Hunting and Fishing News & Blog Articles

John arrived at our Deer Camp at 5;00 AM. I woke up when he texted me that he would be ready to meat me at 6:00AM. So I got on my black blind hunting clothes, made a cup of coffee and sat down to drink it. And quickly fell back asleep.

Later, John quietly slipped into my house and tapped me on the shoulder and told me he was ready to go to the small tin-blind that we hunted from.

“Be right there,” I said. But I was back asleep in 60 seconds.

Meanwhile, John got into the blind, ready for the morning bowhunt.

As daylight began removing the nightime’s blackness out of John’s view he saw the faint figure of a wild hog slowly become a clear shape on the nearby edge of the surrounding brush. John waited until the daylight improved enough so he could see good. The wild hog was broadside.

STEP BY STEP HOW-TO: Deboneing Deer In The Field. One of the very best field dressing and field deboning videos on YouTube. Very informative with no commercials.

Bill Car with the Pennsylvania Game Commission shoes you how to Debone a freshly killed doe and pack it out of the woods.

Jake and Nick of The Hunting Public head for a familiar spot and find a Big-Buck while stalking and hunting on the ground. By https://www.thehuntingpublic.com/

  The Hunting Public

Steve Bartylla discusses the little steps hunters can take in their deerhunting area that will increase the chances for them to see more deer. Hunt ’em Big.

Jim Shockey is one of America’s best-known hunters and films his world-wide adventures for his TV shows.  Given the nature of Maryland’s Sika deer, it’s no wonder that Shockey visited the Eastern Shore for this unique trophy.  Sika deer, the Asian elk by genus/species, found a home in the swamps of Maryland’s Eastern Shore and has become one of the most challenging game animals in the East.  Known for exceptionally fine-tasting venison, these creatures mimic several of the behaviors of Western elk such as bugling and wallowing.  They differ in size and activity with the Sika moving mostly at first and last light.

Whitetails Too

This giant whitetail deer came from Wicomico County, one of the many counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore that produce giant deer.  This huge buck grossed 203 B&C and is truly every hunter’s dream.  The prospect of taking a big whitetail buck and a Sika stag on the same license is just one of the major reasons this hunting combo is so popular.  Licenses are available online or over-the-counter and non-residents have the same bag limits as residents.

Prime, Prime Time

Sika deer are difficult to hunt because they are very nocturnal and live in dense swamps where vegetation is thick and mosquitoes even thicker.  One of the best times to hunt them is in mid-October during their mating period.  Males bugle by making a high-pitched, multi-tone whistle which can be heard for quite a distance on calm days.  Since these animals chase through swamps, their splashing is a real rush when the sounds suddenly head in your direction.  For 2023, Maryland’s early muzzleloading season opens from October 19 to 21 but excludes archery from these dates.  Many sportsmen choose to bowhunt and muzzleloader hunt during this rutting time.  Also, whitetail deer often have their early rut in mid-October when a few does come into estrus a month earlier than the normal cycle.

What’s It Like

Mid-October is the mating season for Sika deer and the time of peak activity during daylight.  The above picture gives an idea of the type of terrain that you may be hunting in and it’s not for sissies.  I have two friends who cherish this hunt and have been successful, but only with a lot of planning and work.  They use a canoe to get to a remote bay and then search for spots on high grounds in the swamps.  Sikas make trails like Western elk and whitetail deer and they scout until they find several trails crossing and deploy a climbing tree stand.  They wear chest waders since wading through shallow water is a near certainty.  They hunt with muzzleloaders, yet each is an avid archer and they may hunt a day or two with crossbows before the muzzleloading season opens.

Public or Private Land

If you have limited time to scout and prep for this hunt, it may be best to book a guided hunt.  Sika deer hunts have become popular and this is a good way to “learn the ropes” for future excursions on your own.  With the advent of OnX Maps and other mapping apps, locating boundaries is much easier and so is “staying found.”  You will probably have to hunt until the last minutes of legal shooting light and few things are as disorienting as a swamp at night.  The Blackwater Wildlife Refuge is a huge chunk of public land and is popular with hunters.  Sika hunting is legal in all Maryland counties with Worchester being the most popular.  The Maryland DNR offers special hunts on public lands like the Assateague Island National Seashore, however, the drawing deadline for these hunts has passed.

I Like To Watch! And Then Follow Em’ Home!

Robert Hoague

Ask anybody that bowhunts deer with me and they will tell you that I like to set up multiple stands in tmy hunhe deer woods. This works during hunting season as well as when I take pictures of deer the rest of the year. So quite often my pictures are from different places.
My primary goal is to find out travel routes of the bucks and does that I see leading to the valley where my food plot is right now. Above all, I want to know where they pass through going from the valley to their bedding area.
But I do not want to know this route so I can hunt it. On the contrary, I want to know because I do NOT intend to hunt it.

Deerhunting is all about pressure. You want just the right amount, which is as little as possible. And for mature bucks you can tripple that statement. It seems to me, the fastest way to STOP seeing any mature bucks is to walk around in their bedding areas … or the route he uses to get there.

Ok, here are some pre-season pictures I took from my nearby deerhunting valley.

My setup here is a permanent ground blind constructed with old, rusty tin panels nailed to a 4×4 wooden frame. It’s painted black inside and has windows to see through as well as a rusty tin roof. I’m on the edge of a thick stand of woods.

OK, BACK TO THE PICTURES. After daylight two bucks came up unseen, from behind me, and walked on by. I got my camera going.

Learn how to butcher your own deer and other wild game animals at home. In this video Outdoors Allie walks us through the break down of processing and butchering your whitetail deer.

Butchering is a skill every hunter can learn to do in their garage, backyard, or in the field.

Hi, I’m Allie! I started documenting and sharing my outdoor adventures on social media in 2015 through the Outdoors Allie channel as a way to connect with like minded folks; those who hunt for their food, care deeply for wildlife, public land conservation, and enjoy sharing a cold one around a campfire. I enjoy spending time in the kitchen creating wild game recipes, on the water slinging a line, and exploring public land in pursuit of deer, elk, and everything in between. Thanks for checking out my channel!

October is HERE. Let’s get serious and bowhunt whitetails! October has so much deer hunting opportunity, and Jeff Sturgis of Whitetail Habitat Solutions is here to tell you how to strategize and manage the  remainder of your entire October Deer hunt.

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Ken Byers and Toby Shaw had planned their Wyoming hunt for 10 years, paying for preference points so that they could hunt one the West’s best big game areas for truly mature mule deer bucks.  When they applied for their hunt of a lifetime last January, they had no way of knowing how hunting conditions would change in the months ahead.  They had hired an outfitter to pack them into very remote territories where bucks usually grow the biggest antlers due to their maturity and light hunting pressure.

This is What We Saw

Despite two very skillful hunters spending a week in the backcountry, the duo returned empty-handed.  “We spoke to a Wyoming Wildlife official who told us that he documents every deer he sees during the entire summer and early fall,” said Byers solemnly.  He normally sees between 500 and 600 bucks, with some muley bucks with huge racks.  This year he saw a total of 130 deer including 16 mature bucks in his entire summer of work.  The winter of 2022-23 was one of the most brutal in memory with deer kills up to 90 percent.

The Cruelty of the Rut

To young men, being a male deer during the rut may seem like fun chasing “girls” around day and night.  However, the natural drive to mate and perpetuate the species is an energy-taxing marathon that leaves the biggest bucks, the breeders, exhausted, with reduced weight and fat reserves needed to make it through the winter.  Alas, the most mature bucks, the ones most hunters seek are the first to die, and the massive snows in much of Wyoming took a horrendous toll.  “Although we saw a few bucks”, said Byers and Shaw, “They were all youngsters and we passed on them all.”

Elk Populations Faired Better

The same wildlife official reported that his observations of elk populations were close to normal.  Because elk migrated into open wind-swept flats at lower elevations, most survived.  Due to their size, elk are able to ward off predators like coyotes and have a better chance against wolves and mountain lions.  With mule deer being sitting ducks in deep snow, no doubt these later predators had a field day and accounted for a considerable amount of the carnage.  Byers also hunts in Idaho where he witnessed a pack of wolves separating such that one group hid in timber while the rest of the pack chased the elk into the ambush.  Luckily, Byers and his son watched the scenario unfold and killed three of the wolves in the process.

Do Your Homework

A Western hunt for antelope, mule deer, or elk is one of the greatest adventures you will take and I don’t mean to discourage anyone from this quest.  I do want to alert our readers to be extra careful as they plan for next fall.  Idaho’s license drawing will occur December 1st and the deadline to apply for Wyoming hunts is January 31st.  Both states offer excellent hunting but you need to research which units had winter kills and which ones were less severe.  As with mule deer, pronghorn antelope had huge losses, and researching units with the largest winter kills will help you make informed decisions.

When the slow climb finally brought me to hunting height, I connected my safety harness and stowed the lineman’s belt. I screwed in a tree hook for hanging my bow and another for hanging my small gear pack. I attached my Thermacell to the rail of the climber. I strapped on my release. All seemed ready for the approaching dawn, and I hadn’t spooked any deer, and I’d barely broken a sweat. A great feeling. So, I began the final preparation. I picked up the line to hoist my bow into the tree with me. I kept expecting the line to draw tight with the weight of my bow, but it never did.

Bonehead Prevention: Dress Rehearsal

There are several things we can all do to help prevent a ruined opening day. First, and most important, I like to conduct a dress rehearsal if possible. Before opening day, I go through the motions of actually packing my gear and climbing into a stand. It might only mean climbing into a tree in my backyard, but I go through the full exercise. A practice run is great for refreshing all the vital steps, like packing your release and clipping your hoist to the bow.

This year, dress rehearsal is especially important for me, because I’m trying saddle hunting for the first time. Those who saddle-hunt know this means a whole new collection of ropes and specialized gear you can’t forget, plus learning and practicing a new method of climbing. This summer, I spent time in my backyard shooting my bow while hanging in a saddle. This not only helped me get familiar and comfortable with all the new shooting angles possible in a saddle, it made me very familiar with all the pieces of gear I must have with me, and how to use them.

Testing and learning to use new gear before a real hunt is also a great idea. That’s especially true if you bought a new safety harness. Makes sure all your new gear works right and that you know how to use it, because it’s going to be much more difficult to figure it out in the dark when you’re trying to be quiet and stealthy.

Checklists

Just like packing for a long camping or hunting trip, developing a check-list can help you ensure you’ve got everything before you head into the woods. Use you smartphone to send yourself reminders or record an actual checklist.

By: David Blanton

LAST SPRING I had an invitation to hunt wild turkeys on a friend’s new piece of land. After our turkey hunt, we walked the property with deer hunting in mind. I quickly recognized travel funnels and other areas that whitetails would use.

One Spring I was invited to hunt wild turkeys on a friend’s new piece of land. After our turkey hunt, we walked the property with deer hunting in mind. I quickly recognized travel funnels and other areas that whitetails would use. It was obvious that much of the acreage couldn’t be hunted from tree stands. There were no suitable trees, and in some places no trees at all. The best way to hunt this type of property for deer was from ground blinds.

My buddy was unfamiliar with ground blind hunting, and frankly a little skeptical. But ground blinds are great solutions for a wide variety of whitetail hunting situations. So I explained the benefits of ground blind hunting, and outlined techniques and tips for success.

Effective ground blind hunting is not about popping up a unit and waiting for a whitetail to wander past. You have to set up smart, brush in the blind, consider the wind and your scent, play the details when hunting, and practice intensely for the shot.

SETUP SECRETS:
Deer may not tolerate your ground blind at first. So put it out a few weeks to a month in advance of the season; use more time if you can. Late summer is a great time to situate ground blinds. This lets the deer get used to your blinds before bow season starts.

Fred Bear travels to India to see the amazing country and Bowhunt the savage and dangerous Tiger. A mature Tiger is 10 foot long and weighs over 500 pounds.

Only the very best and the very respected receive the kind of reception given to Fred Bear by the Maharajah of India and his people. This speaks volumes for the esteem that Fred Bear earned from so many. Fred Bear was a legend in his own life-time, and remains one still.

In India Tigers are very dangerous and have regularly killed as many as 60,000 Cows and other livestock and 4,000 people in one year.

 

Bucks instinctively balance the wind, thermals, the security of their cover, along with the amount of hunting pressure to decide where they will set up their beds … every time they bed.

In this video ‘The Everyday Bow Hunter’ Shares his know how and tips on Deer Bedding.

Jeff Harrison had seen a big buck in the same suburban yard at the same time on his way to work.  As a residential painter, he frequently worked in neighborhoods that had adjoining lots large enough to provide good urban deer habitat, especially if they bordered a stream or creek where buildings had extensive setbacks.  On the opening day of the Maryland season, Harrison climbed into a slender tree stand a full hour before daylight.  The buck was likely to pass by, but not if it saw movement during daylight.  When the large antlers approached, the hunter’s heart raced, yet through extensive practice, he raised his bow and launched a fatal shot.  No doubt, his careful approach in total darkness accounted for the success.

Morning or Evening?

The ladder stand pictured above is one of my favorites and is located on an extensive oak ridge where a lot of acorns fall in September and October, a favorite food of deer, bears, and turkeys.  The remote spot is at least two miles from the nearest road and takes a significant effort to approach.  Deer tend to bed on the top of the ridge which makes approaching from the north or south challenging.  During the rut, this spot is good at any time of day, but in the early season, I use an ATV to get within a quarter mile of the stand, climb the ridge using a logging road, cross over the ridge, and sneak toward the stand slowly and quietly paralleling the ridgetop where deer often bed.

Cameras Can Tell the Story

A cellular trail camera can be your best hunting investment.  No matter how much sign is near your stand, unless you know the time of day, this information is useless.  As a rule, the less you disturb your tree stand site, the better the chances of success for your first hunt.  Also, research has shown that the probability of success is highest the first time you hunt a stand due to human scent contamination.  If you are pulling media cards, even at midday, you may be spooking deer from your area.  A cellular camera will tell you when deer are passing the stand and thus the best times to hunt.

Midday Feeding

Midday hunting is not often promoted in the early season yet when acorns are falling like these tasty white oak mast, deer will feed at midday.  Most members of the deer family bed in mid-morning, but take a brief feeding stint around noon, before bedding again for the afternoon.  If you have only a morning to hunt, extend your stand time until just past noon.  Or if you plan to hunt in the afternoon, try to arrive around 11:00 so that you have this midday snacking habit covered.

Stalk the Stand

Getting to your tree stand or blind is almost as important as how you hunt.  Always, always, always approach your hunting spot with the wind in your face even if you have to circle half a mile in darkness to get there.  Approaching your stand with the wind at your back will forecast your presence like a pack of howling hounds.  When approaching in daylight, move slowly and as quietly as possible.  Ironically, if you hunt an area with frequent vehicle traffic from farming equipment, deliver vans, or tourist traffic, your best bet may be to drive close to the stand, park downwind, and sneak to your special spot.  Deer may not stand and watch a vehicle pass but usually aren’t alarmed enough to leave the area, especially if there is an attractive food source involved.

When Is Early Season Deer Hunting?

Deer seasons for bowhunters are normally in advance of the Firearms seasons. Generally bow seasons begin from the beginning of September until early October.

The first of the bow season is one of the best times to harvest a mature buck. You may see more deer in November, but if you locate a buck During September or October, you’ll have a good chance of success. In early fall, bucks are predictable and stick to one area. Human hunters haven’t been on their radar for months.

Here are five tips for successful early-season deer hunting.

Table of Contents

Hunters are athletes, especially those who spot and stalk big game, climb mountains, or hike to a remote stand.  Just as the Gator-Aid bucket has become synonymous with team sports, a hydration method is as important to you as your hunting knife.  Even on long tree stand sits, keeping your body fully hydrated will help keep you fully alert,  important for success.

Learning the Hard Way

I just returned from a DIY mule deer hunt where I envisioned seeing this big buck, or one like it in a perfect shooting position.  Unfortunately, dehydration ruined that chance, an unsavory lesson learned the hard way.  I planned to camp with my two grandsons and hunt a tract of public land where we had seen big deer the previous year.  Normally, we camp with a group of friends but thought we could go it alone this time since the youngest lad could only miss a few days of school.

Camping on the Fly

Our camp consisted of one small tent and a GMC Denali where two of us slept, or tired to.  The first night was very difficult because we didn’t have pads or an air mattress and we only got a few hours of sleep.  We awoke late, and could not get our camp stove to work so we headed out without food or drink..  Although we saw one mule deer buck and two herds of elk, by noon, I could feel my energy drain.  I drank the one bottle of water in my pack but that was woefully inadequate.

Heart Rate up and Down

I’m blessed with a slow pulse, normally 55 BPM, which helps me handle mountains and distances in my mid-70s.  I used a Fitbit watch to monitor my pulse and noticed that my heart was beating very erratically, not a motivating event.  Even walking slowly, it would jump from the 70’s to 120 BPM which was a concern.  Midway to our final destination, I seemed to lose all of my energy and glanced at my watch which read a pulse of 150.  Holy cow!  That was nearly three times my resting pulse which brought the hunt to an end.

Back to Camp and Recovery-

I was baffled by my sudden disability.  I routinely walk multiple miles with little difficulty and have hunted this area without becoming fatigued.  Altitude could be an issue, but we were camped at about 6,000 feet.  Since my youngest grandson and I seemed to have no energy, we chose to drive an hour to the nearest town, and get some solid food and plenty to drink.  Before leaving we fixed the camp stove so that we had a means of cooking with several packets of oatmeal on the agenda for the morning.

How To Video with great venison jerky cooking  and great eating when your done. By the legendary bow hunter Dan Fitzgerald.

Dan shows you how to make perfect, tasty venison JERKY.

On the bowhunting lease that Robbie Cramer, the Duck and I share we honor some Traditions. When someone arrows a buck everyone at the lease helps track and recover it. And we do our very best to take good pictures of the bowhunter and their buck.

Hence, the 900+ mile trip today.

When Robbie called me this morning he was alone at the lease and had just shot a very fine buck. Finding the buck was quick and easy. He could practically see him from the blind. The first real hurdle was to load the heavy buck into the bed of Robbie’s pickup, (later, when we weighed him he was just over 200 pounds).

Robbie Cramer had the buck posed for pictures when we got there.

I told Robbie where I have some heavy duty Rope Ratchets and Robbie used them to pull the buck up and onto his pickup  bed.

Then I called B.J. Whaley at Whaley Deer Processing in Hamilton, Texas and asked if Robbie could keep his buck in the big cooler until the Duck and I got there to take pictures. He said “yes”and I passed that on to Robbie. He drove there straight away and positioned the buck in the cooler for pictures later on.

Getting the deer in close and looking for YOU can be accomplished with a Deer Grunt tube. Sounds easy, doesn’t it. Just One Problem!

Almost All Deer Grunts Are Junk, as in no good, totally bad, and the sounds they makes will NOT call a deer to you, period. Absolutely.

The obstacle that EVERY Call Making Hopeful faces is that making deer calls is not a production manufacturing situation.

Think about it this way.

If you were making deer grunts in Korea, or China or Vietnam or even the USA; you might could make one that could call a deer. Maybe. If you’ve hunted them enough.

So You’ve Just Shot Your First Deer. It Ran Out Of Your View. What Do you Do Now?

Ryan Kirby, noted Wildlife Artist and Professional Bowhunter tells us what to do to recover your prize.