Articles

For many hunters, time in the woods doesn't end when deer season closes. We spend the fall chasing whitetails, the winter scouting and reflecting on the past season, and the spring pursuing gobbling turkeys. Then, almost overnight, turkey season comes to an end, and many of us find ourselves staying out of the woods for a while. The excitement of hunting season seems distant, and life gets busy. But during those quiet months, mature bucks aren't standing still. As summer approaches, mature bucks

Planning for the next waterfowl season begins with letting the water off of last year’s crops in order to dry out the ground. Getting soil samples ensures the right balance of fertilizer required for whatever the next crop will be. Ordering seed and balancing one’s budget are the next decisions, coming in quick succession. A repetition of planting is a gamekeeper’s friend when it comes to attracting migratory waterfowl, and learning to adjust those plans to the climate conditions each year is a

Few things stir the heart of a turkey hunter like the final march of a gobbler within gun range. The boom of a shotgun echoes across the landscape, and you quickly make your way to a bird that finally met his match. And regardless of whether it’s your first bird, or 100th, you stand there staring at your prize in disbelief that it happened like it did. When the adrenaline finally settles a bit, and the high-fives, phone calls, text, and photos have been sent, it’s time to get your bird and gear

Over the past 25 years of turkey hunting, I have noticed that everyone has unique tips for their success while hunting. These tips often include what types of calls to use, when to use them, decoy tactics, and what time of the day is most effective for calling in a mature tom. Often, when talking to veteran turkey hunters about the best time to call a gobbler, I hear them mention mid-days. Then I wondered, is mid-days their preferred period because of being more successful, or do they not like

Decoys are visual aids used to draw attention, give birds and animals a reason to close the distance, and to add realism to a hunting ambush setup. Decoy placement, posture and movement (or lack of motion) can all be important. When hunting waterfowl, positioning of your decoys in relation to the hunters’ locations and considering the wind speed and direction is vital for consistent success. As migrating birds move south, they look to flock with other birds. We hope that our fake offering of

Duck season is winding down and the ducks have been hunted since September, when they start getting shot at in Canada. If you are still using the same calling routine and decoy spread that you were in November, it can be costing you a full limit on your duck strap. Let’s go over a few tips, tricks and strategies to help you kill more ducks this late in January. Tone Down the Calling. By this time of year, most ducks can tell if you are blowing an RNT, Echo or Zink duck call. If you are blowing a

The more you know about whitetail behavior, the better your odds of reducing one to possession. Included in that behavior is the local whitetails’ social structure, not only how males and females, young and old interact, but also how those interactions change throughout the year. Many a novice hunter sees a bachelor group of bucks feeding on a field edge, and then returns a month later expecting them to waltz past his stand at sunset, only to be sadly disappointed. What follows is a general

The whitetail rut, that magical period when deer are actively breeding, is the pinnacle of hunting season for many. It's a time of heightened deer activity, unpredictable encounters, and opportunities galore. Yet, amidst the chaos and excitement, hunters face a crucial decision. Should they focus on pursuing a specific target buck or embrace the rut's free-for-all dynamics? A couple of years ago, while hunting near my home in southern Missouri, I got to experience a little of both scenarios

Oh, sweet November! For deer hunters, the month of November is what we have spent the entire year waiting for. The month of November is primarily the time in most regions that the whitetail deer have their breeding season or what is more commonly known as the rut. The rut is a particular time of year when deer, more specifically bucks, fall out of their everyday routine. During this time, a buck's travel routes or daily patterns are unpredictable, leaving deer hunters on the edge of their seat

As October rolls in, whitetail seasons across the country continue to open with significant changes in buck movement and behavior. Over the years, I have logged a lot of time in the tree stand throughout the month of October and have taken a lot of notes on things I have noticed about buck behavior. Here’s a week-by-week breakdown of what you can expect in October and creating a strategy for the best results. Week 1 (October 1 - October 8) The first week of October marks a transitional period in