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Against All Odds
By Russell Thornberry
In the fall of 2013 trail cams revealed a 3 1/2-year-old, tall-tined 8-point buck with lots of promise, so Rush Darnell, of Montgomery, Alabama, and his hunting partners agreed to let him grow up and see what he might become. In 2014, at 4 1/2, he was a 9-point and still growing and again the decision was made to let him grow another year. The buck... READ MORE
Kernel of Truth
By Bob Humphrey
Some of deer hunting’s common misconceptions actually have basis in fact. Deer hunters love a lively debate almost as much as matching wits with a wily whitetail. They’ll argue at length about details on deer behavior, hunting tactics and equipment, each passionately defending their particular point of view. But there are two sides to e... READ MORE
The Plot Thickens
By Jordan Graves | Regional Extension Agent
How to get the most from your food plot efforts. For every lush, green food plot in existence in any given year, an equal number fail, wasting the time, effort and money of the hunters who tried to grow them. That shouldn’t be a surprise since growing a food plot is akin to becoming a professional farmer. Unless done properly, anything that c... READ MORE
The Exception to the Rule
By Ed Waite
Never shoot a buck on the first day of a Kansas bowhunt. This story began 19 years ago when John Bowser packed up his bowhunting gear and drove to Kansas in search of giant bucks. With no outfitter, no topo maps or GPS coordinates, John must have looked pretty lost as he sat in a small diner after a fruitless day spent looking for a place to hunt. ... READ MORE
Do What?
By Darren Warner
Five unconventional rules for bagging wise, old bucks. If only deer hunting was like horseshoes or hand grenades. Unfortunately, it isn’t, especially not bowhunting, where the line between success and failure is microscopically thin. My one and only shot at the 12-pointer with double-split brow tines had gone up in smoke, and a neighbor bagge... READ MORE
Dare To Be Different
By Ken Piper
Consider heading south for your out-of-state whitetail hunt. Early November rut hunts in the Midwest have been among the most exciting times I’ve spent in the woods. Just catching a glimpse of a rut-crazed Midwest giant can be worth the price of an outfitted hunt. Who doesn’t dream of going to Illinois, Kansas or Iowa to shoot the buck ... READ MORE
Big Frank
By Eric Wuebker (Part One)
No matter how big the buck, you can’t split it over two tags. PART ONE The story of Big Frank begins in the summer of 2010. I first captured him on a trail camera on August 29, 2010. As soon as I saw the photo, I dedicated my entire season to pursuing this monster whitetail. Not only did I never see Big Frank while hunting, I didn’t get... READ MORE
Black Death
By Richard P. Smith
Coyotes aren’t the only predators impacting fawn survival rates. It’s about time black bears get the credit they deserve as whitetail predators. On a year-round basis, where they are present, bears might not kill as many deer as coyotes or wolves, but if you focus on which predator takes more fawns, bears are right at the top. And if yo... READ MORE
Beauty and the Beast
By Ed Waite
Nothing says love like a bloody arrow and a big gut pile. Skylee Moore wasn’t a hunter, but her boyfriend, Peter Gravens, sure seemed excited when he talked about it. And because it would be another way for the couple to spend time together and get outdoors, the 19-year-old decided to give it a try. It didn’t hurt that Peter’s fam... READ MORE
The Hole in the Bucket
By Bob Humphrey
Food plots are all the rage, but they’re not usually the most critical element of a management plan. Do you follow all of the laws when it comes to hunting and managing your land? There’s one I’ll bet many land managers don’t follow: Liebig’s Law of the Minimum. Liebig’s Law states that “Growth is controlle... READ MORE
Balancing Act
By David Hart
Understanding buck-to-doe ratios is not as simple as you might think. As the deer project coordinator for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Matt Knox fields a lot of calls from his constituents. A common conversation revolves around a disproportionately high number of does observed to the number of bucks. At least that’s w... READ MORE
It Can’t Be You
By P.J. Reilly
Five gear issues that affect bow accuracy. Practice makes perfect. And certainly it is true that a key to accuracy with a bow and arrow is to practice, practice, practice. A compound bow is not something you can pick up once a year and immediately drive tacks. But practice isn’t the only path to perfection. You can practice like a fiend and s... READ MORE
The Gift
By Theodore Kesler
Getting back to the woods isn’t always easy after losing loved ones. This is the story of how a deer hunt helped bring a family closure. I am 47 years old and was raised in a deer hunting family. I hunted with my mother and father until the last couple of years when they could no longer do it. They were also involved in getting my daughter Ca... READ MORE
One or None
By Tracy Breen
Trail cameras and patience key to three-year quest for Illinois bruiser. Trail cameras have had a huge impact during the last decade, fundamentally changing the way many of us approach hunting whitetails. While it can be argued they give us an unfair advantage by showing what’s happening when we’re not in the woods, it’s also true... READ MORE
Follow the Sign
By Jason Houser
Scout this winter to find hot stand locations for next fall. Winter is arguably the best time to scout for the following deer season. Whether you combine late-season hunts with your scouting, or you head afield with the sole intent of finding a buck for next year, trails, rubs and scrapes are fresh enough to tell the story of what took place in you... READ MORE
Spreading the Gospel
By P.J. Reilly
Tips for talking to nonhunters about our sport. If you’re reading this magazine, odds are you love deer hunting. You know it’s fun. You know it puts meat on your family’s table. You know your hunting-license dollars pay for the management of all kinds of wildlife. And you know that you are the primary instrument for deer managemen... READ MORE
Wish Me Luck
By Robert Murphy
Not even the postman has the dedication of this Delaware deer hunter. It was ironic that I had just finished reading a Buckmasters article titled ”Bow Bucks in the Deep Freeze.” I wasn’t planning to hunt with my bow the next day since it was the end of Delaware’s late muzzleloader season, but it got me pumped, anyway. It was... READ MORE
Late Bloomers
By Tracy Breen
Fawns that mature and breed later in the rut make finding bucks a little easier. There has been much debate over whether there is a secondary whitetail rut. Some say it exists while others say it’s a hunting myth. It makes you wonder about all the articles you’ve read about how to take advantage of late breeding activity. Biologist Dr. ... READ MORE
Ask the Biologist
By Bob Humphrey
Deer hunters have an insatiable curiosity about the fascinating creatures they pursue. From the time we first walked upright on this continent, man has been inexorably tied to the white-tailed deer. For millennia, we depended on them for our very survival. Today, they remain the most popular big game animal in the world and account for more hunting... READ MORE
Clue(s)
By Mike Handley
The only board for this game was a sea of hardwood saplings best suited for four-legged players. Colonel Mustard did not do it in the library with a lead pipe. Miss Scarlet did not do it in the kitchen with a knife. And Professor Plum didn’t do it in the study with a revolver. In the game of Clue that played out in central Louisiana during th... READ MORE