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A veteran bow hunter and local archery pro shop owner once offered me advice I always remember. The archery pro told me that when practicing shooting, it is necessary to remember that when deer hunting, you will be nervous and cold. When your body is chilled, or the sudden adrenaline rush from a mature buck walking into range takes over, the struggle to draw a bow can be a difficult task. Many bowhunters spend time throughout the summer practicing with their bows for the upcoming season. Many of

Creating and maintaining an effective land management plan for wildlife should be more than a one-dimensional endeavor. For most, the thoughts of long-term land improvements go directly to the creation of lush food plots. While it’s common knowledge that a variety of food plots on your property will certainly give it instant appeal, there are also numerous projects that can have a lasting impact on both the quality of habitat and feeding options for wildlife in your area. Creating Water Sources

The sun has disappeared behind the western treetops, turning individual shadows into one that now covers a carpet of calf-high greenery. The air filled with the deafening hum of crickets and grasshoppers. Movement just inside the wood-line materializes into a doe, her tail spasmodically swishing insects as she stares intently into the pasture. Slowly and stiff-legged, she walks into the open, pausing to glare back into the forest. More movement reveals two tiny spotted fawns, and they rush

DIY CATFISH RIG ESSENTIALS + FISHING GEAR As most know, catfish are hard-fighting and delicious to eat. The equipment needed to catch catfish is inexpensive and everything you need for traditional pole fishing or any of the DIY methods listed below can be easily found at your local Walmart! In this article, we’ll cover the basics of catfishing and a few different fishing methods commonly used to put these delicious fish on your plate! One thing to remember about catfishing, particularly in the

Summer is a busy time for the gamekeeper. Turkey season and spring planting are complete, but there’s still plenty to do. Let’s face it…there’s always loads to do for a gamekeeper. Here are a few of the most important. Kill the Competition Keeping ahead of the summer weed cycle and controlling noxious or invasive weeds is a tedious, but essential task. This is especially important in dry or drought conditions since all those vile weeds are robbing moisture, along with sunlight and nutrients from

No matter if you call them redfish, red drum, channel bass or any one of a handful of local nicknames, Sciaenops ocellatus is a favorite gamefish for nearly all anglers fishing in the salty inshore waters of the South. They’re even the saltwater gamefish of North Carolina, thanks to their incredible popularity in the Old North State. Reds are usually aggressive and willing to attack a wide variety of artificial lures—including topwaters—as well as a slew of natural baits as well. They fight hard

Dove hunting can mean a great deal of things to those who have spent time in a prepared field over the years in pursuit of this small, grey bird. Retrieving dogs are in play, perhaps football updates on your smart phone, and some of the best opportunities of the year to give a shout out to someone who made a good shot. Making these scenarios come to life and creating a reliable dove field requires a commitment of time, money and land management knowledge – to first attract doves to your field

What is your goal when planting forage for your whitetail herd? There are numerous products on the market that will produce some of the most delectable, nutritious forage possible for deer, but the same plants also produce fruit, like beans, peas, grains, etc. There are many plants that I plant solely for the leaf forage, even though they could also produce fruit. And just so you know, in this case “fruit” is referring to a bean, pea or cob, even though most people think of fruit as apricots

Developing your food plot strategies to create the ideal big buck trap If you want to build a small hunting food plot or “kill plot” that draws mature bucks out during shooting hours, you need to think creatively. Moreover, you may need to be able to live with a little bit of an unkept, ragged look to the plot and its immediate surroundings if you wish to create a great “big buck trap.” Those magazine-cover shots you see with one type of cultivar growing lush and green from edge-to-edge may not

There seems to be an endless amount of online information on what are the best things to plant for whitetails, but a gamekeeper may still wonder, “What is the best summer food plots for deer on their specific property.” To put it simply, whitetails need a consistent high protein, nutrient-rich food source to be at their peak health and to express their genetic potential in terms of body size, antler growth, and optimum fawn rearing. The Benefits of Planting Legumes Legumes are by far my favorite