Southern Ground - Sportsmen's Nation

Welcome to the Southern Ground Hunting Podcast. This week we're diving into strategies on killing those public land gobblers that often seem to be impossible to close the deal on. What better guest than our friend Ricky Bullard from Florida. Ricky has a long track record of being able to capitalize on those tough old birds, and it's not on accident.We discuss things like:When To Get CloserHow to judge a gobblers "temperature"What calling techniques to use in certain situationsHow to capitalize on a bird that's been pressured by a lot of huntersWe hope you enjoy this episode. If you do, please be sure to leave us a review on iTunes! Subscribe on YouTubeFollow SGH on FacebookFollow SGH on Instagram Southern Ground Hunting is powered by Simple Cast.

This episode has been a long time coming. Slade Johnston is a turkey hunting nut, as well as the founder of Trips4Trade.com. Before you click off thinking this is a product push podcast, just wait! Slade tells us about his business and how it got started, as well as how it has made average joe's dreams come to reality. We all have resources. Yours may be different than a guy out west. Trips4Trade is a platform where you can cross paths and trade your hunting, fishing, vacation etc resources with someone else across the country or even a different country. Speaking of dreams coming true, Slade had a heck of a week traveling to 4 different states in under 46 hours to be a part of someone completing their US turkey slam in world record time. You heard that right. An Eastern in Alabama, Osceola in Florida, Rio in Kansas & a Merriam in South Dakota! This is such a fun conversation that you're sure to enjoy. Make sure you check out Trips4Trade.com and start planning the trip of your dreams! Southern Ground Hunt

Thanks for tuning in! This week's episode is a good'ern. We have Jordan Pope joining us to talk about his season so far. He has punched a couple of tags, and tells us those stories and how it all played out. Perhaps the most important part of this episode is that we're officially giving away the secret to killing tight lipped birds you might find on public lands all across the south. You'll have to listen to find out!  Southern Ground Hunting is powered by Simple Cast.

We're on cloud nine! Turkey season is here in the great state of Alabama, and Parker has had a productive week. After not hearing any gobbles in his home range for the first couple of hunts, Parker decided to try out a new area that is supposed to be full of gobbling turkeys. In this episode, you'll hear some of the things that he did to capitalize on the birds. He talks about how having a ton of grit is really his most productive method of hunting... if you work hard enough and don't get discouraged, eventually it'll work out. Going from a place with a heavy decline in turkey population, it's sometimes hard to be too aggressive for risk of possibly ruining one of the few opportunities you'll likely get all season. However, going to better areas has taught Parker a lot about what he can get away with in the turkey woods: crawling, scratching, heck even talking with a group of people (you'll find out). These tactics are important in the moment, but possibly will pay off in the future in less populated areas to

This week we have Taylor Philpot on the show. Taylor is a disabled veteran so per state law he gets to hunt a day early. We got on birds fast! As most seasoned turkey hunters know, early season henned up field gobblers are some of the toughest to kill. In this episode we cover what we did that ultimately led to success at the end of the day. Southern Ground Hunting is powered by Simple Cast.

With the Alabama season less than a week away, we're excited to have a guest from South Alabama named Jay Hembree of Panola Productions. Jay hunts gobblers mostly in the river bottoms and swamps of south Alabama with great success! We're getting fired up about the  upcoming season and Jay adds fuel to that fire, talking about how he tackles the river bottom and swamp land on his home turf. We talk about how water can make or break a turkey hunt, with Jay sharing some specific scenarios he's found himself in on past hunts. He also discusses the importance of knowing the areas that the turkeys frequent the most, and doing your best to get into those areas especially if you're working a bird close by. Be sure to check out Panola Productions on YouTube for tons of excellent video content! Southern Ground Hunting is powered by Simple Cast.

We're kicking off Turkey Season episodes with a Tennessee Turkey fanatic, Rick Taylor. For Rick, knowing the area he hunts front to back is what kills the most gobblers. We talk about roost locations, habitat & terrain features that hold turkeys & how knowing your area can potentially be the best intel you can have in the turkey woods. Rick works for companies you may recognize like CVA & Bergara, but his passion is in chasing wild turkeys. We get to discuss some of his favorite aspects of turkey hunting, including getting his young daughter into the sport, but we also get deep into the tactics he implements. Rick has a proven track record for killing lots of birds in the south, and we loved getting to pick his brain for a little bit. Spring is in the air, birds are gobbling... it's almost that time! Southern Ground Hunting is powered by Simple Cast.

Parker & Drew talk with Kyle McDonald & Ryan Boatner of Unguided Outdoors for this weeks episode of the Creator Series. This group of outdoorsmen are some of the most well-rounded we've ever talked to. From public land whitetails and OTC archery elk hunting, to fan boats and bow fishing for giant gar, these guys are always creating high quality outdoor content. The guys talk about their start and how they all came to the idea of the Unguided Outdoors brand. They discuss some of the growing pains, but also how they had to learn to become better outdoorsmen before creating great content was even an option. We're not joking, these guys absolutely crush it in the woods and on the water. It's not every day you get to talk to a couple of southern boys who have had as much success on archery OTC elk, but these guys are at the top of the game. Then add the fact that they're pulling prehistoric monsters from the public waterways on a regular basis, it's unreal. You should definitely be tuning into the Unguided

Thanks for listening to the Southern Ground Hunting podcast. This week we're moving forward into the Creators series with 16 year old Georgia deer killer, Eric Yoder. Eric started his YouTube channel (Eric's Outdoor Life) several years ago with the desire to document his outdoor lifestyle. Being raised in a hunting family, it was easy for him to get the hunting bug at a young age. However, filming was a different story. Eric tells us how he got started filming, and some of his experiences while chasing big bucks around the Georgia public lands. While most 16 year olds young men are out chasing girls and playing sports, Eric's working a full time job and always thinking about he's going to kill the next big buck! You're going to want to check out his channel. No doubt he's got a bright future in the YouTube hunting space.  Southern Ground Hunting is powered by Simple Cast.

Deer season is over. Turkey season hasn't started yet. It's kinda the worst time for hardcore hunters to get their fix. You've likely watched all of the big name outdoor YouTube creators videos for the season, and it seems like there's just nothing new. Well you're in luck! This week we are kicking off our "Creator Series", where we're going to highlight some of the best low-key content creators that you might not have heard of. These creators are some of the folks that we believe are knocking it out of the park in all aspects. Relatable, charismatic, talented with a camera, creative... but most importantly they are good hunters! We're kicking off the series with one of Parker's favorite new creators, Zach Schermer of Hunting The Ozarks. Zach has documented his hunts in his region of Missouri, using water access to consistently find deer & turkeys. His content is in the same realm as Heartland Bowhunter, as he really hones in on great cinematography. All this while self-filming deep into public land. This

This has without a doubt been one of the greatest seasons we've had at Southern Ground Hunting. There have been lots of low points, but more highlights than anything. Parker and Drew wrap up deer season with this episode breaking down the key factors that they believe led them to success in the deer woods.  Southern Ground Hunting is powered by Simple Cast.

It's becoming very clear that those fellas over in Arkansas just know what they're doing in the deer woods. This week's guest is no different. We're talking with Shay Reed about his in-season scouting strategies for hunting public land bucks in the delta region of Arkansas. Each part of the season offers it's own set of challenges and advantages. For example: September is scorching hot and miserable, but it might be your best opportunity to get in close for a shot at an unsuspecting and unpressured buck. Shay breaks down his seasonal changes from September through February, and gives us detailed information on what he's looking for during each stage of the deer season. Early Season, Acorn drop, "October Lull", Pre-Rut, Rut, Post Rut, & Late season. We talk food sources, bedding, funnels, and everything in between. Don't get too caught up in the fact that Shay primarily hunts low land areas, this episode covers so much that will benefit hunters in any terrain or part of the south.  Southern Ground Hunting

Today we're talking with Matthew Reeves of Southern Pursuit. Matt spends most of his time hunting both public and private lands in Alabama, but the nature of his job and past schooling as a forester has had him constantly moving around the southeast. Because of his situation, he's been forced to learn how to adapt to his surroundings and try to find success on bucks in different terrain types & habitat. From Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, & Georgia, Matt is constantly adding to his "hunting arsenal". There are so many different tactics discussed through the episode, it would be hard to summarize it all in one paragraph. However, if you find yourself hunting public land in the South, no matter what terrain type you may be in, you're sure to find something in this episode that you can relate with! Make sure to check out Matt's YouTube channel, Southern Pursuit, to see some of the cool hunts talked about in this episode.  Southern Ground Hunting is powered by Simple Cast. 

This week we're talking with our good friend Adam Crews of Tennessee about how he found success on a great public land buck during a late season "secondary rut" hunt in Kentucky. Adam breaks down his thought process going into this short 2 day out of state hunt, telling us what he was looking for & what sign he was keying in on that ultimately lead to him putting an arrow in a great buck. It's no secret that the month of November is a magical time for deer hunters in most of the country. It's the likely time of the year that most of us are putting in for vacation to have the best odds of killing a mature buck when he is most vulnerable.  There's no doubt that it can be your best chance, however, December shouldn't be overlooked. There have been many studies about what is known as the secondary rut that would typically fall 28 days after the primary rut. These studies have narrowed down a lot of the rut action to one of two things: 1. Does that have not been bred yet, and 2. yearling/doe fawns that are com

Thanks for tuning into the Southern Ground Hunting Podcast. We've got a great episode this week. Our beloved co-host is TAGGED OUT in Alabama. Drew fills us in on the story and tactics that went into him filling his last buck tag. We're also joined by our buddy Jordan Pope, who also recently tagged out on public land in North Alabama, with two of his bucks being in a 3 day timespan. As always, when we share hunting stories, we're trying to dive a little deeper into the strategy of the hunt. Both Drew and Jordan's hunts, like so many of our past guests, were based around finding the thickest cover around. Specifically pine thickets & clear cuts. The more successful southern deer hunters we talk to, the more it drives home the point of big bucks staying in thick areas. While thick cover still comes into play during the rut, it can be hunted a little bit different. Jordan gives us some insight into how his setup changes around thick cover based on the time of the season and what point of the rut his area is

As 2020 comes to a close, a sigh of relief comes across the nation. As bad as this year was for us, we had some incredible guests on the podcast! This week, Parker is going to run you through some of the top "gold nuggets" from some of our most popular guests of the year. We hear success stories from every one of you all season long talking about how these guests helped you be successful in the whitetail woods. So to close out the year, we thought it would be great to highlight these pieces of wisdom from some of the greatest hunting minds we've had on the show. We'll look back on convos from guests like Michael Perry, Jamie McCay, Matt Powell, Nathan Killen, Reese Johnson & Land Smathers. All with different hunting styles, but tons of success chasing big mature public land bucks in the South.  Southern Ground Hunting is powered by Simple Cast.

In this episode Parker and Hunter Lindsey breakdown two big buck hunts that Hunter was able to have in the 2020 season. The guys talk about the learning curve with hunting public land, but more importantly the things that Hunter has been doing to increase his odds. Southern Ground Hunting is powered by simple cast.

This week the guys are breaking down a couple of rut hunts that Parker had last week, resulting in filling his third buck tag for the season in Alabama. There were a lot of things that went into this hunt. 1) The grind. Perhaps one thing most people who kill a lot of public land bucks share in common is the desire to grind for as long as it takes. Go the extra mile, wake up 3 hours earlier, go places many are not willing to go, and do it for however long it takes. 2) Understanding thermals. As Parker talks about these hunts, he shares how much having a good understanding of thermals has contributed to his success more than almost anything. It's not hard to read buck sign and know what area to hunt. The hard part is knowing where to set up to get the opportunity to kill those bucks. Thermals can make or break you! 3) Hunting the area at the right time to have an encounter with a buck on your first sit... the rut! Mature bucks are in their most vulnerable state during the rut. If you have a spot you know holds

We've got a great episode for you this week. We're talking with Jason Newton of North Georgia. We get into the nitty gritty of his hunting style, searching for mature bucks in the steep mountain country. Jason has killed some big bucks in his lifetime, mostly in the big woods/mountain country of Georgia. Today we're breaking down how he keys in on certain features in these steep hills and hollers, that tend to produce the most big bucks. We talk about wind, thermals, thick cover, but most importantly... terrain. If you're from the eastern portion of the south, you've more than likely dealt with some of the same type of territory as Jason. Big woods, monotonous, bluffs... just difficult to navigate land. As Jason points out in the episode, there are certain things that you can find in these places that can produce great mature bucks if you put in the time and effort. Jason also talks about the importance of being mobile in his hunting strategy, all the way down to the type of vehicle that he drives. Speaking o

There's an old phrase that hunters often use, "don't leave deer to find deer". That phrase holds true in today's podcast. Drew recaps his last two weeks of hunting, telling the stories of two different bucks he's killed since the last time we talked. We break down his hunt by talking about what led him to hunt that area. Not rubs, not scrapes, but good old fashioned deer tracks. The guys discuss the important of finding tracks and why it's an incredibly productive sign to look for. Drew tells us about this area where he had found a ton of tracks, and after hunting it several times the deer sightings did not seem to slow down. We've talked to several guests who consistently kill deer out of the same tree, which might go against the "first sit, best sit" theory. In this case, Drew continued to hunt this same spot and eventually it paid off. While the majority of this property has a pretty low deer density, this spot seemed to be a pocket. We've learned that once you've found a pocket of deer, you've found a gre