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The Hunting Public Deer School?

A lot of the free information out there is junk. Just look around SH and you'll see a lot of absolute nonsense. Deer don't act the same in every scenario. Folks who have hunted a while and have good success use their experience to make decisions. How close to push to a bed, where to find beds, thermals for different scenarios, the list goes on. I still say that a new hunter could spend 80 dollars on a lot worse things. It's a lot harder to pick the good info from the bad when you're a novice. I think OP will be happy paying to shorten that learning curve, even if it's marginal.

I agree most are geared toward individual styles, properties, experiences etc. I see that all the time with THP, they are very Midwest centric and very visual hunters. What they consider "thick stuff" is dang near wide open woods here. They have tons of open areas on public they consistently see adult deer, that just doesn't happen here. Coincidentally that also makes for better filming setups. I don't watch all their stuff as it gets a little too vloggy for me, but they seem to struggle when they go south where like here that visual glassing compenent is far less viable.

I have a good window into their potential clientele here as I have a few friends I've mentored into adult onset hunters and I've struggled most teaching them woods skills, stuff I just grew up with and take for granted. I've avoided pushing too many internet resources to them and encouraged just taking the time to go into the woods and figure it out themselves. To some degree that seems to be working, and there seems to be a linear relationship between the time commitment and results for sure. One of them though lives in Philly, doesn't get out of the city too much and seems to be stagnating a bit. I might push him to check out THP school to see if it shorthens his learning curve. He's been out on his own for 3-4 years and hasn't been putting it together but at least he is still into it.
 
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I’ve had more success this year than ever by throwing out everything I know about map scouting, bedding areas, food sources and all that crap. Here’s the easiest way to get on a deer you want to kill

1. Go look at things until you see a deer.
2. Bring your bow next time you go there.
3. Shoot the deer.

Dude so true. Last year I just told myself to hike with my rifle, no sitting, until I jumped a big buck just so I could say I saw one and if I got a shot, well then thats pretty neat. I jumped one from his bed around 1600 and didnt want to shoot at his ahnoose while he ran directly away from me down hill. 4 days later I went back in around 1200 with saddle and watched as he came right back to that bed/area.


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They don't know how to hunt Alabama or Mississippi deer, so my only suggestion would be to not take the course if you live and hunt in one of those two states. They really do have a lot of combined experience, so if you are a new deer hunter and don't have a lot of experience or a good mentor, it might be a good option to add to your ever growing boots on the ground. It sounds like they have more than enough material for you to read and learn from. I am sure you would take something from the course, and though I do hunt in Alabama and joke about that, I am sure I would learn plenty too. $80 seems reasonable. Let us know how it goes.

Dont forget Arkansas. I just dont think their tactics pan out in the south. I dont follow them but I dont think they make annual trips to the South for a reason hahaha.


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Dont forget Arkansas. I just dont think their tactics pan out in the south. I dont follow them but I dont think they make annual trips to the South for a reason hahaha.


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I like them and watch their stuff, don’t get me wrong, but good luck “glassing” and spot & stalking in AR when you’re rolling your ankle on rocks on the hillside every third step and can’t see in the woods past 30 yards.


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You nailed it. Especially this part

they are very Midwest centric

and this one

a few friends I've mentored into adult onset hunters and I've struggled most teaching them woods skills, stuff I just grew up with and take for granted.

THP seem to be quite capable in their biome. But they and most other famous hunters are famous because they're good hunters AND they're hunting in a good area that allows them to produce results noticeably more impressive than baseline. THP would not achieve the commercial success they have found if they were plying their trade in states where bucks can die of old age and never hit 130". That's an important thing to keep in mind. If you're looking for "advanced" tactics and you don't share their biome, there's a reduction in value. They're teaching midwestern hunting. At least it's midwestern public land instead of midwestern outfitter.

But, I think they'd be an awesome way to learn some fundamentals if you were coming into it without having grown up in a hunting tribe. I have friends who didn't and it definitely shows. They hunt some goofy places for goofy reasons. And if you live in the areas they hunt (or plan on driving there) they're probably the best source of information going right now.

Honestly, if you think they can teach you something, they probably can.
 
THP seem to be quite capable in their biome. But they and most other famous hunters are famous because they're good hunters AND they're hunting in a good area that allows them to produce results noticeably THP would not achieve the commercial success they have found if they were plying their trade in states where bucks can die of old age and never hit 130".

Well by golly, they must’ve been reading your posts about hunting where there are plentiful big deer!
 
AND they're hunting in a good area that allows them to produce results noticeably more impressive than baseline.

And it's literally their job so they put in the time, probably 5-10x what the typical "dedicated" hunter puts in a year. That factor is yuuge.

Not gonna lie I slightly envy parts of their life and wish I had taken a gap year after high school to just be a hunting/fishing bum. But it's gotta be a grind for them, they do it pretty much year round. Heck by December every year I am ready to put away the bow and dust off the fishing poles. And they ain't kids anymore, it's going to be brutal being on the road like that when they start making babies if that's in their future.
 
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Well by golly, they must’ve been reading your posts about hunting where there are plentiful big deer!
Smart people have been doing that thing for decades. Fortunately for us it's easier and cheaper to do now than it's ever been.
And it's literally their job so they put in the time, probably 5-10x what the typical "dedicated" hunter puts in a year. That factor is yuuge.

Not gonna lie I slightly envy parts of their life and wish I had taken a gap year after high school to just be a hunting/fishing bum. But it's gotta be a grind for them, they do it pretty much year round. Heck by December every year I am ready to put away the bow and dust off the fishing poles. And they ain't kids anymore, it's going to be brutal being on the road like that when they start making babies if that's in their future.
Yep. Mike Waddell got a divorce over (among other things) his time on the road. WHW mentions his wife not loving him mentioning how many nights he spent in the ole truck bed. Infalt talks about the hurt feelings from missing Thanksgiving and other holiday meals.

2 things folks can learn from that. 1, you probably can't achieve that level of success and hold down a "normal" life. 2, the people who put in that kind of effort really are experts. They can't help but be after logging those hours.
 
Smart people have been doing that thing for decades. Fortunately for us it's easier and cheaper to do now than it's ever been.

Yep. Mike Waddell got a divorce over (among other things) his time on the road. WHW mentions his wife not loving him mentioning how many nights he spent in the ole truck bed. Infalt talks about the hurt feelings from missing Thanksgiving and other holiday meals.

2 things folks can learn from that. 1, you probably can't achieve that level of success and hold down a "normal" life. 2, the people who put in that kind of effort really are experts. They can't help but be after logging those hours.

10,000 hours is all it takes.


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i went ahead and registered (i've watched most of their content already). they don't have anything Maryland specific (i wasn't expecting them to) but i think it'll be worth it still having spent only about 20 min poking around thus far.

do you know if they cover any New England states? I kinda doubt it, I’m guessing PA is as far north as they have gone for deer school but an my info is appreciated.

Anybody else go to the school and can you please provide a review??
 
Why does somebody getting value for giving value disappoint you?
Value?
i see no value in buying information that is free if you search the internet enough.
take tips from everyone not just one person or group.
Apply it to your areas and see what does snd does not work.
Im a super skeptical guy so its hard for me to trust most so called internet experts.
 
In general, I think we spend too much too quick on things, and too little too infrequently on information. Cool thing about information is it doesn't take up room in the closet or have any real cost associated with it beyond the upfront purchase price.

If you're not confident in your skills, there are probably worse people to pay for knowledge. Probably not any more wasteful than this year's new sticks, clothes, or broadheads.

Well said!!
 
I'd just watch all their old videos and and some from others, learn how to digitally scout on OnX, and then get out in the woods.

Most of their setups in farm country are way simpler than larger woods hunting.
 
If they (thp) read stuff like this and took it to heart and started hunting more difficult states the video quality would suffer....I enjoy the videos and I think I have learned info off them but yeah.....if they arent hunting around where u live then watch for entertainment and if u take something that helps away from it great...if not, just enjoy the content....I think they are the "best" channel around but I'm not gonna pay for a online course....
 
If they (thp) read stuff like this and took it to heart and started hunting more difficult states the video quality would suffer....I enjoy the videos and I think I have learned info off them but yeah.....if they arent hunting around where u live then watch for entertainment and if u take something that helps away from it great...if not, just enjoy the content....I think they are the "best" channel around but I'm not gonna pay for a online course....

their idea of finding and hunting a specific bed works because where they hunt there is a limited amount of bedding areas....so if they hunt one bed they are effectively also hunting that area's bedding area

the idea of trying to find and hunt individual beds in areas where suitable bedding areas are common is less likely to work
 
I did end up paying for access to their deer school shortly after posting this thread originally. I don't think it was a complete waste of money, but I did not learn as much that directly helps me here inaryland as I hoped. Partially due to their Midwestern focus, partly due to where I am on my "newbie that's not really a newbie anymore but really still is" knowledge level. I don't think this is a rip off having paid for it. I also don't think I'd pay for it again knowing what I know now, but it at minimum entertained me for a portion of off season.
 
their idea of finding and hunting a specific bed works because where they hunt there is a limited amount of bedding areas....so if they hunt one bed they are effectively also hunting that area's bedding area

the idea of trying to find and hunt individual beds in areas where suitable bedding areas are common is less likely to work
Yeah...I understand doing that kinda stuff is terrain/area specific. Bedding, thermal, scent control, agriculture, rut....pretty much 99% of what u see on the utubes and read on SH don't apply to public land hunting around here

I'm coming from maybe a different viewpoint an u think..... Imagine if u were totally green to hunting and wanted to try to watch something to learn the basics....thp does good job IMO
 
Yeah...I understand doing that kinda stuff is terrain/area specific. Bedding, thermal, scent control, agriculture, rut....pretty much 99% of what u see on the utubes and read on SH don't apply to public land hunting around here

I'm coming from maybe a different viewpoint an u think..... Imagine if u were totally green to hunting and wanted to try to watch something to learn the basics....thp does good job IMO
you're exactly right. 3 years ago me would have definitely benefitted from reading and learning because I was oh so green and dumb. this current (not as green, ever so slightly not a dumb) was like "oh, ok, this ain't completely new but there's a good nugget here and there and it's well organized"

I get enjoyment out of a lot of YouTube channels, thp, the hunting beast and mountain deer are three that come to mind that are all wildly different hunting styles, but seem to be pretty successful for their locations. I hope the Elmer's start up making videos again soon.
 
I'd just watch all their old videos and and some from others, learn how to digitally scout on OnX, and then get out in the woods.

Most of their setups in farm country are way simpler than larger woods hunting.

Exactly, they have fizzled in the big woods. I stopped watching them when the shoes came off in a hunt right off a road but my buddies just showed me the guy walking around on public land with a big buck decoy. Glad he wasent hurt


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