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