Episode Details

SIGN UP THREAD - https://forums.bowhunting.com/threads/2026-deer-contest-sign-up-thread.102854/

Welcome back to another episode of The Watering Hole! In episode 84, hosts Todd Graf and Justin Zarr are looking forward to a bit of a breather as baseball season slows down, giving them a few precious weekends before August 15th to tackle trail camera planting and deer scouting before football entirely takes over their schedules. The team dives deep into the upcoming season, sharing their strategic hopes of tracking down some big deer. They also catch up on the long-standing community built around their website's forum.  

The core of this week’s conversation revolves around the forum’s annual deer contest, complete with a breakdown of its simple rules, photo verification requirements, and the intricacies of buck scoring. From debating the accuracy of manual tape measurements and Pope and Young scoring sheets to discussing how technology is shifting the landscape, Todd and Justin cover it all. They explore the fascinating rise of AI tools in hunting—specifically TrophyScan and stealth trail cameras that utilize animal detection and rack alerts—before wrapping up with a discussion on drone technology for farm management and the power of controlled burning to clear out invasive species.

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