Expert Late Season Deer Hunting Tactics
Hunting
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 […]
A Recipe for Corned Wild Turkey Breast
Hunting,
Inside Pursuit
Served with a side of charred cabbage, this riff on a classic spring dish is a gobbler game-changer This turkey isn’t technically “corned,” or preserved, but a three-day steep in a pickling-spice-infused brine gives it the unmistakable tang of corned beef, that springtime staple. The ultra-gentle poaching technique—cooking the meat at less than a simmer—yields […]
How to Hunt Public Land Ducks from a Kayak
Hunting,
Inside Pursuit
Many public-land hunters are used to setting up well before legal light to claim their spot. I used to motor out and set my decoys in the dark, allowing plenty of time for the marsh to settle down after I cut off my two-stroke outboard. Usually, I’d see a flurry of ducks that were gone […]
When Is the Best Time to Hunt Pheasants?
Hunting,
Inside Pursuit
Every pheasant hunter wants to be out chasing roosters on opening day. True, you may stumble upon some young-of-the-year birds that hold tight, flush close, and provide a quick opening day limit, but don’t count on it. Don’t put your shotgun away yet either, because the best hunting is still to come. Once summer flocks […]
How to Take Your Father Turkey Hunting
Hunting
There’s an old split-rail fence at Mom and Dad’s place that separates the lawn from the horse pasture. I like to lean against it just before dark and owl hoot. Across the pasture, and beyond the creek, is an oak hillside, and in the spring a gobbler roosts there as many nights as not. The […]
The Science Behind Hot Streaks and Slumps in the Pheasant Field
Hunting,
Inside Pursuit
Because confidence gets shooters into the zone—and the zone is a real place. My cousin sent me a note the other day saying he had gone nine for nine so far during pheasant season, and he asked for advice and sympathy in advance of the inevitable slump. I congratulated him on his hot streak and […]