What Makes A Good, Or Bad, Hunting Club Member

Last fall, on Oct. 1, 2002, I had just returned from hanging a nice doe in the local cooler and was pryin’ my rubber boots off when the phone rang. It was my good friend and fellow hunting-club member Mike Whitehead. “John, Ronald got a good one,” he said. “Great! How big is he?’ “Don’t…

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Stand Selection For Early Season Bucks

I had been in my treestand for an hour, and — finally — the sky began to lighten in the east. My location was a big tulip poplar on the very edge of a thick beaver swamp. Tall privet surrounding the tree concealed my outline, and that of the portable stand. There was a food…

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Hunting Tips For A Weather-Front Buck

As I walked the two-thirds of a mile back to the tree where my portable stand was hung, it seemed as though you could see every star in the sky. It was 5:30 a.m. on Nov. 27, and about 24 degrees. I walked in slowly, as to not make any unnecessary noise, or get overheated. …

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Calling All Bucks

As I hurried across the pasture, I couldn’t help but think what a long shot this would be. By the time I arrived at my destination, a briar-choked wale behind a small pond, only 10 or 15 minutes of shooting light would remain. But sometimes, when the conditions are right and the rut is just…

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