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From Sinkhole to Cloud Nine
By Mat Ritchison
On a cold and frosty Sunday morning, Nov. 3, 2013, I decided to hunt one of my favorite stands about 40 yards from the edge of a half-picked, Indiana cornfield. I was aloft 20 minutes before dawn.
Shortly after daybreak, I decided to start things off with an aggressive rattling sequence – to paint the deer a picture. I grunted three times, p... READ MORE
If It Feels Right ...
By William Sawyer
Trust your instincts when you think you’ve made a great shot. During the 2014 archery season in Guilford County, North Carolina, I had found a large rub while putting out some corn. It looked like a great place to set up, but I didn’t want to hunt it until conditions were perfect. On the second Saturday of the season, I asked my wife to... READ MORE
Never a Dull Moment
By Dan Nimmo
It was a mixture of laughter and (good) tears on this father-and-daughter hunt.
I’m fortunate to live in one of the best places to hunt whitetails, northwest Illinois. Like every other hunting dad, I enjoy taking my deer home for my family to see and share in the joy of the harvest.
My daughter Keileigh is 10 years old and has been fascinat... READ MORE
The Brow Tine Buck of 2018
By Michael R. Bath
What’s a broken leg to a man on a buck mission? I first saw this 10-point brute on my trail camera, but it was always in the middle of the night. After seeing the brow tines, which turned out to be 8 and 7 inches, I knew this was my target deer, no matter what. After figuring out where he was living during the daytime, nine hunts later I star... READ MORE
Proud To Be a Cat Person
By Stephen McGrew
Who decided that only dogs could be man’s best friend?
I received a call from my uncle the previous Sunday inviting me to bow hunt with my cousins behind their house on Tuesday. I jumped at the opportunity since that meant I wouldn’t have to get up as early as I would if I were going to our lease in Coweta County.
Tuesday came and I a... 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
In the Nick of Time
By Jayden Steinkamp, age 11
Napping in the stand is okay, but shooting a big buck is better.
It was midseason in Indiana in 2013, and the wind wasn’t blowing hard. We had gone hunting in the morning and saw one doe. We were hunting at my grandpa’s, and there are some big deer there. He doesn’t like us to shoot does, so we passed.
When it got 2:50 p.m. that... READ MORE
Lessons Learned
By Amanda Baker
Every miss and close encounter brings you that much closer. I have been deer hunting in Wisconsin for about 15 years. I started with a rifle and took up archery about three years later. I hunt public land and private, and until 2018, the biggest deer I had taken was a small 6-pointer. Some years, I didn’t shoot anything, and there were severa... READ MORE
My First Deer
By Trentin Meyer
Video games can’t provide life-changing experiences like a first youth hunt can.
It was Nov. 8, 2014, opening day of Vermont’s youth weekend. It was my first official youth weekend deer hunt. My dad and I decided to start our hunt in Wilmington and work our way toward Stamford.
When we got to Wilmington, I was excited and couldn&rsquo... READ MORE
Nephew's 1st Buck Leads to Uncle's Bruiser
By Rocky Harrell (Cody Harrell's uncle)
I love hunting.
The good Lord comes first, and then family, then deer hunting, but I really love deer hunting. I've hunted in Rutherford County in Middle Tennessee since I was about 8-years-old, but I didn’t take my first deer until I was 10.
Hunting in Tennessee was hard at that time. All I saw were does, never any bucks. When I was ... READ MORE