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Best Food Sources for Big Woods Whitetails
For years, I watched outdoor television with whitetail hunters hunting big food plots and crop fields, telling myself how lucky they are to have those designated food sources. As I grew older, I became obsessed with figuring out how to hunt whitetails in the big woods. I realized there are many good...
Beau Martonik
Sep 17, 2021
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You Won’t Believe How Far this Buck Traveled
It’s that time of year again. From Texas to Maine, whitetail hunters are feverishly pulling trail cam photos to take a first look at the bucks in their area. For those disappointed with their results, a new paper published in “Ecology and Evolution” might offer some hope.
Researchers in Missouri...
Jordan Sillars
Sep 13, 2021
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The Injuries and Illnesses that Trigger Amazing Antlers
Just as premier wines come from the grapes of stressed vines, cool antlers with great character often come from bucks who suffered broken bones, harsh diseases, or crippling injuries.
As Demi Lovato sings, “Nothing is more beautiful than the smile that struggled through tears.” Admirable antler...
Patrick Durkin
Aug 13, 2021
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Herd
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How to Age a Whitetail Buck on the Hoof
Can you tell how old a buck is by observing him from afar or studying a photo? Many say they can, but others call BS.
From my experience, aging a deer “on the hoof” is an inexact science. With the right knowledge an estimate is possible, but estimates always come with caveats. They’re subjective, up...
Mark Kenyon
May 29, 2020
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Whitetail
What is Killing America’s Fawns?
Many hunters picture coyotes scouring woodlots from May to June, snatching newborn fawns between sun-dappled trilliums, and heading home with a hindquarter clamped between their jaws.
Why wouldn’t we envision such scenes? Trail cameras across the U.S. often snap grip-and-grins of coyotes, bobcats...
Patrick Durkin
May 27, 2020
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How the Whitetail Nearly Went Extinct
“When I was your age, it was the talk of the town just to see a deer track!”
Sound familiar? Many hunters in the 21st Century have heard similar statements from a father, grandpa, or friendly old-timer reminiscing about the days when whitetail deer were a novelty. Supposedly, the story goes, there...
Mark Kenyon
May 15, 2020
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Do Antler Point Restrictions Work?
Hunters who push for antler-based regulations often dream of record-book bucks or bulls shredding the bark off thigh-thick pines and aspens across their region.
However, great expectations of antler restrictions often shrivel to disappointment. After all, Western states mostly credit record-book elk...
Patrick Durkin
Oct 30, 2019
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Ask MeatEater: Is It OK to Shoot Fawns?
You’ve got questions. We’ve got answers (and if we don’t, we’ll make them up). Every day, fellow MeatEaters send us more than 100 emails regarding hunting, fishing, cooking, conservation, and more. So, we decided to publish a series dedicated to our favorite FAQs. This is Ask MeatEater.
Decisions...
Mark Kenyon
Sep 25, 2020
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What Hunters Can Do About Chronic Wasting Disease
Chronic wasting disease is one of the biggest conservation challenges of our time. In my previous article, I discussed various reasons everyone should be concerned about CWD. However, that may have left you wondering what we can do about it.
The answer is we can buy time and pay for science. Through...
Doug Duren
Jun 7, 2019
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Ask Wired To Hunt: Should You Shoot Does After the Rut?
Should you shoot does after the rut? It’s a question I see debated on social media regularly this time of year and it’s something I’ve pondered myself.
Having thoroughly examined the pros and cons, as well as my own specific circumstances, I’ve always answered with a definitive yes. If the doe...
Mark Kenyon
Dec 20, 2018
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Habitat
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10 Natural Food Sources Every Deer Hunter Should Know
A deer’s world revolves around its stomach. So should the savvy deer hunter’s plans.
Unfortunately, most conversations about what deer eat begin and end with commercial crops and food plots. I say this with authority, because I was a guilty party to this for quite some time. Since kicking off the...
Mark Kenyon
Apr 23, 2021
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Beggar’s Lice: A Deer Hunter’s Friend and Foe
While scouting a new property in college I noticed every single deer on trail cam was covered in vegetation. The wiry, green plants clung to the thin, orange coats of whitetails and camouflaged them better than any hunting gear could. I had no idea what the foliage was or where it came from.
My...
Spencer Neuharth
Aug 28, 2020
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3 Easy Ways to Improve Any Whitetail Property
A few years ago, I interviewed the host of a prominent whitetail TV show about his proven hunting strategies. He started off by saying that he plants around 100 acres of food plots each year. From that point, his hunting decisions are based around having dozens of destination food sources to choose...
Tony J. Peterson
May 19, 2020
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How Do Deer Respond to Floods?
Early last summer, heavy rain caused swollen creeks and rivers to flood prime whitetail country across Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio and Missouri. This spring, it happened again as unseasonal snowfall and biblical rains swallowed up farmland in South Dakota, North Dakota and Illinois. For some hunters, this...
Spencer Neuharth
Jun 21, 2019
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5 Trees Every Whitetail Hunter Should Know
“Don’t miss the forest for the trees.” It’s a common saying used in conversation when someone is so focused on the details of an issue that they miss the big picture.
A similar affliction is present in many a whitetail hunter, but in our case the issue is becoming so obsessed with seeing deer or...
Mark Kenyon
Feb 26, 2021
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How Crop Rotations Impact Deer Movement
Agriculture dominates the landscape of America’s heartland. The same can be said of its influence on the deer and deer hunters that live there.
The presence of crops that deer eat dramatically impacts where deer live and travel, as do any changes to those crops. Due to an agricultural practice known...
Mark Kenyon
Oct 9, 2020
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