John Eberhart Whitetail Workshop

John Eberhart doesn't hunt managed properties, doesn't own land, and doesn't spend thousands on gear. In 53 seasons of bowhunting whitetails across Michigan and five out-of-state trips, he's taken 53 bucks into the record books—all from public land, walk-on properties, or knock-on-door free permission. That track record is what separates his workshops from the typical "expert" instruction you'll find online.

Saturday: In-Field Scouting You spend a full day in the woods near Edmore, Michigan learning how John actually scouts property. He'll teach you: - How to identify locations for daytime mature buck movement - Entry and exit route planning that minimizes your impact - Why most hunters waste time on poor locations - How to prepare trees and setups before season

Sunday: Classroom Seminar The session moves to Michigan's largest independent sporting goods store near Clare for a full day of detailed instruction on: - Seasonal timing and daily timing strategies - Hunting pressured whitetails in heavily hunted states (Michigan has 320,000+ bowhunters) - Scent control that actually works year-round - Why generic hunting methods fail on pressured public land

Most hunting content comes from guys hunting managed properties or high-end ranches where mature bucks outnumber hunters. That world doesn't exist for most people. John hunted 26 different parcels of Michigan public land, scouted 19 of them thoroughly enough to hunt, and walked away from 7 that lacked the security cover mature bucks need.

His 80% success rate on out-of-state properties he'd never seen before the week of the hunt? That's the real test. No pre-scouting trips, no prior knowledge, just the ability to read land and find the right locations.

"Real deer hunting experts are the guys who can kill free-ranging deer on their own, and do it through hard work and determination, not through a fat wallet." — Dan Schmidt, Deer and Deer Hunting Magazine Editor-in-Chief

At the end of each Saturday workshop (around 4 pm), John and his sons Jon and Joe stick around for a 2+ hour hands-on saddle setup session. Together they have 108 seasons of saddle hunting experience—and 46 of John's 53 record-book bucks came from a saddle.

You'll see and try: - Tethrd platforms: Phantom, Phantom XL, Menace, Predator, Predator XL - Climbing systems: Tethrd One Sticks and Skeletor sticks with aiders - Step options: Cranford screw-in steps, Treehoppers strap-on rings, Cranford scaffold rings - Three demo trees set up at ground level so you can practice different climbing and hunting combinations

John's sons use saddles almost exclusively—Jon's nearly 300 whitetail kills mostly came from saddle hunting.

Saturday sessions are in-field near Edmore. Sunday sessions are at the indoor sporting goods store near Clare.

Michigan Success: - 33 bucks in the Commemorative Bucks of Michigan record book - Bucks taken from 20 different Michigan properties across 10 counties - Bucks from 15 of the 19 public land parcels he's actually hunted - 1981 Michigan state record muzzleloader buck from public land (still the only state record from state land)

Out-of-State: - 20 P&Y-class bucks from 15 different properties in 5 states (Missouri, Ohio, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois) - 25 week-long hunting trips with an 80% success rate on new ground - All public or free-permission hunting—never paid to hunt

Zero Shortcuts: - Never owned or leased hunting property - Never hunted managed land or relative's property - Never hunted over bait, mineral licks, or food plots - Never relied on superior equipment to compensate for poor strategy

John co-authored three books published by Stackpole Books: - Bowhunting Pressured Whitetails - Precision Bowhunting - Bowhunting Whitetails the Eberhart Way

Produced a 3-volume, 100% instructional DVD series called Bowhunting Pressured Whitetails and co-produced Archery Mechanics with certified instructors Bryan Scupbach and Russ Strong.

Written for: Deer & Deer Hunting, Peterson's Bowhunting, Bowhunting World, Bowhunter Magazine, Bow and Arrow Hunting, Mathews Bow Hunting, Michigan Sportsman, and regional outdoor publications.

Pro staffer for: Carbon Express, Mathews, Rivers West, Scent-Lok, G-5, Cranford Treesteps, Grabber Warmers, Tinks, and Quaker Boy game calls.

Aided Rivers West in designing their "Ambush Jacket"—which won Field & Stream's "Best of the Best" outdoor hunting garment award in 2005.

• •Phone: (989) 644-6067 (evenings and weekends)

• •Email: Through website