Hunting

Pocket sets are a versatile trap setup that you can use to target species like raccoon, mink, and muskrat. First, pick a location with animal tracks near a cut bank and shallow moving water that won’t freeze. Start by digging the pocket into the bank about 14 inches deep. The back of the pocket...

If you're going to bother putting in training hours to improve your shot before the fall rolls around, you may as well create as authentic a scenario as possible. You'll thank yourself later when the buck or bull of your dreams comes strolling into view and you've built the muscle memory to shoot...

This is MeatEater Trivia, the only game show where conservation always wins. If you’re not familiar with the show, it’s a bonus podcast we drop every Wednesday on the MeatEater Podcast feed. This is trivia you’re not going to find in Trivial Pursuit or Jeopardy, because these questions are born out...

From brand new pups to the old guard Labrador, these five commands create the essential base of any good hunting retriever. Regardless of age, they create good habits, set the standard for learning, and most importantly, will help you focus more on the hunt and less on bad behavior. Sit Barton...

No two cartridges embody the old school vs. new school debate better than the .30-06 Springfield and the 6.5 Creedmoor. The former got its start in 2007 as a bougie, long-range cartridge more at home on a competition course than in a deer blind. The latter is a World War I and II vet known worldwide...

This beaver trapping technique has been around for a long time, and for good reason. There are few more effective ways to attract beavers toward a trap than by finding one of their telltale slides, creating a scent mound at the base of it, and topping it with a rival beaver's castor. Beavers have...

New hunters often tell me that cartridge nomenclature is the most confusing thing about firearms. Two questions usually top their list: what is a shotgun “gauge,” and what’s the difference between a “12 gauge” and a “20 gauge?” If you’ve found yourself asking these questions–or wondering why larger...

In the 1960s, Canada geese made for a special encounter, and it was the talk of the town if someone was lucky enough to shoot one. Nowadays, Canada geese are pervasive, found in every state except Hawaii, and are huntable from August to March. But some states are much better than others, especially...

Earlier this spring, I had the opportunity to take a few aspiring turkey hunters into the woods. While they were green as can be, the thing that struck me as most odd was that none of them showed up with binoculars. For seasoned hunters, heading into the field without glass is almost as appealing as...

The 9mm Luger might be the king of modern handgun cartridges, but it’s far from the most powerful. If you want to start handgun hunting or want something with a little extra juice for bear defense, the 10mm Auto and the .45 Auto are two popular options. In a first for this series, we’re running...

If ever there was an epidemic in the hunting community, it’d be hearing loss. When target practice is a way of life, it’s easy to become blasé about earmuffs. When that buck is about to get over the ridge, jamming in ear plugs is the last of our worries. For those reasons, most of us will go through...