Rut-cation Recap: Illinois Public Land Pain and Pleasure (two times)!

12/01/22 • 128 min

If you've followed the SG+T crew for long, you know that November has a special place in their heart, as it does for most deer hunters across the country. November brings dreams of rut action...big bucks chasing does everywhere, telephone pole sized trees shredded, big scrapes everywhere you look. But sometimes, those dreams are not the reality of the rut. While we expect those dream hunts to happen with every climbed tree in November, the truth is, it can be a grind with those "dream moments" coming few and far between.
Last year's rut-cation was one for the ages and the boys spent all year planning and working towards their return trip to Illinois. Based on that experience from last year, the plan felt bulletproof and the excitement for the 2022 rut was off the charts. But this trip proves the old adage that even the best laid plans don't always work out. With Dex finding out last minute that he couldn't go, Rick and a few others head north in late October. The high hopes slowly started to wither as hunting pressure was crazy high, and deer movement was crazy low. While they did taste success, Rick felt defeated and decided to go back for one more shot.
Rick and Dex recap the pain and pleasure of hunting public land, hunting pre-rut conditions, and how Rick worked to overcome those. This is a great conversation about the reality of tough hunts and all that goes into them.
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Previous Episode

The Dark Side of Hunting: Choose Your Outfitter Carefully!

For some of us, going on a guided or outfitted hunt is the dream of a lifetime. For us southern hunters, getting an opportunity like that in mid-west states is what we live for. On this episode of the SG+T podcast, the boys are joined by friends Nate and Jason, who recently went to Kentucky for their own dream hunt, a self guided hunt on KY private land. They worked with an "outfitter" to gain access to private farms, however things did not go as expected. After almost a year of planning, red flags started to pop up in conversations with the outfitter, and as the trip was ready to begin, it was clear something wasn't right. But with vacation time already scheduled and deposits made, Nate and Jason take the drive with intentions of making the best out of any opportunity they have.
Once in Kentucky however, this story really takes a turn. From trespassing, to bad checks, the boys found themselves in the middle of a scam, and soon realize they aren't alone. This conversation will cover the pitfalls that Jason and Nate ran into with their impostor outfitter, and how the hunting community stepped up to help and seek justice. This is a wild story and one you'll definitely want to tune into!
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Next Episode

Deer Season Download with Adrian Wilson of Tethrd

After a little time off, the Southern Game and Tackle Podcast is back!! As we kick things off, we will be joined by several different guests from across the southeast to recap their deer season, what went right, what went wrong and the lessons learned along the way. We jump right in with Adrian Wilson of the Tethrd saddle company and Thlete camo. Adrian is from Tennessee, but like the SG+T crew, hunts several states across the south. He's a legit hunter and woodsman, and his perspective on what makes him successful or not is good intel for any hunter. Just like SG+T, hunting isn't his life, but it's a big part of it and the guys also discuss how priorities and hunting work go hand in hand.
This is a great episode, and a great way to start this stretch of guests. Big thanks to Adrian for joining...hopefully we'll do this again soon!
Thanks for listening and make sure to subscribe, share and follow! Drop us a line and give us your feedback!