Author: NA Deer Hunter Staff

The South Carolina Waterfowl Association (SCWA) invites you to participate in the Mega Conservation Education Raffle (MCER), a unique opportunity to support wildlife conservation education and win remarkable prizes. Established in 1986, SCWA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing and perpetuating our wildlife heritage through education and habitat conservation.  By joining the MCER, you directly contribute to SCWA’s mission, funding the expansion of facilities and programs at the SCWA Wildlife Education Center. This center is home to Camp Woodie and Camp Leopold, programs designed to educate youth about wildlife conservation and the importance of our natural resources. Buy…

A bill advancing in the Montana legislature seeks to ban the use of electronic motion-detecting devices for hunting, a move aimed at preserving the tradition of fair chase and ethical hunting practices. The measure, supported by a majority of lawmakers, would prevent hunters from using motion-tracking technology to detect game in real time. Supporters argue that such devices give hunters an unfair advantage, violating the principle of fair chase by making locating and harvesting animals easier. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials have voiced concerns over the increasing reliance on technology in hunting, saying that motion sensors, remote cameras, and…

The proposal to add a constitutional amendment recognizing hunting, fishing, and trapping as fundamental rights in Iowa is an important and potentially game-changing development for outdoor enthusiasts and hunters across the state. If passed, this amendment would give constitutional protection to these activities, solidifying them as rights that future generations of Iowans would be guaranteed. From a hunter’s standpoint, this is a moment of empowerment and a signal of the growing acknowledgment of the importance of these practices to the state’s culture, economy, and way of life. Recently, Florida became the 24th state to enshrine these rights in their constitution. …

Shopping for the hunter in your life doesn’t have to feel like taking a blind shot in the dark. Our Gifts for Hunters guide pulls together the best gifts for hunters that our staff actually uses in the field—boots that survive brutal late-season sits, optics that make the difference at last light, and accessories that keep hunters safer, warmer, and more effective. Every product in this list has been reviewed and/or tested by knowledgeable hunters, so you can buy with confidence instead of guessing what might work. To make choosing the best gifts for hunters easier, we’ve organized our favorite picks…

Our first Rut Report of the year was published in early September. We reported observing the usual early season rubs and fresh scrapes sure signs of the upcoming rut. By now bucks were “hard horned” and light sparring and pushing matches were occurring. Bachelor groups were beginning to break up, but doe-fawn groups were still intact. The deer were for the most part in their summer feeding patterns, but slowly transitioning to Fall food sources dominated whitetail behavior patterns. Our whitetail hunting experts advised hunting late summer-early fall food sources and cautioned that most of the big bucks were for…

Whether you didn’t fill your tag the first go-around or just love to hunt the late season, one thing is for sure, December and early January gives you a great chance at shooting a trophy whitetail. Yes the conditions are harsher than the early seasons but whitetail bucks are still susceptible to harvest because one thing is on their mind: food. Another key point of hunting the month of December, that is not to be overlooked, is the onset of the secondary rut. Approximately one month after the peak dates of the primary rut, unbred and young does will again…

For whitetail hunters, the dreaded lockdown is one of the most unproductive times of deer season. For a few it can be one of the luckiest times, but unfortunately, far less than we hope. Lockdown is the phase when a doe becomes submissive to a buck and allows him to become her breeding partner. Although this description does little justice to the real science behind it, a simplistic view of this behavior will save many of us from ripping our hair out over hunting bucks during the lockdown phase.  This just happens to be the time when the majority of…

As more does start coming into heat this week, most bucks throw caution to the wind and abandon their limited movement patterns to search for and breed does—24/7. As a rule, the second week of the month is typically the most frantic by far. Within a short period of time, mature breeding bucks can lose a quarter of their body weight searching out and guarding does in heat—one after another. A prime-aged breeding buck will spend approximately two days with a receptive doe, after which the doe will no longer be in estrus. The buck will then leave her to…

By the last week of October, the whitetail woods will be bare of leaves, making it much easier for hunters to spot approaching deer. Sparring is a rare occurrence now, as most mature bucks are wound too tightly to even stand the sight of another male. And with dominance hierarchies in place, the buck that knows he’s the subordinate will quickly tuck tail and run from any threatening adversary. At this time, it’s not uncommon for the first batch of does to come into heat, sending local bucks into a frenzy. This is just a warm-up for what’s soon to…

Guest Editorial Written by: Representative Mark Green (R-TN) – US House of Representatives Hunting and fishing are more than just hobbies; they are a way of life. For generations, long before our nation was founded, hunters and fisherman have trapped and fished these lands. Genesis 1:28 states, “And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” This is the creation mandate, and it…