Question from a reader: Mike: My brother and I hunt 40 acres, mostly timber. The old farmer has a lot of pasture land surrounding the property with cows grazing year-round. It seems that every year we run into the issue of him opening the gates and letting his cattle into the woods where we hunt. This is always a discouraging time for us, especially with the rut quickly approaching. I'm a little optimistic that the noise and movement of the cows allow for a little more cover, but it is a heartbreaker when you sit down for a morning hunt and have 10 cows walk under your stand at first light. The confidence that this is going to be a [...]

Once you fire an arrow and draw blood, it is your ethical duty to work until you find that buck or doe. Do whatever it takes, for however long it takes: five minutes or five hours or longer. Follow this advice and there's a good chance the red trail will end, happily, at your animal. See Deer Run After the thwack of the arrow, watch the deer run as far as you can see him. In thick woods, look for flashes of white as he darts through the trees. In open country, follow him with your binoculars. At the spot where you lose the buck, pick a marker—big tree, rock, fence post, etc. Climb down from your stand, walk to [...]

1) An elevated ridge that situated 100 yards or so from a field of corn, soybeans or alfalfa is one of my favorite spots for the pre-rut. Like most early-season setups, it is killer for the afternoons. But if access is good and the wind allows it, you might be able to sneak in and hunt the stand one morning too. If you have a flat of oak trees on your property that runs up a ridge from an ag field, jackpot. Does will come from back in the cover and move through in the afternoon on their way to the field. Some bucks will come and stage on the ridge in late afternoon before moving out to the crops [...]