While hunting the rut is a great time to take a good whitetail buck, it isn’t a no-brainer. Here are some common mistakes that can cost you big when the bucks are chasing. The Wisconsin rut was on, and I was...
It didn’t take long for me to be convinced of the effectiveness of using deer decoys. Many bowhunters have yet to discover how exciting using a decoy can be. Much like rattling, decoys can provide you with action that would have...
Ask a hundred deer hunters if they think the tactic of calling deer works or not and you’ll get a variety of responses. Some say it will, some say it won’t, and while others say it works, but only in certain...
There has been a ton of material written about the use of breeding scents during the rut to help fill an unused tag. Some of those stories get so into telling a story about a successful hunt that they forget to give...
By Steve Bartylla In the first installment, of this two-part series, we discussed the important roles that scouting, interpreting sign and studying deer play in increasing our chances of harvesting mature whitetails. We compared these endeavors to building the foundation for...
For over an hour I fought the temptation to doze and forced myself to stay alert. The sound of the computer chip manufacturing plant generators droning in the near distance seemed to pull me into a trance. Even though they weren’t...
IS THIS HUNTING? That headline caught my eye over 15 years ago as the cover story of a prominent hunting magazine displayed on the rack at the grocery store. The cover photo depicted a mature, big racked buck feeding on a...
Mid-January 2005. You could not have asked for a more beautiful afternoon to spend perched in the trees, sharing space created for squirrels and avian friends alike, waiting for a fat young doe to meander by. A deep clear blue sky...
If you’re anything like me, a total gear junkie, then you have closets jammed full of hunting clothes and gear. To be exact, I have three walk-ins with almost nothing but camouflage clothes and ancillary “stuff,” and the garage has at...
Pheasant hunting can be a challenge, but when you get right down to it, the ringneck is a bird with a little tiny bird brain, and with or without the help of a bird dog, you can find a way to...
