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 •

Ten Hunting Books Worth Keeping on Your Shelf

A good hunting book does more than fill the hours before a season opens. The best titles sharpen how you think about the pursuit, the ethics behind it, and the country you cross to find game. The list below spans more than a century of writing, from the work of a future president to modern [&#823...

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 •

Chasing Fall Giants: A Spin Angler’s Trout Playbook

Fall gives spin anglers a real edge on big trout, and the reason comes down to what the fish are eating. From late spring through the middle of September, wild trout across much of the country are locked onto aquatic insects, which makes a spinner or jerkbait nearly useless even when trout are ri...

By James Chen •

Best Climbing Sticks for Mobile Hunting, Field-Tested

Modern climbing sticks are built with the mobile hunter in mind: lighter, quieter, and more packable than the clunky aluminum ladders they replaced. That progress is a mixed blessing when you shop, because the market now offers dozens of nearly identical-looking sticks that behave very differentl...

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 •

Rig Two Baits, Lures, or Flies for Double the Bites

Where regulations allow it, fishing two baits, lures, or flies on a single line lets you cover two depths of the water column at once and figure out what the fish are eating far faster than swapping offerings one at a time. Done right, it can double your catch rate, and on the best days […]...

By James Chen •

Dove Hunting 101: Species, Setups, and Straight Shooting

Dove hunting rewards two skills above all others: knowing where the birds want to be, and putting a fast-moving target in your pattern. Get both right and you can have steady action for weeks. Get them wrong and you burn through three boxes of shells with little to show for it. This guide covers ...

By James Chen •

AllOutdoor Review: Moultrie Edge 4 Cellular Trail Camera – Set It, Forget It

The scouting season that is the prelude to hunting is here! Are your trail cameras out in the field yet? The advancements we have seen from cellular trail cameras in the past few years is nothing short of marvelous. With more and more technological advancements imbued into these tech items meant ...

By Adam Scepaniak •