How to Catch and Fish with Leeches

“Heads or tails?” It was the most important coin toss of the year, for it determined who was going to fish and who was going to bleed. I was 13 years old when my brother and I started the tradition of tossing a coin to decide which one of us had to drop trousers and wade out into the lukewarm water of a swamp that drained into a particular Adirondack lake we loved to fish. It was the perfect place to gather bait for walleye. Armed with a small...

How to Make Birdseed Suet with Deer Fat

Whitetail fat isn't something that you'd typically keep during the butchering process. It’s often trimmed off, tossed into the waste pile, or “left for the birds.” However, it's worth knowing that the waxy fat melts nicely and hardens up as it cools, making it perfect for a few out-of-the-ordinary applications. When I was a young fellow, my dad taught me the value of using as much of a harvest as possible, including hanging on to the fat and...

How to Deal with a Gut Shot Deer

A gut shot deer is any hunters nightmare. It is never good news when you hit a deer in the gut, but it’s our job as hunters to make the best of a bad situation. To be as brief as possible, there are several key things to understand in this situation. First, how do you know you gut shot the deer? Typically when you hit a deer in the gut, it will hunch up and walk or trot away in a strained looking position. If you are still not sure after the shot...