Veteran duck hunters know the drill after whiffing on a bird: Stand as if stunned, mouth agape, and shake your head, as if it’s never happened before. It’s a good way to save face. However, with honest introspection, we typically know that our form or swing was off. Now and...
Record book whitetails of any sort are rare, but top-end typicals eclipsing the 180 mark definitely turn heads. Last season, Realtree pro staffer Carl Drake had an opportunity to hunt such a buck. He first laid eyes on the deer in 2018, when it was a great-looking 3 1/2-year-old. Drake...
The Grand Slam Club — later to become Grand Slam Club/Ovis — was founded in 1956 by Bob Housholder. It was a time of rising popularity for conservation, and records preservation was part of that initiative. One of his goals was to document those who bagged all North American trophies...
Dark forms whirled overhead as I glanced nervously at my phone, wishing legal shooting light would arrive just a little sooner over the North Platte River. Soon, the familiar rituals of another duck hunt would consume me. Yet this day was different. I was carrying a Benelli Super Black Eagle,...
Florida native Kim Ellis grew up running hounds in the timbered expanse of Ocala National Forest. Her parents had her in the woods from the time she was 6 months old, and never looked back. By early childhood, she was an avid gun hunter and more recently, she's taken up...
The ammunition shortage of 2020 and early 2021 has had a massive impact on shooting and hunting. As early as last June, shelves were becoming bare of popular cartridges like the .223 and 9mm. By October, when most gun hunters started prepping for deer season, it was difficult if not...
Late-season duck hunting brings many challenges, including calling. Some days, it seems like birds have heard — and ignore — every sound you can utter. Don’t despair. Even the pros have days when ducks shun their best routines. But they adapt their approach to find notes that bring birds sure-kill...
There is a little cedar tree 25 yards from the blind where 14-year-old Paslie Werth and her dad, Kurt, were hunting during the September Kansas youth deer season. On the whole, the landscape is classic southwest Kansas: open country with pastures, cropland, and CRP fields. A cedar might stand out...
Disappearing into the environment greatly increases your chances of waterfowling success, whether you’re crouched in tall cattails or snug against a broad tupelo gum tree. But when you add several other hunters to the equation — perhaps folks who can’t sit still or want to stare at passing birds —...
In a perfect world, every waterfowler would be on the X daily, waiting for birds at a hot feed or midmorning loafing area. Then, afternoon scouting would reveal another hotspot for the next day. That, of course, is fantasy. Despite our best scouting efforts , we’re not always on the...
Most who have packed a rifle or bow into the deer woods have heard of Buckmasters and Jackie Bushman. The names are ingrained in the outdoor space, and Bushman has a strong legacy as an industry pioneer. Sure, he’s spent much of his airtime reflecting on the hunts of others,...
Late muzzleloader hunts are the last hurrah in a lot of whitetail country, and they can be a great opportunity to kill a good buck. Big deer powerhouses like Iowa and Ohio offer seasons into January. But you have to make the shot when it happens, and muzzleloaders don’t always...
