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