- Oct 12, 2021
1 On 1 With The Pros: Meet Brennen Nading
Q: Do you hunt with archery equipment or firearms or both?
A: I hunt primarily with archery tackle, but I also enjoy getting the muzzleloader out in Iowa each year. I enjoy the challenge of archery hunting, I also love that it gives you a much longer season opportunity and more easily accessible tags in certain states.
Q: What’s your hunting style?
A: Most of my hunting is done from a tree-stand, especially early in the year. We hunt a mix of public and private depending on where we are at. I like having the ability to hang and hunt, and like having the elevated vantage you get from being up in a tree. Later in the season, when the leaves are off and the temperatures drop, we will mix ground blind hunting into our game plan, too.
Q: On a level of 1 to 10 how important are game cameras to your hunting success and why?
A: Ten, no questions asked. Trail cameras, and cellular cameras have played a huge role in our strategy. They give us the ability to go hunt where we need to hunt at the given time of the year. We rely very heavily on the intel that our cameras provide us.
Q: If you’re hunting a specific property, how do you typically use your trail cameras for scouting and hunting?
A: Depends on the state and the regulations for that state. If it is legal to put food in front of the cameras, I am doing that. I have found that this is the fastest way to get inventory of what is in the area. In states where this isn’t an option, I focus on placing cameras along field edges, fence gaps, and over scrapes.
Q: What roll do cellular game cameras play in your scouting and do you use them differently than traditional trail cameras?
A: I would say that cellular cameras play a huge role because it saves us ample time in not having to drive from state to state just to check trail cameras. It also keeps our scent out of the field.
Q: Tell us about a buck that got away and you still think about him to this day?
A: In 2015, I missed a giant typical in Iowa that I will never forget about. Not many days go by where he doesn’t cross my mind at some point.
Q: Tell us about a time you skipped something important to go hunting instead? Was it worth it?
A: This could be a long list. I’ve missed weddings, holidays, you name it. One that sticks out is spending Christmas in North Dakota chasing whitetails a couple years ago. Aaron and I both had tags in our pockets and an awesome cold front/snow storm blew in and we shot two nice bucks in back-to-back nights.
Q: If you could only give one piece of advice to a new hunter, what would it be?
A: Ask questions! The hunting community is great, and there are a ton of people out there that are willing to answer any questions a new hunter might have!