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Why To Prep Bad-Weather Stands
By Mark Melotik
When most die-hard whitetailers think of ideal hunting conditions, I’d guess most would picture a cool, crisp autumn day some time in the late pre-rut, a period when mature bucks are finally getting on their feet and moving consistently in daylight. Classic conditions like those are what many of us live for, but the fact of the matter is that... READ MORE
Shed Season
By Marina Childress
Spring will soon arrive, and if you’re a deer hunter (and even if you’re not), it’s a great time to try shed hunt-ing. Each winter after all the whitetail bucks drop their antlers, those beautiful works of nature’s art lie on the floor of forests and fields just waiting to be found. And like fruit dropping from trees, if you... READ MORE
Plant a Scrape Tree This Spring
By Mark Melotik
Build it, and they will come. For hunt-savvy land managers, creating and maintaining deer-attracting food plots on private tracts has never been more popular. That’s because a well-constructed plot planted in the right area and with the right seed mix can draw deer from amazing distances. And while none of that guarantees hunting success, a s... READ MORE
Late-Winter Scouting: See the Big Picture
By Mark Melotik
During the past hunting season, many of us obsessed over smartly accessing our chosen stand sites, religiously checking wind direction to pinpoint the best routes in and out to avoid spooking deer. In the process, we were likely exposed to just a fraction of our hunt areas. But now, in late winter, it’s time to get back in there, cover some g... READ MORE
TIP: 4 Reasons to Try Traditional
By Mark Melotik
For most deer hunters, the dawn of a new year is the perfect time to dream big and plan for the upcoming fall. If you’re looking for inspiration, here’s a goal worth considering make 2025 the year you hunt deer with a traditional bow.
Each year, some compound-bow hunters decide to take a step back in performance and embrace the “... READ MORE
Are You Running Post-Season Trail Cameras?
By Mark Melotik
So you didn’t bag the trophy buck you worked so hard to encounter this past fall? How energizing would it be for your 2025 prep, to know a local giant or two made it through your state’s many hunting seasons? Taking inventory of post-season survivors is maybe the best and most obvious reason to keep your trail cams working in the woods ... READ MORE
Post-Season Crossbow Care
By Mark Melotik
With crossbow hunting seasons either closed or winding down across the country it’s time for many to inspect and store gear that might not be used again for months. We spoke with Jeff Byrne, owner of Minnesota-based Cabin Fever Sporting Goods, for some tips. Cabin Fever moves a lot of crossbows due to the fact that they have been legal for us... READ MORE
An Outside-The-Box Late-Season Deer Drive
By Mark Melotik
Across most of North America we’re now down to the last few weeks of archery deer seasons. And if you’re still holding an unpunched bow tag things might be looking a little bleak. Fear not.
One proven way to infuse a little energy and excitement into your next hunt is by following a rather unique stand-hunting strategy — first ... READ MORE
5 Ways To Make The Late Season Great
By Mark Melotik
I love bowhunting late-season whitetails, but I learned early on you must have the right mindset, and gear, to thrive in extreme conditions. Keep the following five points in mind to make your late season great!
Realistic Goals
Given ideal conditions the late season can give you a shot at the biggest bucks remaining in the county. However, it&rsq... READ MORE
Bigger Isn’t Always Better
By Kenneth Piper
We all want to get big bucks, but bigger isn’t always better, at least when you’re talking about optics.
Just like you match your clothing to the environment where you’re hunting, you also should match your optics choices to the style and terrain you most often hunt.
For the longest time, I didn’t even carry binoculars... READ MORE
Useful Experience in Ground Hunting
By Christine Rowe
I'd be lying if I said I'm a great ground hunter, but I sure do enjoy the opportunity to be eye to eye with whitetails at close range. I've been trying my darndest to stick a buck from the ground without a man-made blind for about five years. Speaking generously, I've accumulated a lot of useful experience. I thought I was really gaining traction a... READ MORE
Cold Feet?
By Buckmasters
It doesn’t seem like that long ago that we were in our stands complaining about the hot weather. Now that Christmas is just around the corner, a little bit of that warmth would be welcome during these late-season hunts.
Our hands and feet are the first to get cold as our bodies dedicate most of their warming efforts to core areas and vital... READ MORE
Desperation Breeds Innovation
By Buckmasters
They say necessity is the mother of invention, but I’d like to amend that saying to “desperation is the mother of creativity.”
Packing for out-of-state hunts, I normally take a fanny pack for half-day sits and a full-sized backpack for all-day hunts. Somehow I walked out the door without my bigger pack as I left for the recent ... READ MORE
Better Safe(r) Than Sorry
By Kenneth Piper
Having suffered a treestand fall as well as experiencing several other close calls, safety is one of my hot buttons. Call me paranoid, but I keep an extra old safety harness in my truck at all times. As a side note, if you do something like that, be sure to check it once per year to make sure nothing has dry-rotted or rusted that would make the har... READ MORE
More About All-Day Sits
By Kenneth Piper
Following up on last week’s tip about whether or when to be in a stand dark to dark, this week we’ll discuss ways to make those all-day sits more productive. Repeating one of the critical points from last week, it all starts with a comfortable stand. Without that, you’re sunk before you even get started, so let’s assume you ... READ MORE
Day-Break
By Kenneth Piper
I'm currently bowhunting in Illinois, and these first few days have me contemplating the pluses and minuses of all-day sits.
After two days of dark-to-dark sits in spitting rain and seeing just three deer, tomorrow's forecast of clear skies and colder temperatures is exciting.
Were it up to me, I would have taken mid-day breaks th... READ MORE
It’s Go Time!
By Kenneth Piper
While there are geographic variations, Halloween generally marks the beginning of what I consider to be the start of serious rut activity throughout a majority of the whitetail’s range.
Of course, bucks have been willing, ready and able to breed all fall, but the last few days of October are when their frustration reaches its peak. They kn... READ MORE
How to Cape a Deer for Mounting
By Kaitlin Bowen and Joseph Zoida (Taxidermy Unlimited NJ)
Have you ever harvested a deer you wanted to get mounted and didn’t know exactly how to properly cape out the skin. These steps can seem intimidating, but once you do a few it will become second nature. Make sure when you field dress your deer you leave enough cape for the type of mount you are going for, typically stop cutting up to under th... READ MORE
5 Keys to Great-Tasting Venison
By Kenneth Piper
Bow seasons are in full swing pretty much everywhere, so hopefully you are out getting in some stand time — and that your stand time is productive.
With daytime temperatures still on the warm side throughout most of the country, taking proper care of your deer immediately and in the few minutes after recovery is critical to ensuring good-t... READ MORE
Camera Power!
By Ken Piper
We’re heading into the critical part of deer season, when last-minute information from your trail camera might give you the tip you need to make a move, or to move in, on a particular buck.
If you’re using a cellular trail camera, that means changing your settings from uploading one or twice per day to uploading by the hour, or possi... READ MORE