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It's a Drag, Man
By Ken Piper
It's all fun and games until somebody shoots a deer. Then the work begins! Hunting with the folks at Mystery Ranch packs in Wisconsin in November, one of our party shot a bruiser buck that fell just 25 yards from his stand. It was only about 100 yards off a field edge, but the drag was all uphill. The shooter and a few other guys were in their 30s ... READ MORE
Same ... but Different
By Ken Piper
Tactics and tips might require modification for your location. While considering a tip for this week, it struck me how many strategies and techniques don’t always apply to different regions. Then I realized that in itself is an important point. I grew up hunting huge blocks of timber on heavily hunted public land. When I moved to Alabama, I h... READ MORE
They’re All Trophies
By Ken Piper
Take the deer that makes YOU happy, and forget everything else. A friend just returned from a bowhunt in Kentucky, where he had several close encounters with a handsome 130-inch buck. He talked about how he struggled with himself over whether to shoot it or not and ultimately decided to let it go. His reasoning was he has taken several deer of that... READ MORE
Not the New Black
By Ken Piper
Camo accessories hide from you more than from deer. A few decades ago, I found the most amazing branch clipper I'd ever used. It utilized a ratchet system and could trim shooting lanes with less effort than any other hand trimmer I had ever tried. It was expensive compared to other trimmers, but I splurged and even paid a few dollars more the camou... READ MORE
Ready or Not
By Ken Piper
Getting close to deer isn't the hard part of bowhunting. The most difficult aspect of bowhunting isn't getting close enough to deer. The hard part is getting off a shot when you're just 20 yards from one of the most paranoid animals on earth. Even slight movement can be noticed by a cagey old buck or, worse, a smart and experienced doe. It's not th... READ MORE
Thoughts on Does
By Ken Piper
Everybody wants to shoot a buck, but does are the key to deer management. Shooting does is a key component of our role as caretakers of deer and the habitat. It’s also the best way to fill a freezer. As a writer and editor of hunting publications for more than 25 years, I’ve seen quite a few recommendations about the best time and locat... READ MORE
Less Than Perfect
By Ken Piper
Solutions to last-minute hunting problems need not be ideal. Sometimes it seems like nothing is going your way. That's what I'm experiencing right now as I prepare for a Wisconsin bowhunt with pack manufacturer Mystery Ranch. I purchased a new crossbow early this year. I shot it a few times to get it close, but I ran out of scope adjustment with th... READ MORE
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 the situation. What I'm talking about is exemplified by something that happe... 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 itself doesn’t mean much, however. First, bucks and does tend to use ... 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 technology evolved, I listened to football games and kept in touch with other ... READ MORE