Each issue of North American Whitetail brings you effective techniques for outsmarting monster bucks. You'll learn the success secrets of North America's most accomplished, most knowledgeable whitetail hunters - riflemen and bowhunters alike.
Some common terms are easy to define. At least, they are until you actually try to do so. “DIY” is a great example. Everyone knows those letters stand for “do it yourself.” And we’re sure we know what that means. But when it comes to DIY whitetail hunting, the definition is tricky to pin down. In one sense, anything we do in the deer woods without assistance, whether it be hanging a stand or planting a food plot, qualifies as DIY. We might gather information and materials from other sources, but in terms of application, we’re controlling the process ourselves, mixing our skills, time and effort into a game plan. Which means we also take responsibility for the outcome: good, bad or anywhere in between. Of course, virtually no human…
If you’ve caught the last couple episodes of North American Whitetail TV presented by Quick Attach, you’ve probably noticed some subtle changes — and some not-so-subtle ones — to the look and feel of the program. While not intrinsic to the identity or mission of the show, these changes have certainly been intentional. Now in its 14th season, our TV show has witnessed a substantial evolution in the ways in which whitetails are managed and hunted. In the same light, we’ve evolved in the delivery of our content, both in print and on the TV screen, and even in the subject matter on which we focus. Since we first aired in 2004, our show’s “Big Buck Profile” segment has showcased some of the most extraordinary whitetails ever taken. To this…
The early years of my whitetail research in East Texas involved eavesdropping on mature bucks that lived on a property called Boggy Slough. Using tranquilizer dart guns from tree stands, we captured wild bucks and then placed radio-telemetry collars on their necks before releasing them. In those days, there were few mature bucks to be found throughout most of the range of whitetails. This sad situation was created by years of “traditional” deer management favoring antlered harvest. Maybe that’s why I averaged about 1,200 hours of work for every mature buck captured! Despite such difficulties, we learned a great deal from this work, with much of it being shared through this magazine in the 1980s and ’90s. As our research and the management of the Boggy Slough herd progressed, we…
In 1859, Charles Dickens wrote, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.” While he was referring to the two cities of London and Paris, he could have said the same of whitetail herds in the Northeast. In Colonial times, herds were changing at a rate unseen since the Ice Age. Settlers were knocking down the forests in favor of cropland. This new edge habitat proved favorable for whitetails, as did the gradual extermination of the region’s large predators. “I cannot express what quantities of deer and turkeys are to be found in these woods,” wrote one New York writer in 1687. But unregulated hunting and the growing demand for venison worked to counterbalance…
BY GORDON WHITTINGTON Mental misery can linger long after the physical pain causing it is gone. Which is why a hunt I went on long ago remains so vivid in my mind. A friend and several of his acquaintances from Houston were driving to Colorado to chase elk on public land. There were unlimited tags available, and my friend said his contact in the area knew where the big bulls were. Did I want to go? I hadn’t exactly been training for the high country. I hadn’t been training for the low country, either. But chasing elk in the mountains sounded like fun, and I was younger and in better shape than most of the rest of the guys. So I thought about it only briefly before saying, “Sure, I’ll…
I’ll never forget a conversation with one of my in-laws a few years ago, while we were eating Christmas dinner. Our talk had turned to the deer season, and he’d casually said, “I don’t know how you kill all of those big bucks. I’ve never even seen one.” It caught me off guard for a few reasons. The first, which I explained to him, was that in a good year I might tag two mature bucks. During a truly exceptional season the total might be three. That probably seems like a lot to most hunters, but when you factor in the number of states I hunt and the year-round focus I put into preparing, it isn’t as impressive. And I don’t say that as some sort of humblebrag; I really…
