For those of you who are getting ready to bowhunt whitetails in September... In my travels over many years, I have run into quite a few bowhunters who do not and will not hunt the mornings during an archery season that opens in September. Their thinking is actually pretty sound. First, it’s less risky and easiest to hang and access tree stands near crop fields and plots in the afternoons. In morning darkness, it’s tough to sneak back to stands near a bedding area without bumping deer that are already home and tucked in after a night of feeding. Why risk spooking a buck in the predawn when your odds are better of seeing him and getting a shot in [...]

I first wrote about this giant way back in 2008, and thought I’d post it again to get you fired up for early bow season. Colin (who would be 32 today) if you see this shoot me an email!--MH After supper on August 29, 2007 Colin Bourrier, who had just turned 15, dressed in unscented hunting clothes and pulled a scent-blocking suit over them. He reminded his younger brothers to keep the noise down and especially not to rip and ride the trails on their dirt bikes because he and Pete were going hunting out back. He packed up his bow and arrows and other gear and headed for the tree stand he and his dad had set. They only [...]

While you’re out mowing grass or working your land with a tractor or ATV, try this. Mow or bush-hog a strip of grass or a lane through a thicket right up to one or two of your favorite tree stands you’ve hunted for years. Keep those lanes trimmed all summer. Deer will find them and use them. One day this fall, an 8-pointer might walk smack down the strip to your stand. The trimmed lanes are great places to plant mini-plots. Scour old farm/weed fields and clear-cuts for hidden fruit trees, like apple or persimmon. Open up the trees by clearing away brush; prune a few limbs and pour some fertilizer over the roots. A tree should make some soft [...]

Pope and Young, America’s leading bowhunting organization, is excited to announce a new World Record Typical Whitetail Deer in Velvet and a new World Record Non-Typical Whitetail Deer in Velvet. Pope and Young convened a special panel to measure these potential World Records at a Measurers Workshop held in Regina, Saskatchewan on June 15th, and these two amazing bucks have been verified as new World Records in their respective categories. Jack McNaughton shot his Typical Whitetail in Velvet near the Smokey River in Alberta on August 31st, 2013. Jack’s buck has a verified final score of 182 4/8” topping the charts and coming in as a new world record. “Jack’s buck is one of the most incredible whitetails I have [...]