Becoming a Bowhunter

This week it's just me behind the mic for a solo episode, sharing a recent red deer meat hunt and some honest reviews of the hunting gear I've been putting to the test.

It's been a pretty hectic few months with work and business, and I talk a little about managing that overwhelm, building better habits and why sticking to your word can make such a difference in everyday life.

Then it's into the hunt. A wet morning in some seriously steep country, a few deer bumped along the way and a stalk on a red hind that ended with a 40 metre shot. The heavy rain made blood trailing a challenge, but eventually I found her about 60–80 metres down the hill and came home with a pack full of venison.

I also run through some gear I've been testing, including Vivobarefoot hunting boots, the GY6 filming setup, the AW Knives Field Weasel and the Work Sharp sharpening system. Plus, why I'm looking to replace my Bushbuck pack after a few years of use.

One of the more interesting moments from the hunt was the white-faced hind I took, and the conversation it sparked about age, genetics and whether hunters should treat older-looking hinds differently from mature stags.

🔍 What We Cover:

Managing work overwhelm, setting boundaries and sticking to your word
A rainy red deer meat hunt in steep, thick country
Stalking a red hind using trees, wind and feeding behaviour
Making a 40-plus-metre quartering-to shot
Blood trailing in heavy rain using The Hunting App
White-faced red deer, genetics and assumptions about age
Field dressing and packing out venison in wet conditions
Why Vivobarefoot boots have replaced my old hunting footwear
Filming bowhunts with the GY6 camera mounting system
Using the AW Knives Field Weasel for field dressing
Sharpening knives and broadheads with the Work Sharp Precision Adjust
Why I'm considering replacing my Bushbuck hunting pack

🧠 Key Takeaway

Sometimes the best thing you can do is simplify things and get back to what matters. Whether it's setting better boundaries in life, slowing down during a stalk or choosing gear that genuinely works, the little decisions make a big difference.

🎙 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 Zoran Art, President of Twin City Bowmen and a bloke with a heap of experience chasing deer with a bow.

After spending time together around the Trophy Takers event, we got into Sambar hunting around the Albury-Wodonga region… when Zoran likes to call, why patience matters after making a call, and the hunt that ended with his biggest Sambar stag to date.

From there we cover his Snake Island hog deer hunt, chasing whitetail on Stewart Island, bowhunting elk in Montana and getting amongst scrub bulls and buffalo in the Northern Territory.

But a big part of this conversation is simply years spent bowhunting. Learning from other hunters, making your own mistakes, developing your "bush eyes" and realizing that sometimes the only way a lesson really sticks is to get out there and bugger it up yourself.

🔍 What We Cover:

How Zoran, Tarryn and the crew have built Twin City Bowmen around practical bowhunting and 3D archery
Why September and October can bring increased Sambar rutting activity around Albury-Wodonga
Calling Sambar hinds and why a stag may be following behind
Why Zoran will wait 20–30 minutes after calling instead of moving too early
The stalk and calling sequence that produced Zoran's biggest Sambar stag
Using wallows, game trails and tree stands to target Sambar
Hunting Stewart Island whitetail from tree stands and broadleaf feeding areas
Five days on Snake Island before spot-and-stalking a hog deer on the final evening
What Zoran would do differently when hunting the later Snake Island ballot periods
A frustrating guided Montana elk hunt that changed once Zoran decided to make his own move
Stalking scrub bulls and buffalo in the Northern Territory
Shot placement, shoulder hits and why bad shots are an unavoidable part of learning to bowhunt
How time in the bush develops the "bush eyes" experienced hunters use to pick out tiny movements
Why the next generation matters for Twin City Bowmen, Trophy Takers and Australian bowhunting

🧠 Key Takeaway

You can listen to every tip and hunting story you can find, but eventually you've got to get out and do it. Make mistakes, learn what works for you and keep putting time into the bush… that's where the lessons really start to stick.

🔗 Find Our Guest

Zoran Art

Instagram: @zoran_art

Twin City Bowmen

🎙 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 Willie Waldrip, a 21-year-old bowhunter from Texas who's already packed an unbelievable amount of hunting into his life.

Willie grew up in a hunting family, killed his first deer with a bow at seven and was hunting by himself at 10. Today he's balancing full-time college with guiding, filming and spending pretty much every spare day he can hunting.

We get into axis/chital, bison, sheep, a Kodiak brown bear at six or seven yards, and a wild Utah public land mule deer hunt that eventually ended with Willie taking a buck just shy of 197 inches.

But what really stood out was Willie's approach. Slow down when you get close. Learn something from every stalk. Stay present when the pressure builds. At only 21, he's already got a heap of experience… and a really interesting perspective on what it takes to keep getting better with a bow.

🔍 What We Cover:

Growing up in a family where holidays meant hunting trips
Killing his first bowhunted deer at seven and hunting solo by 10
Why networking and simply being a good person has opened hunting opportunities
Learning something from every stalk, failure and successful hunt
Why axis/chital are one of the toughest animals Willie has ever spot-and-stalked
Staying calm when a hunter starts losing their shot process in the final moments
Why the closer you get to an animal, the slower everything should become
Bowhunting a bison and why Willie kept sending arrows when given the opportunity
The chaotic Utah public land mule deer hunt that ended with a near-197-inch buck
Shooting a Kodiak brown bear from six or seven yards and the brutal pack-out afterwards
How sheep hunting taught Willie to take things one step at a time
Turning hunting, filming and YouTube into the life he wants to build after college
Why a five-pin slider has simplified Willie's shot process in fast hunting situations
How Willie changes broadheads and arrow setups depending on the animal he's hunting

🧠 Key Takeaway

Every hunt gives you something to learn if you're willing to look for it. Slow things down, control what you can control, and keep stacking those lessons… because that's how hunting starts becoming instinct rather than something you're constantly trying to figure out.

🔗 Find Our Guest

Willie Waldrip

Instagram: @williewaldrip_

Youtube: @WillieWaldrip

🎙 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 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

@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 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