Author: Ian from WorldDeer.org

Stop Guessing, Start Measuring, And Don’t Lie To Yourself. The biggest mistakes guys make scoring their own buck are measuring too soon, using the wrong tape, and “rounding up” when nobody is watching. If you want a score you can

Make the Call Fast. Inside Spread Is Simple If You Measure It the Same Way Every Time. To measure inside spread on deer antlers, I measure the widest point between the inside edges of the main beams, at a right

Which Scoring System Should You Use? The difference is simple. Boone and Crockett is for rifle, muzzleloader, and handgun kills, and Pope and Young is for vertical bow kills. Both use the same basic measurements on whitetails, but the entry

Pick a Peroxide Strength and Stop Guessing For deer skull bleaching, I use 12% hydrogen peroxide “developer” for most euro mounts, and I avoid straight household 3% unless I have all week to mess with it. If I have a

How Long Until You Get Your Mount Back, Really. Most shoulder mounts take 6 to 12 months. If you drop it off in November, do not be shocked if you get it back the next summer or even the next

Decide Your Goal Before You Cut Anything The best way to cape a deer in the field is to do a clean shoulder cape with long cuts, keep hair out of meat, keep blood off the hide, and stop your

Pick Your Humidity Window and Hunt It Hard The humidity level I like best for deer hunting is 40% to 70%. Below 40% I focus on slow, quiet entry and early sits, and above 70% I hunt closer to bedding

Pick Your Goal Before You Open the App I use OnX Maps for one thing. I use it to cut time off my scouting and put my boots in the right 200 yards. If you try to make it do

Pick a Wind Checker That Shows Micro Swirls, Not Just “Windy” The best wind checker for bow hunting is a simple powder bottle you can puff anytime, like the HME Scent Slammer Wind Detector or the Code Blue Wind Detector.

Pick the Pioneer if you want simple and tough, and pick the Ranger if you want comfort and speed. If I had to buy one UTV today for whitetail hunting, I would buy a Honda Pioneer for rough public land

How Deep of Water Can a Hunting UTV Cross Without Wrecking It Most hunting UTVs can safely cross about 12 to 18 inches of moving water, and maybe 18 to 24 inches of slow water, if the bottom is firm

The Fast Answer If You’re Alone and It’s Heavy I load a deer on an ATV alone by getting the deer on a plastic sled, using a short ramp, and pulling it up with a winch or a rope-and-pulley tied

How Long After a Shot Can a Dog Track? A good tracking dog can follow a wounded deer for 24 to 48 hours after the shot, and I have seen solid dogs work sign past 72 hours if the weather

How Far Can a Dog Track a Wounded Deer Before You Should Back Out? A good blood tracking dog can follow a wounded deer anywhere from 300 yards to 2 miles, and I have seen them go farther on the

Decide If You Even Need an Oxygen Tank in the Woods If you need an oxygen tank to breathe, you can still hunt, but you have to hunt slower, hunt closer, and build your whole plan around safety first. I

Start Here, Because The Rules Change Fast. You get a disabled hunting permit by proving your disability to the right state agency, then applying for either an accessible tag, an accommodation, or a special season. Most states make you pick

Pick the Crossbow That Will Actually Work One-Handed The best crossbow for one handed shooting is a compact, well-balanced, low-recoil crossbow with a crank cocking option and an easy safety you can run without twisting your wrist. I am not

Pick One Chair Based on How You Actually Hunt If you hunt from the ground and you move even a little, I would buy the Action Track Chair. If you mostly sit one spot for 3 to 6 hours and

What I Would Buy First If I Was Hunting From a Wheelchair The fastest way to make wheelchair hunting work is to build your setup around stable shooting support, quiet access, and a plan for the recovery. If you can

Pick One: Youth Crossbow For Close Shots, Youth Rifle For Easy Range. If my kid can sit still and keep the shot under 30 yards, I pick a youth crossbow. If my kid gets shaky with buck fever or the

Pick Snacks That Keep Kids Quiet, Warm, and Hydrated The best snacks for kids on long hunts are quiet to eat, won’t freeze solid, don’t stink up your pack, and give steady energy like beef sticks, peanut butter sandwiches, trail

Pick Your Copper Bullet Based on Your Real Range The best copper bullet for deer hunting is the Barnes TTSX if you want the safest all-around choice for normal whitetail ranges, and the Hornady GMX if you want a slightly

Pick One Box And Go Hunt If you put a gun to my head and made me choose one deer load across a bunch of states, I would grab Federal Premium in a controlled-expansion bullet like Trophy Bonded Tip or

Pick One Rifle. Then Hunt With It. If you want a no-drama deer rifle for timber and 40 to 125 yard shots, I would buy a Marlin 336 if it is a real JM-marked gun or a clean Ruger-made Marlin.

Pick a Lever Gun That Handles Fast, Not One That Looks Cool The best lever action for deer in thick woods is a short, handy rifle in .30-30 Winchester with good iron sights or a low-power optic. If you want

Pick One Caliber and Get Good With It For deer inside 200 yards, I would pick a .308 Winchester if I could only own one rifle. If you already own a .30-06, .270, 7mm-08, .243, or a straight-wall like .350

Pick Your Scope Like You Pick Your Stand, Not Like You Pick a Catalog The best scope for a lever action 30-30 is a low-power, compact 1-4x or 2-7x with generous eye relief and a simple duplex-style reticle. If you

Start Here: The Fast Way I Zero at 100 Yards I zero a rifle scope for 100 yards by boresighting, shooting a 3-shot group at 25 yards to get on paper, then shooting 3-shot groups at 100 and adjusting only

Pick 10×42 or 8×42 Based on How Far You Really Glass If I have to judge a rack past 200 yards, I grab 10×42. If I am bowhunting thick woods inside 120 yards, I grab 8×42. I have carried both

Pick One Based on Your Real Hunting, Not Specs If you are a whitetail hunter who glassed deer inside 400 yards from a treestand edge, the Diamondback HD is enough and I would spend the extra money on time scouting

Pick Your Winner Before You Spend the Money If you want the best value with fast ranges and solid low-light performance, I would buy a Sig Sauer KILO. If you want simpler menus, a tougher feel, and a brand I

Pick One Based on How You Actually Hunt, Not the Logo If you want the cleanest ranging in low light and you can stomach the price, I lean Leupold. If you want the most features per dollar and you can

Buy 8×42 or 10×42, and stop overthinking it. The best deer hunting binoculars under $300 are 8×42 or 10×42 roof-prism binos with decent glass, a real warranty, and a harness you will actually wear. If I could only pick one

Pick 2 Hunts, Not 20 The best rut hunting tactics for small properties are: hunt fewer sits, hunt the downwind edge of doe bedding, and only hunt your best stand when the wind is right. If you burn a small

Pick Morning or Evening First, Then Pick Your Tree The best morning stand locations are tight to bedding and downwind of where deer spent the night. The best evening stand locations are tight to the first good food source and

Pick Your Entry Route Before You Pick Your Stand The clean way to hunt a doe bedding area without spooking it is to slip in on the downwind edge, use a route that never crosses their main trails, and sit

What I Actually Do During The Second Rut The best second rut strategy is simple. I hunt food close to thick bedding, sit longer, and key on the first doe that is truly in heat. The second rut is not

Make the Call Fast: Did You Educate Them, Or Did Their Routine Change? Most of the time deer stop coming to your stand because you either educated them with pressure, or their travel pattern shifted because of food, wind, or

Pick A Wind That Lets You Get Away With Your Access The best wind direction for morning deer hunts is the one that keeps your scent out of the bedding cover while you walk in and while you sit. If

Decide What “Disappear” Means, Then Hunt Like They Didn’t Leave Big bucks do not vanish during gun season. They clamp down, shift beds, and move at different times because pressure changes fast and loud. I have watched it happen on

Pick a Plot You Can Actually Grow in Sand. The best food plot for sandy soil is a simple mix of cereal rye and oats for fall, and a cowpeas plus buckwheat mix for summer. If you want one “set

Decide Your Plot Size First, Not Your Seed Brand I plan on about 1 acre of food plot for every 8 to 12 deer I want using it regularly. If you want to actually hold deer on your place in

Pick One Based on Your Dirt and Your Time. If you have decent soil and you want a “plant it and forget it” perennial, I pick Whitetail Institute Imperial most of the time. If you are planting a quick annual

Should You Use TSI to Improve Deer Habitat? Yes, TSI works for deer habitat improvement if you do it around bedding cover and travel corridors, and you commit to follow-up for 2-3 years. No, TSI is a waste of sweat

Start Here: What I Actually Do on Corps Ground I hunt Army Corps of Engineers deer ground by treating it like pressured public land, not a “hidden gem,” and I win by getting away from easy access, hunting wind-first, and

Start Here: How I Would Hunt Chequamegon National Forest This Fall I would hunt Chequamegon like big woods with pressure, not like a farm-country rut lease. My plan is simple. Hunt tight to bedding cover, use the wind like a

Pick A Forest Based On Pressure, Access, And How Much Walking You Will Actually Do. If you want my honest pick for the best overall national forest for deer hunting in Appalachia, I put George Washington and Jefferson National Forest

What I Actually Think About BLM Whitetail Hunting in Eastern Montana BLM land deer hunting in eastern Montana is worth doing if you treat it like a long walk and a glassing job, not a tree stand job. The guys

Pick Your Kansas Walk-In Plan Before You Ever Leave the House The best walk-in hunting access in Kansas is the place you can actually hunt hard all day without bumping other guys, and that means targeting WIHA tracts that are

Start With This, Or You Will Waste Days. The best public land deer spots in the Missouri Ozarks are not “a secret hollow.” They are the spots where cover, food, and human pressure collide, and you can hunt the edge

Get the Roast Tender by Picking the Right Method for the Cut You Have The fastest way I tenderize a tough deer roast is a long, wet cook at 205 degrees for 3.5 to 6 hours, plus a salty overnight

Pick the Right Cuts and Your Jerky Gets Easy The best cuts of deer for jerky are the top round, bottom round, eye of round, and the sirloin tip, because they are lean, tight-grained, and slice clean. If you use

Pick Your Temperature and Stick With It The best smoker temperature for deer summer sausage is 165 degrees to 175 degrees for most of the cook, then bump to 180 degrees to finish. I pull it when the internal temp

How Long I Age Deer Meat in the Fridge (And Why). I age deer meat in a refrigerator for 3 to 7 days most of the time. If it is a young doe or you are tight on fridge space,

Make the Call Early, Not After You Have Wrecked the Track I call a tracking dog as soon as I think I might bump the deer, lose blood, or run out of daylight. If the shot is questionable, I would

Make the Call Fast: Bright Red Blood Usually Means Lung, Muscle, or a High Hit Bright red blood while tracking usually means you hit lungs or muscle, not gut. If it is bright red and bubbly, I treat it like

Make the Call Fast: Dead Deer, Hit Deer, or Miss? If you have no blood trail, you still have a very real chance of finding that deer. The key is this. I stop thinking like a tracker and start thinking

How Long to Wait After a Gut Shot and What to Do Right Now If you gut shot a deer, I wait 8 to 12 hours before I track it, and I back out right now. The fastest way to

Make One Decision Right Now: Back Out Or Keep Going. If you lose blood trail, the best move most of the time is to stop, mark last blood, and back out for 2 to 6 hours. The only times I

Pick Your Crossbow Like You Pick A Stand Location If you want the simplest, toughest setup that keeps shooting in nasty weather and you do not care about cocking effort, I lean Excalibur. If you want speed, a safer cocking

The Short Answer I Tell My Buddy at the Tailgate Neither Bowtech nor Mathews “shoots better” across the board, because the better-shooting bow is the one you tune fast, hold steady, and hit with under pressure. If you want easy

Pick One If You Want Less Headache If you want “set it and forget it” tough, I pick the Spot Hogg Fast Eddie. If you want faster setup, lighter weight, and clean pins for the money, I pick the Trophy

Pick This Based on How Far You Actually Shoot If you hunt inside 30 yards most of the time, I would run a multi pin. If you hunt mixed distance or you might have to stretch to 50 in open

Pick One Rest and Stop Second Guessing. If you want the easiest drop-away to set up and live with, I would buy the QAD UltraRest. If you want the most bulletproof, no-nonsense rest for hard hunting and hard shots, I

Pick Your Rest Style Before You Buy Anything The best arrow rest for hunting in the rain is a quality drop-away rest with strong containment, like the Hamskea Trinity Hunter Pro or QAD UltraRest HDX, because it keeps your arrow

Which One I Would Pick, And Why. If I had to buy one single-bevel today for whitetails, I would buy VPA for most hunters, and I would buy Iron Will when I know I am going to hit bone and

Pick One Set Based on How You Actually Get Wet. If you want the short answer, I grab Sitka Coldfront for late-season cold rain and long sits, and I grab Sitka Cloudburst for warm-weather storms and hiking where breathability matters

Pick pants that stay quiet, not pants that look tactical. The best hunting pants that don’t make noise are soft-shell or brushed-face pants with a quiet outer fabric, no loud cargo flaps, and a fit that doesn’t rub at the

Pick the Pack Based on One Thing: How You Actually Hunt. If I had to pick one for most whitetail bow hunts, I would buy a Badlands pack.. If I was living out of it for 3 to 7 days

Pick One Jacket: Quiet Beats “Warm” For Bow Hunting. The best fleece jacket for quiet bow hunting is a midweight grid-fleece with a smooth face, a snug hood, and no noisy zippers, and the one I have trusted most is

Buy Used Mid-Layer Camo and Spend Your Money on Wind and Quiet The best budget hunting camo that works is used fleece or brushed camo in a dull pattern, plus a good wind-blocking layer, because deer bust you from movement,

Pick Boots With Real Arch Support, Not Just “Comfort” Padding. The best hunting boots for flat feet are boots with a stiff shank, a wide toe box, and a removable insole so you can run a real arch insert. If

Do You Actually Need Snake Boots for Deer Hunting? No, you do not “need” snake boots for deer hunting most of the time. You need them when you are walking in snake country in warm weather, in thick grass, and

Pick One Based on Your Feet, Not the Hype. If you hunt standing water, cattails, and mud for hours, I would buy Muck Wetland. If you hunt cold sits where frozen ground and snow are the main problem, I would

Pick a Forced-Air Dryer, Not a “Warm Shelf” Dryer The best boot dryer for hunting boots is a forced-air model with a timer and controlled heat, and the one I trust most is the PEET Advantage Plus. I want dry

Pick Your Gram Weight Like You Pick Your Stand, Not Like You Pick a Catalog. For most deer hunters, 400 grams is the sweet spot for moving and sitting.. If you do long sits below 25 degrees, 800 grams is

Pick One Boot. Here Is My Answer. I would buy the LaCrosse Alpha Burly Pro for cold, wet, long sits, and I would buy the Alphaburly Sport for lighter, warmer days and more walking. If you only hunt early season

Pick One: I’d Buy the Maverick Blind for Most Hunters. If you want the short answer, I’d pick the Maverick Blind for most deer hunters because it’s easier to set up, holds its shape better, and it’s quieter when the

Pick a Pattern That Matches Distance, Not Leaves The best camo pattern for a ground blind exterior is a big, high-contrast “macro” pattern in a color family that matches your season, with matte fabric and no shine. If I have

Pick steps that match your hill, not your ego. The best tree stand steps for steep climbs are short, rigid climbing sticks with a solid standoff and a tight strap, not long floppy sections or cheap screw-ins. I like 20-inch

Pick The One That Carries Easier, Not The One That Sounds Cooler If your whole goal is “lighter on my back,” I pick the XOP Vanish platform and sticks more often, because I can hit a lighter total carry weight

Pick One Based on Your Back and Your Patience If you want the most comfortable sit for 4 to 6 hours, I pick the Summit Viper. If you want the lightest, quietest climber that bites the tree hard, I pick

Pick One Stand Under $200, Then Accept the Tradeoff The best climbing tree stand under $200, for most whitetail hunters, is the Summit Viper SD if you can find it on sale or used in good shape. If you want

Pick a Real Unscented Deodorant, Not a “Hunting” Sticker The best scent free deodorant for hunters is the one that is truly unscented, has low residue, and doesn’t make you sweat worse. For most guys, I trust Vanicream Antiperspirant Deodorant

Pick One. My Answer Up Front. If I had to bet my tag on one, I would pick Sitka’s carbon gear over ScentLok.. But I would not buy either one until I had my wind plan, access route, and stand

Pick One Goal First: Cover Mistakes, Or Cut Odor. Dead Down Wind and “scent killer” sprays both help, but they do different jobs. If I can only pick one, I pick a real odor-killing spray for my clothes and boots,

Decide If You Want “Low Scent” Or “No Human Scent”. You are never going to be 100% scent free, but you can keep hunting clothes from smelling like your house, your truck, and last night’s bacon. I store my hunting

My Take After Using Both Calls In Real Hunts If I had to buy only one today, I would buy the Flextone Headhunter for $12 to $20 and spend the savings on fuel and sits. I have carried both the

Pick a Call That Sounds Like a Real Adult Buck, Not a Squeaky Toy The best snort wheeze call for mature bucks is the one you can run with confidence at 20 yards without over-blowing it, and for me that

How Often I Actually Grunt Call During a Sit. I grunt call less than most guys think. In most whitetail woods, I hit a grunt call every 15 to 30 minutes at most, and only when I have a reason.

Pick a Tarsal Gland Scent That Matches the Phase of the Rut The best tarsal gland scent for rut hunting is real buck tarsal from a fresh deer you trust, used sparingly on a wick 15 to 25 yards downwind

Yes, You Can Use Too Much Deer Scent, And It Will Burn You. Yes, you can use too much deer scent. If your scent is stronger than the woods, or it is in the wrong place, deer notice it and

How Long It Lasts, In Real Hunting Terms. Doe estrus scent on a wick lasts about 2 to 6 hours in the woods before it starts getting weak. If it is 42 degrees with steady shade and light wind, I

Pick One Based on Season, Not Hype. If I can only carry one deer scent in my pack, I pick acorn early and apple late.. Acorns match what deer are already eating in most hardwood country, and apples are a

Start With This Decision: Food, Scent, or Movement. The best legal deer attractant in your state is usually not a magic bottle. It is legal groceries, legal minerals, and smart stand placement that takes advantage of where deer already want

Pick Your Start Date Based on One Thing: When You Want the Site to Peak The best time of year to start a mineral site is late winter into early spring, about 6 to 10 weeks before green-up in your

Lucky Buck Mineral vs Whitetail Institute. Which One I Would Actually Buy. If you want a cheap mineral to keep deer stopping for trail cam pics in spring and summer, I would buy Lucky Buck Mineral. If you want a

My Take After Using Both Scents If you want my blunt answer, I trust Code Blue more than Tink’s 69 for getting a buck to finish. I still carry Tink’s 69 in November, but I treat it like a “pull

Make the Call Up Front: Are You Trying to Stop Theft, or Just Make It a Pain? If you want to keep trail cameras from getting stolen, you need two things. Hide the camera like you mean it, and lock

Pick One That Actually Triggers Fast, Not One With a Fancy Box The best budget trail camera under $50 that I trust to actually work is the WOSPORTS 16MP trail camera, as long as you run lithium AA batteries and

Pick the App Based on Your Patience, Not the Spec Sheet. If you want the least headache on a normal deer lease, I run Moultrie Mobile. If you want the cheapest way to get photos on a bunch of cameras

Check Them Less Than You Want To. I check trail cameras every 10 to 21 days during summer, every 14 to 30 days in early season, and every 3 to 7 days only when I am making a specific hunt

Buy This Card and Move On The best SD card for most trail cameras is a 32GB SanDisk Ultra SDHC, Class 10, UHS-I. If your camera is older, picky, or in a cold swamp, I drop to a 16GB SanDisk

Pick a Varmint Guard That Actually Matches Your Feeder The best varmint guard for most deer feeders is a wide, metal cone-style baffle that mounts on the feeder leg or hanging cable and sits 30 inches to 36 inches above

Pick the Right Feeder for Thick Woods, Not the One That Looks Cool in a Catalog. The best deer feeder for thick woods is a small, tough spinner feeder with a metal varmint guard, hung low enough to service fast,

Stop Trying to “Outsmart” Raccoons and Start Beating Them With Setup The real way I keep raccoons out of a deer feeder is to control access, not smell. I hang the spinner high, use a real varmint guard, and set

Do You Actually Need an Official Score? No, your deer does not need to be officially scored unless you are chasing a record book entry, selling a mount with paperwork, or you just want a clean number you can trust.

What I Actually Pay for Deer Taxidermy. Most deer taxidermists charge $600 to $1,200 for a shoulder mount, $125 to $250 for a euro mount, and $250 to $600 for a basic deer hide tan. If you want a lifesize

Do This First, Or You Will Hate How It Turns Out If you want a clean European mount at home, the fastest path is this. Skin the head, remove as much meat as you can, simmer it at 170 to

What I Do Right After a Storm Ends I hunt the first 2 to 6 hours after the storm breaks, and I set up on the downwind edge of the best food close to thick bedding. I do not march

How Warm Is Too Warm, Really? For most whitetail hunting, once the afternoon hits 65 degrees, I stop expecting “good” daylight movement and start hunting like it is an early-morning-and-last-10-minutes deal. If it is 70 degrees or warmer during prime

Does a Cold Front Actually Make Deer Move More, Or Is That Just Hunter Talk? Yes, a cold front usually makes deer move more, especially in the first 12 to 36 hours after the temperature drops and the wind settles.

Don’t Guess the Wind. Check It Twice. The best way to check wind direction while hunting is to use a small wind checker in your pocket for micro-wind at your stand, and confirm the bigger wind with a weather app

Pick Your Sit Time Based on Pressure, Not Hype The best barometric pressure for deer movement is usually a rising barometer in the 30.00 to 30.40 range, especially right after a front when the sky clears and the wind lays

Pick One App and Stick With It, Or You Will Second-Guess Every Sit The best weather app for deer hunting, for most guys, is OnX Hunt paired with a real hourly forecast like Weather Underground. If I had to keep

Drag or ATV. Pick One Based on Access and How Far You Really Have to Go. If I can legally drive within 200 yards of the deer, I use an ATV or side-by-side. If I am on public land, steep

Pick Tires Based on Your Mud, Not Your Ego The best tires for a hunting ATV in mud are aggressive mud tires with deep, widely spaced lugs, in the biggest diameter your machine can pull without rubbing. If your “mud”

The Answer I Give My Friends For most deer hunters, a UTV is better because it hauls more gear, keeps you drier, and is safer on rough trails. If you hunt tight, nasty public land like the Missouri Ozarks, an

Get It Quiet Fast So You Do Not Blow Out Your Spot The fastest way I have found to keep an ATV quiet for hunting access is to fix exhaust leaks, stop plastic rattles, and slow down to under 10

Pick One Based on This, Not the Brochure. For most deer hunters, I’d buy the Can-Am Defender if you want a tougher “work first” rig for rough public land and heavy hauling. I’d buy the Polaris Ranger if you want

Pick the ATV Based on Your Terrain, Not Your Ego. The best ATV for hauling a deer out of the woods is a 4×4 utility ATV in the 450cc to 700cc range with a low range, a winch, and real

Make the Call Early, But Do Not Rush It. The best age to start training a blood tracking dog is 8 to 12 weeks for basic habits, then 4 to 6 months for real blood trails, and 10 to 18

Start Here: How I Actually Find a United Blood Trackers Tracker Fast. I find a United Blood Trackers tracker by pulling up their member directory, calling two names near my zip code, and sending a pin with OnX or Google

Pick a Blind That Lets You Hunt, Not Fight Your Gear The best elevated blind with a wheelchair ramp is the Banks Outdoors Stump 4 Elevated Blind paired with a real aluminum ramp system, because it is stable, quiet, and

Pick One Path First: Paperwork Help Or Boots-On-The-Ground Help The best organizations for disabled hunters are the ones that either (1) get you legal access and tags fast, or (2) put you in a blind with a safe setup and

What Actually Works for Hearing Aids When It Is 22 Degrees and You Are in a Stand I hunt with hearing aids in cold weather by keeping my batteries warm, blocking wind noise on purpose, and building a “no-touch” routine

Pick a State Based on What You Want Out of the Hunt The best states for women only deer hunts are Pennsylvania, Maryland, Texas, and Illinois, because they actually have women-only seasons or women-focused days that a normal hunter can

Pick A Stand Based On The Heaviest Thing You Will Carry, Not Your Body Weight. Most women should buy a climbing stand with a 300 lb rating minimum, and I prefer 350 lb if you are packing a backpack, extra

Pick a Women-Specific Pack, Not a “Small Men’s Pack” The best hunting pack designed for women is one that fits a shorter torso, rides on women’s hips, and has shoulder straps that don’t cut across the chest. If a pack

Pick Warmth First, Then Noise, Then Fit. The best sports bra for cold weather hunting is a high-neck, longline, medium-to-high support bra made from merino wool or a quiet brushed synthetic, with zero metal hardware and wide straps that do

Pick Games That Force Quiet Time, Not Just “Fun” Time. The best hunting games to teach kids patience are the ones that make them sit still, watch hard, and wait for a “go” signal. I use short rounds, clear rules,

Pick the Stand That Keeps Your Kid Quiet, Warm, and Not Scared. The best tree stand for hunting with a child is a two-person ladder stand with a full wrap-around rail. If you have to go portable, a roomy two-man

Make the Call: Age Matters Less Than the Kid I put most kids in a deer stand for real hunting around 10 to 12 years old, but only if they can sit still, stay safe, and follow directions every time.

Pick Ammo Like You Pick a Stand, Not Like You Pick a Caliber The best 6.5 Creedmoor ammo for whitetail is a bonded or controlled-expansion hunting bullet in the 120 to 143 grain range, and my first pick is 143gr

Pick the One That Fits How You Hunt. If you want a “set it and forget it” deer bullet that usually holds together and punches through shoulders, I pick Federal Fusion most of the time. If you want a cheaper,

Pick Your .308 Deer Ammo Based on Range and Blood Trail, Not Hype. The best deer hunting ammo for a .308, for most guys shooting inside 250 yards, is a 150 grain bonded bullet like Federal Fusion or Winchester Power

Pick One Rifle Today If I had to grab one rifle right now for whitetails from 0 to 350 yards, I would pick the .308. If I was mostly shooting 200 to 450 yards in open country and I cared

Pick The One That Matches How You Actually Hunt If you want better glass and turrets that track more true for dialing, I pick the Vortex Strike Eagle. If you want a simple, tough scope for 50 to 200 yards

Pick a Rangefinder That Actually Works at Last Light If you want a clean shot in low light, range the lane early, save 2 to 3 “known” distances, and only use the rangefinder again if the deer is outside those

Pick the Harness That Keeps Your Binos Quiet and Handy The best binocular harness for tree stand hunting is a chest pack style harness that holds your binos tight, opens with one hand, and stays silent in cold weather. If

Pick Your Rangefinder Like Your Shot Depends On It The best rangefinder for bow hunting in the woods is one that ranges fast, reads through brush well, and has a clean red display you can see in dark timber. If

Pick the Right Staging Area, Not the Prettiest One To hunt staging areas in the evening, I set up 60 to 120 yards off the main food source, on the downwind edge of the last thick cover the deer feel

How I Keep Hunting One Stand Without Ruining It I hunt the same stand without burning it out by limiting sits, only hunting it on the right wind, and treating access like the hunt starts 200 yards before the tree.

Pick Your All Day Sit Days, Or You Will Burn Out And Quit Early The best all day sit strategy for the rut is to only do it on the right days, hunt the right spot for midday movement, and

Pick the Saddle First, Then Pick the Tree To hunt a saddle in hill country, I sit just off the lowest crossing point where the deer can slip over the ridge with the least effort, and I set up on

Pick the pinch point that forces a buck to make a bad choice. The best pinch point strategy for rut hunting is to hunt the downwind edge of a tight travel corridor that connects doe bedding to rut cruising cover,

Pick the Crossing Before You Pick the Stand You predict where a buck will cross a creek by finding the “easy spot” he can hit without losing cover, without climbing a steep bank, and without stepping into open daylight for

Late Season When Food Is Scarce: What Actually Works The best late season deer hunting tactic when food is scarce is to hunt the last remaining high-calorie groceries close to the best bedding, and only on the sits your access

Pick the Drill That Matches Your Ground, Not Your Ego. The best no till food plot drill for most deer hunters is a used Great Plains 706NT or 3P606NT if you can pull it, and a Land Pride 3P1006NT if

Plant Clover Without a Tractor: Yes, You Can Pull It Off. You can plant clover for deer without a tractor by picking a spot that already has decent dirt, killing the competing weeds, scratching the ground with hand tools, broadcasting

Pick One Goal or You Will Waste a Whole Winter. If you want better deer hunting in timber, you need to cut trees on purpose. I want sunlight on the ground, thick cover at deer height, and easy travel routes

Pick Native Grass For Bedding Based On Pressure, Not Pretty Photos. The best native grass for deer bedding on most whitetail ground is a mix built around switchgrass, big bluestem, and Indiangrass. If I can only plant one species because

Pick One Goal First, Or You Will Make A Mess To create bedding cover for deer on a small property, I focus on three things. I block sight, I block wind, and I give deer a safe way to enter

What You Should Budget For Right Now The average deer lease price per acre by state usually falls between $5 and $35 per acre per year, but the states that grow big antlers and have row crop edges can hit

Start With This Truth So You Do Not Waste a Season The fastest way to get permission to hunt private land is to ask in person, offer real help, and be okay with 20 “no” answers before you hear one

Pick A Public Land Type, Not A Famous Name. The best overlooked public land in the Missouri Ozarks is the stuff that looks “boring” on a map. I’m talking about small-to-mid size Conservation Areas, odd-shaped parcels behind private gates, and

Start Here, Or You Will Waste Days. If you want a real shot at deer in Daniel Boone National Forest, you need to hunt off the roads, hunt the right terrain, and treat pressure like the main “predator” you are

Start With This or You Will Waste Days. The best Mark Twain National Forest deer hunting spots are the ones 400 to 900 yards from the easy access, with a nasty climb, thick cover, and a reason for a deer

What You Need to Decide Before You Ever Park the Truck If you treat Plum Creek timber like a big open woods stroll, you are going to get busted and go home mad. I hunt it like a bedding-and-travel puzzle,

Start With This Answer, Or You Will Waste Your Weekend You find unpressured deer on public land by going where hunters will not go, or cannot go, without paying a price. That price is usually sweat, a wet butt, a

Pick the Right Part of the UP, Or You Will Hike for Nothing National Forest deer hunting in the Upper Peninsula Michigan is worth doing if you treat it like big woods hunting, not farm-country hunting. I focus on edges

Decide If Timber Company Land Is Worth Your Time Yes, deer hunting timber company land in the South can be flat-out worth it, because the deer use fresh cuts, edges, and creek bottoms like highways. The catch is you have

What You Are Really Paying in Pike County Pike County, Illinois lease prices are high, and the good ones get taken fast. Right now, if you want a legit whitetail lease there, expect $25 to $40 per acre for rough

Pick This Recipe If You Want Tender Deer Roast Without Babying It. The best crockpot recipe for deer roast is a simple low-and-slow Mississippi-style venison roast with butter, pepperoncini, and a ranch packet, but I cut the salt and add

Buy a basic set, not a “pro” set. The best deer processing knife set for beginners is a small, simple kit with one stiff boning knife, one flexible boning knife, a gut hook or short skinning knife, and a sharpener

Make This Call Fast: Back Out Or Go In. If a deer runs into thick cover, I almost always back out, mark last blood, and give it time. The only times I push right now are spine shots, loud shoulder

Does a UV Blood Tracking Light Work or Not? Yes, a UV blood tracking light can work, but it is not magic, and it is not my first choice. I use UV as a “check tool” on hard-to-see drops, not

What Dark Blood Usually Means on a Blood Trail, and What I Do Next. Dark blood on a blood trail usually means a liver hit or a muscle hit, and both can kill a deer if you do not rush

What I Actually Do to Mark a Blood Trail at Night I mark a blood trail at night by dropping a bright marker at every confirmed blood hit, then I “connect the dots” back to the last marker instead of

Pick Your Cocking Device Based on Pain, Not Ego. The best crossbow cocking device for bad shoulders is a crank cocking device that mounts to your specific bow and lets you cock with your arms low and close to your

Pick Your Low Light Scope Based on Legal Light, Not Hype. The best crossbow scope for low light hunting is the Hawke XB30 Pro SR because the glass stays sharp in the last 10 minutes and the speed ring keeps

Pick One Silencer Style And Commit To It The best bow string silencer that works for most whitetail bowhunters is a set of Cat Whiskers (or similar rubber string leeches) tied into the string at about 1/4 and 3/4 of

Pick The Brighter Nock First, Then Pick The One You Will Actually Use. For pure brightness, Lumenok is usually brighter to my eye than Nock On IQ. But I still run Nock On IQ on some setups because the battery

Pick Your Release Style Before You Spend a Dime The best bow release for cold weather hunting is a handheld thumb button with a big head and a crisp, simple trigger, because it works with bulky gloves and it does

What Is Really Causing Your Broadheads To Hit Somewhere Else Your broadheads fly different than field points because your arrow is not leaving the bow perfectly straight, and broadheads “steer” in the wind while field points mostly forgive it. Fix

Pick Bolts Like You Pick Broadheads. Match Them To Your Setup. The best crossbow bolts for deer hunting are stiff, consistent, and matched to your crossbow’s speed, your broadhead, and your hunting range. If you buy one “good” bolt and

Pick a Grain Range and Quit Overthinking It. For most whitetail bowhunters, a 125-grain fixed blade broadhead is the best all-around choice. If you are shooting 60 to 70 pounds with a normal hunting arrow, 125 grains gives you better

Pick One Based on How You Actually Hunt If you want one outer layer that blocks wind, sheds light rain, and you can hike in without sweating out, I pick the Sitka Jetstream. If you sit long hours in a

Pick One. Here Is the Warm Answer. The Sitka Fanatic is warmer than the Sitka Incinerator for most whitetail sits, especially in the 15 to 35 degree range with wind. I only grab the Incinerator when it is single digits,

Pick One Mid Layer and Stick With It. My best mid layer for 30 degree deer hunting is a quality grid fleece hoodie or quarter-zip, like the Sitka Core Heavyweight Hoody, under a wind-blocking outer layer. I am talking about

Break Them In Now, Not on Opening Morning I break in hunting boots by wearing them hard for 10 to 20 hours before season, then I do one sweaty hike with weight, and I fix hot spots the same day.

My Answer After Wearing Both Brands Hard. Danner boots usually last longer than Irish Setter boots, if you are talking about hard miles, rough hills, and wet days. I have gotten more seasons out of Danner uppers and stitching, while

Pick Boots Based on How Long You Stand Still, Not How Far You Walk The best insulated hunting boots for standing all day are tall, waterproof boots in the 800g to 1200g insulation range, sized with room for thick socks,

Decide If You Are Practicing “Hunting” Or Just Hanging The best way to practice saddle hunting before season is to run full, timed reps with your exact gear, from the ground to “arrow-ready,” until you can do it quiet in

Pick a Pack Setup That Lets You Hunt, Not Fiddle. The best saddle hunting pack setup is a small, quiet pack that carries your sticks and platform tight, keeps ropes on the outside for fast grabs, and lets you hang

Pick One: Aero Hunter or Tethrd Mantis? If you want the most comfortable “sit all day” saddle and you do not mind a little bulk, I would pick the Aero Hunter Kestrel.. If you want the lightest, cleanest setup for

The Call I Would Make If I am packing deep on public land and moving every sit, I pick the Tethrd One Stick. If I am running a normal hang-and-hunt setup and want dead-simple, quiet climbs, I pick Lone Wolf

Stop Chasing “Scent Free” and Start Controlling Where Your Smell Goes. You are not going to make a ground blind truly scent free. What you can do is keep the blind from stinking like humans and control your wind so

Pick the Right Style Before You Pick a Brand The best elevated box blind kit under $1,000 is the one that includes a weather-tight blind, a safe ladder, and a floor platform big enough for the way you hunt. If

Pick The Number First, Then Pick The Blind. I run a deer blind with 3 to 5 usable windows for most hunts. For bowhunting, I want fewer windows that I can cover and control. For gun season, I want more

Pick a Width That Lets You Draw Without Thinking About It For bow hunting, I want a ladder stand platform that is at least 30 inches wide, and I like 36 inches if I am going to sit all day

The Fast Answer I Trust To make a tree stand quieter, I fix metal-on-metal contact first, then I lock down every loose strap and buckle, then I stop my own gear from clanking. If you can stop 90% of noise

Pick One Based on Noise, Weight, and How You Hunt. If you want the quietest, lightest, “buy once cry once” mobile stand, I pick the Lone Wolf Assault. If you want a solid stand that saves cash and you can

Pick a Cushion That Matches How You Actually Sit The best tree stand seat cushion for comfort is a closed-cell foam cushion with a waterproof shell and a simple strap system that stays put. If I had to buy one

Pick the Umbrella First, Not the Stand The best tree stand umbrella for rain hunts is a full-coverage, rigid-arm model like the Ameristep Tree Stand Umbrella, because it blocks more wind-driven rain and stays put when the weather gets ugly.

Pick The Safest Answer Up Front, Not The Coolest One. The safest way I hang a tree stand by myself is to use a lineman’s belt the whole time, haul the stand up on a rope after I am tied

Pick Your Stand Based on One Thing: How You Hunt If I am bouncing around public land and hanging in different trees every sit, I pick Lone Wolf. If I am hunting a set spot on a lease and want

The Mistakes That Blow Deer Out Faster Than Bad Aim The biggest scent control mistake is thinking you can “cover” human smell instead of controlling where your scent goes. If your wind is wrong, you are busted, even if you

What I Actually Trust Ozone To Do, And How Long It “Lasts” Ozone treatment does not “last” on clothes in a reliable way once the clothes are back in normal air. In my experience, any smell change you get is

My Answer After Owning Ozone Gear No, an ozone bag like the Scent Crusher does not “make you scent free,” and it will not save a bad wind. It can help knock down funk in clothes and boots if you

Pick the Window, Not the Weather The best time of day to rattle for bucks is the first 90 minutes of daylight and the last 90 minutes before dark during the pre-rut and rut. My second-best window is 10:00 a.m.

Why Deer Ignore Your Calls Most of the Time Deer ignore your calls because you are calling at the wrong time, from the wrong spot, with the wrong volume, and you are usually calling to a deer that already knows

Pick One Setting and Commit to It for 20 Minutes The best grunt call setting for the pre rut is a low, short tending grunt, with just enough volume to reach 80 to 150 yards. I keep my call on

Collecting Doe Urine the Right Way (And Why I Even Bother) If I am going to use doe urine at all, I only trust urine I collected myself and kept cold from start to finish. I collect it clean, strain

Do Deer Scent Wicks Actually Work, Or Are They Just Something Hunters Like to Buy? Yes, deer scent wicks can work, but only for one job. They help carry and hold a smell in the air, and they can pull

Pick a Dripper That Matches How Long You Sit. The best scent dripper for all day hunting is the Wildlife Research Center Golden Estrus Scent Dripper, because it drips steady for hours and the strap system actually stays put. I

How Long Does It Take Deer to Find a Mineral Lick? Most deer find a new mineral lick in 3 to 14 days if it is on a trail they already use and it has a strong smell after rain.

Decide If You Even Need Doe Estrus Scent This Season I start using doe estrus scent in the pre-rut when I am seeing fresh buck sign and does are acting jumpy, which is usually about 10 to 14 days before

Which One I’d Buy With My Own Money. I’d buy the Tactacam REVEAL for reliability and fewer headaches, and I’d buy the Stealth Cam Fusion only if price is the main thing and I can live with more tinkering. I

Stop Blaming “Bad Batteries” and Fix the Three Real Problems Your trail camera batteries die so fast because of three things I see over and over. Cold weather, too many triggers at night, and the wrong battery type for your

The Real Number I Use (And Why). I run 3 to 6 trail cameras per 100 acres for whitetails, and I only go over that if I am trying to inventory bucks hard during late summer. If you only buy

Pick Your Setup First, Because That Choice Decides Everything. The fastest way to get trail camera pictures sent to your phone is to buy a cellular trail camera, activate a data plan, and run the camera’s app on your phone.

Pick Your Height Based on One Thing: The Shot You Want For the best trail cam pictures on whitetails, I hang most cameras at 36 to 42 inches high, level, and 10 to 15 yards from the trail. If I

Pick the Right Camera First, or You Are Fighting a Losing Battle. The fastest way to reduce trail camera flash spook is to run a true no-glow IR camera, aim it so the deer is not staring into the lens,

Pick Your Camera Settings Based on What You Want the Photo to Do I set trail camera picture quality based on my goal, not on “best.” If I am trying to pattern a buck, I run medium photo size, fast

Pick a Pellet That Matches Your Goal, Not the Hype. The best protein pellets for deer feeders are 16 percent to 20 percent protein, high in digestible fiber, and fed at the right time of year, not year-round like candy.

Program It Like You Mean It, Or You Are Just Feeding Raccoons. My answer is this. Set a Boss Buck feeder timer for 2 short feeds a day, centered on daylight edges, and keep the total under 10 seconds per

Pick A Battery Type First, Or You Will Be Mad In January. The best deer feeder battery that lasts all winter is a 12V 35Ah AGM sealed lead-acid battery from a real brand like Mighty Max or ExpertPower. If you

Pick Your App Based on One Thing: How Official You Need It. The best deer scoring app for your phone is the one that matches what you are trying to do. If you want a fast, in-the-truck estimate, I use

What You Actually Need to Do to Enter a Deer To enter a deer in Boone and Crockett, you need a qualifying score from an official B&C measurer, the right paperwork, and you need to wait out the drying period

Net Score vs Gross Score. The Real Difference. Gross score is the buck’s full antler inches before deductions. Net score is what’s left after you subtract the bad stuff, like uneven tines and mismatched beams. I care about gross for

Should You Do a DIY Deer Shoulder Mount? Yes, a DIY deer shoulder mount can be worth it if you want a wall-worthy memory and you can slow down and follow steps. No, it is not worth it if you

The Answer I Give My Buddies OnX is the better all-around app for most deer hunters because its private-land layer and waypoint sharing are more reliable, especially when I cross county lines and hunt new public. HuntStand is still worth

Stop Guessing. Use Wind And Thermals Like A Trap. To read wind thermals for deer hunting, I treat it like two winds at once. At daylight and in the evening, thermals usually matter more than the forecasted wind. If I

Pick One Based on How You Actually Hunt If you want a quieter, smoother, more “truck-like” ride for long property loops and stand hops, I would buy the Polaris Ranger. If you want a simple work-first rig that you do

Pick the UTV That Gets You In Quiet, Not the One That Looks Cool The best UTV for deer hunting access is the one that matches your ground and stays quiet. For most deer hunters, that means a mid-size 2-seat

Decide If You Need a Dog Before You Call. If you want the best odds of recovering your deer, call a blood tracking dog handler the moment you think the hit is not perfect. I call even sooner if it

Pick a Leash and Harness That Lets Your Dog Work, Not Fight You The best leash and harness for tracking dogs is a tough Y-front tracking harness paired with a 20-foot biothane long line. If you want one setup that

Make the Call Fast, But Do Not Rush the Track If you have a hit you do not trust, call a tracking dog handler right now and stop walking. The biggest favor you can do for that dog is to

Pick One Dog, Don’t Overthink It If you want a house dog that can also track a deer well, I would pick the Dachshund. If you want a tougher all-around hunting dog that can track but also do birds, water,

Decide If You Want a “Blood Dog” or a “Deer Dog” If you want to train a dog to track wounded deer, you need two things: a dog with the right nose and drive, and a step-by-step plan that starts

Pick A Breed That Matches Your Reality, Not Your Ego. The best blood tracking dog breed for deer is the one you can actually train, handle, and keep quiet until you need it. If you want my short list, I

Pick a Rail That Matches How You Actually Shoot, Not What Looks Cool The best shooting rail for hunters with limited mobility is a rock-solid, height-adjustable rail you can run one-handed, with padding that will not slide, and enough travel

Start Here: Pick the Kind of Mentor You Actually Need The best way to find a mentor as a woman new to hunting is to pick one specific goal first, then ask for a mentor in that one lane. I

Pick Your Boots Like Your Season Depends On It Women’s hunting boots are not just “men’s boots in smaller sizes.” The real differences are heel shape, instep height, calf fit, and insulation placement, and those things decide if you hike

Pick a Draw Weight You Can Pull Sitting Down, Cold, and Quiet The best bow draw weight for women deer hunting is usually 40 to 55 pounds. If you can draw it smooth while seated, hold for 20 seconds, and

Buy Women’s Insulated Hunting Bibs For Fit First, Warmth Second The best insulated hunting bibs made for women are the ones that fit your hips, rise, and inseam without binding, and still let you climb, sit, and draw a bow.

Pick One Based on Your Season, Not the Logo. If you are buying women’s hunting clothes for whitetails, I would pick First Lite for quiet, close-range bow hunting and Sitka for nasty weather sits and long walks. I have watched

Pick Fit Over Camo, Every Time The best hunting clothes cut for women are the ones that fit your shoulders, hips, and inseam without bunching, and still let you draw a bow or climb sticks. If you can only fix

Decide What “Good Practice” Means For Your Kid Good practice for young hunters is short, safe, and success-heavy. I keep it to 20 to 35 minutes, I stop while they still want more, and I only “raise the bar” after

Buy For Fit First, Not Camouflage The best youth hunting clothes that fit small kids are the ones you can tighten down at the waist and cuffs, layer without bunching, and that do not swish loud when they walk. If

Pick Your Bullet Weight Based on Range and Shot Angles, Not Ego For most deer hunting, I pick 150-grain in .308 or .30-06, 165-grain if I expect quartering shots or bigger-bodied bucks, and 180-grain only if I am pushing through

Pick One Based on Your Shot Distance, Not the Marketing. For most deer hunters shooting inside 200 yards, I pick a soft point because it breaks bone and exits more often. If I expect 250 to 400 yard shots and

Pick Your Sticks Based on How You Actually Hunt The best shooting sticks for deer hunting are the ones you will truly carry, set up fast, and shoot steady from in the cover you hunt. For most deer hunters, I

Pick Your Straight-Wall Based On Range, Recoil, And How You Actually Hunt Ohio. The best straight wall cartridge for deer in Ohio for most hunters is the .350 Legend. If you want more punch inside 150 yards and do not

Pick a Youth Deer Rifle That Will Not Beat Up Your Kid or Your Ears The best youth deer rifle that is not too loud is a .243 Winchester in a compact bolt gun with a real suppressor, or a

Pick One. Here Is My Answer. If you want the simplest, most forgiving deer rifle for normal shots inside 300 yards, I pick the .308. If you hunt open country or farm edges and you might shoot 250 to 400

Pick the Rifle First, Then Pick the Caliber The best deer hunting rifle under $1000 is the Tikka T3x Lite in .308 or 6.5 Creedmoor, because it shoots straight out of the box, carries easy, and does not need “gunsmith

Pick Your Brand Based on How You Actually Hunt For most deer hunters, I would buy a Leupold VX-3HD or VX-Freedom before I bought a Nightforce. I pick Nightforce if I am dialing shots past 300 yards on purpose, or

Pick One Scope Setup and Quit Overthinking It The best illuminated reticle scope for deer, for most guys, is a 2-10x or 3-9x with a simple center illumination you can turn down low. If you hunt last light, dark timber,

Pick One: 3-9×40 or 4-12×40? If you hunt normal whitetail woods ranges, a 3-9×40 is the better choice 90% of the time. If you sit fields, cut corn, or powerlines and you will actually shoot past 250 yards, a 4-12×40

Pick Your Magnification Like You Pick Your Stand Tree For most whitetail hunting in thick woods, I run 2-7x or 3-9x and keep it parked on 2x or 3x until it is time to shoot. If your farthest real shot

Pick One. Here Is My Answer. If you want the safest buy for whitetail hunting under $300, I would pick the Leupold VX-Freedom. If you want more “features per dollar” and you might dial turrets or stretch shots, I would

Pick One Scope and Quit Second-Guessing It The best rifle scope for deer hunting under $500 is the Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9×40. I run it because it holds zero, doesn’t fog on me, and the glass is good enough at legal

Pick Your Side Before You Spend $129 If you are buying budget binoculars for whitetail hunting, I would take Vortex over Bushnell most of the time. I pick Vortex because the glass is usually a hair brighter at last light

Pick Compact Binos That Do Not Swing, Fog, Or Make Noise The best compact binoculars for saddle hunting are 8x or 10x roof-prism binos in the 25mm to 32mm range, with good coatings, a tight hinge, and a simple harness

Pick A Side Fast: Maven Or Vortex? If you want the best glass for your money and you can live without walking into any big box store for help, Maven is worth it. If you want a no-drama warranty and

Buy 8×42 Roof Prisms, Not Cheap Zoom Glass The best budget hunting binoculars under $150 are 8×42 roof prism bins from a real brand, and I would rather have a clear 8x than a shaky 12x any day. If you

Start With This Call. Morning Cruise Or Midday Cruise. Bucks start cruising during the rut at first light most days, then again from about 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. when the woods settle down. If I have to pick one

Decide If You Are Hunting Him, Or He Is Hunting You. If a buck keeps showing up just out of range, only in the last 2 minutes of light, or only on the days you skip the stand, he is

Pick Your Approach: Moon Phase Matters Less Than You Want It To The best moon phase for deer hunting is the one that lines up with cold fronts, rut timing, and your best sit windows. If I have to pick

Kill the Grass First, Or the Clover Never Gets a Fair Shot If your clover plot is turning into a grassy mess, kill the grass with a clover-safe grass herbicide like clethodim, spray it with the right adjuvants, then come

Pick Your Blend Based on Snow, Browse Pressure, and Your Soil The best brassica blend for late season deer is a simple mix of purple top turnips, forage rape, and a little radish, planted early enough to build big leaves

Spray timing matters more than the brand on the jug. I spray Roundup on food plots when the weeds are actively growing, the forecast gives me 6 to 24 hours with no rain, and daytime temps are sitting between 55

Pick A Throw Based On What You Need This Month, Not What Looks Good On A Bag. The best food plot “throw and grow” for deer is the one that matches your calendar and your dirt. For early season I

What I Actually Worry About on a Deer Lease Yes, you should care about liability on a deer lease, and yes, you should have it in writing. If I am the one paying for the lease, I want a simple

Decide If You Want a “Handshake Lease” or a Real Contract. If you want to start a hunting lease with neighbors, you need three things locked down fast. You need clear rules, clear money, and a clear way to handle

Decide What You Are Really Buying, Because It Affects What You Offer. You are not just offering cash for a place to hunt. You are offering trust, reduced headaches, and a plan that makes the landowner’s life easier. I grew

Pick Your Plan Before You Ever Drive North. If you want a clean, repeatable Ottawa National Forest deer hunt, focus on edges, swamps, and fresh sign within 300 yards of a roadless pocket, and hunt mornings after a cold front.

Pick Your “Spot Type” First, Or You Will Waste Days. The best “Allegheny National Forest deer hunting spots” are not secret GPS pins. They are spot types you can repeat. I pick the same kinds of places every year on

Pick One Thing to Beat the Crowds, and Do It Hard. The fastest way I know to beat crowds on public land opening day is to hunt where most people will not walk, and to hunt when most people will

Make the Call Up Front. Rare Venison Is Not Worth It Most of the Time. Yes, you can eat deer meat rare sometimes, but I do not recommend it unless you know the cut, the handling, and the risk. Here

The Best Seasoning for Deer Burger Is Simple The best seasoning for deer burger is kosher salt, coarse black pepper, garlic powder, and a little smoked paprika. I run that mix on 90% of my venison burger because it tastes

Pick Your Fat Source, Or Your Burgers Will Be Dry The best fat to mix with deer meat for burgers is beef tallow or fatty beef trim, and I like a 85/15 final mix for most folks. If you want

Stop Making It Like Store-Bought Beef To make venison burger juicy, I add fat on purpose, I grind it cold, and I do not overcook it. If you try to treat deer like 80/20 beef and smash it to death

Decide If You Want Real Jerky Or Just “Dried Meat” You can make deer jerky without a dehydrator by using your oven on the lowest setting, a smoker at 160 degrees to 180 degrees, or a simple box fan dry

Stop Dry Backstrap Before It Starts The way I keep deer backstrap from turning dry is simple. I cook it hot and fast to 125 to 132 degrees, then I rest it 8 to 12 minutes before I slice it.

Pick Your Sealer Based on How Many Deer You Really Process The best vacuum sealer for deer meat for most hunters is the Nesco VS-12. If you process 2 to 5 deer a year and want no drama, buy the

Stop Freezer Burn Before It Starts, Not After. The best way to prevent freezer burn on venison is to get the meat dry, cold, and airtight fast, then keep it at a steady 0°F. If you are tossing meat in

Pick Your Goal Before You Mix Anything The best venison marinade for steaks is a simple oil-and-acid mix with salt, Worcestershire, garlic, and black pepper, and I run it 4 to 12 hours depending on the cut. If it is

Decide Fast. Track Now Or Back Out. If I have good blood and I know it is a lung hit, I start tracking right away, even in the rain. If I think it is guts, liver, or one lung, I

Start Here: The 20-Yard Zero That Actually Works To sight in a crossbow at 20 yards, I shoot from a solid rest, adjust the scope one small step at a time, and keep shooting until my group is tight and

Pick One Crossbow Under $1,500 and Stop Overthinking It. The best crossbow under $1,500 for deer hunting is the Ravin R10. If you want the quietest shot and easiest cocking in this price range, I would rather buy the TenPoint

Pick This Bow Based on One Thing If you want the lightest rig you can carry all day in a saddle or on a long public-land walk, I pick the Hoyt Carbon. If you want the easiest bow to tune

Buy This Kind of Bow, Not a Brand Name The best budget compound bow under $500 for deer is a used flagship bow from 3 to 6 years ago, set up by a real archery shop. If you refuse to

What Actually Makes a Bow “Quiet” Enough for Whitetails A bow gets quiet when you stop vibration fast and kill string noise, not when you buy magic scent-spray-style gimmicks. Here is what I do. I start with tight hardware, set

Pick This Sight Based on How You Actually Hunt If you want bombproof and simple, I pick Spot Hogg. If you want the cleanest pin picture and the best “set it and forget it” micro-adjust feel, I pick Black Gold.

Paper tuning gets you close, but it is not magic. Here is the direct answer. Paper tune your bow with a field point to get a clean bullet hole, then confirm with broadheads by walk-back tuning and a real broadhead

Pick a Release That Takes Your Thumb Out of the Decision The best thumb release for target panic is a true back-tension style thumb button, set heavy, with a short travel, so the shot breaks from pulling and not from

Pick One: Scott or TruFire? If you want a no-drama, buy-it-once wrist strap release, I would start with TruFire. If you want a cleaner trigger feel and you like a more “mechanical” break, I would start with Scott. I have

Replace Them More Than You Want To. I replace mechanical broadhead blades after every deer, and after any shot that hits dirt, rocks, or heavy bone. If I practice with that head, I replace the blades before I hunt, even

Pick a Broadhead Style First, Then Pick a Brand The best broadhead for crossbow deer hunting is a quality fixed blade head in the 125-grain class, like the Magnus Black Hornet or Slick Trick Magnum, because crossbows hit hard and

Pick One: NAP Spitfire Or Rage Hypodermic? If you want the most reliable “it will still open” head for real-world hunting, I pick the NAP Spitfire. If you want the biggest holes and the easiest blood trails on good broadside

Get Them Hitting Together, Not “Close Enough.” If your broadheads do not hit with your field points at 30 yards, your setup is not tuned yet. I tune my bow so field points and broadheads group together, then I lock

Sharpen Them at Camp, Or Leave Them at Home. I sharpen broadheads at deer camp with a small flat diamond stone, a leather strop, and a Sharpie. If I cannot get a head to shave hair in 5 minutes, I

Which One Hits Harder in the Real World? If you mean “hits harder” as in bone-breaking, shoulder-smashing, keep-going penetration, I give that to Swhacker more often than Rage. If you mean “hits harder” as in big entrance, big blood fast,

Layering for an all day sit is about staying dry, not “staying warm”. I layer for all day tree stand sits by wearing a thin wicking base, a quiet mid layer I can vent, and a wind blocking outer layer

Buy this, not that, if you want rain gear under $200. The best hunting rain gear under $200 is a quiet polyurethane jacket and pants set, or a used name-brand set, because “waterproof” means nothing if it swishes loud and

KUIU vs Sitka: Which Is Worth the Money for Deer Hunting. Sitka is worth the money if you hunt a lot of cold sits, deal with wet weather, and you want quiet, durable gear that lasts 8 to 12 seasons.

Orange Camo Works Because It Is For People, Not Deer, and That Is the Point. Orange camo works for deer hunting because it keeps other hunters from shooting you, and deer do not see blaze orange like a human does.