Updated on September 7, 2026. This is a two-state public-land trip, not a statewide regs dump. Missouri dates and fees live on the MDC deer page. Arkansas zone and WMA cards live on the AGFC seasons-by-zone page. If this table
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