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Stress Test
By Richard C. West
It’s great to finally see the buck of your dreams, but don’t get too excited. On the Saturday before Thanksgiving in 2015, an Illinois buck tested my heart. It was the second day of the firearms season, and I’d spent my first day – all 12 hours – on the stand with nothing to show for it but a couple of song birds, a re... READ MORE
It’s Great To Be Back!
By Chuck Manetta
Frustrated Florida hunter finally gets back to the deer woods. I was born and raised in Miami, Fla. I grew up in the Everglades and have a piece of land inside the Everglades National Preserve with two hunting cabins. While you might not think of Florida as a whitetail paradise, we had a healthy number of deer back in the day. They weren’t gi... READ MORE
A Very Good Year
By Jason Hartpence
As a family of hunters and soon-to-be hunters, this year was good to us. The early season was particularly generous, as I harvested three of my four deer during that time.
This season has been my most exciting yet, not because of my success, but because my son Hunter turned seven in October — legal hunting age for the state of Pennsylvania.
... READ MORE
Hard to Top
By Josh Tieman
Maybe it's a good thing this young hunter doesn't realize just how big his buck is.
Parker and I were on our first hunt together during opening day of Missouri's youth season.
While I had high hopes we would see a few deer and maybe even a buck, I never dreamed what would happen next. Parker spotted a buck to our left on the ridge and heading awa... READ MORE
A Trip to the Bone Yard
By Krissy Jean Zimmer
You never forget your first archery buck, even if it happens after you’re a veteran hunter. There aren't a lot of “firsts” when you get to be my age and have been hunting for years, so harvesting my first buck with a bow this past season was extra special. I've been shooting bows for more than 20 years, and during that time I have... READ MORE
It’s Not Just a Buck, It’s an Adventure
By Jessica R. Cain | LaFollette, Tenn.
The hunting bug bit late, but awfully hard for this Tennessee huntress. Even though I grew up in a hunting family, I didn’t get bit by the bug until 2015. That year on Thanksgiving day, I tagged my very first deer, an 8-pointer. But it wasn’t until the next hunting season when I tagged a 10-pointer that it really hit me. The day after T... READ MORE
The 165-Inch Spike
By Tony Crowder
Every time my daughter Alexis and I had been out hunting, she was determined that would be the time she would get a deer. She’d put in the work, helped build a box blind, and she’d been out there every chance she had regardless of weather. She was ready and hungry for her first deer.
We’d planned to go hunting early Monday, Nov. ... READ MORE
Worth the Wait
By John Mitchell
It took a few years, but when Micah got his first deer, it was a good one. I started taking Micah to the dove lease when he was 7, and he started deer hunting with me when he was 9. Micah has developed a love for hunting and being in the woods. Even so, it felt like he would never get his first deer. It seemed like no matter what, something always ... READ MORE
Oh, Brother!
By Todd Davis
Last year my youngest brother Fred kept harvesting critters in northeast Oklahoma, while I struggled to see anything in drought stricken north Texas.
North Texas looked, smelled, and felt like being on the moon. Everything was brittle, dried up and turning to dust. After ribbing me for months, Fred finally extended an invitation to hunt with him t... READ MORE
Whose Best Day?
By Marti Young
The only division in this family is when debating who had the best time. While every day spent hunting is a good day, some are better than others. For James Whetzel Sr. and 11-year-old Starr Young, their best day ever started at 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 30, 2017. The adventure started with a softly whispered “Wake up, Starr. It’s almost time ... READ MORE