By David Draper

There are many ways to celebrate this weekend’s Kentucky Derby—most notably by quaffing multiple mint juleps. But you’re going to need something to soak up all the bourbon, so may I suggest a venison tenderloin topped with another Derby Day tradition: Henry Bain Sauce.

This quintessential Kentucky steak sauce was first crafted at the turn of 20th century by, you guessed it, Henry Bain, the legendary headwaiter at the just-as-legendary Pendennis Club in Louisville. In those days, it was the preferred sauce for the many game animals that came through the club’s kitchen. [ Read Full Post ]

By Dave Hurteau

I must drive marketing guys nuts. Their job is to get the hottest, newest, brand-spankinest stuff into my hands so I can be instantaneously bowled over by how wonderful it is and tell you folks all about it just before the product hits the shelves. Alas, I’m often a little slow. It sometimes takes me a while to fully grasp how I feel about this or that.

Take Bowtech’s 2012 Insanity CPXL. Last spring, I set one up, shot it a bunch, and told you all, right here, that I liked it just fine. And why not? There’s nothing not to like. Then I put the bow on the wall, where it has hung, doing exactly nothing, for about a year.   [ Read Full Post ]

By Scott Bestul

Remember Illinois hunter Chris Kiernan? Back in November of 2009, he killed an Illinois state-record nontypical whitetail, a 36-point buck giant that netted scored 267-3/8 inches. This week, Kiernan pleaded guilty in Grundy County (IL) Circuit Court to illegally taking not just that buck but two others as well, according to this story in the LaSalle News Tribune. [ Read Full Post ]

By Scott Bestul

It seems like one of deer hunting’s great mysteries: Some guys pick up shed antlers like a kid collecting quarry stones, while others can’t find bone on a bet. Actually there’s no great secret, and only a little luck, involved. Highly successful shed hunters find more antlers because they spend more time at it, they cover more ground, and they have developed a specific set of skills. We can’t help you with the walking, but here are 10 tips and tricks that will get your skill set on a par with the shed-magnet guys.

Skill 1: Find the Food
Late-winter bucks are all about keeping their bellies full. So you need to find the top food sources in your grounds that are drawing in deer. In farm country, nothing tops standing crops like corn or soybeans, but even picked (though not plowed) fields of the same will hold deer unless the snow is too deep. In the big woods, focus on clear cuts and hard mast (if it’s available). The best shed hunters will tell you that a buck’s antlers are never far from his groceries.

Skill 2: Go to Beds
It's just as... [ Read Full Post ]

By Chad Love

Tests on over 2,000 deer last season revealed some good news for Minnesota's deer herd: a clean bill of health regarding chronic wasting disease.

From this story on twincities.com:
The Department of Natural Resources says none of the more than 2,300 deer sampled last year tested positive for the disease. Tests on nearly 1,200 deer taken in the Pine Island area of southeastern Minnesota turned up no infected deer for the second year in a row. The only deer from that area that's tested positive to date was one discovered in the 2010 hunting season. [ Read Full Post ]

By Chad Love

The Indiana legislature is embroiled in a controversy over the question of high-fence hunting operations.

From this story on thestatehousefile.com:
The House approved legislation Monday to legalize five fenced deer-hunting preserves that have been operating under a court injunction since 2005 when the state tried to shut them down. But the leader of the Indiana Senate has already said he intends to kill the provisions. [ Read Full Post ]