It's that time of year when we start getting out our hunting gear, placing trail cams, practice shooting, and overall just start getting the fever of hunting season. We all have our favorite hunting season, whether it is deer, elk, bear or duck we are all hyped and getting our gear ready. Some preparation is less than others when it comes to the species and the area you will be hunting. When you take on a hunt that puts you at 10,000 feet above sea level the preparation can be extensive. I have been hunting Utah for seven years for elk and my base camp sits at the 10,000 foot mark. Over the past years I have seen and experienced many situations that can be avoided with proper preparation.

The big hunting season might be over but there are still many opportunities to get outdoors and hunt during the summer months. Whether you can’t wait until fall or want to practice maintaining your shooting skills, it’s important to keep yourself busy during the off season. One of the best options for doing so is to try hunting prairie dogs. Sure, they might not be as prestigious as some more exotic game, and they definitely won’t fill your freezer as quickly, but you might be surprised to learn that prairie dogs offer some of the most outstanding hunts available during summer months. And if you’re going to hunt prairie dogs, Kansas offers some excellent opportunities. 

I never thought that at 29 I would be a full blown huntress chasing deer, exotic trophies, and huge hogs across the countryside. I crave the meat from an Axis buck like you would crave water in the morning after a long night of fireball whiskey and crappy beer. I get anxious when I can't get out to the ranch and feel the excitement and rush from a hunt. Thanks to my dad, those feelings were instilled in me at a very young age.

At 8 years old, people were calling me the “Hog Slayer”. I was stacking wild hogs like pancakes in South Texas, and even as a kid I loved it every minute. It felt so amazing, at a young age, to gather around the campfire with your cousins and watch a pig, that I shot, roast over the flames. This accomplishment would feed my family and friends. Looking back, I think I truly found my sole purpose for hunting in those fireside moments. I knew then that I would I would hunt forever.

It’s that time of year when just about everyone’s wild game reserves are running low. If you’re lucky enough to still have some shanks left over, give this delicious recipe a try!

Barnett’s Explorer (XP) series was designed with the serious hunter in mind. Veteran outdoorsmen and beginners can now find a quality, reliable, and deadly-accurate bow at an affordable price. We broke down the must-know specifications of each new entry in the Barnett XP line-up. 

Looking for a unique, practical, and possibly last-minute Father’s Day gift this year? A yearly subscription to iSportsmanARX is the perfect gift for the dad who has it all. iSportsmanARX allows any landowner to streamline their land management experience, giving them more time to spend outdoors. But that’s not all, we broke down the top seven reason iSportsmanARX is your 2023 Father’s Day gift solution: 

Every hunter and fisherman should head out to an expo to meet like-minded individuals and stay up to date on all the latest gear releases. They are a wonderful experience to have in an increasingly digital world—it’s nice to meet other enthusiasts in person. Fortunately, the team here at iSportsman has rounded up some of the best hunting and fishing expos happening throughout the rest of June. Give expos a chance and see if you can make it to one of these many locations—you won’t regret it. 

These days, YouTube has become a treasure trove of information and entertainment for every topic under the sun. It’s easy to lose a few hours here and there to a YouTube rabbit hole, exploring all that the platform has to offer. Even Tom Hanks is prone to going on YouTube binges, having recently rediscovered the commercials of his childhood through the platform.

Outdoor recreational hobbies like hunting have also exploded on the platform, leading to a wonderfully diverse range of content options for every outdoor enthusiast. There’s never been a better time to explore hunting on YouTube than right now, from do-it-yourself solo creators to multimedia production companies, you can find almost anything you could think of about hunting; however, just like with all modern media, the field is oversaturated and some of the content just isn’t worth people’s investment. It’s important to separate the wheat from the chaff to ensure you’re getting the most out of your time with the platform. To that end, iSportsman has rounded up some of the best hunting YouTube channels out there for your viewing pleasure. 

Made in the USA, Swagger Bipods incorporate high-performance with quality. The QD42 bipod is no different, combining the Quick Adapt Technology from the original Hunter Series and the Quick Detach design from the QD series, the QD42 offers the most versatile shooting system on the market.

This waterfowl season, I introduced a couple of new hunters to the sport: my roommate, Evan—who would see me come home with piles of birds and fresh breasts in the freezer and wanted in on the action— and my girlfriend, Hannah—who had voiced interest in learning to hunt, but I suspect really just wanted to be with me the three days a week I was gone for four months out of the year.