Mike Hanback

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Articles

The 3 Best Post-Rut Stands

Nov 27, 2024 | realtree.com | Mike Hanback

Your hunting strategy from mid-December through the end of the season must center on food. Photo by Bruce MacQueen. The calendar has flipped to Thanksgiving, and you’re starting to worry. You’ve hunted hard for two months, but still no buck. Will it be tag soup this year? Maybe not, so long as you keep your spirits up and keep grinding. Your predicament might seem dire, but it’s actually an opportunity. You still get to hunt more days, and there are still shooter bucks in the woods.
Use Rut Science to Get Your Buck

Nov 20, 2024 | realtree.com | Mike Hanback

A Mississippi State Deer Lab study found that each day during hunting season, mature bucks use several bedding and resting areas rather than one major sanctuary. Photo by Tony Campbell. When deer scientists talk, I listen with an open mind. Men and women who make a career out of studying whitetails don’t do it for fame or money.
The 5 Biggest Reasons You Don’t Shoot Big Bucks

Sep 16, 2024 | realtree.com | Mike Hanback

Stuck in a slump of unfilled tags? We’ve all been there. Chances are one of these reasons is to blameIf you’ve been hunting hard for the past few years but haven’t seen, much less shot, a whitetail buck worthy of the wall, you’re probably doubting yourself and wondering, “What the heck is going on? I’m a good hunter, right? What am I doing wrong?”I’ve been there. Had my share of slump years. I feel your pain, and I want to help.
4 Killer Stand Setups for Early Bow Season

Sep 3, 2024 | realtree.com | Mike Hanback

In many areas, whitetails maintain consistent patterns during the early bow season. Take advantage of these to score early. Photo by Bill Konway. One September morning in Montana, I froze as an 8-pointer trotted toward me through the cottonwood trees. He was moving fast, trying to get back to his bed along the Milk River before the sun got too high. Something flashed behind him — a 10-pointer pushing 150 bringing up the rear.
50 Bowhunting Tips For 2024

Aug 16, 2024 | realtree.com | Mike Hanback |Will Brantley

Spend as much time as you can in the stand this season for your best shot at tagging a nice buck. Photo by John Hafner. Bow season is right around the corner, and here’s our challenge to you this year: Hang tough on stand for as long as you can hack it each day. After all, you can’t shoot a buck or bull if you’re not in the woods when he walks by, right?
Find A Big Buck in July With These Trail Cam Tips

Jul 8, 2024 | realtree.com | Mike Hanback

Now is the time to start regularly checking your trail cameras to determine where the big deer are feeding and bedding. (Photo by Realtree)I run a few trail cameras year-round on my hunting property just to see what I might see, but right now is when I start serious recon for the upcoming season. Velvet antlers are up and growing full tilt. A buck’s rack will have developed its eight or 10 points in June, and most of the tine and beam length will fill in by late July.
3 Tricks to Kill the Toughest Turkeys

Apr 30, 2024 | realtree.com | Mike Hanback

Difficult-to-hunt turkeys might give you a hard time, but you have tactical options. Image by Bill KonwayOne time, I hunted an old Virginia turkey that would gobble hard on the limb, fly down, gobble at every yelp, and then shut up and walk off. It went on like that for days. I wondered, “Am I calling too close to the gobbler? Maybe he is waiting for me, the “hen,” to come to him.” Time for a new plan.
Break the Turkey Gobbling Code This Spring

Apr 2, 2024 | realtree.com | Mike Hanback

The gobbling of a wild turkey is the most electrifying sound you’ll hear in the spring woods, but not all gobbles are created equal. Here are seven scenarios and what I interpret them to mean. When you break the gobbling code, you’ll hunt better this season. A wild turkey’s gobble can mean many things depending on intensity, timing, context, and more.
Hunters are Shooting More Old Bucks, and the Doe Harvest is Up

Mar 19, 2024 | realtree.com | Mike Hanback

Some deer hunting trends are expected, and others aren’t. For example, American hunters shot more than 3 million does in 2023-2024. Image by Bill KonwayThe National Deer Association’s 2024 Deer Report is hot off the digital press, so let’s get to the meat of it. The big news: Hunters across America are shooting more mature bucks than ever. In 2022-23, the last season for which complete state harvest records were available, 42% of the bucks shot across North America were 3½ years or older.
Why You Should Scout for Deer in January

Jan 9, 2024 | realtree.com | Mike Hanback

The best part of post-season scouting? You don’t have to sneak around and worry about spooking bucks. Image by Realtree MediaFor a week this past November, I sat in a ladder stand from which I had shot some good bucks through the years. Each day I saw deer, I noticed their travel patterns had changed — not drastically, but enough so the animals skirted my post out of muzzleloader range.