The early winter doldrums can be a frustrating time for whitetail hunters, as the bustling rut activity tapers off into the silence of vacant woods and unfired guns. It is often turns off like a light switch: Deer seem to be running everywhere at the height of the rut, and then it’s over as quickly as it began. The peak breeding period may have passed, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a successful hunt in the post-rut weeks of deer season. Deer are creatures of habit, after all, so a few simple adjustments to your hunting strategies can help you bag a mature buck when you least expect it.
Category: Shooting
Texas Hunts with Remington Outdoor: Gators, Ducks, Hogs, & Fish
Back in September, I had the amazing opportunity to represent Women’s Outdoor News on an epic hunting trip, traveling to Texas with Remington Outdoor Company. The trip was the result of a contest last Christmas — The WON’s 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway — the prize being a 2 to 3 day alligator hunt in Seadrift, Texas, with Castaway Lodge. Our giveaway winner was Melissa, a rising veterinarian from Washington State, and she would meet Remington rep Jessica and me in Texas to begin our adventure.
Upon arrival, we planned to start our search for alligators the following morning. Thanks to Hurricane Harvey’s copious amounts of flooding, our guides had no way of knowing just where those gators would be. We fully anticipated needing the full 3 days for each of us to tag out.
WON: Blood Trail Tips and the Leupold LTO-Tracker
For a hunter, few things can be more frustrating than pursuing a downed animal across rugged terrain or in deep woods, thick with underbrush. The feeling of excitement after taking a shot at that trophy buck can quickly be replaced by one of hopeless failure once hours of searching have left you empty-handed. It’s a situation all hunters do their best to avoid. We’d love for every shot to be perfectly placed, dropping game in its tracks—but that’s just not how hunting works. Deer are incredibly strong creatures, and the adrenaline surging through their bodies often gives them the strength to run an astonishing distance, even with a mortal wound. We owe it to our game to give our best efforts for recovery. Following these simple steps can lead you straight to success.
Predator encounter: Leupold + Tikka
Recently, I found myself faced with a “tough” decision. I put “tough” in quotes because it was also quite a delightful decision: I needed to purchase a new rifle. Over the summer, I was partnered with Leupold Optics here on Women’s Outdoor News, and the amazing Leupold team was kind enough to send me a box full of new gear including a scope – the VX-5HD 3-15x44mm CDS-ZL2. (!!!)
tideline magazine feature: red stag hunt
In the spring of this year, the amazing folks over at Tideline Magazine were kind enough to reach out to me again regarding my red stag hunt in Patagonia in 2016. Rachel Cook, the editor, asked me to write a travel feature – a story about one of my hunting trips, and how to plan a similar excursion. Of course, I happily obliged!
2016 – 2017 duck season video
Just over 115 GB of footage. Nearly 300 photos. And A.LOT. of ducks.
Y’all. It’s finally here.
end of duck season 2017: the finale
It was a great season. From freezing rain to muggy fog, from abundant ring necks to big bull canvasbacks – I’d say we had an excellent run.
What better way to go out than with a bang?
end of duck season 2017: part I
Alright. I’ve made an executive decision on how to get everyone caught up on the end of duck season (now that it’s basically April – what?!). Rather than do our last 4 hunts in individual posts, I am going to do a quick recap of 3 right here, and the 4th immediately after. Thaaaaat way…
hunting with friends
Our first crack at ducks after the new year happened on a Wednesday, and John and I were hunting that new pond I mentioned in my last post. It seemed like the duck hunting had slowed state wide – the birds just seemed to disappear for everyone.
the Johnston special
Gotta love teamwork on a good trophy duck.