Proper land management is like a good marriage. The more you put into it, the more you get out of it. Improvements are slow to materialize, and best measured over time. It’s a lot of work, but the rewards make it all worthwhile. Habitat is a living, breathing thing. It...
Blood-shot eyes rolling back in their sockets. Tattered ears pinned backward. Snort-wheezes erupting. And then — a good whoopin’. Those are the sights you can look forward to when hunting with a buck decoy during the rut and Phillip Vanderpool, host of “The Virtue,” wants to help you make it...
The thought of keeping a journal conjures up childhood memories of the time my older sister caught me reading her diary. It resulted in the beating of my life. There’s nothing real glamorous about the thought of revealing to your hunting buddies that you have a deer hunting journal. But...
Deer season is open in just about every state in the country now, and the action is red-hot on Realtree 365 . Fall is here, and the big boys are starting to move. Check out all the great stories from this week. Whitetail TV: Crop Dusters, No Man’s Land, and...
For many people, the biggest challenge of hunting isn’t tagging a big buck or finding folks to hunt with. It’s simply finding a good place to go. The lack of access is causing hordes of outdoorsmen to leave the tradition behind. But that doesn’t have to be the case. There...
The twig snapped under my boot and I froze. Motionless, I stood there until my quarry relaxed and began feeding once again on the tender clover. I crept closer, metering my steps in predatory tempo, inching forward until the animal was within range. My bow, made by a company that...
I’ve hunted just about every day of the rut since 1990 and I have talked to a lot of people. Arguably, the best single day is November 7. Some guys like November 8 or 9, but those three days generally produce the best daylight action of the season, assuming normal...
You know that one guy who seems to have a lucky horseshoe stuck up his rear end every deer season? He seems to be an average guy who hunts like everyone else, but he knocks down big bucks one after another. What’s the deal with him? Why is he so...
Whitetails that live in flat country are tough to kill. Without good terrain to conceal your approach, your quarry will bust you long before you get into range. That’s why I prefer hunting ground with varied topography over land without elevation changes. Terrain gives deer a tactical advantage, but you...
As long as hunters are slinging arrows at deer, they’ll need quality gear. Of course, the definition of quality has evolved alongside the rest of our equipment and tactics. We recently tested Drake’s Non-Typical early season Camo Tech suit. Here’s the 411 on the 1/4 zip shirt, pants and hat...
No one wants to wait two, three or four years to draw a deer tag. That’s for the birds. And applying for preference points is a hassle. You want to be able to pack the gear, crank the truck, hit the road, buy your license, and start hunting when you...
I started my career in the outdoor industry as a magazine writer. Today, I’m a digital guy. But there’s still something magical about holding that fact-filled book in your hands. Turning the glossy pages and seeing the words and photography that adorn them is an experience you don’t get elsewhere...
