In the last 2 months millions of pounds of venison were harvested by America’s hunters. The deer from which this enormous quantity of meat was taken in all sorts of weather, in nearly every terrain and was harvested by rank amateurs and expert hunters alike. No government inspectors will be on hand to insure proper cleanliness and other procedures are followed. It’s up to the hunter to do it right. Some will and some won’t; and for those who don’t, the result is likely to be some gamy-tasting deer meat.

If you hunt deer, you've probably thought about coyote hunting. Recent studies have shown that coyote predation has a larger impact on spring fawns that previously thought. Increased use of trail cameras, and hunters taking video cameras into the field, offer more evidence of coyote predation. Coyotes don't focus only on the young or sick prey. Healthy adult deer are often targeted and killed by coyotes. Hunting coyotes continues to be the best tool for managing this increasingly impactful predator.

Late-season scouting can be a valuable tool to evaluate your deer season. The snow that covers much of the state offers some of the best scouting of the year. Make it to the woods before rain eliminates weeks worth of sign.

It's almost here! While the world waits for the winter holidays to begin, they're arriving early here at iSportsman headquarters. The soft launch of iSportsmanX will be free and available to use for all on December 19, 2022. Wake up early with that same Christmas morning excitement and visit iSportsman.net, where you will immediately be greeted by the modern and intuitive iSportsmanX features.

It was a successful hunt, several deer are headed to the freezer. If I’m lucky, there may already be other wild game and fish in the freezer. It’s important to know what is in the freezer and to be able to easily access it so the wild game and fish that I worked so hard to acquire does not go to waste.

 Think it’s all over and still can’t believe how quickly the deer season came and went? Well, for the determined, the show still goes on in a few select places and while it may be too late to cash in on a road trip to one of these late spots this season, it’s never too late to begin planning an extended deer season for next year.

It was 4:00 AM and we were already heading out to hunt. The air was cold and the sky was clear. The stars and the moon were the only light around. The moon bathed the rolling hills in an eerie blue light and the yellow prairie grass sparkled in the moonlight. In the distance the jagged lines of the snow-covered mountains glistened. We were headed into the lower slopes of the mountains in hopes of harvesting a mid-season Wyoming mule deer buck. We had been hunting now for three days but had been unsuccessful at filling our tag. We were hunting public land just on the outskirts of the Bighorn Mountain range.

I like every kind of hunting season but for me, the December muzzleloader season for deer is perhaps the most special.

It all started years ago when I purchased a secondhand Kentucky Rifle replica that couldn't shoot straight and ended up blowing a piece of percussion cap into my eyelid. As I drove myself to the doctor’s office on that memorable fall morning a couple of decades ago, I realized three important things: 1. always wear safety glasses while shooting 2. Cheap used firearms are being sold for a reason, and 3. I love muzzleloaders.

The fall hunting season is in full swing, and most of you are already reminiscing about the success of the season so far. You are all set with gear, and have your spots picked out —but what if you could increase your chances of tagging that monster buck? Well, you can, utilizing what was once one of the best-kept secrets in hunting. 

Shotguns are different from rifles or muskets in that they fire multiple projectiles; most people know that. A rifle fires a single bullet each time the trigger is pulled. When a shotgunner pulls the trigger great bunches of pellets fly out the end of the muzzle. The pellets are actually round balls of lead, steel or other metal. Think BBs from a BB gun with the orbs varying in size, larger or smaller as needed.

How much larger or smaller? That depends.... “Buckshot” shotgun loads may only have the amount of pellets you can count on your fingers or fingers and toes. The number of projectiles in birdshot loads depends on the type of birds the shotgunner is planning to shoot. Generally speaking, the larger the bird, the larger the pellet. Goose hunters may load their guns with shells containing just over a hundred pieces of shot. Quail and dove hunters will likely choose shotshells with four or five times that number.