Hunt

Early November is the absolute best time to arrow a big whitetail buck. The rut causes deer to totally lose their minds and make mistakes they otherwise wouldn’t. The second easiest time of year to shoot a booner? Early September—but for way different reasons. Don’t Wait for “Good” Weather To kill a...

October is the most interesting month of the whitetail season. Just hear me out. It’s like the slow ride up the first big hill of a rollercoaster, every passing day akin to a click on the tracks, building towards the much-awaited rush of the rut. The suspense of October alone is enough to make it a...

With the increasing use of trail cameras among deer hunters, a new and most vexing whitetail subspecies has stolen the hearts and minds of hopeful hunters across North America: the nocturnal buck. This is, of course, the big ol’ buck you capture on trail cam every season, but never see during...

There are two myths in deer hunting that need to die. One is that we are all experts at judging the age of a buck on the hoof. The other is that hunting mornings during early season will only cause irreparable harm to your future chances of success. (The thinking here is that it’s too hard to get...

Should you still get out in the field even when it’s raining? For some hunters, there’s an easy and convenient answer. Rain in the forecast means staying at camp and watching football or hitting snooze and catching a few more hours of sleep. But I’d encourage you to consider the more difficult—and...

Amidst many a marital squabble, my wife has reminded me that “perception is reality.” I still don’t know what the hell that means in the context of my marriage, but when it comes to deer hunting, I’ve got it pegged. It means that the October lull is in fact real, despite research showing that buck...

As someone who mostly hunts public land, I’ve realized that a lot of the destination food sources that factor into my hunts are on private land and off limits. Or, they are on public land but are so obvious and easy to hunt that they get a ton of pressure. Although deer still use these food sources...

The peak of the whitetail rut is now behind us in most parts of the country. I hate to say that, but it’s true. If you’re still holding on to a buck tag this fact might be causing you some stress, but don’t despair. The post-rut can be just as promising as the peak if you know where to look. Here...

If you want one of the biggest challenges in whitetail hunting, set your sights on a mature buck in December. If that’s not enough, commit to doing it on public land. After general gun season resets the deer herd to survival mode and the rut winds down to nothing, it becomes challenging just to see...

Several years ago I was sitting on a Minnesota buck tag as December rolled in. I figured filling that tag was a long shot, but I also had nothing to lose by trying. I made a plan to split my time between private and public ground with the realization that I didn’t have access to a single acre of a...

Santa Claus, Christmas carols, and candy canes be damned—now is not the time to get distracted from deer hunting if you still have a tag. The late season can be one of your best chances to kill a buck, but only if you play your cards right. That means paying attention to the weather. Why? By the...

Many hunters claim that December is often the best time to kill a mature buck. After all, the rigors of the rut caused them to drop 25% of weight, and packing on pounds is of utmost importance. So, simply hop on your side-by-side and drive out to your favorite box blind to shoot a hitlister over...

Having a good ground game is as important to a whitetail hunter as being able to kill deer from a tree. Versatility is your friend, and there are times of the year—like the late season—where one style can offer up an advantage over the other. If you’re looking to arrow a buzzer-beater buck, your...

Late season can be one of your very best chances at a mature buck all year, but that’s only if several criteria are met. The most important of those criteria is simply having a mature buck on your property that’s moving in daylight. Attracting a big buck to your land can be as simple as having food...