2020 moon phases: Full October 31…last quarter November 8…new (dark) November 15…first quarter November 22...full November 30 I’m a moon fanatic. Over the last 30 years I’ve spent more than 1,000 days in deer stands across North America during the magic month of November, during every imaginable moon phase, during all the waxing and waning days. Though many researchers and hunters don’t put much stock in the moon and its effects on whitetails and the rut, my journal notes and personal observations say differently. I believe there is a little something to the lunar phases and how they impact the movements of rutting deer. Here are my 2020 predictions. Use them to plan your upcoming rut-hunting vacation. No trick but [...]

Fine guest blog from Tracy Kelsoe, who lives and hunts in Lawrence County, Alabama: Have you ever heard of someone who would not hunt a 188” buck? Well, I’m that guy. The reason I would not hunt the buck is because I wanted my dad, Clifton Kelsoe, who was 82 years old at the time, to take him. We had trail came pics of this deer for 3 years. No daylight pics. Dad killed him on December 7th 2016. He shot the buck at 200 yards, not bad for an 82-year-old. The buck had over 50” of mass. We took it to the Birmingham deer show where it took first place non-typical and third place typical. The buck’s final score [...]

I just talked with a couple of my outfitting friends up in Saskatchewan and they confirmed what I already knew. The Canada-US border is closed to non-essential travel through October and likely into next year. Therefore, no Americans will hunt deer anywhere in Canada in 2020. I am bummed because I was scheduled to hunt my favorite area and shoot another TV show near Green Lake, Saskatchewan the second week of November. I’ve hunted the second week up in the bush for more than 3 decades, and have killed some giants, including the 209-incher above, and the 173-inch buck below. With no Americans going up this fall and spending $5,000-plus apiece to hunt for a big deer, there will be a [...]

3 https://youtu.be/qDydxr0HeMY Here are the 3 keys to setting up and hunting a buck from ground zero.