Smalltown Bucks

Stress Test

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

Bowhunting with a Passion

Bowhunting with a Passion

By Kelly Colf

Since I was old enough to get out there, I’ve been hunting with my dad and brother. Years of hunting for rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, deer and coyotes have turned me into quite the addict. My parents raised me with the mindset that nothing was off limits because I was a girl, and if I worked hard enough, I would be successful. I attribute m... READ MORE

Countdown to Kansas

Countdown to Kansas

By Carlo Longobardo

I’m a NYC fireman, and I’ve hunted since I was a kid. I’ve made a lot of memories with my father and family members. Now I’m proudly passing on the tradition to my son and daughter. This past fall was the second time I headed to Kansas to bowhunt the rut, and I’d literally been in a countdown for a year. On my first ... READ MORE

The 165-Inch Spike

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

Lessons Learned

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

Cactus Ugly

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

It’s Great To Be Back!

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 Buck is Coming In!

A Buck is Coming In!

By Lyndsey Wesner

My husband Rick and I recently acquired a new property to hunt in Berrien County, Michigan, so we started preparations by doing our homework. Rick spent countless hours walking the terrain and becoming familiar with the area. He set up trail cams where there appeared to be lots of deer traffic. Once the travel patterns were established, we scoute... READ MORE

First of Many

First of Many

By Lyndsey Wesner

I’ve had a lot of firsts in the past eight months, so after I caught my first 20-pound king salmon, shot my first 8-point buck with a bow, took my first doe with a bow, and my first doe with a muzzleloader, naturally I expressed desire to shoot my first turkey. My husband Rick said, “It's not easy. They have keen eyesight, and the slig... READ MORE

Never Give Up

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

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Copyright 2020 by Buckmasters, Ltd