Don't wait until the early season bucks hit the field in the evening, the best place to kill one is before they step into the open By Bernie Barringer The buck in my spotting scope was not a giant by any means. His thick, stubby 10-point frame would maybe go 130 tops....

Getting bears to hit your baits is just the first step; keeping them there is another step. Heed this advice to increase your odds of success. By Bernie Barringer I’m convinced the most important factor in shooting a bear over bait for us DIY bear hunters is getting...

By Bernie Barringer My first bowhunting road trip was a complete bust. In my defense, it took place more than 20 years ago, so I didn’t have the advantage of Google Earth, a scouting camera or looking at the weather on my smartphone. I basically went in blind, and my...

By Bernie Barringer I’d found this spot the previous year but I didn’t hunt it correctly. The location was a narrow stretch of trees connecting two larger woodlots along the banks of a large river. The area surrounding it was a couple hundred acres of tall native...

by Bernie Barringer A road trip to a new area on a DIY public land hunt can be very intimidating. Consider these ten points that will up your odds of success. The clashing of antlers in the creek bottom set my heart to pounding. I quickly put my binoculars up to my...

This was truly an amazing hunt in an amazing place. Spot & Stalk black bear hunting with a bow is a tall challenge. I shot the 43rd bear I saw in 6 days of hunting. By Bernie Barringer What makes a dream trip for a die-hard bear hunter? I suppose a dream trip is...

Supplemental minerals have many benefits to the deer in your area, including some that most hunters are not aware of. By Bernie Barringer These days, it seems that everyone wants bucks with big antlers on their property. The sellers of mineral supplements have fed...

Don’t put your scouting cameras away after the season! Here’s a calendar showing where your cameras should be placed throughout the year to help you learn more about the deer and increase your odds of bagging a big one next season. By Bernie Barringer Once thought of...

By Bernie Barringer I found my first shed antler--a six-point right side--in 1979 while setting raccoon traps on a public hunting area in Northern Iowa. I was fascinated by what I found, partly because I had never seen a giant buck like that in person, and partly...

By Bernie Barringer My first bowhunting road trip was in 1993. I was living in Iowa and I travelled to northern Minnesota to bowhunt. Figure that one out. Iowa didn’t even have a nonresident deer season at that time. Today, about 20,000 applicants vie for the 6,000...