“public land”

In Oregon’s Coast Range last year, the author pursued the state’s rarest deer: the Columbian whitetail. The hunt marked a rare double bonus, as far as he was concerned: a chance to hunt a species he’d never hunted in a state he’d never hunted.

Whether we merely drive across the state or plan a lavish safari to parts unknown, hunting affords us the chance to travel mentally and physically. As we actively recruit and reactivate hunters, it’s important to retain our own zeal for the hunt, for when it comes to refreshment there is no substitute for new game and new ground.

What it means and how to cope: a dismal but honest look at the current state of Western tag allocations, with ideas for alternate hunting adventures.

Learning to age deer on the hoof is not an exact science and there are exceptions to every rule, but there are some undeniable physical characteristics that an old buck takes on as he matures. Here’s what to look for.

Maine is home to a wide range of large and small game and lots of public land on which to hunt it. Could the Pine Tree State be hunting’s best-kept secret?

Thanks to changes in elk behavior due to land use, development, human encroachment and more, the elk we hunt today do not behave as the species did in our granddaddies’ days. Here’s how to zero in on modern habitat where elk seek refuge, and how to hunt it.

The bulls we seek increasingly reside in nosebleed seats deemed inaccessible or so low and surrounded by development we just can’t imagine ways to stalk them. Here’s how to hunt them in either locale.

Elevate Stand Company, makers of 100-percent American-made treestands and accessories, has announced the release of its 6.25-pound Element Ultra Treestand.

Check out these monster bucks taken throughout the United States.