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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
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