Field-Tested Deer Hunting Wisdom from the MeatEater Crew

The best deer hunting advice tends to be specific, hard-won, and born of time in the woods rather than a product catalog. What follows pulls together practical tips gathered from experienced hunters, organized around the decisions you actually make in the field: when to go, where to set up, how t...

By James Chen •

Why the Right Spot Beats the Comfortable Tree

The trees that feel best to sit in are rarely the ones that put a mature buck in front of you. Hunters gravitate toward straight, comfortable, easy-to-reach trees with open sightlines because those spots feel safe and pleasant. Deer, and especially older bucks, do not live where you feel most at ...

By James Chen •

They Built a Rifle Cartridge That Could Change Hunting and Shooting Forever

Federal's Peak Alloy lead engineer and its rifle product line manager explain where the Peak Alloy came from, the challenges with the 7mm Backcountry introduction, and why 80,000 psi doesn’t mean more recoil or a burned-out barrel The post They Built a Rifle Cartridge That Could Change Hunting ...

By Alex Robinson •

Should You Use Tactical-Style Optics for Hunting?

Editor’s Note: The author was provided the product for this article by Vortex Optics and Silencer Central, and creates content for both companies. The rifle was provided by Springfield Armory. As a professional photographer in the hunting and shooting industry, I spend over 100 days a year in t...

By Morgan Gregory •

Why Many Hunters Skip Scoring Their Trophy Bucks

A hunter who kills the buck of a lifetime and then declines to run a tape over it is not being modest. For many serious hunters, refusing to have a trophy officially scored is a deliberate choice, rooted in everything from privacy to a belief that a number cheapens the whole point of the hunt. [&...

By James Chen •

Why 70% of Deer Hunters Never Fill a Doe Tag

The U.S. buck harvest sits near record levels, and the share of mature bucks in that harvest is the highest it has been in more than a century. The part of deer management that keeps herds healthy, though, is antlerless harvest. Deer numbers are climbing across much of whitetail range, and while ...

By James Chen •

Killing the Buck of a Lifetime in the Swamp

The mature buck that vanishes into a cattail marsh every day is not random about where he beds, and that predictability is the whole reason you can kill him. To hunt swamp bucks, you need to identify the dry, secure ground where an old deer feels safe, map the trails he uses to move between [&#82...

By James Chen •

FFL News Digest: Suppressor Reality, 7 Months of Sales Growth

Four FFLs reportedly passed ATF inspections after 4473-only suppressor transfers, August gun sales rose for a seventh straight month, and the Third Circuit revived NSSF's challenge to New Jersey's gun industry liability law.

By Fred Thompson •
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