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BuckMag Features
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Better Than Basketball
By Gary Spangler
Chad might have given up sports over the years, but he’s not giving up hunting. Chad Richmond, a hunter from Leesburg, Ohio, is a passionate person. In his youth, Chad’s passion was sports, particularly basketball, and then deer hunting. His wife and children have replaced basketball on the list, but deer hunting is still right there at... READ MORE
Thanks, Dad
By Paul Thein
Childhood memories and tradition kept this hunter returning home for deer season.
Since I was a teenager fresh out of hunter safety class, I’ve been hunting a family farm in Olmsted County, Minn. Our hunting party consists of cousins and close friends, and hunting together is a tradition. Over the years, I have watched many of our party bag ... READ MORE
Catch a Buck Napping
By Jeff Murray
Try these three tricks to beat a buck in his most secure lair. Bedded bucks? You might get a glimpse of a bedded buck’s whereabouts, but the cost is giving away your presence in his little moated castle. Bucks are as elusive as Osama bin Laden when they decide to hole out for the day. And if you believe in telemetry studies, not to mention th... READ MORE
Mission Possible
By Bob Stein
It’s hard to say who was happier, the first-time hunter or his dad.
I am 45 years old and have been an avid deer hunter since I was 18. My dad didn’t hunt, so I picked it up on my own. For the first nine years of hunting, I didn’t shoot a deer, let alone a buck. But since then I’ve been on a roll. I’ve had my share of... READ MORE
Only In the Great North Woods
By Chris Lorson
Friends tag monster bucks during annual reunion hunt in Canada. I look forward to my annual hunting vacation to get away from the constant phone calls and headaches of my job in Williamsport, Pa. For a number of years, I made solo trips to Saskatchewan, but now I have friends who go with me. It’s a reunion every year, and it’s always ha... READ MORE
Yesterday Once More
By Denny Crisp
Even after 28 years, the details of taking a giant buck are crystal clear. It started out as a typical hunting day but turned into an event that, even 28 years later, seems like yesterday. On Nov. 11, 1978, deer season started off like any other. The alarm went off around 4 a.m., and I jumped out of bed and put on my blue jeans and red flannel shir... READ MORE
Low-Impact Whitetails
By Joe Blake
The name of the game in successful bowhunting is stealth.
The bitter northwest wind stung my face as I made my way across the pasture, as did the bits of sleet that fell from the slate-gray sky. But I knew that once I reached the trees, I would be offered some protection, so I adjusted my loaded pack and trudged onward across the cold Minnesota la... READ MORE
As Reliable as the Sun
By Bob Humphrey
Our biologist examines peak rut dates across the country. Peak rut represents an annual high point for deer hunters and the bucks they pursue. It's not surprising that predicting when it will occur is the hottest topic in whitetail hunting. Theories abound, based on a host of factors including temperature, barometric pressure, wind speed, type and ... READ MORE
5 Tips for Public Ground
By Bob Humphrey
Proven methods for taking deer in high-pressure locations. I was socializing with a group of outdoor writers one day when I bumped into a comrade from a neighboring state. I opened with the appropriate greeting. “How’d your deer season go?” Ordinarily that’s just an ice-breaker, a way to start a friendly conversation, but th... READ MORE
Rut-ology
By Bob Humphrey
Because no other facet of whitetail behavior affects hunters more. Rut ... The mere mention of the word stirs the blood of every whitetail hunter. It is that precious time of the year when both hunter and prey go a little crazy. Mature bucks let down their guard as their attention shifts to procreating the species. Hunters, meanwhile, know this is ... READ MORE
Keep Stands Fresh
By Steve Bartylla
Try to remain undetected, even when you don’t see the buck you’re after.
I needed a break. During the off season, I’d invested several weeks in scouting and stand preparation. My intention had been to hunt the property hard. I knew it held mature bucks, and I staked my Wisconsin buck tag on taking one. I was confident that all I ... READ MORE
The Late Show
By Bob Humphrey
Check out these states that offer really late deer seasons. Woodpeckers. I’ve never seen so many blooming woodpeckers in all my life.” It’s funny the things you can find to occupy your mind during those long hours on stand. The abundance of woodpeckers seemed odd to me. In the late-season deer woods back home, I might see one or t... READ MORE
Plans B and C
By Tracy Breen
Consistent hunters give themselves plenty of options. I remember watching my father stare out the living room window as he studied a feather dangling from a tree. It was a regular occurrence before he headed to the woods to hunt deer. The magical feather, along with the time of the season, determined the treestand he would use. Why was the feather ... READ MORE
Bowhunting Mini-Lessons
By Tom Fegely
No matter how many years you hunt with a bow, there’s always something new to learn. Much of what I’ve learned about hunting over the years has come in small doses via lessons shared by friends or through personal experiences that have resulted in hits or misses. From rattling and grunting to deer jumping the string, check out these two... READ MORE
Warm Weather Whitetails
By Bob Humphrey
When the mercury soars, you can still find success in the whitetail woods. You didn’t need to feel it; you could see it was cold. A dense glazing of hoarfrost coated the tall canary grass and smartweed. As the big buck stepped into the clearing, steam spouted from his nostrils like a twin-stack semi. With eyes wide and ears perked forward, he... READ MORE
Who Needs a Rabbit’s Food?
By Kathy Etling
It’s no accident this Wisconsin woman is so successful with a bow. At 3 p.m., Janice Maxfield and her son, Andy, age 11, walked toward a greenfield that had been planted not far from a brushy tangle of cottonwoods in north-central Kansas. It was the first afternoon of the Maxfield family bowhunt, and Janice planned to stay out until dark. And... READ MORE
A Plan Comes Together
By Curtis Shaw
Things don’t always go according to the book in the deer woods, but when they do, it can be a thing of beauty. The buzz of the alarm came too early. I had been hunting four days a week since Oct. 1, and my motivation for early morning hunts was wearing thin. I was invited to hunt with a couple of close friends that morning in the bustling sub... READ MORE
The Immortal Buck
By Tom Fegely
Was it real, a dream, or a bad bologna sandwich? One hunting tale I’ve shared only a handful of times but have thought about on hundreds of occasions occurred in the fall of 1963 in southern New York. This is the way I remember it. The buck still walks through my dreams now and again. I’m no longer certain after 40-plus years that my re... READ MORE
Architectural Whitetails
By Joe Blake
Bucks often use man-made structures and cover to hide in plain sight. It was the day before Halloween, and it was cold, even for Minnesota. With an early morning temperature near zero and a stiff northwest wind, I shivered with more than anticipation as I made my way across the grassy meadow. Tall grass bordering the fence line I followed shimmered... READ MORE
Brown Velvet
By Bob Humphrey
An early season hunt on legendary Anticosti Island provides a rare trophy opportunity. There was no need for my guide, Richard, to speak. I knew it and so did he. Experience told me to follow close on his heels, walk when he walked, stop when he stopped. No need to look around or ahead. He would be the eyes, and when the time came, I would be the g... READ MORE