Is there really such a thing as a “tough” game animal? After all, a bullet or arrow through the vitals will do the job on anything, from squirrels to elephants, right? That’s true. But equally true is that some critters, due to the size of their vitals, thickness of hide,...
In my formative deer hunting years, I’d park an extra quarter mile from my hunting area, throw a climbing stand on my back, and hike all the way to my tree. Often as not I’d spook a deer somewhere along the way. Back in those days, too, I’d sometimes listen...
Scott Bestul was looking forward to an evening hunt in southern Minnesota. It was a 25-degree November afternoon with snow on the ground, and Bestul — a 40-year veteran of the deer woods and longtime whitetails columnist for Field & Stream — knew it was likely to be a good...
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...
Big buck stories and rut reports aside, what's been going on in the whitetail world this fall? Here's a quick roundup of the latest headlines. A man in Boone County, Kentucky, is accused of poaching a giant non-typical buck scoring 230 6/8. Conservation officers with the Kentucky Department of Fish...
The best holiday gifts are those that blend right in under the tree, thanks of course to a perfect camouflage pattern. This year we’ve pooled our resources to come up with a wish list of gear that’s sure to please the hunter on your list. And if you want to...
The story of “The Tree Buck” began in the summer of 2019, when Ohio deer hunter Kaitlyn Warner first received trail-camera photos of him. “I sent a picture to a good friend in Florida, and he stated that it looked like a tree was growing on top of his head,”...
My guess is there’ll be a bunch of crossbow hunters in the woods this fall. Interest in hunting is on the general upswing, many states have relaxed their crossbow regulations, and there are more crossbows than ever on the market to suit all budgets. I grow tired of people comparing...
Our third Antler Nation roundup centers on the Midwest region. These big-woods and grain states offer good to great deer hunting, and we’ve updated each state’s page with current hunting regs, license costs, and other vital information. Illinois With advanced planning and in-the-field scouting, it’s possible to find a public-land...
Really old whitetails with undesirable antler traits appear nationwide, but sometimes, these animals exist in higher concentrations. This occurs even in states and regions known for incredible genetics. From unmanaged areas to properly managed tracts, let’s examine this phenomenon. Unmanaged Areas In unmanaged settings, many hunters are satisfied with shooting...
There are promised lands in the elk world where a 300-class bull is just okay, compared to the mammoths roaming around. Multiple elk states have these hidden gems. The difficult part is drawing a tag. Each state handles things a bit differently, and wait times can be up to 20...
One of the fastest-growing hunting trends is deer management. It has value, but the right perspective is critical. It’s difficult to produce big, mature bucks on purpose, even in great areas. I’ve seen the challenges with managing for big deer. When Trophy Management Works Most of the time, it’s random...
