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
Updated on September 7, 2026. Tags, baiting, antlerless DMUs, and carcass rules move. Confirm them on the Michigan DNR deer regulations page before you buy a license or hang a stand. This page is the Upper Peninsula forest choice —
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