Waterfowlers prepare fanatically for the season and individual hunts. We repaint decoys, check lines and repair blinds. We make sure our boat batteries are charged and trouble-shoot motor problems. We shoot frequently to hone our eyes. And we scout like fiends, noting bird numbers, location and movements. Before the first...
I've had coyote and hog encounters on turkey hunts around the country (and closer to home). As for many, sometimes it ruins the hunt. Other times, it becomes the hunt – or part of it. Texas. A bright-eyed but toothsome head popped up in range where we thought a turkey...
A friend of mine watched a buck for several years that had only three legs. Its right antler always had a “T” shape at its end, and the deer had a small rack. My friend finally shot The T-Handle Buck when it was 6 1/2 years old. It wouldn’t have...
Even though Tes Jolly of Tuskegee, Ala., posted the comment, “Gonna buy a lottery ticket!” on her Facebook page after downing her third impressive buck of the season on her farm, she knew she owed her success to more than just luck. She chalked up her achievement to intensive land...
Blood trailing isn’t just a skill. It’s an art. It takes years of practice and a lot of blood trails to gain the experience it takes to become proficient. To accomplish this, don’t just blood trail your own deer. Help other people blood trail theirs, too. This will increase your...
By: Realtree Staff “Go West” was 19th century publisher Horace Greeley’s advice, and now, more than a century later, it appears North America’s whitetails may be heeding that same advice. The prolific and adaptable species is expanding into areas once the primary domain of the mule deer . And where...
I’m still a fairly young man; but those who know me call me an old soul. I like new-school, hi-tech bowhunting equipment; but I take just as much enjoyment from shooting a recurve. Call me conflicted. Call me whatever you want. But I love it all — both tactics that...
Some say work hard. Others say work smart. I say do both. And when it comes to hunting whitetails, both are important ingredients for success. Which leads me to one of the most important tactics known to bowhunters — hunting near deer crossings (or pinch-points). These are key to hunting...
Waterfowlers love to talk about physically “tough” ducks — birds that shake off seemingly lethal charges of shot in the air or on water and then dive or swim to escape. The idea is a bit misleading, I think, because hunters are often responsible for creating seemingly rugged birds. Poor...
Folks casually use the expression “lightning strikes” when describing chance events. But unfortunately for some waterfowl , lightning sometimes actually strikes — with fatal results. According to an April 8 article by Nate Eaton at EastIdahoNews.com , more than 100 light geese were killed April 7 and fell into a...
I love the challenge of a do-it-yourself roadtrip for whitetails. I suppose that’s why I have been on about two dozen of them in the last 15 years. I have had some exciting successes and some crushing failures during these hunts, but I have learned from each one of them...
Speed scouting with maps can quickly put you on big bucks. It works. You just have to know how to get the job done. Why Speed Scout? Whether you’ve been drawn for a special hunt in an unfamiliar area, are hunting out of state or are just hunting a new...
A newborn fawn lies curled in the tall grass. It doesn’t move, driven by instinct and natural behavior to remain motionless. Its mother, a wary doe, feeds in the meadow a couple hundred yards away. Seconds later, a pair of cunning coyotes stalk through the grass, knowing what time of...
In practice and concept, the act of a dog retrieving a dead duck appears simple. Real-world hunting , however, sometimes complicates the process. Poor shots, missed marks, human or canine error, and other factors often lead to retrieving adventures. And when you factor in conditions and the personality of the...
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