Becoming a Bowhunter

This week Matty sits down with Jeff Helm, bowhunter, guide and owner of Arrowhead Bow Shop in McGregor, Texas.

Jeff's been bowhunting for around 40 years and chasing elk for more than 20 of those… and last season he managed to go four for four on elk across four different states.

We work through those hunts and how much the game changes as the season progresses. Calling bulls on public land, switching to spot and stalk when they shut up, reading terrain, predicting where an elk is heading instead of simply chasing it and learning to recognise those little signs that tell you you're suddenly right in the red zone.

But what I really liked about this conversation is Jeff's approach to hunting after doing it for so long. He'll be the first to tell you there's an exception to just about every rule. You can have a plan, but you've still got to listen to what the animals, wind and terrain are telling you and be willing to change it.

And sometimes you've just got to stay out there long enough to give yourself a chance. Jeff doesn't sleep in, doesn't head back to camp for lunch and doesn't quit when nothing's happening. After 20 or 30 days chasing elk, he reckons you might only get four to seven days where everything really fires… but those are the days you're out there waiting for.

🔍 What We Cover:

How Jeff went four for four on elk across four different states and adapted as the rut changed through the season
Why Jeff isn't overly aggressive with bugling on pressured public land and how other hunters can change his calling strategy
The Idaho hunt where calling wasn't working, forcing Jeff and his mates to abandon the plan and switch to spot and stalk 
Why 20 or 30 days of elk hunting might only give you four to seven days where the bulls are really fired up and vocal 
Reading terrain and predicting where an elk is going rather than simply chasing it... including a move that put an arrow in a bull about 10 minutes later 
Developing those "Spidey senses" where smell, a hoof, an ear flick or a feeling tells you you're suddenly right in the red zone 
Why Jeff refuses to sleep in, head back to camp midday or give up when he's committed to an elk hunt
The ridiculous moment Jeff and Donnie Drake simultaneously shot the same bull... and the lesson Donnie learned about checking his bubble
Jeff's experience guiding axis, whitetail, aoudad, scimitar oryx, blackbuck and pigs across Texas 
Why Jeff opened Arrowhead Bow Shop in McGregor, Texas, and wanted to build an archery shop where beginners don't feel judged
The importance of keeping a beginner's mindset, even after decades of bowhunting, and giving keen new hunters a hand up 

🧠 Key Takeaway

You can learn the rules, but elk haven't read the rulebook. The more time you spend hunting, the better you get at reading the little things... terrain, wind, behaviour and those tiny clues that tell you when it's time to stop following and start predicting.

🔗 Find Our Guest

Jeff Helm

@helm.yeah

Arrowhead Bow Shop – McGregor, Texas

🎙 Follow Becoming a Bowhunter

Instagram: @becomingabowhunter.podcast

Hosted by: @mattyafter

🎧 Episode Sponsors

Dog and Gun Coffee – Fuel your hunt with premium coffee. Use code BOWHUNTER for $10 off

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Kayuga Broadheads – Precision and reliability for every shot. Use code BAB10 for 10% off

@kayuga_broadheads

Venture Hunting & Outdoors – Gear up for your next hunt

@venturehunting

Jab Stick Outdoors – Precision-engineered carbon shafts. Use code BAB10 for $10 off

@jabstickoutdoors

This one's a little different. I was invited to speak at Hunt Fest, and my talk was all about two things that can make or break a hunt... stalking and shot placement.

I broke stalking down into a framework I've built from eight years of bowhunting, plenty of mistakes, and hundreds of conversations with hunters through the podcast. It's called STALK:

Spot the animal,

Test the wind,

Assess the approach,

Let the animal dictate your pace, and

Know your shot.

From there, I get into wind and thermals, reading animal behaviour, using terrain and shadows to close distance, and knowing when to move versus when to stay completely still. For me, the goal with a bow is always to get close. Ideally, I'm looking for 20 metres or under rather than stretching the shot just because I can.

Then we get into the other half of the Hunt Fest talk... shot placement. I use models of the heart and lungs to show where the vitals actually sit, why shot angle matters, and why I prefer aiming around the vital triangle rather than simply thinking "middle of the lungs." The whole idea is pretty simple: get closer, understand exactly where you're aiming, and give yourself the best chance of making a clean, ethical shot.

🔍 What We Cover:

The STALK framework: Spot, Test, Assess, Let and Know
Why my goal is to get within 20 metres before taking a bow shot
Using a grid system and close-range glassing to find animals
Why watching an animal for five minutes can completely change your stalk
Reading herd behaviour and identifying the animals keeping watch
Testing wind, understanding thermals and recognising how terrain moves your scent
Using dead ground, trees, bushes and shadows to hide your approach
Movement can give you away even when an animal hasn't smelt you
Reading tails, ears, feeding behaviour and tension to know when it's safe to move
Using a red light, yellow light and green light system during the final approach
Knowing your effective shooting distance instead of relying on what you can hit at the range
Heart, lung and vital-triangle shot placement across different shot angles

🧠 Key Takeaway

A good stalk isn't about getting to an animal as quickly as possible. Watch first, understand the wind, build your approach and then let the animal tell you when you can move. The closer you can get while staying in control, the better opportunity you give yourself to make an ethical shot.

Follow Becoming a Bowhunter

Instagram: @becomingabowhunter.podcast

Hosted by: @mattyafter

Episode Sponsors

Dog and Gun Coffee – Fuel your hunt with premium coffee. Use code BOWHUNTER for $10 off

@dogandguncoffee

Kayuga Broadheads – Precision and reliability for every shot. Use code BAB10 for 10% off

@kayuga_broadheads

Venture Hunting & Outdoors – Gear up for your next hunt

@venturehunting

Jab Stick Outdoors – Precision-engineered carbon shafts. Use code BAB10 for $10 off

@jabstickoutdoors

This week Matty sits down with Frank Megali and Rob Campbell, the creators of The Hunting App

For years, NSW public land hunters had access to a free mapping option that allowed them to load their maps, see exactly where they were and head into the bush. When that disappeared behind a subscription, Frank and Rob saw an opportunity to give hunters that functionality back.

The result is The Hunting App. An app designed by hunters, for hunters… with a free version that actually stays free.

You can load your maps, download areas for offline use, mark waypoints, build geofences, keep track of hunting locations and start building your own database of what you're seeing in the bush. Then there are paid tiers coming for hunters who want to take things further with e-scouting, weather, property boundaries, terrain analysis and a heap more.

But what I really liked about this conversation is the thinking behind it. These guys aren't trying to take something hunters already had for free and sell it back to them. They wanted to give the community a useful free tool first… then let the hunters themselves help shape where it goes from there.

What We Cover:

How Rob got into hunting through a mate's backyard target shoot before discovering R-Licence hunting and NSW State Forests
Why Rob reckons new hunters should start scouting, setting trail cameras and learning animal behaviour before they've even got all their hunting gear
How watching deer without the pressure of taking a shot helped Rob understand feeding, bedding and movement patterns
Frank's background hunting rabbits, foxes and deer, and how he now hunts with big-game indicating dogs
How Frank and Rob train their dogs to recognise deer scent, ignore non-target animals and work within a controlled range in front of the hunter
Why Avenza's pricing change became the catalyst for creating The Hunting App and why keeping a genuinely free version mattered to them
How the free version handles georeferenced maps, DPI maps, offline satellite and topo mapping, pins, notes and up to nine square kilometres of offline maps
How private-property hunters can use boundaries, geofences, gates and no-go zones to make communication with farmers clearer and safer
How the upcoming e-scouting tools combine property boundaries, routes, watercourses, terrain, slope, weather, wind forecasts and other map layers before you leave home
How NSW public land hunters can store licences and permissions while still carrying the required DPI-provided maps to remain compliant
How bowhunters can use points and distance markers for blood trailing, marking last blood and navigating back to where an animal was standing when the shot was taken
How pins, photos and hunt history could build a long-term record of wallows, rubs, sightings, weather and animal movement so hunters can start recognising patterns over time

Key Takeaway:

Good mapping isn't just about knowing where you are. If you can combine scouting, wind, terrain, boundaries and years of your own hunting observations in one place, you can arrive at a new block with a plan instead of burning the first day figuring everything out.

🔗 Find Our Guest

Frank Megali & Rob Campbell

@the_hunting_app

The Hunting App

Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/au/app/the-hunting-app/id6763955844?utm_source=chatgpt.comGoogle 

Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?hl=zh_HK&id=MAP+BASED+APPS+PTY+LTD&utm_source=chatgpt.com

🎙 Follow Becoming a Bowhunter

Instagram: @becomingabowhunter.podcast

Hosted by: @mattyafter

🎧 Episode Sponsors

Dog and Gun Coffee – Fuel your hunt with premium coffee. Use code BOWHUNTER for $10 off

@dogandguncoffee

Kayuga Broadheads – Precision and reliability for every shot. Use code BAB10 for 10% off

@kayuga_broadheads

Venture Hunting & Outdoors – Gear up for your next hunt

@venturehunting

Jab Stick Outdoors – Precision-engineered carbon shafts. Use code BAB10 for $10 off

@jabstickoutdoors

In this episode, Matty sits down with Ned Makim, President of the Australian Pig Doggers & Hunters Association (APDHA).

What started as an obsession with hunting pigs has grown into one of the most influential hunting advocacy organisations in Australia. Through research, data collection and building relationships with the government, the APDHA has helped change the conversation around hunters from being seen as part of the problem to becoming part of the solution.

This isn't just a conversation about pig hunting. It's about how every hunter whether you chase pigs, deer, goats or any game, can help protect the future of hunting in Australia.

If you've ever wondered how hunters can earn credibility, influence government decisions and secure hunting opportunities for future generations, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

Podcast Topics

Why Ned believes every hunter represents the entire hunting community.
How the Australian Pig Doggers & Hunters Association was formed and why it exists today.
The biggest threats facing hunting in Australia and why "being left alone" is no longer an option.
Why data not emotion is changing the way governments view hunters.
The story behind the Great Australian Pig Hunt and how it recorded millions of pigs harvested across Australia.
How hunters built the world's largest wildlife DNA collections through the 10,000 Ears Project.
Why building relationships with researchers, media and politicians is just as important as hunting itself.
The biggest mistakes hunters make on social media and how they damage the image of hunting.
How APDHA is working towards expanding public land hunting opportunities across Australia.
What every individual hunter can do to protect hunting for the next generation.

Key Takeaway

Hunters don't protect hunting through arguments they protect it through credibility. Every conversation, every social media post and every interaction with the public shapes how hunting is viewed. When hunters work together, present themselves professionally and back their position with real data, they earn a seat at the table where decisions are made.

Find Our GuestNed Makim

Instagram: @themakimmethod

Australian Pig Doggers & Hunters Association (APDHA)

Website: https://apdha.com.au

Instagram: @pigdoggers

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APDHA

Follow Becoming a BowhunterInstagram: @becomingabowhunter.podcast

Hosted by: @mattyafter

Episode SponsorsDog and Gun Coffee – Fuel your hunt with premium coffee. Use code BOWHUNTER for $10 off.

@dogandguncoffee

Kayuga Broadheads – Precision and reliability for every shot. Use code BAB10 for 10% off.

@kayuga_broadheads

Venture Hunting & Outdoors – Gear up for your next hunt.

@venturehunting

Jab Stick Outdoors – Precision-engineered carbon shafts. Use code BAB10 for $10 off.

@jabstickoutdoors

In this episode, Matty sits down with Dallas Hemeyer of 365 Pursuit.

Dallas has spent years filming hunts around the world through 365 Pursuit, from Tanzania and New Zealand to Mexico and across the US. Along the way he's survived a helicopter crash, a rifle exploding in his face, dangerous infections and more than a few situations where getting home wasn't guaranteed.

We talked about hunting some of the wildest places on earth, what it takes to prepare for the unexpected, and why hunters play such an important role in conservation across Africa.

This episode will have you sitting on the edge of your seat from word go.

Podcast topics:

The story behind Dallas' viral Instagram post showing the injuries and close calls he's experienced while hunting around the world.
A hunter collapsing from severe dehydration in remote Mexico and why simple mistakes can become life-threatening hours from medical help.
Dallas' terrifying helicopter crash in Tanzania, rescuing injured passengers, and spending hours stranded before help could arrive.
How a rifle exploded while shooting a Cape buffalo, leaving metal lodged beside Dallas' optic nerve and permanently changing his bow setup.
Why learning to shoot left-handed after losing vision in his dominant eye actually made him a better archer.
What years of hunting alongside African PHs taught Dallas about reading country, adapting to different species and becoming a more complete hunter.
The reality of conservation in Tanzania, including anti-poaching patrols, hunting concessions and why hunters fund the protection of huge wild areas.
Why banning trophy imports can have unintended consequences for wildlife and the communities responsible for protecting it.
Dallas' current arrow setup, broadheads and the lessons he's learned after years of obsessive testing and building hundreds of arrows.
Why getting closer—not shooting further—is still one of the biggest challenges and rewards in bowhunting.

🧠 Key Takeaway

The wilderness doesn't care how experienced you are. Preparation, good decision making and staying calm when things go wrong will save you long before any piece of gear does. Dallas' stories are a reminder that every hunt carries risk—and the people who come home are usually the ones who planned for it.

🔗 Find Our Guest

Dallas Hemeyer

Instagram: @dallashemeyer

365 Pursuit

Instagram: @365pursuit

YouTube: @365PURSUIT

One of the stories we discuss in this episode is featured in Dallas' film Taking a Bow to a Gun Fight follows Devin Leonard bowhunting elk during a Utah rifle season:

https://youtu.be/e9LvqgN9P0U?si=go-QXQg2NtySYjpK

🎙 Follow Becoming a Bowhunter

Instagram: @becomingabowhunter.podcast

Hosted by: @mattyafter

🎧 Episode Sponsors

Dog and Gun Coffee – Fuel your hunt with premium coffee. Use code BOWHUNTER for $10 off

@dogandguncoffee

Kayuga Broadheads – Precision and reliability for every shot. Use code BAB10 for 10% off

@kayuga_broadheads

Venture Hunting & Outdoors – Gear up for your next hunt

@venturehunting

Jab Stick Outdoors – Precision-engineered carbon shafts. Use code BAB10 for $10 off

@jabstickoutdoors