Okayest Hunter ®

What happens when a stand-up comedian living in New York City gets the hunting bug all over again? Comedian Collin Chamberlin ( http://www.youtube.com/@collin_comedy ) joins the Okayest Hunter crew for a hilarious conversation about growing up around Pennsylvania deer camp, walking away from hunting for years, and eventually finding his way back into the woods as an adult. Collin grew up hunting deer with his grandfather and uncle in Pennsylvania, where deer season was practically a holiday. But after getting into comedy, moving to New York City, and building a career on stage, hunting slowly disappeared from his life. For years, he figured that chapter was simply over. Then the itch came back—and it came back hard. Now Collin is diving into public-land deer hunting, bowhunting, and the outdoor community while documenting the experience through Up Camp. And when your home base is New York City, even practicing archery gets interesting. Collin talks about shooting his compound bow from inside his Queens apartment out to a target on his patio, driving hours just to spend a morning in the woods, and discovering that hunting success has very little to do with whether he actually brings home a deer. The conversation also gets into the importance of hunting podcasts, YouTube, and social media for hunters who don't have a traditional mentor anymore. Collin explains how online hunting content helped him relearn everything from public-land hunting tactics to thermals—and why he thinks the hunting community should be helping more people get into the woods instead of gatekeeping information. Along the way, the guys talk stand-up comedy, Pennsylvania's “orange army,” public-land hunting pressure, deer camp traditions, hunting failures, getting obsessed with new hobbies, internet hunting critics, awkward encounters, and plenty of completely off-the-rails stories. It's hunting, comedy, deer camp, and the reality of being an okay hunter rolled into one. Topics include:• Collin Chamberlin's Pennsylvania hunting roots• Leaving hunting behind and rediscovering it as an adult• New York City life vs. deer camp• Public-land whitetail hunting• Bowhunting and practicing archery in NYC• Pennsylvania and Maryland deer hunting• Why hunting doesn't have to be about filling a tag• Learning to hunt through podcasts and YouTube• Gatekeeping in the hunting community• Creating "Up Camp"• Stand-up comedy and life on the road• Why more people should be encouraged to get outdoors• And a whole lot of questionable conversation from the Okayest Hunter crew Whether you're a lifelong hunter, getting back into hunting after years away, or still trying to figure out what the hell you're doing in the woods, this one's for you. Subscribe to the Okayest Hunter Podcast for more hunting stories, conversations, laughs, public-land hunting, whitetail content, and interviews with people who prove you don't have to be the best hunter to belong at deer camp. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when you stop hunting the tree and start hunting the animal? On this episode of the Okayest Hunter Podcast, we sit down with Pat Newcomb and Glen Reich of NUKEM Hunting for a wide-ranging conversation about whitetail hunting from the ground, mobile hunting strategies, fresh deer sign, turkey hunting, entrepreneurship, and finding the right tool for the hunt. Pat shares how his background as a lifelong hunter—and a passion for run-and-gun turkey hunting—eventually led to the development of NUKEM Hunting's unique portable hunting blind. What started as a solution for staying concealed and mobile on the ground has opened up an entirely different way of looking at whitetail habitat. Instead of walking into the woods focused on finding the perfect tree, what happens when you set up where the deer actually want to be? We get into hunting fresh sign instead of yesterday's sign, adapting when the wind changes, hunting areas that don't offer a good tree-stand setup, minimizing your silhouette at eye level with deer, and using ground blinds, saddles and tree stands as different tools rather than committing yourself to a single hunting style. Pat and Glen also share stories from recent hunts, lessons learned from decades in the woods, the origins of NUKEM Hunting, new products they're developing, and what it's really like building a business inside the hunting industry. Whether you're a public-land whitetail hunter, saddle hunter, bowhunter, ground hunter, turkey hunter or simply looking for another way to approach pressured deer, this conversation might change the way you look at your next setup. The biggest takeaway? Don't just hunt where the deer were. Hunt where they're going to be. Topics include:• Whitetail hunting from the ground• Mobile deer hunting strategies• Hunting fresh deer sign• Ground blinds vs. tree stands and saddles• Bowhunting at eye level• Run-and-gun turkey hunting• Adapting to wind and changing conditions• Hunting difficult and overlooked terrain• NUKEM Hunting's origin story• Building products for hunters• Hunting industry entrepreneurship• Deer camp, hunting culture and plenty of Okayest Hunter tangents Featuring Pat Newcomb and Glen Reich of NUKEM Hunting. Don't forget to join our Okayest Hunter Crew: https://www.okayesthunter.com/pages/okayest-hunter-crew Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly hunting tactics, tips, and Okayest Hunter updates: https://www.okayesthunter.com/pages/join-the-okayest-hunter-email-list Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Shutts from Bear Archery joins the Okayest Hunter Podcast to pull back the curtain on what actually goes into designing and developing a modern compound bow. With Bear Archery preparing its 2027 lineup, Ryan explains how a new bow goes from customer feedback and an idea to engineering, testing, manufacturing, and eventually the bow shop. We get into why bow manufacturers release new models when they do, how much compound bow technology has changed over the years, and why some of the most important improvements are things the average bowhunter may never even notice. Ryan also breaks down Bear Archery’s return to the target archery market with the new Paramount and Paramount Pro, including the thinking behind creating a more accessible target bow. We talk EKO² cam technology, limb and pocket design, string stops, adjustability, tuning, materials, efficiency, and the tiny engineering changes that can make a compound bow quieter, smoother, and more enjoyable to shoot. The guys also spend some time talking about the Bear Redeem, micro-diameter arrows, quiver problems, 3D archery, youth archery, getting new shooters into the sport, and Bear’s philosophy of keeping archery accessible—a philosophy that goes all the way back to Fred Bear. If you're a bowhunter, archery gear nerd, or you've ever wondered what actually happens behind the scenes before a new compound bow hits the rack at your local pro shop, this episode gives you a look inside the process from someone directly involved in building them. In this episode: Bear Archery’s 2027 compound bow lineup Ryan Shutts and the bow development process How customer feedback influences new bows Bear Paramount & Paramount Pro target bows Bear Redeem compound bow EKO² cam technology and adjustability Compound bow engineering and manufacturing Bow tuning and arrow flight Micro-diameter hunting arrows Target archery and 3D archery Youth archery and growing participation Making quality archery equipment more accessible The legacy of Fred Bear Where Bear Archery is headed next Whether you're shopping for a new hunting bow, obsessed with compound bow technology, or just want to understand why new bows feel and shoot the way they do, there's plenty to nerd out on in this one. Don't forget to check out our Okayest Hunter Crew community: https://www.okayesthunter.com/pages/okayest-hunter-crew Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Finding a place to hunt is becoming one of the biggest challenges hunters face. In this episode, we're joined by Eric Mueller of HLRBO — Hunting Land Rental By Owner — to talk about private hunting land, hunting leases, and how hunters and landowners can connect to create more opportunities to get outside. HLRBO was built around a simple problem: Hunters lose access to property and suddenly have to start the search for hunting ground all over again. The platform works as a hunting lease marketplace designed to connect hunters looking for access with landowners interested in opening their property to hunting. We dig into how hunting leases actually work, what landowners are looking for in hunters, why communication and respect matter when gaining private-land access, and how HLRBO approaches the relationship between hunters and property owners. We also talk about searching for properties, understanding what you're actually getting with a lease, and why securing hunting ground isn't always as simple as hitting a "book now" button. And hunting access doesn't have to mean chasing a trophy whitetail. We get into opportunities for deer, turkey, upland birds, small game, trapping and other uses that can help hunters find overlooked opportunities while giving landowners more options for managing their property. Whether you've lost access to your old hunting spot, you're tired of crowded public land, you're searching for a deer lease, or you're a landowner wondering what leasing hunting rights could look like, this conversation offers a look at another way hunters can find a place to hunt. Plus, before diving into HLRBO, we hear an opening-weekend story involving a giant 12-point buck, a drop tine, a 22-yard opportunity and a serious case of buck fever. Topics include:• Finding private hunting land• How hunting leases work• HLRBO / Hunting Land Rental By Owner• Connecting hunters and landowners• Deer and whitetail hunting leases• Private-land hunting access• Building relationships with landowners• Small-game, upland and trapping opportunities• What hunters should expect from a hunting lease• The future of hunting access If finding a place to hunt has become harder than finding the animals themselves, this one's for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of dropping pins, Derek sits down to talk with DJ Riley of the method podcast. DJ is an absolute wizard at getting a big mature box in his home state of Michigan and with an even higher success rate on out of state first time in hunts. DJ starts us off with a huge aha moment when he spoke with Todd pregnant at a state show about the importance of keeping moving if you’re not satisfied with the results you’re getting. This single statement became a mindset that forced growth in DJ’s hunting style. He vowed to never hunt from the same tree in a single season and due to that became a finely oiled machine with his mobile hunting rig and became even better at reading, fresh sign, and setting up to intercept moving bucks. The guys then dive into out of state hunting tactics and how DJ has kind of adopted his out-of-state tactic at even his in-state hunts. We cover the importance of letting the deer show you where they want to be. He talks about using his in-depth knowledge of deer to find areas that likely hold good populations of bucks, but let’s the sign and deer themselves show him where to set up. And this is where the mobile aspect really comes in because DJ discusses in depth how most of his biggest bucks have come from making small 40 yard or less moves from one hunt to the next to capitalize on a movement pattern. DJ is an absolute killer with a wealth of knowledge and a fantastic storyteller which make this episode a really great listen, so sit back and enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices