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The Perfect 10
By Jeffery Patterson
Call it beginner’s luck or call it fate, but you can add another hunter to our ranks. I got my crossbow from a friend who said he wanted to sew a seed in my life. At the time, I had no idea what he was talking about, but I decided to give this hunting thing a try. I got up at 5:30 on the first day of Virginia’s archery season and was in... READ MORE
Cactus Ugly
By Mary Bostwick
When I climbed into my treestand in Screven County, Ga., on Nov. 17, 2012, I couldn’t have predicted my hunt would end by taking a buck with one of the most unusual set of antlers I’ve ever seen. I’d been sitting in my stand about 30 minutes when a young spike appeared. Ten minutes later, I saw what appeared to be a deer disappear... READ MORE
Two Sons, Two Bucks
By Lyle Gilbert
After two days spent hunting with my kids and seeing their successes in the woods, my mind was replaying the moments we’d shared. It’s amazing to see kids’ faces light up with pride after their hunts, and it’s something I’ll never forget.
The first part of Alabama’s youth season in 2012 found me sitting in the s... READ MORE
Big Ten in the Buckeye State
By Jon Miller
After watching a big 10-pointer for two seasons, I finally got my shot at it on the evening of October 25, 2013.
I discovered this buck on my trail camera last year on my family’s 200-acre farm in Licking County, Ohio.
After capturing several photos, my cousin and I estimated the buck would push 140 inches. I knew if I ever saw this buck un... READ MORE
Madison’s Big Doe
By Jeffery Rishel
As a father of five kids ranging from 8 to 23 years old, I’ve been introducing them to hunting after they turn 6 years old by taking them with me. Now, four of my kids all want to go hunting every year. September 22, 2013, was a special day when my daughter Madison took her first deer. We were in Washtenaw County in Saline, Mich. Our hunt sta... READ MORE
Long Live Maxximus
By Carla Schartz
For 423 days, my husband Lance and I observed a whitetail buck we'd nicknamed Maxximus. Before our eyes, it transformed from a velvet-antlered buck with potential into a true Kansas giant.
This beast of a buck had over 230 inches of massive bone atop its head and too many points to count.
Lance and I are avid bowhunters and anticipated the epic ... READ MORE
Lesson Learned
By Greg Newburn
If you ever wondered why TV hunters often poke a downed deer...
I went bowhunting at my favorite spot on the morning of October 26, 2015. I placed a doe decoy 20 yards from my treestand in hopes of luring a buck in close for a good shot.
At about 7:30, I saw a spike buck come out into the field and approach the decoy. We have a 4-point on one sid... READ MORE
Ghosts of Christmas Past
By Burnell Simmons
Far too many of us take hunting and Christmases for granted.
Thirteen years — that’s how long it’s been since I fell 25 feet from my treestand. I survived the fall and the hospital stay and made it home for that Christmas in 2001.
It happened at 8:20 a.m. on Dec. 16. I had to walk home from the swamp I was hunting because I had ... READ MORE
Never Give Up
By Ray Thiel
It only takes a second for an entire season of frustration to turn amazing. The 2018 deer season in eastern Connecticut was slower than normal. After two years where gypsy moth caterpillars ate nearly all the leaves off the oak trees, they just didn’t produce acorns. Unfortunately, on property I have permission to hunt on in Griswold, acorns... READ MORE
Virginia Is for Bowhunters
By Mark Douglas
Whether it’s your first or your 82nd, there’s something special about taking a deer with a bow.
On the afternoon of Wednesday, Oct. 8, I couldn’t wait to take my climber to a location I had scouted two weeks before opening day of the Virginia archery season.
There were two scrapes under a couple of broken branches on an old logg... READ MORE