How To Kill Your Buck In The Off-Season (Scout, Plan and Prep)

By Joe Elsinger Most of my deer hunting related work occurs long before my first hunt of the year. I am not talking about food plots or trimming out stand sites – neither of which are even legal on most public lands I hunt. Instead, the focus is on understanding the deer and the land on which they live. Here’s a look at what I mean by that, and how exactly I use this off-season work to kill mature bucks on public land. Deer Season – Last Year The...

The Best Time to Upgrade Your Bow

Let’s forget the arguments for and against buying a new bow. Instead, let’s pretend as if you’ve decided that this year is the year you’re going to trade in the old rig for something new. Since bow manufacturers have been engaged in a who-can-release-it-first war for about a decade ago, the newest models have been out for months already. By March, a whole slate of fresh rigs have hit the pro shops, and you’ve likely consumed some marketing around...

The Best Setups for Killing a Velvet Buck

There are only a handful of states that offer bowhunters the opportunity to arrow a velvet buck. Nonresidents looking for this unique trophy will see North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Montana, Tennessee, and Kentucky at the top of the list. Ambitious archers are allowed the chance thanks to easy-to-draw tags and late-August/early-September openers. A few other states open early enough for a shot as well, but you generally have to apply and...