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One Buck, Two Blood Trails
By Mike Handley
Randall Britton of Morristown, Ohio, climbed into his ladder stand about 3 p.m. on Oct. 28, 2013, eager to see if the rut had started in that corner of Belmont County. That was his first day to go afield with a crossbow that season. He was only about 300 yards from his house, within the 12 acres his neighbor had given him permission to hunt. And he... READ MORE
Record Buck from Public Land
By Mike Handley
Joseph Holloman of Quitman, Miss., and his buddy, Brian Jordan, were sharing a 38,000-acre tract of public land with about 400 other hunters during a special muzzleloader hunt in 2012. Their plan was to be in their stands before dawn, and then to rendezvous at noon. While walking toward each other at the appointed hour, a buck jumped up between the... READ MORE
Better Afield Than Underfoot
By Mike Handley
Seventy-year-old Charles Wilde of Quenemo, Kan., has bowhunted for more than five decades. His favorite stand for 30 of those years hangs within a bottleneck on his 160-acre farm in Osage County. In 2012, Charles was targeting a photogenic 10-pointer he'd nicknamed Big 10, but he didn't devote a lot of time to scratching that buck - or any deer - o... READ MORE
No Joke
By Mike Handley
Alicia Miller might've heard a shotgun blast possibly emanating from within the family's 30-acre farm. But gullible, she isn't. She and her husband Arjay were hunting apart that day, the shotgun opener in Washington County, Ohio, along with his two brothers, Adam and Ben. When she heard the news that Arjay had shot a buck, she was happy. When she h... READ MORE
Detour Worth Missing Breakfast
By Mike Handley
Darrell Pennington of Vernon, Ala., hunts his father's 24 acres in Lamar County, a relatively small tract that yields three to five does and at least a couple of bucks each year that'll score between 120 and 140 inches. In December 2013, Darrell discovered evidence that a much bigger buck might be passing through the property. "I saw rubs on trees ... READ MORE
One Man’s Loss is Another’s Gain
By Mike Handley
After a slow opening-day morning in 2008, Michael Mees decided to do a little scouting and spotting from inside the cab of his truck. He had the whole afternoon, as well as access to several thousand acres of private land in Emmons County, N.D. When he parked at one point to get out and relieve himself, the last thing Mike expected to encounter was... READ MORE
Two Rabbit Hunters Walk into a WMA ...
By Mike Handley
When brothers Albert Jr. and Leland King first visited northwestern Kentucky's Sloughs Wildlife Management Area in November 2012, they were loaded for swamp rabbits. "The area where we turned the dogs out had long strips of fields between woods - ideal habitat for both rabbits and deer. The place had chest-high weeds and saplings all grown up into ... READ MORE
The 8-pointer That Wasn’t
By Mike Handley
After checking the Weather Channel at 4 a.m. on Nov. 9, opening day of Kentucky's 2013 rifle season, Gerald Jenkins decided to go back to bed. The 69-year-old had no desire to sit in a tripod buffeted by 25 mph gusts. He woke up a couple of hours later, did a few chores, and then decided the wind had subsided enough for him to go to the 1,200-acre ... READ MORE
Arkansas Has a New No. 2
By Mike Handley
Scott May thought he'd shot a buck that would score close to 160 inches on Nov. 13, 2013. The 47-year-old electrical contractor had no idea his guess was off by 50 inches until he took the animal to a venison processor, where other patrons argued it would break the 200-inch mark. Scott knew a great buck was passing through the area he was hunting. ... READ MORE
Double in Delaware
By Mike Handley
Harry Daisey can credit his pooches' bladders for the world-class whitetail he tagged in 2012. "I was walking my dogs in my back yard when they jumped a bunch of does and a buck that had antlers out past its ears," Harry told John Phillips, who's writing the story for Rack magazine. When his dogs jumped another deer near the same spot a half-hour l... READ MORE
Driver’s Seat
By Mike Handley
Back pain kept Bobby Cook indoors during much of the 2013-14 Alabama deer season. When he was finally up to it, he invited two friends from Pennsylvania to join him for the last few days.
On Jan. 24, 2014, Bobby drove his customized truck - a deer blind on wheels - down a logging road where he'd seen lots of deer tracks. He'd hunted that same trai... READ MORE
Census Taker
By Mike Handley
You could call Steve Matt of Eureka Springs, Ark., a census taker, even though he doesn't carry a clipboard and knock on doors. He collects most of his data from trail cameras, even though he can't check them very often. In order to see how many and what kinds of bucks were roaming his sister's 430 acres in Coffey County, Kan., back in 2009, Steve ... READ MORE
Stand by Your Stand
By Mike Handley
How many times have you read about the perils of putting too much pressure on a mature whitetail? Even if you don't heed the advice of professional writers, how many times have you decided to give a particular stand a break out of fear you're educating the resident deer, or are worried about spreading too much scent? Cameron Posey doesn't pay a lot... READ MORE
Is Orange the New Yellow?
By Mike Handley
Where hunters are allowed to scatter bait, corn is probably the most often used to attract deer. Sugar beets, apples and rice bran are also popular attractants, but not always as easy to find.
Sweet potatoes will get the job done, too.
Ron McGowen of Bastrop, La., learned this from hunting in Arkansas. Sweet potatoes might be the only thing a de... READ MORE
Sometimes a Guy Has to Make His Own Tree
By Mike Handley
Kenneth Zimmerman might've left Casey County, Ky., in his rearview mirror when he followed a construction job to Pennsylvania a couple of years ago. But familial ties and deer season keep him coming back. Prior to his home state's 2013 rifle season, Kenneth began fixating on a fencerow between hay fields bordering a whitetail bedding area, part of ... READ MORE