Capt. Obvious might point out that ducks need water. Likewise, duck hunters depend on water. Some years, however, Mother Nature’s faucet never turns off, inundating the landscape with too much precipitation . And that can create headaches. Overabundant water spreads birds out, letting them use secluded, unpressured spots to feed,...
Ten of us lay in a cut milo field in the middle of America. Forty-five minutes earlier, our group had plunged hundreds of staked-out socks and silhouettes into the ground while a mixed playlist of rap and Southern steel guitar country rock anthems reverberated across the prairie, keeping us working...
People are excitable — and perhaps even a little snobby — about their kicks, and hunters aren’t immune to that common truth. Most people just care about how they look, but hunters demand performance. They have to look the part, and act it, too. These boots must walk the walk...
It’s happened to you. It’s happened to me. And it just might happen to us both again by the end of the week — patterning a nice buck, only for a fellow hunter to move in and screw it up nice and good. Such is the norm for those who...
Editor's note: This blog originally appeared on May 11, 2017, on Realtree.com. Call me a grouch, but some statements make me cringe or roll my eyes. Many of those are uttered in a duck blind or goose field. I try to be polite and open-minded, of course, especially when chatting...
Most spot-and-stalk hunts for Eastern whitetails are a bust, but there are times when a stalk is your only option for filling a tag. If you need to get down out of the tree and slither into range, remember this advice. There are certain times that are best suited for...
Chilled and sleep-deprived, you’ve huddled in your skiff since 3 a.m., confident your extra efforts have netted you the best spot in the marsh. But as dawn breaks, you watch helplessly as a boat motors 50 yards downwind and its occupants begin tossing out decoys. “Dang,” you think, shaking your...
You jolt awake, soaked with sweat and still reeling from the dream. A flock of mallards had parachuted into your decoys, seemingly hovering in the breeze at 20 yards and begging for steel. Yet as you emptied your shotgun, nothing fell. You didn’t cut a feather. “I didn’t shoot at...
It’s no secret among my buddies that I require good food at deer camp. It doesn’t matter if it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner – a filling meal keeps everyone happy and hunting hard. But camp cooking isn’t always easy. A campfire works, but it’s easy to burn or undercook your...
Dark-thirty, Sept. 1: Daylight won’t arrive for almost an hour, but the distant clucks of honkers and buzzing of teal already fill the air. Soon, the grand game will be on, and another waterfowl season will have begun. These first moments bring more than jitters. The smell of freshly cut...
As I’ve pointed out previously , some states simply don’t offer great duck hunting opportunities. Maybe they’re not in a major flyway. Perhaps they lack waterfowl habitat. Whatever the case, hunters in several areas consistently tote lighter straps than their brethren in duck-rich regions. In the spirit of fun, I...
