Recent Tips and Tactics
A Different Angle
By Ken Piper
Intense practice led to a big mistake for this bowhunter. Last week we talked about habits, including how we repeat what we do in practice. That's usually a good thing, unless you're practicing bad habits. It also can work against you if you don't adapt practiced habits to t... READ MORE
Trail Blazers
By Ken Piper
Of course deer hunters set up near trails – whitetails are creatures of habit and often use the same trails to move throughout their range. As long as food sources remain relatively stable, they won’t change their habits much from one day to the next. A trail by ... READ MORE
Phone It In
By Ken Piper
We can debate whether cell phones have made our lives better or worse, but there's no debate about how much we use them. That includes in the deer stand. When I got my first smartphone, I used it to listen to music, read and do puzzles to pass slow hours in the stand. As tec... READ MORE
Fletch Your Own
By Ken Piper
Bowhunters will be heading to the woods over the next few weeks, which means a lot of last-minute practice and tuning is going on right now. If you're like me, you have trouble aiming at different dots - there's something pleasing about a group so tight you can easily put yo... READ MORE
Patience, Patience
By Ken Piper
The game isn’t over until the fat lady shoots ... or something like that. Taking bucks consistently is an art. Anyone can luck into a big buck, but it takes work to harvest bucks year after year. While there is no single skill or trait that makes a great deer hunter, o... READ MORE
Rubber vs. Leather
By Ken Piper
Is one type of boot material better for controlling scent? One of the great things about bowhunting is you get to observe deer behavior when the animals are relaxed and just going about their daily routines. If you pay attention, you also learn some hunting lessons. That was... READ MORE
Plan B
By Ken Piper
Have backup plans in place for essential gear. I was hunting with an outfitter in Illinois about 15 years ago. He dropped me off at the edge of a pasture with good, clear directions on how to get to the stand. And oh, what a great-looking stand it was. Even in the dark I cou... READ MORE