The Blacktail Coach Podcast

The shows are finally in the rearview, the colds are fading, and the conversations we had at the booth lit a fire under us. We met listeners who’ve packed freezers and missed shots, shook hands with makers who obsess over the little details, and left with a sharper vision for where we’re headed: more field-ready skills, smarter gear choices, and a community that knows how to defend what it loves.

We kick off with show high...

What if your mount could tell the whole story every time someone walked past it? We sit down with Clay Bond from Bonded Outdoors to talk about turning memories into heirlooms with personalized leather tags and shoulder-mount patches that hold dates, places, spent brass, and even the state-issued tag. It’s a simple idea with real weight: a clean, handsome way to “hang on to the hunt” and keep the people, the work, and the moment ali...

Think blacktail won’t daylight over bait? They’re not stubborn; they’re spoiled for choice. We bring on Gary Sims—cofounder of Limbsaver and the mind behind Blacktail Solution—to explain how flavor, precision nutrients, and smart timing flip the script on nocturnal patterns while building a stronger herd. Gary grew up on the Oregon coast with elk and blacktail everywhere, and that background led him to a simple idea with big conseq...

Not every buck is meant to be chased. We dig into Bud’s hard-won blacktail system—how a season of empty sits became a framework for finding “killable bucks” on pressured public land. The shift sounds simple but it changes everything: hunt the animal that proves he’ll move in daylight, in places he already feels safe, on a route you can protect with wind and access.

We walk through the Elvis vs. Charlie saga to show the piv...

What if the biggest lever for stronger deer herds isn’t predator control, but the ground under their hooves? We dig into fresh data, field studies, and on-the-ground observations across California, Oregon, and Washington to challenge a common assumption: that coyotes, bears, and cougars are the primary drivers of deer declines. Yes, predators take a heavy toll on fawns, but when landscapes lack protein-rich forage, edge, and cover,...

The trailhead looks crowded and it’s tempting to say hunting has exploded—but the numbers tell a different story. We dig into decades of data from California, Oregon, and Washington and find steep declines in license sales even as state populations soar. That drop doesn’t just change who we see in the woods; it guts the funding that keeps wardens in the field, hatcheries open, and habitat projects moving. It also shrinks our politi...

Burn country can feel empty until you read it the right way. We sat down with Joe to break down how a brutal two-fire landscape in Southern Oregon still held mature blacktails in daylight—and how a simple, disciplined system made them visible and killable. Instead of chasing country, we focused on the “bedroom door”: that precise edge of thicker cover where thermals roll, wind crests, and deer stage before stepping out. Joe set a b...

Let’s rethink what success looks like in blacktail hunting. When schedules tighten, budgets pinch, and weather goes sideways, clear cuts offer a practical, ethical path forward that keeps us learning and in the game. We explore why open ground—rich with food, sunlight, and visibility—can help you introduce non-hunters, hunt with kids without frustration, and stay flexible when sets get blown by logging, flooding, or predators.
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A season that humbled us also sharpened us. We went all in on named target bucks and ran into a wall of warm temps, atmospheric rivers, and shifting deer behavior that pushed daylight activity into a crawl. Cameras that fired pre-season went quiet. Windstorms changed cover overnight. Predators and pressure added chaos. And yet, we found what matters most when a tag stays unpunched: a clearer system, better timing, and the resolve t...

If “more deer, more tags” hasn’t moved the needle in California, what will? We make the case for a better message—forest health and balanced wildlife management—and back it up with a rigorous camera trap study designed to deliver real numbers, not anecdotes. With blacktail deer as an umbrella species, we walk through how the right habitat mosaics lift the entire ecosystem, from neotropical songbirds to lions, and why timing burns a...

A number on a page says California holds 500,000 deer. Our boots say otherwise. We sat down with Paul Trouett and John Wagenet to map the ground truth of blacktail across Mendocino and the B‑Zones—why herds feel thinner, how habitats shifted, and what it takes to bring the Pacific Ghost back into the open.

We start with lived experience: families who learned safety by feel, close shots in thick manzanita, and the art of re...

Ever wondered if AI can actually help you tag a smarter hunt, or if it’s just another loud voice with half-truths? We put it on the stand and tested its advice against muddy boots, real rub lines, and the stubborn logic of blacktail country. Starting with a simple question—why bucks shred willows—we dug into nutrition, chemistry, and behavior to see what holds up: soft bark that peels clean, high moisture that flexes, and rich scen...

Ever passed a buck on the first morning and felt it echo all week? We did, and the story unpacks more than a near miss. We break down a Kansas whitetail hunt that swung from single-digit wind chill to warm afternoons, then connect each lesson to blacktail realities in the Pacific Northwest. Along the way, we dig into why food doesn’t force daylight, how wind and terrain shape movement, and what guided hunts can teach you if you ask...

Bucks broadcast more than tracks. They paint the woods with scent from orbital, forehead, tarsal, metatarsal, and interdigital glands—messages about identity, rank, breeding readiness, danger, and direction of travel. We break down how to read that code, why blacktail scrapes differ from whitetail, and how to separate fleeting “dominance rubs” from dependable, year-over-year rub lines that actually put deer in front of you.

Big blacktail aren’t a mystery when you respect their routine. We sit down with Mark Boon to unpack how a hunter who once struggled close to home stacked two strong seasons back-to-back and sealed a Pope & Young buck in September. The shift wasn’t magic; it was method. Mark traded rut-only hopes for a locating-first strategy, used trail cameras as tools instead of toys, and learned exactly where his buck entered and exited a ti...

A chocolate-antler blacktail at 20 yards on opening morning isn’t a fluke—it’s the outcome of a system built on habitat, scent discipline, and patient stand time. We sit down with Cully Scroggins to unpack how a summer-long pattern, a tight entry route, and a believable scent profile turned a thick patch of viny maple and ferns into a daylight magnet. If you’ve ever been told big bucks only move at night, this story will change you...

Ready to stop throwing Hail Mary hunts and start building a plan that works? We open the playbook for 2026 and share every path you can take to become your own guide, from the Trophy Tactics course to small-group coaching and immersive field days. You’ll hear exactly who each option serves, how to choose based on your schedule and learning style, and why disciplined note taking and quick troubleshooting turn trail cam photos into t...

When the sky flips, deer and elk rewrite their script—and we show you how to read it. From August scorchers to winter squalls, we map out what animals actually do in heat, wind, rain, snow, and sudden barometric swings so you can plan smarter sits and stay safe doing it. We start with early season strategy: water and wallows for elk, shady alder–conifer drainages for blacktail, and the way thermals carry cool air and scent through ...

Shopping for a hunter can feel like trying to read a gear catalog in another language. We make it simple with a clear map of what actually gets used, what’s worth upgrading, and how to time big purchases so you don’t overspend. From arrows, ammo, and batteries to heated vests, merino layers, and trail camera essentials, we share the real-world picks that carry a season—not just a single trip.

We also dig into the details t...