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BuckMag Features
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Make Your Scouting Count
By Tom Fegely
Not all deer season preparation is created equal. At precisely 5 a.m. on Oct. 1, 1988, Craig Krisher climbed into his treestand in Pennsylvania farm country. It had become a familiar spot, one in which the then 25-year-old bowhunter had spent other dawns during previous months. The homemade stand and surrounding acreage had become familiar territor... READ MORE
The $5 Ground Blind
By Russell Thornberry
Sometimes you can’t beat what nature provides. Bowhunters are using ground blinds more often these days for several reasons: Some of the more senior bowhunters are less willing to climb trees because of the danger factor, and many others are simply afraid of heights. There are so many excellent commercial ground blinds on the market today tha... READ MORE
All About Luck
By Bill Claspell
Success isn’t always measured by animals on the ground. There are a hundred, maybe more, stories to tell about elk camp, and choosing the right one to put to print is a chore. I could talk about the camaraderie of sharing camp with fellow fanatics, or of sneaking through the timber at daybreak, or of watching a bull rake his antlers on a sage... READ MORE
Foodplotting With an ATV
By Chuck Roberts
You don’t need a giant tractor to have a successful food plot. Years ago, food plots were typically large agricultural undertakings — big greenfields of up to 50 or more acres found mostly on active farmland or huge hunt club leases. There were several million other deer hunters out there who wanted to make plots but lacked the means to... READ MORE
The Crossbow Effect
By David Hart
Are they good or bad for the sport of hunting? Hunter numbers were falling, deer complaints were rising and the Virginia Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries was looking for a potential solution to both problems. So, in 2005, the Department legalized crossbows for all hunters during the state’s early archery season. Four years later, Matt Knox,... READ MORE
The Trophy Equation
By David Hart
It takes more than one ingredient to make big bucks, and some factors are beyond a hunter’s control. What do Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois have in common? The answer is pretty obvious to Buckmasters readers. Those states, and a few others, have well-earned reputations for producing lots of monster deer. On the other hand, states like Vi... READ MORE
Like an Oak
By Bob Humphrey
Declining oak forests could mean big changes for future deer herds. I’ve hunted a lot of different places over the years, but there are a few spots I hunt every year. One in particular I’ve been hunting for nearly two decades. At first glance, it doesn’t look like anything special — just another stand of mixed hardwoods. Eve... READ MORE
What Makes Them Different?
By Bob Humphrey
Our biologist explains why you don’t see many bucks after their third birthday. Hunting in a place like Saskatchewan offers several advantages. In addition to good odds for a really big buck, you also get the rare opportunity to watch and learn about deer in general. Spend a week in Saskatchewan and you’ll likely log more observations o... READ MORE
Uncommon Senses
By Darren Warner
Hunters spend a lot of time worrying about a whitetail’s nose, but what about its other senses? Everything about a whitetail’s vision is uniquely adapted to help it detect and escape predators. Take, for example, where the eyes are positioned, on the sides of its head. A deer can see 310 degrees, compared to about 180 degrees for humans... READ MORE
Beat the Clock
By Jeff Murray
Take advantage of the fast pace of the rut. At the beginning of the week, my best spot looked like a fire sale on whitetail bachelorettes. Suitors with headgear of all shapes and sizes came a-calling. Each sniffed air and ground, ignoring the camouflaged blob watching from above. Who would have guessed that by the end of the week that spot would be... READ MORE
Don’t Bug Me!
By Bob Humphrey
Some of the woods’ biggest dangers come in the smallest packages. I’ll never forget my first trip to Texas. There were many memorable moments, but one that stands out occurred on the first afternoon. The outfitter had secured a supply of 8x8x4 plywood moving crates, which he’d converted into ground blinds by making one end panel i... READ MORE
Hunting Below the Threshold
By Jeff Murray
You can’t stop 100% of human scent, but you can reduce it to a huntable level. Is it humanly possible to not smell like a human? I often kick off seminars with this question because it’s a hot, if not the hottest, topic in hunting. Invariably, the “nays” outnumber the “ayes” by at least three to one. Someone migh... READ MORE
Father Knows Best
By Bob Gentz
Dad always said not to shoot unless you have a clean shot. During the 3 1/2-hour trip north to my brother-in-law’s camp, I wondered if this would be my year for a trophy. If it wasn’t for my father, who taught me to enjoy the outdoors, I wouldn’t be driving among the thousands of cars full of drivers and passengers heading in the ... READ MORE
Results-Based Scouting
By Rick Sapp
In order to find mature deer, you have to look for mature deer. Here’s how to do it. ‘We’ve gotten it right … and wrong,’ says nationally recognized white-tailed deer and turkey hunter Tim Hooey. ‘Effective scouting is a year-round deer hunting activity, but the way our generation has been taught to go about it ... READ MORE
Like Father, Like Son
By Jacob Lowey
Jacob wanted to hunt out of the stand where his father was and had to “settle” for a monster 11-pointer. It was the second day of shotgun season in Illinois, and I had a basketball game at 8 a.m. Dad had gone ahead without me, so when the game was over, I rushed home to get all my hunting gear together and go out to my stand. I am not a... READ MORE
Hunting with the Enemy
By Chuck Smick
Outlaws are a small percentage of our ranks, but they make a big impact. When I pulled into the parking area at the Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge, my stomach roiled and my heart sank. There lay three deer left to waste. One had been skinned and the head removed, along with a few choice pieces of meat. The other two lacked their heads, but a... READ MORE
Captain Hook
By Mike Bartig
It took two encounters and two years, but Missouri archer finally claims his trophy. It was the first week of November during the 2006 fall Missouri archery season, and I was trudging up the hill to my tried-and-true treestand on Dave’s place. I had carefully positioned “Stinky” — my homemade deer decoy — upwind from t... READ MORE
Next Year’s Game Plan
By Joel S. Fawcett
The time to start planning for next year’s big buck is immediately after this season. Deer season is over, and you struck out. If that describes your experience, perhaps you should incorporate a scouting regimen into the off-season. I began to pattern bucks back when I was a registered guide, and my success in predicting hot locations for my ... READ MORE
Ready, Set, Reload!
By Tom Fegely
One of the most important skills of blackpowder hunting is the ability to reload quickly. Serious blackpowder hunters spend considerably more powder and lead under the controlled conditions of a shooting range than they do in the field. At least they should. Those who practice learn crucial lessons and skills that can make or break a hunt. One oft-... READ MORE
Deer Pelletology
By C.J. Winand
Can hunters learn anything useful from deer droppings? We’ve all read that you can tell the sex of the deer by the size and shape of droppings, but is that really true? Do biologists really know? And, more important, can hunters learn anything from all the deer droppings they observe? The science of deer pelletology is intriguing, and despite... READ MORE