This is the video transcript. To watch the video for this episode click here.

GRANT: Our week started with Adam and I in a stand overlooking a bedding area we burned this summer to knock down the hardwood saplings. Growing season burns do an outstanding job of knocking back hardwood saplings and encouraging quality native forage for deer and other critters to browse. The edge between the mature trees and the bedding area we burned creates a natural travel corridor, so all the food, cover, and that travel corridor combined makes it a great area for a stand.

GRANT: (Whispering) Early morning. We’re hunting on the edge of some timber, and where we made a bedding area and burned this summer makes a travel corridor in the middle of the forest. Let’s see whose using it as a highway this morning.

GRANT: The temperatures that morning were quite a bit cooler than they had been for several days, and I’ve noticed that when the temperatures are 10 or 20 degrees cooler than they had been in previous days, deer will move a bit later in the morning. Once the sun reached the area where we were hunting, we started seeing deer.

GRANT: We saw a mature doe at about 70 yards and it seemed she was moving our way.

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GRANT: (Whispering) Well, that was interesting. Worked out perfect. We thought deer would come through this travel corridor right at the edge of the timber and where we’d burned. And I’m not exactly sure why I hit her where I did. I apparently thumped her right in the shoulder. We’ll just have to see what kind of penetration we got, once we get in there.

GRANT: Adam and I decided we’d stay up in the tree and give that doe a little time, and I’m never in a hurry to get out of a stand this time of year.

GRANT: While I was scanning the horizon, I caught a little movement, and soon, picked up a large set of antlers coming through the burned area.

GRANT: (Whispering) He got a limb in his antler.

GRANT: As he got closer, we noticed a dropped tine off his right antler and knew that this was a buck we called Gumby.

GRANT: Gumby is a great buck, but after studying our Reconyx pictures all summer, we were confident he’s three years old. That’s one huge advantage of studying trail camera pictures versus making a decision on the fly. Adam and I had set our goal to harvest four year old, or older, bucks, so it was time to set back and enjoy the show.

GRANT: This hunt was a great example of practicing good deer management – what we call quality deer management. We were able to harvest a doe and work on balancing the number of deer with the amount of quality food in our area. We were looking over a habitat improvement, or summer burn, we had done. And we were able to pass a great buck and look forward to seeing his potential in the future.

GRANT: (Whispering) That was tempting, but if you fall to temptation, you don’t grow a four year old and older bucks. That, my friends, on top of a burn we just did this summer for a habitat, is like the total picture of deer management.

GRANT: Even though I hit the doe in the thick part of the shoulder, it was an easy trail to follow, and we recovered a doe in about 100 yards. I shoot a Havoc broadhead. I hit the big part of the bone in the shoulder. It went right through a rib, went through a rib on the far side, and buried so deep in the off shoulder that I couldn’t pull my arrow out of the deer.

GRANT: Beautiful morning. We saw some deer activity a little later in the morning, including this doe, which gave me a great shot, and I kind of botched it up a little bit and hit her in the shoulder. No problem. About 100 yard trail and she was piled up, and we saw a really cool buck that gave me a lot of temptation. Especially, when I saw the big stain on the tarsal gland, but it’s always best if you got trail camera pictures from earlier in the year, to use those pictures as your age determination, versus the moment of excitement. So that buck got a pass. We’re gonna make a little venison out of this doe and call it a day.

GRANT: It’s important to note that deer do see color. There’s been a lot of research on how far in the color spectrum deer can see. But as these next two hunts show, hunters can wear orange and still have great encounters with deer at close range.

ADAM: Well, Saturday afternoon we had a forecast of east/southeast wind, but it was November 1st, so Daniel and I were eager to get in the stand. Daniel and I were out; Raleigh and Grant were out; and we were both in great spots, so we had high hopes somebody was gonna have some success.

ADAM: It was pretty calm that afternoon, so every sound we heard was a shooter buck in our mind. But it didn’t take long, and we heard, sure enough, footsteps coming through the timber.

ADAM: Happens to be a big doe, and she’s coming through super cautious. Looks like she’s headed to the base of our tree, so we’re just hoping she doesn’t detect us.

ADAM: She knew something was up, so she’s starting to try and sneak her way out of the area.

ADAM: Sounded like she didn’t make it far, so we knew we were gonna have a short recovery. But that didn’t stop the excitement, cause when I checked my phone, I found out some great news.

ADAM: (Whispering) Good buck down. Three year old, most likely. 10 yard shot. Great blood on the arrow. It will be dead.

ADAM: (Whispering) Yeah, baby. Bubbly, red blood.

ADAM: (Whispering) We’ve got a lot of does we want to harvest, so we’re gonna take ‘em every chance we can. Even if it is November 1st, bucks are chasing, we still want to achieve our goals, so that didn’t stop us tonight. We’re gonna get her out of here. We’ll be back at it tomorrow, hopefully, to remove two more does – if not a hit list buck.

GRANT: (Whispering) (Inaudible)

GRANT: (Whispering) You don’t have a goatee. You gotta do something about – there you go. (Inaudible)

RALEIGH: (Whispering) I recently turned 16, so I’m no longer allowed to hunt during youth season. But Rae had volleyball today, so Dad and I got to come out. That’s why we’re wearing orange, because it’s youth season, so we have to, like, differentiate ourselves. The winds are really good for this stand. It looks like it’ll be a good night.

RALEIGH: (Whispering) There’s not much to mark yardage out there.

GRANT: (Whispering) But you know – you got to know where 20 yards is, so you know for 20 in, you don’t have to range it, you just shoot.

GRANT: We hadn’t been in the stand long when Raleigh whispered, “Buck.” I was messing with the GoPro camera, and she was messing with her phone, we both had to get rid of those and get ready for this encounter.

GRANT: (Whispering) Be ready.

RALEIGH: (Whispering) So, do I hit for a drop? If, if he’s in this crack right here, is that 10?

GRANT: (Whispering) Yeah.

RALEIGH: (Whispering) (Inaudible) Yeah. How many? (Inaudible)

GRANT: (Whispering) Whenever you’re ready.

GRANT: (Whispering) What yard? (Inaudible)

GRANT: (Whispering) 20. 20. 20. (Inaudible). 20. You got him. You nailed him. You nailed him.

RALEIGH: (Whispering) Yes.

GRANT: (Whispering) You nailed him.

GRANT: (Whispering) Just let me. Unload your emotions.

RALEIGH: (Whispering) Uh, so, I was sitting here playing a game on my phone. I just happened to look up, and I see a deer. It’s a pretty good one, and it comes in pretty fast. It actually gets to like 20, less than 20 yards, and I take the shot. It looked like a really good one. The arrow went all the way through. You can see it sticking in the ground out there. Really excited. First kill with a bow. So, yes! It’s a good one, too.

GRANT: (Whispering) It’s a real good one. It’s a real good one.

RALEIGH: Hi, Granny. Hey. Just wanted to tell you guys I got a good deer.

GRANNY: Oh, you did?

RALEIGH: Hmm. Hmm. And I was, I shot it with my bow.

GRANT: Part of our celebration has always been Raleigh calling her mom and grandparents telling about the hunt and preparing to bring venison home.

RALEIGH: We got down to check out my arrow. It’s covered in blood from nock to point, and there’s a few, little bit of hair on it. And now, we’re gonna take some time to find the trail.

RALEIGH: Right through here. Here.

GRANT: The buck ran 100 plus yards down a steep hill. Raleigh and I continued our celebration – enjoyed the moments, took a few pictures with our cell phone – and called Adam and Daniel to join the celebration, and just as importantly, help us drag this big buck up the hill.

GRANT: Raleigh was shooting a Quest bow – the Torch model. It’s set at about 43 pounds. She was shooting an H1 arrow from BloodSport Arrows. That’s a small diameter, which is great for penetration, and the Striker broadhead by G5. They’ve been shown by several publications to be one of the sharpest broadheads manufactured.

GRANT: Obviously, this combination worked perfectly for a total pass through shot on a three year old buck. I hope you have a chance to go hunting with one of your family members this week. But more importantly, find some time to be quiet and listen to what the Creator is saying to you. Thanks for watching GrowingDeer.tv.

RALEIGH: (Inaudible)