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Scott Bestul

Use these tactics to increase the effectiveness of your deer drives

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In my formative years as a deer hunter, I probably spent more time driving deer than I did waiting for them. I’m just old enough to remember a time when treestand hunting was in its infancy, and pop-up blinds – not to mention the heated, elevated shooting houses so popular today – weren’t even a germ in their inventor’s brain.
So, yeah, when my uncles and cousins and other mentors grew tired of freezing their butts on a slab of granite or an oak stump, they got up, gathered about noon and started taking the hunt to the deer.

Use these tactics to increase the effectiveness of your deer drives Read More »

Three top spots for arrowing an early-season buck

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The opener of any hunting season is always cause for excitement, but when it comes to the dawn of the annual archery deer hunt, I’m truly jazzed.
While the rut gets most of the attention from whitetail nuts, I’d take the first two weeks of the September season over the entire month of November if I’m targeting a mature buck. I have a hard time convincing people of this, but I have at least three solid reasons, and they’re all in my man cave; my three largest bucks have all been shot in the first two weeks of the season.

Three top spots for arrowing an early-season buck Read More »

Eight things to know about bachelor groups of bucks that can help you as a hunter

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There are various theories regarding why bucks form bachelor groups, but what’s for certain is the groups provide clues to where you should hunt early in the season.

Eight things to know about bachelor groups of bucks that can help you as a hunter Read More »

Follow these tips to get your bow sighted in for the fall hunting season

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August is still an infant, but trust me on this: A mid-September bowhunting opener is going to be upon us long before most of us are ready.
While I’ll no doubt have clothes to sort and gear to find, one thing I rarely procrastinate on is shooting. I like to feel proficient by mid-July and deadly a month later, which means practice sessions are in full swing as I write this. One of the fundamental steps to archery accuracy is, of course, to have a well-tuned sight.

Follow these tips to get your bow sighted in for the fall hunting season Read More »

Summer scouting: Start laying the foundation for your best deer season ever

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Archery season may be weeks away, but Minnesota expert Bob Borowiak is already gearing up to do some of the most important scouting he’ll do all season.
While most successful deer hunters recognize the need for thorough scouting, many wait until just before the season opener to begin. Not Borowiak, who gets serious about gathering intel when most of us are sharpening our golf games, spending hours on lawn care, or chasing fish around. Most of us would do well to listen to Borowiak, a retired 76-year old from Houston, Minn.

Summer scouting: Start laying the foundation for your best deer season ever Read More »

Rule the rut: Six tips to make this your best November ever

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As I do on any November morning, I walked to my treestand full of hope and excitement. I had an archery deer tag in my pocket, access to a gorgeous farm, and a weather forecast that called for cool temps and high pressure. “Today is the day,” was my mantra as I slipped through the pre-dawn toward a stand I’d hung the day before. How’d it go?
I didn’t see a whitetail all morning. Actually, I spotted the ears of what had to be the area’s smallest fawn, bobbing through waist-high CRP as the tiny deer cut across the prairie. I suppose seeing part of a little deer is better than a skunking, but when you are hunting some of the Midwest’s best deer lands during peak whitetail rut, that’s a small victory.

Rule the rut: Six tips to make this your best November ever Read More »

Three faces of October: Make the most of this sometimes-misunderstood month for whitetails

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The monster 8-point had clearly not read the calendar. He was destroying trees, hog-troughing scrapes, and badgering does like it was peak rut. Instead, it was Oct. 8, and I remember the date because my dad not only rattled and grunted that buck in, but almost got a slam-dunk shot opportunity. However, the buck zigged when Dad assumed he’d zag.
It’s pretty sad that the reputation of an entire month rests on a handful of days when hunters have traditionally had trouble figuring out deer. I’ve heard all kinds of explanations for the seemingly poor hunting in October, and for many years I joined ranks with the scads of hunters who were sucker punched by a myth that said the tenth month was something to be endured until things got good.

Three faces of October: Make the most of this sometimes-misunderstood month for whitetails Read More »

Know your oaks: Increase your acorn IQ to become a better deer hunter

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You don’t have to hunt deer long to realize that oak trees, and the acorns they drop each fall, are hugely important to whitetails. And many hunters know that most oak trees fall into one of two main families: red oaks and white oaks.
Both tree types are critical sources of deer food, so being able to identify tree species and their acorns can result in better deer hunting and more venison on your table. Here’s what you need to know.

Know your oaks: Increase your acorn IQ to become a better deer hunter Read More »

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