Hunting and Fishing News Blog Articles

The key to a good walk-in hunt—this WMA actually had duck blinds—is going when the weather is right. (Joe Genzel/)

Many of the best duck hunters I know cut their teeth on public land, particularly walk-ins. These are some of the toughest places to kill waterfowl consistently because access is easy if you’re willing to to put in the effort. But it can be downright exhausting. It’s typically a long walk down a muddy levee, and if it’s cold enough, and the water is frozen, there’s more hard work in front of you. But that’s what makes this kind of hunting so rewarding—you have to sweat for ducks, and when you get’em there’s no better feeling.

At almost 40 years old, I still love walk-in hunting. I don’t do as many death marches anymore, but it’s fun to get out there on days when I know my brother and I have a shot at killing a few birds. That’s the key to enjoying walk-in hunting: Don’t go unless you think it will be good. It will burn you out quick, logging all those miles with too much gear in-tow, and returning with empty game straps.

This is the stuff I have accumulated over years of chasing ducks—mostly shovelers and ringnecks—in some of the most mediocre duck habitat around. But bottom line is that it works…and I wouldn’t walk-in hunt without it.

Upgrade Your Truck Tires

You might be wondering why in the hell you need a good set of truck tires for walk-in hunting. Fair question. Well, in my experience, walk-ins are the most neglected of public habitats by state agencies. You typically have to drive through some pretty sloppy/sketchy terrain to get to the parking lot, which is often a mud pit. Many times I have arrived on cold mornings when the ground is frozen and returned to a sloppy mess in the afternoon once the sun comes out. Stock tires will not get you unstuck. This year, I’ve been running Toyo’s Open Country A/T III tires. They’ve gotten me out of plenty of hairy situations when I might have otherwise needed a tow. If you drop the tire pressure down to around 20 to 25 pounds, I’m convinced they could get your truck out of quicksand. Dropping tire pressure is key if you’re stuck, and it can easily be done. Just don’t go so low that your tires are flat. And don’t feel like you have to buy Toyo. They have been great for me, but Tire Rack has plenty of options to select from, and the prices honestly aren’t that much higher than the on-road tire that came with your truck. So spend a few extra dollars and save yourself the aggravation. There’s nothing worse than getting skunked and then stuck in the marsh with no cell service.

The author's Browning A5 Sweet Sixteen. (Natalie Krebs /)

By the time I registered the rooster that had flushed into the air directly above me, the prairie wind had sucked him up and away. I managed to pepper his slipstream before he rode the 30-mph gust over a hill of beans to safety.

I could’ve blamed the wind (which I did, a little), but otherwise the fault rested squarely with my poor shooting. It certainly didn’t lie with my shotgun, a circa-1953 Browning A5 Sweet 16 with a fixed modified choke. This was admittedly my first time shooting the A5, but it already felt familiar. The shotgun was an unexpected gift from an elderly neighbor, who couldn’t keep it when he moved to an assisted-living home last year.

Apart from the itch to hunt with such an iconic gun, it also happens to be the only one I own that would accommodate the new 16- and 28-gauge Prairie Storm loads I was outside Aberdeen, South Dakota, to test. The fan-favorite loads have been available in 12 and 20 for years, but Federal Premium introduced the additional sub-gauge loads in 2020. It’s an introduction, they note, that’s directly resulted from customer demand.

So, who are these sub-gauge customers? And is it worth swapping out your 12-gauge for a sub-gauge?

Prairie Storm loads are now available in 16- and 28-gauge, joining the existing 12- and 20-gauge offerings. TSS loads in 16- and 28-gauge are available via Federal's Custom Shop. (Natalie Krebs /)

A Sub-Gauge Primer

Planting seed to attract and grow bigger deer was kick-started in the offices of Outdoor Life (Jonathan Bartlett/)

The amazingly symmetrical 10-pointer was a true tank, the likes of which I thought unimaginable in a country full of spikes and forkhorns. Had a trail camera picked him up in Illinois, Kansas, Iowa, or Wisconsin, he would have been designated a “target” buck. But this was New England, where target bucks don’t much exist. Low-170 bucks are outliers in a land of meat hunters. Yet there he was on the trail camera virtually every night for weeks in a row. Although mostly nocturnal, he spent considerable time munching on the clover, beets, radishes, and brassicas in my little food plot. I was stunned by his existence. I should not have been. I had been told that this exact thing would happen more than 20 years ago.

“These little seeds can help every hunter in every state grow bigger bucks.”

When you’re a 20-something associate editor at Outdoor Life magazine and the bombastic Ray Scott, founder of Bassmaster, is talking, you listen. In his hand was a small pile of tiny blue pellets, and he was talking about something called “food plots.” In the late 1980s, the term was wholly unfamiliar.

“Clover,” said Scott. “Whitetail deer love clover. Plow, lime, and fertilize a piece of ground. Plant these seeds and you will grow bigger bucks.” I scoffed inwardly.

But Scott and editor-in-chief Clare Conley hatched a grandiose plan right there in New York City—many miles away from any sort of tillable ground—that would forever change the path of whitetail deer hunting. Readers would be offered the chance to get a sample packet of clover seed in an upcoming issue by calling a toll-free phone number. Food plotting was born.

A late-1980s vintage bino harness from Alaska Guide Creations, pictured with one of its newest models. (Bill Buckley/)

More than 40 years ago, when he was a young bear guide in Alaska, Jaret Owens needed a way to protect one of his most precious possessions against the unforgiving Last Frontier environment. So he stitched together a leather pouch to hold his binocular, and attached straps so he could wear it on his chest.

“Guys laughed at me at first,” Owens says. “But once they saw how well it worked, they asked me to make some for them.”

Thus, Alaska Guide Creations and a new product category were born.

Today, bino harnesses have become a standard piece of kit for most hunters. As this field shows, there is an array of models that cater to various styles of hunting and needs. We tested them based on their comfort, degree of protection, ergonomics, extra features, durability, quietness, and overall value.

Alaska Guide Creations Alaska Classic HBS with M.A.X. Pocket

No one wants to be the guy in a gunfight with only a knife (or a flashlight or an extra thick writing pen). But there are situations where carrying a firearm isn’t an option. Thankfully, there are more personal defensive tools in this world than guns. When coupled with situational awareness and a defensive frame of mind, these tools can still give you a fighting chance.

Staying alert and maintaining a defensive mindset is where it all starts. Whether you call it situational awareness or “keeping your head on a swivel,” you’ll naturally stay safer in public by keeping your head up and looking around (rather than being buried in your smartphone). You’ll also need to be ready, willing, and able to defend yourself and those in your care. It doesn’t matter if you’re out of shape. There are things that every person can do be safer and these things are more about mindset than muscle. I got the best advice on this from Dr. Conrad Bui and Patrick Vuong of Tiga Tactics. My daughter and I attended one of their amazing knife defense seminars last year, and early in the class these humble bad asses shared the “Law of Stupid.” It’s simple really, but like many simple teachings, it’s also profound. “Don’t do stupid things, with stupid people, at stupid places, at stupid times.” So that shortcut through the alley might be fine at 11 am, but it might be a terrible idea at 11 pm. Don’t be stupid. Use your mind as a weapon and a shield.

Every Day Carry Knife

Any knife is better than no knife. (Tim MacWelch/)

Your EDC pocket knife could well be a lifesaving backup weapon during a violent attack. It can also slice through a box or spread peanut butter on your sandwich for lunch. As far back as the Stone Age, humans have survived by utilizing edged weapons. We still rely on them today. Any knife is better than none. In general, fixed blade knives are more durable than folding knives, but these larger tools may not be a practical or legal to carry in certain situations. Unless there’s a “concealed weapon” issue to consider, a small folder is more of a true pocket knife and won’t be trouble to carry in many places—every day. Pick one that feels good in your hand, with dependable edge retention and sturdy construction. Your life may depend on it. I know it’s not very “outdoorsy” and it’s an older model, but I love my CRKT Shenanigan. This is one of Ken Onion’s wicked designs with a grippy diamond texture handle and sharp tanto point with partial serrations (for sawing, ripping, and general intimidation).

Stun Gun or TASER

Sure, you can learn about deer hunting by reading articles or watching videos online. But the important lessons? The stuff that’s really worth knowing? That can only truly be gained by spending a lifetime in the woods, watching, listening, and learning (Jonathan Bartlett/)

“I’m turning around.”

Shaking her head, Kali Parmley eases her Toyota 4Runner into reverse. The wheels just locked up on the icy U.S. Forest Service road, skidding us toward its edge and the steep mountainside beyond. I open the passenger door and climb out to direct her, nearly slipping myself.

“There are no birds up here anyway,” she adds, talking through the open window. We didn’t plan on snow at this elevation—or ice.

“You’re right,” I say, thinking of the two does we bumped on the drive up. “But there are deer here.”

In the time it takes to get the car turned around, I convince ­Parmley to leave me behind. She lends me a walkie-talkie and her pair of traction cleats to stretch over my worn leather boots, but I have everything else I need to spend the next few nights on the mountain. I shoulder my pack and my rifle, and start walking.

Because it’s worth the wait. (Jonathan Bartlett/)

The boom comes from the southeast, and it’s loud enough to startle me in my treestand. On opening day of deer season in northern Wisconsin, the woods come alive with gunfire: soft pops in the distance, sharp cracks from the neighbors' properties, and hurried four- or five-shot strings from someone hammering away with a lever gun at deer bounding across a cornfield. But a bang loud enough to reverberate off the tree I’m sitting in? That has to be Grampa’s .300 Win. Mag.

This is my twentieth season hunting our family land—a few hundred acres of mixed timber where we pack in four or five Robinsons each fall weekend to hunt deer. Because there’s limited room to roam, we all have designated stands that change only occasionally from year to year. Gramps has been hunting the same 3 acres for more than a decade.

This deer hunting strategy—sitting in your stand day after day until you kill a deer or the season ends—is the polar ­opposite of the highly mobile trend of tree saddles and cellular trail cameras. Today’s run-and-gun deer hunter must be agile and adaptive, constantly reading conditions and efficiently changing setups. And sure, that style of hunting can be fun and effective. But at our camp, change comes more slowly.

A few years ago, for example, I tried to get everyone to use trail cameras. While they all agreed it was cool to see pictures of deer and other wildlife, the consensus was that the cameras kind of ruined the magic of it all. My dad said that if he knew a big buck was out there, then killed a smaller buck, he might feel disappointed. And when I brought a new pour-over coffeemaker to camp, I upset the long tradition of our blue enamel percolators, which either take too long to perk or heat too quickly and boil over. Even though they’re the source of constant bickering each morning, I was ridiculed as some kind of newfangled French barista. ­(Explaining that the pour-over method was invented by a German woman in the 1900s didn’t help my case.)

Two years ago, Gramps shot a small buck with his .300 but didn’t have the gun mounted solidly to his shoulder. The scope slammed into his face and busted his nose so badly he had to check into the ER to stop the bleeding; that summer, my dad and my uncle Pat tried to talk Gramps into shooting a .243. But on opening weekend he had his big .300 back at camp.

The gear essential you need for a truck go bag. (Seyoung Yoon/)

Keeping an emergency cache and bugout bag at home is always a good idea, but what if disaster strikes while you’re out and about? Predicated on addressing the survival hierarchy of Security, Medical, Shelter, Water, Fire, Food, Light, and Communication, this expert-vetted gear gives you the means to get back to your safe space when disaster strikes—in a kit designed for fast and light movement.

1. Bag

Instead of a military-style pack that screams “I have a gun,” opt for the low-profile Umlindi from Hill People Gear ($220). Rated to carry up to 120 pounds, with modular accessories available to add volume and functionality, the 33-liter Umlindi weighs a ­reasonable 2 pounds 13 ounces. Although larger than needed for our loadout, thoughtfully placed compression straps allow it to be cinched tight to smaller loads, with the option of expanding if needed. Slap a PETA patch on it and you’re ready to roll.

2. Security

You can’t go wrong with the Glock G19, given its proven reliability. Pair it with SureFire’s XC2 light/laser ($449) for operating in low-light conditions. (SpongeBob grip tape is optional.) Carry it in Blackpoint Tactical’s Mini-Wing holster ($99). And for backup, have a fixed-blade knife suitable for both fighting and fieldcraft. Designed by a former Navy SEAL, the versatile and ergonomic AMTAC Blades' Northman ($450) includes a fire-starting ferro rod built into its sheath.

If you hunt states that allow baiting, but you can’t or don’t want to hunt over a feed pile, you’re not at a disadvantage. (Tony J. Peterson/)

As someone who dedicates a good chunk of every fall to public-land whitetails in multiple states, I’ve come to two realizations about baiting. The first is that I love hunting in states that allow baiting on private land, but not on public. The second is that I’m much less fond of states that allow baiting on all land, regardless of who owns it.

Where baiting is allowed, it becomes the predominant hunting technique. Many hunters downplay their willingness to bait, or their reliance on it. But in my experience? If baiting deer is legal, most hunters bait deer. This means that if you want to hunt natural deer movement—that is, hunting where deer aren’t influenced by corn piles—it can be extremely difficult.

Every year, for example, I bowhunt public land in a county in northern Wisconsin where baiting is legal on all land. My biggest challenge is finding deer that move naturally. In fact, the best hunting tends to occur during mid-October, after the opening-week fervor has died down and the rut baiting and pre-rifle season corn piles aren’t out yet. Deer move more freely and corn doesn’t dictate where they decide to travel. It’s like actual deer hunting.

In states that only allow the practice on private land, you have a different kind of opportunity. I’ve hunted a few states with these regs, and it’s always been an eye-opener. The hunting can be great, but you’ve got to understand what factors you’re working with in each hunting situation (more on that later).

So, if you hunt public land in states that only allow baiting on private land—or if you simply don’t want to hunt deer over bait—consider my recipes for success.

Usually, Kyle Koshiol can’t stop thinking about deer hunting.

Once the season closes and winter sets in, the 23-year-old will research new ground and work to secure permission. On the properties where he already has access, he’ll scout for fresh sign and new places to hang stands. He runs trail cameras, too, always kicking off the new year by checking which bucks survived the gauntlet of Wisconsin gun season.

As the 2019-2020 season wound down, the season ahead already looked promising. The buck Kyle and his youngest brother, Kegan, had been hunting for two years was back on camera, and it seemed like the brothers would get a chance to hunt him for a third year during the fall of 2020. Who knew what the already-mature buck would look like then.

But this winter, Kyle suddenly found he wasn’t looking forward to deer season anymore.

An early daytime photo of Leaner on Aug. 6, 2019. (Courtesy Kyle Koshiol/)
A picture of Leaner in velvet, captured Aug. 6, 2019—the year the Koshiol brothers never saw the buck in person. (Courtesy Kyle Koshiol /)

Bond of Brothers

Gimmicks don't kill deer; wisdom does. (Mishler, N. & M.J. / U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service /)

What’s the most important piece of deer hunting advice you’ve ever received? I’m guessing it didn’t have anything to do with pre-rut tactics, analyzing moon phases, or developing cellular trail camera strategies. It was probably a lot simpler. Maybe something like: “Stop wiggling so damn much and listen for deer.” The thing is, these little lessons are actually pretty hard to learn. That’s because you have to live them firsthand and even blow a few hunts before they start to sink in. Compile enough of these experiences in the deer woods and, over time, something like wisdom starts to develop. New hunting tactics can be effective, the latest gear and the hottest new guns are fun to obsess over, but it’s wisdom that kills deer.

We polled a hundred experienced deer hunters to mine nuggets of knowledge from their decades in the deer woods. These are the lessons they’ve learned the hard way, so that you don’t have to. —Alex Robinson

Bend at the waist when you’re shooting from a stand so you don’t break form. Not doing so accounts for a heck of a lot of misses. —Kevin ReeseSlow down. Everyone is ­always in too big of a hurry. Don’t push it. Let things unfold and it will happen. —Ray EyeJust go! Some of the best hunts I have ever had were during not-so-perfect weather or wind or temperature. —Derek StromainInvest in the best. Quality optics will make or break a hunt. —Kevin SteeleCarefully play the wind in pre-rut and post-rut. Go for broke during the rut. —Jeff JohnstonDeer poop about 13 times a day. Conduct an informal population census by walking your property and recording the number of piles found. Multiply the number of days since the leaves dropped (you’ll only find scat deposited since the leaves fell) by 13 and by the approximate size of the property in square miles. Divide that number by the ­pellet groups you found for a very rough population ­estimate. —Joseph AlbaneseWool! It’s the best hunting clothing ever. Never get cold. —John FieldBe hopeful. Just because he’s not on your trail cam doesn’t mean he’s not there. —Ernie CalandrelliLeave a spot alone until the conditions are right. It’s hard not to hunt a field you planted or a stand you labored to build in the off-season, but wind currents are so critical. That first hunt is often your best chance at an old buck. And if you can leave it alone until the rut? That’s even ­better. —Bobby ColeHunt the high ground. I was wisely advised a very long time ago to focus on the upper third of whatever terrain I was hunting. Over the years, this bit of advice has served me well. —Michael DickersonGet a ride. Have the farmer, ranch hand, or outfitter drop you off as close to your stand as possible when hunting new land. This prevents unfamiliar sounds and scents, and having to walk around in the dark with a flashlight. I’ve had people drop me literally on the steps of a stand and seen deer as the vehicle left. —Eddie StevensonMake some noise. Cast a grunt every so often, especially when you hear something you can’t see. If a squirrel starts barking, a blue jay squawks, or a crow starts fussing, throw a grunt that way. Blind calling pays off big. —Brad Harris“Don’t shoot unless you know you can kill it” is what my dad always taught us. While the advice sounds simple, there’s a lot of wisdom in it. —Darren WoernerWatch the weather religiously, and if a big front is moving in with a serious temperature drop, heavy rains or snow, and high winds, get in the woods the day that front is moving in. Or, even better, the afternoon before. —Doug HowlettDon’t bother with climbing super high. You don’t need to go up 20 feet in a tree. Just find a good hide. Not only will it keep your movement concealed, but it will make for a better shot angle if you’re bowhunting. —Matt WettishNever step on anything you can step over. —David EnquistMake your own trail with a Weed Eater, brush hog, or just knock over the tall weeds with your ATV to lead deer past your stand. Deer follow the path of least resistance. —Brad RucksSnort at deer after you spook them. They just might think that you’re another deer. This will relax them and they will soon forget about you if you sit still for a while. —Hal BloodTrophies aren’t defined by the size of the antlers. They are defined by the memories created and serve as a reminder of those special times. —John TrullNot all hunting grounds ­produce giants. Just because you have access to 1,400 acres of dirt doesn’t mean squat. The secret to killing big deer is to hunt where they live. —Chris EllisFind what they’re eating, and the rest of it will come together. And be persistent, because you really can’t kill one from the couch. —Will BrantleyDeer aren’t scared of blood. So if your management plan (or freezer plan) calls for harvesting does, don’t be afraid to shoot them early on even if you have your heart set on a buck. I have dropped does in their tracks while gun hunting and shot does while bowhunting and later had bucks show up to investigate the downed does. —Jason HartSit all day for the first few days of the rifle season. Here in Michigan, I’ve taken more deer after 10 a.m. than early in the morning. —Denny GuerinkTake a first-timer. Want to make your deer season a little more exciting and recapture some of that wonder from your first few falls? Take out a new hunter and see it all fresh through their eyes. —Alex RobinsonCarry a diaphragm call and make a hen yelp every once in a while if you’re stalking through dry country where it’s impossible to walk quietly. —Mitch KezarPack a pee bottle and make sure to use it. —Gary GarthWatch the cows. If they are up and moving, so are the deer. If the cows are bedded under a shade tree, so are the deer. This works pretty well on mountain trout too. —George ReidMake a figure eight when dragging a scent rag, and put your stand in the center. I usually make my drag line about two-thirds of my maximum range, so any deer walking through the area are likely to cross the line and pick up the scent. If they follow the line, I’ll get a shot. —Matt LindlerDon’t worry about rifle ­caliber. The rifle that you hunt deer with is much less important than how well you shoot it. —Richard P. SmithSeeing tails doesn’t count. Seeing deer in their bed or feeding ahead of you, undisturbed, counts! —George HamiltonPostseason scouting is key. Scout every bit of the land you hunt; crawl into thickets, hike up and down the steepest ridges, go deep into the wet swamp. Leave no section overlooked. You’ll find tidbits of information that can be used next season. —George HamiltonDeer love acorns over just about everything else in the northwoods. Find an oak ridge near water and you’ve got a recipe for success. —Ace LucianoStill-hunt with a partner. One follows 100 yards behind the other, slowly. It’s amazing that in thick cover a deer will let the first hunter pass, then circle behind to scent the trail. —Craig CushmanWalk softly. The snap of a twig underfoot is quickly forgotten by the hunter, but long remembered by the hunted. —Jim ZumboStick to basics. Don’t fall for gimmicks. The only thing that can really prevent you from ­being scented by deer is the wind blowing in your favor. —Matt Wettish

A custom Marlin 1895 lever gun. (Ron Spomer/)

If your passion is hunting, guns, and ammo, (and you’re an adult who’s making a decent wage) there’s no reason to settle for a so-so rifle topped with an equivalent scope. Sure, an entry-level rifle made sense when you were young and broke, but now you have a little extra scratch to put towards a better bolt gun.

If you can afford a high-quality rifle, I suggest buying one with an equally competent scope. At some stage in life, after years of hard work, you’ve earned it. It may not necessarily shoot much better than your first bargain rifle, but it certainly will fit and feel better. And it will be something you can be proud to pass on to your son or daughter, instead of rusty old bolt gun.

But which rifle? How will you decide on a caliber, action, stock, barrel, and scope? Well, after many years, hunting with many guns, here are my suggestions for when you finally decide to pull the trigger on your first nice rifle.

Start with the Right Cartridge

There’s a lot to consider, but the cartridge is the foundation of this decision. After hunting for a decade or two, you know roughly what cartridges and bullets work for the kind of hunts you enjoy. Stick with those. Don’t make the classic mistake of falling for the hottest number of the week or the flattest-shooting super magnum. Certainly you can upgrade from, say, a .30/30 to a .308 Winchester or even a .300 Ruger Compact Magnum. But if all your hunting is for woodland whitetails and your longest shot opportunity ever was 93 yards, that tried-and-true .30/30 might still be your best option. On the other hand, if future plans call for a trip out West for pronghorn, mule deer, elk, and, some day, Alaska for moose and bear, you should upgrade to a more versatile, flatter-shooting cartridge.

Stocking up on food and supplies is an ancient tradition in fall. Bears feed heavily to build up body fat before hibernation and the squirrel buries nuts for the long dark days ahead. But stocking up for winter is a tradition in the human kingdom just as it is in the animal kingdom. And this year it’s not just the coming winter that has people stocking up. Some are also bracing for a continuation of 2020′s civil unrest and a resurgence of COVID-19. Whatever you imagine the future may hold, you can take some real comfort from stocking up on the things that you and your family will need. And while you hope to never dip into these emergency supplies, it’s better to have them than to be caught lacking.

Take Inventory

An honest evaluation of your needs and a detailed shopping list are critical components of your “stocking up” plan. (Tim MacWelch/)

Failing to prepare at all is the worst thing you can do. The next worst thing you can do is run off to the store with only the instinct to hoard like a packrat before winter, but no plan or list. You should always have a plan. A smart place to begin is with an inventory of the things you already have. Since most outdoorsmen and women already have some basic supplies on hand, take stock of your current inventory and weed out anything that needs to be culled (like that rancid trail mix you threw in the closet at the last election). The next step is to determine your needs. This always reminds me of the “W”s of journalism: who, what, where, when, and why. Determine who you are supporting (or at least how many people you want to support). Figure out what they will require and what length of time you want to cover (are you building a stockpile to feed your family for 2 weeks, or 2 months, or maybe 2 years?). Have a game plan for the location where you’ll store all this stuff and when you’ll buy it (all at once or paycheck by paycheck). Finally, you’ll need to know why you’re stocking up, as this will impact your shopping list. If it’s only a winter storm season you fear, a few weeks of food and flashlight batteries should cover most of your bases. If you’re planning for a longer emergency, you’ll certainly need a lot more.

8. Plan How You’ll Store It

Imagine how demoralizing (and alarming) it would be to dip into your food storage in a time of need, only to find that your food had spoiled or been ransacked by rodents. If you’re going to stock up, you’ll need to maximize the life span of your stored food and supplies. Here’s how.

If you’re going to head west, you might as well hunt a target-rich environment. (Matt Hardinge/)

I’ve traveled and hunted birds extensively across the West. It’s given me the opportunity to see some incredible places. But, the commitment that comes with an upland road trip is no small feat. Tons of planning and preparation go into it. You’ll need supplies if you’re going to camp, which I recommend because it’s easier when you’re traveling with dogs. It also gets you closer to the public land you’ll be hunting. Staying at a motel means you need to find one that’s dog-friendly, and you’ll also likely have a bit of a drive each morning. A road trip is also a huge time investment when it comes to scouting, particularly if you’re new to the area. So give yourself a few extra days to get acclimated to the locale you will be hunting.

And if you’re coming all this way to hunt out West, you should maximize the experience by targeting areas that will allow for a mixed bag. Most veteran upland hunters know the West is best when it comes to chasing a variety of upland birds, but with so many states and such vast landscapes of public land to explore, it can be a daunting endeavor. During my travels there have been a few states that have stood out for a DIY hunt. The combination of expansive public lands and wild birds in these five states are second to none. Here’s what you can expect and the areas to target.

1. Idaho

A brace of California quail. (Matt Hardinge/)Target Species: Ruffed grouse, dusky grouse, spruce grouse, California quail, chukar, Hungarian partridge, sage grouse, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, pheasantNon-Resident License Cost: $97.75 (annual); $35.50 (3-day)Amount of the state that’s public: 70 percent

If you’re a diehard upland hunter, then you probably already know there’s more to the Gem State than potatoes. Hells Canyon is already on most wingshooters' bucket list and is a favorite spot of mine for good reason, but there’s many other places to explore in Idaho than those steep chukar hills. Idaho holds nine huntable species of upland game and with most of the seasons overlapping, the opportunity for a road trip and a mixed bag is there for the taking.

The majority of Idaho’s topography and habitat makes it prime for hunting forest grouse. With dusky, spruce, and ruffed grouse on the menu, there’s a lot of opportunity and they can be found in every National Forest in Idaho. Spruce and dusky grouse can be located north of Boise, with the Payette, Sawtooth, and Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests being good places to start. Dusky grouse will be at higher altitudes and actually seek refuge up high during the winter, so keep that in mind. Ruffed grouse are also widespread and generally found at lower altitudes close to water. A great resource for those looking for ruffed grouse information is a book written by local expert Andy Wayment.

Beka Garris, with a gar shot from the bank. (Courtesy Beka Garris/)

To the uninitiated, bowfishing may seem like the latest gear-intensive fad. Its popularity has surged in recent years thanks to TV shows, social media, and the rise of its most popular target: carp. But at its core, bowfishing is a minimalist pursuit that’s been around for millennia.

“I used to be a bass fisherman,” says Scott Cobbs, owner of Copperhead’s Outdoors near Huntsville, Alabama. “I had a Ranger bass boat with all the bells and whistles, and I thought, Aw, this is the stuff. Then I started bowfishing. I sold all that stuff. It’s a really an adrenaline-filled game. Fighting a 50-plus pound fish on an arrow is hard to describe if you haven’t been there.”

To bowfish like Cobbs, you don’t need an expensive bow or a platform decked out with stadium-bright lights, or even a boat. You just need a recurve or compound with a reel, a barbed arrow, a little stealth—and to put your catch-and-release principles on the back burner.

Finding Fish

▶ After checking your local regs, you have a few options for finding fish. Beka Garris, a diehard bowfisher from Ohio, recommends referencing your state’s freshwater lists to quickly determine which bodies of water hold carp and other rough fish. “Call your local DNR and ask. Trust me, they’re wanting to get rid of these fish,” says Josh Noble, president of RPM Bowfishing. “It’s not like you’re trying to chase a 400-class bull elk or a 200-class mule deer. They’ll tell you exactly where to go, exactly what time they saw fish, and give you coordinates."

A gimme turns into a whiff on a late-season rooster. (Dean Pearson/)

Ducks become call-shy and pheasants grow wary as fall inches toward winter. These are the doldrums of bird season, when there are fewer shots to be made on educated greenheads and roosters. You aren’t killing as many birds, and shotgun accuracy begins to suffer.

You shot clays and practiced shotgun drills all summer, but once opening day arrives you only care about wild birds. That’s a mistake. You need to keep your edge through continued clays shooting during the fall. These drills will help you break out of that midseason slump.

Find Your Focus

Caitlin Connor is one of the best skeet shooters in the United States. She is also a duck hunter. One of the things she hears in the blind most often when guys whiff on a bird is, “I shot behind it.”

When Connor shoots skeet, her focus is solely on the front edge of the clay, from the moment she picks up the target in her vision until she breaks it. That transitions to better shots on ducks as well, because she uses the same focus when a mallard flutters into the decoys—-her eyes are always on the leading edge of the bird. If you are missing, go to the skeet range and watch clays fly from the high and low houses from each station without your gun. Once you feel your focus is back, shoot a couple of rounds.

Don't fall victim to these common errors this deer season. (Bill Buckley/)

Tales of the one that got away are a staple of deer-camp lore. We like to think that in those instances that the heavy-horned buck outwitted us, but I know from experience that most of the time the blame can be laid at the feet of the hunter him- or herself.

Pretty much every hunter I know makes some effort to prepare their rifle and other gear before opening day. But how many of them have actually taken time to prepare themselves for the hunt? I’m not talking about getting in physical shape—which is, of course, a good thing to do—but rather mental shape, which is arguably more important and, sadly, even less likely to have occurred.

You might recognize some of the errors in this checklist. Perhaps you’ve committed some of them in the heat of the moment—I certainly have—or have witnessed a buddy flub a good opportunity due to a mental hiccup. But with a little practice, you can avoid these missteps and when the moment arrives be the deer-camp hero and not the zero.

Be sure to keep your scope turned to a low power while hunting. (Bill Buckley/)

Crank Up Your Scope Power

This is a biggie. Hunters, especially new hunters, reflexively crank up their variable power scopes to the max setting. The logic being if a little magnification is a good thing, then more must be better. When more of the animal fills the field of view it creates a false sense of precision when, in fact, the shooter has gained nothing in terms of accuracy and has sacrificed much in the process.

A view of the Tongass National Forest. (Courtesy of Bjorn Dihle /)

I was four or five when I first encountered a brown bear in the Tongass National Forest. I still remember it clearly: a mostly-eaten young bear lying dead in a small stream, surrounded by hundreds of spawning pink salmon, beneath a wall of giant trees and salmonberry bushes. Even then, I understood that I was witnessing something powerful and unique. After three more decades spent working, living, hunting and fishing in the Tongass, my awe and appreciation of my home has only deepened.

Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, under orders from President Donald Trump, announced the agency is axing the Roadless Rule and opening up more than 9 million currently protected acres of the Tongass for industrial development, including clearcut logging of old growth trees. At 16.7 million acres, and encompassing nearly all of Southeast Alaska, the Tongass is viewed by many as a vast, untouched temperate rainforest wilderness. But much of its old-growth forest has already been clearcut logged. The aftermath of these cuts has degraded, even destroyed, habitat critical to salmon, Sitka blacktail deer, mountain goat, and brown bears.

A brown bear in the Tongass National Forest. (Bjorn Dihle /)

In 2001, after Southeast Alaska’s logging industry collapsed, the Roadless Rule was established in those 9 million acres. That section included most of the remaining productive old-growth forest habitat, stopped corporations from clearcutting those forests, and prevented the building of new logging roads.

The vast majority of Southeast Alaskans saw the establishing of the Roadless Rule as a step in the right direction to preserving our economy, which is heavily dependent on tourism and commercial fishing, and our lifestyle, which is rooted in hunting and fishing. The significantly subsidized logging industry, on the other hand, amounts to less than 1 percent of Southeast Alaska’s economy. On a global level, the Tongass, besides being a mecca for the visiting sportsman and woman, is now being recognized as a vital piece of minimizing the effects of climate change. As the world’s largest relatively intact temperate rainforest, the Tongass stores 650 million tons of carbon and acts as spawning grounds for 25 percent of the West Coast’s salmon catch. More than a million visitors come here each year, on average, to experience the Tongass' natural beauty.

The author with a Sitka blacktail. (Bjorn Dihle /)

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the majority of Southeast Alaskans are angered by the Forest Service’s announcement. There’s been no shortage of irrationality and other forms of insanity in the agency’s decision-making process. During the comment period, 96 percent of testifiers said the Roadless Rule works and should be kept in place. More recently, five Southeast Alaska Native tribes sent a letter to Sonny Perdue, Secretary of Agriculture, and Victoria Christiansen, Chief of the U.S. Forest Service, “formally revoking our cooperating agency status in the Alaska Roadless Rule process,” due to being ignored during the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Alaska Roadless Rule process. None of the tribes wanted a full exemption from the Roadless Rule.

Corey Richmond with his first buck, a 224 3/8-inch Ohio whitetail. (Corey Richmond/)

On Oct. 16, Corey Richmond was hunting a local farm in Adams County, Ohio, with one of his two brothers-in-law. It was a month into deer season and Richmond had been waiting for the perfect evening—a cold snap with a north wind—to sit this stand. All summer, he had seen a huge nontypical buck walk into this spot on his trail camera. It came in the same time each evening from July through August. But on Sept. 1, the deer disappeared. When Richmond climbed into his stand, that buck hadn’t shown up on camera for more than six weeks.

Around 6:30 p.m. his brother-in-law texted to ask if any good deer had come in. By 6:40, Richmond texted back, “You’re going to hate me.”

He had just shot the biggest (and also first) buck of his life, a 224 3/8-inch whitetail. If the score holds up after the mandatory 60-day drying period, the buck could be the largest deer ever killed in Adams County with a compound bow.

“I hunt the farm with both of my brothers-in-law, and they were happy for me, but also mad,” Richmond says. “I get it. If I were in their shoes, I’d be a little mad too. But we were able to keep it in the family at least.”

Richmond's buck in velvet. (Corey Richmond/)

It turns out several neighbors had photos of the same buck—which had been a typical eight-point as a 2-year-old—on camera, but everyone was playing that close to the vest. After word got out that Richmond had killed it, the trail cam photos from nearby farms started pouring in. He thinks the buck may have been traveling up to five miles from their property.

A hunter takes aim with a Traditions NitroFire muzzleloader. (Bill Buckley/)

Probably the first great leap forward in muzzle­loader technology occurred in the 1700s, when Pennsylvania gunmaker Martin Meylin added rifling to his barrels, creating the first long rifles (known as Pennsylvania or Kentucky long rifles). Those spiral grooves stabilized projectiles and extended their ­effective range. This was a major leap forward from smoothbore muskets, which could shoot accurately to only 50 yards or so. Since then, muzzleloaders have continued to evolve, with improved ignitions, propellants, projectiles, and design.

In 2020, Federal Premium Ammunition introduced the FireStick, an encapsulated propellant that is easy to load and impervious to the elements, and that allows a break-­action ­muzzleloader to be charged or uncharged within seconds. The FireStick uses a new Hodgdon blackpowder substitute called Triple Eight. The extruded propellant is cut to maximize surface area, so it ignites and burns rapidly and efficiently. The FireStick is recessed on the back to allow you to insert a 209 primer for ignition before charging the rifle.

Traditions Performance Firearms was the first company to produce a muzzleloader for the FireStick system, calling it the NitroFire. As with other muzzleloaders, you load the rifle by ramming a bullet down the barrel. A small raised shelf on the inside of the bore controls how deep the bullet goes. The encapsulated powder loads through the breech and sits directly under the projectile. The design provides a fast, safe, accurate, and consistent shooting system that is easy to maintain (because it’s cleaner). Having shot close to 100 FireSticks during my initial field tests, I found it simplified the muzzleloading process by eliminating the accessories conventionally needed for dealing with propellant. Normally when a company brings something new to market, it’s bigger, stronger, and faster. The ­benefit of the FireStick is simplicity and convenience while retaining the same velocity and energy of existing blackpowder replacements, and delivering repeatable results.

The ­FireStick system encapsulates pre-measured Hodgdon Triple Eight ­powder. The shooter only needs to insert a 209 primer before sliding it into the muzzleloader’s breech. (Bill Buckley/)

In-Line Revolution

Back in 1985, Tony Knight developed the first modern mass-produced in-line muzzleloader, the MK-85. It was the first production rifle to offer consistent ignition, accuracy, and safety with a No. 11 percussion cap. Since then, muzzleloader manufacturers have raced to design better systems and components to improve accuracy and consistency.