Pennsylvania Woodsman - Sportsmen's Empire

In this episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman Podcast, Mitch is joined by Cody Readinger, a successful bow hunter known for consistently harvesting big bucks in challenging terrains. The conversation delves into Cody's journey from a casual hunter to a dedicated bow hunter, the emotional experiences tied to hunting, and the importance of scouting and preparation. They discuss the balance between family life and hunting passion, Cody's hunting philosophy, and the story behind his latest big buck. The episode emphasizes the significance of understanding terrain features and the challenges of hunting in Pennsylvania's Ridge and Valley region. In this segment, Cody shares his insights on deer hunting, emphasizing the importance of fieldwork, understanding deer behavior, and utilizing technology like cameras for tracking. He discusses his strategic approach to hunting, particularly focusing on wind direction and the significance of patience and preparation. The conversation culminates in a profound moment of connection with a buck, leading to reflections on faith and the journey of growth in both hunting and life. They share their insights on the influence of podcasts in learning about hunting, the importance of embracing failure, and the need to find a personal 'why' in the hunting experience. Cody discusses the impact of social media on expectations and the significance of valuing experiences over mere success. The conversation also touches on personal reflections, life lessons, and the role of faith in guiding one's journey in hunting and life.

On this week's episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, Mitch chat's with Matt Dale from Dale Outdoors. Mitch opens by recapping his exciting week of turkey hunting and filling his second tag at the end of week one with a bow! If you listened to last week's episode of Mitch's opening day gobbler, he talked about using the "whine" call. He first heard this call explained on one of Matt's youtube videos. We begin our conversation by diving into this call - what it is, how and when to use it, and its context for hunting situations.

We continue down the rabbit hole of keeping realism in your turkey calling. This includes using "wheel-wheel's", "do-it do-it's", gobbler yelping, and more. We discuss the value of volume and cadence in calls, especially in everyone's favorite yelping scenario. How does a spring turkey hunter yelp sound vs. how does a real hen yelp sound? Last, Matt recaps a hunt for a bird he called "Quirky", which took 7 hunts until he connected by pulling out an old secret weapon. This is dynamite turkey hunting information to keep you fired up midway through the season!

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Sometimes things just fall into place during hunting season. This week on the Pennsylvania Woodsman we chat with Troy Dietterich and reflect back on killing a Pennsylvania and Ohio buck during that magical window between late October and early November. Troy is a hard working family man that loves to bow hunt. He and Mitch converse about their faith in Christ and the constant battle of managing time in the woods without being overbearing on our loved ones. While it's a battle that neither of them have figured out, it's something they believe needs constant attention and is relatable to many hunters out there.

Troy was able to purchase his dream home this past year with a chunk of land attached. Up until this point Troy has loved the thrill of chasing bucks in the mountains on public land. While that passion still resides within him, he has adjusted slightly to include habitat manipulation and private land hunting strategy into his game. We dive into how his preparation in Pennsylvania looked different and how he was able to connect on his largest buck to date on the new farm. We then shift gears to discuss revisiting the thrill of public land hunting in Ohio. Troy logged some scouting time in this area during the previous hunting season. Having a general idea where he wanted to look upon arriving this fall, he scouted his way into a tree that produced a buck within 3 hours on day one. This episode is all about adapting to the current situation and being a hybrid hunter!

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Typically after the end of firearms season, the majority of deer hunters have packed it up until next year. Those that pursue whitetails after Christmas with a bow or flintlock muzzleloader generally have less hunting pressure to deal with if you're able to endure the elements. However, the herd that remains at this time of year is typically on edge; not to mention the landscape is barren providing less cover to conceal hunter movements. Deer have been pushed into hiding spots that can seem to be like a dark hole at this time of year. Finding these pockets can be a challenge.

This week on the Pennsylvania Woodsmen we chat with Alex Krzywulak from the In The Presence YouTube channel. Alex is a public land hunting fanatic that seems to get it done anywhere you put him. However, this does not come without the hard work he puts in to prepare for hunting season by scouting. Even though late season can isolate deer making them hard to find, he is not afraid to get aggressive during morning and evening hunts this time of year. In order for this to be successful, he casts a large net, meaning he does not rely only on a few spots to capitalize. He feels scouting a larger area early allows more places to check this time of year to A) find deer in the first place and B) have options to fall back on if he messes a spot up during his aggressive approach. There is still time to fill a tag and Alex is no stranger to doing so this time of year, good luck!

In this episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman Mitch is joined by Troy Fowler, known as the Ranch Fairy. The two discuss a highly controversial topic: quartering towards shot angles with archery equipment. Can you really shoot through the shoulder of a deer with a bow? With most arrow set ups, no, not without luck or wounding the animal. Arrows don't like bone, especially with lighter arrow setups that are commonly used. Troy emphasizes the importance of understanding shot placement and the anatomy of deer. Troy also compares the toughness of deer and pigs, highlights the significance of arrow setup and flight, and encourages critical thinking in bowhunting. He shares valuable lessons from his experiences and stresses the need for discipline and understanding of equipment in order to be successful in hunting. That means knowing what your arrow is capable of doing should it encounter a heavy bone like the humerus of a whitetail. If it can't go through it, don't take the shot! Or, listen to the 12 factors of arrow flight from the Ashby Bowhunting foundation to learn what setups have the highest chance of passthrough if you so decide to take this shot angle. This episode revolves around making ethical choices in the world of bowhunting.