Long gone are the fair-weather hunters. They Who Only Hunt Early are home sitting by a cozy fire, reading a good duck hunting book and dreaming of blue skies and sort-of-green-headed ducks gliding into serene blocks. But you are a late-season fanatic. Yes, you were out there with the bluebird-day...
On public land , just about everything works against you. There are more hunters and more pressure, and typically less good habitat. The way other folks hunt can dictate your success, and you’re darn sure going to sweat for ducks . But that’s all many of us have. Sure, there...
Many waterfowlers hire guides at times, and it’s easy to see why. Outfitters can provide expert instruction and great places to hunt, and they might be your best option for a bucket-list trip. But hiring a guide can be daunting, leaving your head spinning about the best choice, what to...
Many coyote hunters shy away from public land, believing it overrun with hunters, and that all the young, uneducated coyotes were killed early. Any surviving coyotes have either left the area or are super wary, having learned from previous run-ins with hunters just what those rabbit-distress sounds really mean. Don’t...
Deer hunting is full of vernacular that only whitetail enthusiasts understand. Different sayings, lines and clichés that most people wouldn’t begin to decipher. Some are bad. Others are really bad. And some are just plain ugly. We all have our pet peeves, but some deer hunting lines just need to...
“Aw, it’s just a spoonie.” How often have you heard that when a hunting partner picks up a duck or accepts one from an excited retriever, and that duck in hand turns out to be a northern shoveler? Perhaps you’ve even uttered and muttered similar words. Maybe it’s the big,...
For years, many waterfowl and upland-bird hunting rituals were passed down through generations. Fathers gave decoys to their sons. Old-timers bequeathed wool hunting coats to grandchildren. And season after season, semi-automatic shotguns would jam in the field — likely at the worst possible moments. Even some all-time great auto-loaders sometimes...
You know how hungry you get when you’re out hunting or working in the freezing cold during a long winter day? How the cold seems to sap your energy and strength, making you think about eating a snack or checking your watch to see if it's time yet for lunch?...
It’s the late season. It’s cold. Friggin’ cold. But you’ve still got a tag in your pocket. And I do, too. I’ve had a pretty darn good season. I killed a very nice Kentucky buck early on during archery season. Since then, I’ve been a part of some great hunts...
I exhaled strong gasps of air through the plastic mouth call, cupping my hand on the barrel accordingly, sending eerie, squalling, bone-chilling sounds of a rabbit in distress out across the valley floor, penetrating nearly a mile into the foothills beyond. No more than 5 minutes went by when I...
That strong north wind is carrying more than just cold weather. The end of deer season is right behind it. You still haven’t killed a buck. And you burned most of your vacation days during the rut. But you don’t need much more time off to kill a big, old...
So you think hunting for ducks and geese on public-access areas sucks because those spots are overhunted and overcrowded, and you end up in calling duels with sky-busting neighboring hunters who are always out of their blind peeing when birds are trying to come in? Let me tell you why...
