The Rookie Season: Taking First-Time Hunters from Zero to Tagged Out

What's up everyone! This week I've got Dillon Deitz back on the podcast—probably for the ninth time, which makes him the most requested guest in the history of Elk Hunt. And by "requested," I mean Dillon requests to be on the podcast. But honestly, I love having this guy on because he's genuinely one of the most passionate people I know about getting new hunters into the game. Dillon just dropped a new film series called "The Rookie Season," and it's honestly one of the coolest projects I've seen in the hunting space in a long time. The premise is simple but powerful: take grown adults with zero hunting background—I'm talking computer geeks, software engineers, people who've never even thought about hunting—and show them that hunting isn't some secret club reserved for people who grew up doing it. The tagline says it all: "Hunting is not for everybody, but it could be for you." Over the course of the series, Dillon takes three complete rookies—people who didn't even know why you have to check the wind—and teaches them everything from hunter safety to field dressing to making ethical long-range shots. And here's the wild part: all three of them filled deer tags within a couple days. We're talking a one-handed Asian kid named Brandon who almost died on a mile packout, a guy named Solomon who made a 600-yard shot on his first hunt and then packed a deer seven miles in five-degree weather (oh, and he forgot his inhaler because he has bad asthma), and a hundred percent disabled veteran named Steven who Dillon rattled in a buck for after scrambling to get him a tag at the last minute. This conversation is part tactics, part philosophy, and part Dillon being sick as a dog but refusing to quit (which is very on-brand). We dive into why deer hunting is the perfect gateway for new hunters, why Dillon is obsessed with mountain whitetails instead of the yard deer everyone else shoots, and his absolute deadly system for rattling in bucks during pre-rut. Spoiler: he's rattled in five or six bucks this year alone, and his method is shockingly simple. We also get into why Dillon believes taking new hunters into the field reminded him of the magic he'd been taking for granted—like watching a moose for the first time through someone else's eyes and realizing how cool this whole thing actually is. It's the same feeling you get when you invite someone to your house for the first time and suddenly notice everything differently. If you're someone who's ever thought about getting into hunting but felt intimidated, or if you've been hunting for years and want to remember why you fell in love with it in the first place, go watch The Rookie Season on Dillon's YouTube channel. And if you're already a hunter, share this episode with someone who's been on the fence about trying it. Dillon's proving that hunting is accessible to anyone willing to put in the work—and that's something we need more of. Sponsors OnX Hunt - If you're not using the new LiDAR feature on OnX yet, you're literally leaving elk on the table. LiDAR cuts through the trees and shows you micro terrain details—benches, contours, hidden pockets—that regular topo maps just can't show. It takes your mapping to the next level and makes you a better hunter. If you're not an Elite member yet, now's the time. Head to onxmaps.com and use code TRO to save 20%. Tricer - Big news from Tricer—they just dropped the updated AD and BC tripods with new TriTech technology. The center post is now a T-post, which makes it smaller diameter, packs down tighter, and a couple inches shorter. Drew is constantly innovating and coming up with new ideas, and this tripod system is cleaner and simpler than ever. If you're on the fence, check out the new setup. Head to tricer.com and use cod