Our friends Zach and Ellie from southern Illinois were out scouting on their farm and found a good pinch point between two ponds. “So we decided to set out a camera and this is what we got,” said Zach. “Very mature deer, his body is huge in my opinion for this early in the year.” Yes, great deer (I'm guessing 5 1/2 w/short face and pot belly) and just the 130-class buck that millions of hunters (most hunters) should look for this season. This is your typical American buck. I can’t tell you how many 8- and 9-pointers I’ve seen that look just like this in all my travels, but it has to be thousands. On TV you see a lot of people [...]

Here is my full-velvet, long-tined stud whitetail from opening night here in Manitoba. Over the past two months I've dropped and sacrificed almost everything in hopes of nailing down a pattern on this buck. I knew I had to for a chance at him. Literally every evening I had free over July and August I worked on trail cam setups and scouted to try and learn more about this buck and others, and their unpredictable behavior on the flatland prairies of the province. Opening evening nearing sunset, the buck ran in with two other nice bucks, stopped for a split-second and gave me all I needed to place a clean and almost instant kill shot from my stand above him. [...]

Hi Mike, I was wondering if you could ask the bloggers what they are doing to get in shape for the upcoming season. Everyone has their own workout plan, and I would be interested to know what those are. At this point mine is: walk 3 miles 5 times a week, and do some sit-ups and push-ups each morning. Later in September I plan to add a small pack with weight in it for my walks. —Thanks, Mike M. Ok, who’s sweating? If you’re not you should start, you’ll feel better and hunt better. My pre-season (and all-year except when I’m traveling/filming/hunting) routine: Walk dog once or twice daily (7-12 miles a week); jog with sprint intervals for 3 miles 3 days [...]