering hunting and gear-specific topics for the do-it-yourselfer. Hosts Garrett Prahl and Bobby (Boudreaux) Boswell draw from their backgrounds in engineering and wildlife biology, respectively, to provide a unique perspective which compliments their real-world experience hunting whitetails, turkeys, hogs, and western big game with everything from homemade bows to firearms. This podcast is brought to you by the Sportsmen's Nation - Outdoor Podcast Network.

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DIY Sportsman | Sportsmen's Nation

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