Wired To Hunt Podcast

Deer hunters often think the rut will make up for a poor strategy, or low-effort sits, but it usually won't. Serious hunters learn to put in the time, and then pivot to new spots when their plans don't pan out. If you want to kill a mature buck right now, don't sleep on this episode.

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Are you hunting the sign a mature buck left behind or figuring out where he’s going next? This week on Back 40, Bronson Strickland, Tony LaPratt, Jason Michael, and Skip Sligh break down how they read buck sign and use it to predict a deer’s next move. We dive into scrapes, rubs, bedding, travel corridors, hunting pressure, and the clues that actually matter when deciding where to set up. As the rut approaches and bucks begin covering more ground, knowing where a deer has been is only part of the equation. The real challenge is anticipating where he’ll be...

Don’t let the heat fool you, November is almost here. This week, K.C. Smith checks in from Texas, Dalton Tunis brings us a report from northern Indiana, and Thomas Mlsna joins us from Wisconsin’s Driftless Region. With warmer-than-normal temperatures across much of whitetail country, we break down what each hunter is seeing right now, how bucks are moving despite the heat, and what’s changing as we head into one of the most anticipated stretches of the season. From fresh sign and food sources to current conditions and increasing rut activity, we’re getting boots-on-the-ground reports from thre...

Bleating, grunting, snort-wheezing, and rattling, all have their place in a deer hunter's arsenal. When and how you use each call matters though, and not all calling situations are created equally.

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This week on the show I'm joined by Dan Infalt, one of the most renowned DIY whitetail bowhunters of the modern era, to discuss how his hunting approach shifts on a week by week basis from late October through the end of November.

Presented by Moultrie

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Late October is here and things are about to change fast. This week on Rut Fresh Radio, we’re joined by Phil Tuttle in Illinois, Jordan Budd in Nebraska, and Josh Henson in Texas for fresh, boots-on-the-ground reports from across the country. We’re talking scrape activity, mature buck movement, the impact of warm weather, and why the next cold front could be the trigger hunters have been waiting for. Are bucks starting to move in daylight? Should you be hunting aggressively yet? And just how important is “scrape week” when it comes to killing a mature buck? The best str...

It's almost the rut, but not quite. The pre-rut requires a different mindset and different strategies, but it can be as productive as the actual rut. You just might need to get into the cover and work the bucks where they feel safe.

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Every hunter has been there... waiting on a buck that should show up while wondering if you’re wasting valuable time. This week on Back 40, Tony LaPratt, Bronson Strickland, Jason Michael, and Skip Sligh break down how they decide when to stay patient and when it’s time to make a move. We dive into what makes mature bucks predictable, how quickly patterns can change throughout October, and whether you should be hunting the deer you have right now - or the deer you hope shows up next. If you’re staring at trail camera photos, waiting on a famili...

October is moving fast, and conditions are changing across whitetail country. This week, Kaitlyn Maus checks in from the Midwest as she prepares to head to Wisconsin, Aaron Hepler brings us the latest from Pennsylvania, and Dan Tutor reports from the big woods of Maine. We break down what each hunter is seeing right now - from current deer movement and fresh sign to food sources, weather, and how October patterns are beginning to shift. With three very different regions represented, we get a boots-on-the-ground look at how whitetails are behaving as we move another week closer to the...

Most hunters love to sit over scrapes, but they often have their timing wrong. Whitetail science tells us that two to three weeks before peak breeding is the time to hunt scrapes, which means for a lot of hunters, they need to be in the woods right now.

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This season on Blood Trails, host Jordan Sillars follows eight brand-new cases: hunting trips gone horribly wrong, decades-old disappearances, suspicious deaths, and crimes hidden deep in the woods. Some cases are ice cold. Others have been solved—at least, according to the law. But every case in Season 3 is still haunted by unanswered questions. Through firsthand interviews, archival audio, court records, and investigative reporting, Blood Trails digs into what happened, what may have been missed, and why these stories still refuse to stay buried.

Follow the show now to get notified when Episode 1 drops, Thursday, October 15.  

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This week on the show, Mark's joined by the one and only Mark Drury to explore nine big ways he’s changed his mind about deer and deer hunting in recent years.

Presented by Moultrie

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How close is too close? This week, Jack Huston (Missouri), Scott Peceny (Michigan), and Christian Babcock (Oklahoma) join the show with fresh, boots-on-the-ground reports from across whitetail country. The conversation centers around hunting close to bedding areas: how tight these hunters are willing to get, what they're seeing from bucks right now, and how their approach changes based on conditions and fresh sign. We also cover current deer movement, food sources, weather, and what’s changing as we move deeper into October. Tune in for real-time whitetail intel from three different regions and a look at what hunters are ex...

Most whitetail hunters feel they need to play it safe in mid-October, but that might cost you a buck. This is a great time of the season to e-scout, ground check your work, and kill a good one when most of your competition is waiting on the rut.

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In this episode of Back 40, Jake Hofer sits down with Bill Winke, Jeff Sturgis, Adam Keith, and Aaron Warbritton to tackle four decisions that could be costing hunters more deer than they realize. From knowing when to make a move to recognizing when it’s time to change your approach, each guest shares lessons learned from years of chasing mature whitetails and the mistakes they still see hunters make every season.1

Presented by Moultrie

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October is here! Tune in for fresh, boots-on-the-ground reports from hunters across the country. This week, Josh Teulker (Indiana), Alex Comstock (Minnesota), and Josh Profit (Kentucky) join the show to share what they’re seeing, hearing, and experiencing in the woods right now. From shifting food sources and changing deer movement to fresh sign and current conditions, we break down what’s happening across whitetail country and what hunters should be watching as we head into the first week of October. Tune in for real-time whitetail intel and a better idea of what could be happening in your woods this...

A lot of hunters skip morning hunts for most of the season, but that's a mistake. This week Tony lays out a better strategy for how to make the most of those early alarms on your quest to kill a mature buck.

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This week on the show Mark is joined by Tony Peterson to discuss the Top 10 greatest whitetail hunting lessons we’ve learned from our worst hunting fails - that being, the big bucks we’ve missed.

Presented by Moultrie

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Rut Fresh Radio is back for 2026! We’re kicking off the season with fresh, boots-on-the-ground reports from hunters across the country. This week, Cameron Derr (North Dakota/Ohio), Kevin Lathe (Maryland), Clay Mervar (North Carolina), and Jake Fleischman (Wisconsin) join the show to break down what they’re seeing, hearing, and experiencing in the woods right now. From changing deer movement and current conditions to what hunters should be watching as we head into the next week, we’re covering it all. Tune in for real-time whitetail intel from hunters across the country and get a better idea of what c...

Humans are evolutionarily hardwired to seek out certain types of environments, which plays out in the whitetails woods all fall - and often costs us big bucks. Learning to seek out precise locations in the cover is a much better bet, but it isn't easy.

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In this episode of Back 40, Jake Hofer asks Bill Winke, Jeff Sturgis, Adam Keith, and Aaron Warbritton to each choose the week they would circle on the calendar if they had to make one educated bet.

Presented by Moultrie

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Most whitetail hunters play the early season game the exact same way, but that can be a mistake. Scouting fresh sign, especially rubs, can put you on mature bucks right now.

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This week on the show, Mark's joined by Dan Johnson for our annual review of our goals, hopes, and hit lists for the 2026 hunting season.

Presented by Moultrie

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Author Bryan Burrough exhumes the gritty history of Old West gunfighters. From Billy the Kid to Wyatt Earp to John Wesley Hardin and dozens more, this collection of stories proves how very violent America's nineteenth century frontier actually was, and traces the blood-soaked history of the troubled men who made it that way.

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What life teaches us about loss, and what loss teaches us about life. The deer woods should be a place that allows you to replace what the daily grind takes from you, so handle it with care.

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Every time you scout, are you actually making the property harder to hunt? In this episode, Adam Keith, Aaron Warbritton, Bill Winke, and Jeff Sturgis break down one of the biggest dilemmas in whitetail hunting: how do you learn enough about a property to kill a mature buck without educating him in the process? We talk about when scouting pressure actually matters, how close you should get to bedding, scouting during the season vs. before it, reading fresh sign, access routes, trail cameras, and when the information you gain is worth the risk of intrusion. Sometimes the biggest mistake...

Matching broadheads to arrows, quieting down your bow, and establishing effective range are all pre-season necessities. This week, Tony explains his process for all three.

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This week on the show we're running under-the-radar Ohio big buck hunter Mike Rex through the "What Would You Do?" gauntlet to see how he'd handle some of the most interesting and tricky deer hunting scenarios we can throw at him.

Presented by Moultrie

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Dominant bucks command the best resources, which allows them to survive and thrive. Thinkiing about them as wealthy is a unique way to understand their motivations and daily habits, and can help you become a more lethal big buck hunter.

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What if you could only follow five deer hunting rules for the rest of your life? In this episode, Adam Keith, Aaron Warbritton, Bill Winke, and Jeff Sturgis each break down the five rules they believe matter most for consistently killing mature whitetails. We cover everything from wind and access to pressure, bedding, timing, scouting, and knowing when to make an aggressive move. With decades of experience and very different hunting styles represented, the answers aren't always the same and that's what makes this conversation so valuable. If you stripped deer hunting down to the handful of principles that...

Scouting and hunting bachelor groups seems simple enough, but a lot of hunters don't understand how much can go wrong when you've laid down a good early season plan without thinking through some backup options.

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This week on the show we're running Alabama public land expert Michael Perry through the "What Would You Do?" gauntlet to see how he'd handle some of the most interesting and tricky deer hunting scenarios we can throw at him.

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Ladderstands are popular options for high-traffic deer spots, but they are prime candidates for location burnout. If you want to go this route, learn to think through the details to give your stand sites the best chance of producing all season long.

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Before planting food plots or cutting a single tree, where should you focus your attention? Adam Keith, Aaron Warbritton, Bill Winke, and Jeff Sturgis explain how they evaluate a raw hunting property from the ground up. You'll hear how they identify the natural features that consistently produce mature bucks, avoid common mistakes, and decide where future improvements will have the biggest impact. Whether you're buying your first farm or leasing new ground, this episode provides a repeatable system for breaking down any property.

Presented by Moultrie

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Hanging stands in the preseason is never a bad idea, but there are some ways that hunters sabotage their future selves during this process. Learn to avoid them, and you'll kill more big bucks.

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This week on the show Mark's joined by Darrin Durham, an avid deer hunter and program manager for Moultrie Mobile, to explore the fast evolving integration of AI into trailcams and how hunters can best take advantage of this technology.

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Most deer hunters focus on the problems they face when it comes to killing big bucks, but they'd be better off reframing their thinking to be more solution-based. This isn't easy to do, but it is a trait that most successful hunters share.

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Where should you start when you walk onto a completely raw property? In this episode, we break down the exact process for identifying the highest-impact locations for chasing whitetails. Joined by Adam Keith, Aaron Warbritton, Bill Winke, and Jeff Sturgis, we compare how each guest approaches a brand-new property, from reading topography and understanding bedding behavior to evaluating access, food, water, and hunting pressure. While each has a unique philosophy, you'll discover the common principles they all rely on when deciding where to begin.

Presented by Moultrie

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We often think of deer populations as relatively static, but over a long enough timeline they just aren't. This has ramifications for scouting and hunting strategies, and is an element of whiteail hunting that can't be ignored.

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Blood Trails is a true crime podcast born in the outdoors--and in this three-part summer mini-series, Paradise Prison, we're going to follow American hunters and gun owners who were trapped in Turks and Caicos in 2024. The story received international media attention, and you might think you know what happened, but trust us, you don't know the half of it.

Follow the show now to get notified when Episode 1 drops, Thursday, July 23rd.  

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