First Tag Guides

This is my favorite time of year to be a hunter.

Not because of what's happening right now. Because of what's coming.

Waterfowl season. Whitetail rut. Black bear. Small game. The fall calendar starts filling up and suddenly every weekend has a purpose again.

The anticipation of a full fall season is something non hunters will never quite understand. That quiet excitement building in the background while you're still going through your regular routine.

Stands getting checked. Blinds getting brushed in. Licenses sorted. Gear laid out.

This is the best part of being a hunter. The buildup.

What's at the top of your fall hunting calendar this year? Drop it below — I want to know what everyone in this camp is chasing this fall. 🦌🦆

If you're heading into your first season this fall — the nerves you're feeling are completely normal.

Every hunter you've ever admired felt them too.

It's not about being perfect. It's not about filling a tag on day one. It's about showing up, paying attention, and learning something you'll carry with you for the rest of your life.

The woods will meet you where you are.

Are you heading out for your first season this fall? Drop a comment — I want to know who's in their first year.

Yesterday we were on the river brushing in our duck blind for the season.

Every branch placed with purpose. Every gap filled. The blind that took four years to build getting its final touches before opening day.

Preparation isn't sexy. It's cutting brush on a hot August afternoon because you want to be ready when the birds show up in November.

What does your pre season prep look like right now?

More gear doesn't make you a better hunter.

Knowing what to do when things go sideways does.

As you prep for fall — don't overlook the fundamentals. Stay calm. Think clearly. Know what you're carrying and why.

The woods will eventually test you. Be ready for that moment more than you're ready for the perfect shot.

What's the one piece of knowledge you'd never leave home without?

This time of year does something to me that's hard to explain.

The seasons feel within reach for the first time since spring. Deer activity is picking up. Ducks and geese are moving. The mornings are getting cooler and the woods are starting to feel different.

Scouting right now isn't work. It's therapy.

Getting out to glass a field edge at last light. Sitting on a hillside watching the treeline. Running the river and reading the water for where birds are moving.

This is the part of hunting most people don't talk about enough. The buildup. The anticipation. The feeling that something is coming and you're quietly getting ready for it.

If you're heading into your first fall season and that feeling is building for you right now — you're exactly where you should be.

My complete beginner's guides to whitetail deer hunting and wild turkey hunting were built for this moment. When the season feels close but you're not quite sure if you're ready.

You're more ready than you think.

Link in the group description. Fall is almost here.

September is almost here.

Which means if you're hunting whitetail this fall — the window to do your homework is closing fast.

Here's what I'm doing right now before the season opens.

I've shifted from digital scouting to glassing. Phone and map work is done. Now I'm out in the truck at last light with binoculars watching field edges and transition lines where deer are actually showing up consistently.

Here's the thing about late summer food sources — green fields, clover, early cut corn — they stay productive well into fall. A buck using a specific field edge in August is very likely using it come opening weekend.

Find that deer now. Pattern him before the pressure of season changes his behavior.

Two weeks of observation right now is worth more than two months of guessing in October.

Where are you at in your pre season prep? Still digital scouting or have you put boots on the ground yet?

I want to tell you about the moment I fell completely in love with waterfowl hunting.

It was just shy of legal shooting light. We were settled into the blind. Everything quiet.

Then the sky started whistling.

Hundreds of ducks coming in overhead. Circling. Working the decoys. The sound of wings filling the air for minutes before a single shot was fired.

I was frozen. Speechless. Completely still in the blind while the world woke up around us in the most incredible way I'd ever witnessed.

I've thought about that morning a hundred times since.

That's what waterfowl hunting actually is. Not just the shooting. That moment — right there — is why we set the alarm for 3am and launch the boat in the dark.

If you've never experienced wings whistling overhead at first light — put it on your list.

It will change you.

What was your first waterfowl moment that hooked you completely? Drop it below.

August is here.

Which means fall is closer than it feels.

New hunters — what's the one thing about your first season that still feels uncertain?

Drop it below. I read every one and I'll point you in the right direction.

And if you want a full roadmap before opening day — link is in the group description.

New waterfowl hunters focus on where ducks are flying.

Experienced ones focus on where they're landing.

Those are two very different things.

Watch your water this week at first light and last light. Where are the birds actually touching down consistently?

That spot is worth remembering come fall.

What species are you seeing on your water right now?

Most hunters I know have one person who changed the way they experience the woods.

Not necessarily the person who taught them to hunt.

But the person that makes every hunt better just by being there.

Who's yours? Drop a comment — tell me about your go-to hunting buddy.