The Southern Way - Sportsmen's Empire

Turkey season is over and we're just killing time until the deer season opener. This is an ideal time of year to walk the land and find native american artifacts. The South is loaded with history and using land features is an effective method to build a collection. Mark covers terrain features, using rainfall to your advantage, how identifying artifact ages can help understand how many you may have on your land, and a practical and easy way to spot points. Have fun, preserve history and spend time outdoors.

This week Mark covers several tactics to better huntability within Clubs. Even if you can’t cut trees or manipulate the land there are several land management tools you can implement. Managing hunters and overall pressure is imperative to meet harvest goals and to see and kill mature bucks. Mark discusses ways to become more lethal all while seeing more deer.

This week Mark covers food plot plantings throughout the South. Objectives, goals, necessities, and how to maximize your sweat equity. Whether you have 1 acre openings or hundreds of acres to plant, there are many key factors and elements that will affect your success and game usage. High production plots can exist within sandy soils, drought conditions, sunlight deficiency, and high densities. There are many tactics to combat those issues. You don't need expensive equipment either. Plan ahead and you'll increase your huntability.

This week Mark covers his 18 years of real estate land sales, along with the ins and outs of buying land. How to navigate agents and find someone that will add value to your investment. There has been an influx of new land agents and branded brokerages over the past 10 years. Some are knowledgeable and others are posing as specialists without experience. Land is one of the best investments you can make. Build a legacy and grow trees to support ownership. Whether you have representation or purchase without an agent, there are many factors to consider. Land only appreciates and the value is only what someone is willing to pay.

This week Mark covers what you can be doing right now to prep and scout deer for early season and rut hunting. Changes on the landscape, food plots and agriculture crops should be assessed to determine how deer will use them this year. Especially, when you can identify "deer magnet" sites that other hunters will overlook. Like a clear cut. Mature bucks are hiding out in tight core areas. Locate now to help reduce pressure during mid to late summer. Bucks will remain in these core areas up until the pre-rut. Locating pregnant doe group bedding now will improve your rut hunting.

This week Mark discusses how many Toms can be taken off your land to maintain a sustainable population. Even if you are not doing much land management, you probably would like an opportunity to kill a bird annually. Over harvesting is the fast track for a declining population. Right now, the South has heated turkey issues in every state. Some hunters are openly against data collected from biologists and researchers while others are pushing for new regulations to better conserve the game bird for future generations. Something has to give and there are many parallels with whitetail conservation changes in the 1980s and 90s.

Hiring the right land and wildlife consultant can make a monumental impact on your property. But if you make a bad hire, you may end up with detrimental ideas and waste of funds. There is quite a bit of parody in the space and you should do your homework to secure the right fit for your specific needs. Who has real experience in your region and who is simply regurgitating buzz words from social media. Should you hire a national consultant or stay localized? Land, just like any form of real estate, will be the largest purchase for most people and it should be treated like an investment. I cover many ways to secure someone that will be most suitable for your goals. Just because a consultant has name recognition, doesn't mean that they won't "phone in" a canned report which I have personally seen.

Tyler Ross joins the show this week to cover a variety of hunting, wild game meat and conservation related topics. Tyler has worked with Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, National Deer Association, Ruffed Grouse Society and is an owner of Timber Ninja Outdoors. We cover hunting turkeys in Western North Carolina, waterfowl, public & private land hunting, forestry issues throughout the Southeast that affect wildlife and a killer Tundra Swan recipe.

Matt Coon joins the show this week for an inside look at managing land in the Deep South. He and I have a lot in common with managing game & hunters. Trapping, burning, guiding, we cover it all. Matt covers his trapping techniques that have boosted turkey and quail numbers, tips & strategies while guiding a turkey hunt, a killer twist on a dove jalepeno popper, and the benefits of timely trapping.

A fifth generation Texan, author and fellow podcast host, George Bitch shares his story of managing & hunting his family ranches in South & Central Texas. We discuss melanistic deer, arrowheads, George's mapping business and upcoming projects for 2024.

Hailing from the Georgia, Casey consistently targets and kills mature bucks in Georgia and South Carolina. We discuss tactics to identify high traffic buck areas and the challenges of bow hunting both public & private land in the South. Thanks for listening.

Dr. Christopher Jenkins joins the show this week to discuss his consistent hunting success with Black Bear and Mountain Bucks in Southern Appalachia. Reading sign and patterning big game in big woods terrain is challenging even for the best woodsman. Chris shares many tips and tactics for his success. He spends more than 150 days every year pursuing game across the South on both public and private land. This is an awesome listen.

This week Larry White joins the show to discuss his style of Lowcountry public land hunting and his culinary skills. Larry is an incredibly talented chef that runs www.wildgamegourmet.com. He shares hundreds of wild game recipes on his website from game species across the South. Thanks for listening.

In this episode of The Southern Way, Mike Neiduski joins the show to discuss his passion of upland game hunting. We cover the challenges of wild coveys, the elusive woodcock, quail, bird dogs, and public land tactics. Mike recently acquired Ugly Dog Hunting and shares his plans for the company. Thanks for listening.

Every season comes to an end. Right now, deer seasons are closing down around the country. And Josh's season of being host of The Southern Way Hunting Podcast has come to an end so Josh can focus on a few other projects that are demanding his attention. BUT YOU'RE IN GOOD HANDS!!! Mark Haslam of Southeast Whitetail is taking over as host and will do a great job. In this episode, Josh and Mark have a good discussion about deer hunting over bait, and Josh hands Mark the keys to the kingdom. Enjoy!

In this episode of The Southern Way Hunting Podcast, Josh talks with Mark Haslam of Southeast Whitetail about southern hunting & hunting culture. The guys also share some BIG NEWS about a few changes coming for The Southern Way Podcast. Enjoy!

The out of state hunting trip... Deer hunters often dream of striking out for new ground, bigger deer than they can find at home, and a little bit of adventure. But once you decide to make the leap, what can you do to get on bucks quick? In this episode of the Southern Way Hunting Podcast, Josh talks with Rick Hall of Southern Game & Tackle about finding bucks on out of state trips. Rick has been traveling to hunt out of state for years, and he's learned a thing or two about what it takes to find bucks on new dirt. The guys have a great conversation about making trips, being prepared, and what Rick does to get on deer. Be sure to check out Rick's podcast, Southern Game & Tackle!

Across most of the whitetail's range, a November rut is the norm. This is because historical climate conditions dictate that fawns must be born during a specific window in order to survive. But across much of the south, this isn't so. In fact, depending on where you are, you might see whitetails breeding during any month of the year! What has created such strange rut timing in the southern US? In this episode of the Southern Way Hunting Podcast, host Josh Raley talks with Lindsay Thomas Jr. of the National Deer Association about why the rut time is so varied in the Deep South. The guys cover it all, from photoperiod, to stocking deer, to buck/doe ratios. They even get into a conversation about CWD and what hunters in the south should learn from states like Wisconsin that are on the brink of a major deer herd disaster. Enjoy!

In this episode of the Southern Way Hunting Podcast, Josh is flying solo to talk about a strategy he's found to be highly effective on pressured ground: hunting pressure funnels. This strategy isn't flashy, takes a lot of legwork, and depends on lots of hunting pressure. But it sure seems to work! In fact, this has been Josh's primary strategy over the last four seasons, and his encounters with mature bucks have skyrocketed. Tune in to hear how he puts this simple but not easy strategy to work! Have you tried this strategy? Let us know how it works for you on Instagram!

We all know that when hunting the rut, we want to be around the does. But which does are more likely to lure a big buck your way? Knowing the answer to this question can be a key to success for rutty bucks! In this episode of the Southern Way Hunting Podcast, Josh talks with Brandon Barlow about how Brandon tracks doe estrous dates to get on big bucks. The guys discuss how Brandon tracks the does on his properties, how he calculates their estrous dates, and how he sets up to capitalize when the bucks move in. Enjoy!