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January Scouting
By Ken Piper
This is a great time to get a better read on local deer behavior. One trait shared by whitetails and humans is we're creatures of habit. If something works and we're happy, we're not likely to change. This means that, barring significant habitat changes, next year's deer will likely use the same trails, bedding areas, staging areas and breeding gro... READ MORE
It’s Not Complicated
By Ken Piper
A great hunt doesn’t have to include fancy, expensive gear. Getting my truck loaded for an Illinois bowhunt last fall, it was almost embarrassing how much gear I have accumulated. It’s no wonder new hunters are intimidated by all the stuff they think they have to buy to get started. Remember the old orange Hot Seats? I shot many a deer ... READ MORE
It's a Drag, Man
By Ken Piper
It's all fun and games until somebody shoots a deer. Then the work begins! Hunting with the folks at Mystery Ranch packs in Wisconsin in November, one of our party shot a bruiser buck that fell just 25 yards from his stand. It was only about 100 yards off a field edge, but the drag was all uphill. The shooter and a few other guys were in their 30s ... READ MORE
Same ... but Different
By Ken Piper
Tactics and tips might require modification for your location. While considering a tip for this week, it struck me how many strategies and techniques don’t always apply to different regions. Then I realized that in itself is an important point. I grew up hunting huge blocks of timber on heavily hunted public land. When I moved to Alabama, I h... READ MORE
They’re All Trophies
By Ken Piper
Take the deer that makes YOU happy, and forget everything else. A friend just returned from a bowhunt in Kentucky, where he had several close encounters with a handsome 130-inch buck. He talked about how he struggled with himself over whether to shoot it or not and ultimately decided to let it go. His reasoning was he has taken several deer of that... READ MORE
Not the New Black
By Ken Piper
Camo accessories hide from you more than from deer. A few decades ago, I found the most amazing branch clipper I'd ever used. It utilized a ratchet system and could trim shooting lanes with less effort than any other hand trimmer I had ever tried. It was expensive compared to other trimmers, but I splurged and even paid a few dollars more the camou... READ MORE
Ready or Not
By Ken Piper
Getting close to deer isn't the hard part of bowhunting. The most difficult aspect of bowhunting isn't getting close enough to deer. The hard part is getting off a shot when you're just 20 yards from one of the most paranoid animals on earth. Even slight movement can be noticed by a cagey old buck or, worse, a smart and experienced doe. It's not th... READ MORE
Thoughts on Does
By Ken Piper
Everybody wants to shoot a buck, but does are the key to deer management. Shooting does is a key component of our role as caretakers of deer and the habitat. It’s also the best way to fill a freezer. As a writer and editor of hunting publications for more than 25 years, I’ve seen quite a few recommendations about the best time and locat... READ MORE
Less Than Perfect
By Ken Piper
Solutions to last-minute hunting problems need not be ideal. Sometimes it seems like nothing is going your way. That's what I'm experiencing right now as I prepare for a Wisconsin bowhunt with pack manufacturer Mystery Ranch. I purchased a new crossbow early this year. I shot it a few times to get it close, but I ran out of scope adjustment with th... READ MORE
A Different Angle
By Ken Piper
Intense practice led to a big mistake for this bowhunter. Last week we talked about habits, including how we repeat what we do in practice. That's usually a good thing, unless you're practicing bad habits. It also can work against you if you don't adapt practiced habits to the situation. What I'm talking about is exemplified by something that happe... READ MORE
Trail Blazers
By Ken Piper
Of course deer hunters set up near trails – whitetails are creatures of habit and often use the same trails to move throughout their range. As long as food sources remain relatively stable, they won’t change their habits much from one day to the next. A trail by itself doesn’t mean much, however. First, bucks and does tend to use ... READ MORE
Phone It In
By Ken Piper
We can debate whether cell phones have made our lives better or worse, but there's no debate about how much we use them. That includes in the deer stand. When I got my first smartphone, I used it to listen to music, read and do puzzles to pass slow hours in the stand. As technology evolved, I listened to football games and kept in touch with other ... READ MORE
Fletch Your Own
By Ken Piper
Bowhunters will be heading to the woods over the next few weeks, which means a lot of last-minute practice and tuning is going on right now. If you're like me, you have trouble aiming at different dots - there's something pleasing about a group so tight you can easily put your hand around. The down side is aiming at one dot like that means you'll r... READ MORE
Patience, Patience
By Ken Piper
The game isn’t over until the fat lady shoots ... or something like that. Taking bucks consistently is an art. Anyone can luck into a big buck, but it takes work to harvest bucks year after year. While there is no single skill or trait that makes a great deer hunter, one thing the best have in common is patience. Whitetails, and especially ex... READ MORE
Rubber vs. Leather
By Ken Piper
Is one type of boot material better for controlling scent? One of the great things about bowhunting is you get to observe deer behavior when the animals are relaxed and just going about their daily routines. If you pay attention, you also learn some hunting lessons. That was the case several years ago when I was enjoying watching a spike meander th... READ MORE
Plan B
By Ken Piper
Have backup plans in place for essential gear. I was hunting with an outfitter in Illinois about 15 years ago. He dropped me off at the edge of a pasture with good, clear directions on how to get to the stand. And oh, what a great-looking stand it was. Even in the dark I could tell I was going to like the setup. After getting settled in the ladder ... READ MORE
An Ounce of Prevention
By Ken Piper
Study indicates whitetails forgot to social-distance. I just finished reading an article that said 33% of the whitetails in a four-state USDA study tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies. Of the four states (Illinois, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania), Michigan was highest, with 67% of the deer tested being positive for COVID-19 exposure. The a... READ MORE
Foaming at the Mouth
By Ken Piper
Don't get mad. Instead, take precautions to protect your broadheads. I was fortunate to shoot a beautiful buck last year, but one thing I struggled with throughout the hunt was getting my arrows into and out of my quiver without deploying the expandable heads. I had failed to do something someone taught me long ago, and that is to carve out the slo... READ MORE
Weed Them Out!
By Ken Piper
Now is the time to start working toward a great food plot. It might seem a little early to start talking about food plots, but prep work for a great food plot starts in late summer. Sure, there are many clubs and property owners who wait until fall to disc, plant and cultipack all in one weekend. That can work, especially on well established ground... READ MORE
Tune In
By Ken Piper
Paper-tuning your bow is great, but you can tune at home, too. Archery seasons are approaching quickly, and now’s the time to make sure your bow is shooting to the best of its ability. As much as we agonize over broadhead choice, few bowhunters realize that a properly tuned bow can shoot any quality broadhead consistently and accurately. Tune... READ MORE