By 1994, Clyde Albers had grown weary of asking others for permission to hunt on ground he didn't own. So Clyde spoke to his banker about buying some bottomland near his home in Minden, Neb.  The banker told him that he would approve the loan, but, for the same price, he had even more land in Lincoln County for sale. Clyde looked the 160-acre tract over thoroughly. It was almost two hours from his home. The land contained some swampy areas bordered by clover patches, lots of trees and plenty of cover for deer.

Sometimes the best deer harvests don't have the most exciting stories -- "I got to the tree, an hour later the deer came by and I got him." And at first glance that would appear to be the case for the monster 12-pointer I was blessed to take on Nov. 7, 2004.

Bowhunters who know how to rig their own bows can easily make repairs away from the local pro shop. Not only does this save time, but it also lets archers become more familiar with their bows and the weapon’s mechanics. You’ve saved for and anticipated this out-of-state bowhunt for months. The bucks are moving; the rut is in full swing.

Smart deer hunters stay home on bad weather days. Yeah right, we’ve been hearing that one for years. However some deer hunters seem bound and determined to learn things the hard way. I’m one of them. So there I sat atop a 16-foot tripod in a blinding rain. What a way to ring in the first day of a new year.

In this world of fast food, fast living, and fast everything, the rush is too often carried over into the world of whitetail hunting. Unless you regularly beat the odds at Las Vegas, luck won’t carry you very far in rushing a hunt for a respectable whitetail buck ... especially if you’re a bowhunter. Doing it right takes time and patience. I realize those are not buzz-words for the 90s, but thus far, big whitetails still aren’t very sympathetic to our instant-gratification, push-button mentality. They won’t be rushed.

On your maiden voyage to hunt the ultimate whitetail in the sub-zero winterlands of the northwestern U.S. or western Canada, you will inevitably meet the unexpected, perhaps at just the wrong moment. It may cost you the trophy for which you’ve paid so dearly. Take the advice of those who have gone before you and go prepared. You don’t have to learn the hard way!

Veteran turkey chasers and newcomers to the sport have been quick to snap up the customized shotguns made for turkey hunting. They practice calling and then head to the woods in search of a big ol' Tom. Before the first moment of legal shooting time, though, they've already committed a huge turkey hunting mistake.

During the 1997 hunting season I had the good fortune of being invited to Texas for two whitetail hunts. Although each was in a different location and offered unique terrain, both were for management bucks. These hunts are designed to remove bucks from the herd because of some undesirable trait the ranch game manager has determined to be counterproductive to his whitetail management criteria.

The newest innovation in antler-enhancing food supplements from the Whitetail Institute of North America was not tested on the Scott brothers’ captive herd. The vitamin-, mineral-, protein- and energy-charged granules were made available to the deer living outside of their fenced enclosure in Pintlala, Ala.

One thing I’ve learned in my years as a hunter and outdoors writer is that hunters never agree on a single perfect rifle caliber for whitetails, or anything else for that matter. The truth is that any single choice of caliber for all deer hunting on this planet will suffer somewhere in the whitetail’s diverse world that includes open prairies, densely timbered hardwood swamps, vast mountains, ad infinitum.

On Oct. 11, 1996, when Sam Collora of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, released his arrow, he made deer hunting history by bagging the BTR’s highest-ranking typical deer ever taken with a compound bow. In 1997, Sam’s buck, scoring 204 6/8, was awarded the Golden Laurel Citation, which is given annually for the most significant whitetail buck entered into the BTR. All who have had the privilege of viewing Sam’s majestic whitetail quickly agree that it is one of the most impressive ever taken.

A billboard along Interstate 27 near Amarillo, Texas, boldly proclaimed, “Jesus was a vegetarian. Show respect for God’s creatures — follow Him.” It caused such uproar that the advertising company that hoisted the astounding proclamation removed the controversial message.

Many bowhunters don’t understand how the “sharpness factor” figures into bowhunting success. First, one must realize that game animals shot with arrows die from blood loss or hemorrhaging. Arrows, unlike bullets, have relatively little foot pounds of impact on big game animals.

The fastest way to start an argument among deer hunters is to offer an opinion, any opinion, about the “perfect” deer rifle. The truth is that a given rifle might be perfect in one hunter’s hands and not so perfect in another’s. Any perfect deer rifle is the result of a combination of critical elements, which may include...

What has become a criminal’s worst nightmare could be a deer hunter’s dream come true. About the size and weight of an ordinary flashlight, this infrared tracking device manufactured in Huntsville, Ala., is responsible for the capture of at least five escaped convicts as well as for locating a couple of two-week-old graves containing a Mississippi serial killer’s victims.

Darn, there was one, but a tire must have gone right over the head, crushing the skull. Steve Shaffer checked on his daughter, Lacy, still asleep in her car seat. He'd been driving back roads for a couple of hours, leaning forward in hope and scanning the road at the limit of his high beams. The beetles were hungry. He needed a road kill bad, or else he's be out shooting ground hogs again after work tomorrow.

The sun was finally setting on this summer day in Pennsylvania, and the air was beginning to cool the woods. It was time for the old doe to rise from her bed and begin the short journey to the meadow where she would feed with her young fawn. Quietly picking her way through the underbrush, she approached her most dangerous obstacle en route, a dark two-lane country road that rarely saw traffic at this time of night. But this night would be different.

The single best clue to unraveling the secrets for tagging trophy bucks is to nail down their travel routes. One of the enduring questions about understanding buck behavior is whether or not their travel patterns are set in concrete. Let's face it: If you know where a buck travels, you have a much better chance to take him. Once you put these pieces of the travel puzzle together, you can devise a plan for a big buck encounter.

Hunting skills like scouting and stalking will not put antlers on the wall. To close the deal, you must make the shot. Tactics, techniques, scents and calls might get you close but will be of no use when it’s trigger time. Many of us hunt with bow and rifle, but fail to recognize the similarities between the two pursuits. Often, when we take our rifles to the woods, we forget the importance of those things we consider vital with our archery gear.

Six inches of snow covered the Ohio ground that December day in 1995. I hit the woods and found some very big tracks. I followed them and within a few yards found a “dead deer” lying at the treeline. Its ribs and spine were showing, and its eyes were sunken. I decided to continue to my stand and return later to investigate.

Ever wonder what white-tailed deer ate before man came up with the idea of food plots? That statement is not meant to be a smart aleck comment. It's meant to initiate a dialogue with wildlife habitat managers, landowners, and deer hunters in an effort to have them recognize the full potential of the natural browse that already exists on the properties they hunt.