
Deer, Data, and Decades of Experience with Chris Cook
This recording features Brad Bowen and Tucker interviewing Chris Cook, a retired Alabama wildlife biologist with more than 30 years of experience. They discuss his career working with wildlife management areas, including Wolf Creek, and his early years growing up hunting and fishing in rural northwest Florida. Cook shares practical advice for hunting public land: learn the area over time, pay attention to wind and how you enter and leave a stand, and avoid assuming the land is too crowded to hunt. He explains how hunting pressure can change deer movement quickly, why bucks may seem nocturnal, and how the timing of the rut varies across Alabama. The conversation also covers deer age and antler development, restocking history, breeding patterns, food plots, bait, minerals, and habitat management. Cook explains that young spikes are usually not a sign of poor genetics, and that providing suitable habitat and allowing deer to mature are key to supporting better deer. The episode closes with memories of family hunting trips and a discussion about helping children enjoy the outdoors. Brad and Cook reflect on why walking the woods, squirrel hunting, and making the experience fun can be a better introduction than expecting kids to sit quietly in a deer stand. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.












