Author: Mike Hungle

Opening day of deer season will be here before we know it and it’s time to start getting ready for the next season. Maybe you put your gear away at the end of last deer season and haven’t touched it since. Maybe you used some of your equipment in an archery or muzzleloader season just a few weeks ago or in an early-season hunt for moose or elk. Maybe you’re getting ready for your first hunting season. Regardless of the situation, now is the time to start packing and gathering your essential deer-hunting gear for the upcoming season.  This article…

Why use a Shooting Tripod Over the years, I’ve done a lot of spot and stalk hunting for big game animals. While afield, it didn’t take me long to realize that I was a much better rifle shot when I was using some type of a rest to help steady my rifle compared to when I was shooting kneeling or free hand. Unfortunately, tree branches and fence posts are typically nowhere close to where they need to be when it’s time to pull the trigger. So, since my free hand shots weren’t as accurate as I wanted them to be,…

For some hunters, deer season only consists of the time period where they have a tag in their pocket and are able to shoot a deer. For other hunters, including myself, deer season lasts all year long. No, we’re not shooting deer out of season or without a tag …… we are simply thinking of deer hunting, researching, scouting, preparing and putting a plan together 12 months a year. For me, the next deer season starts immediately after I’m tagged out for the year. After Tagging Out After tagging out, I still like to get afield and help my family…

The prairies of the southern Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Montana and the Dakotas are vast regions of open space and seem to be endless acres of pastures and crop lands. However, if you look closely, you will see these areas also consist of patches of tall native prairie grasslands, slough bottoms, clumps of buck brush, weed choked fence lines, farmyards and small groupings of trees. In addition, many areas of the prairies are rolling landscapes along with potholes, drainage systems and valleys. All of which provide perfect cover for whitetail deer. IF YOU LOOK YOU WILL FIND At first glance, it…

Getting kids out hunting and fishing is a lot of fun for both the kids and the adults who take them on those adventures. It’s also a great way to pass our outdoor heritage on to those new participants. Over the years, I have introduced my son and daughter, along with many other kids, to the Great Outdoors. From those experiences, I recognize that when taking kids hunting and fishing, it’s much easier to have a successful day if the kids are given functional, properly fitting gear to use. In fact, the benefits of such gear will be appreciated by…

Pronghorn antelope are generally very abundant throughout the prairie regions of North America. They can often be spotted in open areas all day long. Seeing them from afar is one thing, but field judging them and getting in close enough to harvest a nice buck is where the fun and adventure come into play. Over the years, I have been able to enjoy multiple trips out west to hunt these tiny little critters. I have enjoyed each hunt immensely and, on each outing, learned more and more about pronghorn antelope habits and how to hunt these unique animals. Pronghorn Facts The…

After months of planning and setting up access, my son Kyle and I were off on our northern Saskatchewan camping/special draw elk hunting trip. Once camp was set up, we spent the next couple of days with some on-the-ground scouting, so we were ready to roll come opening day. One of the areas we had secured permission to hunt was prime elk country. It had hills, trees, water and a cornfield where the elk were heavily feeding. There was a lake on one side of the area and only one road in and out. The landowner assured us that since…

A dark-horned 4×4 typical mule deer buck and doe were milling along the top edge of a coulee. While glassing the deer, I could see the buck was definitely a shooter in my book, since he had good front and back forks on both sides. The deer had likely been bedded on the edge of the coulee all day. Now that the sun was getting lower on the horizon, they were on their feet and heading out to feed. They had no idea that we were nearby. So, my daughter and I stalked in to close the distance to a…

There are no guarantees in elk hunting! Well, there may be just one—the guarantee being that elk hunting is extremely emotional. When you hunt elk, you quickly learn that elk hunting comes with a series of highs and lows, whether they occur over the course of a day in the field or even over the course of a season. There are times when your emotions will top out at the max or drop down so low that you’re tripping on them. Some might say that such emotional swings can’t be good. However, that’s not the case with elk hunting. The…

Oh, what a day it had been! At first light, we spotted a tall-horned antelope buck bedded on a hilltop overlooking a large valley. After giving him a full inspection, we left knowing that he sported heavy horns pushing the 16-inch range with average prongs and a small bump on each horn. Over the course of the day, we traveled many miles and glassed more than 50 other antelope bucks. None of them was bigger than the buck we saw first thing in the morning. So, with an hour of hunting time left, we went back to look for the…