This week on Episode 9 of the Equalized Outdoors Podcast, we’re talking whitetails with two hunters from our Hunter Spotlight series: Mike Cruz, The Pinoy Outdoorsman, and Micah Culbreth of George’s Boy Outdoors.

We pull up for a campfire-style conversation about when scouting starts, finding places to hunt, reading terrain, and squeezing in sits around work and family. From New York hardwoods to the North Georgia mountains and Texas public land, we compare approaches, share early-season hunt stories, and talk through what we’re hoping to experience during the rut.

We also get into the part that doesn’t always make it onto social media: missed opportunities, discouragement, and what coming home empty teaches you. Both Mike and Micah started hunting as adults, and their experiences bring a different perspective to learning the woods, finding mentors, and explaining hunting to people who don’t do it.

00:00 Cold Open
00:26 Episode introduction and sponsors
01:43 Meet Mike Cruz and Micah Culbreth
02:25 Archery practice, bow setups, and gear talk
07:53 Getting started as adult hunters
13:31 When whitetail scouting begins
18:09 Making time to hunt and working around pressure
21:37 Mike’s early-season saddle hunt
24:14 Micah’s opening-day doe
25:29 Hunting suburban hardwoods
26:37 Favorite terrain and dream deer hunts
29:11 E-scouting, onX, and building a waypoint system
35:49 What surprised us about whitetail hunting
40:28 Talking hunting and venison with nonhunters
45:40 Failure, persistence, and learning from each hunt
54:18 Safety, practice, and becoming a better hunter
56:45 Rut expectations and goals for the season
1:00:07 Where to follow our guests and closing remarks

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Resources for Hunters

Follow Mike @thepinoyoutdoorsman

Follow Micah @GBoutdoors15

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