2023-03-23 06:00
The devil is in the details. It’s a played-out statement, but true. This goes for a lot of aspects of life and certainly applies to bowhunting whitetails. We tend to reasonably focus o… 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.
2023-03-21 06:00
I came to the realization in the fall of 2021 that I managed to make deer hunting not fun.
“I’d lost sight of what makes hunting fun," I wrote last summer about this epiphany. "I… Read More
2023-03-17 06:00
At any given time of year, you’re likely to find Hayden Bailey outside, whether he’s catching catfish and snapping turtles, shooting squirrels, deer hunting, or pursuing one of h… Read More
2023-03-14 06:00
Leaving treestands up for a full year is a bad idea. Leaving them up for several years is far worse. Yet, quite a few hunters do this with both hang-on and ladder stands. Not only is this un… Read More
2023-03-13 06:00
Shane Indrebo, lifelong whitetail fanatic and co-owner of the North American Shed Hunters Club, credits a few simple tactics for finding a whopping 129 sheds last year.
While many shed hunte… Read More
2023-03-10 07:00
We just can’t help ourselves. As hunters, we continually ride waves of trophy obsession, but they always eventually crash. When they do, we usually lean into the experience of the hunt… Read More
2023-03-09 07:00
We might be living in the golden age of whitetails across America. But the same can’t be said for many of the other animals, fish, birds, and bugs that share the landscape with our fav… Read More
2023-03-06 07:00
I'm hitting the road this month to kick off the Working for Wildlife Tour, and I'm hoping to see you there.
Unbeknownst to many, there are hundreds of events put on across the country every… Read More
2023-03-03 07:00
In the winter, deer require about 1.5 quarts of water per day for every 100 pounds of body weight. During warmer, summer months, their hydration needs double. This is worth knowing, no matte… Read More
2023-02-28 07:00
This is it. March is the month where, if you want to set yourself up for success this season, you need to hit the woods. Yet, for all of its obvious value, winter scouting seems to be an oft… Read More
2023-02-27 07:00
If you’re on the outside looking in, shed hunting appears to be a simple endeavor. Just walk some cut cornfields, grid-search a few bedding areas, and then figure out where in your man… Read More
2023-02-24 07:00
Shawn Luchtel’s shed season looks a little different from the average whitetail hunter’s.
The founder of Heartland Bowhunter, who consistently puts mature bucks on the ground, al… Read More
2023-02-21 07:00
Consistently successful shed collectors are a lot like good treasure hunters. Yes, I’m talking about those folks who miraculously strike gold on the seafloor or find centuries-old wood… Read More
2023-02-16 07:00
Joe Shead is living up to his last name.
The founder of Go Shed Hunting estimates he’s picked up 1,000 antlers over the years and labels each of them with the exact spot it came from… Read More
2023-02-14 07:00
The last time I took a deer into a processor was in 1998. I was a senior in high school and had arrowed a clueless two-year-old in September. Normally, my dad and I would have packed that bu… Read More
2023-02-13 07:00
Many bowhunters these days are turning their attention to heavy-hitting arrows, desiring an arrow that will pass through anything in its path. Of course, this comes at the expense of a slow… Read More
2023-02-08 07:00
While it isn’t burning as hot as it was a decade ago, the crossbow-versus-vertical-bow debate is still a hot-button issue. Even though the arguments are pretty played out at this point… Read More
2023-02-06 07:00
If your 2022 deer season went exactly as planned, read no further. However, if you find yourself here with an open mind, willing to glean a little knowledge from every outlet possible, this… Read More
2023-02-02 07:00
I know what you’re probably thinking; why would anyone bother backpack hunting for whitetails? You don’t need to hunt the backcountry to find a whitetail, I can find one within e… Read More
2023-01-27 07:00
Other than humans, few mammals besides white-tailed deer have the flexibility and fortitude to live wherever they choose.
As Rollin H. Baker details in the 1984 book “White-tailed Deer… Read More
2023-01-25 07:00
I heard a loud “SNAP” reverberate from my knee like a gunshot long before I felt any pain. It was during a rugby game in my sophomore year of college, and I had just twisted awkw… Read More
2023-01-17 07:00
At one point or another, we’ve all dreamed about having a property of our own or access to ground no one else can hunt. Heck, maybe you own ground or have this kind of access right now… Read More
2023-01-12 07:00
It’s hard to find a deer hunter today who isn’t using trail cameras. They litter whitetail properties across the country, consume our waking minds, and use a heap of LTE bandwidt… Read More
2023-01-11 07:00
One of my favorite ways to spend time during late December or throughout January is to pheasant hunt with my Labs. Busting through cattail sloughs in search of public land roosters is as enj… Read More
2023-01-10 07:00
I can vividly remember the first hunting video I ever watched. It was “Bowhunting October Whitetails,” and it featured the Wensel Brothers, Gene and Barry. The impact of that pro… Read More
2023-01-05 06:00
We all know that once a deer hits the ground the real work begins. Typically, our options for a getting our venison back to the truck are pretty simple—drag it out or quarter it… Read More
2022-12-21 07:00
It’s early in November, way back in a piece of public land, and you shoot a big, mature buck. Now the work begins. Many hunters don’t think about what to do after an animal is on… Read More
2022-12-20 07:00
Opening day is long gone. The wild ride of the rut is in our rearview mirror. Gun season might even be old news. But one thing for sure is not past. Trail cam season.
Yes. This most beloved… Read More
2022-12-19 07:00
Somewhere between a traditional rifle hunt and an archery hunt lives a muzzleloader hunt. It’s a medium-range weapon for most folks, despite the outlier tinkerers who push serious high… Read More
2022-12-15 07:00
The secondary rut gets talked about occasionally, and many hunters think it’s just a hoax. I wasn’t a non-believer, but I hadn’t seen it for myself enough to truly believe… Read More
2022-12-12 07:00
The Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Research and Management Act (H.R. 5608) has been years in the making, but it’s only one vote away from heading to the president’s desk. Unfortun… Read More
2022-12-12 07:00
Play the wind. Play the wind. Play the wind.
You can’t get five minutes of deer hunting advice from anyone without hearing that phrase. And for good reason. If you want to kill deer, y… Read More
2022-12-09 07:00
The rut is a marathon for both bucks and hunters. We find ourselves run down, tired, hungry, and thirsty when it's all over. We retreat to our fridges and pantries while the bucks do their b… Read More
2022-12-08 07:00
We are thrilled to announce that The Element crew is officially joining the MeatEater crew! Tyler Jones and K.C. Smith will be combining forces with Mark Kenyon, Tony Peterson, Spencer Neuha… Read More
2022-12-07 07:00
Traditional late-season advice on finding and killing December bucks tends to center on food sources. You’ve heard it many times—from many people who have good places to hunt wit… Read More
2022-12-05 07:00
The whitetail rut gives the best odds for putting your tag on a big woods buck. Once the rut ends, movement is at an all-time low, with deer trying to recover and hide from any human intrusi… Read More
2022-12-01 07:00
For most people, the worst month to hunt just might be December.
I know I’m supposed to paint a rosy picture of rut-worn bucks sprinting into food sources during cold afternoons, but t… Read More
2022-11-30 07:00
There’s a scene in just about every murder-mystery show where the detective is locked in his office with pictures, note cards, and maps tacked to a wall with strings connecting one thi… Read More
2022-11-29 07:00
The prospects of finding a mature whitetail buck on public land may seem like a fool’s errand and leave you disheartened. You’ve watched truck after truck leave your local public… Read More
2022-11-24 07:00
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, but not because of the turkey, football, or Black Friday deals (speaking of which, you can get up to 40% off on a ton of MeatEater, First Lite, Phelps, a… Read More
2022-11-23 07:00
Growing up, my father and I always considered the opener of Minnesota’s gun season as the end of our bow season. The properties we hunted all had plenty of shotgun groups with permissi… Read More
2022-11-22 07:00
Hunting whitetails in the big woods is complex. With very few designated food sources, thick cover seemingly everywhere for deer to bed, and low deer densities, the rut is the one time of ye… Read More
2022-11-21 12:00
When it comes to getting away from hunting pressure during the rut, the key is timing and putting distance between yourself and other hunters. Deer, especially mature bucks, will typically o… Read More
2022-11-18 12:00
The whitetail rut consists of does coming into heat and bucks looking to breed them. It’s a simple concept and applies in all areas of the country where whitetails roam. The definition… Read More
2022-11-17 07:00
Every week this fall, I’ll be providing updates on whitetail buck movement for the entire country. These reports are based on intel from whitetailers in each region and my own observat… Read More
2022-11-15 07:00
While filming our second season of One Week in November earlier this month, I faced a dilemma. Where I thought the Wisconsin bucks would be cruising was a dead zone. By November 6th, that mu… Read More
2022-11-14 07:00
The rut is the special time of year that whitetail hunters live for. But it's also just that, a time of the year. It doesn’t last long—a month or so is about the best you can hop… Read More
2022-11-11 12:00
My trail camera strategy during the rut is more inventory-based than trying to time movement with an exact setup location. Leading up to the rut I’ve already scouted heavily (both boot… Read More
2022-11-10 12:00
Every week this fall, I’ll be providing updates on whitetail buck movement for the entire country. These reports are based on intel from whitetailers in each region and my own observat… Read More
2022-11-09 12:00
All-day sits are like catching six-pound smallmouth, or shooting 300-pound black bears. Everyone says they do it, but few rarely do. I’m surrounded by folks who identify as hardcore wh… Read More
2022-11-08 07:00
We look forward to the rut with endless optimism, hoping that this is the year that it brings us the buck of a lifetime. The beauty of the rut is that this kind of luck is never out of the q… Read More
2022-11-07 07:00
Jordan Budd explains her strategy for getting Steve on a big Nebraska buck and some of the challenges they faced along the way. Click here to watch the whole episode now Read More
2022-11-04 06:00
We’ve all read articles stressing the importance of sitting all day during the rut. For those of you who’ve experienced the phenomenon of a midday buck parade, you’ve likel… Read More
2022-11-03 06:00
Every week this fall, I’ll be providing updates on whitetail buck movement for the entire country. These reports are based on intel from whitetailers in each region and my own observat… Read More
2022-11-02 06:00
A good layering system is key to staying out in the whitetail woods long enough to find the big buck of your dreams. Hours of glassing require warmth, but when hoofing it to that vantage poi… Read More
2022-11-01 06:00
Calling a whitetail into shooting range is simply one of the coolest things you can do as a hunter. Not to mention, it’s awfully effective. But (and when it comes to good things there… Read More
2022-10-31 06:00
The term “trolling” carries with it one very specific tactic. You drop a line in the water let it flow out behind the boat and drive around in circles hoping to stumble across a… Read More
2022-10-28 11:00
Deer decoys aren’t just for the Midwest. You don’t have to be immersed in agriculture fields or extensive, well-manicured food plots (but they can certainly help). From my experi… Read More
2022-10-27 11:00
Every week this fall, I’ll be providing updates on whitetail buck movement for the entire country. These reports are based on intel from whitetailers in each region and my own observat… Read More
2022-10-26 11:00
The rut is the promised land. It’s the great equalizer between hunter and hunter, and hunter and whitetail. It’s a couple-week period that is destined to deliver dumb deer to us… Read More
2022-10-25 06:00
In late September, one of my daughters hit a young buck with her crossbow. The Wisconsin 5-pointer, which led us on a long and fruitless blood trail, looked pretty healthy when I jumped him… Read More
2022-10-25 06:00
Every hunter knows that deer are attracted to acorns but knowing when and how to target an acorn browse pattern is a refined skill. The acorn crop varies from year to year, depending on envi… Read More
2022-10-24 11:00
Outdoor writers have been opining about still hunting being a lost art since I was a little kid reading issues of my dad’s hunting magazines. I don’t know if it was then, but it… Read More
2022-10-20 06:00
Every week this fall, I’ll be providing updates on whitetail buck movement for the entire country. These reports are based on intel from whitetailers in each region and my own observat… Read More
2022-10-19 11:00
Whitetail hunters have long obsessed over November as the pinnacle of deer hunting. We fantasize about it, countdown the days impatiently to its arrival, and pin our hopes and dreams upon it… Read More
2022-10-18 11:00
The arc is always the same.
Most bowhunters engage in a ton of summer target practice, but once the deer season opens, the frequency of those sessions plummets. Then, they take their bows ou… Read More
2022-10-17 11:00
I talk to a lot of aspiring Western hunters every year. These folks, usually younger guys looking for adventure beyond the average whitetail foray, often focus on one thing—the kill. T… Read More
2022-10-14 11:00
When it comes to leveling up your game as a turkey or elk caller, the animals do a pretty good job of educating us. Both species make a lot of noise, and mimicking their vocalizations is a s… Read More
2022-10-13 06:00
The Situation: There’s a chunk of public whitetail ground not far from your house. It consists of 400 acres of habitat you’ve never set foot on, and the season is approaching.
St… Read More
2022-10-12 05:00
Amidst many a marital squabble, my wife has reminded me that “perception is reality.” I still don’t know what the hell that means in the context of my marriage, but when it… Read More
2022-10-10 06:00
When it comes to the heart of the whitetail season, there is one thing that must always be true. If the timing and conditions are right, you need to be in the woods.
Whether it’s rain… Read More
2022-10-07 06:00
Archery seasons are well underway, and rifle hunting opportunities are right around the corner in most of the country. Unfortunately, that means hunters in more than 30 states have to conten… Read More
2022-10-05 11:00
His name was Ernie. The sun has just gone down on the last day of the Vermont deer season when the flannel-clad old man with a white beard backed his rusty Chevy into the parking lot with th… Read More
2022-10-03 06:00
I’ll start this with a point of clarity: I have spent more money than I care to remember leasing ground to hunt. I’ve leased ground in my home state of Michigan as well as in abo… Read More
2022-09-29 06:00
Blood trailing a wounded deer is a situation that can break bad in a hurry. This is due to the generally high optimism before the trail starts, to the reality that often sets in when the spo… Read More
2022-09-28 06:00
Growing up at family deer camp, I would always hear my dad and uncles talking about these dynamite hunting spots they would find in creek bottoms. And how difficult it was to hunt due to the… Read More
2022-09-27 06:00
Pressure may be the most difficult challenge a whitetail hunter faces each fall. Stand selection, access, adjacent landowners, shifty wind, it all adds up. Hunters blame "being skunked" on a… Read More
2022-09-26 06:00
You’d be hard-pressed to have a conversation with someone about deer hunting and not touch on scrapes. Scrapes are arguably the most powerful communication tool that bucks and does ali… Read More
2022-09-23 11:00
I knew exactly where I’d be hunting this fall. It was all but set in stone, and the prospects were exciting. I’d start the season off in Kansas in September with a muzzleloader i… Read More
2022-09-21 11:00
Like a September buck on a consistent feeding pattern, humans are creatures of habit. We tend to do things the way we’ve always done them and then act surprised when we get a result sh… Read More
2022-09-20 11:00
As deer hunters, we tend to focus on the rut a lot. We think of it as our big chance, the time when those dream bucks emerge from the shadows and walk around in daylight. But if the rut is y… Read More
2022-09-19 11:00
I remember my low point well. I was heading west on I-80, hot cup of coffee in hand, with seven days of chasing Iowa whitetails in my rearview mirror and another week of the rut ahead in Neb… Read More
2022-09-16 11:00
I have neither been accused of nor confessed to be a stylish sort. In fact, I suppose, I swing in the other direction. If it’s trendy, popular, or vogue, I admit to being of a differen… Read More
2022-09-15 11:00
Most hunting advice focuses on what you should do to be successful. In the realm of public land whitetails, this is often drilled down to a mobile style that lends itself to keeping up with… Read More
2022-09-13 11:00
Good games are the source of a lot of fun and laughs at camp. Pick any games you'd like, but keep in mind this is about unplugging from the electronics and everyday life and connecting with… Read More
2022-09-12 11:00
You have your target buck figured out after capturing photos of him all summer long, but his velvet sheds, and he vanishes. Does that sound familiar? I think we’ve all been there at on… Read More
2022-09-06 06:00
Bowhunters are taking record numbers of deer across the whitetail’s range, with crossbows accelerating the long-term increases compound bows triggered a half-century ago.
That surge is… Read More
2022-09-02 11:00
I was confused when I first saw the roads carved into the bean fields, perturbed when I heard the extra-long flatbeds hauling down the road, and downright bummed when I witnessed the previou… Read More
2022-09-01 11:00
Velvet hunts are all the rage these days. With states like North Dakota, Nebraska, Kentucky, and a handful of western states offering early September openers, the options are plentiful.
They… Read More
2022-08-29 11:00
We’ve all read the headlines claiming that opening day is your ticket to filling that buck tag. This can definitely be true, especially if you’re hunting a state with an early ar… Read More
2022-08-24 11:00
Like so many things in hunting (and life for that matter), the process of creating a killer food plot has been made far too complicated and much more expensive than it needs to be. The truth… Read More
2022-08-18 11:00
It’s hard to say exactly what makes for a good hunting buddy, but as they say with defining pornography, you know it when you see it.
A hunting buddy is, obviously, a practical asset… Read More
2022-08-15 11:00
Cell cams. Mapping apps like onX. A supercomputer in everyone’s pocket capable of dialing up unprecedented levels of information within nanoseconds. All of these technological advancem… Read More
2022-08-11 06:00
The hunting industry leans pretty heavily on get-rich-quick products. Bottles of doe pee, calls, decoys, and a host of other categories promise easy success. Unfortunately, they often don&rs&hell…Read More
2022-08-09 11:00
I knew I’d done my job as a father right when my 3-year-old fearlessly stepped out the door into the inky black night, stomped to the designated tree, and attempted to piss the letter… Read More
2022-08-05 11:00
Here are a few tricks that help me make the most of my Tethrd system in the whitetail woods. By double tethering yourself in with Phantom Tree Saddle Kit and properly positioning your Predat… Read More
2022-08-04 11:00
Back in 2015, I left the gym with a fresh, sharp pain in my right shoulder. In typical guy fashion, I mostly ignored it, until I couldn’t. With fall archery seasons only weeks away, I… Read More
2022-08-03 11:00
I recently made the mistake of searching YouTube for long-distance bow shots. While some practice session of insanely far distances showed up, a long list of hunting videos with farther-than… Read More
2022-07-29 11:00
If you’re stuck in whitetail purgatory, take solace in the fact that you have a lot of company. Most hunters in any given season (or hell, any given decade) won’t kill a big buck… Read More
2022-07-27 11:00
Summer is the time to grind and prepare food plots for the season ahead. Most hunters and land managers know the power of sweat equity.
Permanent deer stand sites can become stale if not set… Read More
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