“big deer”

Hardcore deer hunters know that when snow blankets the ground and old rutted-out bucks concentrate on food sources like pigeons to a park, the late season can be the most wonderful time of the year—that is, if you’re prepared.

The Bluegrass State is home to some bruiser deer, and there are plenty of opportunities for both residents and out-of-state hunters. Here are five important reasons you should add Kentucky to your big-buck bucket list.

In the northwest corner of the Centennial State, the deer of the West migrates from the high country to winter on lower ground. Every day new critters enter the mix. Sometimes, success is measured by merely being in the right place at the right time.

Think that you know where all the big bucks are? You might be surprised.

There are great archers, and then there are deadly ones. Great shots might stack a quiver of arrows in the 10-ring at 40 yards; deadly shots stack game in the back of the truck season after season. Both of these guys practice the fundamentals of shooting, but deadly shots realize the woods is not a static archery range.

Dreaming of the deer woods is all we are left to do for the summer. Right? Not even close.

Perhaps the West’s most sought after big-game species, mule deer continue to prove they are as alluring as they are hard to get.

As we head for the whitetail woods, the author shares the lessons he learned from a four-year quest for one specific buck.

Mature bucks are different, but the places they look for on public land can be found.