By Scott Bestul

Tomorrow is the opening day for archery seasons in the two states where I do most of my deer hunting; Minnesota and Wisconsin. I’m well into my third decade as a bowhunter, and I guess this should be “old hat” for a guy with faded camo and grey in his sideburns, but it’s not. I’ve been a certified mess this week; lousy concentration at work, easily distracted in conversation, restless while falling asleep…

By Dave Hurteau

You can bemoan the trend. You can call it regrettable and pine for the days when a rump roast and a holiday card got you on to the farm of your choice. I do. But I don’t see how any capitalism-loving American can find blame in the fact that deer leases—at increasingly astronomical prices—are becoming more common. You can’t blame the farmers, obviously. And as I see it, you can’t really blame deer hunters who lease either—although some seem happy to point the finger at their fellow sports. To the finger-pointers, I ask: “What are you some kind of commies?”