The List Changes as the Season Changes
November has a way of changing your hit list. A new, tall, wide buck showed up on camera near Area 51 after first being spotted around the Gap. The guys thought it was the same deer, and suddenly there was another buck worth talking about. But that didn’t mean Brutus was forgotten.
Brutus still meant something different. Nick and Cole had been following him for a long time. When you’ve watched a deer year after year, the history starts to matter just as much as the antlers. That’s what makes a personal hit list personal.
A Hit List Is Personal
The guys didn’t even have identical lists. One was considering the new buck, Brutus, Billy No Brow, Timmy and Stitz. The other wanted to keep things tighter, with Brutus and the new buck at the top. Neither approach is wrong. They’re hunting the same ground, but they don’t have to want the exact same thing.
That is what makes a hit list useful. It clarifies your own goals before the excitement of a close encounter. The decision can involve age estimates, past history, personal satisfaction and the opportunities available on your farm.
Read Body Condition Carefully
There was also a tougher side to the Brutus conversation. He looked thinner than some of the other bucks, and the guys remembered older pictures where his body condition seemed different. It’s natural to worry when you’ve watched a deer for years. But a camera picture can’t tell you exactly why a buck looks that way.
Those were observations and suspicions, not a diagnosis. A trail-camera photo cannot establish the cause of weight loss or reliably determine whether a buck will survive winter. The episode’s emotional weight comes from watching a familiar deer change and not knowing why.
Use New Information Without Rewriting the Whole Plan
The new buck was exciting, but it didn’t erase the years spent following Brutus. Nick and Cole kept comparing pictures, checking movement and talking through what they wanted out of the season. That’s a better approach than rewriting your entire plan every time a big deer appears on a camera.
That is a good way to approach November: define your priorities, remain open to new evidence and avoid letting a single exciting image make every previous decision irrelevant.
The Takeaway
The best hit list is not necessarily the longest or the most impressive on paper. It is the one that reflects your goals and helps you make a confident decision when the moment finally arrives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should every mature buck be on a hit list?
Not necessarily. The episode shows hunters with different preferences, even when evaluating the same deer.
Can trail-camera photos tell you a buck is unhealthy?
Photos can raise questions about body condition, but they do not establish a medical cause or prognosis.
Source: Killerwinds Podcast, Episode 183
Listen to the Full Conversation
This story was adapted from a firsthand hunting experience shared on the Killerwinds Podcast. From the decisions made in the moment to the lessons learned along the way, these are the experiences that shape us as hunters. Watch or listen to the full conversation to hear the story as it was originally told.
