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Picking Pockets
By Bob Robb
Small isolated cover areas can produce big results. I am not sure who coined the phrase “bigger is always better,” but it certainly applies to whitetail hunters. We’re always trying to shoot the biggest buck. What many hunters overlook is the fact that the biggest buck does not necessarily come from the largest tract of huntable l... READ MORE
A Perfect Match
By Dave Henderson
There’s an accurate load for YOUR slug shooter. When it comes to our slug-shooting setups, many of us think we have a Top Fuel dragster when we’re really shooting station wagons. But that’s okay, since real-life shotgun success depends largely on short-range slug performance. Occasionally you can stretch it past 150 yards under th... READ MORE
Two Shots, One Record
By Denver Crouch
The Story of Kentucky’s top crossbow buck. I’ve been a diehard bowhunter for 29 years, but shoulder replacement surgery on July 26, 2010, almost broke my bowhunting streak. My surgeon suggested I use a crossbow, and after a lot of thought, I decided to give it a try. I purchased a crossbow and obtained the proper paperwork to hunt with ... READ MORE
The Next Level
By Steve Bartylla
Stand efficiency makes the difference between a close encounter and a filled tag. As the buck approached the water hole, I could barely move my head. With the stand facing uphill, I had a doe and two fawns at eye level at just 30 yards. The doe had picked out my outline earlier and hadn’t cared for it one bit. She eventually calmed down, but ... READ MORE
Lords of the Night
By Bob Humphrey
Five tips for hunting nocturnal bucks. It had been a particularly frustrating fall. Pre-rut deer activity was unusually slow, likely in part because of an abundant acorn crop. The deer didn’t have to travel far to find food. Just about the time buck movement should have been heating up, a warm front moved in. For four days, the mercury never ... READ MORE
Two Bucks, One Great Day
By Jim Kinsey
A hunting couple share an amazing day on public land in Montana. Something was moving through the stand of jack pines nearly 300 yards away. Jana and I peered intently at the ghostly shape, trying to make out details in the early morning light. My fingers, cold from the crisp morning air, begged for warmth. The sun was still hidden by a large mount... READ MORE
Scopes Simplified
By Dave Henderson
How to pick a scope that’s right for your gun and hunting style. It’s called Queeny’s Landing, a historic wooden deer stand on the brushy shore of Peckerwood Lake on Wingmead Farms in east-central Arkansas. Wingmead is a waterfowling destination of large repute, the lake formed when long-ago owner Edgar Queeny dammed local streams... READ MORE
Take a Rest
By P.J. Reilly
They’re not the sexiest accessory, but rests are the most important bow component. Don’t ask my friend Rob about the 2010 archery season in Wisconsin. It still gives him nightmares. Rob was sitting in a treestand in a nondescript Badger State woodlot one morning during the rut, when the cameraman watching his every move tapped him on th... READ MORE
A Perfect 10
By Angel Piccinni Chancellor
This first-time bowhunter knew it was her day to shine. I’ve had a thing for numbers all my life, and my favorite number has always been 10. When Gary Chancellor and I got engaged in the spring of 2009, I knew Oct. 10, 2010, would be the perfect wedding date. Gary was quick to kick that idea to the curb, saying there was no way he was going t... READ MORE
Hunting With Your Better Half
By Fred Eichler
Go slowly when introducing a woman to the outdoors. As much as we’ve been hearing about more women getting into hunting, the truth is there are still lots of them out there who would like to hunt if given the opportunity. Hunting is still a vastly male-dominated activity, so that means the guys need to step up and be mentors for those eager w... READ MORE
Murphy’s Law
By Ken Piper
When things are going about as bad as they can, a big buck might be just around the corner. Few hunts go perfectly, so most of us learn to deal with life’s interesting twists and turns while pursuing whitetails. Sometimes, though, it seems like everything is working against you. The one good thing about rock bottom is there’s only one d... READ MORE
Shot Placement and Recovery
By Bob Humphrey
What to do before, during and after the shot to improve recovery rates. Shooter!” The instant I saw the 10-pointer pop over the rise, I knew it was a deer I wanted to shoot, and it looked like I might get a chance. I’d hemmed and hawed over several bucks earlier in the hunt, but this one was a no-brainer, and he was on a trail that shou... READ MORE
The Ultimate Practice
By P.J. Reilly
The best way to get really good at taking whitetails is to ... take lots of whitetails. Every deer hunter wants to take home a giant buck. You spend weeks scouting and hours upon hours at the range honing your skills with gun and bow. If someone handed out grades for pre-hunt preparations, you’d get an A+. But are you really ready? Do you hav... READ MORE
What’s New in Whitetail Research?
By Kathy Etling
Studies in Alabama and Wisconsin shed light on breeding and mortality. The old saying familiarity breeds contempt might be true for some things, but it doesn’t apply to deer hunters. We can’t seem to get enough information about whitetails, the continent’s favorite big game animal. Results from two new whitetail research projects,... READ MORE
Faith Buck
By Dan Sum
It took four years to bag this whitetail, but it was worth every minute. We all hear rumors from a friend of a friend’s cousin or some such connection, and they almost never turn out to be true. That’s why I was skeptical when I got a tip about a huge buck that was spotted on my friend Eric’s dad’s friend’s driveway on... READ MORE