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Extreme Success It’s no secret that food sources can be hotspots right after a snowstorm. But dealing with the varied weather extremes Mother Nature can dish out during the tag end of the season can be a lot more complicated. If you’ve booked time off or only have weekends free, you can’t wait for perfect weather. You need to adapt both where you hunt and your strategy to whitetails’ weather-influenced movement patterns. Here’s a guide to hunting tactics for eight extreme late-season weather conditions. 1. Heavy Snowfall/Blizzard You have three options here: • Hunt before it hits. Deer know when storms are coming, and they feed heavily six to 18 hours before heavy snows set in. Leave work early, take a...

Fall turkey hunting is full of action, particularly for those hunters who love to call a lot, and with hens legal virtually everywhere fall hunting is allowed, it is a great chance to get even with those birds that seem to foil a good share of your springtime attempts at tagging a big gobbler. Try the following strategies for a can’t-fail day of hunting. 1. Forget the BreakRead any article or talk to any fall turkey hunter and a lot of strategy at this time of year revolves around busting up a flock of birds before calling them back to you. Turkeys, particularly jakes and jennies, are eager to hang out with other birds in the fall. Upon being scattered,...

Fall is a nice time of year in the Midwest. Fall sports are back, trees change colors, and if it was a hot summer, the cooler temperatures feel nice. It’s also the time of year when hunters begin venturing into the woods. According to the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, more than 87 million Americans hunt, fish, and enjoy wildlife-related recreation annually. Combined, these activities generate more than $120 billion for the U.S. economy and support almost three million jobs. Whether you’re a gun collector, sport-shooting enthusiast, or hunter, here are some safety tips to keep yourself and others safe. Communication is key. Whether or not you own a gun, talking to your kids about gun safety is an...

Properly Aging a Whitetail Buck Properly aging a whitetail buck is something that takes time, practice and good optics. While determining a buck’s age before pulling the trigger is starting to become more commonplace in the deer woods nationwide, there are still far too many that should walk for another few years to achieve maximum antler growth being shot. This isn’t necessarily the fault of the hunter, but rather a lack of education about how to judge a buck’s age. Bucks are often on the move, especially during the rut, and can sometimes be hard to identify as a shooter or a passer. Insert dense hardwoods into this equation and the judging can be downright difficult. Aside from young hunters,...

You’ve still got plenty of time left this year to pack your camper or tent and hit the road for a few days of peace and quiet. The west side of Montana has some beautiful places to set up camp, and each of these spots sees travelers arrive well into autumn.     1. Finley Point State Park You’ll find Finley Point State Park on the south side of Flathead Lake. It’s nestled in a secluded Ponderosa pine forest, so you’ll feel like you’re far from civilization. There are 16 RV campsites, two primitive walk-in campsites and plenty of places to pitch a tent. The campground also has a marina with boat slips available, vault toilets, a day use picnic...