Wisconsin Hunting Articles
Beginner's Guide to Big Game Handgun Hunting
If you desire to hunt with a handgun, without doubt, you need to do your homework. Many hunters who carry a rifle are not comfortable shooting with a handgun. Indeed, there are many reasons why one should hunt with a rifle but once mastered, a change of venue may be just what you are looking for. That's not to say hunting with a rifle is a cakewalk, it can be very challenging and in the favor of the game sought. When you pick up a handgun and decide to hunt big game, the bar is placed even higher.
The Rut Trap
Whitetails have extraordinary eyesight. Their ability to hear the subtle snap of a twig is uncanny, and their sense of smell is remarkably acute. Simply put, whitetailed deer are the perfect forest dweller. Throughout most of the year, their ability to elude danger is impeccable. With this reputation, they are the perfect big game species.
What Trophy Should Really Mean
When we hunt we must work hard, we obey the law, we are ethical, and we are reverent. Every animal taken - young or old, buck or doe - is a "trophy". They are gifts of the land.
Big Game Rifle Selection from a Female Perspective
Many years ago when I said I would marry Dan, I had no idea that our life together would turn me into the passionate hunter and shooting enthusiast I have become. Hunting, while a central preoccupation to him, was something I had never done before or been exposed to. So he was surprised when I jokingly notified him one fall day I would accompany him and his friends on a deer hunt and required a rifle, gear, and some instruction.
Hunting Knife Basics
As an experienced hunter, it is always easy for me to spot the newest member of the hunting group who usually has very little experience in the woods. They almost always show up wearing a knife modeled after their favorite action movie star, and, unlike the movies, our new hunter has to live with his or her knife selection for the duration of the hunt.
An Introduction to Trail Cameras
You've seen his tracks and they're huge! Nearby scrapes and rubs suggest he could be a monster buck. Now it's decision time. Which stand do you sit? If only you could lay eyes on him, or better yet, figure out when he uses that particular trail . . . you'd have it made!
Preventing Tick-Borne Diseases
Most of us have encountered ticks on our wilderness treks and, like mosquitoes, give them little pause for thought. Very few of us seriously consider the little pests to be much of a threat, usually we just pull the tick off and continue on our way, not realizing the potential danger the tick may present. A simple tick can carry a variety of diseases, all of which can, at the least, make you very sick and in the most serious cases even cripple or kill.
A Black Bear Baiting Guide
Considered a predator, various states and provinces allow baiting of black bears (ursus americanus). As an Alberta-based outfitter, I’ve hunted bears in just about every manner possible. Although I favor the spot and stalk approach, for my money baiting is undeniably the best way to provide a hunter with an up-close and personal view before hitting the switch.
A Field Dressing Guide for Elk and Deer
Field dressing game is as much a part of the hunt as target practice and scouting. Unfortunately, correctly field dressing game can be challenging and awkward for the inexperienced. If you have never cleaned out game in the field or have had trouble in the past this feature article walks you through how to field dress, debone, and pack out your next deer or elk kill.
Black Bear Hunting Primer
Stalking trophy black bears is one of the most challenging and intimidating pursuits in North American hunting, especially with a primitive weapon. Doing this when the autumn landscape is shrouded under a bounty of radiant tincture – the air thick with fall’s aromatic pleasures – is the biggest kick of all.
Whitetail Bowhunting The Midwest
If you're serious about bowhunting for a trophy whitetail buck then "cut to the chase" and start concentrating your efforts on the best trophy producing areas of the country. A little time spent perusing the Boone & Crockett and Pope & Young Record books should soon convince you that limiting your trophy bowhunting ventures to the Midwestern states, of Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota and Iowa with Kansas thrown is as a very attractive alternate, will definitely be in your best interest.
Whitetail, Finesse 'em or Force 'em
When hunting whitetail afield a common strategy is to use noise to attract in a buck. Most hunters agree that anything from rattling antlers to grunting calls will work. However there is a considerable amount of debate on what intensity should be used when creating these sounds. Some have success with ear-splitting, aggressive bellows while others adamantly believe the only way to go is with gentle grunts. This month's article discusses how much noise you should make the next time you're closing the gap on a trophy buck.
Fall Black Bear Basics
Many big game hunters have hunted the cervids (deer and elk). However fewer have gone after another big game species that inhabits the same areas: black bear. Black bear hunting takes a different set of skills than elk or deer hunting and with many states banning the use of bait/hounds, the challenge of black bear has only grown. This feature article walks you through the basics of black bear hunting from "spot/stalk" to the use of predator calls. Safety is also covered, since precautions are necessary when hunting a predator!