Zooming In

Zooming In 1 (Season 2)

Show 1 – Jeff Miller in North Dakota!

The area in North Dakota where Jeff arrowed the velvet 9-pointer is a perfect example of the type of habitat found across much of the state. The terrain could best be described as flat, featureless and, with the exception of shelterbelts, pretty much treeless. But as Jeff quickly discovered, the resident whitetails have adapted well to this open environment.

A couple evenings prior to his successful hunt, Jeff had used his Nikon spotting scope to watch a bachelor group of bucks as they left their bedding area in this thick cattail marsh. After spending a few minutes staging near the edge of the marsh, the bucks headed across these harvested wheat fields, crossing through these two treelines, on their way to a lush alfalfa field located here. Interestingly, just before reaching the alfalfa the bucks stopped to eat on a single windrow of wheat laying right here.

Based on his observations, Jeff and cameraman Matt Tandy went back the next morning and put up a Yukon Tracks ground blind here along this brushy fenceline that borders the east side of the alfalfa field. The windrowed wheat lay a mere 15 yards straight out in front of the blind. As Jeff noted during his hunt, the southeast wind direction was perfectly suited for the blind’s location.

The footage from the hunt clearly showed that the first group of deer did exactly what Jeff had predicted. They walked through this row of trees and made a beeline directly to the windrowed wheat. A big velvet 10-pointer that was trailing the group appeared to be headed for a date with destiny.

But before the 10-pointer got within range, the 9-pointer suddenly ambled into view from the opposite direction and stopped broadside just 30 yards from the blind. Fortunately, Matt was able to make the necessary adjustments with his camera and got the 9-pointer center frame just before Jeff released an arrow.

After the hit the 9-pointer ran to this treeline and stopped. Jeff and Matt watched the buck until darkness fell before sneaking out of the area. We recovered the trophy whitetail the next morning right here in this thick shelterbelt. Congratulations brother on your first velvet buck!

Hey, make sure you tune in next week to see where on earth we’ll be Zooming In. See you here!!

Zooming In 2 (Season 2)

Show 2 – Jake in Texas

Jake’s successful Texas bowhunt took place here, in the very northeast corner of the state. Trust me, this is NOT the type of environment most people envision when Texas whitetail hunting is mentioned. Rather than the brushy, flat, desert type environment typical of South-Texas, this area is open, hilly and boasts an abundance of lush green winter wheat fields.

As this satellite view shows, a thick creek bottom snakes through the property where we hunted. A large winter wheat field can be seen right here, on the west side of the creek bottom. The large, acorn producing oak tree where Jake arrowed the big 8-pointer is located right here, just a short distance northwest of the field.

Based on the Reconyx photos he’d gathered in previous days, Jake knew the buck’s routine was to first stop at the oak to check for fallen acorns before eventually heading to the wheat field. More importantly, however, Jake noticed that the buck’s arrival at the oak was getting earlier and earlier as the days went by.

On the fateful evening, the 8-pointer and another mature buck first appeared right here, approximately 100 yards north of Jake’s stand site. The two bucks then circled a bit to the west before eventually turning and heading straight toward the giant oak.

Jake waited until the buck had closed the distance to 15 yards before taking the shot. After the hit, the 8-pointer ran to the edge of this dense cover and stopped. As light was fading, the big whitetail walked into the cover and disappeared. Jake waited until the next morning, and then recovered the dead buck right here, just a few yards from where he last saw the deer.
Congratulations Jake–and a big THANK YOU to cameraman Brach Pulver and outfitter Steve Roortvedt for helping to see that this hunt had a very happy ending!

Hey, I don’t know where on earth we’re going to be Zooming In next week, but I do know that you’ll find it interesting. See you here!!

Zooming In 3 (Season 2)

Show 3 – Greg in Kansas

There’s no doubt that my success in Kansas was due in part to some timely calling. But it was also the result of exploiting a very basic and somewhat predictable morning movement pattern. This satellite view provides a perfect illustration of what I’m talking about.

To begin with, we knew that this irrigated alfalfa field, located right here, was serving as the primary feeding area for the majority of the resident whitetails. We also knew that at first light, some of these deer would leave the field and cross this small river. The deer would then walk under this bridge and follow along the edge of this thick cover on their way back to a bedding area located here.

From my stand site, which was situated right here, I was able to watch over a main trail that passed by just 20 yards to the north of my position. However, my observations from a hunt in this same spot a couple years earlier had shown that I could also expect to see some “cruising buck” activity in this scattered tamarack brush here.

Now anyone who knows me knows that I love to rattle during the rut. And as the footage from my hunt showed, a couple sequences with the Knight & Hale “Pack-Rack” proved to be the perfect ticket on that cold November morning. The broken-beamed buck that I called in first appeared from the scattered tamarack brush here and then walked along this fenceline. Even though I had no intention of shooting the buck, I still went ahead and ranged him with my Nikon rangefinder. It proved to be a wise move on my part.

Just fifteen minutes after that deer disappeared, I rattled in the 11-pointer. The second buck pretty much followed in the tracks of the first buck as he approached. I waited until he walked into the opening where I’d ranged the busted buck before stopping him and taking the shot. As you saw, the arrow struck the 11-pointer directly in the point of the shoulder and dropped him in his tracks.

Like I said earlier, exploiting a basic movement pattern and some timely calling were key factors in having that Kansas buck walk within bow range. Of course, it also didn’t hurt that the rut was in full swing.

Hey, make sure you tune in again next week. I don’t know where on earth we’ll be Zooming In, but I do know that you’ll find it informative. We’ll see you here!

Zooming In 4 (Season 2)

Show 4 – Jeff in Wisconsin

My brother Jeff’s successful hunt in Wisconsin proves two important points. First of all, it proves that the pre-rut can be a great time to be in the woods. More significantly, however, it proves that even small tracts of property can produce big bucks. Let’s Zoom In and take a closer look.

Believe it or not, the tract of land Jeff had permission to hunt, which is located right here, is a mere 33 acres in size. But as this overhead view clearly shows, the tract has a lot of things going for it. On the east lies a literal smorgasbord of crop attractants, namely soybeans, corn and alfalfa. The property is bordered on the west, south and north by a fairly large block of timber. A deep wooded draw, located here, provides the local whitetails with a virtual bedding sanctuary.

Now on the fateful day Jeff had decided to hunt from a stand he’d previously put up along this field edge. Thanks to some Reconyx scouting camera photos from earlier in the fall, my brother knew that several “shooter” bucks, including one with at least two drop tines, had been frequenting these croplands. Jeff was hoping that he could ambush one of these bucks as it made it’s way to this freshly cut soybean field. And that’s exactly what happened.

Judging by where the buck first appeared, my brother figures the whitetail had been bedded in the deep draw and had walked up this steep ridge somewhere along this route. As the footage showed, the buck popped out of the timber and was right about here, approximately 25 yards away, when Jeff took the shot. After the hit the buck ran around this wooded point and continued along this edge before cutting into the timber here.

Jeff, along with cameraman Matt Tandy and good friend Dan Treankler, returned some time after dark and tracked the buck to this point. However, due to a scant blood trail, the three men decided to back out and return to the scene the next morning. As Jeff explained during his recovery, they found the buck right here, just a short distance from where they had left the trail the previous evening.

Buffalo County Wisconsin has long had a history of producing some real bragger bucks. But as anyone who has ever hunted the area will quickly tell you, the rugged terrain and intense pressure make for some extremely tough hunting conditions. Like it is in a lot of places, the harder you work, the luckier you get!

Hey, make sure you tune in next week to see where on earth we’ll be Zooming In. We’ll see you here!!

Zooming In 5 (Season 2)

Show 5 – Greg in Iowa

My late season muzzleloader hunt took place in northern Iowa, just 10 miles from the Minnesota border. As this overhead view clearly shows, the terrain in this part of the state is fairly flat and mostly open. The majority of the cover here is found along this narrow river bottom—which just so happens to be where I was hunting.

Now according to the landowner, there’s always a fairly large population of whitetails living in the river bottom. However, that number increases dramatically due to the pressure from the Iowa gun seasons. And it increases even more with the onset of severe weather. Fortunately for me, my hunt took place a couple weeks after the close of the second gun season. I was doubly fortunate in that the weather took a sudden turn for the worse during my hunt.

To be quite honest, I experienced nearly every form of wintry weather during my Iowa hunt—icy drizzle, freezing rain, blowing snow and brutally cold temperatures. Terrible conditions to be sure, but as the footage from my hunt clearly showed, the exact type of weather needed to put whitetails into a literal feeding frenzy!

Jake and I were set up in a ground blind located right here on the day of my successful hunt. We’d hunted from this same blind the day before and saw close to 100 whitetails, including several shooter bucks, feeding in the croplands that surround the blind. Unfortunately, none of the bucks came within range of my T/C muzzleloader.

It was a different story the next evening, however. The 8-pointer I ended up shooting first appeared here along the edge of the river bottom, over 400 yards away. Luckily for me, the buck ended up walking all the way across this open ground to feed in the cut soybean field here. I waited until the buck got to this point, which put him at just under 100 yards, before taking the shot. He ran only a short distance before tipping over right here, in this CRP field.

I can’t remember ever being on a hunt where I saw so many whitetails in such a short period of time. But as I noted earlier, the conditions were absolutely perfect for putting the deer in a daylight feeding mode. The biggest concern for Jake and I was finding the proper clothing system for dealing with the cold temperatures.

Hey that’s it for now. But make sure you tune in next week to see where on earth we’ll be Zooming In. See you then!

Zooming In 6 (Season 2)

Show 6 – Jake in South Dakota

Jake’s South Dakota gun hunt took place in the western part of the state, near the Badlands area. As this satellite imagery shows, this is open, hilly country—which means visibility is virtually limitless. However, as Jake mentioned during his hunt, just because you can see big bucks for great distances by no means makes this a slam dunk deal—even with a high powered rifle!

Now while Jake and cameraman, Brach Pulver, spent time on several different ranches during the hunt, this is the ranch they were hunting when they had the encounter with the 10-pointer. As you can see from this overhead view, there are a couple distinct reasons why they decided to return to this particular spot.

To begin with, a major river system winds through the ranch, which supplies the resident whitetails with both water and an abundance of cover. Just as importantly, however, is the presence of this huge, extremely lush alfalfa field. Large numbers of both whitetails and mule deer utilize the field as a primary food source, especially during bouts of harsh weather.

Just before daylight on day five of their hunt, Jake and Brach made their way to the top of this high hill. From their position at this vantage point the two would be able to use their Nikon optics to watch for buck activity in the alfalfa field and the river bottom. And as guide Brandon West had instructed them earlier, they also needed to keep an eye on these scattered chunks of cover found along the bottom of the breaks.

The typical routine displayed by rutting bucks in this area sees them cruising through this cover along the river, using their noses to scent check bedding thickets for the presence of hot does. Since the area sees rather light hunting pressure, this cruising activity goes on pretty much throughout the day.

Not long after getting settled Jake spotted a doe trotting through this thick cover here. She was followed just moments later by a shooter buck. While the buck was already well within range, Jake had to wait several long agonizing minutes as the chase went on in this thick cover. The buck finally stepped into an opening here, and Jake made a good shot. The 10-pointer made it only about 50 yards before tipping over.

This was Jake’s first South Dakota whitetail hunt with our good friend, Pat West. But judging by the amount of big buck footage that he and Brach returned with, I seriously doubt it will be his last. And I can’t say that I blame him. This is breathtaking country!!

Hey, make sure you join us again next week. I don’t know where on earth we’ll be Zooming In, but I do know that you’ll find it interesting. See you here!!

Zooming In 7 (Season 2)

Show 7 – Greg in Texas

My Texas bowhunt took place in the very northeast corner of the state, near the small town of McLean. This was my first visit to this part of the Lone Star State, but I can assure you that it won’t be my last. I absolutely fell in love with the area, both because of the diversity of the habitat and, of course, because of the quality of the whitetails found here.

As this overhead view shows, there’s a fair amount of agricultural ground on the ranch where I was hunting. The vast majority of this agricultural ground consists of winter wheat fields. There’s also a fair amount of wooded ground on the ranch, although the cover in the area where I arrowed the old Texas buck consists exclusively of scattered clumps of thick cedar brush and tall yellow grass.

Directly to the east of this expanse of cover lays a winter wheat field. Outfitter Steve Roortvedt had informed us earlier that the field was the primary food attractant in the area. Based on this information and some thorough scouting, I decided to put up a ground blind right here. If my findings proved to be accurate, this would put us somewhere close to the route the bucks in the vicinity were using to travel from their bedding area, which I assumed was right here, to the wheat field.

As the footage from the first evening clearly showed, my hunches proved to be right on the money. I had indeed put the blind in the right spot. Unfortunately, the old buck showed up just seconds after cameraman Ben Kluge had informed me that he had run out of filming light. All we could do was sit and watch the buck as daylight faded.

Since I was confident that we hadn’t spooked the buck when we eventually climbed out of the blind after our hunt I decided to go right back and hunt the spot again the very next evening. Just like the previous day, Ben and I saw virtually no deer activity until the very last minutes of filming light. That’s when the old buck suddenly strolled into view right here, just 20 yards from the blind.

As the footage showed, the buck milled around in front of the blind for a while before finally ending up right here, a mere 15 yards away. Ben had just informed me that we were down to less than a minute of light when I took the shot. The buck made it only about 100 yards after the hit, and we recovered him near this clump of cedars right here.

Now I mentioned at the top that I absolutely fell in love with this part of Texas–both because of the habitat and the quality of the whitetails found here. As you can no doubt tell, the old buck was a HUGE bodied deer. In fact, the whitetail weighed in at a hefty 218 pounds! What’s more, a giant 8-pointer that Jake arrowed a few days later weighed in at 211 pounds. Those are big deer anywhere!!

Hey, make sure you join us again next time. I don’t know where on earth we’ll be Zooming In, but I do know that you’ll find it informative. See you here!!

Zooming In 8 (Season 2)

Show 8 – Jeff in Missouri

Jeff’s Missouri bowhunt is a study in persistence. Rather than give up after a week of unseasonably warm temperatures and suppressed deer movement, my brother decided to stick it out for a couple more days. But more importantly, he decided to shift his hunting attentions in a totally different direction.

Jeff had initially been hunting within and on the edges of fairly large tracts of timber. But after eight days of seeing nothing but antlerless deer and small bucks, he and cameraman Matt Tandy made the decision to establish a stand site here along this draw, which consisted of tall yellow grass and scattered spruce trees.

Based on what his scouting had showed him, Jeff figured that the resident whitetails were bedding in this spruce thicket here, and then making their way to this standing soybean field in early evening. My brother knew he’d guessed right almost immediately after getting settled on his stand, as a number of antlerless deer and small bucks filed past him on their way to the standing beans.

Some time later a mature buck came walking along on the trail of several other deer that had passed by earlier. But just before walking into the open, the trophy whitetail spooked and ran back the way he’d come from. As more or less a “just in case” move, Jeff pulled out his Nikon rangefinder and took a reading on the runway the buck had been walking on. The distance was 40 yards.

With the movement pattern seemingly figured out, my brother was somewhat caught off guard when a big 10-pointer suddenly strolled into view right here. Rather than making his way toward the bean field, however, the buck was actually heading back toward the bedding area. As luck would have it, he was walking on the very runway that Jeff had ranged earlier.

Now Jeff knew he had to act fast before the buck got behind a stand of thick spruce. As soon as Matt confirmed that he was rolling on the big whitetail, Jeff grunted the deer to a stop and put an arrow through his vitals. The buck ran only about 40 yards and tipped over within sight, right about here.

As stated, Jeff’s successful Missouri bowhunt was a study in persistence. But my brother’s success can also be attributed to effective scouting, putting his Nikon rangefinder to good use and some great shooting. Way to go Jeff!

Hey, make sure you tune in next week. I don’t know where on earth we’ll be Zooming In, but I do know that you’ll find it informative. We’ll see you here!

Zooming In 9 (Season 2)

Show 9 – Greg in Kentucky

I’ve taken a good buck in each of the past three archery seasons in northwest Kentucky. My success on those hunts can be attributed to a first rate management policy on the property I was hunting and strategic stand site locations.

My hunt for the 9-pointer took place here, in a remote corner of this freshly picked cornfield. My stand was situated in this large, double-trunked hardwood tree that’s located along the very edge of the field. My trusty Carry-Lite decoy was positioned 20 yards straight out in front of me in the field.

As I said, this spot is very secluded. And it’s made even more appealing to the deer by the fact that it’s bordered on the south, east and west by large blocks of timber. Just to the north lies a thin strip of cover that snuggles up to a small river. During the two seasons I’ve hunted this spot, I’ve seen deer walk into the field from literally every direction. The remoteness of the area obviously is a huge factor.

The 9-pointer actually first appeared right here, approximately 150 yards to the west of our stand site. He was walking along behind the 2 1/2 year old 8 pointer, and both deer appeared to be on a collision course with my decoy. However, as they drew closer it became apparent that the two bucks were becoming more and more leery of the decoy. The 9-pointer milled around behind the Carry-Lite for several minutes, and was standing right here, 30 yards away, when I finally took the shot. He ran to the far side of the field after the hit, and piled up just inside the timber here.

My Kentucky hunt took place during the last week of October. Much like it’s been during my past two hunts here, the bucks were transitioning from pre-rut to rut behavior–which meant they were spending a lot of time on their feet during daylight. As we all know, that’s a huge plus!

Hey, make sure you tune in next week. I don’t know where on earth we’ll be Zooming In, but I do know that you’ll find it informative. See you here!

Zooming In 10 (Season 2)

Show 10 – Scott Swanson in North Dakota

As you heard repeatedly throughout the two late season bowhunts we showed this week, the weather conditions in North Dakota were absolutely brutal. Not only did TJ and Scott have to endure extremely cold temperatures while hunting, they also had to fight their way through three foot snowdrifts just to get to their stands. But as so often is the case under such conditions, the end result certainly justified the sacrifices the two men made. Deer movement was nothing short of unbelievable!

As the footage from Scott’s hunt clearly showed, the resident whitetails, including bucks of all sizes, were definitely grouped up. What’s more, almost all the deer were keying in on one particular food source–which was a stack of hay bales located right here. Thanks to the obvious runways he could see in the deep snow, and the fact that he’d hunted this area in the past, Scott really didn’t have to do much in the way of scouting to figure out the movement pattern.

Basically, the deer were bedding in some thick poplar brush located in this area, just a short distance from the hay bales. Upon leaving the bedding area, the deer would travel in pretty much a straight line along this route to get to the bales. Just after leaving the security of the poplar brush, the deer would jump this fence here, which put them inside a pasture. Due to the onset of severe weather, the cattle that normally spend the winter in the pasture had been relocated closer to the rancher’s buildings.

Scott first saw the 8-pointer when it was right about here. The big deer was the middle animal in a group of three bucks. As predicted, all three ended up jumping the fence here and eventually made their way to the stack of hay bales. As we saw, after quickly settling a minor dominancy issue, the 8-pointer began feeding on the hay bales right about here, approximately 30 yards from Scott’s ground blind.

After the hit, the buck ran back into the poplar brush pretty much along the same route he’d walked out on. Upon reviewing the footage of the hit, Scott decided to wait until the next day to go after the wounded deer. He eventually recovered his late season trophy right about here after a rather lengthy trailing job through deep snow.

As anyone who has ever bowhunted in extremely cold weather can attest, merely having a big buck within bow range is no guarantee that your going to be putting your tag on that deer. Put simply, the cold changes everything! Shooting a bow when wearing a bunch of layers of clothing is way different than shooting a bow when wearing one or two layers. And put bluntly, no bow performs absolutely the same in below zero temperatures as it does when temps are above freezing. But the way me and my hunting partners see it, these adversities only serve to make tagging a late season trophy that much sweeter.

Hey, make sure you tune in again next week. I don’t know where on earth we’ll be Zooming In, but I do know that you’ll find it informative. We’ll see you here!!

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