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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
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
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
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
Daddy, You Shoot It!
By Dale Sampson
Heat of the moment was a little too much for first-time deer hunter ... but not for her dad.
The season started with little excitement. Although a big coyote came by early, I didn’t see anything with antlers. That was okay since I was more looking forward to my daughter Kaitlin’s first whitetail hunting experience later that evening. A... READ MORE
Thanksgiving Surprise
By Sawyer Johnson
Some of the best hunts don’t end with a filled tag. One of the greatest things about hunting is going out and not knowing what you’ll see or experience. This sense of wonderment is what keeps me out in the mountains, because I might experience something incredible at any moment. On Thanksgiving morning in western Montana, having already... READ MORE
Velvet Surprise
By David M. Cole
I wasn’t a white-tailed deer hunter until I met Donna Shuman at Georgia Southern University. The first time I traveled to her hometown to meet her family, I was instructed to go to their hunting club. I arrived just after dark, just in time to see my future wife dragging a nice buck under a fence.
After we were married, I became an avid deer... READ MORE
Small Property, Big Results
By Chris Casper
Every buck is an opportunity to be a better hunter. I live in Georgia’s Oglethorpe County, but I got permission to hunt a small, approximately 10-acre tract surrounded by a subdivision in Athens-Clarke County. I scouted the area and found several promising spots. I got my first trail camera picture of a dandy buck I named Subdivision in late ... READ MORE
Congratulations, Dad!
By Aaron Rippstein
Sometimes the best bucks are the ones taken by the people we love. I wanted to share this buck taken by my dad, Rob, on Nov. 4, 2017 in Highland County, Ohio. Growing up in southern California didn’t offer many opportunities to go deer hunting, so when my family moved to Ohio in 1992, my father wanted to try something different. It didn&rsquo... 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