Author: Darron McDougal
Darron McDougal
Darron McDougal, a full-time freelance outdoor writer, has resided in central Wisconsin for his entire life, except for a 2-year jaunt during which he and his wife, Becca, traveled and lived in a fifth-wheel camper. Becca often hunts with Darron and is an integral part of his publishing success, capturing professional-grade photography that often accompanies his articles. The McDougals do minimal deer hunting around their home. Instead, they love to hunt DIY-style, primarily on public lands, out west. Hunting unfamiliar territory has its thrills and challenges, and it truly tests a hunter's prowess. Despite the low success odds of this hunting style, Darron has done very well, and he accredits his success and accomplishments to God. So far, he's hunted whitetails in 11 states and harvested deer in nine. He enjoys hunting all sorts of wild game from turkeys to hogs to elk. He also occasionally mentors youth or beginner hunters. While bowhunting is his preferred method, he doesn't think twice when a rifle, shotgun or muzzleloader hunt fits his schedule. He's been shooting archery for nearly three decades and has 20 years of hunting experience.
Big Acreage and Big Equipment Aren’t Required for an Effective Plot We’d all love to own hundreds or even housands of acres of land to specifically manage for deer hunting. Just imagine cruising along in that big John Deere tractor and letting the expensive implements do all of the dirty work! And then comes Fall; time to climb into a treestand overlooking a luscious food plot and wait for your target buck to wander by just 18 yards away. For most deer hunters, though, that’s nothing more than a far-fetched fantasy. Maybe you own just five acres in a subdivision,…
Article by Darron McDougal If your go-to strategy is no longer fun or isn’t producing success, make a change! Shellshocked. That’s what I was as I hunkered in shin-high prairie grasses when the buck of my dreams sky-lined himself across the draw. I blinked to make sure I wasn’t fantasizing. Time stood still. He meandered down into the draw, raked a tree, then continued toward me. He veered slightly, and I realized I wasn’t going to get a shot. Panic! He started walking parallel along the draw away from me, heading north. Instinctively, I backtracked uphill to the east, then…
Take advantage of warm weather and early-season patterns Sweating profusely, I headed for the treestand that my brother and I had hung a day prior. The setting was a timbered creek bottom with bedding to my north and a standing cornfield to my south. I climbed into my hang-on stand 50 yards north of the cornfield and endured the swelter-ing 85 °F heat. If not for my ThermaCELL, mosquitoes would’ve carried me away. Still, my optimism soared. Not long after, a fawn ambled by 30 yards away. I felt that the early movement was a sign that opening night would…
I have 20 deer seasons under my belt, and Lord willing, I’ll have many more. While I have many mule deer and Whitetail racks in my home, I’m not too proud to say that I should have many, many more. I’ve made countless mistakes over the years that have cost me big time. Of course, deer are smart critters with the home-field advantage, so many of my hunts have ended in disgust rather than a victory in a short blood trail. The cause of those errors has usually been one or two completely avoidable mistakes. Sound familiar? LESSONS 1 Needlessly…
We discuss whether trail cameras should be part of your hunting program. Trail cameras. They provide definitive edges to modern hunters. They provide key details to an-imal-movement tendencies, plus they show us what’s roaming around our hunting areas. Early hunters didn’t have those advantages. But, the question is, are trail cameras purely beneficial, or do they have negative sides, too? Absolutely. In fact, trail cameras can actually hurt your hunting strategy in some instances. In this article, we’ll break down the pros and cons of using trail cameras to help you scout and put the pieces of the puzzle together…
