hunting strategy

NDA’s Best Late-Season Deer Hunting Advice

Dec 17, 2025 NDA Staff

The late days of hunting season are a challenging time to fill deer tags. Deer are moving less as the rut becomes a memory. They’re wary and elusive after weeks of dodging hunters. Meanwhile, we…

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Don’t Be Afraid to Call an Audible When Hunting Mature Bucks

Nov 12, 2025 Cole Gander

For many hunters across the whitetail’s range, the rut represents the best time to be in the deer woods and provides the best opportunity all season to fill a tag on a mature buck. Buck…

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Deer Hunting Tips from a Master Naturalist: Listen to Other Wildlife

Sep 18, 2024 Elizabeth Kligge

Earlier this year, I sat down with professional naturalist and Maine guide Dan Gardoqui. He practices a technique, familiar to indigenous people worldwide, called bird language. This practice develops a deeper awareness of the environment…

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6 Tips for Designing Small Deer Hunting Food Plots

Jan 31, 2024 Mark Turner

I’ll bet you realized a passion for land management when you planted a small food plot for the first time. Whether you are just starting to learn about food plots or have been planting for…

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Rutcations Give Deer All the Advantages. Can They Still Work?

Feb 8, 2023 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

As I write this, I’ve just completed a week-long “rutcation.” Aside from a chance to fill a buck tag and enjoy a rejuvenating soak in the deer woods, such time helps me generate new writing…

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Top Soft Mast Species for Early Season Deer Attraction by Region

Aug 3, 2022 Cheyne Matzenbacher

Early hunting season can be a bountiful time in the deer woods if you do your homework, scout, and know where to place your stand or blind for a better shot opportunity. One of the…

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3 Keys to Late Season Deer-Hunting Success

Jan 5, 2022 Nick Pinizzotto

My heart sank as the snow crushed loudly under my boots when I was approaching my stand. The temperature was supposed to rise into the low 40s overnight, and I expected melting snow to soften…

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A Secret Weapon for Post-Rut Bucks: Red Oaks

Dec 1, 2021 Moriah Boggess

It was mid-December 2020 in southern Indiana, and my deer season was slipping through my fingers. After two hard months of hunting and over a hundred miles put on my boots, my buck tag was…

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The Importance of In-Season Scouting

Nov 9, 2021 Brian Grossman

Not having the deer season you had hoped for? Carve out some time for in-season scouting. By locating the most recent sign, you’ll be back in the game and on your way to a successful…

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5 Easy-to-Miss Details of Deer Hunting Success

Oct 20, 2021 Brian Grossman

If there’s one thing I’ve learned during my 30-plus year quest to become a better deer hunter, it’s that finding a mature buck on a large tract of public land isn’t the difficult part. it’s…

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