A Buck in the Bush
By
Steve Galea
The shot felt good, but instead of collapsing on the spot, the deer ran off. And, as it vanished into cover, you couldn't help but be concerned, because you know that even a mortally wounded whitetail can travel a long way before giving up the ghost. As you sit and let your heartbeat...
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Sounding Out Moose (403 views)
The sound of your call is nowhere near as important as the type of call used. The sounds you make to entice a bull moose can be broken down into two areas, vocal and non-vocal. There are all kinds of sounds in the forest. As long as the noises you make have no human element and serve to... more »
Speed Scouting Deer (1627 views)
A lot of scouting can be done on the internet. Web sites such as Google Earth can give you an idea of likely hunting areas. Topographic maps are also useful as you can look for ridgelines, low ground, agricultural fields, roads, etc. The corners of fields, the narrowing of ridges, and... more »
How Not to Get a Deer in 10 Easy Steps (1278 views)
Most hunting articles focus on ways to successfully hunt and harvest a deer. You know, the pieces are titled "Ground-Blind Savvy," "Way of the Scrape," or "RX for Monster Bucks." But, no one caters to folks who prefer to strike out each season. If you're afraid of success, don't like the taste of... more »
Risk Management for Whitetails (722 views)
Deer are nature's mobile CSI teams, with a lab that consists of a nose, ears, and eyes constantly combing their environment for danger. Each time you hunt a spot, you leave trace evidence, increasing the chance deer will detect your intrusion. To be successful, you must avoid letting them know... more »
Answering the call (753 views)
The bull's first grunt sounded like a distant thud. Several seconds passed, then another low thud bumped the trees. My brother and I glanced up the long, heavily forested slope beside the swamp around us, then back over the knee-high grass to where Dad sat. He'd been bellowing his cow call since... more »
Playing the waiting game for moose (950 views)
The evening was cool, with nary a whisper of wind. I'd chosen to sit and watch from a tiny point of land jutting into the deeper waters of a cattail marsh. The remains of a large pine, which years ago had yielded to the pull of gravity, provided me with a comfortable seat, while alders and tall... more »
Spring prepping for deer season (678 views)
Spring is one of the best seasons to hit the bush. The warm sunshine is excuse enough to go wandering for a day and the perfect tonic for shaking off the winter blues. It's also time to start planning for fall deer hunts. Most people work within too narrow a focus in spring. If they're scouting or... more »
Deer hunting: back to basics (915 views)
I felt like Woody Allen. Should I sit where that secondary trail hits the rub line and the elevation and barometric pressure are in my favour? Or should I sit here, at an intersection of primary scrape lines with optimum wind velocity and moon phase? I don't know! And where do I put the... more »
The mysticism of the rut (1074 views)
In the world of the white-tailed deer hunter, the question "Is the rut on yet?" evokes visions of frosty mornings and the muffled crunch of hooves on frozen leaves. Deer hunters dwell on the rut more than any other aspect of hunting. Many hunters, perhaps the majority, believe when the rut... more »