2024-04-11 06:00
I grew up thinking that big bucks were almost unkillable. While I was surrounded by people who hunted, almost no one ever killed a deer that was even 3.5 or older. When someone did, it was a… Read More
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Wired To Hunt | Deer Hunting News, Stories And Str Blog
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Wired To Hunt is a deer hunting blog focused on sharing tips, stories and news to a new generation of hunters.
2024-04-11 06:00
Fail upward? What kind of corporate jargon is that? How could this possibly help me become a better hunter? Hear me out.
Every hunter that I know with at least a dozen seasons under their be… Read More
2024-04-05 06:00
In the whitetail-sphere, it’s common for hunters to proclaim that their deer are harder to kill than the deer found in other places. It’s kind of like bitching about local weathe… Read More
2024-03-29 06:00
It was early October 1992, and I was sitting in a wooden treestand overlooking an oak-lined ridgetop. I wanted my first deer in the worst way, and she was heading in my direction. The young… Read More
2024-03-22 06:00
On a brisk weekend in October, I had an epiphany. After three seasons of shivering, sweating, waiting, watching, and throwing the occasional hissyfit—I was standing over a mature, nine… Read More
2024-03-18 06:00
It’s a rare day that I focus my hunting efforts on individual bucks. It’s just not my style, and I don’t have much ground to work with where it’s a feasible strategy… Read More
2024-03-04 07:00
Hunters have an undeniable fascination with giant antlered, big-bodied bucks. If you've decided to take on the challenge of understanding mature bucks, you're in danger of becoming addicted… Read More
2024-03-01 07:00
There’s a saying for folks who work in marketing that goes something like this: the minute you sign a new client is the minute you start to lose them. This general rule applies to hunt… Read More
2024-02-26 07:00
Too much hunting media preaches a conservative approach to whitetail hunting that just doesn’t work for most hunters. This message has largely dominated the conversation around hunting… Read More
2024-02-23 07:00
Growing up in southeastern Minnesota, I thought we had the laziest hunters. During gun season, the amount of trucks creeping along gravel roads with the windows down was a sure sign of a roa… Read More
2024-02-22 07:00
I've spent a substantial amount of time hunting whitetails in the big woods. Understanding scrapes has, without a doubt, led me to more consistent encounters than any other hunting tactic.
T… Read More
2024-02-16 07:00
A few years ago, we redid our basement floor. According to my wife, since there were new floors going in, we also needed new furniture and a fresh coat of paint on the walls. While she was r… Read More
2024-02-15 07:00
Hunting is a sport of continually changing variables, with every decision you make compounding on the next and altering the outcome of the day. The uncertainty is what makes hunting so excit… Read More
2024-02-15 07:00
Yes, I know. Hunter success rates depend on filled tags, but I’m not simply reducing success to dead deer. The playing field is anything but level for deer hunters. From weekend warrio… Read More
2024-02-12 07:00
This time of year should be a time of reflection on last deer season. While you might turn your attention to shed hunting and winter scouting, it’s reality check time for those lofty g… Read More
2024-02-09 07:00
When it comes to buyer’s remorse, we tend to think of junk. Like paying good money for something that just doesn’t deliver on its marketing promise or maybe breaks right out of t… Read More
2024-02-07 07:00
Aside from in-season scouting, if I could only scout once per year, you can bet it’d be during the month of February. In fact, the weekend after my state’s deer season closes for… Read More
2024-02-02 07:00
It wasn’t that long ago when you never really heard about mature bucks the way you do now. Sure, maturity made it into the conversation sometimes when people talking about big bucks, b… Read More
2024-01-31 07:00
The term “cull buck” used to be pretty common in deer hunting circles. Two types of hunters used it the most. In the first group, we had the aspiring land managers who truly beli… Read More
2024-01-26 07:00
I have a poor memory for a lot of reasons, but one recollection I have that is almost as crisp as the day it happened involves a pair of forky antlers lying in a buck bed. I’d been fig… Read More
2024-01-25 07:00
Jason Thomas thought he’d killed a near-world record whitetail. His 2023 Ohio crossbow-killed deer was scored right after the hunt at 211 4/8 typical inches. The official score from Bu… Read More
2024-01-23 07:00
A couple of years ago, two buddies and I met up to chase cottontail rabbits around on a mild February weekend. It was mostly an effort to stave off cabin fever after a long Minnesota winter… Read More
2024-01-16 07:00
Winter scouting is like a free play. You get to go walk anywhere and everywhere you damn well please, knowing that your intrusion won’t affect your hunting. Nothing is off-limits. You… Read More
2024-01-12 05:00
There are a lot of times in hunting when our eyes are a bit bigger than our stomachs. Just like when you overload your plate on Thanksgiving by stacking up every delicious side dish until yo… Read More
2024-01-10 05:00
Have you ever stumbled upon a new deer hunting spot completely riddled with intersecting trails, rubs, and scrapes, yet despite many hunts, you’ve never been able to take a deer in tha… Read More
2024-01-08 05:00
Hunters can always find an excuse not to go hunting. Waking up too late, not knowing where to go, or having to do something lame like go to work, some hunters will always find a reason not t… Read More
2024-01-05 05:00
Forky sheds are cool to find, but spotting the wall of tines of an 80-inch side is something else. Monster sheds, just like the mature bucks that drop them, are rare (obviously). That doesn… Read More
2023-12-20 05:00
Does this sound familiar? It’s November 10th—the rut is in full swing—excitement and anticipation are through the roof. You’ve hunted hard all season and have had far… Read More
2023-12-18 05:00
If you don’t hunt primo ground, then your biggest challenge as a whitetail hunter might just be getting an arrow into a buck after the gun season. The general consensus from the huntin… Read More
2023-12-14 05:00
If you live and hunt whitetails in the deep South, you’re familiar with the excess amount of bedding. On one hand, it provides plenty of cover and food for dense deer populations. On t… Read More
2023-12-12 05:00
One of the best things about tracking a buck is that it’s done solo. You’re out in the deep woods, just you and the buck, in a mano-a-mano duel of predator and prey. To be succes… Read More
2023-12-11 05:00
A couple of weeks ago I sat on a hill in western Minnesota as the sun just started to breach the eastern horizon. Below me lay a sprawling piece of public land, which contains a mix of catta… Read More
2023-12-07 05:00
As a teenage bowhunter growing up in Minnesota, there was nothing I dreaded more than the general gun season. The woods that I haunted all season long became someone else’s, which both… Read More
2023-12-04 05:00
Of the controversial and divisive topics in the hunting world, deer hunting with dogs sits near the top. For hunters, specifically in the South where deer-dog hunting is limited, the sound o… Read More
2023-12-01 05:00
“Tracking a big buck is the most frustrating thing on the planet. You’ll walk your legs off, lose the track, find the track, get lost, and a lot of times you’ll never even… Read More
2023-11-24 05:00
I’ve killed exactly two does and one whitetail buck with my bow. I’ve killed a few more with rifle and shotgun, but honestly, I’m still a novice. And I love it! It’s… Read More
2023-11-24 05:00
Just a shade over thirty years ago, I started bowhunting whitetails as a clueless 12-year-old. We didn’t have youth seasons then. Or pop-up blinds. Or, trail cameras of any style, let… Read More
2023-11-23 05:00
At one point in my life, I spent quite a bit of time around a few people who were either actively pursuing an archery Super Slam or had already completed it. Bow-killing all 29 North America… Read More
2023-11-22 05:00
Saddle Hunting has become all the rage these days. There’s an overabundance of info on the interwebs on how-to, which is better, and why you should. But should you really be saddle hun… Read More
2023-11-17 05:00
As I write this, my truck is still covered in North Dakota mud, and my tailgate still has frozen blood on it. I’ve just returned from a public land bowhunt out there, where a hunting r… Read More
2023-11-14 05:00
The rut is here, and the hopes of notching your tag on a heavy-horned buck have never been higher. And while you might have a Pope & Young cruise by your setup in spitting distance, thos… Read More
2023-11-13 05:00
There has been a pile of conception studies conducted on deer throughout the whitetail’s range. If you geek out and look through a few of them, you’ll see consistent conclusions… Read More
2023-11-08 05:00
These days it seems like you shouldn’t show your face at the local archery shop or 3D range if you’re not hunting whitetails from a tree saddle. This lightweight, mobile strategy… Read More
2023-11-07 05:00
Without a doubt, oaks are the most coveted species of tree in the whitetail woods. Furthermore, they produce some of the most powerful food sources available to deer. But getting oaks to the… Read More
2023-11-06 05:00
Hunting whitetails in the big woods is like a long, intense workout. It sucks when you’re in the thick of it, but the payoff (when you’re lying on your back after it’s over… Read More
2023-11-03 06:00
Every successful hunt has one thing in common, time. The more time you spend perfecting your craft, the more successful your outcome is likely to be. The whitetail rut is no different. Time… Read More
2023-10-30 06:00
The first couple weeks of November coincide with dreamy fall temps, long sits in the stand, and big rutting bucks. Unless you live and hunt in the deep South. In that case, the first week of… Read More
2023-10-25 06:00
The rut gets all of the love. Everyone wants to be in a tree when a hot doe could bring all of the neighborhood bucks into their lap. The truth is, that hot doe can just as easily pull all o… Read More
2023-10-23 06:00
For a lot of hunters, rifle season conjures up early memories of deer camps, first kills, or family traditions. And it probably still revolves largely revolves around these things. While it… Read More
2023-10-20 06:00
A typical blind-calling strategy for most hunters involves trying to make something happen during downtime. This might be a few hours into a morning sit, or during that lull time during an a… Read More
2023-10-20 06:00
As autumn arrives and preparations continue for this year's hunting season, many land managers will look to plant fall food plots. These fall plots will not only help the overall herd of dee… Read More
2023-10-16 06:00
Whitetail hunters—including myself—like comfort. Sure, we might brave frigid temps or hike miles in the dark through a swamp, but not after spending thousands on hunting clothing… Read More
2023-10-13 06:00
I don’t really believe in the “October Lull.” I think there are a host of factors that come into play during mid-October, and most of them just work to keep us from seeing… Read More
2023-10-12 06:00
In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, things can change in the blink of an eye. Sometimes we don’t even notice the change until it’s too late, even if all the signs are ther… Read More
2023-10-09 05:00
The people have spoken. According to the MeatEater audience, the .30-06 Springfield is the Greatest Whitetail Cartridge of All Time. The ‘06 spanked the .243 Winchester in the champion… Read More
2023-10-07 06:00
If you’re living vicariously through hunting industry folks to get your deer info, you’re in trouble. I know that probably sounds crazy coming from a guy who is in the hunting in… Read More
2023-10-06 06:00
Editor’s note: For more on this topic, tune into Eps. 690, 693, 696, and 699 of the Wired to Hunt Podcast.
I’m fascinated by old whitetail bucks. If you’re reading this, yo… Read More
2023-10-06 06:00
During the first week of the Minnesota season, I managed to arrow a decent ten-pointer. A good friend of mine also filled his tag on a really solid nine-pointer. He and I, along with two oth… Read More
2023-10-06 05:00
For Whitetail Week this year, we’re picking the best whitetail cartridge… ever. And by “we,” we mean “you.” Vote for your favorite cartridge by commentin… Read More
2023-10-05 06:00
Whitetail guru Jeff Sturgis helps First Fite’s Gregg Farrell form a habitat improvement plan for his buddy's southwestern Wisconsin family farm. This video is all about making a detail… Read More
2023-10-05 06:00
As a born-and-raised whitetail hunter, I couldn’t believe it when I first traveled west to hunt antelope. The Red Hills of Wyoming were like a moonscape compared to the deciduous fores… Read More
2023-10-05 06:00
Other than those states with early velvet seasons, most of us are on the cusp of opening day. The sins of last season are all but absolved, and every new season presents a blank slate.
Unfor… Read More
2023-10-04 06:00
In this video, whitetail guru Jeff Sturgis helps First Fite’s Gregg Farrell form a habitat improvement plan for his buddy's southwestern Wisconsin family farm. When forming a plan, the… Read More
2023-10-04 05:00
For Whitetail Week this year, we’re picking the best whitetail cartridge of all time. And by “we,” we mean “you.” Vote for your favorite cartridge by commenting… Read More
2023-10-04 05:00
For Whitetail Week this year, we’re picking the best whitetail cartridge of all time. And by “we,” we mean “you.” Vote for your favorite cartridge by commenting… Read More
2023-10-03 06:00
Hunting trends are cyclical. For the youngsters out there, it might come as a surprise that this current tree saddle craze isn’t the first tree saddle craze. Or that sweet, retro-looki… Read More
2023-10-02 06:00
It can feel like a curse when you first start whitetail hunting. The does and young bucks are challenging enough, and the mature deer are just something else. They almost seem mythical, and… Read More
2023-10-02 06:00
Think you can score a buck just by looking at it? During Whitetail Week, we’re giving away stellar prizes every day to folks who can most closely correctly score deer that were shot by… Read More
2023-10-02 05:00
For Whitetail Week this year, we’re picking the best whitetail cartridge of all time. And by “we,” we mean “you.” Vote for your favorite cartridge by commenting… Read More
2023-10-02 05:00
For Whitetail Week this year, we’re picking the best whitetail cartridge of all time. And by “we,” we mean “you.” Vote for your favorite cartridge by commenting… Read More
2023-09-28 06:00
Whitetail hunters live to die on hills. Fixed blades versus mechanical. Doe bedding versus rut funnels. The list goes on and only gets more trite and obnoxious. One of those dead horses incl… Read More
2023-09-28 06:00
The best laid-out deer plans are often garbage. Maybe that’s too harsh, but the truth is all of that summer scouting and trail camera work often won’t directly correlate to filli… Read More
2023-09-26 06:00
If you’re up on the current whitetail hunting trends, mobile whitetail hunting tactics are everything you hear and everything you read about.
But if you aren’t doing hang and hun… Read More
2023-09-20 06:00
Mature bucks don’t do things by accident. Outside of a few bewildering moments during the rut, there’s almost always a reason for their movements, almost always a why. For this r… Read More
2023-09-19 06:00
In 2020, I drew a coveted Iowa archery tag. The plan was to hunt public dirt as much as I could in October, because I had some work obligations that would take me away during November. Durin… Read More
2023-09-14 06:00
Find the feed tree. Pin down bed-to-feed patterns. Strike early and sit that field edge to ambush your target buck before the pressure heats up. These are all great tactics that can help you… Read More
2023-09-14 06:00
There are non-negotiable items that every whitetail hunter should have in their pack—ranging from a backup headlamp and extra rangefinder batteries to a gutting knife and a small limb… Read More
2023-09-08 05:00
Under a light snow, an infrared-equipped drone buzzes a timbered property somewhere in the Midwest heartland. The operator, Mike Yoder, watches a screen on his controller, looking for the he… Read More
2023-09-01 06:00
Western hunters have the optics thing figured out. Big country will do that to you. They understand that instead of walking across a mountain basin to see what’s on the other side, it… Read More
2023-08-31 06:00
Whitetails are one of the most widely spread mammals across North America. Many factors have contributed to their proliferation over the years, but none are as prominent as their ability to… Read More
2023-08-29 06:00
Top-tier deer hunters are never satisfied. After interviewing hundreds of these folks on the Wired to Hunt Podcast, this stands out as one of the only rock-solid consistencies among all of t… Read More
2023-08-28 06:00
The days are getting shorter and a familiar chill is in the air after the sun sets. You know the feeling; the eve of deer season is finally upon us. Even if deer season is just a few short d… Read More
2023-08-25 06:00
If you want to play whitetail chess while your competition plays checkers, then learn to use observation stands. The idea of setting up to watch is simple enough, but it goes against our nat… Read More
2023-08-21 06:00
As a hunter living in the United States, we are truly blessed by the recreation opportunities public land provides us. It’s a privilege we shouldn’t take for granted. As wonderfu… Read More
2023-08-16 06:00
One of my good friends works in insurance, and if he can’t sell you something, no one can. He just has a gift for small talk and befriending people. I’m the exact opposite. I wou… Read More
2023-08-14 06:00
Access is everything. This refrain is uttered a billion times a year in the whitetail-sphere. Often, by the most prominent and accomplished voices in the space. Do you know why?
Because it&r&hell…Read More
2023-08-11 06:00
Whether you’re dealing with over-the-counter elk out West, or whitetails back East, the main public land strategy has been to get as far away from easy access as possible.
This works… Read More
2023-08-09 06:00
Nothing beats actual observation when it comes to developing a pattern on a specific buck. Trail camera images and videos are a distant second, and definitely worth the effort. But, if you w… Read More
2023-08-04 06:00
As the first half of summer tips over to the second half, the value of trail camera images changes. June and July are for gathering inventory. From now until the opener, the job is to identi… Read More
2023-08-02 06:00
For many long-time hunters, the words "Quality Deer Management Association" brings to mind images of big giant bucks, exclusive hunting leases, and John Deere tractors planting lush green fi… Read More
2023-07-27 06:00
There is so much that can be argued over in the world of bowhunting whitetails. Fast arrows vs. energy-laden heavy shafts. Mechanicals vs. fixed-blades. Single-bevel vs. double-bevel.
There… Read More
2023-07-21 06:00
There is nothing more important to a land manager than understanding what kind of soil you’re working with. Researching the soil types of your property can be done in multiple ways, so… Read More
2023-07-19 06:00
Organization. Unfortunately, it's not something that comes naturally to me, but when it comes to sneaking in tight to a buck's core area, I've learned the hard way being unorganized isn't an… Read More
2023-07-18 06:00
There’s an obvious answer to the problem of whiffing from a stand or a saddle, and I’ll get to that later. First, I want to address a few of the issues we run into when we get 15… Read More
2023-07-13 06:00
The task of finding a target buck looks so simple. Just run a few cameras, spend some nights behind a spotter, and that’s pretty much it. The problem with this is that much of the advi… Read More
2023-07-12 06:00
If you take the whitetail’s range into account, there are hundreds of food sources available. This spectrum covers the biggies like different types of agriculture, all the way to here… Read More
2023-07-11 06:00
The trail cam game used to be such an easy one to play. Placements were simple, obvious, and prolific photographic producers—simply establish a mineral site and await the glut of image… Read More
2023-07-10 06:00
I boarded the plane from Michigan to Washington State with my bow case in the cargo bay and a battered ego in tow. I was coming off one of my toughest hunting seasons to date, one in which I… Read More
2023-07-07 06:00
Whether seeking accuracy, penetration, violent expansion, or maximum effective range, experienced hunters know what kind of performance they want out of a deer bullet and stockpile that ammo… Read More
2023-06-30 06:00
The search for a hunting lease can be a treacherous one. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the excitement of a property’s potential, only to have reality crash down on you when the… Read More
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