Here’s a controversial statement: Trail cameras can be absolutely worthless. Here’s a less controversial statement: Trail cameras are worthless when their batteries are dead. This might seem obvious, but every year hunters stick hundreds of dollars-worth of trail cams in the woods and then return...

If there’s any one thing that connects the most consistently successful whitetail hunters I know, it’s a strong focus on scent control. A whitetail’s nose is its best defense mechanism. For that reason, the smart hunter will do everything possible to control the scent he brings into the woods. Can...

Hang a trail camera in front of a pile of corn or a mineral block and you’re almost guaranteed to get an SD card full of deer photos. It used to be that simple. But with increasing concerns over disease in recent years, more and more states are outlawing the use of bait at trail camera sites. For...

I first heard about tree saddles more than a decade ago. At the time I thought hanging from a tree by a waist harness seemed uncomfortable, impractical, and downright foolish. But it turns out I was the fool. Ten years later I finally gave saddles a try—only to realize I’d been missing out in a big...

Misery loves company, so let’s begin here: You’re not alone. I’ve missed deer too. Plenty, actually. I missed the first deer I ever took a crack at. I also missed a big Ohio 8-pointer a decade ago. I missed an opening day Michigan buck just a few seasons ago. And I missed a couple more in between...

Trail cameras are some of the greatest modern tools that hunters have at their disposal. If you hunt in an area that allows them, then you need to take advantage of it. Here’s what you need to know about setting up a camera to get pictures of whitetails.

It’s obvious to anyone paying attention that trail cameras have led to a lot of whitetail bucks ending up in freezers. But the inverse is true too: Cameras have saved a lot of deer lives as well. Mostly this is because well-intentioned hunters place their cameras in the wrong locations and check...

At the risk of igniting “another classic ethics debate fueled by none other than MeatEater,” as one social media commenter recently lamented, I’d like to talk about the fair chase ramifications of wireless trail cameras. What is ethical? What is moral? What is fair chase? This is a set of questions...

I’d heard about it for a decade and considered it for years. In 2018, I decided it was finally time to give it a try. I was going to hunt from a tree saddle. Of all the questions I’ve received since making that decision, no topic has been more common than tree saddles: What did I think about the...

I switched to hunting in First Lite gear this year and have received hundreds of questions about what pieces I’m using. Today I wanted to walk through the system I’ve found that works best for me throughout the year. If you’re interested in trying First Lite, MeatEater is running a special 20% off...