Category: Deer Hunting

Stop Guessing, Start Measuring, And Don’t Lie To Yourself. The biggest mistakes guys make scoring their own buck are measuring too soon, using the wrong

Make the Call Fast. Inside Spread Is Simple If You Measure It the Same Way Every Time. To measure inside spread on deer antlers, I

Which Scoring System Should You Use? The difference is simple. Boone and Crockett is for rifle, muzzleloader, and handgun kills, and Pope and Young is

Pick a Peroxide Strength and Stop Guessing For deer skull bleaching, I use 12% hydrogen peroxide “developer” for most euro mounts, and I avoid straight

How Long Until You Get Your Mount Back, Really. Most shoulder mounts take 6 to 12 months. If you drop it off in November, do

Decide Your Goal Before You Cut Anything The best way to cape a deer in the field is to do a clean shoulder cape with

Pick Your Humidity Window and Hunt It Hard The humidity level I like best for deer hunting is 40% to 70%. Below 40% I focus

Pick Your Goal Before You Open the App I use OnX Maps for one thing. I use it to cut time off my scouting and

Pick a Wind Checker That Shows Micro Swirls, Not Just “Windy” The best wind checker for bow hunting is a simple powder bottle you can

Pick the Pioneer if you want simple and tough, and pick the Ranger if you want comfort and speed. If I had to buy one

How Deep of Water Can a Hunting UTV Cross Without Wrecking It Most hunting UTVs can safely cross about 12 to 18 inches of moving

The Fast Answer If You’re Alone and It’s Heavy I load a deer on an ATV alone by getting the deer on a plastic sled,

How Long After a Shot Can a Dog Track? A good tracking dog can follow a wounded deer for 24 to 48 hours after the

How Far Can a Dog Track a Wounded Deer Before You Should Back Out? A good blood tracking dog can follow a wounded deer anywhere

Decide If You Even Need an Oxygen Tank in the Woods If you need an oxygen tank to breathe, you can still hunt, but you

Start Here, Because The Rules Change Fast. You get a disabled hunting permit by proving your disability to the right state agency, then applying for

Pick the Crossbow That Will Actually Work One-Handed The best crossbow for one handed shooting is a compact, well-balanced, low-recoil crossbow with a crank cocking

Pick One Chair Based on How You Actually Hunt If you hunt from the ground and you move even a little, I would buy the

What I Would Buy First If I Was Hunting From a Wheelchair The fastest way to make wheelchair hunting work is to build your setup

Pick One: Youth Crossbow For Close Shots, Youth Rifle For Easy Range. If my kid can sit still and keep the shot under 30 yards,

Pick Snacks That Keep Kids Quiet, Warm, and Hydrated The best snacks for kids on long hunts are quiet to eat, won’t freeze solid, don’t

Pick Your Copper Bullet Based on Your Real Range The best copper bullet for deer hunting is the Barnes TTSX if you want the safest

Pick One Box And Go Hunt If you put a gun to my head and made me choose one deer load across a bunch of

Pick One Rifle. Then Hunt With It. If you want a no-drama deer rifle for timber and 40 to 125 yard shots, I would buy

Pick a Lever Gun That Handles Fast, Not One That Looks Cool The best lever action for deer in thick woods is a short, handy

Pick One Caliber and Get Good With It For deer inside 200 yards, I would pick a .308 Winchester if I could only own one

Pick Your Scope Like You Pick Your Stand, Not Like You Pick a Catalog The best scope for a lever action 30-30 is a low-power,

Start Here: The Fast Way I Zero at 100 Yards I zero a rifle scope for 100 yards by boresighting, shooting a 3-shot group at

Pick 10×42 or 8×42 Based on How Far You Really Glass If I have to judge a rack past 200 yards, I grab 10×42. If

Pick One Based on Your Real Hunting, Not Specs If you are a whitetail hunter who glassed deer inside 400 yards from a treestand edge,

Pick Your Winner Before You Spend the Money If you want the best value with fast ranges and solid low-light performance, I would buy a

Pick One Based on How You Actually Hunt, Not the Logo If you want the cleanest ranging in low light and you can stomach the

Buy 8×42 or 10×42, and stop overthinking it. The best deer hunting binoculars under $300 are 8×42 or 10×42 roof-prism binos with decent glass, a

Pick 2 Hunts, Not 20 The best rut hunting tactics for small properties are: hunt fewer sits, hunt the downwind edge of doe bedding, and

Pick Morning or Evening First, Then Pick Your Tree The best morning stand locations are tight to bedding and downwind of where deer spent the

Pick Your Entry Route Before You Pick Your Stand The clean way to hunt a doe bedding area without spooking it is to slip in

What I Actually Do During The Second Rut The best second rut strategy is simple. I hunt food close to thick bedding, sit longer, and

Make the Call Fast: Did You Educate Them, Or Did Their Routine Change? Most of the time deer stop coming to your stand because you

Pick A Wind That Lets You Get Away With Your Access The best wind direction for morning deer hunts is the one that keeps your

Decide What “Disappear” Means, Then Hunt Like They Didn’t Leave Big bucks do not vanish during gun season. They clamp down, shift beds, and move

Pick a Plot You Can Actually Grow in Sand. The best food plot for sandy soil is a simple mix of cereal rye and oats

Decide Your Plot Size First, Not Your Seed Brand I plan on about 1 acre of food plot for every 8 to 12 deer I

Pick One Based on Your Dirt and Your Time. If you have decent soil and you want a “plant it and forget it” perennial, I

Should You Use TSI to Improve Deer Habitat? Yes, TSI works for deer habitat improvement if you do it around bedding cover and travel corridors,

Start Here: What I Actually Do on Corps Ground I hunt Army Corps of Engineers deer ground by treating it like pressured public land, not

Start Here: How I Would Hunt Chequamegon National Forest This Fall I would hunt Chequamegon like big woods with pressure, not like a farm-country rut

Pick A Forest Based On Pressure, Access, And How Much Walking You Will Actually Do. If you want my honest pick for the best overall

What I Actually Think About BLM Whitetail Hunting in Eastern Montana BLM land deer hunting in eastern Montana is worth doing if you treat it

Pick Your Kansas Walk-In Plan Before You Ever Leave the House The best walk-in hunting access in Kansas is the place you can actually hunt

Start With This, Or You Will Waste Days. The best public land deer spots in the Missouri Ozarks are not “a secret hollow.” They are

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

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,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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,

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

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

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

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.

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.

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,

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

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

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

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

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,

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

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

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

Pick One Based on Your Feet, Not the Hype. If you hunt standing water, cattails, and mud for hours, I would buy Muck Wetland. If

Pick a Forced-Air Dryer, Not a “Warm Shelf” Dryer The best boot dryer for hunting boots is a forced-air model with a timer and controlled

Pick Your Gram Weight Like You Pick Your Stand, Not Like You Pick a Catalog. For most deer hunters, 400 grams is the sweet spot

Pick One Boot. Here Is My Answer. I would buy the LaCrosse Alpha Burly Pro for cold, wet, long sits, and I would buy the

Pick One: I’d Buy the Maverick Blind for Most Hunters. If you want the short answer, I’d pick the Maverick Blind for most deer hunters

Pick a Pattern That Matches Distance, Not Leaves The best camo pattern for a ground blind exterior is a big, high-contrast “macro” pattern in a

Pick steps that match your hill, not your ego. The best tree stand steps for steep climbs are short, rigid climbing sticks with a solid

Pick The One That Carries Easier, Not The One That Sounds Cooler If your whole goal is “lighter on my back,” I pick the XOP

Pick One Based on Your Back and Your Patience If you want the most comfortable sit for 4 to 6 hours, I pick the Summit

Pick One Stand Under $200, Then Accept the Tradeoff The best climbing tree stand under $200, for most whitetail hunters, is the Summit Viper SD

Pick a Real Unscented Deodorant, Not a “Hunting” Sticker The best scent free deodorant for hunters is the one that is truly unscented, has low

Pick One. My Answer Up Front. If I had to bet my tag on one, I would pick Sitka’s carbon gear over ScentLok.. But I

Pick One Goal First: Cover Mistakes, Or Cut Odor. Dead Down Wind and “scent killer” sprays both help, but they do different jobs. If I

Decide If You Want “Low Scent” Or “No Human Scent”. You are never going to be 100% scent free, but you can keep hunting clothes

My Take After Using Both Calls In Real Hunts If I had to buy only one today, I would buy the Flextone Headhunter for $12

Pick a Call That Sounds Like a Real Adult Buck, Not a Squeaky Toy The best snort wheeze call for mature bucks is the one

How Often I Actually Grunt Call During a Sit. I grunt call less than most guys think. In most whitetail woods, I hit a grunt

Pick a Tarsal Gland Scent That Matches the Phase of the Rut The best tarsal gland scent for rut hunting is real buck tarsal from

Yes, You Can Use Too Much Deer Scent, And It Will Burn You. Yes, you can use too much deer scent. If your scent is

How Long It Lasts, In Real Hunting Terms. Doe estrus scent on a wick lasts about 2 to 6 hours in the woods before it

Pick One Based on Season, Not Hype. If I can only carry one deer scent in my pack, I pick acorn early and apple late..

Start With This Decision: Food, Scent, or Movement. The best legal deer attractant in your state is usually not a magic bottle. It is legal

Pick Your Start Date Based on One Thing: When You Want the Site to Peak The best time of year to start a mineral site

Lucky Buck Mineral vs Whitetail Institute. Which One I Would Actually Buy. If you want a cheap mineral to keep deer stopping for trail cam

My Take After Using Both Scents If you want my blunt answer, I trust Code Blue more than Tink’s 69 for getting a buck to

Make the Call Up Front: Are You Trying to Stop Theft, or Just Make It a Pain? If you want to keep trail cameras from

Pick One That Actually Triggers Fast, Not One With a Fancy Box The best budget trail camera under $50 that I trust to actually work

Pick the App Based on Your Patience, Not the Spec Sheet. If you want the least headache on a normal deer lease, I run Moultrie

Check Them Less Than You Want To. I check trail cameras every 10 to 21 days during summer, every 14 to 30 days in early

Buy This Card and Move On The best SD card for most trail cameras is a 32GB SanDisk Ultra SDHC, Class 10, UHS-I. If your

Pick a Varmint Guard That Actually Matches Your Feeder The best varmint guard for most deer feeders is a wide, metal cone-style baffle that mounts

Pick the Right Feeder for Thick Woods, Not the One That Looks Cool in a Catalog. The best deer feeder for thick woods is a

Stop Trying to “Outsmart” Raccoons and Start Beating Them With Setup The real way I keep raccoons out of a deer feeder is to control

Do You Actually Need an Official Score? No, your deer does not need to be officially scored unless you are chasing a record book entry,

What I Actually Pay for Deer Taxidermy. Most deer taxidermists charge $600 to $1,200 for a shoulder mount, $125 to $250 for a euro mount,

Do This First, Or You Will Hate How It Turns Out If you want a clean European mount at home, the fastest path is this.

What I Do Right After a Storm Ends I hunt the first 2 to 6 hours after the storm breaks, and I set up on

How Warm Is Too Warm, Really? For most whitetail hunting, once the afternoon hits 65 degrees, I stop expecting “good” daylight movement and start hunting

Does a Cold Front Actually Make Deer Move More, Or Is That Just Hunter Talk? Yes, a cold front usually makes deer move more, especially

Don’t Guess the Wind. Check It Twice. The best way to check wind direction while hunting is to use a small wind checker in your

Pick Your Sit Time Based on Pressure, Not Hype The best barometric pressure for deer movement is usually a rising barometer in the 30.00 to

Pick One App and Stick With It, Or You Will Second-Guess Every Sit The best weather app for deer hunting, for most guys, is OnX

Drag or ATV. Pick One Based on Access and How Far You Really Have to Go. If I can legally drive within 200 yards of

Pick Tires Based on Your Mud, Not Your Ego The best tires for a hunting ATV in mud are aggressive mud tires with deep, widely

The Answer I Give My Friends For most deer hunters, a UTV is better because it hauls more gear, keeps you drier, and is safer

Get It Quiet Fast So You Do Not Blow Out Your Spot The fastest way I have found to keep an ATV quiet for hunting

Pick One Based on This, Not the Brochure. For most deer hunters, I’d buy the Can-Am Defender if you want a tougher “work first” rig

Pick the ATV Based on Your Terrain, Not Your Ego. The best ATV for hauling a deer out of the woods is a 4×4 utility

Make the Call Early, But Do Not Rush It. The best age to start training a blood tracking dog is 8 to 12 weeks for

Start Here: How I Actually Find a United Blood Trackers Tracker Fast. I find a United Blood Trackers tracker by pulling up their member directory,

Pick a Blind That Lets You Hunt, Not Fight Your Gear The best elevated blind with a wheelchair ramp is the Banks Outdoors Stump 4

Pick One Path First: Paperwork Help Or Boots-On-The-Ground Help The best organizations for disabled hunters are the ones that either (1) get you legal access

What Actually Works for Hearing Aids When It Is 22 Degrees and You Are in a Stand I hunt with hearing aids in cold weather

Pick a State Based on What You Want Out of the Hunt The best states for women only deer hunts are Pennsylvania, Maryland, Texas, and

Pick A Stand Based On The Heaviest Thing You Will Carry, Not Your Body Weight. Most women should buy a climbing stand with a 300

Pick a Women-Specific Pack, Not a “Small Men’s Pack” The best hunting pack designed for women is one that fits a shorter torso, rides on

Pick Warmth First, Then Noise, Then Fit. The best sports bra for cold weather hunting is a high-neck, longline, medium-to-high support bra made from merino

Pick Games That Force Quiet Time, Not Just “Fun” Time. The best hunting games to teach kids patience are the ones that make them sit

Pick the Stand That Keeps Your Kid Quiet, Warm, and Not Scared. The best tree stand for hunting with a child is a two-person ladder

Make the Call: Age Matters Less Than the Kid I put most kids in a deer stand for real hunting around 10 to 12 years

Pick Ammo Like You Pick a Stand, Not Like You Pick a Caliber The best 6.5 Creedmoor ammo for whitetail is a bonded or controlled-expansion

Pick the One That Fits How You Hunt. If you want a “set it and forget it” deer bullet that usually holds together and punches

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pick the Right Part of the UP, Or You Will Hike for Nothing National Forest deer hunting in the Upper Peninsula Michigan is worth doing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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,

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

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,

Pick Boots Based on How Long You Stand Still, Not How Far You Walk The best insulated hunting boots for standing all day are tall,

Decide If You Are Practicing “Hunting” Or Just Hanging The best way to practice saddle hunting before season is to run full, timed reps with

Pick a Pack Setup That Lets You Hunt, Not Fiddle. The best saddle hunting pack setup is a small, quiet pack that carries your sticks

Pick One: Aero Hunter or Tethrd Mantis? If you want the most comfortable “sit all day” saddle and you do not mind a little bulk,

The Call I Would Make If I am packing deep on public land and moving every sit, I pick the Tethrd One Stick. If I

Stop Chasing “Scent Free” and Start Controlling Where Your Smell Goes. You are not going to make a ground blind truly scent free. What you

Pick the Right Style Before You Pick a Brand The best elevated box blind kit under $1,000 is the one that includes a weather-tight blind,

Pick The Number First, Then Pick The Blind. I run a deer blind with 3 to 5 usable windows for most hunts. For bowhunting, I

Pick a Width That Lets You Draw Without Thinking About It For bow hunting, I want a ladder stand platform that is at least 30

The Fast Answer I Trust To make a tree stand quieter, I fix metal-on-metal contact first, then I lock down every loose strap and buckle,

Pick One Based on Noise, Weight, and How You Hunt. If you want the quietest, lightest, “buy once cry once” mobile stand, I pick the

Pick a Cushion That Matches How You Actually Sit The best tree stand seat cushion for comfort is a closed-cell foam cushion with a waterproof

Pick the Umbrella First, Not the Stand The best tree stand umbrella for rain hunts is a full-coverage, rigid-arm model like the Ameristep Tree Stand

Pick The Safest Answer Up Front, Not The Coolest One. The safest way I hang a tree stand by myself is to use a lineman’s

Pick Your Stand Based on One Thing: How You Hunt If I am bouncing around public land and hanging in different trees every sit, I

The Mistakes That Blow Deer Out Faster Than Bad Aim The biggest scent control mistake is thinking you can “cover” human smell instead of controlling

What I Actually Trust Ozone To Do, And How Long It “Lasts” Ozone treatment does not “last” on clothes in a reliable way once the

My Answer After Owning Ozone Gear No, an ozone bag like the Scent Crusher does not “make you scent free,” and it will not save

Pick the Window, Not the Weather The best time of day to rattle for bucks is the first 90 minutes of daylight and the last

Why Deer Ignore Your Calls Most of the Time Deer ignore your calls because you are calling at the wrong time, from the wrong spot,

Pick One Setting and Commit to It for 20 Minutes The best grunt call setting for the pre rut is a low, short tending grunt,

Collecting Doe Urine the Right Way (And Why I Even Bother) If I am going to use doe urine at all, I only trust urine

Do Deer Scent Wicks Actually Work, Or Are They Just Something Hunters Like to Buy? Yes, deer scent wicks can work, but only for one

Pick a Dripper That Matches How Long You Sit. The best scent dripper for all day hunting is the Wildlife Research Center Golden Estrus Scent

How Long Does It Take Deer to Find a Mineral Lick? Most deer find a new mineral lick in 3 to 14 days if it

Decide If You Even Need Doe Estrus Scent This Season I start using doe estrus scent in the pre-rut when I am seeing fresh buck

Which One I’d Buy With My Own Money. I’d buy the Tactacam REVEAL for reliability and fewer headaches, and I’d buy the Stealth Cam Fusion

Stop Blaming “Bad Batteries” and Fix the Three Real Problems Your trail camera batteries die so fast because of three things I see over and

The Real Number I Use (And Why). I run 3 to 6 trail cameras per 100 acres for whitetails, and I only go over that

Pick Your Setup First, Because That Choice Decides Everything. The fastest way to get trail camera pictures sent to your phone is to buy a

Pick Your Height Based on One Thing: The Shot You Want For the best trail cam pictures on whitetails, I hang most cameras at 36

Pick the Right Camera First, or You Are Fighting a Losing Battle. The fastest way to reduce trail camera flash spook is to run a

Pick Your Camera Settings Based on What You Want the Photo to Do I set trail camera picture quality based on my goal, not on

Pick a Pellet That Matches Your Goal, Not the Hype. The best protein pellets for deer feeders are 16 percent to 20 percent protein, high

Program It Like You Mean It, Or You Are Just Feeding Raccoons. My answer is this. Set a Boss Buck feeder timer for 2 short

Pick A Battery Type First, Or You Will Be Mad In January. The best deer feeder battery that lasts all winter is a 12V 35Ah

Pick Your App Based on One Thing: How Official You Need It. The best deer scoring app for your phone is the one that matches

What You Actually Need to Do to Enter a Deer To enter a deer in Boone and Crockett, you need a qualifying score from an

Net Score vs Gross Score. The Real Difference. Gross score is the buck’s full antler inches before deductions. Net score is what’s left after you

Should You Do a DIY Deer Shoulder Mount? Yes, a DIY deer shoulder mount can be worth it if you want a wall-worthy memory and

The Answer I Give My Buddies OnX is the better all-around app for most deer hunters because its private-land layer and waypoint sharing are more

Stop Guessing. Use Wind And Thermals Like A Trap. To read wind thermals for deer hunting, I treat it like two winds at once. At

Pick One Based on How You Actually Hunt If you want a quieter, smoother, more “truck-like” ride for long property loops and stand hops, I

Pick the UTV That Gets You In Quiet, Not the One That Looks Cool The best UTV for deer hunting access is the one that

Decide If You Need a Dog Before You Call. If you want the best odds of recovering your deer, call a blood tracking dog handler

Pick a Leash and Harness That Lets Your Dog Work, Not Fight You The best leash and harness for tracking dogs is a tough Y-front

Make the Call Fast, But Do Not Rush the Track If you have a hit you do not trust, call a tracking dog handler right

Pick One Dog, Don’t Overthink It If you want a house dog that can also track a deer well, I would pick the Dachshund. If

Decide If You Want a “Blood Dog” or a “Deer Dog” If you want to train a dog to track wounded deer, you need two

Pick A Breed That Matches Your Reality, Not Your Ego. The best blood tracking dog breed for deer is the one you can actually train,

Pick a Rail That Matches How You Actually Shoot, Not What Looks Cool The best shooting rail for hunters with limited mobility is a rock-solid,

Start Here: Pick the Kind of Mentor You Actually Need The best way to find a mentor as a woman new to hunting is to

Pick Your Boots Like Your Season Depends On It Women’s hunting boots are not just “men’s boots in smaller sizes.” The real differences are heel

Pick a Draw Weight You Can Pull Sitting Down, Cold, and Quiet The best bow draw weight for women deer hunting is usually 40 to

Buy Women’s Insulated Hunting Bibs For Fit First, Warmth Second The best insulated hunting bibs made for women are the ones that fit your hips,

Pick One Based on Your Season, Not the Logo. If you are buying women’s hunting clothes for whitetails, I would pick First Lite for quiet,

Pick Fit Over Camo, Every Time The best hunting clothes cut for women are the ones that fit your shoulders, hips, and inseam without bunching,

Decide What “Good Practice” Means For Your Kid Good practice for young hunters is short, safe, and success-heavy. I keep it to 20 to 35

Buy For Fit First, Not Camouflage The best youth hunting clothes that fit small kids are the ones you can tighten down at the waist

Pick Your Bullet Weight Based on Range and Shot Angles, Not Ego For most deer hunting, I pick 150-grain in .308 or .30-06, 165-grain if

Pick One Based on Your Shot Distance, Not the Marketing. For most deer hunters shooting inside 200 yards, I pick a soft point because it

Pick Your Sticks Based on How You Actually Hunt The best shooting sticks for deer hunting are the ones you will truly carry, set up

Pick Your Straight-Wall Based On Range, Recoil, And How You Actually Hunt Ohio. The best straight wall cartridge for deer in Ohio for most hunters

Pick a Youth Deer Rifle That Will Not Beat Up Your Kid or Your Ears The best youth deer rifle that is not too loud

Pick One. Here Is My Answer. If you want the simplest, most forgiving deer rifle for normal shots inside 300 yards, I pick the .308.

Pick the Rifle First, Then Pick the Caliber The best deer hunting rifle under $1000 is the Tikka T3x Lite in .308 or 6.5 Creedmoor,

Pick Your Brand Based on How You Actually Hunt For most deer hunters, I would buy a Leupold VX-3HD or VX-Freedom before I bought a

Pick One Scope Setup and Quit Overthinking It The best illuminated reticle scope for deer, for most guys, is a 2-10x or 3-9x with a

Pick One: 3-9×40 or 4-12×40? If you hunt normal whitetail woods ranges, a 3-9×40 is the better choice 90% of the time. If you sit

Pick Your Magnification Like You Pick Your Stand Tree For most whitetail hunting in thick woods, I run 2-7x or 3-9x and keep it parked

Pick One. Here Is My Answer. If you want the safest buy for whitetail hunting under $300, I would pick the Leupold VX-Freedom. If you

Pick One Scope and Quit Second-Guessing It The best rifle scope for deer hunting under $500 is the Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9×40. I run it because

Pick Your Side Before You Spend $129 If you are buying budget binoculars for whitetail hunting, I would take Vortex over Bushnell most of the

Pick Compact Binos That Do Not Swing, Fog, Or Make Noise The best compact binoculars for saddle hunting are 8x or 10x roof-prism binos in

Pick A Side Fast: Maven Or Vortex? If you want the best glass for your money and you can live without walking into any big

Buy 8×42 Roof Prisms, Not Cheap Zoom Glass The best budget hunting binoculars under $150 are 8×42 roof prism bins from a real brand, and

Start With This Call. Morning Cruise Or Midday Cruise. Bucks start cruising during the rut at first light most days, then again from about 10:00

Decide If You Are Hunting Him, Or He Is Hunting You. If a buck keeps showing up just out of range, only in the last

Pick Your Approach: Moon Phase Matters Less Than You Want It To The best moon phase for deer hunting is the one that lines up

Kill the Grass First, Or the Clover Never Gets a Fair Shot If your clover plot is turning into a grassy mess, kill the grass

Pick Your Blend Based on Snow, Browse Pressure, and Your Soil The best brassica blend for late season deer is a simple mix of purple

Spray timing matters more than the brand on the jug. I spray Roundup on food plots when the weeds are actively growing, the forecast gives

Pick A Throw Based On What You Need This Month, Not What Looks Good On A Bag. The best food plot “throw and grow” for

What I Actually Worry About on a Deer Lease Yes, you should care about liability on a deer lease, and yes, you should have it

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

Pick Your Plan Before You Ever Drive North. If you want a clean, repeatable Ottawa National Forest deer hunt, focus on edges, swamps, and fresh

Pick Your “Spot Type” First, Or You Will Waste Days. The best “Allegheny National Forest deer hunting spots” are not secret GPS pins. They are

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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