#389 : HOW TO LOCATE, "PATTERN", AND KILL MATURE BUCKS W/ NATHAN KILLEN

·1 hr 34 min·5 clips

A software glitch delayed Nathan Killen's episode on locating mature bucks, forcing a last-minute schedule change.

The episode begins with host Kevin Vistason explaining a technical issue that delayed the podcast's release, moving it from Friday to Tuesday. He introduces guest Nathan Killen, a 52-year-old maintenance mechanic and experienced deer hunter from southwestern Virginia. Killen discusses his background, including his work at a hybrid energy power plant and his thoughts on skilled trades as a career path. The conversation shifts to deer hunting, with Killen detailing his transition from bow-only hunting to also enjoying gun hunting in mountainous terrain. He explains his macro strategy for finding mature bucks, emphasizing the use of hillsides, thick cover, and terrain funnels like benches and secondary ridges. Killen describes how older age-class bucks often avoid direct contact with other deer, moving above or below common trails to use thermals and cover. He argues that nocturnal behavior in bucks is natural, not solely due to hunting pressure. The host shares a theory from Matt Williams about deer potentially seeing UV luminescence in the forest at night. Killen outlines his approach to trail cameras, using them primarily for verification of a deer's existence rather than for patterning, and prefers placing them on the fringes of areas he plans to hunt. He highlights the importance of winter scouting and identifying specific sign like tracks, rubs, and droppings from individual bucks. Killen reveals he is deleting his social media accounts because the attention negatively impacted his hunting. The episode concludes with discussions on gear, food preferences like peanut butter and honey sandwiches, and upcoming content from the Deer Hunter Podcast.

As heard by us

Mountain terrain, rare snow, and practical deer-hunting strategy shape this grounded Deer Hunter conversation.

Deer hunting here is framed through terrain, weather, and the small decisions that shape a day in mountain country. The most useful stretch follows the guest into 3,000- to 4,000-foot country, where steep ridges, rhododendron, mountain laurel, and rare November snow change how…

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Why you'd press play

If steep ridges, mountain deer country, and the hope of rare November snow sound like your kind of hunt, press play.

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