Hunting & Shooting

Seasons, safety, marksmanship, gear and the conservation that pays for all of it.

GuideWes Dunbar20 Sept 20263 min

The four rules, and why experienced shooters break them first

Every firearms accident is a violation of at least two of these. It's almost never the beginner.

What your hunting license actually pays for

The duck stamp, the excise tax on your ammo and the tag you never filled all feed one system. Worth knowing how it works before you complain about the price.

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20265 min

What to do in the thirty seconds after your dog points

Your setter locks up forty yards out in waist-high grass. Everything that matters about upland hunting happens in the next half minute.

Ask BRO

Rewrite my CV so it actually gets read

Ask it

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Wear the harness, and stay clipped in the whole way up

Most stand falls don't happen while you're sitting. They happen in the fifteen seconds nobody thinks about, and that's fixable.

Dude.com — 16 advisers who listen, talk and pray with you

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6 min read

Calling Coyotes Without Losing Your Permission

Coyotes come in fast, from the wrong side, and usually behind you. The harder part is still the guy who owns the gate.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20265 min

Pick a bow that fits you, then shoot it all summer

Draw length beats arrow speed, 60 pounds beats 70, and the archer who shoots ten good arrows a day in July is the one who fills a tag in October.

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Pattern the gun, learn one call, then sit still

Spring gobblers are won on a paper target in March and lost by a hunter who moves at 9:40 a.m. Everything else is detail.

Delicious.com — Nine thousand recipes and a plan for tonight

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GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Your freezer is where most venison actually gets ruined

You did everything right in the field. Then the meat sat in a bad bag at 10 degrees for eight months. Here's how to keep a season's worth eating well.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next fortnight.

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Shot Placement Starts At The Front Leg, Not The Shoulder

Where the heart and lungs actually sit on a deer, an elk and a bear, and why the advice you were given at deer camp puts holes in the wrong place.

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Applying for limited tags without burning a decade of points

Draw odds, point creep, deadlines and the money you front — how to build an application plan that actually puts you on a mountain.

Ask BRO

Give me something to do with my kids this weekend

Ask it

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Brush the blind, cut the spread, fix the waders

Ducks don't care how many decoys you own. They care about your face, your shadow and where the wind is putting them.

GermProof.com — An invisible germ barrier on your skin for hours

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GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Retake the hunter safety course you already passed

Your certificate never expires. Your habits do, and the field day is still the best few hours in hunting.

Poll

How often do you see your closest friends?

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

The first hour of light is decided in August

Most whitetail stands fail before daylight, and almost always for the same three reasons. Fix them while it's still hot out.

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20265 min

Cooking venison so your kids ask for seconds

Most "gamey" deer meat is just overcooked deer meat. Fix the temperature, fix the fat, and dinner stops being a debate.

PartnerDude.com

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20265 min

Rabbit and squirrel teach you more than a deer tag ever will

Cheap ammo, long seasons, and enough repetitions to actually get good. Small game is where a hunter gets made.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

5 min

Wind Beats Every Bottle In Your Pack

6 min

Aim at the crease, not behind the shoulder

Ask BRO

Plan a cook for eight people

Ask it

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Waders Leak Where You Kneel, and Other Marsh Lessons

How to brush a blind that birds don't read, set a spread with a real landing hole, and stay dry enough to still be there at 10 a.m.

PartnerDude.com

6 min read

Buy the Bow You Can Draw in December

Most bowhunting problems start at the counter with too much draw weight, and every one of them shows up in October. Here's how to fit a bow and build a summer that fixes it.

Poll

How often do you see your closest friends?

Older articles

Hunting & Shooting

The four rules, and why experienced shooters break them first

The Wind Beats Every Scent Spray in the Store

When the blood runs out, the tracking job starts

How to load, clean and hunt a muzzleloader without guessing

Black bear hunting, the bait argument and what to do with the meat

Your first elk hunt is decided four months before opening day

What your hunting license actually pays for

What to do in the thirty seconds after your dog points

Wear the harness, and stay clipped in the whole way up

Calling Coyotes Without Losing Your Permission

Pick a bow that fits you, then shoot it all summer

Pattern the gun, learn one call, then sit still

Your freezer is where most venison actually gets ruined

Shot Placement Starts At The Front Leg, Not The Shoulder

Applying for limited tags without burning a decade of points

Brush the blind, cut the spread, fix the waders

Retake the hunter safety course you already passed

The first hour of light is decided in August

Cooking venison so your kids ask for seconds

Rabbit and squirrel teach you more than a deer tag ever will

Wind Beats Every Bottle In Your Pack

Aim at the crease, not behind the shoulder

Waders Leak Where You Kneel, and Other Marsh Lessons

Buy the Bow You Can Draw in December