You may not have a hunt planned for sprawling Western real estate where turkey densities require you to ignite a gobble from a mile or more away. Even so, an array of situations could occur that require you to call long to spark interest from a tom a

Firearms aficionados are attracted to gun shops like buzzards to a gut pile, and hanging out at a gun shop when I was 10 years old set the stage for a career in the firearms and hunting industries. Not much has changed since then, and these days the

To hunters who couldn’t care less about the science of deer management, good luck. Without a system for keeping deer populations strong, you won’t have the hunting you want for long. And to biologists who believe deer management should be based solel

Not every tree is ideal, or even safe, for treestand deployments. Some aren’t convenient. Others are downright dangerous. Stay away from trees that are: DEAD: Some trees are dead. Never hang stands in these. Most ash trees? Yeah, those are accidents

Perhaps the most obvious factor in this decision is the simplest; do you have room to move? Some of my best turkey properties are scary-small, as in 20-40 acres, and on ground like this, it’s not only the safest, but the wisest, choice to simply sit

• HOW-TO TACTICS TO HELP IMPROVE THE OUTCOME OF YOUR DEER HUNT• 7 OUT OF 10 READERS DO NOT READ ANY OTHER DEER HUNTING MAGAZINE!• GAIN INSIGHT INTO THE BEHAVIOR AND BIOLOGY OF WHITE-TAILED DEER• CHOOSE THE FORMAT THAT SUITS YOU: PRINT, DIGITAL OR BOT

The crossbow controversy has been the talk of the archery industry for several years now. As crossbows become increasingly high tech and their use during archery-only seasons across America more common – today they’re legal during archery-only season

Some food plot species are great for whitetails. Others? Not so much. Here are several poor food plot picks for deer that most deer hunters should stay away from. ALYCE CLOVER: While commonly believed to be part of the clover family, Alyce clover is

Wild turkey populations fluctuate across the U.S., but these six states are consistently among the best when it comes to the number of birds and birds harvested. Texas has a mind-blowing 450,000 BIRDS (mix between Easterns and Rios), while Missouri i

Managing deer hunting land is a never-ending process. And so is tree management. Of course, some trees aren’t that beneficial for deer. Either they get minimal benefits or no use at all. While it certainly isn’t an exhaustive list, these are trees de

If you believe all the headlines these days, you’d swear “zombie deer” are sweeping the nation. They’re not. Well, not like you have been led to believe. You’ve probably seen social media videos of so-called zombie deer. The videos are nearly always

My excitement escalated to near panic in a split-second. would hear me clearly through his “Deer!” I hissed, knowing that D&DH cameraman Ian Sanchez headset. “Up there … behind us on the hill,” I continued, motioning with a sideways nod. “He’s coming

It might look painful, but what you’re seeing in this photo is not rare in the whitetail world. And, no, the buck not as endowed as one might think. Conversely, he is suffering from what researchers call a scotia hernia. The enlarged appearance of hi

While I love using a strutter with a real turkey fan attached, this dominant look can, at times, spook birds – especially 2-year-old gobblers. Where I do most of my hunting, the single best decoy setup you can use is a submissive, half- or quarter-st

“Texas heart shots” are a troublesome subject in bowhunting, and rightfully so. But they can be, and should be, talked about now and then, pro and con. I once knew a bowhunter who took such shots whenever the opportunity arose. He killed more than on

Glancing up at the ridgetop, I spotted a very good buck. It wasn’t the monster I’d seen in the previous evening’s fading light, but there was no doubt that this early morning visitor was also a shooter. Better yet, he was very interested in the scent

Wisconsin’s Norman Johnson and Alabama’s Dr. Phillip Bishop are two experts in this subject matter, and I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with both of them to help educate millions of whitetail bowhunters on the nuances and associated science

Fifteen-year-old Dylan Meyer from Zeeland, Mich., bagged a 20-point nontypical in Ottawa County on September 10, the second day of the 2023 youth deer hunt, that is now the state record in the youth category for nontypicals. The huge set of antlers h

We’ve all overheard others talk about how horrific winters are on deer. Frankly, when one goes for a winter’s walk in the woods, through three-plus feet of snow, and it seems near unbelievable that any deer live could through this! Additionally, a pa

Of the four chambers found in the whitetail’s ruminant stomach, the rumen is by far the largest. The actual size will vary from deer to deer, and the proportional size will be smaller for fawns. The rumen’s structure itself resembles a large sac or b

VALUED READERS, For years, we were limited in the number of pages we could produce in our spring issues. Now that D&DH is once again independently owned, we changed those rules. One of the most notable changes is the bonus section you are about to re