Do an online search for “speed bows” and you’ll find no shortage of articles and forum threads highlighting all the supposed problems associated with them for bowhunters. It’s become so common, in fact, for writers to trash-talk speed bows that we’ve created our own set of speed bow cliches and...
These soft, summer evenings in mid-July and August are when I officially start my scouting for the upcoming deer season . A couple hours before dark, I drive to one of my hunt areas and park where I can see a good piece into a field of low-growing alfalfa, soybeans,...
If you’re like me, you’d own 20 or more rifles, shotguns, and handguns, however many you could afford. But truth is, to have a blast shooting targets and hunting every species of bird and animal across America, you really only need five firearms. And those are the ones we’re talking...
Deer season is knocking on the door, and it’s time to answer questions people have about the Northeast. Hunters will be pleased to know that things are shaping up quite nicely for the region. Thanks to several consecutive mild winters, solid mast crops, improved management decisions by states, and more,...
Deer hunting in the Southeast isn’t what it once was. It’s now much better. Many southern states have taken aggressive steps — at the urging of hunters — to better manage their deer herds for older bucks and better opportunity. It’s paying off, too, as more monster deer stories are...
Right now, there’s a flatbed trailer parked in my driveway, stacked high with a magnificent pile of junk. I see an old grill, a mini fridge that hasn’t worked in five years, dull lawnmower blades, and a storm door with broken hinges. I’m almost afraid to write about it, for...
David Blanton knew he had target panic. But like many bowhunters , the 46-year veteran of the deer woods and longtime host of Realtree Outdoors had always been able to manage it, like an annoying but otherwise harmless preexisting condition. “I’ve always been a puncher,” Blanton says. “I draw back,...
I’m not saying your granddaddy isn't a good deer hunter. Chances are he’s killed more bucks with his open-sighted, lever-action .30-30 than all the local youngins hollerin’ “Smoked him,” “Pole-waxed that joker,” or my personal (least) favorite, “Just gave that ol’ slob a dirt nap” combined. And he'll shame a...
Thomas Baumeister studies the splayed-out carcass of a decomposed elk carcass as though it’s a crime scene. The outstretched neck points downhill like it’s reaching for a finish line, the legs extend uphill, hinting the animal may have slid on its belly, and the location of the carcass itself doesn’t...
Bowfishing is a lot like bowhunting. Except that you get to shoot a whole lot more. And it's warm. And you can talk to your buddies. And you don't have to worry about the wind. And you get to reel in a bunch of big fish. It's an inexpensive sport...
Elk bugles change lives. I’m serious; think about it for a moment. If you’re a big-game hunter coming face to face with one of the most challenging, most sought-after four-legged animals in the world, you certainly remember the first time you hear that throaty, raspy, deep bellow intro and high-pitched...
Public-land deer hunting might be more popular right now than it's ever been. It can be as good as private land hunting, too, but with some subtle twists. There are some unspoken rules of the road so if you're a public land hunter, avoid doing these 13 things, for the...
