by Dave Hurteau

What’s the number one state for tagging a trophy whitetail? Where’s the best place to take any deer, buck or doe? How about the prime destination for a big public-land buck? The answers are on this map, found on pages 48 and 49 of the February 2011 issue of Field & Stream. Part of our “Deer Crazy” cover story, it reveals the nation’s Top 10 Trophy Whitetail States, Top 10 Any-Whitetail States, Top 5 Public-Land Whitetail States, and more. That said, we figured you might also like to know where your state ranks, even if it’s not in the top ten. Maybe you’d like to see the stats behind our rankings. So, in a series of blog posts here on Whitetail 365, we’re going to lay out the complete state rankings and explain how we arrived at them.

-- Chad Love

A well-known duck hunter and call maker who was indicted last month on numerous felony wildlife violations has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

From this story in the Springfield, Illinois State Journal-Register:

“Fallin’ Skies” duck hunter Jeffrey Foiles entered a not guilty plea Thursday to a 23-count indictment accusing him of violating federal wildlife laws. Moments later, Foiles learned he would be facing charges in Canada, too. Foiles, best known for his series of "Fallin' Skies" hunting videos, also is a waterfowl hunter, guide, call-maker and operator of Foiles Migrators Inc., a retail business near Pittsfield. He also is one of two owners of the Fallin’ Skies Strait Meat Duck Club in Pike County.

by Scott Bestul

Joe Hamilton, founder of the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA), has been named Budweiser’s “Conservationist of the Year” beating out three other finalists for the prestigious honor. Hamilton accepted the award during the Golden Moose Awards ceremony, held during the 2011 SHOT Show in Las Vegas.

I met Joe two years ago at a QDMA function, and the man is simply a class act. Among the most respected biologists in the country, Hamilton has spent his over 40 years studying wildlife and is an expert on many species, from amphibians to black bears. He’s among a handful of living biologists who has received a Career Achievement Award from The Wildlife Society, an association of professional biologists and researchers. Joe has also worked with other groups, such as Ducks Unlimited and The Nature Conservancy, to create conservation easements and expand hunting opportunity. But you’d never guess at his pedigree if you met this modest, friendly man on the street.

by David Draper

On Wednesday, I wrote about my great venison pastrami experiment. Today I'm showing you what I did with it: pastrami on rye with provolone and a good yellow mustard. Served with a side of pickled green beans. Now that’s a lunch.

Keep those food photos coming. You can send them fswildchef@gmail.com and we’ll post the best ones here.