Pheasant Hunting Tips for the Late Season By late season, dumb pheasants are dead. Survivors have learned that running instead of flying evades dogs and hunters. These escape artists often squirt out of cover before you see them. The conditions can be brutal with high winds, frigid temps, and deep snow, making late-season pheasant hunting … Read more
What Do Wild Turkeys Eat? When scouting for spring turkeys, hunters concentrate on roosting areas, clearings, and travel routes. Turkeys have to eat, and paying attention to food sources can pay off. Understanding what wild turkeys eat—and why they eat certain foods—is valuable knowledge for hunters. It can help us gauge habitat productivity and pinpoint … Read more
Tennessee Hunter Tags Seven-Bearded Gobbler Tennessee hunter Cameron Freshour tagged an 18.5-pound gobbler with seven beards in Green County northeast of Knoxville. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency reports that the gobbler’s seven beards totaled 46 inches in length, with 1 1/16-inch spurs. Multiple-bearded wild turkeys are rare. Less than 10 percent of gobblers have more … Read more
Takeaways from a Turkey Hunter Shot by His Longtime Hunting Partner Raymond Bunn of Sylva, North Carolina is a true “mountain” man, self-reliant, knowledgeable, and at home in the woods. Bunn is a skilled gunsmith whom I trust with family heirloom shotguns. He’s well-read and shares his knowledge in an unpretentious way. He’s also a … Read more
The 8 Best Tasting Game Birds A few years ago, I was in a Southern duck camp with experienced wingshooters. Surprisingly, many had never plucked a duck and experienced the amazing flavors of crispy skin and fat. So, I plucked and breasted a few ducks and grilled them over a charcoal fire. The high heat … Read more
Hunting the Legendary Cohutta Gobbler, From the Archives When I first met the Cohutta gobbler, I had no suspicion we were embarking on one of the greatest outdoor adventures of my life. It was early spring. The woods were speckled with chalky clumps of dogwood in pastel shades of green and gold, which made them … Read more
How to Hunt Ducks As a new duck hunter, you have a long list of tasks before your first opening day, especially without a seasoned hunter to guide you. To set yourself up for success, take a hunter’s safety course, get the necessary licenses, buy the right gear, learn how to identify duck species, understand … Read more
Grilling the Ultimate Venison Burger This Summer Grilling a burger is more than just cooking meat over fire. When it comes to venison burgers, the right technique can make all the difference in creating a mouthwatering experience. Even if you’re already a backyard BBQ master, there are always ways to improve your wild game cooking. … Read more
Photos: The Iconic Hand-Carved Decoys of the Illinois River Valley Randy Root is a master of mallards. He grew up on the south side of Chicago, but in 1960 his family bought acres along the east side of the Illinois River near Peoria. Root expanded the property, building the infrastructure to flood hundreds of acres … Read more
MeatEater Misses the Point in Its “Case Against Hunter Recruitment” Story Earlier this week MeatEater.com—a site that covers hunting, fishing, and wild game cooking—published a story criticizing efforts to recruit, retain, and reactivate hunters. These initiatives, known as “R3,” aim to add to our ranks of hunters. The MeatEater op-ed, written by Matt Rinella, can … Read more
