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Spencer Neuharth

Spencer Neuharth
Spencer Neuharth is the director of web content at MeatEater, producer of Wired to Hunt, and founder of Rut Fresh. His writing has been featured in over a dozen magazines, including Field & Stream, Petersen's Hunting, and Men's Journal. His work is a reflection of his roots as a whitetail hunter and training as a biologist.

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Whitetail Deer

Best Hunting Gimmicks Ever: The Ground Grunt’r
A common angling refrain holds that some lures are better designed to catch fishermen than fish. Hunters are no less guilty. In this series, I’m going to highlight the greatest hunting gimmicks of all time. Some might make you feel nostalgic. Others might make you nauseous. My hope is that all of them give you a good laugh.
The grunt tube is one of the simplest, most effective calls in the hunting universe. Unlike an elk bugle system or coyote e...

Whitetail Deer

Photos: Record-Book Whitetail Found Dead in Ohio
Jason Kline has been hunting a once-in-a-lifetime whitetail in northwest Ohio for the last four seasons. That pursuit came to an end this weekend when Kline finally got his hands on the buck’s rack—but it wasn’t the conclusion he hoped for.

Kline found the long-expired buck while shed hunting on Sunday. The last time he’d seen it was in mid-October. “I figured he died since he just disappeared and was very visible in all...

Whitetail Deer

5 Best DIY Whitetail States for 2021
It’s becoming increasingly common to travel outside of home states in pursuit of North America’s most popular game animal. Although nearly every state hosts huntable whitetail populations, there are a few that stand above the rest.
These states have exceptional public land opportunities, economical tags, good license availability, and trophy potential that should titillate every DIY hunter. Pack up your truck camping gear and hit these...

Whitetail Deer

Rut Fresh Report: 11/26
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, but not because of the turkey, football, or Black Friday deals (speaking of which, First Lite has 20% off almost their entire store right now). Thanksgiving kicks ass because it means a long weekend of good deer hunting.
I know, the rut is basically over for most of the country, but that doesn’t mean big bucks won’t make mistakes at the end of November. One particular study from Mississippi State University...

Whitetail Deer

Video: Whitetail Buck Fights Angus Bull
Hunter Weber of Buckley, Illinois, makes the rounds scouting for deer almost every day in November. Despite spending tons of time observing whitetails during the rut, he witnessed something last weekend that he’s never seen before. In an encounter that lasts just over a minute, a young whitetail buck squares up to a crossbred bull and charges. They exchange a couple blows and do a lot of posturing before both going their separate ways.
It’s...

Whitetail Deer

Rut Fresh Report: 11/19
Much of the country is now on the other side of the rut, but that doesn’t mean it’s over. Although the first couple weeks of November offer the best chance at a rutting buck, the second half of the month is still a great stretch to tag a mature whitetail. In fact, for some big buck killers, this is the preferred time to strike.
At this phase in the rut, most does have been bred and will yet again be distancing themselves from bucks. This can...

Whitetail Deer

Rut Fresh Report: 11/12
Every week this fall, I’ll be providing updates on whitetail buck movement for the entire country. These reports are based on intel from whitetailers in each region and my own observations as a traveling deer hunter. For more info like this, subscribe to the Rut Fresh Radio Podcast and Whitetail Weekly Newsletter. No one covers the rut like us.
The rut is a bell curve that climaxes in mid-November. Every day you get closer to that date, daylight...

Whitetail Deer

Rut Fresh Report: 11/5
Every week this fall, I’ll be providing updates on whitetail buck movement for the entire country. These reports are based on intel from whitetailers in each region and my own observations as a traveling deer hunter. For more info like this, subscribe to the Rut Fresh Radio Podcast and Whitetail Weekly Newsletter. No one covers the rut like us.
This is it—the rut is here. If you whitetail hunt in the East, Midwest, or West, these next couple of...

Whitetail Deer

Rut Fresh Report: 10/29
Every week this fall, I’ll be providing updates on whitetail buck movement for the entire country. These reports are based on intel from whitetailers in each region and my own observations as a traveling deer hunter. For more info like this, subscribe to the Rut Fresh Radio Podcast and Whitetail Weekly Newsletter. No one covers the rut like us.
As I said in last week’s Rut Fresh Report, the end of October is a good time to be in the whitetail...

Whitetail Deer

Video: Zombie Deer with Unbelievable Wound Caught on Trail Camera
If the video doesn’t play, follow this link to YouTube to watch.

Chris Evans, a whitetail hunter from Illinois, could hardly believe what his trail cameras captured last weekend. In an October 17th photo and October 18th video, a zombie-like deer with an enormous wound passes through his property.
The buck first appeared on camera in September and was perfectly healthy then. Evans isn’t sure what caused the injury, but has been reaching...