by Scott Bestul

As a rule, deer biologists tend to hate baiting. But in a likely unprecedented move by a state game agency, the Wyoming Game & Fish Department is asking the state legislature to help them legalize baiting in the state. According to this AP story, biologists are struggling so mightily to control whitetail populations that they’re looking to add another strategy to their toolbox.

It’s important to note that in this case, officials intend to limit the use of bait to urban areas or other deer-control hotspots. Their hope is to be able to lure deer to spots where the animals would be more vulnerable to harvest, and to areas where shooting is safer. No plans seem to be in the works to legalize baiting on a broad basis at this time.

by Dave Hurteau

We all have our embarrassing secrets. I’ll spare you mine, for the most part. But for the purposes of this blog, I will admit to one: As much as I would like to trace my interest in archery to the likes of Hill, Bear, Pope, or Young, the truth is that the real greats were all before my time. No, being a product of the television generation (an embarrassing admission itself), my initial fascination with archery was sparked by the exploding arrows of—cringe—Bo and Luke Duke.

by Dave Hurteau

You need to know who to steal from, goes the saying (even though it should go “whom to steal from”), and for this video I have stolen a tip outright from Bestul, who stole it from a logger buddy of his. When you’re hunting an area with lots of oaks and you need to figure out which trees the deer are feeding under, make sure to keep a sharp eye out for acorns that do not have their caps. It’s something a lot of hunters overlook but shouldn’t. Acorns that fall with caps often have rotten or punky flesh; those that fall without caps typically have fine, firm flesh and are therefore preferred by the deer.

By Dave Hurteau

Depending on where you live, it is now, or soon may be too cold to want to spend hours aloft and exposed in a deer stand. And so some of you will likely trade your tree for the comparative coziness of a ground blind. But before you do, take heed of what American Hunter Managing Editor Jeff Johnston told me on a recent whitetail hunt in Wyoming, which he also wrote, in bold, on his BullShooters blog: “If you choose to use expandable broadheads, don't shoot through the mesh, mister!”