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

Welcome to MDRN Whitetail — where woodsmanship and technology collide. I'm Cameron Derr, and I didn't learn to deer hunt from a mentor. I learned it from editing YouTube hunting content — first on The Tineman, then as Creative Director at Exodus Outdoor Gear, where I produced Trail Cam Radio (the Exodus Podcast, now WHTL), Whitetail Cribs, and hosted the Deer Gear Podcast. Every guest I edited became an unofficial teacher.
Since picking up a bow in 2016, I've killed 10+ bucks — including a couple 150 class Ohio bucks, 160-class Ohio giant, a 140-class North Dakota buck, and a full-velvet mid-160s 9-point — almost entirely by applying what I learned from other people's content. That's the whole premise of this show: the learning curve doesn't have to be as long as everyone says, if you know how to actually pull the "why" out of what you're watching and listening to.

Here's how MDRN Whitetail works:
Week 1 — a long-form conversation with a guest, opening with the same question every time: by the end of this episode, what should you learn?
Week 2 — myself and Tre Kerns break down last week's episode: what mattered, what we've tried, what actually works.
This show runs in conjunction with the WHTL Podcast — thank you to Jake.
Got a topic or guest you want to hear? DM me on Instagram: @mdrnwhitetail
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:
Mature bucks have distinct personalities, and each one has to be hunted differently.
A buck labeled nocturnal is usually only nocturnal on your 80 acres.
Red oaks carry the November acorn crop long after the white oaks are washed up.
Big public ground gets read faster with short probes than with mile-long loops.
Wind speed covers your entry noise better than wind direction ever will.
Sixteen hours of rain shutting off at midday can trigger the best sit of October.
Maples drop their leaves weeks before oaks, so pick your stand tree with November in mind.
In big terrain, thermals don't set up until roughly two hours after sunrise.
Deer bed on the edge of a block facing out, not in the dead center of it.
Respecting what a whitetail's nose can do changes how you hunt him.
And So Much More!
Want to become a better whitetail hunter? Click the link below and sign up for the Whitetail Master Academy today!
https://bit.ly/WhitetailMasterAcademy
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/

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 Jeff Hopkins.
We Discuss:
A buck's tarsal gland leaves a scent fingerprint that bottled urine can't copy.
Frozen tarsal glands soaked in glycerin gel make your own dominant buck scent.
Wax paper under a mock scrape keeps your lure from soaking into the ground.
The direction a buck kicks scrape dirt tells you which way he's traveling.
A mock scrape carrying a stranger's scent makes the resident buck hunt you.
Two or three well-placed mock scrapes beat a farm covered in them.
Baking soda patted in with a sock outperforms any bottled field spray.
Nothing completely beats a deer's nose — you just make him think you're farther off.
A rub on both sides of a tree means he's working that line back and forth.
Rattling pays in a short pre-Halloween window, in 10 to 15 second sequences.
And So Much More!
Want to become a better whitetail hunter? Click the link below and sign up for the Whitetail Master Academy today!
https://bit.ly/WhitetailMasterAcademy
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/

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 Jack Huston.
We Discuss:
Buck-to-doe ratios average 2.3 does per buck, far tighter than the 10-to-1 hunters assume.
You need to remove at least 20% of your doe herd in a season to actually shrink deer numbers.
Improving timber stand quality can boost a property's deer-holding capacity by 50%.
Mature bucks average one per 88 acres of habitat, tightening to 30-40 acres on the best farms.
On pressured or poor-habitat farms, expect just one mature buck per 200-300 acres of cover.
Genetics beat soil quality — top farms produce 5x5-or-better bucks at triple the rate of weak farms.
Genetic "hot pockets" for antler potential typically span only a quarter to half a county.
Mature bucks stay 100-500 yards off doe bedding areas rather than bedding right with them.
Removing an established mature buck opens space for a genetically superior buck to move in.
A drone detection system can geofence a property and track intruding drones down to the centimeter.
And So Much More!
Want to become a better whitetail hunter? Click the link below and sign up for the Whitetail Master Academy today!
https://bit.ly/WhitetailMasterAcademy
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/

Welcome to the WHTL Podcast, your source for Whitetail Deer Hunting Tactics, Stories & Expert Guests. In this episode, we're back on the road in Georgia with Travis "T-Bone" Turner of Bone Collector.
We Discuss:
Confidence with your bow setup comes from accuracy, not chasing raw speed.
Spend real money on your rest and release — everything else is negotiable.
A 450-520 grain arrow with 14-18% FOC is the sweet spot for whitetails.
Fixed blades test your form; mechanicals forgive small mistakes at the target.
Index every broadhead to the same clone so accuracy stays consistent.
IBO speed ratings rarely match what you'll actually shoot in the field.
A three-blade mechanical still cuts even if a blade fails to open.
Crossbows are a legitimate gateway into compound archery, not a threat.
Scouting matters less than adapting fast on unfamiliar hunting ground.
The best whitetail setups trade a little speed for real-world forgiveness.
And So Much More!
Want to become a better whitetail hunter? Click the link below and sign up for the Whitetail Master Academy today!
https://bit.ly/WhitetailMasterAcademy
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/