Deer Hunting

TOP PRODUCT Dead Down Wind – Wind Detector Even just a tiny whiff of human odor can send deer bounding away. That’s why controlling scent by checking the wind is so critical. I learned that lesson the hard way years ago when there was a big buck bedding area downwind of my setup. I didn’t…

As a deer hunter who’s spent many seasons chasing whitetails through hardwoods, I’ve learned a thing or two about how to hunt ridges successfully. Trust me, ridge hunting can be an extremely effective technique if you know how to take advantage of the unique opportunities these terrain features provide. Let me walk you through my…

If you are new to deer hunting, few things are more frustrating than waking up on opening day to see rain pouring down outside. Your mind immediately wonders – will deer even move in these wet conditions? Can you still have an effective hunt? While heavy downpours may deter deer movement, you may be surprised…

I used to be one of those hunters who saw raindrops in the forecast and immediately started moping around, certain the upcoming week was a total bust. Mature bucks don’t move in the rain, right? And even if they did, sitting all day in a soaked treestand sounded about as fun as a root canal….

As a whitetail hunter, I’m obsessed with understanding how weather affects deer movement. I mean, we’ve all been there – sitting in the treestand on a miserable day wondering if we just wasted our precious vacation day because the weather shut the deer down. Or maybe you’ve hunted all day in tough conditions only to…

Sitting motionless in a deer stand or ground blind for hours on end can get old fast. Thinking back to my first hunt, I remember how the day seemed to just drag on and boredom took its toll. It doesn’t have to be this way. Ideally, of course, we would harvest a mature buck within…

If you’ve spent many fruitless hours in a stand wondering where all the deer are, you’re not alone. Between pesky hunting pressure and keen whitetails sticking to the shadows, success is never guaranteed. In this guide, I’m going to walk you through how to hunt smarter based on deer biology and behaviors, tactics for going…

Whether it’s your first deer or your fiftieth, it’s normal to feel some nerves when the moment of truth arrives and you have a deer in your sights. Otherwise known as buck fever, that adrenaline rush is part of what makes hunting such an exciting sport. But too much excitement at the wrong moment can…

As the autumn leaves crunch under your boots, you feel ready. Scent-free clothes? Check. Sprayed down gear? Check. Wind in your face? Check. You slip through the trees, confident this will be a successful hunt. Somewhere ahead, your trophy buck beds, relaxed yet alert. This is your moment. But then the doubts start running through…

When I was planning my first hunt, I wasn’t sure how to find public hunting land. How do I search for it? How do I know if I’m on public or private land? Where can I find access locations to get to my hunting spot? If these questions are all too familiar, read on.  There…