“deer woods”

The question: If you were limited to three pieces of "gear," just what would you deem most important?

Most of us who think we are serious shooters have a dirty little secret: We do not shoot enough. We talk about it and make a lot of grandiose plans but maybe spend a few hours on the bench all summer. We need a better reason to get out there and shoot, something that will get us off that bench and away from the air conditioning. Deer hunters, I present to you the lowly groundhog.

Two American travelers tag along with a band of modern-day woodsmen for a hunt once reserved for English nobility.

Earlier this month, Associate Editor Jon Draper harvested his largest whitetail ever in Kentucky on an archery hunt with Cabela's Outdoor Adventures. While he was in the Bluegrass State, however, a fellow hunter had the opportunity to drag something truly special out of the deer woods: a 200-inch, full-velvet monster. Learn the ins and outs of Buddy Deville's hunt with the video embedded above.

Here's the gear you'll need before heading into the deer woods this season.

Larry Koller wrote the legendary book Shots at Whitetails in 1948, drawing on hunts at the Eden Falls Hunting and Fishing Club in the Catskill Mountains. Today Koller’s legacy endures, even as hunters move on from still-hunting and deer drives.

Even if feral pigs aren’t something you often find in your crosshairs, Savage’s little utilitarian bolt-action should draw your attention. The Hog Hunter is built to be tough, affordable and deliver results, too—and it succeeds on all three counts.

It .223 enough to take down a deer? What's the best stage of the rut to hunt? Grunt call or rattle? There's no shortage of hot topics that get bandied about in the deer woods. Our own Shawn Skipper decided to pose a few of them to the many whitetail guides crowding the Outfitter Hall at the Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, Pa.