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2 weeks ago | 
fieldandstream.com | Dave Hurteau |David E. Petzal
For those of us lucky enough to still be chasing gobblers, which includes hunters in most of the northern half of the country, we are now firmly in the late season. The bad news is that we only have a handful of days left and what gobblers are still on the landscape have seen weeks of pressure. The good news is that those same birds are finding themselves increasingly lonely, as hens focus on nesting.
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1 month ago | 
fieldandstream.com | Scott Bestul |Dave Hurteau |David E. Petzal
For spring gobbler hunters, the late season is a bit of a double-whammy. First off, a fair number of the toms that were gobbling their heads off and running to decoys in the early season are in hunter's freezers (or bellies) by now. Second, what gobblers are left on the landscape have likely been bumped a time or two, have heard a lot of artificial yawping, and have possibly been shot at. Bottom line: They are at their absolute wariest.
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1 month ago | 
fieldandstream.com | Dave Hurteau |David E. Petzal
With May now underway, even Northeastern hunters are done waiting for the spring gobbler season to start (or very nearly done waiting in one case. We see you Pennsylvania). Meanwhile, most hunters in the rest of the country are right in the thick of the season, with peak breeding winding down in many areas—and the chances of finding a lone tom improving.
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1 month ago | 
fieldandstream.com | Dave Hurteau |David E. Petzal
After a long battle with cancer, F&S whitetails columnist, Scott Bestul, passed away Saturday morning, surrounded by family. Bestul sold his first story to Field & Stream in 1993. He became a contributing editor in 1995 and whitetails editor in 2009, anchoring the brand’s deer coverage for more than two decades. He co-authored two books under the F&S brand, The Total Deer Hunter Manual and The Total Bowhunter Manual.
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2 months ago | 
fieldandstream.com | Dave Hurteau |David E. Petzal
We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn moreIf you’re a largemouth nut, you’re not waiting for the weather to turn balmy before hitting water. You’re looking for the best bass lures for early spring—emphasis on early. You’re out there right now, with a jacket and gloves if necessary. You know to head for the warmest parts of the lake, the north end and the stained water.
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2 months ago | 
fieldandstream.com | Dave Hurteau |David E. Petzal
Need to know how to remove a tick right now? No problem. I’ve got you. Having spent a lifetime outdoors and the last 25 years at an Upstate New York home whose yard is absolutely crawling with the horrible pariahs, I have removed more ticks from myself and others than I want to think too much about. It’s been a disgusting education, but with all that practice, I’ve gotten very good at it.
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2 months ago | 
fieldandstream.com | Dave Hurteau |Travis Smola |T. Logan Metesh |Max Inchausti
We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn moreEvery hunter needs a good binocular. But not every hunter needs a great one, and the difference between good and great seems to get slimmer every year.
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Feb 24, 2025 | 
fieldandstream.com | Dave Hurteau |David E. Petzal
A recent Instagram video showing a Komodo dragon inhaling a “deer” (which appears to actually be a goat) is making the roundstoday. And why not? It’s been a long day already. You’ve gotten some work done. You deserve to watch animals gobbling up one another, and this is as good a gobbling as any. It’s better than most, really, because with snakes and alligators swallowing things whole starting to get a little old on social media, a Komodo dragon is a nice change of pace.
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Jan 9, 2025 | 
fieldandstream.com | Scott Bestul |Dave Hurteau |Phil Bourjaily |David Brown
These days, with every deer hunter and his brother running trail cameras and able to keep tabs on specific bucks for years, we sometimes hear about 7-1/2, 8-1/2, or even 9-1/2-year-old or older whitetails finally wearing a tag after an epic campaign. But the truth is, most wild deer never come close to reaching those ages.
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Jan 8, 2025 | 
fieldandstream.com | Dave Hurteau |Phil Bourjaily |David Brown |Scott Bestul
Where do deer sleep? Well, as every deer hunter who’s ever jumped a bedded buck knows, they don’t do a lot of sleeping. When deer lay down to take their rest, they may dose a little here and there, but their main job is to sit still and look for trouble. Still, a whole of people google “where do deer sleep?” and whether that’s you and you’re new to hunting or you’re a hardcore hunter looking to nail down specific buck beds for the coming fall, the answer is pretty much the same.
