Big Bucks, Smart Riflescopes, and Straight-walled Cartridges.  Hunting with the new Traditions Outfitter G3 chambered in 360 Buckhammer, topped with a Burris Veracity PH scope. 11. The Burris Veracity PH on a Traditions Outfitter G3 rifle Returning to Goose Creek Outfitters last fall, I had grand dreams of repeating success from a wonderful experience with a previous hunt, and finding another big, memorable buck. The Nebraska license allows for one mule or white-tailed buck to be harvested, and there were good opportunities for either. I learned many years ago not to set my sights on one ..read more

 More innovation, practicality, and excellence from Swarovski Optik Returning from the 2024 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, and after handling my first EL RANGE 8×32, I felt compelled to take one for a spin – to see what all the hype was about. I can tell you – it didn’t disappoint. While this particular piece was officially introduced to the optics marketplace a few months ago, it is one of Swarovski’s newest additions. I’ve been using the first generation EL Range 10×42 since its inception in 2011. Revolutionary at the time, for over a decade, it’s made my hunting more enjoyable and suc ..read more

Bucket List Hunt for a Velvet Buck Whitetail hunters often have a bucket list. However, the list might not be the same for all. One list might have a Boone and Crockett buck on it. Another might have a buck with a 24-inch spread. While others want to harvest a velvet buck. If you have deer velvet on your mind, you will need to make a game plan as you only have a handful of options to get it done. Deer antler velvet is living tissue, and most bucks shed their velvet within the first week of September. Because of the early opening dates of the season, this is a bowhunter-only opportunity to kill ..read more

As an avid outdoorsman and hunting enthusiast, I recently had the opportunity to test out the SKRE Camo Guardian jacket and bib combination during my late season hunting expeditions. After several outings in varied conditions, I’m excited to share my thoughts on this gear. What I tested: SKRE Camo Guardian Jacket – $335.95 SKRE Camo Guardian Bib – $435.95 SKRE Camo Beanie Hat – $29.95 Design and Construction: The first thing that struck me about the SKRE Camo Guardian jacket and bibs was their exceptional design and construction. Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, both the jacket ..read more

Check out these important ways to identify bucks and does you shouldn’t shoot Seeing a deer and knowing what category it goes in is a vital part of deer hunting. Properly identifying your target is part of a safe, effective hunting effort, after all. This makes it important to identify deer you do want to shoot, and those that you don’t. Some deer that might fall into the latter category include button bucks, young bucks, shed bucks, illegal bucks, pregnant does, and more. Here are things to know. Button Bucks A button buck can be difficult to identify. Later in the season, button bucks have l ..read more

At sunrise, my wife Heather, and I had spotted a nice mule deer buck feeding in a standing canola field. She was up to bat on this, our first early season hunt of the year. So, I picked an elevated location near an old barn, set up my spotting scope, and watched as she used the wind to move in on the buck. An hour passed and I guessed she was within 80 yards. Then the buck bedded and she began her abnormally long vigil. The canola was too dense and noisy to sneak in, so she waited on the edge of the field. Four hours later, as I continued to watch through the spotter, the buck finally got up a ..read more

Late-season deer hunting presents unique challenges, mainly when green food sources are scarce and the landscape is predominantly made up of timber and cattle pastures. In such situations, hunters must adjust their strategies to locate and target deer effectively during this demanding period. A few years back, I remember losing some of my excitement for deer hunting towards the end of the year. After all, I had been putting in significant effort for four months, and the thrill was starting to wane. I took a break to attend an archery trade show in Indianapolis, Indiana, during the first week o ..read more

Hunters and land managers are always looking for ways to improve and protect the deer herd they hunt and that live on their property. They have buck to doe ratios down to a science, practice QDMA guidelines for trophy management, provide sanctuaries and food plots. The list can go on and on. All of these things are fine and dandy, but what about predation from coyotes? In areas of the country where coyotes thrive, they can play a huge role in the survival rate of fawns and even healthy, mature deer. Are landowners doing enough to control the coyote population? I have heard deer hunters say tha ..read more

The prairies of the southern Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Montana and the Dakotas are vast regions of open space and seem to be endless acres of pastures and crop lands. However, if you look closely, you will see these areas also consist of patches of tall native prairie grasslands, slough bottoms, clumps of buck brush, weed choked fence lines, farmyards and small groupings of trees. In addition, many areas of the prairies are rolling landscapes along with potholes, drainage systems and valleys. All of which provide perfect cover for whitetail deer. IF YOU LOOK YOU WILL FIND At first glanc ..read more

It was the middle 1960’s, the site, a shooting range on the banks of Cummins Creek just north of Columbus, Texas and the Gulf Coast Prairie. Hollis Sillivan, our local Texas Ranger handed me a large framed single-action revolver. “Give this one a try! Bit more powerful than what you’re shooting.” Said he with a smile. I accepted the revolver, noticed the hole in the muzzle was bigger than my .357 Mag., then glanced at the stamp on the barrel, .44 Rem Mag. I had read about the round but had not previously had the opportunity to shoot it. “Got two rounds left!” I rested against a post, cocked th ..read more