The Garmin Striker Vivid 7 CV is a fantastic fishfinder that has made a significant difference in my fishing trips. The unit is well-designed and easy to use, with a bright and clear display that provides detailed images of what’s happening below the water.
One of the standout features of this fishfinder is its CHIRP sonar technology, which delivers incredibly clear and detailed images of the fish and structures beneath the water’s surface. It’s easy to distinguish between different fish species and to locate schools of fish quickly, even in deeper waters.
Another thing I appreciate about the Garmin Striker Vivid 7 CV is its GPS capabilities. The unit provides accurate and up-to-date information on water depth, temperature, and speed, which has helped me make more informed decisions about where to cast my line. The GPS also allows for easy navigation and marking of waypoints, making it simple to return to successful fishing spots in the future.
The unit is easy to install, with a straightforward interface that’s intuitive to navigate. The touchscreen is responsive and user-friendly, and the unit is compatible with a range of transducers and other accessories, allowing for customization to suit individual fishing needs.
Overall, I highly recommend the Garmin Striker Vivid 7 CV to any angler looking for a high-quality fishfinder. Its CHIRP sonar technology, GPS capabilities, and user-friendly design make it a valuable tool for any fishing trip, and the unit’s durability and reliability make it an excellent investment for years to come.
Nine expert hunters share their secrets for outsmarting the spookiest late-season honkers
How wary are late-season geese? “I’ve seen them flare from a field full of live birds because a nearby clump of cornstalks looked too much like a hunter’s blind,” says Hard Core Decoys pro staffer Matt Ward. Avery pro Laurence Mauck adds that a single honk too many from you can send an otherwise committed flock sliding out of range. So how do you score on honkers this goosey? Here are the pros’ top tricks.
1. Scout the hunters
Scouting birds is critical now, and you want to mimic exactly what you’re seeing. But Mauck also scouts his competition. “These geese catch on to what other guys are doing fast,” he says. If they’re running big spreads of full bodies, he’ll try a smaller spread of silhouettes. If they’re all blowing short-reed calls, he’ll bust out a flute.
2. Don’t shoot
If you fire into a big flock, you’ll educate 50 birds to kill a few, says Mauck. “We shoot only at the smaller groups. If a big flock lands in the decoys, we’ll let them get comfortable, then we’ll let the dog out to push them off gently. Or we may ask the farmer to drive into the field.” And once you get your geese, get out quick. “All the birds that come to your field later will have no idea what happened earlier.”
3. Quit the field
“I watch guys struggle to kill birds in the fields now, so I hunt water a lot,” says Ward. After the morning feed, geese break up and head to water to loaf. “I’ll set up on a sandbar with two dozen full-body feeders, four dozen floaters, and a bunch of sleepers. Geese need grit as much as food and water, so look for spots with exposed sand or gravel, and set up right there.”
4. Back off
Late-season geese tend to be call-shy, so tone it down. “When I’m hunting water, where sound really carries, I like a lower-toned call like the Toxic ADM, and I stick to mostly soft clucks and moans,” says Ward.
If Mauck knows he’s in the right place, he may not call at all. “Otherwise, I use mostly ground clucks, light moans, and growls—and only when the geese aren’t facing me.”
5. Mix it up
Don’t keep hunting the same spots with the same spread, says Mauck. “Borrow some decoys, swap blinds with some buddies, or leave the blinds at home and hunker down in a ditch or natural vegetation. Do what you have to do to mix it up, because it makes a huge difference.”
– Brian Grossenbacher
6. Rest your spots
A field will burn out in just a few days now if you don’t rest it, says Mauck. “You have to let geese get back into those spots and get comfortable before you hunt there again.”
7. Sound lonely.
With so much hunting pressure, geese get separated from their flocks, and breeding pairs get split up. “A long, drawn-out, lonesome honk will pull these birds in,” says Ward. “You want to sound like another bird that wants company.”
8. Move the blinds
It’s typical to position layout blinds side by side on the upwind edge of the spread, and then surround them with decoys. But that creates a pattern that late-season geese quickly come to recognize from above, according to Mauck. “Pull your layout blinds out of the spread, or split them up, so they don’t make that pattern.”
9. Push the pocket
Most goose hunters put the shooting pocket right in front of themselves. But in the late season, Mauck will set up crosswind and push the pocket to the downwind side. “This way, if geese flare at the last second or after you shoot,” Mauck explains, “they will use the wind to gain altitude, and instead of showing you their tails, they’ll cross broadside right in front of you.”
Written by Dave Hurteau for Field & Stream and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@getmatcha.com.
Here’s how a noted waterfowl guide brings in flocks ducks, geese, and cranes with a spread of spinners
Habitat Flats guide Arliss Reed kills limits of ducks, geese, and cranes from Saskatchewan to Missouri, and New York to Arkansas. The secret is in the setup. When a mixed bag of birds is in the area, Reed runs a mega spread of spinning-wing puddle-duck decoys and full-body plastic geese. He keeps the spinners on until he hears geese or cranes, then he hits the kill switch and hand-flags and calls the big birds into gun range. “You can get a lot of birds in the landing zone with a half-dozen spinners and a goose spread,” he says. Here’s how he does it.
Create Variety
The downside of spinning-wing decoys is when they’re turned on, they repel geese and cranes. The solution is to hot-wire all of your spinners to a master control panel or to one remote switch. This way, the whole spread turns on and off at once. Reed does not use static duck decoys in his spread, because picky geese often don’t finish to them. Instead, he’ll set a traditional goose spread, then work spinners into and around the kill hole.
Stake Them Low
The height of the spinner doesn’t matter to ducks, but if you have a flock of motion decoys on poles 8 to 10 feet above the ground, geese may avoid them. Reed stakes his spinners about 2 feet off the ground and makes sure the stakes are solid so the dekes don’t wobble. “A tippy decoy doesn’t look good,” he says.
Find the Sun
Ducks will generally finish right near the spinners, so Reed concentrates them 20 yards out, to both sides of the kill hole. But what’s even more important, he says, is the direction the spinners are facing. Reed stakes the first decoy so it faces the rising sun on a morning hunt or the setting sun on an evening hunt, so the spinner reflects as much light as possible. The next spinner faces into the wind, just the way the real birds will finish. “I’ll run two other spinners 90 degrees to the wind and sun, so the birds can see the decoys flash from whatever direction they’re flying,” Reed explains. If Reed has more than four spinners going, he will set the rest into the wind. If he’s in a timber hole or a spot with plenty of shade, he makes sure most of them are in a patch of open sun. “That sun flash is most important,” he says. “Get the flash, get the ducks.”
RC Spinners
Hot-wire a mega spread of four to 16 spinning-wing decoys and control them all with the flip of a switch. This project makes setting up all of those dekes as easy as plugging in a power cord.
Crank It to 11: A Mojo Decoy Boss works as the power switch for a flock of spinning decoys. Cooper Olmstead
What You’ll Need
• 4 to 16 spinning-wing decoys • 50- or 100-foot outdoor extension cord strands, one per decoy • Mojo 4-Channel Decoy Boss• 12-volt deep-cycle marine battery • 3⁄4-inch electrical conduit, 4 to 6 feet per decoy
How It’s Done
Remove the battery and power switch from a decoy, and cut the red and black wires that run to the switch.
Cut 8 inches off the female end of an extension cord, and wire it to the decoy’s cut power lines. You should now have a deke with an extension cord hanging from its rear end (shown bottom right).
Mount the Decoy Boss inside your blind or pit wall. Strip the cut end of the leftover extension cord, and wire the positive and negative wires to the corresponding posts on the Decoy Boss.
Set up your spinner, then connect the decoy’s female cord to the male connection you just wired into the Boss. Repeat with the rest of your spinners. Connect the deep-cycle battery to the Boss, and pull in ducks.
Written by Michael R. Shea for Field & Stream and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@getmatcha.com.
Four all-American diners share their favorite breakfast recipes that you can cook at camp
Breakfast should be the official meal of opening day. You can get it at many local fish-and-game clubs on the opener. You can get it at deer camp, as long as someone gets up to cook. And you can get it at 4 a.m. at the Blue & White Restaurant in Tunica, Mississippi, on the opening day of duck season.
“All the guides bring their clients here for breakfast before the hunt,” says Steven Barbieri, co-owner of the Blue & White. “We’re like their headquarters. During the season, I’d say at least 70 percent of our customers are wearing camo, some still in their waders. Some even with paint on their face.”
To one degree or another, that’s the story this time of year at rural diners across the U.S. The “Hunters Welcome” signs go up, and we pile in. But if you can’t get to the local diner, you still need to have a killer morning meal on opening day—and these four belly-busting recipes, shared from some of the country’s best diners, will do the trick. Dig in, then get hunting.
Southern stack: Blue & White Restaurant’s 61 Hobo Breakfast
After the morning shoot, waterfowl hunters pile back into the Blue & White for a second breakfast, filling the 144-seat place to capacity. A favorite, says co-owner and kitchen manager Joe Weiss, is the 61 Hobo Breakfast. “It’s a big, messy stack of food that a hunter would cook at a duck camp.” In fact, a version of the dish was originally cooked at Weiss’ own Lazy Drake Duck Club.
Start with a single portion of hash browns, which you can buy pre-made in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. Then melt butter in a large skillet and crisp the hash browns on one half of the pan. On the other half, sauté half a medium onion, cut into strips, and cook your protein. “We offer pork sausage, ham, or bacon, but venison sausage or duck breast would work great,” Weiss says.
Flip the hash browns, and then stack the onions and cooked meat on top. Then fry eggs to order and add them. Finally, sprinkle cheddar cheese over the whole mess and cover the pan to melt.
“It’s an absolute favorite with our hunters. I’m sure some of them order it once before the hunt and get it again after,” Weiss says.
Eastern Icon: Neptune Diner’s Country Scrapple
What’s scrapple? Commonly described as “Everything but the oink,” scrapple is a Pennsylvania Dutch treat of boiled pork offal mixed with cornmeal and formed into a loaf—then sliced and fried. It has a dedicated following in much of the Mid-Atlantic, and is a breakfast favorite at the renowned Neptune Diner in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Co-owner Alex Mountis says the diner sells so much scrapple that they source it from a local supplier. But having grown up in the area, Mountis can surely tell you how to make this Keystone State staple: “Typically, the meat is pork heart, liver, and butt, but it would be easy to substitute almost any game meat.”
Boil 11⁄2 pounds of meat scraps in 4 cups of water until the meat is very tender (at least two hours). Strain the broth into a saucepan. Run the meat through a grinder or zip it almost to a paste in a food processor. Bring the broth to a simmer and add the processed meat, as well as salt, pepper, and sage to taste. Slowly add cornmeal (about a cup), stirring constantly, until thick. Transfer into greased loaf pans, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, cut into 1⁄4- to 1⁄2-inch-thick slices and fry.
“We’re best known for how we prepare it,” Mountis says. “You want it soft in the middle and golden and crispy on the outside. At home, you can fry it in a deep skillet with about an inch of high-heat oil, or pan-fry it with oil or butter, and use a light press to get the crust.” Serve scrapple as a side with eggs and pancakes or French toast. Some like it with ketchup, others with maple syrup. Try both.
Midwestern staple: Zingerman’s Roadhouse’s Famous Corned Beef Hash
You can get hash anywhere in the Midwest, but if you want “famous” hash in one of the country’s biggest deer-hunting states, you go to Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Zingerman’s uses a corned beef recipe that originated in Detroit’s Eastern Market in the 1980s. But you’ll want to corn your own venison, which is a simple process of brining venison for a week, then boiling or steaming it until tender.
Start by dicing 2 pounds of blanched, cooled potatoes and 2 pounds of corned venison. Mix them in a large bowl and set aside. In a skillet, melt a couple of pads of butter, and sauté 11⁄2 cups chopped onion, 3⁄4 cup chopped celery, and 11⁄2 cups chopped red pepper. Next add 6 tablespoons flour and mix well. Pour in 11⁄4 cups chicken stock, 11⁄2 tablespoons Worcestershire, and 1⁄2 teaspoon dried sage, and stir. Add 1⁄4 cup heavy cream, and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and pour over the corned-venison-and-potato mixture. Use your hands to mix thoroughly. Now it’s ready for the griddle or frying pan.
Serve with runny eggs and sourdough toast.
Western Jefe: El Patron Café’s Huevos Rancheros
If you’ve hunted in the Southwest, you’ve probably had this Mexican breakfast classic and wondered why you can’t get anything quite like it anywhere else. The secret is the green chile sauce, which finds perfection in New Mexico. And the best green chile in the state, according to USA Today, is found at El Patron Café in Las Cruces. Here’s how chef Patrick Tirre makes it.
Game meat Butter Jalapeños Onion Garlic Flour Chicken stock Green chiles Tomatoes Spices
Directions
In a skillet, brown 11⁄2 pounds of meat, cubed into bite-size pieces. Chef Tirre uses pork shoulder or butt, but wild pig would work well, as would a mix of fatty pork and wild turkey, pronghorn, elk, or deer. When the meat is brown and crispy, splash in a little water in the pan to deglaze and set aside. In a pot, melt half a stick of butter and sauté 4 jalapeños, half an onion, and 4 cloves of garlic. Then add 3 to 4 tablespoons flour to make a roux. Next, add 2 quarts chicken stock, 16 ounces roasted, chopped green chiles (available in the Mexican section of the grocery store), and the insides of three hollowed-out tomatoes. Add the meat and season to taste with salt, pepper, cumin, and Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning. Finally, simmer until the meat is falling apart. Slap two or three corn tortillas on a plate, smother them with the meaty green chile, add two eggs any style, along with jack and cheddar cheese, and serve with flour tortillas to sop it all up. Serves 6 to 8
Written by Dave Hurteau for Field & Stream and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@getmatcha.com.
Ask the country’s best whitetail guides, and they’ll tell you that the late season is a killer time to drop a great buck. They’ll also tell you that when the mercury plummets, even the wariest deer will hit the best food sources during daylight. They’ll tell you where to set up, what to bring, whether to rattle or call or use a decoy, and even how far to shoot.
How do we know all this? We asked.
F&S surveyed dozens of top deer guides to pick their brains on late-season buck behavior, top tactics, favorite gear, and more. Some answered anonymously, most gave their names and outfits, but all offered expert tips and advice to help you wrap up your season with a wall-hanger.
DEER BEHAVIOR
Where is a big buck most likely to bed in the late season?
Good cover close to the food 35.5%
Wooded south-facing slope 23.5%
The nastiest thicket he can find 17.5%
In the open, where he can see you coming 8.6%
In overlooked places, like fencerows and old homesteads 5.7%
Other 9.2%
“The absolute perfect place is dense cover on a south-facing slope close to good food.” —Kevin Small, Midwest Outfitting Co.
True or false: Given the bedding behavior of late-season bucks, hunters should skip the morning hunt now.
False 55.6%
True 44.4%
“Go ahead and hunt mornings if you want, just make sure you go to a different location from where you’d sit in the evening. A south-facing slope in mature white-oak timber would be my first choice.”—Kevin Small
“Unless you are getting a consistent pattern during the morning hours from a particular buck, you’ll probably do more harm than good by hunting the morning, because you’re apt to bump deer. Sometimes it pays to sleep in and head out just before lunch, then sit the rest of the day. When the temperature and weather conditions are right, deer will start heading to evening food sources very early, and you want to make sure you’re there before they arrive.”—Zach Jumps,Harpole’s Heartland Lodge
What’s the best moon phase for late-season deer activity?
Really? Moon phase doesn’t matter 45.5%
Waning 27.3%
Waxing 12.1%
Red moon 12.1%
Full moon 3%
“Full moon is the worst.” —Brian Lindberg
“I like a rising moon in the afternoon.”—Anonymous
“I performed a study of more than 1,700 hunts, including all eight moon phases,and found no correlation between whitetail movement and moon phase.” —Anonymous
Is there really such a thing as the “second rut”?
Yes, and it can be a major factor in mid-December 60%
Yes, but it’s very low key. Don’t expect it to affect your hunting strategy much 40%
No, that’s hogwash 0%
“We always see a flurry of mature buck activity during the second rut. All it takes is one receptive doe, and you can have every buck on your farm after her. Hunt scrapes just ahead of the second rut, then try intercepting a buck on the downwind edge of prime doe bedding areas.”—Zach Jumps
“Estimate the peak of the primary rut, count 28 days later, and mark the calendar. Not long ago, I killed a mature buck chasing a hot doe on December 4.”—Kevin Small
“Doe-in-estrus scent works better in the second rut than at any other time. Use it.”—Tim Clark,Red Dog Outfitters
What is the very best late-season food source?
Standing beans 35.5%
Standing corn 25.8%
Brassica plot 12.9%
A big old bait pile 12.9%
Other 12.9%
“If it’s cold, go to grain; if it’s warm, go to green.”—Kevin Small
“It’s critical to have a variety of food sources in the late season. Too many people concentrate on having just corn or beans. Make sure to have greens as well. If you get some warmer temps, deer will often take greens over grain. I prefer radishes and turnips then.” —Joel Artis, Buffalo County Outfitters
What is the most important factor for getting late-season bucks on their feet before daylight?
Cold temperatures 80.6%
Late rutting activity 11.1%
Snow 2.8%
Moon phase 0%
Other 5.5%
“Cold temperatures are essential for getting deer to show during daylight now.” —Keaton Kelso, K&K Outfitters
“Low temps with a rising moon and high pressure is perfect.”—Joel Artis
“Having a good food source to hold the doe population is key. When one of those does goes into heat, the bucks are sure to show up.”—Mark Clifford, Premier Outfitters
Field & Stream
TACTICS
What is your No. 1 go-to late-season tactic?
Simple. Camp on your best winter food source in the afternoons 80%
Tracking. There’s nothing more exciting 8.6%
Driving thick cover 2.9%
Other 8.5%
“There’s nothing I’d rather do than track a buck in the snow!”—Randy Flannery, Wilderness Escape Outfitters
What is the best way to exit a late-season food-source stand without spooking deer?
Get picked up by truck, tractor, or UTV 68.7%
Wait until full dark and slip out 25.7%
Other 5.6%
“Realistically, no one is going to wait until dark-thirty in December after already freezing their butts off. If you can get a ride, do it; the deer are used to us coming and going.” —Tim Clark
Describe your favorite late-season tactic that most hunters would never think of.
“Tracking and stalking. Head to the big woods and hunt on your feet. It’s a hell of a lot more fun than sitting all day.”—Randy Flannery
“Spot a buck and watch his evening travel route. Then get out there the next day and brush up a good hide at a pond dam or in a fence line to intercept him. Throw him a curveball.”—Tony Sehman, Thunder Ridge Outfitters
“Pull a shallow plow over turnips and beets to bring them on top of the soil. Then hunt.”—Bryan Dawes
“Hunt the bedding areas that receive the first sunlight of the day. That warm sun is a magnet for bucks now.” —Mark Clifford
“Hunt between 11 and 3. My trail-cam pics prove it.” —Peter Martin
On a late-season hunt, I see a non-hit-list buck that’s obviously wounded. Do I kill him or do I go ahead and let him walk?
Shoot him. It’s the right thing to do 52.9%
Let him walk. Bucks are incredibly tough, and he may well survive 32.4%
Other 14.7%
“That’s on you—but you know what’s right.” —Tim Clark
“Depends on the severity of the injury.” —Tony Sehman
Everyone wants cold weather in the late season. What do you do when it’s warm?
Stay the course, because you never know 52.8%
Use a climber or hang-and-hunt near bedding cover 17.6%
Go for broke and still-hunt 11.8%
Stay home, because the deer aren’t going to move 5.9%
Other 11.9%
“Hunt green food sources.” —Kevin Small
“We had a client kill a 196-inch buck two years ago when it was 58 degrees—in January. As he stepped out of the truck, I said, ‘Hey, kill a monster.’ He laughed and said, ‘Yeah, right.’ He called me two hours later and said, ‘ I just shot the buck of three lifetimes.’” —Tony Sehman
Should you rattle and call in the late season?
No. Deer are too edgy now 50%
Yes, but only at bucks you see. Start quiet, gauge their reaction, and go from there 28.1%
Yes, but only if you see second-rut activity 18.8%
Yes. Big bucks are especially receptive now 3.1%
“The only time you should call during the late season is when you’re trying to grunt a buck you see into shooting range.”—Tevis McCauley,Whitetail Heaven Outfitters
What about a decoy?
No way. Too apt to spook deer now, and bucks are tired of fighting 73.3%
Yes. A doe decoy works well now 26.7%
Yes. A buck decoy works well now 0%
“Unless you’re with PETA, I’d advise against it.”—Tim Clark
“A head-up doe decoy will spook does, but a head-down doe decoy in a feeding position—in a corn- or beanfield, say—can help bring bucks out a little sooner.”—Peter Martin
Fill in the blank: Late-season deer drives are _____
Unsafe and unethical. I hate deer drives 41.9%
Not worth conducting because they run deer off your property 38.7%
Effective, but keep them small and subtle 16.1%
Fun and effective. Gather up the whole crew 3.2%
“Your neighbors will love your deer drive. Why work on good deer management just to drive deer off so someone else can kill them?”—Keaton Kelso
What’s your best last-day, go-for-broke tactic?
Sit super close to a buck’s bedroom 35.3%
Still-hunt 29.2%
Deer drive 16.5%
Don’t change a thing 14.5%
Other 4.5%
“Go in super early with a climber and sit right in the bedding area.”—Anonymous
Field & Stream
GEAR
Besides the obvious stuff, list your most important late-season gear items. Top answers:
Ground or box blind
Propane heater
Hand and foot warmers
Extra rangefinder batteries
What is the best and warmest late-season garment? Top answers:
Sitka Fanatic Jacket and Bib
Wool
Heater Body Suit
What is the best muzzleloader bullet? Top answers:
TC Shockwave
Barnes Red Hot
Remington Accu-Tip
Hornady SST
Really, what’s the farthest a hunter should shoot with a muzzleloader?
No more than 200 yards 77.1%
250-plus if the hunter is comfortable with it 22.9%
“If a guy tells me he can shoot 400 yards, he’ll have to prove it to me on the range first. Otherwise, we’ll get closer.”—Tim Clark
Does an Ozonics unit really fool the noses of wary late-season bucks?
It helps 54.6%
Dude, just hunt the wind 39.3%
No, it’s bs 6.1%
“If it gives you a 1 percent advantage, I’ll take it.”—Keaton Kelso
“I use one. But I still hunt the wind.” —Joel Artis
“I don’t believe in these products enough to trust them. This time of year the wind is steady as a rule. Hunt it.” —Tim Clark
What is the craziest thing you’ve ever heard a client say about late-season buck behavior?
“It’s too cold. The deer won’t be moving.” —Brian Lindberg, Soap Creek Outfitters
“Does it make a spark when you hit the deer?” —Keith Miller, Montana Whitetails
“I hope it warms up.” —Peter Martin, Buffalo County Bucks
“The farmers cutting corn will keep the deer out of the area for a few days.” —Derrick Robinson, Buck Country Outfitters
“It’s no wonder that we aren’t seeing any deer. Whitetails travel south for the winter.” —Mark Santos, Whitetail Heaven Outfitters
“Can I hunt the food plot in the morning?” —Bryan Dawes, Brushy Fork Outfitters
“Forget the wind, just hunt.” —Kevin Small
What is the biggest mistake late-season hunters make?
“Not being careful enough entering and exiting stands or blinds.” —Brock Brewster, Sunfish Valley Whitetails
“Overhunting the same spots.” —Mark Liebner, Camp Kay Outfitters
“Not hunting the late season. Huge mistake.” —Anonymous
“Lack of scent control. A lot of hunters think that because they’re in a blind, they won’t alarm the deer with their scent. Try using that logic to fool 30 to 60 deer in a field when half of them are downwind.” —Tony Sehman
“Not resighting your bow or muzzleloader in cold conditions.” —Peter Martin
“Getting locked in on hunting one food source over and over and not scouting for new sign.” —Brian Phillips, Kentucky Whitetail Guide
“Hunting food sources in the morning.” —Bryan Dawes
Wily late-season bucks tend to frequent unusual places. What’s the craziest spot you’ve ever put a late-season hunter?
“In an old abandoned car. Deer were feeding in a food plot. Putting up a pop-up blind would have been too noticeable, so we popped the door of an old Chevy and got both windows down. He was just bummed the heater didn’t still work.” —Tony Sehman
“In a stand on a telephone pole right next to an abandoned farmhouse.” —Anonymous
“In an abandoned combine sitting out in the middle of a cropfield.” —Eric Albus, Milk River Outfitters
“In a cemetery.” —Kevin Small
“In a silo.” —Brian Phillips
“Right next to a busy highway. He arrowed a 194-inch buck.” —Anonymous
“On an old bulldozer in a cornfield. There was freezing rain, and it had a roof on it. He got a nice buck from that dozer too.” —Anonymous
“Hundred yards from barking dogs.” —Tim Clark
Describe your best-ever, eleventh- hour, last-minute, end-of-the-season success story
“On the last week of rifle season, a client got tired of waiting for this particular Booner buck, and so he asked to be moved. Wrong decision. We put another man in the same spot, and in the last 10 minutes of the season, that Booner walked right out into the middle of the cornfield. Boom! I’ll never forget the look on the face of the guy who wanted to be moved. He almost cried.” —Keaton Kelso
“A 211-incher taken by a client on a tough hunt— last day, last hour. Can’t beat that.” —Anonymous
“I had a hunter who wanted to leave at noon on the last day. I talked him into staying, and he arrowed a 172-inch 8-point in the final minutes of the season.” —Anonymous
“Father and son doubled on the last day.” —Zach Jumps
“Last 15 minutes of the last day, a big buck walks across a food plot at 100 yards. Wham. On video.” —Peter Martin
“Last day, last hour, a client shoots a buck and misses. But then reloads and drops him.” —Mark Liebner
“With only one hour before his plane left, I took a client for one last Hail Mary hunt. He shot a 155-inch buck—with 15 minutes to spare.” —Eric Albus
“A man dying of cancer took two B&C bucks. He cried because it meant so much to him.” —Anonymous
Written by Dave Hurteau for Field & Stream and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@getmatcha.com.
