EP 509 | He Shot the Texas State Record… The Strategy That Keeps Working episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 24, 2026 · 1H 34M

EP 509 | He Shot the Texas State Record… The Strategy That Keeps Working

from The Fall Podcast · host Arron Bleise

In this episode, I sit down with Texas State Trooper and one of the most consistent bowhunters I’ve ever talked to — Tarif Alkhatib. A few years back Tarif punched the Texas State Record buck, but what impressed me most isn’t just one giant… it’s the repeatability. Year after year he’s targeting and killing truly mature, free-range whitetails — many of them 6, 7, even 8+ years old and pushing well into the 150–160” class. We dive deep into Tarif’s system for hunting bow-only counties in Texas, how he uses the Red Moon to time his hunts, and the mindset that keeps him consistently around the oldest deer in the county. If your goal is to stop chasing young bucks and start hunting true mature whitetails, this episode is loaded with real, field-proven insight. In this episode we cover: Tarif’s Texas State Record buck story Hunting bow-only counties in Texas The Red Moon theory and how he applies it Finding and targeting 6–8 year old deer Why consistency matters more than luck Mistakes bowhunters make chasing mature bucks . . . Promo Codes: Latitude Outdoors: thefall Americas Best Bowstrings: TFP Helix Broadheads:TFP Faceoff Ebikes: TFP Asio Gear: FALL20 Kuhle Archery: FALL25 . . . Partner Websites: Jays Sporting Goods - https://www.jayssportinggoods.com/ Helix Broadheads - https://www.helixbroadheads.com/ Latitude Outdoors - https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/ Garmin Bow Sights - https://www.garmin.com/en-US/c/outdoor-recreation/sportsman-and-tactical-devices/ Prime Archery - https://www.g5prime.com/ Asio Gear - https://asiogear.com?utm_source=pro&utm_medium=fall Faceoff Hunting Ebikes - https://www.faceoffebikes.com/ Michigan Buckpole - https://mibuckpole.com/ Vitalize Seed Company - https://vitalizeseed.com/ Kuhle Archery - https://kuhlearchery.com/ Everland Outdoors - https://everlandoutdoors.com/  Don’t forget to check out the Fall Podcast Youtube channel for new content. Subscribe to the channel as well. Thank you. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWSCcGJeHHxejFXBZAO83QA For updates from The Fall Podcast: The Fall Podcast on Instagram - The Fall Podcast The Fall Podcast on Facebook - The Fall Podcast Facebook The Fall Podcast Youtube Channel - The Fall Podcast Youtube Channel Subscribe and Rate us on Itunes: SUBSCRIBE to The Fall Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, I sit down with Texas State Trooper and one of the most consistent bowhunters I’ve ever talked to — Tarif Alkhatib. A few years back Tarif punched the Texas State Record buck, but what impressed me most isn’t just one giant… it’s the repeatability. Year after year he’s targeting and killing truly mature, free-range whitetails — many of them 6, 7, even 8+ years old and pushing well into the 150–160” class. We dive deep into Tarif’s system for hunting bow-only counties in Texas, how he uses the Red Moon to time his hunts, and the mindset that keeps him consistently around the oldest deer in the county. If your goal is to stop chasing young bucks and start hunting true mature whitetails, this episode is loaded with real, field-proven insight. In this episode we cover: Tarif’s Texas State Record buck story Hunting bow-only counties in Texas The Red Moon theory and how he applies it Finding and targeting 6–8 year old deer Why consistency matters more than luck Mistakes bowhunters make chasing mature bucks . . . Promo Codes: Latitude Outdoors: thefall Americas Best Bowstrings: TFP Helix Broadheads:TFP Faceoff Ebikes: TFP Asio Gear: FALL20 Kuhle Archery: FALL25 . . . Partner Websites: Jays Sporting Goods - https://www.jayssportinggoods.com/ Helix Broadheads - https://www.helixbroadheads.com/ Latitude Outdoors - https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/ Garmin Bow Sights - https://www.garmin.com/en-US/c/outdoor-recreation/sportsman-and-tactical-devices/ Prime Archery - https://www.g5prime.com/ Asio Gear - https://asiogear.com?utm_source=pro&utm_medium=fall Faceoff Hunting Ebikes - https://www.faceoffebikes.com/ Michigan Buckpole - https://mibuckpole.com/ Vitalize Seed Company - https://vitalizeseed.com/ Kuhle Archery - https://kuhlearchery.com/ Everland Outdoors - https://everlandoutdoors.com/  Don’t forget to check out the Fall Podcast Youtube channel for new content. Subscribe to the channel as well. Thank you. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWSCcGJeHHxejFXBZAO83QA For updates from The Fall Podcast: The Fall Podcast on Instagram - The Fall Podcast The Fall Podcast on Facebook - The Fall Podcast Facebook The Fall Podcast Youtube Channel - The Fall Podcast Youtube Channel Subscribe and Rate us on Itunes: SUBSCRIBE to The Fall Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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EP 509 | He Shot the Texas State Record… The Strategy That Keeps Working

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This episode was published on February 24, 2026.

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In this episode, I sit down with Texas State Trooper and one of the most consistent bowhunters I’ve ever talked to — Tarif Alkhatib. A few years back Tarif punched the Texas State Record buck, but what impressed me most isn’t just one giant… it’s...

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