|
|
Entries for November 2023
Don't Try To Prolong The Rut Past Its Natural Time
By Ken Piper
There's a reason so many hunters look forward to the peak of the rut -- bucks get stupid and forget some of their safety habits in favor of chasing does. They are more likely to fall victim to rattling, grunting and scents at that time of year, and hunters often change their habits accordingly -- all of which is good. As we head into many states' l... READ MORE
Killin’ Tree
By Gita M. Smith
“Screee!”
Regan Martin winced. His lock-on stand’s seat had flipped up, announcing his presence to every deer in three western Illinois counties. A nearby doe startled and blew at him. Of course.
But nothing else ran away or sounded an alarm in the chill November air, so maybe it wasn’t so bad.
“Screee!”... READ MORE
Teamwork
By Buckmasters
One of the biggest whitetails felled in the South in 2016 came out of the Peach State, proof that two heads (and guns) are sometimes better than one.
One of those heads belongs to Shannon Sledge, who owns a dairy farm near Ty Ty, Georgia. The other rested on the shoulders of a friend who’s also an employee, Skippy White.
Skippy had been... READ MORE
Fantasy Island
By Dale Weddle
White-tailed deer are one of the most adaptive species in North America. Urban sprawl and loss of habitat might have decimated rabbit and quail populations, but acorn and stick munchers continue to thrive in the shadows of our biggest cities.
Just ask R.C. Rogers of Louisville, Kentucky, who hunts a relatively small 35 acres surrounded by urban ... READ MORE
Playing the Wind
By Mike Handley
Had it not been a Sunday evening, Mike Nelson probably would’ve shot a doe on Oct. 15. But as much as he likes venison, he didn’t want to spend the next few hours elbow deep in it.
“It was just too much trouble,” he admitted. “I had to work the next day, so I didn’t want to stay up ’til midnight, cutting... READ MORE
Gone Today, Here Tomorrow
By Ed Waite
Nineteen-year-old Luke Lohan, a heavy equipment operator in the oil and gas fields of eastern Ohio, loves to prowl his family’s 46 acres during deer season, and he often has a particular deer on his mind.
His most wanted in 2017 was the same buck he hunted in 2015 and 2016.
“For the past three years, I have collected photographs o... READ MORE
The One That Got Away
By John E. Phillips
Tony Viteritto has hunted Kim Burrows’ 45 acres in north Alabama since October 2012, the year shoulder problems caused him to trade his regular bow for a crossbow. Going into the 2016 season, he’d taken two 8-pointers from what he calls the Skull Stand, so named because he found a deer skull nearby.
He’d never seen a buck there... READ MORE
Midwest, Schmidwest
By John E. Phillips
New Jersey deer hunter Leonard Gilbert never dreamed he’d see himself in a hunting publication.
“I watch most of the TV shows and read Rack and several other magazines,” says the 33-year-old. “I’ve always said, ‘I can’t take one of those big bucks unless I go to the Midwest or Canada. We don’t have... READ MORE
And from Public Land, No Less
By Mike Handley
Less than an hour after settling into his stand on Dec. 13, 2016, Josh Clark changed his mind.
The clock was ticking on the last day of the Canemount Wildlife Management Area’s primitive weapons hunt, and he wanted to look at something else, preferably a deer.
The hunter from Iuka, Mississippi, had already devoted a day and a half to th... READ MORE
It’s Not Over ’til the Arrow Sings
By Lisa Price
For many years, Jared Trosclair of Lutcher, Louisiana, was content to pursue whitetails in his home state. The self-described ne’er-do-well ate, slept and breathed deer hunting, but success often eluded him.
But then he met Sidney and Gail Meacham, the couple he credits with upping his game.
“I was the biggest deer hunting enthusi... READ MORE
From Moping to Moon-walking
By Ed Waite
On the eve of Indiana’s 2007 shotgun season, Steve Padgett learned that his son, Steven, couldn’t make it home from college. Father and son had not missed an opening day since junior was old enough to carry a gun.
“I was really bummed,” Steve said. “It was probably the first time since 1978 that I could not force my... READ MORE
Daddy Sang Tenor
By Mike Handley
Some men squeak when they see rats, snakes or spiders. It takes a dead buck – a big one – for Bill Nadeau to sing tenor.
That said, the deer hunter from Indiahoma, Oklahoma, outsang Luciano Pavarotti on Nov. 3.
While looking for the buck he shot that afternoon, Bill called a buddy, Kris Borden. The phone was to his ear when he fou... READ MORE