Decide If You Want a “Handshake Lease” or a Real Contract. If you want to start a hunting lease with neighbors, you need three things

Decide What You Are Really Buying, Because It Affects What You Offer. You are not just offering cash for a place to hunt. You are

Updated on September 7, 2026 State Michigan — parent: Michigan deer hunting Land Ottawa National Forest (USFS) Species Whitetail Best window Late October through early

Updated on September 7, 2026 State Pennsylvania — parent: Pennsylvania deer hunting Land Allegheny National Forest (USFS) — Pennsylvania’s only national forest. About the forest

Pick One Thing to Beat the Crowds, and Do It Hard. The fastest way I know to beat crowds on public land opening day is

Make the Call Up Front. Rare Venison Is Not Worth It Most of the Time. Yes, you can eat deer meat rare sometimes, but I

The Best Seasoning for Deer Burger Is Simple The best seasoning for deer burger is kosher salt, coarse black pepper, garlic powder, and a little

Pick Your Fat Source, Or Your Burgers Will Be Dry The best fat to mix with deer meat for burgers is beef tallow or fatty

Stop Making It Like Store-Bought Beef To make venison burger juicy, I add fat on purpose, I grind it cold, and I do not overcook

Decide If You Want Real Jerky Or Just “Dried Meat” You can make deer jerky without a dehydrator by using your oven on the lowest

Stop Dry Backstrap Before It Starts The way I keep deer backstrap from turning dry is simple. I cook it hot and fast to 125

Pick Your Sealer Based on How Many Deer You Really Process The best vacuum sealer for deer meat for most hunters is the Nesco VS-12.

Stop Freezer Burn Before It Starts, Not After. The best way to prevent freezer burn on venison is to get the meat dry, cold, and

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,

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,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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,

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