The name “360 Buckhammer” doesn’t exactly sound like a traditional moniker for a rifle caliber, does it? That’s because rifle cartridges were historically named with the numerical bullet diameter, the manufacturer, and then sometimes a modifier like ...
Whitetail
Saddle Hunting and Hunting Saddles: A No BS Beginner’s Guide
Public land whitetail hunting is nothing new. However, in recent years, it has exploded in popularity. But why? There are a few major reasons, but there's one big solution that is allowing hunters to be more nimble and get to where they need to be to ...
Falling in Love With the Winchester Model 94
I was 19 when my uncle handed me my grandfather’s Winchester Model 94 lever action. It was a beat-up old .30-30 hunting rifle that looked like it had been dragged behind a truck over a gravel road. It had mostly been sitting in a dusty corner ...
$70M Earmarked for Zombie Deer Disease Research, Management
In the recently passed omnibus spending bill, Congress significantly increased spending on researching and managing chronic wasting disease (CWD), an incurable degenerative brain disorder in deer — sometimes called zombie deer disease. With the ...
Deer Calls: Learning to Speak the Language of Whitetails
Whitetail deer are elusive creatures, and getting within shooting range of one isn’t nearly as easy as the Outdoor Channel often makes it look. Deer calls are one tactic hunters can use to swing the odds in their favor. Even when used ...
Youth Hunter with Down Syndrome Slays Huge 17-Point Ohio Buck
Few deer hunters ever get a shot at a 180-class whitetail. But Ashton Copas, 12, took a perfect 70-yard shot on such an Ohio buck on the opening day of the state’s two-day special youth hunting season. Although a massive accomplishment for a hunter ...
Can Deer See Orange? – Know Your Game
A wave of blaze orange sweeps the country every hunting season as some 11.4 million deer hunters hit the woods. Hunters invest tons of time, energy, money, and more than a few prayers into the sport, hoping to fill their tags. Many worry their ...
Deer Hunting Gear: What You Need to Get Started
Because chasing whitetails is a popular pursuit, deer hunting has become a big business. Hunters spend $6.4 billion on hunting gear yearly, not counting trip expenses, guide fees, tags, or licenses. Manufacturers understandably clamor to grab a ...
Deer Hunting With Dogs: An Old and Controversial Tradition
People have used canine hunting companions since the first wolf nervously took a slice of meat from an ancient human hand. Deer hunting with dogs is a natural extension of that aboriginal relationship. Still, modern hunters have mixed feelings ...
Know Your Game: How Long Do Whitetail Deer Live?
If you spend enough early-morning hours sitting still and quiet in a treestand, you start to ponder deep and vital questions: “What will I do when I run out of snacks? How long can I sit in this stand without using the bathroom? How long do whitetail ...
Hunting Accident Roundup: Hunter Falls, Left Hanging by Boot
On Halloween night, a Texas bowhunter survived one of the most terrifying things that can happen to a hunter — he fell almost 20 feet from a treestand and wound up hanging upside down by his boot. It was a hunting accident that could easily have been ...
2 Racks, 1 Buck: Hunter Kills Whitetail With Deer Skull Hooked in Antlers
On Oct. 30, Mike Lewis, 52, shot a once-in-a-lifetime buck. It was a head-turner, not necessarily for his own rack, but because the buck was toting around some seriously hardcore headgear: Another buck’s antlers, with a decaying hunk of deer skull ...
Whitetail Institute: The Staying Power of the Food Plot King
Think back to when you were a young, full-of-piss-and-vinegar whitetail hunter. Now, think of all you've learned about this fascinating game animal over the years and how you've adapted your hunting techniques to help you be more ...
Learn About the Gestation Period for Whitetail Deer to Kill Bucks
I slipped along the muddy bank of the Red River well before first light on the morning of Nov. 3, 2020. Mother Nature was not my friend as I worked my way toward the tree I had picked out while scouting a few months prior, largely based on what I ...
How To Make the Most of a 2-Day North Dakota Deer Hunting Trip
Nearly 45 minutes of shooting light remained during my opening sit of the North Dakota archery season on Sept. 3 when a fawn moved through my shooting lane. My bow was in hand as I anticipated more movement. Sure enough, I got a glimpse of two ...
Mule Deer vs Whitetail Deer: Learn the Differences, Slay Bucks
Hunters often say they prefer one species of deer over another, but for most, the reason for their preference is simply based on where they live. It’s not so much a mule deer vs whitetail deer debate or choice. It’s about what species to which ...
Father, Son Each Kill a Monster Velvet Buck on KY Archery Opener
Tagging a velvet buck with a bow is rare, but tagging a Pope and Young velvet buck is about as rare as a flying unicorn. A father and son both tagging trophy velvet whitetails in early bow season — on the same day — is just bonkers-level rare. That's ...
Hunting Forecast 2022: Extreme Weather Could Be Bad For Hunting
Sweltering heat waves, devastating droughts, extreme flooding, and destructive wildfires throughout the country could point to a brutal hunting forecast this fall. Mule deer, elk, wild turkey, and waterfowl hunters specifically could feel the impact ...
Rifles Allowed for Illinois Deer Hunting, With a Catch
After decades of limiting Illinois whitetail hunters to shotguns and muzzleloaders, the state is finally catching up with the rest of the country, save for a handful of other states. Well, sort of. Single-shot rifles will now be allowed for Illinois ...
A Big Buck Expert On Deer Hunting in the Rain
It was the second Saturday of the Minnesota archery deer season, September 2019, and I was settled into my hunting saddle long before first light on a piece of public land. This property receives plenty of archery and duck hunting pressure, and for ...
Be Ready to Strike During the Whitetail Deer Rut
I love the rut. If you're a whitetail fanatic, how can you not? North winds blow, and heavy antlers abuse trees. Pawed earth can be found under licking branches, and leaves stained yellow, red, orange, and purple cling desperately to every ...
Field Dressing a Deer: A Step-By-Step Guide for New Hunters
Before we get started, allow me to preempt any comments about how I don’t know what I’m doing by saying there’s more than one way to skin a cat (or in this case field dressing a deer). The method I describe here is one of many ways you can field ...
Roadkill Rules: 30 States That Let You Keep Dead Deer
Until recently, an affinity for picking up roadkill wasn’t something you’d discuss in polite barbecue company. But salvaging the good meat from a dead deer — especially one that died after meeting your front bumper — is becoming more acceptable in ...
Swamp Bucks: Plan to Bowhunt Deer in Florida This Summer
When the sun started to peek over the horizon and rays of light teased the land to life, I found myself sitting in a treestand anchored to a palm tree. The heat mixed with over 90% humidity was already too much, and as I wiped the sweat away from my ...
Got a Few Million to Blow? Check Out These 7 Dream Hunting Properties
If you do any sort of hunting, the dream of owning a patch of wild game heaven has absolutely crossed your mind. Whether you’re a diehard whitetail hunter in the East or Midwest, if you chase elk and muleys in the West, or if you haunt cut corn and ...
A Stick-To-Your-Ribs Wild Game Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
Difficulty: EasyPrep Time: 30 minutesCook Time: 45 minutesServes: 2 – 4 Shepherd's pie is one of those dishes that’s worth more than the sum of its parts. Sure, ground meat, mixed vegetables, and mashed potatoes are great on their own, but ...
Tex-Mex Venison Stuffed Peppers: Not Your Mama’s Thursday Night Staple
Stuffed peppers rank up there with meatloaf, spaghetti, and chicken pot pie as staples of the American dinner table. Many of us grew up eating stuffed bell peppers on an almost weekly basis as a cheap, quick, and filling meal to feed a family. But ...
Whitetail Property Tweaks: Low-Effort Improvements That Yield Big Results
I cut my bowhunting teeth chasing plains muleys. In my tiny slice of southeastern Colorado heaven, you'd be a fool not to. Then, in 2012, I went to Illinois on a whitetail hunt. I was blessed to bowhunt a fantastic piece of dirt and the whitetail rut ...
Ban on Sunday Hunting in Maine Could be Trumped by Right-to-Food Law
Maine passed a constitutional right-to-food amendment last November, which guarantees the state’s residents the right to grow and harvest food for personal consumption. Thanks to an interesting interpretation of the amendment, a recent lawsuit is ...
A Venison Kebab Recipe That Will Impress Everyone
To most Americans, the word kebab, or kabob, simply means skewered chunks of marinated meat and vegetables. But in the rest of the world, kebab is a widely popular dish, and there are many kebab recipe variations beyond the cubed style we are ...
