Articles
Turkey
Colonel Tom Kelly Has Died but His Turkey Hunting Legacy Lives On
Colonel Tom Kelly, the author of Tenth Legion and renowned turkey hunter died over the weekend. His daughter, Laura Kelly Bates, confirmed the news in a short video posted on Kelly’s website. The cause of death was not initially stated. Kelly was 99. “This weekend, we lost one of the greatest...
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Conservation News
Want to Save Money This Hunting Season? Consider Going Lead-Free
Hunting isn’t a cheap hobby, but if you’re looking to recoup some of your expenses this season, you could put a few bucks back in your wallet. That’s right, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) will pay you to hunt with lead-free ammo. The agency’s voluntary lead-free ammunition incentive...
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Hunt
4 Shot Opportunities to Pass on Whitetails
The wind wasn’t blowing right for my favorite treestand, so I set up that morning in a ground blind downwind of the bedding area. I was watching an old logging road. It was thick on both sides, but I figured I could still get a solid broadside shot as deer crossed the road heading back to bed after...
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Conservation News
Hunter Faces Felony Charges After Shooting Woman While Deer Hunting
A Maryland man is facing manslaughter and other felony charges after authorities say he fatally shot a 39-year-old woman he mistook for a deer while she was walking through a field with her partner and two children. The shooting occurred on September 18th near Ellendale, Delaware, when Walter...
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Firearms
6 Shotgun Drills to Practice for Wingshooting
No matter how much you think you’ve mastered it, shooting a shotgun is a perishable skill. Like swinging a golf club or shooting a bow, you’re always better when you practice. The key with any kind of practice is to isolate your weaknesses and try to improve them. Personally, I’ve found that getting...
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Firearms
This Classic Whitetail Cartridge Still Reigns Supreme
In another (unsurprising) caliber battle, the greatest whitetail cartridge of all time retains its title by a definitive knockout. The .30-06 Springfield defeated the 6.5 Creedmoor in a landslide victory. It won the vote, tallying 1,701 to the 6.5 CM’s 718. The results leave no room for doubt...
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Firearms
Classic Vs. New School Whitetail Cartridge Showdown: .30-06 Sprg VS. 6.5 Creedmoor
Here we go. You voted for the best classic and best new-school whitetail cartridges, and now it comes down to a caliber battle between the seasoned veteran and the ascending star. Both the .30-06 Sprg. and the 6.5 Creedmoor ran away with their respective categories, but now it’s time to see who...
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Hunt
The MeatEater Crew's Best Deer Hunting Tips
You probably have some words of wisdom from whoever taught you how to hunt, and I’m willing to bet it still sticks with you in some way. My grandfather loved to still-hunt with a rifle. When I first started learning how to do the same, he told me if I wanted to see deer, I would have to slip through...
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Firearms
Still in The Field: The Winchester Model 70
In this series, we look at the classic, discontinued, or longstanding guns that hunters still use in the field today (hence the name). Whether they’re out of production or not, you can still find them at gun shops and hunting camps all across the states. The year is 1936, and one of the finest...
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Gear
3 Improvements to Make Your Property Feel More Like Hunting Camp
Most deer hunters dream of having their own, or at least joining, a good hunting camp. It’s where formative hunting memories are made, and logistically they just make things more convenient. I’ve been to hunting camps with multiple bunk rooms, flat screens, and fully furnished kitchens. Another had...
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Firearms
Caliber Battle: The Best New-School Whitetail Cartridges
Your old man may have killed deer with a .30-06 or .30-30 Winchester, but you’re charting a new course. Whether you’re choosing a trail cam, a pair of bibs, or a rifle cartridge, you’re looking for the latest and greatest that will give you an edge in the field. If that describes you, you’ve come to...
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Hunt
3 Attributes the Best Whitetail Hunters All Share
If I’m being honest, the whole idea for this article came from something that is totally understandable but also kind of annoying. People love to ask me what it’s like to hunt with Steve Rinella, and I get it. He’s one of the biggest names in the sphere, and he has a wealth of experience. But, I...
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Hunt
How Acorns Affect Deer Movement
A few years ago, I spent my whole opening week in Kansas hunting a green soybean field full of browsing scars but didn’t see a single deer. When I finally stepped into the woods to find them, I found an area that looked like a feedlot—trampled to bare dirt with a healthy amount of whitetail poo...
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Firearms
Caliber Battle: The Best Classic Whitetail Cartridges
Classic deer cartridges didn’t cement their legacies overnight. Instead, decades of deer camps, proven track records, and crowded meat poles speak to why these rounds remain reliable favorites even today. If you’re the camp member that’s been using the same rifle since there was an East and West...
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Wildlife Management
Texas Man Pleads Guilty in Baited Duck Hunting Bust
On August 28, a Texas man pleaded guilty to violating the Lacey Act after federal investigators busted an illegal duck hunting operation over a baited pond in Walker County. Richard Lee Bowers, 55, of Conroe, Texas, admitted to running paid duck hunts at Pull Two Ranch, where hunters were taking...
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