By Scott Bestul

I live in southeastern Minnesota and do most of my deer hunting here. For the last three seasons, hunters in this corner of the state have been under an Antler-Point Restriction (APR) that requires us to identify four points on one side of a buck’s rack before shooting that buck. I was initially skeptical of APRs, but after living with them for three years I’ve come to like them and hope they continue. Here’s why:

By Dave Hurteau

Many of you savvy farmland hunters already know this tip, but for anyone who doesn’t, it’s an oldie and a goodie: Because farmland whitetails are accustomed to seeing pickup trucks in fields, they don’t freak out at the sight of one.

By Scott Bestul

In looking through my email inbox and realize there are some truly monstrous bucks taken this fall that I’ve not yet posted. In most cases, I was simply waiting for more information that never came; others are hot off the electronic press, with—as usual—few details. At any rate, it’s time to put them up for your viewing pleasure. And hey, if you know anything about some of these jaw-droppers, feel free to chime in and say so.

1. Drop-Tine Wisconsin 8
This monster is said to have been taken in southern Wisconsin during that state’s recently completed firearms season. The left-side drop tine is reportedly 13 inches long, and the G-2 on that side 17 inches. The rumored net green scored 180, gross in the 200-inch neighborhood. This is certainly of the biggest 8’s I’ve ever seen.

By Scott Bestul

Tomorrow's not only the ninth of December—it’s also the bottom of the rut’s ninth inning. It's also a day you could hit hunting’s equivalent of a walk-off home run by tagging a giant in the last phase of breeding. One month ago, we were approaching the breeding peak, and any does that were not bred during that first cycle will come into heat again.

In addition, a percentage of fawns (up to 40 percent in some areas) will enter their first estrous cycle now. More than once I’ve seen a huge December buck getting towed around by a doe that was half his size.

Many hunters dismiss this secondary rut, which is as big a mistake as forgetting your long johns now. You won’t witness widespread chasing like you did in November, but you don’t need to if your stand is close to a major food source.

We’re in the early stages of winter, and whitetails are seeking the most protein- and fat-rich foods they can find: fields of waste or standing grain, food plots, clear-cuts, or hard-mast crops. They’re all good, but I’d take an oak ridge full of acorns over everything else now.