Bucks, Bulls, and Bows with Rod White: Recent Episodes
Rod White
Welcome to the new Bucks, Bulls, and Bows Podcast with Rod White, Olympic Archery Gold Medalist, Professional bowhunter, and former guide and outfitter! This podcast will feature tips and tactics on how to get close and score on big bucks, bulls, and pretty much everything archery and bowhunting related. Some of these will be self hosted, some will feature some guests, but all will contain valuable information in the field to help you become a better bowhunter!
Here’s a wrap to the 2023 30 Days of Rut! I talk some late season expectations and strategies for both public and private land hunters. Thanks for another great season and good luck to all!
When I recorded this, I didn’t look at the date, it is actually Friday Nov 17th, not the 16th! The weather here in the Midwest is on point, the timing is phenomenal for mature bucks to be on their feet, and this weekend could be one of the best all season, it dang sure is for mature whitetails! The question really comes down to are you in the right kind of places, do you have the tenacity to hang in there all day everyday, and do you have at least a little bit of luck on your side? From now till Thanksgiving is your last big shot until the wicked winter arrives…and that’s only if you have a solid food source to hunt over! Good luck to all and stay safe!
My FAVORITE time of the year is upon us!!! Or, about to be 😉!! More mature bucks have fallen to my arrows during this next 7 to 10 day time period that at any other time of the year. I talk about the shift in habitat you should be hunting, the calls that are most effective, and tactics that you should consider deploying. Good luck everyone, enjoy and stay safe!
As we leave the pre-rut and enter the “lock-down” phase…a term that couldn’t be farther from the truth, behavior changes tremendously. And those that are unwilling to change, will indeed, most likely, not have any success for the next few days. But those willing to give my advice a shot, stand a chance to tag the buck of their dreams when they are at one of the most vulnerable times of the year!
Two slightly different approaches are needed this week depending on whether you control land you hunt (private landowners) or you have no control over hunting pressure or the environment in which you hunt (public land hunters). Best of luck everyone and I hope this helps everyone tag your best buck ever!
As we round the corner this weekend and transition from the “pre-rut”, into the “rut”, this episode covers this week’s activity and what to expect between now and Monday, when the next NW winds are scheduled to arrive in the Midwest.
This episode is all about this week coming up and includes tips on grunting, rattling, decoying and more!
Welcome to the original 30 Days of Rut podcast! This episode is the launch for the 2023 season so I explain how it all works and kick out some helpful information for this coming weekend! Please enjoy and if it’s helpful to you, please share it with your friends!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! This is the last podcast in the 30 Days of Rut series, 2022!! I share some valuable insight into the last remaining days of the post-rut and the late season…you don’t want to miss this one!! Good luck everyone and stay safe!!
In this episode I talk quite a bit about calling methods, especially with a grunt and it’s variations. I talk about the effectiveness of rattling and how I go about selecting areas for the next few days into Thanksgiving. Good luck everyone and stay safe in the field!
Shorter episode today, I cover how to use the block/delete buttons on social media, evening food source selection in the warmer days, calling, and what types of terrain and features I’m hunting in the coming days. Good luck everyone and stay safe!
Long episode…I go over the single most important thing you need to have success in the post-rut, the second most important thing, and the gear to help you succeed. Good luck everyone and stay safe…it’s go time!!
This episode I talk about most things Post Rut! This is my favorite time of the year for opportunities at true upper age class bucks. There’s a ton of things that change during the next two weeks so I do my best to touch on most of them in this longer than normal podcast…but this is the biggest opportunity window of the year across much of the Midwest; in my opinion. Good luck everyone, and stay safe!
Day 19 of the 30 days of Rut. I’ve got my son again this weekend, and it’s going to be an awesome one, especially for all of you that get to sit in a tree all day!! This episode is a fairly brief one where I cover calling effectiveness right now and where I would be, if I was in a tree! Starting sometime early this upcoming week is the start of the best days to kill a true giant!! Good Luck everyone and stay safe!
Wicked cold front moved in too late for me last night, but this morning should be on fire for most of the Midwest. If you aren’t into deer, you’re in the wrong tree 🤷♂️. We should be still a day or two into lockdown, but if you’re in the right tree, it can be magic. Hunt the terrain funnels that force deer into bow range. Forget about scrapes and rubs, most mature bucks are with does or between does. Time in the tree is what’s important this time of year, no matter how frustrating it may get. You can’t kill ‘em from the couch, and everything can change in minutes!
This episode I hang out with Doug Hampton. A good friend who accomplished a massive goal that he had this year. He's also addicted to decoying and has some tips to offer up from his experiences. We also talk about what were seeing right now in Southern Iowa for activity and some other cool topics!
This episode I cover an amazing morning for me where I ALMOST pulled the trigger! I talk about some basic courtesy revolving around hunting places where others may be and more ground and pound action! Link in the comments below! 👇👇👇#publiclandowner #RUT #deerhunting #bowhunting #hunting_podcast #deercall #hunting #deer
The next 3 days will be the hottest of the year! In this quick segment, I run down some things to think about and how to approach your hunts during this time! Good luck everyone and stay safe!#publiclandowner #prerut #deerhunting #bowhunting #hunting_podcast #deercall #hunting #deer
Big weather change = Big opportunity!! The next few days are going to be the best of the year for overall deer activity. The rain overnight and into today across the Midwest is going to kick us off full steam! If you’re listening to this in a truck or at home, get your gear and get into the field! It can happen at any point in the day, if you wanna maximize your odds, listen up and get after it! Good luck everyone!!
In this episode I cover the subtle weather change, communication and when and how to rattle over the next few days.
This episode I cover a lot since I’ve been behind on podcasts, I’ll try to keep them coming as much as possible. I talk about how I’m approaching sits the next few days, the importance of hunting immediately following new hot spots, and a decoying overview.
This episode I cover my run and gun, or hang and bang, setup. And, I cover the basic hunting/scouting process that I'm using over the next few days. The saddle I'm running is the Cruzer 2 panel. Lone Wolf Custom Gear .5 Public Land Stand or the Kuhnert's Ambush Platform. Luke Dautel of RDA Outdoors made my ropes that I replaced the LWCG buckle straps.
This episode covers my preferred morning and evening locations for the next several days. I talk about the importance of hunting hot spots that are directly tied to specific food sources in combination with fresh and active scrapes.
Welcome back for those of you subscribed, and welcome to all the new comers! In this first episode, I cover what the podcast series is all about and what to expect, as well as where to focus your time and efforts in the beginning of the pre-rut stage across most of the US! If you like what you hear, please share this podcast up on your social media!
With the Post Rut activity winding down, this weekend is still a great weekend to get a crack at that “never seen him before” mature Midwest whitetail! Thanks for following along and hope this podcast series helped you increase your whitetail knowledge! Congrats again to all of you who sent me success pix and stories throughout the season! Good luck to the rest of the year to those of you who still have tags in your pockets!!
This episode I cover the topics of Post Rut blues, the “Magnet and the Roofing Nail Theory” (yes I just made that up but it’s a REALLY good analogy) and what may be holding you back from success during this time of the year.
My favorite time of the year is here!! In this podcast I talk about how gun seasons impact the post rut, what to do with encounters with bucks you’ve never seen before, a bit on calling, and where to hunt through the upcoming week!
In this episode I cover where and when to expect to capitalize on the late season and some calling basics.
This episode I explain what “Lockdown” is exactly and how to capitalize. The term itself is a horrible term for what’s really happening and there are opportunities if you change up your tactics!
This episode I cover in detail what’s happening in the whitetail world right now, in the Midwest at least. I think the analogy I use here to help explain it will explain best why you are or are not seeing what you’re seeing from your tree. At the end, I wrap it all up by explaining where you should be focusing your efforts as a result. But DON’T skip to the end without listen to the whole podcast or you’ll be doing yourself a great injustice! ;)
In this episode I cover a LOT of different topics from blind rattling to suggestions for what kinds of habitat to hunt throughout the day on both public and private land.
This episode I cover decoy tactics, use, and a slight modification I've done to my decoys. A VERY effective method, and even more exciting method of hunting bucks, decoying can be viewed as ineffective by some, but I strongly disagree. And, I think in many cases, the issue isn't the fact someone's tried decoying, it's that they haven't had the right setup. In this episode, I breakdown how I use a decoy.
This episode highlights the importance crop rotation plays into your decision to hunt certain properties at this time of the year and why some spots produced awesome last year, may not produce for you this year.
This episode I talk about how I track my stand locations, the importance of multiple wind direction locations, and briefly about blind rattling.
This kickoff episode I highlight some expectations for the coming series and go over my base equipment I'll be running this year. As always, I appreciate any shares you can give me on your social media accounts to help me reach more people! Stay safe and enjoy!!!
In this episode, I'm joined by a good friend, Michael Lloyd whose swung by to hang out for a few days to catch up, take some pix, and chase some bulls! This week in the elk timber is always full of ups and downs! Some strategy is laid out for the upcoming days and some talk of a really frustrating event from today!
Don’t expect this to be an exciting episode, but I did go over the basics that I think you should have with you off the top of my head as I drive to my hunting area. Most of this is common sense, but common sense isn’t always present when your dreaming of hunting elk and throwing stuff in the truck like a mad man just trying to get on the road to your destination. There’s lots of other items than what I go through on this podcast, but I wouldn’t be without any of these on your first backcountry hunt. Especially if your doing it solo!
Here’s a good place to start! Elk season is upon us and this year I’m going to do my best to break down my season as best as I can over the next few weeks. These episodes will be short and to the point and I think there’s going to be some good stuff in here for everyone. Hope you enjoy and I hope to help contribute to your success this season in some small way!
In this overdue episode I cover how I’ll be using the downtime of the gun seasons to formulate a plan for late season and beyond.
In this episode I dive deep into what’s happening in both the mature and general deer population. I talk about calling tactics, the weather windows, gun seasons, what to expect, and keeping a tenacious mindset throughout this time period as well all hope to notch a tag on a mature whitetail!
The Post Rut is easily my favorite time of the year. Deer are easily callable, they make tons of mistakes, and they’re covering miles and miles of ground. New bucks are going to be showing up and your old bucks are most likely gone. This is an exciting time of year where you may not see as many deer as you did in the pre rut, but the number of mature bucks your seeing should rise significantly, if you know where to focus your efforts.
This episode covers the remaining portion of the Lockdown and the weekend. Weather has some factor in it for the weekend for sure!
A major misnomer in my opinion, we are entering, and in many cases already have, the “Lock-Down” phase. More accurately, we are entering the receptive phase of the does where the majority of breeding actually takes place. This is a difficult time for most of us and I breakdown why and what little you can do, if anything, to be successful during this time period.
The weather window that’s moved into much of the Midwest specifically (not to leave you guys and gals out in the rest of the country) is not exactly the weather window we need to put deer on their feet. Sometimes this can be a blessing and an opportunity to reevaluate your season plans, make some gear tweaks, and do some recon on new turf...which is exactly what I cover in this episode.
Out of response from a ton of questions about how the rain will affect upcoming hunts in the next day or two, this is a quick summary of how it affects my plans and how you could, or should, possibly adjust your tactics.
In this episode I cover some of the frustrations we all experience, what to expect, and the changes in calling responses over the next few days.
Today cleary was the first sign, as always, of does beginning to come into the estrus cycle! This signifies a lot of changes in deer behavior and demands changes in your behavior as well if you want to capitalize on one of the biggest opportunities of the year!! My good friend Dustan Fenton joins me on the podcast, as we lay down some very valuable information you can use in this extremely hot transition into the peak phase of the rut!
The heat continues to rise across the Midwest. Despite that, you can turn lemons into lemonade if you change up your tactics!
Water is extremely important with this warm weather, more so in the evenings, but none the less, very important to mature bucks as they move across the landscape looking for does. Don’t be afraid to hunt it, it may be turn out to be gold for your evening hunts especially!
This Episode covers wind considerations, conditions, thermals, and some pre-rut activity information. The next upcoming week is going to contain some of the best days of the season for those of you who have target bucks. And, Toward the end of the week, those of you who were hunting just general dear movement are going to have some good opportunities to score!
This is a window of opportunity to capitalize on specific deer that you have either seen in person multiple times, have a lot of trail camera information about, or specifically feel that you know their core area. Rattling can be a part of that equation for success. And, it can contribute to success even if you don’t have a target buck, here’s how!
This episode covers upcoming rut activity, the future wind concerns, and addresses the question of if you are really ready with adequate stand locations. Either as a mobile hunter or pre-hung sets as a private land hunter. If not, now is the time to get those nailed in the coming days before we peak rut activity.
In this episode, I talk with Andrew Cheslock who works closely with Deer Society and Almond Eye Productions. He's edited various Deer Society episodes and segments involving myself and others. He's also worked directly for Pat and Nicole Reeves at Driven TV and subcontracted with Ozonics to film a variety of big game hunts. Andrew hails from Minnesota and is here on his first hunt in Southern Iowa. In a weird twist of events he met me, my buddy Dustan, and my new buddy, Spike! We talk about what it means to be a cameraman/woman in today's era of modern outdoor television as well as how his hunt is going so far in Southern Iowa and his plans to knock down a good one on Iowas public lands this fall.
As we enter the pre-rut phase, understanding what mature bucks require for bedding to feel secure throughout the daytime hours can greatly increase your odds of getting an arrow into one. In this episode, I discuss those requirements, and exceptions, so that you can not only take advantage of the upcoming days, but also use this bit of information throughout the majority of the rest of this deer hunting season!
Moisture affects my daily decisions, especially as we enter the pre-rut and it should yours as well...here’s why!
A weather system has moved into southern Iowa, creating a great opportunity for those that can take advantage of it in a hurry today! Leave me a comment where you can about your thoughts on these quickly created podcast. The audio might not be the best, but if it’s acceptable, it’s a great way to kick out updates when they’re super relevant, and as they happen!
This intro to the new podcast, Bucks, Bows, and Bulls, will feature an overview of where we are in the rut phase here in the Midwest and what to look forward to in the week ahead. I cover some of the basics, my plans for the next few days, and of course the overall context of what to expect in this podcast. Please share this on your social media if you've got friends who love to bowhunt big bucks and bulls!!