Using scent control or sprays to mitigate your scent is crucial for hunters. You also have to make sure that every piece of equipment and clothing is covered up. Every little thing you can do to help control your scent is a little piece of the puzzle that’s going to turn you into a more successful hunter. Brian Gibbs is huge on that philosophy. He goes the whole nine yards with Be The Tree cover scents: from the body wash and shampoos, to the laundry soaps, to the scent-away bags. If a cameraman is with Brian, he makes sure that guy’s covered up as well. All these factors (including ScentLok camo) contribute to Brian’s success in professional hunting.
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Brian Gibbs of Be The Tree Cover Scents
We’re talking with Brian Gibbs who’s a banker during the day and hunter and videographer the rest of the time. His passion and dedication for the sport is second to none. He’s a pro-staffer for Relentless Addiction Outdoors and a field staff member of Be the Tree cover scents. He was introduced to hunting by his father at a young age. Pursuing a life of hunting and filming has always been a dream of his. He has a passion for not only hunting whitetails, but filming any critter that walks in the woods or swims in the pond. Brian, welcome to the show.
Thanks, Bruce. It’s a pleasure to be on.
Let’s talk about who got you started in hunting. What’s the hunting tradition at the Gibbs family?
I do come from a long line of hunters. Everybody in the family, all the men in the family at least, they all hunt. Being a young boy, my father introduced me to the sport, probably at the early age of six, seven. I started going out with him and it was a great experience. I was able to witness him harvest many deer. Bow, guns, you name it. I got to watch him do it.
What are some of the lessons that your dad taught you that are with you today?
He definitely taught me patience. That’s a little harder than you think when you’re a kid. Being a child, you want to move around. You don’t want necessarily want to be quiet, especially if it’s a colder weather. Your toes are getting cold, your fingers are getting cold, so being patient and staying motionless was quite a challenge at that young age. That’s one the very first things that he definitely taught me.
Patience is a little harder than you think when you're a kid. Share on XYou shared with me something happened at age ten. Let’s just bring that up front and center because you were able to survive.
This was back in 1984 and I was ten years old. I’ve only been a few years into it. In Michigan, you have to be twelve years old to bow hunt on your own. At this time, I’m still in that learning stage. You’re not in the learning stage for a long period of time throughout your whole life, but I’m just at that stage where it was just kicking into me. I was starting to really enjoy it a lot. Back on this particular weekend, it was an early fall weekend, we’re out at my grandparents. They lived in a little city north of where I’m at here in Michigan. They had a couple of acres themselves and they’re surrounded by state land, so I had unlimited land to go on.
The really cool thing about the story even though it was almost fatal, my grandpa had a black lab and at ten years old any dog is your best friend. This dog was truly one of my best friends and we did everything together. Anytime I was out there, we went everywhere together. This time I said, “I’m going to leave him behind. I want to go out on my own, prove to myself that I can do this, apply what I’ve learned, and come back with a story.” All I was doing is going out there and looking for deer. I went out into the state land and I climbed this massive old tree, those old trees that looked like it was 500 years old, eight feet around and no way to climb it with anything. I had to climb up the smaller tree next to it and monkey my way onto it. I remember hearing them calling for dinner and then it was a total blackout from there.
What happened was I slipped and fell. I was probably up there about twenty feet. I slipped and fell and I lost consciousness. Even the doctor came out of the surgery room and said, “I don’t think he’s going to make it through surgery.” When I did, it’s like, “You’re lucky that dog found him.” It was the dog that found me and he found me just in the nick of time, He said another couple minutes and I probably would not have made it. The true hero to this story was a black lab. His name was Bojo.
Bojo wasn’t with you. What was he doing? Was he trailing you?
He wasn’t with me. I usually take him everywhere, but this time I wanted to go look for deer so I left him behind. When I didn’t come to dinner and they realized something was wrong, they come looking for me. It was the dog that found me, went back to get them and bring them to me.
In your bio, it also said you wanted to thank God. What does that mean to you?
That means everything because that’s the foundation for who I am and everything that I do, not only in the hunting industry but in life in general. He’s my rock. He’s who I lean on and he’s my go- to guy all the time.
Thank you for that. Let’s jump right into this episode and what you’re doing in the hunting industry. I know you’re hunting and we can share a couple stories about that, but your passion is filming the hunt or filming the outdoors. Let’s talk about that a little bit.
I’ve been doing that on and off my whole life. Even when I was younger, of course you had your own VHF cameras. They weren’t the best but they’re good back then. I always just want to film it and look back on the experience. Back then, I’m watching Monster Bucks and all these other TV shows where these guys are filming and it looks great so I started doing it. I had pretty good success with it, but like I said I didn’t have the best equipment and I’m not good at editing at all. Everything was just thrown together.
What’s nice about it is I do so many different things, I hunt so many different animals that I’m able to get good footage of a lot of different things. For example, this year hopefully I’ll get my Michigan bear hunting permit. I’m going to have that on film, but I film everything from fishing to hunting and whatever I can film. I know good filming is not just getting a quality kill on camera. It’s about your scenery in your pictures and how you’re using the camera. What I’m trying to do right now, is getting used to doing all those different aspects of the filming industry. That’s a big passion of mine. I have been doing it now for a long time. I’d love to talk into the camera. I used to be nervous before, but now I love it. I thrive on it.
How has filming helped you become a better deer hunter?
For one, whenever you’re filming, you’re filming with somebody else. Now you’ve got two people on the woods. Now you’ve got twice as much noise, you’ve got twice as much scent. It teaches you to be a little bit more firm with the things that you do in your approach, your wind direction, your scent control, and other aspects for that matter.
How do you film alone? Do you always have a partner, or not?
No. Last year was a great example of that. Last year I was able to go on almost every hunt, morning and evening. My job hours allow me to do that, but only a small percentage of the time am I able to have a cameraman with me. I have my camera on 100% of hunts that I went at. I will use my climber every time unless I was on the ground. What I would do is I would shoot up the tree with my climber and I would actually strap my tripod onto my climber with me right in front of being on the crossfire right there, on your gun rest on your climber. It was actually a pretty decent setup, very sturdy, and I got a lot of good footage with it.
Do you hunt mostly archery, muzzle loader, or rifle?
I do it all, but archery definitely is my passion because you get to be up close and personal with the animals. You got to take those hunting skills to the next level when you’re bow hunting, especially when it comes to scent control. You have your animals and your game that much closer to you to be able to harvest, but I like it all. I have yet to kill a deer with my muzzle loader just because our muzzle loader and shotgun seasons are the same here in Michigan. I’ve got a twelve gauge that I’m just in love with. That thing is a boomer, and I’ve been able to harvest a lot of deer with that. Bow and gun, I love it all.
What type of bow do you shoot?
I’ve got a Mathews SQ2. A little bit older of a model but I love it. It’s smooth, it’s quiet, it’s fast. I don’t see a reason to change just yet.
How about your arrows, your rest, your release, and your broadheads?
The reason why I take four years to switch that raised broadheads, I like it, because it gives a little bit of room for error. I know people don’t like expandable. Sometimes, if you shoot them in the shoulder, one, you’re shooting them in the wrong spot anyway. There’s not very many broadheads that are that forgiving. I try to mix my aiming point actually behind the shoulder just a touch, just to give me that little bit of extra room in case there’s a little bit of error there in my shot. Arrows, I’ve switched on and off. I’m going to go with Black Eagle arrows. I’ll probably stick with the Rage broadhead, unless I got a different sponsor that I need to use otherwise. I’ll be using a bow stabilizer this year, and a Trophy Ridge rest. I love those drop away rests. I don’t think it can get too much better than those at all.
What about your set up in the different places you hunt? Do you hunt out of a ground blind, spot and stalk, or a tree stand?
I like to do it all, but definitely the tree stand is my favorite place to be. It’s my favorite set up by far, just because you’re above the deer. You can make a little more movement, maybe a little more noise, and you’ve usually got a little bit better of a view. Definitely being in a tree stand is my favorite way to hunt.
How about scent control or sprays to mitigate your scent?
I am huge on that, Bruce. I go the whole nine yards with this. I do everything from the body wash and shampoos, to the laundry soaps. I use scent-away bags. This year I’m going to be using Be the Tree cover scents. I do it all. I make sure everything is covered up. If I’ve got a cameraman with me, I make sure he’s covered up. I use, of course, ScentLok camo as well, so everything. Every little thing that you can do to help your scent control is a little piece of the puzzle that’s going to make you a more successful hunter.
Do you wear rubber boots?
Absolutely. Rubber boots are all that there is. There’s no doubt about it; there’s no adjusting that. That’s going to stay the same. I never wear leather into the woods at all.
Why don’t you wear leather?
Your leather boots leave a little bit more of an odor. If you’ve ever smelled wet leather or a leather jacket, basically any leather has a certain leather smell to it that I know those deer can pick up. The rubber boots are definitely the way to go. Put a little spray on there, and sometimes you can wear little scent pads on the bottom of your boots, just for that extra little bit. Everything helps. Like I said, it’s all little pieces of the puzzle. All those little things are going to contribute to being a more successful hunter.
What’s the best advice you ever got about hunting and who gave it to you?
It’s hard to say exactly who gave it to me because most successful hunters usually go by it, and that’s wind direction. Even covering up with ScentLok shoes, cover scents, shampoos, and everything that we were just talking about, it’s nearly impossible to beat a deer’s nose. They’re a very intelligent animal. You’re not going to beat their nose most of the time no matter what you do and no matter what precautions you take. Clearly, wind direction is probably by far the best advice that I ever got when it comes to hunting.
Most successful hunters usually go by wind direction. Share on XLet’s share with the listeners how and why you decided to become a pro-staffer at Rob Augustine’s Relentless Addiction Outdoors.
I saw what he was doing online. We became friends on Facebook. I saw what he was doing and he had his own outdoor show. I was just like, “I just want a chance.” I don’t necessarily want to be the hunter; I just want a chance to prove what I can do behind the camera. I talked to him about that. I said, “I want to be in with the camera. I don’t have the best equipment now, but I’m willing to get it. I’m willing to practice with it, and I think I can get there for you.”
Just recently I went out and got a new camera, one of the new ones that everyone is using. We got the HD charge, the 1080 HD I pretty much use it for everything now. When I talked to Rob, I was like, “I just want that chance.” Probably it wasn’t for another month or two later that he gave me the call and said, “I want you in.” He invited me to be a co-staff. I was like, “Yes, that’s what I want. That’s my passion. That’s my dream.”
What does it mean to be a pro-staffer? We’ve got some listeners that say, “I’d like to be a pro-staffer.” What do you actually do for Relentless Addiction Outdoors?
Right now, we’re constantly trying to get as many sponsors as we can. For me, what I’m trying to bring to the table, since they’ve already got a network and a TV show, I just want to bring the best footage that I can. To do that, I’ve got to be out in the field all the time. I’ve got to be taking my camera and filming everything I can. Just recently, I was out filming a fishing trip. That’s not hunting but it’s still a good outdoor sport, and I was able to get excellent footage of it. Any practice that you can get is going to help you. That’s definitely what I want to bring to Relentless Addiction Outdoors.
You told me they got some musky and big walleyes. How big were the walleyes?
Christina Bailey was with me. She’s another pro-staff member with Relentless Addiction Outdoors. , She caught a whopper. It was well over ten pounds. We’re guessing it was right there, it was probably right around twelve pounds. That was a giant. That was by far the biggest walleye I’ve ever seen. The captain of the ship said it’s one of the biggest one he has ever seen come out of the lake and he’s been fishing there his whole life, so that says a lot. That was truly a trophy walleye.
That’s out of Lake Erie, Lake Michigan?
That’s just north of Lake Erie. There’s a park next to it, one way or the other. It actually goes into the Canadian side too, so it’s partly in the United States right here on the east side of Michigan and also part of Canada.
What about the muskies?
They’re starting to thrive. I know before there didn’t seem to be a whole lot of them, but they’re starting to thrive on that lake. When we go on a day trip, we’ll usually hook anywhere between one, four, maybe five of them. They just get enormous. They’re just eating machines. I know a few years back on father’s day, my friend that owns a boat, he was out there taking some people out there and they’re actually bringing in a small mullet. The 40 pound muskellunge hit it, knocked it off the hook and hook themselves and they’re brought in and there was just a giant of a fish.
We took digress a little bit, but Brian does love the outdoors and I just got to read something he wrote in his bio. “How my passion of the outdoors makes Brian Gibbs different from millions of other outdoor enthusiasts. The dream, the hunt, and the pursuit never leaves my mind, and yes, it’s always I film.” Let’s talk about and unpack this. Why do you feel that you’re going to become one of the best video photographers in the outdoors?
It goes back to the effort and who you believe you are. I just have that feeling, that instinct that it’s one of the things that I know I can do it. I’m always out there trying to do it. Like I said, when I’m not doing it, I’m thinking about doing it. My effort and the passion I have for it is flawless and I believe it’s just second to none. I know there are a lot of people out there that do their own stuff for filming. There are all kinds of shows right now that people are filming and bringing great footage. I want to do it better and I believe I can. I’ve just got to get the right teachings done and just keep at it. Time will tell, but I definitely believe, given the chance, that I’m going to take the industry to the top. There’s no doubt about it.
I love your positive attitude. Let’s share with listeners a couple of whitetail tips that maybe you know work and maybe somebody else doesn’t. You talked about some suburban bucks. Do you hunt suburban bucks yourself?
I do. You’ve got to get permission and you’ve got to be in the right city to be able to do it. I’m in a little town called Waterford, and anywhere south and east of us, the city ordinances don’t let you hunt and there are deer everywhere. As I was saying before, we have a deer population in every county in this state, even down in McComb and in Wayne County where Detroit is at, there are deer everywhere. The populations might not be that high, but there are deer everywhere. I used to own a window-cleaning company, and I’d be doing the biggest home in the neighborhood. You would see deer or deer tracks in their backyards. There might not be woods for miles, but there are just deer everywhere.
Unfortunately, the only bad thing about this state is I don’t think that we have the quality deer management that we could. A lot of people are meat hunters and they shoot the smaller bucks. If you do the quality deer management, you let a nice little young, year-and-a-half-old, six point walk by. If you don’t have the amount of property, he’ll walk another hundred yards and someone’s going to harvest that animal. It’s give and take in this state. We’re not known for our big bucks, unless you’re on private property and some of the farm land, and then you get some bucks, trophy animals out of there.
When you’re thinking about hunting city deer or suburban deer, how do you get permission to get in somebody’s back yard?
It’s who you know and not what you know. Just for an example, I had a little city area here. It was out in the country but there are still houses around, and my customer only had three to five acres. Like I said, when I had that window-cleaning company, I would sometimes just do the job for free. I said, “You know what? You work hard.” She had a garden out there. She was always working on her garden. She was always complaining about the deer eating her plants and everything on the property. I was like, “Let me hunt. I’ll take one or two animals out of here a year, just to control the population a little bit, and I’ll give you free service.” She let me do that for three years until she moved. What was great about that property, Bruce, is every year I would see nice bucks and I would see a lot of young bucks. There was one, a couple of bucks out, I just kept letting go. I would see them, there would be a six point, then a small eight point. The last year I was able to hunt, I was able to harvest one of the animals that were three and a half, four and a half years old that I had let go the previous years. I got him just in time, because that was the last year I was able to hunt that property.
The timing was right, and they say sometimes timing is everything. Brian, we’re at the time of the show that you get the open mic so you can give a shout out to Relentless Addiction Outdoors, any other company, your pro-staff, anybody that’s sponsoring you, or anybody you want to say, “Thanks a lot for getting me to where I am today.”
Relentless Addiction Outdoors is the company that’s given me a good chance to prove myself, so I want to give all the kudos to them. I appreciate what Rob’s doing, what he’s letting me do. I’m very grateful for the opportunity. I am with another young bow hunting team, Bow Adrenaline. They’re just a bunch of good young guys trying to do the same thing. I film a lot of their hunts, and that’s what they think about it all the time. That’s all they want to do. We’ve got the Be the Tree that. I’m a field staff. I’m not a pro-staff on there yet, but I’m a field staff. They’re a product company. They’ve got the Be the Tree cover scent and it works great. I’ve heard nothing but good reviews for them, and I want to bring a good deal for them, too. It’s Relentless Addiction Outdoors that I’m fired up about. I can’t wait to bring them the footage that they need to make this dream a reality. I’m ready to bring it. I’m in it 110% and my effort or passion is not going anywhere. I’m ready to go.
Brian Gibbs, pro-staffer, video photographer, outdoors fanatic, I just wish you well. I’m going to be calling you in about a year or so to see how you’re doing. One thing, I did send you that email again, there’s a gentleman up in Calgary, Canada, that has a company called Hunting Film Tour, Gary Gillett. I know you guys would get along well. Reach out to him. Tell him I said, “Hello.” I hope you can make a connection there.
Excellent. I’m looking forward to the opportunity.
This is Bruce Hutcheon, wrapping up another show of Whitetail Rendezvous. Keep the sun at your back, the wind in your face, and be patient out there. Make it a fantastic day.