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Try a Decoy
By Ken Piper
Turkey hunters and waterfowlers have long used decoys as standard equipment, so why haven’t deer hunters followed their lead? Perhaps it’s because deer are just so much bigger and it hasn’t been practical to carry a deer replica into the woods. With all the new materials being developed today, though, deer hunters have plenty of p... READ MORE
Rethink Still-Hunting
By Ken Piper
Many hunters look on still-hunting – the art of slowly creeping through the woods hoping to sneak up on a big buck – as something to do when deer sightings are slow and patience runs out. Regular practitioners of the still-hunt, however, know it requires a great deal of patience – even more patience than stump-sitting. The still-h... READ MORE
Don’t Call Like a Celebrity
By Ken Piper
As fun as it is to watch on TV hunting shows, mashing antlers together like thunder and playing a grunt call like a flute are not the best tactics for most hunters after a trophy buck. The reason it works so well on TV is the hunters are usually on private land with well-managed deer herds, lower hunting pressure and better buck-to-doe ratios. In t... READ MORE
Practice vs. Sighting-In
By Ken Piper
When sighting in a gun, it is imperative to remove as much human influence from the shot as possible, so use the best supports you can get your hands on. Sand bags or manufactured shooting rests are the best. When shooting, make as little contact with the rifle as little as possible. Also make sure that nothing touches the barrel (your ... READ MORE
Speed Isn’t Everything
By Ken Piper
Both gun hunters and bowhunters favor a flat-shooting projectile. The flatter a bullet or arrow travels, the less the hunter has to worry about aiming high or low to compensate for varying distance to the target. Unless you’re hunting out West or on large greenfields, most firearms shots don’t require compensation. And if you do hunt in... READ MORE
Big Bucks Hide in Small Places
By Ken Piper
Most hunters think that you have to go deep in the woods to find a big buck – deeper than anyone else is likely to go. That’s partially true: You will find bucks in places other people don’t go, but it isn’t always deep in the woods. We tend to think bucks react to pressure by leaving an area when, in fact, radio telem... READ MORE
Avoid Taking Button Bucks
By Ken Piper
Harvesting does is the cornerstone of every deer management plan, but how do you know the doe you’re about to shoot isn’t a button buck instead? This can be especially challenging when hunting along greenfields. Button bucks haven’t had time to fully develop their survival skills, making them particularly vulnerable when their mot... READ MORE
How Important Is Scent Control?
By Ken Piper
A few years ago when Terry Rohm was still with Tink’s, he was asked by the Realtree team what advice he would give to folks when it comes to using scents for hunting. His answer might surprise you: “The first thing to do is get rid of your own scent,” he said. It’s significant that when given a chance to plug the many fine T... READ MORE
Avoid Bowhunter’s Surprise
By Jack U. Baker Jr.
Photo: Consider reducing your bow’s poundage when the weather turns cold. Failing to do so could cost you a deer. Bow season starts as early as August in some states, so it’s usually warm when we are practicing.Since it’s easy to draw a bow in warm weather while wearing a T-shirt, we often crank up our compound bows to maximum pou... READ MORE
Pass? Shoot? Wait?
By Michael O’Brien and Tim H. Martin
Photo: A deer’s body angle, your adrenaline, a deer’s demeanor and confident shooting are all part of making effective shots. Have you ever panicked when a deer showed up? Have you ever fired a shot with the adrenaline pumping and before the optimum shot was offered? If you are an experienced hunter, you probably know what happens next,... READ MORE
Nifty Field-Dressing Tips
By Rob Fetterhoff Jr.
Photo: There's no need for nasty hands. If you haven’t added disposable vinyl gloves to your gear list, you are missing out. Here are some field-dressing tips every hunter should have on hand. Pun intended! Like many hunters, I use disposable gloves while field-dressing my deer. Obviously, gloves minimize the amount of blood on my hands and ... READ MORE
Reverse Range-finding
By Bob Takeo
Photo: The use of a rangefinder and a compass can help pinpoint the beginning (or end) of a blood trail. It uses both distance and a line. I was inspired by a recent Tip of the Week about shooting a spare, field-tipped arrow to mark the spot where a deer stood when it was shot. The idea is to leave a marker at the point where the blood trail will b... READ MORE
The Tarsal Hoarder
By Jackie Bushman (as told to Tim H. Martin)
Photo: Jackie Bushman has tagged countless bucks using a combination of modern scents and a tactic he’s used since childhood. Saving and using tarsal glands might be the oldest trick in my hunting book, but those things still work. Something I’ve been doing since I first started deer hunting — long before scent technology arrived... READ MORE
A Different Kind of Resolution
By Diane Mormando and Tim H. Martin
Photo: Appreciating every moment in the deer stand and reflecting upon blessings is a New Year’s resolution every hunter should practice. This New Year, my hunting resolution is to appreciate my precious time in the woods. Hunting is not just about taking a big deer; it’s a special time to look inside your soul and enjoy life. – Diane M... READ MORE
Still-Hunting, Still Awesome
By Tim Knight
Photo: Still-hunting (stalking) presents a different set of challenges than hunting from a blind or stand. Still, it can be both fun and effective. – Photo Courtesy Luke Noffsinger Still-hunting (stalking) presents a different set of challenges than hunting from a blind or treestand. Still, this age-old method can be both fun and effective, a... READ MORE
Deer Marker Arrow
By Christopher Anderson
How often has this happened to you? You’ve just shot a deer with your bow or crossbow, and in your excitement, you’ve climbed down from your treestand to start blood trailing before taking note of exactly where the animal stood. When you reach the spot where you thought the deer was standing, you have great difficulty finding it. You&... READ MORE
Trail Cam Hit List Illusions
By Tim H. Martin
Photo: Trail cameras have become the hunter’s best recon tool for evaluating and ambushing big bucks. Trail cameras have become the hunter’s best friend when it comes to planning an ambush for a trophy buck. When creating your hit list, be mindful of a few things. The camera can play tricks with the actual size of a buck’s rack. A... READ MORE
Homemade Rattling Antlers are COOL
By Duane Western
Photo: Homemade rattling antlers are beautiful and functional. – Photo Courtesy Ryan Noffsinger If you are thinking about making your own set of rattling antlers, here are some things to consider. I discovered this tip through a bit of bad luck — actually — good luck. Since I wanted to make my own set from scratch, and I began sea... READ MORE
Before You Claim Your Game …
By Matthew McDaniel
Photo: There are steps to follow before claiming downed game of any species. A wounded whitetail is a potentially deadly animal. Here are some things we should all teach our children before they go hunting — this goes for beginner adults, too. My father always taught me that deer's behavior is oftentimes deceptive, especially if they are inj... READ MORE
Mock Scrape Super Tip
By Paul Odem
Photo: The use of a doe-in-heat or buck-in-rut scent bomb along with a urine-based dripper only adds to the effect. One of my favorite tactics for luring local bucks to my trail cameras or my treestand locations is using mock scrapes. To create a mock scrape, you must have a limb that hangs about head-high to a deer, which is approximately naval- t... READ MORE