Okayest Hunter ®

Welcome to the first-ever Okayest Hunter Podcast Open Mic Night! We're opening the studio doors, bringing hunters into the conversation, and sharing real deer hunting stories, public land bowhunting adventures, big buck encounters, and plenty of laughs along the way. This week, the Okayest Hunter crew switches things up with a live, in-studio open mic featuring fellow hunters and listeners. From Wisconsin whitetail hunting traditions to unforgettable moments in the deer woods, this episode celebrates the experiences, friendships, and stories that make hunting special. Three Bucks, Two Shots, and One Wild Public Land Bowhunt Derek kicks things off with an incredible public land bowhunting story that started with offseason scouting, trail cameras, and a difficult marsh access route. After paddling into a remote hunting area and making his way through thick cattails, he unexpectedly finds himself face-to-face with three different bucks. A missed shot at a beautiful nine-pointer, another mature buck watching from the willows, and a curious eight-pointer approaching at close range turn an ordinary afternoon into an unforgettable hunt. Derek breaks down his scouting strategy, ground hunting decisions, shot opportunities, blood trailing challenges, and the difficult recovery that followed. It's a reminder that successful whitetail hunting isn't always about harvesting the biggest buck in the woods. Sometimes, the experience itself is what makes a hunt memorable. Real Hunters. Real Stories. No Script. With listeners joining the crew in the studio, the conversation takes on a life of its own. The guys swap stories about Wisconsin deer camp traditions, hunting northern Wisconsin, scouting public land, missed opportunities, bowhunting encounters, turkey hunting, and introducing the next generation to the outdoors. The episode also highlights the importance of hunting accessibility and the volunteers who help disabled archers experience the outdoors. Along the way, there's plenty of hunting humor, friendly banter, and the kind of conversations that usually happen around a deer camp fire. In This Episode: Derek's wild three-buck public land bowhunt Ground hunting whitetails in marshes and cattails Deer scouting, trail cameras, and reading buck sign Missed shots, blood trailing, and recovering deer Wisconsin deer hunting and Northwoods deer camp traditions Listener hunting stories and memorable buck encounters Bowhunting, turkey hunting, and hunting strategies Getting kids involved in hunting Helping disabled hunters enjoy the outdoors The Okayest Hunter photo contest and upcoming mapping content Hunt Your Hunt. Whether you're chasing a giant public land whitetail, filling the freezer, spending time with family at deer camp, or simply enjoying another day outdoors, hunting should be about the experiences that matter to you. You don't need the biggest buck, the fanciest gear, or a perfect hunting story to belong in this community. We're all just trying to be okayest hunters. Thanks to everyone who joined us for our first Open Mic Night and to everyone listening from home! Join the Conversation What's your most memorable deer hunting experience? Was it a giant buck, a missed opportunity, or a hunt that simply meant something special? Drop your story in the comments! Subscribe to the Okayest Hunter Podcast for more whitetail deer hunting stories, bowhunting strategies, public land hunting conversations, outdoor adventures, and honest discussions about hunting culture. #OkayestHunter #DeerHunting #WhitetailHunting #Bowhunting #HuntingPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's killing whitetail deer across Wisconsin, and is there anything hunters and landowners can do about it? Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) is making headlines across the Midwest, and Wisconsin deer hunters are seeing its impact firsthand. With reports of dead whitetails, concerns about deer populations, and plenty of questions surrounding the disease, we brought in someone who has spent years researching the problem. On this episode of the Okayest Hunter Podcast, we're joined in the studio by Zach Haas of Creek Bound Land Management, a former aquatic biologist, habitat management specialist, and whitetail hunter who has been studying EHD since experiencing a devastating outbreak on his own Missouri hunting lease in 2012. Zach breaks down what EHD actually is, how biting midges transmit the virus, and why environmental conditions like drought, water levels, and temperature can influence outbreaks. We discuss what's happening in southeastern Wisconsin, why EHD shouldn't be confused with Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), and what deer hunters should understand about the potential impacts on local whitetail populations. We also explore the relationship between water quality, habitat management, and the insects responsible for spreading EHD. Zach shares his approach to improving aquatic ecosystems, encouraging natural predators like dragonflies, and developing a biological pond management product called Defense. In this episode, we cover: What EHD (Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease) is and how it affects whitetail deer Why Wisconsin is experiencing significant EHD activity How biting midges spread the virus between deer The differences between EHD and CWD How drought, stagnant water, mud, and weather conditions affect midge populations Why deer suffering from EHD are frequently found near water The role of dragonflies, bats, and other natural predators Water quality and habitat management strategies for landowners Zach's research and his development of Defense What hunters can learn from EHD outbreaks across the Midwest Beyond the science, we talk about Zach's journey from aquatic biology to founding Creek Bound Land Management, his experience managing whitetail habitat, and why understanding water is an often-overlooked part of managing hunting properties. Of course, it wouldn't be the Okayest Hunter Podcast without some laughs, hunting stories, cold-front talk, and a little off-the-rails conversation. Whether you're a Wisconsin deer hunter, Midwest landowner, habitat manager, or simply passionate about whitetail conservation, this episode offers an informative look at a disease affecting deer herds across the country. Learn more:Creek Bound Land Management — https://www.creekbottomlandmgmt.com/ Okayest Hunter — https://okayesthunter.com Sweet November Sweepstakes: https://www.okayesthunter.com/pages/okayest-hunter-fred-bear-sweet-november-sweepstakes Join the Okayest Hunter Crew: https://www.okayesthunter.com/pages/okayest-hunter-crew Join the conversation: Have you found deer affected by EHD in your area? Let us know where you're hunting and what you've been seeing in the comments. Subscribe to the Okayest Hunter Podcast for more whitetail hunting discussions, deer habitat management, hunting stories, and conversations with people who live and breathe the outdoors. This episode discusses EHD management ideas and a product described by our guest. These should not be interpreted as proven methods of preventing infection or stopping an outbreak. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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