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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
Clear a Path to Success!
By Danny Rasnake
Photo: Small things lead to successful deer hunting. Raking a path to your stand could help put venison in your freezer. One of the most important aspects of deer hunting is getting to and from our treestands quietly. Without silent entries and exits, deer are alerted to our presence, which decreases our odds of success. Once leaves start to fall,... READ MORE
Simple Solutions for Bowhunting Misses
By Bob Humphrey and Yamaha Outdoors
Photo: There’s usually a simple solution for eliminating bowhunting miscues. There are many reasons why bowhunters miss deer. The most common is simply misjudging distance. That one’s relatively easy to remedy. Use a rangefinder. You should also spend idle time on stand practicing your range estimation. Pick a spot, ... READ MORE
Scent Surroundings & Odor Killing
By David Cruson
Photo: Matching cover scents to the areas you are hunting is as important as using topical odor killing sprays. At a time when companies are dedicated to putting the best possible cover scents on the market, I’ve found many deer hunters are buying products that don’t even apply to their hunting areas. This makes no sense to me. If a hu... READ MORE
Doe-in-rut Lures Year-round? You Bet!
By Mike Beal
Photo: Whether the leaves are green, turning colors, or there is snow on the ground, doe-in-rut (estrous) lures attract bucks year-round. I've been bowhunting deer for 30 years, and I’ve heard many hunters argue that using deer scents out of season, particularly when there’s no rut, is a waste of time. After several experiences I’... READ MORE
How A Crossbow IS NOT Like A Rifle
By Bryan Zabitski, TenPoint Crossbow Technologies
Photo: Today’s high-performance hunting crossbows, like the TenPoint Nitro XRT pictured here, shoot arrows at high speeds, but still do not “shoot like rifles.” With the rise of a new generation of high performance hunting crossbows, the temptation to compare crossbows to rifles has become almost irresistible. Each year, technolog... READ MORE