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BuckMag Features
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The Perfect Morning
By Glenn Evans
Illinois bowhunter waits for just the right day to hunt his favorite stand. I had waited two weeks for the weatherman to tell me the wind would be right to hunt my favorite stand. It was a cold November morning with temperatures in the mid-20s and a northwest wind of about 10 mph. I knew I had to be in the stand. I was able to juggle my schedule fo... READ MORE
Bassin’ for Bucks
By Kathy Etling
These tournament fishing pros know a thing or two about taking whitetails. KEVIN VanDAM Age: 44 Home base: Kalamazoo, Mich. Former occupation: tackle and boat salesman Years as a pro: 22 Tournament earnings: nearly $6 million Notable achievements: four-time winner of the Bassmaster Classic; seven-time BASS Angler of t... READ MORE
Does Matter
By Bob Humphrey
If your objective is a buck, you should spend more time scouting does. Where are you going tomorrow?” my son asked, partly curious about my plan and partly disappointed that he wouldn’t be able to join me because of school. “Back to the bog,” I replied. “Why?” he continued. “We’ve seen nothing but doe... READ MORE
Climbers vs. Hang-Ons
By P.J. Reilly
Which type of treestand do the pros prefer? Paper or plastic? Bow or gun? Ford or Chevy? Variety is the spice of life, they say, but any time you have variety, you’re going to have differing opinions. In the world of deer hunting, one tastes great/less filling argument you’re sure to hear in most camps revolves around treestands. Which ... READ MORE
Every Deer, Every Time
By David Hart
Follow this expert tracker’s advice to increase your recovery rate. As a guide and operations manager for Hadley Creek Outfitters, part of Jared Heller’s job entails finding bucks shot by his hunters. In the 13 years he’s worked for the Illinois outfitter, Heller has tracked hundreds of deer. While most of them are easy to find, s... READ MORE
Here’s Your Sign
By David Hart
Because we've all done dumb things in the deer woods. What is it about whitetails that turns ordinarily smart folks into bumbling idiots? Maybe it’s a giant buck caught on a trail camera or just the urge to get off the pavement and into the woods in a hurry. Whatever the reason, we leave common sense (and toilet paper) behind and do things ou... READ MORE
Smile for the Camera
By Bob Humphrey
The bucks might not be grinning, but you will if you follow this trail camera advice. There’s an inverse correlation between scouting time and hunting time. The more hours you devote to scouting, the less you should have to spend hunting. But first-hand observation provides limited results. Sign, like tracks, scat, scrapes and rubs tells you ... READ MORE
The Bonus Point Buck
By Eric Sponable
Indiana bowhunter has the cure for this 8-pointer’s headache. I decided to take vacation for the last week of Indiana’s regular archery season. I had other obligations, including the care of my 6-month-old son Drake, but I was dreaming of five quality days in the woods Nov. 7 through 11. I started by hunting a piece of public land I had... READ MORE
Bucket List Checkoff
By Bob Humphrey
If you get a chance, hunt in Iowa at least once before you die. Ready to concede another day, I paused to take one last look before packing up my gear and heading to the truck. I’d been watching deer feeding feverishly across an immense cut cornfield for the better part of two hours but hadn’t seen a buck large enough to quicken my puls... READ MORE
That Explains the Yelling
By Billy Jeffries
A casual coyote hunt turned into a buck of a lifetime for one vocal Oklahoma man. I didn’t have great expectations that November day, but I did have some free time, so I decided to spend the evening in the woods about 200 yards from my house. As I walked out the door, I grabbed my son’s .22-250, thinking my chances of seeing a coyote we... READ MORE
Late-Season Bucks
By P.J. Reilly
When it comes to hunting in the cold, it’s all about the food. Mark Drury has it good, and he knows it. He hunts deer for a living in some of North America’s best whitetail country. For a living. Because it’s his job to chase whitetails, Drury is out in the field doing just that from opening day until the season closes. Ask the ve... READ MORE
When the Wind Blows
By Bob Robb
Strong winds seem to send deer underground, but you can find them. It was the right time to be there. It just seemed like the wrong day. It was a couple of days before Halloween in 2010, and the pre-rut chase activity was in full bloom in central Illinois. The days had been a bit warm, but the deer were moving early and late. It seemed like every d... READ MORE
Snow Tracking Bucks
By Bob Robb
A fresh coating of white stuff can be like a road map to a big whitetail. I didn’t grow up in snow country, so the fine art of tracking deer didn’t interest me until later in life. A spot-and-stalk hunter, my first real interest in tracking game didn’t come until my first African safari. There, I watched a pair of bushmen track a ... READ MORE
Straight from the Masters
By Fred Eichler
How predator hunting has made me a better deer hunter. I’ve learned a lot from predators over the years. They make a living killing so, naturally, they’re pretty good at it. If you hunt predators long enough, you become a pretty good predator yourself. You’re also bound to pick up a few techniques from them along the way. There&rs... READ MORE
Incredible Antlers
By Bob Humphrey
What is it about these remarkable works of natural art that so fascinates us? Humans have long been fascinated by antlers. The ancients depicted large-racked bucks on cave wall drawings, and Native Americans often sought out the biggest bucks, adorning themselves and their lodges with antlers during ceremonial events. To this day, the mere sighting... READ MORE
Profile of a Poacher
By David Hart
Whether thrill-seekers, egomaniacs, they steal from you and me. It’s probably not a good idea to brag about your illegal exploits on the Internet, but that’s exactly what Darin Lee Waldo, a convicted felon, did last year when he posted photos of deer he killed out of season on his Facebook page. It was a move that led Florida game warde... READ MORE
CSI Whitetail
By P.J. Reilly
High tech forensic science comes to the deer woods. Officer Chad Eyler knew the circumstances of the victim’s death didn’t match up with the suspect’s story. Now he just needed to prove it. To do so, Eyler turned to police tactics commonly seen on the TV series CSI. He submitted evidence for DNA testing. While TV’s CSI featu... READ MORE
The Magic of Acorns
By Bob Robb
It’s no secret whitetails love acorns. Here’s what you need to know. I grew up in southern California, where no whitetails existed. There were some scrawny California mule deer, and during hunting season, we knew where we could find them: Under the oaks, munching acorns. When I decided to hunt whitetails in earnest, it was only natural ... READ MORE
October Rush
By Russell Thornberry
A veteran hunter and smart old buck go head to head in Alberta. September 2010 in western central Alberta was a monsoon, and farmers were picking their oats, barley and alfalfa in October, a month later than usual. This created an interesting but dicey bowhunting dilemma. Bucks were still feeding in the remaining unharvested crops, which were shrin... READ MORE
Rifles Rule
By Bob Humphrey
While they don’t get much attention, rifles still rule the world of whitetail hunting. I don’t think outdoor television provides a very realistic representation of contemporary deer hunting. It’s not because they portray situations the average guy will seldom, if ever, experience, although there’s a certain element of that. ... READ MORE