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,