Today on the show, I’m joined by archery coach and SHOT IQ founder Joel Turner to discuss my experiences battling target panic over the years and what I learned and changed about my shooting process after my in-person coaching experience with him this spring. 

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The Solitude kit combines all the performance characteristics of our proven whitetail styles into an integrated system ideal for mid-season sits.

The Solitude kit combines all the performance characteristics of our proven whitetail styles into an integrated system ideal for mid-season sits.

Windproof membrane + silent softshell + 37.5 insulation.

Windproof membrane + silent softshell + 37.5 insulation.

My first buck was a “half-rack” Pennsylvania whitetail with three small points on its single antler. By today’s standards, that buck wouldn’t have raised any eyebrows, but I was damn proud of that deer, and myself. I killed it just before dark during a blizzard on an after-school solo hunt. In the failing light and falling snow, I put the scope on the deer several times before I realized it was a buck. Dragging that deer across a dark, snowy, cut...

Creeping into the final stages of an approach on a turkey can be adrenaline filled. Controlled micro movements fill space and time, walking with the delicacy of treading on rice paper. It’s time to think about a few things as you close distance, initiate calling and set up for the moment you send pellets downrange. You should consider approachability, visibility and concealment. This trio of hunting dynamics is a fundamental basic in nearly all...

Most folks who hunt open country will have the epiphany someday: You aren’t really seeing without a tripod. You may be looking through your binoculars while they’re supported by your knees or shoulder tension, but at any sort of range you’ll skim right over a lot of semi-hidden animals as your lenses fluctuate with your breathing. That epiphany will someday be followed by another one: a quality tripod makes a huge difference too. Sticky pan and...