As a Pennsylvania whitetail hunter, you just don’t expect to shoot a Boone and Crockett deer. Pennsylvania is far from both Iowa and Wisconsin, but since the state implemented an antler point restriction in 2002, it feels like that distance has ...
The Time is Now: How to Apply and Draw Western Hunting Tags
In 2019, I purchased an over-the-counter, or OTC, archery elk tag in Idaho in August to hunt that following September. Two years later, on the day the tags dropped, I was number 11,873 in an online cue for this same OTC tag — and I didn’t get it. ...
Most Important Piece of Hunting Kit: Stay Warm in a Treestand
When I first started whitetail hunting, being cold was the No. 1 thing that’d get me out of a stand early. It didn’t matter how heavy or warm my clothing was; I still froze during November and December hunts. Every Hunter’s Ed test has the same ...
5 Keys to Pulling Off an All-Day Sit During the Whitetail Rut
Hunting the whitetail rut is a fucking grind. It's the time of year all hunters look forward to, full of lows with a few highs sprinkled in. During the rut, anything can happen at literally any time. You can go from having a season full of ...
How to Hunt Public Land Whitetail: A 3-Year Strategy
Hunting public land whitetails can be frustrating, to say the least. Going into a new area and figuring it out can make a deer hunter go crazy with second guesses. It’s extremely difficult to make all of the right decisions on an unfamiliar piece of ...
Public Land Whitetail Hunting Tips: The 5 Things to Keep in Mind
Every year, I find myself with a mixture of new and old hunting areas in my hunting plans. Hunting the places you’ve always hunted provides you with years of insightful knowledge of the landscape and animal movement. Hunting new areas provide you ...
What a Hunting Plan for Out-of-State DIY Whitetail Quests Should Include
Traveling to hunt whitetails is an incredible way to experience new places, chase bigger deer, have a great time with friends, and grow as a whitetail hunter. I started traveling to hunt in 2014 when I first went to Ohio with my Dad and friends, and ...
How to Read Wind and Thermals to Get on Big Deer and Elk
There are hundreds of gadgets, gizmos, and products available on the market designed to help you to stay “undetectable” and beat an animal’s nose. While some of these products can help you reduce your scent, they are far from a magic-bullet solution ...
Elk Hunting on Public Land: How To Build a 3-Year Strategy for a New Area
Public-land elk hunting is hard. The average success rate is below 10%, yet more and more hunters head West to give it a shot every year. Some find success in year one, but most don’t. That's why I like to utilize a three-year strategy when ...
Starter Kit: How To Hunt Rattlesnakes
Over the years, I’ve found myself hunting almost year-round — turkeys in spring, bugling elk in September, whitetails and bears in fall, and predators in winter — but there’s always been a lull during summer. Then, I found rattlesnake ...