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Better Safe(r) Than Sorry
By Kenneth Piper
Having suffered a treestand fall as well as experiencing several other close calls, safety is one of my hot buttons. Call me paranoid, but I keep an extra old safety harness in my truck at all times. As a side note, if you do something like that, be sure to check it once per year to make sure nothing has dry-rotted or rusted that would make the har... READ MORE
More About All-Day Sits
By Kenneth Piper
Following up on last week’s tip about whether or when to be in a stand dark to dark, this week we’ll discuss ways to make those all-day sits more productive. Repeating one of the critical points from last week, it all starts with a comfortable stand. Without that, you’re sunk before you even get started, so let’s assume you ... READ MORE
Day-Break
By Kenneth Piper
I'm currently bowhunting in Illinois, and these first few days have me contemplating the pluses and minuses of all-day sits.
After two days of dark-to-dark sits in spitting rain and seeing just three deer, tomorrow's forecast of clear skies and colder temperatures is exciting.
Were it up to me, I would have taken mid-day breaks th... READ MORE
It’s Go Time!
By Kenneth Piper
While there are geographic variations, Halloween generally marks the beginning of what I consider to be the start of serious rut activity throughout a majority of the whitetail’s range.
Of course, bucks have been willing, ready and able to breed all fall, but the last few days of October are when their frustration reaches its peak. They kn... READ MORE
How to Cape a Deer for Mounting
By Kaitlin Bowen and Joseph Zoida (Taxidermy Unlimited NJ)
Have you ever harvested a deer you wanted to get mounted and didn’t know exactly how to properly cape out the skin. These steps can seem intimidating, but once you do a few it will become second nature. Make sure when you field dress your deer you leave enough cape for the type of mount you are going for, typically stop cutting up to under th... READ MORE
5 Keys to Great-Tasting Venison
By Kenneth Piper
Bow seasons are in full swing pretty much everywhere, so hopefully you are out getting in some stand time — and that your stand time is productive.
With daytime temperatures still on the warm side throughout most of the country, taking proper care of your deer immediately and in the few minutes after recovery is critical to ensuring good-t... READ MORE
Camera Power!
By Ken Piper
We’re heading into the critical part of deer season, when last-minute information from your trail camera might give you the tip you need to make a move, or to move in, on a particular buck.
If you’re using a cellular trail camera, that means changing your settings from uploading one or twice per day to uploading by the hour, or possi... READ MORE
Winning on the Road
By Mark Melotik
Is this the year for your first out-of-state deer hunt? Every fall, Minnesota’s Bernie Barringer becomes a whitetail-hunting road warrior, and he’s refined a system for on-the-road success that can benefit other would-be travelers.
Barringer, who might be better known as a successful Minnesota black bear outfitter, hunts mostly publi... READ MORE
An Arrow a Day
By Mark Melotik
Many bowhunters who practice shooting all spring and summer tend to shelve their regular tuneups once hunting seasons start. Especially when traveling to hunt out of state without a portable target, it’s an easy trap to fall into. I’ve been guilty of it myself and a have a few horror stories, but these days I make every effort to tote a... READ MORE
4 Bow Stands To Avoid
By Mark Melotik
The desire to hunt your best morning and evening stands as soon as the season opens is a temptation few can resist. Unfortunately, it’s typically a mistake. The truth is, the sooner you educate deer to the fact they’re being hunted, the tougher the hunting becomes later on when the rut kicks in and the odds swing back in our favor.
I... READ MORE
Speed Scouting with Hunting Apps
By Mark Melotik
Where will you be hunting come the early season? Some states have already kicked off their deer seasons, and many will follow in the coming weeks. Do you have a solid plan? If you own a hunting app subscription, your smartphone can help lead the way.
As many of you know quality habitat and food are two of a whitetail’s greatest needs, and ... READ MORE
Hunting and ATVs: Finding A Balance
By Mark Melotik
Can today’s modern ATVs and side-by-sides help you be a better deer hunter? Or at least be more efficient? Well, they can, but in most cases it comes down to following a set of fairly standard rules in the deer woods. Most of them are centered on one thing: Can your ATV of choice help you access your stand undetected?
When it comes to mode... READ MORE
Early Season: Stay In The Game
By Mark Melotik
Summer is winding down and bow seasons, in some cases, are just days away. Do you have a plan for the opener? If hunting early is your thing, sitting on fresh sign is the way to go, according to Andrae D’Acquisto, founder of Lone Wolf Custom Gear.
D’Acquisto, who has bow-bagged recordbook bucks in the dozens, has seen what he believe... READ MORE
Better Broadhead Tuning
By Mark Melotik
A big part of preparing the bow-and-arrow combination you’ve shot all summer for hunting season is tuning that rig to your broadhead of choice. Unfortunately, broadhead tuning continues to be one of the last things on most bowhunters’ minds, but it’s a critical step to better in-the-field accuracy. As opening days approach, now is... READ MORE
Rut Trail Cam Placement
By Mark Melotik
With summer in high gear, the whitetail rut might seem a long way off, but it’ll be here before you know it. Will you be ready? If you’ve followed our little mini-series of tips on trail camera placement, you know we’ve already covered early summer and late summer strategies. The goal of the next major camera movement on your sele... READ MORE
Nature’s Wind Detector
By Mark Melotik
Late summer is a great time to collect a supply of nature’s wind detector, a useful addition to any hunter’s gear, particularly bowhunters. And it all starts with a simple trip to an overgrown grassy field.
You’re looking for mature milkweed plants that produce distinct, horn-shaped seed pods in late summer. As you ... READ MORE
Covering Ground With Your Crossbow
By Mark Melotik
There are lots of variables when it comes to toting your crossbow afield while hunting, but safety should always be a priority. Let’s consider a couple scenarios that crossbows users encounter regularly.
If you’re on the way to your deer stand in the predawn, your crossbow should be uncocked and unloaded, and a smart addition is a slin... READ MORE
Pack An Emergency Bow Repair Kit
By Mark Melotik
The off season is a great time for bowhunters to assemble an emergency repair kit that can thwart some common in-the-field mishaps, and help ensure you’ll make the most of your hunting time this fall. Here are a few of the things I carry with me most every time I travel.
Spare Bow
After bowhunting for several decades, I’m still am... READ MORE
Make the Most of Mock Scrapes
By Mark Melotik
Most avid deer hunters know mock scrapes are one of the best ways to capture trail camera images of big, rutty bucks, with the height of this annual frenzy typically kicking into high gear beginning in the late pre-rut. Bucks are making and visiting scrapes regularly then, but I believe many hunters, especially bowhunters, fail to fully capitalize ... READ MORE
Prepping For Early Success
By Mark Melotik
Searing heatwaves in the depths of summer mean one thing to deer-hunting fanatics: We’re creeping ever closer to whitetail season. Better still, the first few days and weeks of the season offer a prime opportunity to ambush a good buck in one of the easiest places to hunt them — field edges.
As you might guess, there is much more to ... READ MORE