When I hear Northwest, I think of mountains and lumberjacks, real ones and posers both. But it’s surprisingly good whitetail country, too. As we’re ranking the hunting in each region from easiest to toughest, the Northwest lands perfectly in the middle, at No. 3. Patrick Meitin is our resident northwestern...
All you have to do is shake a bag of shelled corn and all the Texas Booners come running in with tails wagging, right? Rattling works so well, it’s almost like cheating. At least, that’s what I’ve been told about deer hunting in the Southwest. Don’t get mad and kick...
No doubt about it, the Midwest is the nation’s easiest region to deer hunt. Manicured food plots. Plump ag fields. It’s all quite beautiful. And we’re using an unscientific, slightly biased system to rank each region, from easiest to toughest. When it comes to the easiest, the Midwest has it...
Honkers can get under my skin any year, but this past season in particular, I encountered several flocks of geese that spiked my blood pressure and elicited creative vocabulary. But I managed to outmaneuver them in the end. Here’s a look the types of problem geese I encountered and how...
February 25, 2020 | Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff
Don't skimp. Don't wander out there short of all the stuff you need to kill a bird. You'll want a good turkey vest with lots of pockets. You'll fill those pockets with the weight of your gear and hopes for success. Your tools for that day's hunt might be simple,...
When the season ends, most duck hunters clean and store their shotguns and don’t pick them up again until the fall. We should do the opposite, and use the free time granted in the off-season to shoot more and stay sharp. This year, try combining several challenging wingshooting activities —...
In this week's Realtree 365 waterfowl roundup, we recap the epic 2019-'20 season with Honey Brake Lodge . Then, the Black Cloud crew reveals how to select choke tubes for different waterfowl hunting situations. The Honey Brake Experience on Realtree 365: A Season to Remember Rating: 4.5 out of 5...
Legend has it that Bill Winke was born in a Redneck blind. That’s fitting, because today, he’s the founder and head honcho at Midwest Whitetail — a leader in the world of outdoor hunting videos. However, it wasn’t until 1988, at the age of 25, that Winke killed his first...
Two years ago, a trespasser tried to kill me. While checking treestands, I noticed someone had tampered with a climbing stand that I’d strapped permanently to a tree. Originally, the climbing cables were attached, and a ratchet strap added further stability on the top and bottom sections. It wasn’t going...
February 13, 2020 | Turkey Blog with Steve Hickoff
We've all been there. Hunt enough and you'll be there again. And again. Ten dumb things you do while turkey hunting follow. 1. Stand When You Should Sit Patience kills turkeys, the old saying goes. Lack of it scares them off. Ever think the woods were dead just an hour...
In this week's Realtree 365 waterfowl roundup, we get an inside peek at the creative folks with The Confluence Group, the marketing arm of Honey Brake Lodge. Then, we catch up with Dennis and Billy as they savor the final moments of duck season. The Honey Brake Experience on Realtree...
Off to a dominating 2020 start, Major League Fishing (MLF) pro Jacob Wheeler led all anglers with a Period 3 win in the recent B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Championship Round. Wheeler, whose sponsors include Academy Sports + Outdoors and Realtree Fishing, caught 24 hard-earned fish. The 68-pound total distanced...
