A Guide to Wounded Deer By Mark Kayser It occurs repeatedly every year across the wide whitetail range in North America. It doesn’t matter if you hunt with a bow or firearm. If you hunt long enough you’ll likely have to track a wounded whitetail. Wounding may occur from a hasty decision you make in the fog of buck fever, but it’s just as likely to occur from a spooky … [Read more...] about A Guide to Wounded Deer
Late Season
Ice Storm
Ice Storm by Stephanie Wottrich My husband, Jerry, and I took our son and daughter-in-law (Ken & Valerie) for a December deer hunt. This was to be a girl’s hunt, with the guys being relegated to observer status. Valerie began hunting when she and Ken started dating, she had shot several does, and our main goal was to get her a buck on the wall. As we prepared our gear, … [Read more...] about Ice Storm
Saskatchewan Whitetail, with a Smokepole
Saskatchewan Whitetail, with a Smokepole by Scott Haugen The phone rang early one September morning. It was my TV producer asking if I’d like to go to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and try filming a whitetail hunt. When Saskatchewan and whitetail deer are mentioned in the same sentence, it gets my attention. In a few week’s time—mid-October to be exact—I’d find myself in … [Read more...] about Saskatchewan Whitetail, with a Smokepole
Bucket List Whitetails
Bucket List Whitetails by Darren Choate, Editor In Chief Before I die, I would like to accomplish a Western Whitetail Slam, which in my mind comprises the following sub-species of White-tailed deer: Carmen Mountain, Columbian, Coues, Dakota, Northwest and Texas. To date, I have taken three of the seven sub-species. Living in Arizona allows me the luxury of hunting for Coues … [Read more...] about Bucket List Whitetails
Unit 29 Coues
Unit 29 Coues by Matt Brady In May of 2011, the Horseshoe 2 fire burned over 200,000 acres in the Chiricahua Mountains. I grew up hunting the Chiricahuas with my father, and both of my grandfathers, who took numerous deer there as well. I have been hunting Coues deer in unit 29 exclusively for the past five seasons. As I watched in horror as the Horseshoe 2 fire grew day by … [Read more...] about Unit 29 Coues
Get Fit for Western Whitetails
Get Fit for Western Whitetails by Scott Haugen One of the biggest challenges hunters face out West is being in shape. To me it’s amazing how many camps I’ve been to throughout the West where tags go unfilled for the simple reason hunters aren’t in good enough physical or mental shape. Not all whitetail hunts out West take place on private farmlands or amid gentle river … [Read more...] about Get Fit for Western Whitetails
Long Range Shots
Long Range Shots by Darren Choate I watched my neighbor pull into his driveway, as he returned from his Arizona Coues deer hunt. I had hunted the same area a few years ago and was interested how he did. So I walked over and asked, "Well, how'd you do?" "I shot a nice buck. And, after a long pause, added "at 600 plus yards!" "Wow, that's a more than a mere poke," I … [Read more...] about Long Range Shots
Steady Shooting
Steady Shooting by Scott Haugen I’d already filled my Montana whitetail tag, so followed along as another hunter in camp tried to do the same. We were hunting in sagebrush country that bordered brushy creek bottoms. At first glance, the terrain seemed flat, but once you set foot on it you realized the brush was tall and the ground broken. Before leaving camp, I noticed the … [Read more...] about Steady Shooting
What Went Wrong
What Went Wrong? by Patrick Meitin Each fall whitetail hunters everywhere play out familiar scripts: investing long hours scouting, checking trail cameras every spare moment, tuning and shooting bows endlessly, hanging stands and developing fail-proof plans sure to finally bring trophy success. But then the season comes to a screeching halt with nothing to show for your efforts … [Read more...] about What Went Wrong