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Emergency Fire Starters
By Tim H. Martin, Travis Wilson & Charles Ward
Lighter Knots (Pine Hearts) – By Tim H. Martin Recently, I watched a reality TV show where a man and woman were attempting to survive 21 days in the wilds of south Alabama. The location was just a few miles from my old hunting lease. I was dumbfounded when the couple struggled to make fire with a steel and scraper-style fire starter. Fo... READ MORE
Take a Nap; Kill a Turkey
By Steve Hickoff
Turkey seasons are in full swing this month in places like the Deep South and even Hawaii. Chances are you’ll encounter some henned-up birds in the process — ones that could care less about your calls. Despite your winter-weary enthusiasm now to hunt spring gobblers, it might be time to scale back a notch or two. Relax. Take a nap in th... READ MORE
Foil the Fawn Killers
By Mike Scott
Photo: Mike Scott tells of a trail camera capturing a coyote bringing 27 fawns into its den within a four-week period! The damage coyotes and bobcats inflict upon fawns and young deer is much higher than most hunters realize. For instance, in my hunting area coyotes kill 17 percent of newborn fawns within the first four weeks of life. Fast-forward ... READ MORE
Coming Home Alive
By Rene Borne
Photo: A fist-sized survival item gives outdoorsmen a sense of comfort in the backcountry. Tip Editor Tim H. Martin knows all too well — shown here moments before getting slammed by an ice storm. Thirty years of elk hunting in the mountains of Western Washington have taught me an important lesson every hunter should practice: Be prepared... READ MORE
Stopping the Gunsling Slide
By Mark Kay
One of my biggest pet peeves when I’m walking to and from my deer stand is constantly dealing with my rifle sliding off my shoulder. It seems like the gunsling slides down with every few steps I take, and I have to keep one hand on it most of the time. I’m sure you’ve had this happen, too, and you’ve probably done as I have ... READ MORE
Get a Grip on Tree Steps
By Mitch Wagnon
Have you ever slipped or come close to falling off a ladder rung or tree step? I have, and it's not a fun experience. Losing a foothold or handhold almost always happens in the dark, when we hunters do most of our climbing. Rain or even heavy dew can cause climbing steps to become super slick, but I’ve found a quick fix I’d like to... READ MORE
Love Those Rubber Gloves
By Rob Fetterhoff Jr.
Photo: Rob Fetterhoff Jr. sends us a unique tip for using vinyl gloves. Here, the hunter poses with a pretty 8-pointer he took on the southern tier of the Empire State’s western side. Like many hunters, I use disposable gloves while field-dressing my deer. Obviously, gloves minimize the amount of blood on my hands and sleeves, but here’... READ MORE
When the Rut’s in a Rut
By Chris Chastain, Buckmasters Cameraman
Photo: Buckmasters cameraman Chris Chastain (right) and Buckmasters Sweepstakes Winner John Nowak ambushed this gorgeous Alabama 10-pointer using a tactic Chris learned from Terry Rohm of Tink’s. Half the battle with taking a nice buck is simply knowing that it exists. The Buckmasters film crew has used trail cameras for many years — es... READ MORE
Woodburning Tool Fix-it Tip
By Roger Hanneman
Photo: Buckmasters Life Member Roger Hanneman shares a fix-it tip he used to repair the broken foot on his decoy. The longtime hunter from Nebraska poses here with a nice buck he took with his bow. My tip is a little different than most Buckmasters Tips of the Week, but I think it will be very useful to hunters for a multitude of fix-it purposes. W... READ MORE
Wooden Ladder Love
By John F. Bruce
My tip expounds on an earlier Tip of the Week about treestand care — specifically, what happens to wooden ladder stands after the tree grows and sways in wind and rain for a year. Between tree growth and weather, nails and screws holding together wooden ladder stands are especially susceptible to becoming loose or growing into the tree. Look ... READ MORE
Dropped Gear Retriever
By Phil Archdeacon
Photo: Phil Archdeacon — shown here with a great 10-pointer — sent us a very useful tip. The hunter from Rock Tavern, NY figured out a way to retrieve things he dropped from his treestand without having to climb down. Have you ever gotten settled into your treestand only to drop something important, then have to go through the hassle of... READ MORE
Deer Don’t Wear Watches
By Ed Ciersezwski
Photo: When was the last time you saw a deer wearing a watch? It might take abandoning yours to start seeing deer again. After spending many years hunting white-tailed deer, I have come to the conclusion that if they don’t wear watches, why should I? Think about it; they don’t care if it’s breakfast, lunchtime or even time to go ... READ MORE
Soldier’s Tip for Hunters
By Todd Davis
I learned a lot about how to stay quiet while I was in the Army. In the field, we constantly refined our equipment in ways that allowed us to move silently, without giving away our position to the enemy. Today's backpacks are usually covered with a number of buckles, straps, D-Rings and pulls. As you walk, all the added bells and whistles tend to j... READ MORE
In 2016, Remember to Remember
By Tim H. Martin
Photo: In June of 1997, Tim H. Martin made a resolution to take his first buck with a bow. He succeeded that October with this little twisty-racked 3-pointer — a true trophy at the time. Nearly 20 years later, Tim realizes the memories and photos of his career have been as much fun as the hunts themselves. My favorite author once wrote &ldquo... READ MORE
No Gutting Necessary
By Dave Graber
Photo: Quartering a deer properly, knowing to leave the hide on and knowing how to remove the loins without gutting are skills all deer hunters should know. In this age of ATVs, UTVs and 4-wheel drive vehicles that help us transport game to the processor quickly, we don’t always need to quarter up our animals like we used to. Still, the need ... READ MORE
The Noisy Squirrel Trick
By Jack Baker
Photo: Jack Baker of Grovetown, Georgia has learned to stop and calm deer, like this dandy 10-pointer, by imitating something deer hear every day. The tip also keeps wounded deer from running as far. As an avid bow hunter, I’ve watched hundreds of hunting shows and videos, and I’ve noticed most of the time, hunters stop a moving deer by... READ MORE
Whitetail Vapor Trails
By Jeffrey Chancellor
My tip is an easily overlooked method of detecting bedded deer. Have you ever hunted on a frosty morning and feared deer would see you because of the vapor cloud created by your breath? I have. Sometimes, when a deer is staring me down, I’ve even tried holding my breath to avoid detection — it’s impossible! The same dilemma holds... READ MORE
Tubular Head-and-Neck Gear
By Tim H. Martin
Photo: Buff USA’s Polar Buff is one of many tube-style headwear garments available to hunters today. This model, which acts as a head cover and neck gaiter, is actually a one-piece tube. During a Texas pronghorn hunt in 2007, I received severe sun damage to one side of my neck from hours of driving an ATV across the desert. I’d forgotte... READ MORE
Stringless Drag Rag
By Torrey Owens
I’m one of those hunters who likes to use drag rags. If you don’t know what a drag rag is, it’s simply a piece of cloth soaked in scent, then attached to the hunter by a string. The rag leaves a scent trail as you walk. But I hate using strings. They snag on everything in your path and create extra noise, especially on dry, windle... READ MORE
Rock Solid in a Pinch
By Tim H. Martin
Photo: The shooting house where Tim H. Martin took this Texas management buck did not come equipped with a sandbag to steady his rifle, so the Buckmasters Tip Editor made one. There's an old shooter's adage that still holds a lot of truth today: "You are only as good as your rest." Today, most shooting houses and ladder-type treestands are equipped... READ MORE