The WHTL Podcast - Whitetail Deer Hunting Tactics, Stories & Expert Guests

Welcome to the WHTL Podcast, your source for Whitetail Deer Hunting Tactics, Stories & Expert Guests. In this episode, we're back in the studio with Bill and Tyler Jordan.
We Discuss:
Bill Jordan's hand-drawn camo pattern became Realtree at the 1986 SHOT Show.
A Walmart buyer's request for 100,000 pairs of pants pushed Bill toward licensing.
Realtree's NASCAR relationships helped a small company gain national recognition.
Realtree Outdoors and Monster Bucks turned a camouflage brand into a media company.
Bill sold the Monster Bucks concept to sponsors before he knew it would work.
Michael Waddell's career at Realtree began behind the camera.
Bill recounts two chances at 200-inch bucks within 30 days—and how both went wrong.
A camera lens spoiled one shot, and a strand of barbed wire deflected another.
Tyler shares the years of management and neighbor cooperation behind a Georgia giant.
Bill and Tyler reflect on how deer hunting has changed across two generations.
And So Much More!
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Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them!
- Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding
-Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_
-OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt
-Painted Arrow: ⁠⁠[bit.ly/PaintedArrow](http://bit.ly/PaintedArrow)
- Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/

Last week Scott Buckley made the case that October is wide open for hunters who pay attention to the weather. In this Recovery, Cameron and Trey Kerns go back through that conversation and pull out the parts you can use this week.
They break down how the timing of an October cold front changes deer movement for the days that follow, and what size temperature drop actually counts as a front. They get into why hunting hot sign beats hunting old sign, why scrape lines are a better target than a single scrape, and how close to bedding a scrape needs to be to matter in daylight. They also take on Scott's take on wind: the "just off wind" setup, why the right approach depends on whether you're hunting a small pocket of cover or a big block of it, and why Cameron says that if you don't have an east wind setup, you should build one.
This is the Recovery. We go back to last week's episode and pull out the details you can apply to your next hunt. Presented by Hawke Optics.
Topics covered:
The timing of October cold fronts, and why a front doesn't make a deer appear that isn't there
How big the temperature swing needs to be for you to call it a real cold front
How long the movement lasts after a front, and why a bigger swing can mean more days of good hunting
Why you shouldn't push the envelope in October, and when it makes sense to scout instead of sit
Hunting hot sign: how fresh is fresh, and what Scott took from Dan Infalt
Scrape lines vs. a single scrape, and why a scrape's distance from bedding matters
The late-October scrape window and why waiting too long costs you opportunities
Scott's wind take: "just off wind" vs. making sure your wind is safe in every direction the deer can exit cover
How terrain changes the wind equation, from North Dakota to West Virginia hill country
East winds in October, why they're becoming more common, and how to build a setup for one
A look at why Scott lives for scouting and public land, even with a farm of his own
Haven't heard the full interview yet? Listen to Ep. 8 with Scott Buckley first, then come back for this one. Next week: Joe Miles on hunting the late October and early November rut window.


Follow along on social!
IG - @modernwhitetail
YouTube - @WHTLDEER
Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them! -Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding -Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_ -OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt -Painted Arrow: ⁠⁠bit.ly/PaintedArrow -Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/

Welcome to the WHTL Podcast, your source for Whitetail Deer Hunting Tactics, Stories & Expert Guests. In this episode, we're back in the studio with Skip Sligh and Jack Huston.
We Discuss:
Poor regulations not based on science and biology do more damage to hunting than technology.
The North American Model of Conservation is why big game rebounded across the continent.
Thermal drones bought for deer recovery end up getting flown all season long.
Missouri and Ohio show what happens when drone laws lag behind the technology.
Drone detection systems log serial numbers, launch points and full flight paths.
Licensed pilots with logged flights keep recovery drones from becoming scouting tools.
Public land needs stricter rules than private ground because it's finite and easily abused.
Timber stand improvement is part science, part art, and one of the biggest needle movers.
Shooting a doe with two buck fawns in coyote country is often a death sentence for the fawns.
Predators can take 70% or more of the fawn crop, changing how many does you need to shoot.
And So Much More!
Follow along on social!
IG - @WHTLDEER
TikTok - @WHTLDEER
YouTube - @WHTLDEER
Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them!
Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding
Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_
OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt
Painted Arrow: ⁠⁠bit.ly/PaintedArrow
Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/

Scott Buckley left Michigan for southern Iowa chasing bigger deer, and the move paid off. He's arrowed a public-land buck at 170 inches at 8:20 in the morning on October 3rd, taken a wide 160-inch 12-point by catching him off guard on a rare east wind, and this season got his 10-year-old grandson Carson onto three bucks and eight or nine does. Scott hunts a mix of public land and his own farm in southern Iowa, and he's built a reputation — through his Whitetail Cribs videos and years of content — for killing giant bucks specifically in the stretch most hunters write off: October.
In this episode, Scott makes his case that the "October lull" is mostly a myth, breaks down why cold fronts dictate his entire game plan that month, and explains his long-standing habit of hunting rare east winds on purpose because pressured deer haven't learned to be careful of them. He gets into when scrapes are actually worth hunting — and why the biggest, oldest bucks are the least reliable ones to show up on a schedule — walks through a food plot he built from scratch on his farm over a single growing season, and doesn't hold back on what he thinks of Iowa's incoming public-land trail camera ban.
Topics covered:
Why Scott thinks the October lull is mostly a myth, and what's actually changing in the woods as the month goes on
How cold fronts dictate his entire October plan, and why the first day or two after a front beats a whole week of "cooler than normal"
His case for east winds — a rare wind direction he hunts on purpose because pressured bucks haven't adapted to it
Hunting October mornings: when he avoids it on his own ground, and the one setup (deep timber, a cold front, deer feeding well off in a field) where he'll go in before daylight
Scrape strategy: why 3- and 4-year-old bucks show up consistently on cell cam scrapes, while mature 5- and 6-year-olds are sporadic at best
Rain and late-October movement, and why he'd rather hunt a cool, drizzly day than wait on clearing skies
Building a food plot from scratch on his southern Iowa farm — radishes, oats, and rye through one growing season
Scent and scrape "magnets," including the time straight vanilla extract outperformed every commercial lure he owns
What he picked up from Dan Infalt about reading the freshness of rubs and buck sign
His reaction to Iowa's incoming public-land trail camera ban, and how he'd adjust his scouting without it
Advice for young hunters, and what he's learned taking his 10-year-old grandson out

Follow along on social!
IG - @modernwhitetail
YouTube - @WHTLDEER
Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them! -Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding -Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_ -OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt -Painted Arrow: ⁠⁠bit.ly/PaintedArrow -Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/

Welcome to the WHTL Podcast, your source for Whitetail Deer Hunting Tactics, Stories & Expert Guests. In this episode, we're back in the studio with Jason Michael.
We Discuss:
The 2026 rut calendar: key October and November dates based on solunar movement charts.
Southern hunters can add roughly one lunar month to every November rut date.
For mature bucks, the wind should be almost perfect for him and almost wrong for you.
Setting up at 30 to 40 yards instead of 20 can keep a crosswind from busting you.
Dead calm is the worst wind, while 8 to 10 mph is ideal for hunting bigger deer.
Go in an hour early on a windy afternoon so the wind covers your walk to the stand.
In-season practice should picture the shot on a real deer, not just a dot on a target.
When a shot looks questionable, back out and give the deer time before tracking.
The second half of November is the most overlooked window for a true giant.
A doe chased hard by a mature buck will cycle back into estrus on the same date next year.
And So Much More!
Follow along on social!
IG - @WHTLDEER
TikTok - @WHTLDEER
YouTube - @WHTLDEER
Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them!
- Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding
-Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_
-OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt
-Painted Arrow: ⁠⁠[bit.ly/PaintedArrow](http://bit.ly/PaintedArrow)
- Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/