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The Rut Is Critical
By Ken Piper
One thing every deer hunter should know is the approximate time of the whitetail breeding season in the area they hunt. The rut is critical because this is the time of the season when a mature buck is most likely to move during daylight hours. The buck's instinct to breed is so strong that he'll throw caution to the wind as he travels to find estru... READ MORE
Patience, Patience, Patience
By Ken Piper
Taking bucks consistently is an art; anyone can luck into a big buck, but it takes work to harvest bucks year after year. Even for veteran hunters, patience is the key. Deer don't always do what we expect them to. If you have scouted a particular buck and have a good setup, don't force a bad situation. If he comes in from the wrong angle, or even i... READ MORE
Deer Body Language
By Ken Piper
Psychologist can interpret a person's mood by reading his body language, and a hunter can do the same thing with deer. Deer will give you a lot of signs if you pay attention. I watch the deer's tail. If the tail gets in an arched position with the ears alert, something is wrong. When everything is all right, the deer will twitch its tail a few ... READ MORE
Ammunition
By Ken Piper
You should shoot a variety of ammunition from your rifle or shotgun to see which works best in your particular gun. Just because a particular brand and grain size works for your buddy doesn't mean it will work well in your gun. Once you have found a bullet design and brand that suits your style of hunting, make sure you sight in with the same brand... READ MORE
Real-World Calling is Less Aggressive
By Ken Piper
As fun as it is to watch on TV, mashing antlers together like thunder and playing a grunt call like a flute are not the best tactics for most hunters after a trophy buck. The reason it works so well on the shows is that the hunters on film often hunt private land with well-managed deer herds, lower hunting pressure and better buck-to-doe ratios. In... READ MORE
Don't Despair after the Rut
By Ken Piper
We all want to hunt bucks around the rut. It's just plain... fun! The bucks are on the move; they respond to scents, calls and rattles; and you're likely to see deer you never even knew existed on the property. As exciting as the rut is, though, the late season has some big advantages over the rut, at least in terms of patterning bucks. About the... READ MORE
A Good Mount Begins in the Field
By Ken Piper
You've just taken your best buck ever and you are so excited you can hardly think straight. While you should be on cloud 9 after taking such a buck, you need to think clearly if you plan to have him mounted. When field-dressing your buck, do not cut up through the brisket like you normally would. Keep your incision back as far as possible and reach... READ MORE
Thermals Follow the Sun
By Ken Piper
Even when the wind isn't blowing, unseen air currents carry our scent. The distance and direction these air currents, or "thermals" travel can vary, but one thing is almost constant: thermals will carry your scent upward in the morning and downward in the evening. With that in mind, place your stand on higher ground in the morning and at low points... READ MORE
Use a Fawn Bleat to Put Meat on the Table
By Ken Piper
When bowhunting in early fall, it's a good feeling to put some meat in the freezer and take some of the pressure out of the hunt. It's much easier to hold out for a nice buck when there are venison steaks in the freezer. Take advantage of the whitetail's natural social groupings at the beginning of the season. Does are still with their young-of-the... READ MORE
Study the Menu
By Ken Piper
Despite the hype, acorns and food plots make up only a portion of a deer's diet. Have you ever noticed how deer will browse green leaves as they move along through the woods? That browse can have a dramatic effect on deer travel patterns, especially in the fall as some plant species dry out and wither. If you really want to get a handle on your ... READ MORE
Don't Push That Wounded Deer
By Ken Piper
It doesn't matter how much you practice or how selective you are with your shots, sooner or later you are going to make a bad hit. Gun, bow or muzzleloader, things happen in the deer woods beyond our control. While a bad hit is inevitable, losing your deer isn't. Most wounded deer will bed down within a few hundred yards of where they were hit. Onc... READ MORE
How To Determine Eye Dominance and Deal with Cross Dominance
By Savage Arms
This week’s tip comes from the professionals at Savage Arms (www.savagearms.com). What is eye dominance? In short, it’s the eye that your brain prefers. Your dominant eye has more neural connections to your visual cortex than your non-dominant eye and provides more accurate visual information to your brain. Your eyes are about 3 inches... READ MORE
Be Unpredictable
By Ken Piper
Deer hunters spend so much time trying to pattern deer that we forget that we also can be "patterned." After all, most of us hunt the same days and the same hours, so it isn't difficult for deer to figure us out. While we would never recommend giving up hunting the traditional moving times for deer -- early morning and late evening -- it's importa... READ MORE
Don't Confuse Practice with Sighting-In
By Ken Piper
When sighting in a gun or bow, it is imperative to remove as much human influence from the shot as possible. Sighting-in is not practice - it is a process to get your equipment shooting dead-on. Gun hunters: use the best supports you can get your hands on. Sand bags or manufactured shooting rests are the best. For the ideal setup, touch the rifle ... READ MORE
Scrapes: The Big Gamble
By Ken Piper
We're heading into the time of year when most hunting seasons are getting started, and guys (and gals) are either making final preparations for their stand sites, or they're already finding out if their scouting paid off. In just another few weeks the bucks will begin to leave their marks in the woods in the form of scrapes. There's something... READ MORE
Know the Lay of the Land
By Ken Piper
How well you know your hunting property goes a long way toward increasing your success as a hunter. Once you've hunted a property for several years in a row, you should start to see patterns in deer movement. If you pay attention, you'll soon realize that the local deer herd will behave almost the same from year to year. Use that information to yo... READ MORE
Only Perfect Practice Makes Perfect
By Ken Piper
Jackie Bushman likes to say that "Practice doesn't make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect." Those are good words to keep in mind as bowhunters get their equipment out for the fast-approaching seasons. If you haven't been shooting for several months, your shooting muscles will be out of shape. Despite common belief, do NOT attempt to get back ... READ MORE
Give a Guy a Gland
By Brian Kightlinger
How much do you know about whitetail scent cues? Over the last decade, I have been making mock scrapes using three essential glands lures. If you understand each gland and its purpose, you can use that knowledge while hunting. The success I have experienced has been astounding! INTERDIGITAL GLAND White-tailed deer have an interdigital gland near t... READ MORE
Double Your Fun
By Ken Piper
Make traditionally unproductive hours count with the help of a friend. Hunting is always more enjoyable with a friend, but it can also be more productive. Let's face it, unless there is some heavy rut activity, there are times during the hunting season when everyone struggles to even see a deer. It's always a good idea to occupy a stand during the ... READ MORE
Save a Buck
By Ken Piper
Take your time to evaluate your target when hunting for meat or to balance ratios. Deer hunters are becoming more aware of the need to keep buck-to-doe ratios in proper balance, and in most places that means targeting does for harvest. Many states are extending seasons for does or even creating new hunting opportunities for antlerless deer. With th... READ MORE