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.

By Dave Hurteau

Seasoned bowhunters know that picking the right tree in which to hang a stand can mean the difference between putting an arrow through a buck and just standing there with your thumb up your nose, watching him lollygag, broadside and without a care, just out of range. The problem is that the perfect tree in terms of location is not always perfect in terms of cover.

By Scott Bestul

As most of you know, I recently hosted Hurteau on an archery hunt, and although Dave did have a couple of those “if only” moments so common to bowhunting, he didn’t go home with a Minnesota whitetail. Since I was tagged out, I had the pleasure of shadowing him for much of the week. On the other hand, when you hunt with your editor, he makes you work. And so, between and during hunts, we put together a bunch of video tips.

By Dave Hurteau

All hunters have something important to share, and never before has it been more important for us to share it--with our kids, the neighbor’s kids, our nieces and nephews, anyone who wants in. But before you commit to mentoring a new hunter, you should understand that there are certain inherent risks, especially when dealing with the young…and fit.

This summer I outfitted my nephew Jeremy with everything he’d need to hunt deer in the fall. I nagged him to get his hunter-safety certification and to buy his license and tags. I taught him to shoot, etc.

After an exciting bow season, in which he didn’t get anything but had some close encounters, he joined my brother-in-law Geoff and me for our annual Thanksgiving rifle hunt. He saw three deer but couldn’t get a shot. At the end of the day, he got a little turned around, so he called Geoff's cell phone and described where he was.