Last year, we bought a 64-acre farm in Michigan. The goal was to transform this small chunk of land into a hunting and wildlife paradise. Mark Kenyon’s first season as deer hunter turned land manager was full of half-done projects and failed additions. Other than arrowing a mature buck he called “The Wide Eight,” last season was about getting to know the farm. This year will be all about change. It’s August and Mark is back to check on the progress of some crucial projects. He battled a bunch of pissed off bees, COVID lockdowns, and failed food plots all Spring. Will any of these so-called improvements turn the Back 40 around? Tune in to find out.

In this episode, Mark Kenyon is joined by everyone’s favorite guitar-picking Wisconsinite Doug Duren to revisit the plan he proposed during his 2019 visit to the farm. Doug and Mark have a goal to get 55 trees in the ground and double the acreage of food plots on the property. Along the way they’ll show new hunter Dan Jajo the ropes and hope that he can earn a chance to come back and hunt later in the year. With just a few days to get all of the work done, things really need to go according to plan. Of course, they don’t. Will the guys be able to finish off these projects despite broken equipment and oppressive August heat?

Mark has already put in four months of blood, sweat, and tears to get this place ready for another season. August is coming to a close and he’d like to get the hell off the property to let it rest before hunting kicks off in October. Before he can do that he needs to set up tree stands and tower blinds in some crucial spots on the farm. Mark is joined by good buddy and fellow whitetail nut Tony Petersen to do some sawing, assembling, hanging, strapping, and tipping in the name of dialing this place in for the months to come. After all the work is done, the real moment of truth will be when the guys check trail cameras for the first time. Will there be any deer around to hunt out of these carefully crafted new set-ups?

Of all of the failures Mark has experienced on the Back 40, he just can’t get over last year’s hunt with his Dad. He wanted nothing more than to pay his old man back for introducing him to whitetail hunting, but they didn’t even get eyes on a decent buck. This season it’s all about redemption, and Mark is looking to prove that all the hard work on the land has produced a farm with more deer…and more big bucks. From food plots to tower blinds to the new cover in the Honey Hole, it’s time to open a brand-new season and see if all the changes to the Back 40 will help the Kenyon boys finally find success. Music for the final scene: “Stand by Me” by Taylor McCall.

After an off-season full of hard work and a memorable October guiding his father to his first archery kill, it's finally time for Mark Kenyon to hunt the Back 40 himself. November is here and MeatEater contributor Tony Peterson is back in Michigan to join Mark for what should be an exciting rut hunt. So far the off-season improvements seem to be making a positive difference, but seven days during the rut will be the true test.

Michigan’s gun season is here and so is what might be Mark's last hunt ever on the Back 40. The goal is to get Dan Jajo his first deer and Idaho native Dane Acevedo, the prize we all hoped for when he won the Back 40 hunt giveaway. Here's to hoping that the Back 40 provides one last time...