Author: Kevin Wilson

 More innovation, practicality, and excellence from Swarovski Optik Returning from the 2024 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, and after handling my first EL RANGE 8×32, I felt compelled to take one for a spin – to see what all the hype was about. I can tell you – it didn’t disappoint. While this particular piece was officially introduced to the optics marketplace a few months ago, it is one of Swarovski’s newest additions. I’ve been using the first generation EL Range 10×42 since its inception in 2011. Revolutionary at the time, for over a decade, it’s made my hunting…

At sunrise, my wife Heather, and I had spotted a nice mule deer buck feeding in a standing canola field. She was up to bat on this, our first early season hunt of the year. So, I picked an elevated location near an old barn, set up my spotting scope, and watched as she used the wind to move in on the buck. An hour passed and I guessed she was within 80 yards. Then the buck bedded and she began her abnormally long vigil. The canola was too dense and noisy to sneak in, so she waited on the…

Prone in the snow, I extended the legs of my bipod. On several occasions, I’d called in coyotes from that very hilltop. Anticipating a quick response, I took every measure to ensure a flawless calling session and the prospect of a textbook shot opportunity. With a solid rest, I settled in; my 22-250 shouldered and ready. Fully camouflaged, I remained motionless. The bright afternoon sun was behind me helping to conceal my already low profile. Moments after initiating my prey-in-distress calls, I caught movement. An eager dog was seen weaving his way through the poplars. Without hesitation, he broke from…

Trailing a doe, a heavy racked 8-point whitetail was beelining straight for me. Best guess, based on body size, better than average antler mass, width, and height, he was probably a year away from meeting his genetic potential. It’s a dilemma every big buck hunter faces – to shoot or not to shoot? He could grow some more, but no guarantees. His musculature, girthy chest, and sway belly told me he was mature. It was late in the season, so I opted to take him. At full draw, as he walked just 15 yards from the base of my tree,…

Comparatively short-lived, the second estrus offers one of the best opportunities to tag a good Whitetail The main event—or first estrus—has come and gone. You waited all year for it. For one reason or another, you weren’t able to fill your tag. Fear not, because round two is just around the corner. Believe it or not, the second estrus can be that much better than the first—especially if you want to take a mature, trophy-class buck. To make the most of this unique and concentrated time, it’s important to understand what the second rut is, what deer are doing at…

Clatter-clack, clatter-clack, clatter. As the sound of clashing antlers resonated through the evergreens, inbound bucks suddenly emerged from three directions. The experience was just like ringing a dinner bell, and undeniably the most immediate response I’d ever had. Each buck seemed to have an innate radar drawing them to my precise location. Sound too good to be true? That was almost 30 years ago! Ever since that day, I’ve experienced the same scenario countless times. Indeed, there’s something magical about using a grunt call and rattling antlers to entice Whitetails during the rut. Literally minutes before that moment, I’d been…

After a long time coming, an Alberta elk tag puts the bull of a lifetime on the ground Eleven years is a long time to wait for anything. If you’re an elk hunter applying for a special-draw permit, it can seem like a lifetime. For my wife, Heather, it was an exercise in self-control. She knew full well that if she was patient and held out for a quality management unit, there could be a big payoff. With 11 priority points in Alberta, there would be a nearly 100% chance of pulling a coveted bull tag along the Milk River…

With the snow mostly gone, packed snow still clung to the well-worn trails. Deer droppings, old and new, littered the beaten paths. It was early April, and the perfect time for some pre-season scouting. Working my way down the deer trail, I meticulously scanned every inch of ground. Careful to cover every path possible, I eventually found the right antler belonging to  one of my target bucks. If you’re a shed hunter, you know that when you find one, the match is usually somewhere nearby. Sure enough, less than 20 yards away, there it was! Mass, width and height made…

It’s mid-winter. Fall hunting seasons are in the rear-view mirror and most deer hunters are now either in shed hunting mode, chasing predators, or anticipating spring opportunities. In my world, there’s no better time to check, collect, service and consider adding to my inventory of trail cameras. For a long time, I ran cameras on the deer properties that I hunt only during peak periods from mid-August through to the end of November. Whether I leave them out year-round depends on the type of intel I’m looking to collect. Essentially, if I want to know whether particular bucks made it…

It was the second week in September. Archery seasons were in full swing. My wife Heather and I were looking for mule deer in southern Alberta. The area we hunt is mostly farmland laced with a mix of native prairie grasses and coulees. It’s an ideal habitat for mule deer. Walking a ridge and glassing a standing canola field, with an hour of legal light remaining, we located three good bucks. They were a half-mile away and bedded. We quickly discussed a plan, then it was my turn. If you’ve ever tried moving through standing canola, you know it is…