Recent content by MidwestMatthew

I don't really either, but I've never scored a buck before and was just curious about it. Anyway, I live in a house with seven-foot ceilings, so this guy is plenty big for the space I have on the wall! :D

With regards to not wanting to shoot from the ground because of other buildings being within a half mile or so... I'd encourage you to go out to your hunting spot and get a four-foot stake in the ground. Pace off 150 - 200 yards, then aim at the top of the stake and see what you see behind and...

My father-in-law picked up the rack from the taxidermist to show the family at Thanksgiving, so we were able to take the measurements and came up with 121 total inches. The final (obviously unofficial) Boone and Crockett score was 112. The taxidermist said he was 3 1/2 years old. I got 100...

I'm not worried about the score, just curious. :) Good tip about sticking the tongue back in, you're right, it does look pretty sloppy.

This was only my third year deer hunting, and I don't have regular access to the land where I hunt, so I don't really get to prepare much. My "method" is to get out early and just sit until a deer happens to walk by. Also, my chief interest in hunting is the meat, so I'm just fine shooting a...

Knowing today was my last chance to get out this year, I went ahead and took a full broadside shot on a very young doe - small enough that I assume she was one of this spring's fawns. She ran about 80 yards down a steep hill, crashing and getting up briefly before going down for the count. My...

I've been out hunting the past two days in stinging wind and only saw four deer (or possibly the same doe/fawn pair twice). Last year there was near-constant deer traffic on the same property, with groups of does browsing the field edges and single bucks crossing the field several times. I also...

Our stand is actually freestanding and most of the trees nearby are too small to really be at risk of coming down. But we'll pay attention and leave if we need to. Off to bed now - have to be up early in the morning! :)

Thanks for the insights guys, I appreciate it. So if I'm hearing you right, it sounds like Friday could be a good day to be out, but Saturday (calm and colder in the morning) might be amazing. I plan to be out both days, but it's always nice to have some idea of what to expect!

Our gun season opens Friday morning. A strong cold front is supposed to come through during the day, with the weather report as follows: 60% chance of thunderstorms High temperature of 65, at 9:00am - then falling all day to a low in the upper 30's that night. Winds gusting to 35mph Is there...

I'm not stepping foot on public ground around here during deer season. :) But I do know some people with property that I could probably get permission to hunt. Good thought, I'll give that a try. Bowhunting is on my radar for next year. I know a guy who's always upgrading his equipment and...

Thanks for all the great ideas, everyone. I knew equipment couldn't make me a great hunter any more than having a nice camera makes me a great photographer, so it's nice to have a lot of tips to think about. Honestly, if I had to pick, I'd rather have knowledge and skill than fancy gear anyway.

With limited time to hunt, I have chosen instead to take my kids out to the local nature park (700+ acres of woods) to try to watch wildlife, call squirrels, etc. The wildlife has no hunting pressure at all, and doing it on non-hunting time takes the pressure of me, too. :) (My kids are 3 and...

As a newish hunter, I've been reading everything I can about deer hunting in advance of this year's gun season. My main takeaway so far is that just like in anything else, a hunter's level of dedication is predictive of his success. My problem is that I don't have funds for specialized gear...

Meat is the primary reason I'm hunting, so I was thinking of trying the fawn in distress call to see if it will bring in a doe. The problem is I can't find any recommendations as to how often or how long to use that call. I'd appreciate any insights more experienced callers can provide! Also...