824 - Everything to Know About Ground Hunting with Zach Ferenbaugh

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Zach Ferenbaugh of The Hunting Public has killed some of his biggest bucks without ever climbing a tree — slipping through cover on the ground, calling them into bow range, and getting close enough to reach out and touch them. In his first-ever sit-down with us, Zach breaks down the woodsmanship behind ground hunting whitetails: reading conditions and other animals, moving through the woods undetected, why deer can't see nearly as well as you think, and why getting closer actually makes a mature buck easier to kill.

If you love turkey hunting, hate sitting still, or just want another tool in the bag, this one's for you.

In this episode:

- Why Zach walked away from the tree stand — and started killing bigger bucks on the ground

- How to move through the woods: when to speed up, when to freeze, and how to use wind, rain, and terrain to time every step

- Reading other animals as alarms — including the woodpecker "deer alarm" that tips him off before a buck ever shows

- Why the nastiest, thickest cover gives the hunter the advantage, not the deer

- How deer really see (and why staying still beats staying hidden)

- Calling and rattling on the ground: making it sound real, and "becoming the deer"

- Deer drives, bumping deer on purpose, and why spooking them isn't the end of the world

- Gear, shot angles, single-bevel broadheads, and shooting through cover

Special thanks to the NWTF for providing us with a space to record this episode.

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Chapters:

00:00 The three-yard buck

01:12 Eight years to finally get Zach on

02:24 How ground hunting made deer hunting fun again

06:24 More opportunity, faster learning off the ground

09:08 The mental hurdle of leaving the tree

13:19 Moving through the woods: speed up or freeze

16:15 Using wind and conditions to time every move

19:34 The best teacher in the woods is the deer itself

34:13 Reading conditions to predict where deer bed

46:52 Reading other animals and the woodpecker "deer alarm"

54:05 Why the thicker the cover, the better

58:42 Staying patient with a buck at seven yards

1:03:05 Why deer can't see you as well as you think

1:11:45 The sign that says sit down — and the sign that lies

1:20:24 Deer drives and spooking deer on purpose

1:33:00 Becoming the deer: how Zach moves and calls

1:40:06 Calling on the ground and making rattling sound real

1:54:52 How turkeys and elk made him a better deer hunter

2:02:14 What Zach carries: the M2 pack, water, and gear

2:12:46 Shot angles, single-bevel broadheads, and shooting through cover

2:23:30 Do what makes hunting fun for you

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