In this episode of Back 40, Jake Hofer asks Bill Winke, Jeff Sturgis, Adam Keith, and Aaron Warbritton to each choose the week they would circle on the calendar if they had to make one educated bet.

Presented by Moultrie

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Most whitetail hunters play the early season game the exact same way, but that can be a mistake. Scouting fresh sign, especially rubs, can put you on mature bucks right now.

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This week on the show, Mark's joined by Dan Johnson for our annual review of our goals, hopes, and hit lists for the 2026 hunting season.

Presented by Moultrie

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What life teaches us about loss, and what loss teaches us about life. The deer woods should be a place that allows you to replace what the daily grind takes from you, so handle it with care.

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Every time you scout, are you actually making the property harder to hunt? In this episode, Adam Keith, Aaron Warbritton, Bill Winke, and Jeff Sturgis break down one of the biggest dilemmas in whitetail hunting: how do you learn enough about a property to kill a mature buck without educating him in the process? We talk about when scouting pressure actually matters, how close you should get to bedding, scouting during the season vs. before it, reading fresh sign, access routes, trail cameras, and when the information you gain is worth the risk of intrusion. Sometimes the biggest mistake isn't scouting too much - it's scouting at the wrong time, in the wrong place, or without a plan for what you're trying to learn. If you've ever walked out of the woods after scouting and thought, "Did I just screw this spot up?" this episode is for you.

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Matching broadheads to arrows, quieting down your bow, and establishing effective range are all pre-season necessities. This week, Tony explains his process for all three.

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This week on the show we're running under-the-radar Ohio big buck hunter Mike Rex through the "What Would You Do?" gauntlet to see how he'd handle some of the most interesting and tricky deer hunting scenarios we can throw at him.

Presented by Moultrie

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Dominant bucks command the best resources, which allows them to survive and thrive. Thinkiing about them as wealthy is a unique way to understand their motivations and daily habits, and can help you become a more lethal big buck hunter.

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What if you could only follow five deer hunting rules for the rest of your life? In this episode, Adam Keith, Aaron Warbritton, Bill Winke, and Jeff Sturgis each break down the five rules they believe matter most for consistently killing mature whitetails. We cover everything from wind and access to pressure, bedding, timing, scouting, and knowing when to make an aggressive move. With decades of experience and very different hunting styles represented, the answers aren't always the same and that's what makes this conversation so valuable. If you stripped deer hunting down to the handful of principles that actually move the needle, these are the rules worth remembering.

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Scouting and hunting bachelor groups seems simple enough, but a lot of hunters don't understand how much can go wrong when you've laid down a good early season plan without thinking through some backup options.

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This week on the show we're running Alabama public land expert Michael Perry through the "What Would You Do?" gauntlet to see how he'd handle some of the most interesting and tricky deer hunting scenarios we can throw at him.

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