Hunting and Fishing News & Blog Articles

The smell of bacon cooking on the skillet greets my senses this morning as I reflect on time spent with Ron and Karen Douglas the hard working, proud owners, of Xtreme World Class Whitetails located in Millersburg, Ohio. They, along with their talented guide staff, have made a lasting impression on this hunter.

I arrived at Xtreme World Class Whitetails on Thursday evening, November 2nd. Not knowing what to expect I stepped into a world any hunter would love. On entering the lodge, I was greeted by Ron with a strong and friendly handshake. My eyes looked around the room and there were mounts and sheds everywhere.

A great mule deer mount is showcased in the main room. killed by Karen. As I was checking out the surroundings, Karen was working on cleaning up after dinner and asked if I was hungry. I took her up on her offer and sat down to a warm plate of steak, shrimp, cauliflower and other delicious sides. Karen explained that every meal is eaten as a family and everyone sits and eat as one group.

After dinner, Karen took me upstairs to my room, tastefully decorated with great wildlife artwork and all the beds were decked out in camo sheets. They have the capability of sleeping large groups of hunters if you want to bring down a group of your buddies to hunt. There is no stone unturned when it comes to them wanting you to feel at home. I was introduced to another hunter, Jeff, who was also from Pennsylvania. He had hunted that day and told me he was really impressed with the hunting and the guides. I was excited to get out into the stand the next morning so I headed to bed.

Friday morning started with a great breakfast and conversation about the hunt. I rode with Lauren and Lee to where we would set up and hunt for the day. We were tucked in a ground blind/shooting house that was on top of a ridge, overlooking a thick grassy area with lots of trees. There were acorns everywhere. I placed two Buck Cages out in front of me at about 25 yards. The wind was swirling a bit and was to get stronger as the day progressed. I got my rangefinder, nocked a BEA Zombie Slayer on my Athens Revelation 6, and was ready for action.

Twenty-one years ago, when I was still living in Dallas, I met Robbie Cramer. He had been a deer hunter since he shot his first 8-point buck (with a rifle). His grand-dad had taken him on that successful hunt when he was only 8 years old. Robbie was hooked on hunting deer ever since.

As we talked about that hunt, he said he knew I was a bowhunter and expressed interest in learning about it. He seemed like a good guy, and deer season was currently going on, so I asked him if he wanted to go with me to my deer lease. And I let him know that the lease was bows-only … and that guests were limited to Does and a wild turkey.

Robbie didn’t have a bow but he got one right away and set up a place to shoot in the large warehouse of the business he ran. Robbie caught on to shooting a compound bow right away and practiced daily. The following weekend we both drove to the deer lease to hunt.

Shooting from a treestand proved difficult for him initially but soon he caught on and on a subsequent trip got his first deer with the bow.

And since that time we’ve become very good friends and Robbie joined the deer lease and has turned into a successful bowhunter. His prior year’s deer hunting experiences gave him “one-up” on the locating bucks process and every year he takes a mature buck to the meat processor as well as the taxidermist.

Robert Hoague
Bowhunting.net

Looking back to my mid teen years, two events were pivotal to my life choices. First, at age 14 I joined and became active in the archery club Orlando Bowman; and secondly, four men from the Archery Club took me and my high school buddies Tommy Denson and Hugh Carroll bowhunting for whitetail deer at Ocala National Forest. Those men sure opened my eyes to something that became my life long heartfelt passion.

They freely gave their advice and I hung on every word. I knew nothing about deer or bowhunting. And to me, they knew it all.

As the years passed I met lots of bowhunters who also offered plenty of advice and information. And I began noticing some things that happened in the deer woods were different than what I’d heard about. And, noticing that, I started using what I saw and learned, more often than what I’d been told.

Don’t misunderstand, nobody had tried to mislead me. I want you to know that every single person was being helpful and I totally appreciated it. That said, one common theme stretched through their deer and bowhunting info. They were weekend hunters who occasionally hunted for a few days of their vacation time. Basically, their information came from their own totally random experiences of hunting and seeing deer.

In the mid 80’s I figured I had put things together pretty good and was a knowledgeable deer hunter (that hunted exclusively with my bow and arrow). Then, in 1987 I made a casual decision that turned out to be even more pivotal for what I knew about deer and deer hunting with a bow. I bowhunted the same area in Texas that I’d been hunting for 10 years … but this time for 3 months; all of October, November and December!

Kaitlyn Maus is a very successful YouTuber who blogs about her many bowhunts and other adventures.

    Kaitlyn Maus

First off, Cowboy Kent Rawlins shows you how to process your deer so each cut is perfect and tastes delicious. There is no “gamey” flavored meat allowed when he prepares the meat for cooking.

When the cowboy begins the cooking you’re with him all the way. And his Tips. Folks, this recipe will work with any type of meat you want, but today we’re making an authentic deer chili recipe.

  Cowboy Kent Rollins

Right now the Rut is slowing down or has already ended. Now, both bucks and does are shifting their focus back to food sources. Here are tips for finding the places that deer are visiting now to eat.

  Whitetail Fit

Imagine a world without abundant deer and other wildlife. To prevent such possibilities, state wildlife agencies continually work with conservation organizations and individual conservationists to enhance habitats and lobby policymakers for the benefit of wildlife and hunting’s future.

Joel Webster, senior director of Western programs for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, said Americans shouldn’t take healthy, abundant wild places and animals for granted. They must get involved and work hard for wildlife conservation.

“Our ability to hunt depends on robust wildlife populations and places to hunt,” Webster said. “Wildlife conservation is critical to provide opportunities. If you care about the future of hunting, you must make it a priority.”

Webster said bowhunters can get involved with conservation organizations at the local, state and national level, but those options also vary. You can make a difference through hands-on habitat work, or by voicing concerns and support for regulations and policies that affect wildlife, hunting and bowhunting. Whatever your preference, join a group and get involved.

December is a good month to hunt deer. Here are 3 time proven tips from Jeff Sturgis for producing a high level of predictable success…

By Josh Honeycutt

Imagine this, taking 20 years to ‘cull’ an untold number of “inferior” free-range bucks. Burning tags on wild deer you’d likely otherwise pass. And being told that you’ve done good for the local deer herd.

Newsflash — it’s NOT true. Even the most intensive culling efforts on wild whitetails is so diluted that measurable results are virtually non-existent. Even after decades of efforts the minuscule rate of return is not worth the real result. So, to those who’ve spent years believing in the fallacy, you fell for the lie through no fault of your own. This fallacy has been propagated, and in grand fashion, for far too long.

Outdoors Allie is all about ‘From Field To Table’ venison cooking. This recipe is simple, goes together quickly and tastes delicious.

 Outdoor Solutions

The late deer seasons are different than all other seasons. I found this excellent video about Late Season Deerhunting.

Dan and Josh explain and discuss the changes in the deer woods during late season. What are the does doing? What are the bucks doing? And what are the Big Bucks doing. The big bucks are NOT doing what the young and lesser bucks are. CLICK BELOW AND FIND OUT WHAT TO DO TO GET ON THE BIG BUCKS.

    The Hunting Beast

Burt Andrew of Buffalo County, Wisconsin harvested the first 160-plus during archery season. “We believe Slice to be at least 5½ years old with three years of trail camera photos dating back to 2019,” he said. “He was only an 8-point back then, but we were able to identify him year to year due to a large cut in his right ear.”

Despite years of encounters, October 9, 2021, was the day they met for the final time. It was hot, especially for October. The high was in the 70s. But Buffalo County is a magical place. It’s known for big bluffs, long ridgetops, and vast ag fields. The place just seems to defy odds, even when conditions aren’t great.

Andrew knows this, and he set up in a known hotspot about 40 yards into the woods off the edge of a standing corn field. The location is between two ridgetops with a long valley in the middle. It creates a bowl in front of the stand that deer frequently travel through. A thick point that’d been recently logged, which deer commonly bed along, tapered down into the bowl.

“I was on a freezer-filling mission,” Andrew said. “So, when the first doe presented a shot, I took it. The arrow passed through and stuck in the ground right where she stood.” The shot was a little farther back than he’d like. The doe bolted, ran a few yards, and bedded down. It was looking straight toward him, so he couldn’t get another shot off.

About five minutes later, he heard a twig snap down the hill. A slow turn of his head revealed a buck with a massive rack. It stood broadside only 30 yards away. 

Mississippi Pot Roast is an INSANELY POPULAR, SUPER EASY and an Amazingly DELICIOUS pot roast recipe. We make it with Venison instead of beef and it is PERFECT! Here’s how to make Mississippi Pot Roast with Venison in a slow cooker!

Outdoor Writer Tracy Breen interviews the legendary Tracker John about blood tracking dogs, tracking deer and the biggest buck he ever recovered.

Tracker John has been tracking whitetails for several decades and spends each fall tracking big bucks all over the Midwest. You can learn more about him at www.bloodtrackingdogs.com

A recent report says that interest in hunting has increased by 30% thanks to the Pandemic and that one-third of the newcomers are female. Also, many new hunters are just trying things out and a sure way to transform curiosity into a lifetime of adventure is to help them succeed. This motivation is driving sales for hunting gear and a crossbow should be at the top of your list. Here are seven lucky reasons why.

Easy to Learn-

Learning to shoot a crossbow is nearly an “out of the box” experience. If you visit a local archery shop or big box store that sells sporting goods, they can show you how to safely shoot a crossbow in just a few minutes. My seven-year-old grandson loves to shoot a crossbow because he was instantly successful, hitting a bullseye on his very first shot. Shooting a traditional bow and arrow takes lots of practice, yet with a crossbow you can become proficient very quickly.

Super-Safe-

Shooting a crossbow is somewhat like shooting a firearm, except you do not need ear protection. Eye protection is still a good idea. Care must be taken when cocking a crossbow and keeping fingers from the string, but most models made today have eliminated those dangers. Toy bows operate much the same as the most powerful hunting models so that youngsters and newcomers can learn on a basic model and have the skills to quickly progress.

At Home Practice

Learning to shoot a firearm requires a range or at least a field or vacant lot with a good backstop. Crossbows can be used in a garage, basement, or back yard and practicing does not violate laws in most jurisdictions. I have three types of targets in my back yard including a bag target for routine practice, a foam target to make sure my broadheads fly point-of-aim, and a 3-D deer target so that I can practice aiming at the kill zone from various angles.

In a time where almost all bowhunting is leaping forward in technology and advancement, have you ever considered taking a step back? So much of the focus in recent years has been on how fast a bow shoots, and how this relates to extending the effective distance we can harvest a trophy buck.

This author has no problem with bowhunters pursuing this side of the sport. Also increased compound let off, and easily cranked crossbows have resulted in more folks joining our ranks and have allowed older hunters the ability to stay effective in our great sport!

But there is also another group of new and old Bowhunters taking a different path. The world of Traditional Bowhunting has taken off in the past several years and offers an excitement level equal to what we all felt harvesting our first big game animal. It is hard to surpass the excitement and sense of accomplishment in harvesting a wary deer at ground level with a simple recurve or longbow.

While these bows might only be launching a heavy arrow at 170 FPS, in the hands of a practiced archer, they are very effective in harvesting the largest of game. Getting stickbow close to our quarry also challenges us to become better woodsmen, and overall hunters. It forces us to become more aware of our environment, and how to use that knowledge to successfully put an arrow through an alert wild game animal at close range.

I have bowhunted with Traditional equipment for more than 55 years and have never felt ill equipped in any hunting situation. What has been important to my success is the ability to get closer to my chosen animals and place a sharp broadhead into the kill zone.

A crossbow can be an advantage in late-season hunting.  I just took my fourth buck in five seasons while hunting the thickest cover I could find.  I was counting on rifle hunters to push deer into a dense creek bottom where bucks often chase does and avoid human contact.  Bagging this respectable 8-point took less than 90 minutes using a handful of think-thick tricks that worked even during a firearm season.

Hunt Where Deer Travel

Many bowhunters feel naked without a tree stand or ground blind to conceal their location, yet I’ve had great success hunting from the ground.  The key is to find areas of deer movement where trails, rubs, and scrapes show evidence of deer movement.  I wear full Kuiu camo as shown in this picture, but also wear an orange hat to comply with local regulations.  Once you are in thick cover, your camo will blend in and you will be surprised how “invisible” you become to deer.

Use Rut Tricks

Don’t just wait for deer, lure them in with calls.  These are probably 20 years old, yet they are tried and true.  My HS Strut TruTalker is an amazing grunt tube and the Primos doe bleat makes a perfect call every time.  My scent indicator is so old the labeling has worn off.  A grunt tube can lure in a buck and calm down a doe, in case a doe sees or smells me. I grunt after it snorts and she usually calms down and goes about her business.  Sometimes a doe blowing and the sound of a buck grunting will actually attract a buck.

Icy Weather bowhunt in bone chilling Minnesota. Zach has the Deer Decoy and the Bow. Nick has the Video Camera. Zach and Nick get a 15 YARD shot at a buck on Minnesota public land!

   The Hunting Public

At about 3:30 in the afternoon I got settled into my deer stand at the area called the Rock Ledge. I threw out some corn and protein in front of my stand and waited for action. it was 5:00 before I saw my first deer.

A doe came in and ate acorns in my area. A few minutes later an 8 pt buck came out of the brush and chased her out of sight. I am a guest hunter on this deer lease and bucks can only be taken by lease members. However, I can shoot Does, wild hogs and wild turkey.

Later, two more does come down a nearby deer trail  and the 8 point buck came back and chased one of the does off.

But this time the buck did not leave the area and he stayed around for about 10 minutes before he wandered off. Soon one doe came up just on the other side of some nearby trees. I waited and soon the doe turned broadside. I was ready and pulled my bow back and shot her! She dropped only 20 yards from my stand!

I got my vehicle and loaded the doe on my tail gate ramp and when I returned to camp Robert Hoague took my picture with the doe.