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It's Time to Re-Tool and Re-Tune
By Ken Piper
If you're a bowhunter, you should already be practicing for the coming season. After all, you don't want to put a lot of effort into getting your bow tuned and shooting like a dream only to have to replace the string or cable right before the season and have to start the tuning process from scratch. This is the time to go over everything piece by p... READ MORE
Break Up Your Outline When Stalking and Scouting
By Ken Piper
If you are like me, you hate getting "busted" by a deer, whether while stalking or scouting. One simple way to reduce the chance of having that dream buck spot you is to always stop next to a tree or some other object. As you make your way, plan each move to end at a tree, bush, fence post, hay bale, etc., that will break up your outline. Using the... READ MORE
Try a Decoy
By Ken Piper
Turkey hunters and waterfowlers have long used decoys as standard equipment, so why haven't deer hunters followed their lead? Perhaps it's because deer are just so much bigger and it hasn't been practical to carry a deer replica into the woods. With all the new materials being developed today, though, deer hunters now have plenty of practical choi... READ MORE
Rain is a Good Scouting Aid
By Ken Piper
An effective way to scout an area before the season opens is to visit it within 24 hours of a rain. You'll have a much easier time seeing fresh tracks, whether you're walking a logging road, circling an agricultural field or food plot, or following a creek. Not only will you be able to judge the size of the deer using a particular trail, but you'... READ MORE
When It Comes To Trophy Bucks, Plan for the Best -- And the Worst
By Ken Piper
More and more hunters are passing on small bucks in hopes of a trophy. What many newcomers to holding out are not prepared for, however, is to go through the season without taking ANY buck -- but that's what passing up smaller bucks often will mean. If you decide you are going for a trophy, prepare yourself mentally for the strong possibility that ... READ MORE
Identify Food Sources
By Ken Piper
One of the indisputable facts about deer hunting is that deer have to eat in order to survive. Because of this, it's critical that you know what food sources are prevalent in your part of the country. When you go to the woods, for example, know what a white oak acorn looks like. Know what the white oak bark and leaves look like, because you'll be ... READ MORE
Back to the Basics
By Ken Piper
If you've been deer hunting for a long time and you've never taken a mature buck, maybe it's time to focus on fundamentals. If you're not successful, you need to get back to the basics. Deer hunting isn't rocket science; it's really very simple. What do the deer eat? Where do the deer bed and where do they travel? When do they move most often? ... READ MORE
Take A Stand
By Ken Piper
We don't know how they do it, but deer have an uncanny ability to catch us by surprise. No matter how ready you are, and no matter how loud the woods, a deer can be right on you and catch you flat-footed before you know it. Once the deer is that close, there's almost no chance you'll be able to pull up your gun or bow and make a shot before it spot... READ MORE
Don't Give Up On A Good Scrape
By Ken Piper
Most hunters like to hunt near fresh buck sign, and what could be better than a hot scrape? Unfortunately, hunting a scrape can be a real hit-or-miss proposition. After all, it's a good possibility that the buck is checking/refreshing his scrapes at night. Rather than spending day after unproductive day on stand or (and more likely) spending one or... READ MORE
Scout Your Opponent While Hunting
By Ken Piper
We all get out and do our deer scouting as much as possible, but for most hunters scouting is limited to checking sign and getting stands in working order. If you have several days or, better yet, weeks to hunt, try setting up away from your key area. Put your stand somewhere you can see deer movement and establish their patterns. Even if this mean... READ MORE
Go to the Deer
By Ken Piper
Deer hunting can be tough this time of year. Most of the rut activity is over, and the deer have been pressured through weeks and weeks of hunting -- plus there are fewer deer out there. This combination can make for some long, slow hours on stand. At times like this, stalk-hunting can be extremely productive. Patience is the key, and remember t... READ MORE
Work the Bugs Out Now
By Ken Piper
February is the perfect time of year to prepare your gear for next hunting season. Problems you encountered this past season are still fresh in your mind and you're less likely to forget to replace something that is worn or broken. For example, my hoist rope is starting to fray, and if I don't replace it now, chances are I won't remember until my ... READ MORE
Understand Thermals To Beat A Buck's Nose
By Ken Piper
Did you ever get winded by a deer when you were sure the breeze, if any, was in your favor? Or maybe a deer started blowing at you long before it should have been able to know you were there? It could be you were a victim of thermals. Thermals are air currents caused by the heating or cooling of the earth's surface. As the ground warms in the morni... READ MORE
It's the Setup, Nimrod
By Ken Piper
Every week I receive dozens of questions about rattling, scents and grunting for white-tailed deer. With all the focus on these techniques, I wonder if we're all not losing sight of the most important part of a successful hunt (no, it's not luck). A good setup -- one that is close (but not too close) to an active deer trail, takes into account such... READ MORE
Hunt the "Second Rut"
By Ken Piper
If you're getting depressed because the rut is over (in most areas of the country, anyway), don't despair. There's still a key phase to come that is actually favored by some very good whitetail hunters. The second rut, or more precisely the time when the does that didn't get bred during the first cycle will come into estrous again, happens one mont... READ MORE
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