Southern Ground - Sportsmen's Nation

One thing that doesn't come to mind when thinking about Texas, is of course public land. With such a small percentage of public, it can be extremely difficult to find a place to hunt without forking out thousands of dollars. Sure you have Whataburger on every corner, so there's a plus side to living in the Lonestar state. However, if you like to chase big bucks on public land, Texas can be a difficult feat to take on. Our good friends, Tyler and Kc, started documenting their adventures on Texas public for YouTube, and it has been a journey to watch. This week we are joined by one part of the duo, Tyler Jones. Tyler has had success on big bucks in Texas for back to back years, and he shares with us some of the strategies he's used to elevate himself above the rest. We discuss some of the difficulties that come with hunting on public land in Texas like: weird antler restrictions, heavy baiting culture, flat topography, & of course hunting pressure. We hear Tyler's take on those challenges, and how he has ov

It's the magic time of the season for ALMOST everyone! During this episode, Parker and Drew are recapping their last two weeks of hunting. They discuss the deer movement during this time of the season, specifically in Alabama. Parker shares the story and strategies he used to kill a buck on public land in Alabama, mainly how our November could be translated to most state's October "Lull". He shares some of the things he believes can lead to success during a time when bucks tend to lay low, especially when trying to cautiously but aggressively get into a buck's core area. After that, Parker talks about his recent successful trip to Kentucky where he killed a stud mature buck, also on public land. The difference is, it's the heat of the rut and bucks could be anywhere. Parker tells us how he narrowed down his focus and was able to tag out extremely quick!  Southern Ground Hunting is powered by Simple Cast.

This week we're sitting around the campfire (kitchen table) at deer camp in Kentucky. We've got a few guests, some you may recognize and some you may not. We're just hanging out, shooting the bull, and talking about how we plan to kill big bucks on public land during the rut in Kentucky.  Southern Ground Hunting is powered by Simple Cast.

This is a great episode for southern deer hunters! All across the south it's not uncommon to find big huge areas that have had all of the timber cut. Many hunters see this as a problem, however, it can be an incredible piece of property and can hold some of the biggest bucks in the area. On this episode, Parker and Drew both talk about buck encounters in these clear cut areas (cutovers) from the past week. Drew shares about his encounter with an awesome buck and how he plans to execute on him in the future. Parker breaks down a successful bow hunt in a clear cut from last weekend. He shares the reasoning behind hunting that specific spot, and how the whole hunt unfolded. Fortunately, he was able to notch a buck tag but not without putting in a ton of effort. You can also find this whole hunt on the Southern Ground Hunting YouTube channel!Southern Ground Hunting is powered by Simple Cast.

It's episode 100! We've got a heck of an episode for you this week with Land Smathers of Mississippi. Land is a woodsman and self proclaimed "River Rat". He has had huge success on big public land river bottom bucks, and this week he's going to share a little insight into his strategies for consistently being successful. He talks with us about his trail camera strategy in the offseason, the food sources he's keying in on, creek crossings, the whole shebang! We get in the details as Land shares a story of a buck he targeted this year, and ultimately was successful at taking using the strategies mentioned. You're sure to love this episode, and we think it's an incredible way to cap off 100 episodes.  Southern Ground Hunting is powered by Simple Cast.

This week Parker and Drew are going over some of their main takeaways from hunting the early Alabama opener. With 3 deer on the ground already, it would seem as though the deer movement has been good, however that is not the case for them, or many people they have talked to from the area. The guys talk in depth about the areas that are usually hotspots for the mid October opener, that just haven't produced any sightings, nor do they have the amount of sign that they usually have. They also tell the stories of the deer they have killed, talking further about the effectiveness of a high FOC arrow build & some of the tactics they used to come out of the woods successful. Parker also talks about an encounter he had with a huge, mature, and reclusive Alabama giant buck this weekend, and how it nearly worked out!  Southern Ground Hunting is powered by Simple Cast.

This week we're joined by our buddy Shane Simpson, talking all about tracking dogs: when you should call one, & what to do after the shot. You may know Shane from one of his many ventures: Calling All Turkeys, Shane Simpson YouTube, or the subject of this podcast... the Callie Chronicles. Shane has compiled a ton of data from his past several seasons as a tracking dog handler, and today you'll get to hear some of them. We go over specific scenarios, and Shane gives us the data to support his answers about the decisions you should be making after the shot. If you've bowhunted long enough, you know that sometimes a shot can be less desirable. It's just going to happen eventually. The good news is that today most states allow the aid of a tracking dog for your best chances at recovery. Unfortunately, a lot of bowhunters don't know how accessible a good tracking dog actually is in their area, so they make the mistake of pushing a hit deer and many times not recovering them. This is a great episode to start ou

Brodie Swisher of Bowhunting.com joins the show this week. On episode 97, the guys are talking about food sources during the early season. It's no secret that during the month of September and into October, whitetail food changes rapidly. Sometimes it can even be as quick as one day and their whole food pattern changes. Brodie talks to us about his experiences in Tennessee and Kentucky, where he can hunt as early as the last weekend of August. He talks about the constant changes that he's learned to adapt to, and how he sets himself up for success during the early season in the south.  Southern Ground Hunting is powered by Simple Cast.

Thanks for tuning in to the Southern Ground Hunting podcast. The most common questions we get are usually revolving around the gear that we use. I'm personally not much of a gear junkie, however I do like to use things that are practical for my style of mobile public land hunting. In this episode, I, Parker, am going to give you a full break down of all the gear I'm using. We're going to talk about everything from saddles to kayaks & self filming equipment to arrow set up. Hopefully this will help anyone who is interested in a similar hunting style be able to overcome some of the intimidating learning curves that come with it. Be sure to subscribe to the Southern Ground Hunting YouTube channel for detailed videos on most of the things discussed in this podcast! Good luck to everyone hitting the woods! #ExerciseDominion Southern Ground Hunting is powered by Simple Cast.

Thanks for tuning in! We're excited that deer season is now opening up in states all over the country. Last week, Parker met up with some friends at the Kentucky deer camp talking about how to get on deer in the bluegrass state. A couple of days later, he had an encounter with what would have been the largest deer he's ever had an opportunity at. In this episode, Parker and Drew briefly discuss this encounter, what went wrong, and ultimately how the heartbreaking situation played out. After the short recap, the guys discuss some of the goals they have set for themselves this season, and to tickle the fancy of you tactics guys, they talk about some of the ways they plan to accomplish those goals. Topics include: setting up to hunt mature bucks instead of getting distracted by the high concentration of young buck sign, developing a system for making yourself effective in the woods on your setup, finding the common denominator areas that have produced success in the past, & having the patience to know when t

This week we're sitting down with Spencer Ford, Ricky Bullard, & Ray Harwood at Kentucky deer camp. These guys are straight up Florida buck killers. We discuss how we're executing hunting early season velvet bucks on public land. We talk about some of the similarities as well as some differences in hunting states like Kentucky. Ultimately, we're all convinced that simplicity is king out here.  Southern Ground Hunting is powered by Simple Cast.

THE SEASON IS HERE!!! We've been waiting all summer for this magical time and it's just surreal that it's here now. This past weekend was the Tennessee Velvet hunt and we're going to recap our trip, which included a mega giant of a buck hitting the dirt by our good friend, Adam Crews. Hurricane Laura put a huge wrench in our plans this weekend. Spirits weren't very high and optimism was pretty low as well. However, we just decided to grind it out and hit a different piece of public land that we weren't planning to hunt. We dodged tornados, sat through monsoons, soaked from head to toe... but these crappy conditions may have been exactly what helped Adam kill the big buck in the mid day. In episode 93, we talk all about the area we hunted, and what went into ultimately being successful.  Southern Ground Hunting is powered by Simple Cast.

Thanks for tuning in to the Southern Ground Hunting Podcast. We're going back to the vault to get fired up about chasing early season bucks. In this episode, we're talking with Ben Harrison about chasing velvet bucks on the early season velvet hunt in Tennessee. Ben talks about how he made some smart moves to capitalize on a deer that was still using summer food patterns, but as Ben mentions, one tree dropping early acorns was a deal breaker! Southern Ground Hunting is powered by Simple Cast. 

Welcome to the Southern Ground Hunting Podcast, and thanks for tuning in. This week we're talking with Reese Johnson of Kentucky about how he targets specific public land bucks. For Reese, it takes a huge amount of grit and determination to find these bucks and key in on their home ranges. We go into detail on how he's doing this with the use of trail cameras and boots on the ground scouting at all times of the year. We discuss his trail camera strategies during the off-season, what terrain features he's looking for to funnel deer movement in his area, and we also talk about whether or not to be aggressive on these bucks, especially considering they're living in heavily hunted areas. When it comes to targeting a single mature buck, Reese seems to have a good hold on what works. Listen close, and hopefully you'll be able to take away some important information to help you come closer to tagging the buck of your dreams. Southern Ground Hunting is powered by Simple Cast. 

If you've been a bowhunter for a decent amount of time, you've likely encountered a situation where you put a less than perfect shot on an animal. Many of us have not recovered an animal due to poor penetration or a mechanical Broadhead malfunction. In this industry, you will likely be told that the best way to kill a deer with archery equipment is to use the fastest bow, the lightest arrow and a mechanical Broadhead that "flies like a field tip". Well, today's guest is going to tell you that this is nothing but a load of horse crap, and he's got scientific evidence to prove his point (no pun intended). Our guest today is none other than Troy Fowler, aka. The Ranch Fairy. Episode 90 is dedicated to helping you become the most lethal bow hunter in the woods, through guidance from Troy. He talks about everything from tuning your bow with excellence to achieve perfect arrow flight. We talk bare shaft tuning, SHARP cut on contact Broadheads, and finding the right arrow/broadhead combination to become more lethal.

It's a sad day when we have to wrap up our 3 part conversation with Mr. Bobby Worthington, as well as our summer series "Local Legends". However, it has been so much fun to bring to you what we believe to be some of the best hunting podcasts that live in podcast land. In this, part 3, Bobby caps off his 3 keys to success for killing mature whitetails with the last part, persistence. We have all heard the phrase "You can't kill em from the couch". Well, for Mr. Worthington that phrase couldn't be more true. In this episode, he breaks down the "2nd grade arithmetic" that it takes to realize that your best odds at killing a mature whitetail are when you're actually in the tree hunting him. You've heard it before, but the detail and visualization that you'll get from Bobby will likely not compare to your previous knowledge. It's very hard to argue with a man who has been as successful as Mr. Worthington, so before you try to talk about barometric pressure, moon phases, and blah blah blah, go ahead and listen to t

It has been a long week for some of us, just waiting for part 2 of our conversation with Bobby Worthington. In part 1, Bobby shared with us the three things that he believes are the most important to killing a mature buck: 1) Hunt him during the rut. 2) Finding the perfect tree. 3) Persistence. He went into depth about how to effectively hunt your target buck during the rut. This week we're diving deep into number two, Stand placement. Bobby shares with us his strategy of finding and hunting funnels during the rut, but not just any funnel. We'll talk in depth about the sign that he is looking for surrounding each funnel, and why he chooses that specific spot out of all others. Bobby also talks in depth about the types of rubs and scrapes he's looking for, and even how, why, and where he's going to most likely put a mock scrape in his shooting window. Just when you thought he couldn't get any better, sure enough, he does it again. Thanks for listening!  Southern Ground Hunting is powered by Simple Cast.

Very rarely do you find someone with so much knowledge, it simply leaves you speechless. This week's guest, Bobby Worthington, had our mouths hanging wide open with the amount of knowledge he dropped. Bobby is a lifetime die hard  big buck killer, author, & world champion traditional archer. He is hailed by many as the best deer hunter alive, and some say the best that ever lived. He has had 6 bucks featured in North American Whitetail magazine, most of which were taken on public land in Tennessee. In this two part podcast, Mr. Worthington breaks down the 3 things that he believes are the keys to success for killing the most mature bucks in your area: Hunting him during the rut, Stand Placement, Persistence. Now I'm sure you're probably thinking, "Duh, I've heard all of that before". Well let me tell you, you've never heard it like this. The detail that is discussed in this episode will have you writing so fast, you may have to put out a fire. If there were ever a podcast episode that will have you listen

This week's local legend comes from the great state of Arkansas. Josh Bell isn't the typical "Local Legend", in fact he's the youngest LL we've ever had on the series. However, he came highly recommended to us by his fellow Arkansas hunters. We talk about how he has excelled on public land in just a short amount of time. If you're looking for some tips and tricks to shorten the learning curve to public land hunting, look no further! Josh has a can-do, white knuckle, you can't stop me, gritty attitude when it comes to being aggressive on public land bucks, and those characteristics are what helps him get on deer consistently. We dive into his hunting style, fitness, and aggressive strategies for killing big deer.  Southern Ground is powered by Simple Cast.

We talk to some interesting people throughout this podcast, especially during the Local Legends series. That being said, in this episode we're talking about something we have never covered before, and that you've likely not heard talked about much in the past. That's hunting mature bucks in the South Florida Everglades. Ryan Carter is this week's legend, and for good reason. You've heard us say that hardcore public land hunters in Florida are among some of the best deer hunters in the US. That definitely holds true still, but to take it a step further... the freaking EVERGLADES? Ryan tells us some of the differences in hunting his region, some of which will surprise you. The Local Legends series is made to highlight average deer hunters with above average success, and Ryan is no exception to that. He talks about the rut (which starts in JUNE), and how it affects the deer season (starting in late JULY). We also cover his stand locations to maximize any opportunity he gets on a mature buck during the season, wh