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.
Pick a Boot Built for Miles, Not Marketing. The best lightweight hunting boot for walking miles is a real hiking-style boot with a stiff enough sole, a tight heel lock, and the least insulation you can get away with for
Pick the Right Saddle Based on What You Are Actually Doing A rock climbing saddle is not a safe substitute for a hunting saddle for most whitetail sits. A hunting saddle is built for long, quiet, mostly-still hangs with a
What Actually Keeps Me Warm Saddle Hunting In Winter I stay warm saddle hunting in winter by fixing heat loss at my feet, my hands, and my core, then managing sweat on the hike in. If I am cold in