Chris Shelton

YouTube is filled with bowhunting videos of men and women killing giant bucks, and I’d be lying to you if I said I didn’t enjoy watching many of them. That said, what I like most are online videos like those from The Hunting Public that showcase Mr. Average Joe who takes to public ground in search of a wary whitetail.

I’ve been at this bowhunting game for long enough now (40-plus years hunting across the country) to understand that location (i.e. exclusive access to prime private land) is the No. 1 factor in tagging mature whitetails. Fact: I have such private land access in South Dakota, and I bowhunt a lot of public ground in Wisconsin; it’s easier to arrow a 120-class SoDak buck on my private land than it is to shoot a yearling doe on my Packer-land public.

In the video below, you’ll follow along with traditional bowhunter Chris Shelton who showcases what it’s like to pursue whitetails on public land in western Maryland. It’s rugged country and not loaded with deer. And Chris doesn’t have a cameraman tied to his hip; everything you’re about to see is self-filmed.

Spoiler alert: Chris Shelton gets it done on a deer at the 5:50 mark of the film. Traditional bow. Public land. Self-filmed. Good stuff.

Enjoy the film, and good luck this deer season. Remember, it’s all about the pursuit.