Opening Day: Ep. 2 Giant Tennessee Velvet Bucks with Mr. Velvet

·58 min·5 clips

He stalks within 30 yards of a bedded velvet buck in the middle of a sun-drenched bean field.

The episode is an interview format with host and guest William 'Mr. Velvet' Russell. It opens with the host's anticipation for his own season and introduces Russell as an early-season specialist from the podcast's digital deer camp community. Russell recounts his previous year's success killing a velvet buck, which earned him his nickname. He then describes the lead-up to this year's hunt, driving from Florida to Tennessee. Upon arrival, he discovers the spot that previously held corn now has only weeds, a change due to crop rotation he learned about from the digital deer camp. His sleep schedule is off, and he oversleeps, adding pressure. He uses map scouting to identify new potential areas, focusing on pinch points near private land. On the final day, after picking up his previous year's mount for motivation, he scouts a new bean field. He spots a deer from his truck, decides to stalk with his bow, and uses wind gusts to mask his movement. He closes the distance to about 30 yards from a bedded buck, then discovers a second buck bedded nearby. He waits patiently in the open sun, sweating and exposed, for the right moment. When the first buck stands, he takes a rushed shot that hits the spine, then follows up with a second lethal shot. He experiences a moment of disbelief and confusion after the kill. The latter part of the conversation shifts to reflections on hunting appreciation, contrasting the struggles of Florida public land hunting with the opportunities in states like Tennessee. Both host and guest emphasize the value of the adventure and learning process over just trophy hunting. The episode concludes with thanks to the digital deer camp community and reminders to prepare for the upcoming season.

As heard by us

A bright shape in waist-high beans turns pre-season impatience into a patient scouting story.

Opening day is treated less as a date than as a pressure building in the background. The host moves through the long off-season of tuning bows, shooting arrows, hanging cameras, and putting up with heat, bugs, and humidity, already restless enough to think about a Georgia…

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Why you'd press play

You are 60 days from deer season, and a bright shape in waist-high beans is testing your patience.

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