Category: Eblast Archives

In the Ozark Mountains, there’s a big ol’ sneaky buck called Waldo. Pro Staffer Seth Harker has been looking for Waldo. This week is the Missouri bow opener – the perfect chance to hunt him, but Seth can’t find a cameraman… He goes hunting anyway and guess who shows up? We got the footage.

Plus, Grant and Adam get their own opening week action. Watch this big, mature doe duck… right into the perfect shot. It’s venison for the freezer!

Tip of the Week:

Need Venison?  

Hunt mature does.

Mature does provide more for your family than young does or young bucks.

Adrenaline of the coming bow opener hangs in the air! …But so does the forecast of rain. Grant knows rain on the way is the secret sauce for launching a fall food plot. So, even with the bow opener approaching, Grant and the boys hustle to spread some seed because the benefits are that big!

Update: It’s been over a week since they planted, and the boys are back to see if hand broadcasting seed in the plots worked. It’s pretty cool and we got the footage.

Tip of the Week:

Forecast call for rain? Get out and plant a fall food plot!

Excellent for deer health: Bigger antlers, more fawns.

Keeps the deer on your property: Deer often center their activity around quality forage.

It’s good for your land: Builds the soil, recycles the nutrients.

First bow hunt of the season and Grant and Adam have a nice buck coming in. They need to age him quickly. Shoot or pass, what would you do? At the same time, couple hundred yards away, Gene Price with Trophy Rock, tags a big old Kentucky bruiser.

Are you gonna mount that buck? How-to: Caping your buck for the taxidermist. Gene and Grant show you step by step, how to cape-out your buck, to help make a great shoulder mount.

Tip of the Week:

You’ve got a great food plot, but not seeing deer?

Prime Suspect: Acorns. Acorns are king when they’re falling. Go scouting for acorns and find your new hot spot.

Our Hit List is getting serious. A big buck called Butterbean is currently at the top of the list. Truth is, there might be a bigger buck running around, but Butterbean is still the number one contender. Watch this episode as Grant shares just how the hit list is shaping up! It’s time to get moving on your fall food plots! They are great attraction areas for harvesting deer, but what if you add a tree plot right within your fall plot? It’s gonna be a killer combination! We’ll show you how.

Tip of the Week: Killer Fall Food Plots!

When: Plant your fall food plot 45-60 days before the average first frost in your area.

Ensure Success: When broadcasting seed, ensure enough sun is reaching the soil for seed to germinate and grow. Broadcast seed just before rain.

Our Favorite Fall Blend: Broadside by Eagle Seed

Royal George has it all. At 4.5 years he’s a mature Ozark Mountain buck with great tine length. He’s made our Hit List, but there’s a problem so serious we might not even hunt him. Watch this episode to find out why. Plus, Grant explains why growing season fires are a great habitat management tool!

Tip of the Week:

Knowing where bedding areas are will give you an edge when hunting big bucks.

What to look for: Pockets or changes in topography on hill sides.
Why: Rapid changes in topography cause swirling winds that allow deer to use their sense of smell to protect them from all sides.
How to use: Know where bedding areas are but leave them alone. Select stand/blind sites between bedding areas and food sources where the prevailing winds are in the hunter’s favor.

Warning: This video contains information about prescribed fire which is a management tool for trained professionals using the appropriate tools for the situation.

Would you like to process your own deer meat? Grant takes you step by step, including how to easily remove the foul-tasting lymph node in the rump! Grant also shows you a simple trick for quickly aging a buck on the hoof. It’s a great lesson to get you ready for your bow opener!

Tip of the week:

Remember: Hunt white oaks early season. Hunt red oaks late season.

The Reason: Deer love acorns and white oak acorns are usually eaten or rotten by the late season so deer switch to red oak acorns.

This episode is packed with many of the ideas, tips, and strategies that Grant and the team shared with the 142 folks from all over the country that joined us on The Proving Grounds for Field Days. How to’s for tree plots, scent control, trapping, prescribed fire, and much more. Click here to watch the episode and make plans to attend next year!

Tip of the week

Weather is the key! When hunting deer during the pre-rut, take advantage of cold fronts and rain. Buck activity increases when a cold front hits and bucks will often tend scrapes just after a rain.

Scouting and patterning deer on a property you haven’t hunted before takes time! Watch this episode as Adam shares tips for scouting and hunting a property new to you. Plus, we’re doing some pre-season scouting here at The Proving Grounds. The Hot Zone fence has produced huge results so we scouted with our video cameras and wanted to share the incredible show as the deer pour into those food plots!

Tip of the Week:

When you’re scouting, pay special attention to the condition of any scrapes you come across. Once you see scrapes being actively used, you know the pre-rut is rolling and bucks will likely be more active during daylight hours unless the daytime temperatures are way above normal. That stage will last about two weeks and then most of the scrapes won’t be visited as much. In fact, you’ll notice leaves covering most of the scrapes. That’s because enough of the does are receptive that bucks leave the scrapes to find those very attractive does.

There’s a buck! He looks good, your adrenaline is pumping… but then you go back and forth wondering if he’s a shooter. Grant shows how he ages the “hard to age” bucks – you know the ones, because you’ve seen em!

Fire is good! Have you ever heard of a “growing season” fire? Growing season fires have unique advantages. Grant shows you the when, where and how.

Tip Of The Week:

Do you have a treestand setup that is close to two active travel routes for deer? Want to have more deer passing closer to the stand? Consider felling a tree or two along the trail that is farther away. This may shift the pattern toward your stand as deer often choose the path of least resistance – putting more deer within bow range!

The Reconyx trail cameras gave us a great surprise recently – a big buck! Watch this episode to see who he is and if he makes the hit list. Is he old enough? Then Adam finds that something unusual has been hanging out in one of our Muddy stands. It’s all part of pre-season as he gets this treestand ready for fall hunting.

Tip of the Week: We all want trail camera photos of bucks, but where is the best place to put the camera? Solution: Add a Trophy Rock to the staging area. This is a great way to capture bucks this time of year.