Brian Bontomase

Submitted By Brian Bontomase May 16, 2023We may earn revenue from the products available on this site and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more It was the fall of 1992 in Central PA. Archery season had just opened and I was in full anticipation of what the season held and what might transpire! It was also my … Read more

So I live in Montana in a little town just a short distance from Idaho. I finally at 37 shot my first buck in Montana and man is a big boy! I have been hunting since I was 9 but had to stop hunting when I joined the military in 2005 at age 20. Well … Read more

Submitted By Chris Blackwell Where do I begin . . . . I have a 3 month old newborn so it’s cut my hunting time way back then what I’m used to, I usually can sneak out for one hunt a week. I was able to hunt all day Saturday with no luck in the … Read more

REX’S ROOST It was 48°, pitch black and not a star in the sky, as the overnight shower finally slowed. Every raindrop dripping from the trees, sounded like a far off gunshot as it hit the wet leaf-covered forest floor. I shivered slightly because I was damp from walking in the light drizzle the mile … Read more

Submitted by Paul Zelinsky It was the last day of rifle season 2:30 in the afternoon. I was going to give up and go home. I had a disappointing season from hot, cold, rain, snow, sleet to a truck driving down the gas line where I sat one day. I figured I’d stay and I … Read more

This story is excerpted from my book 2019: One More Year In The Life Of The Luckiest Hunter Alive. Hope you enjoy it. George R Naugle I left for camp the morning of Sunday, November 10. Dave, Larry, and Crawford were also scheduled to be there. Since this week should be the peak of the … Read more

by Kelly James (Syracuse, NY) In May of this year, I lost my dad after a four year long battle with cancer. I lost many things that day, one of them being my hunting buddy that I shared many hours with in the woods, waiting and watching in hopes of seeing deer in the area … Read more

by Dan Beyer – WhiteTail Solutions (Connecticut) Dan Beyer – WhiteTail Solutions Urban Bow Hunt Well I wasn’t going to let our local forecasters spoil another hunt for me so I planned accordingly. I packed my truck with all of my archery gear, including rain gear, set the alarm clock for 4AM and sure enough…they … Read more

by Alex Digregorio (Transfer, PA, USA) Monster Mercer County PA Buck On the morning of December 5, 2008, my dad took off work while I took off school. We went over to a family property of our uncles and cousins. It was known for some big bucks. We arrived about 7:30 am. My cousin was … Read more

by Jesse Kontras (London, Oh) The day was November 13. I had hunted hard all season but to no avail. After classes in Findlay, Oh, I got in my truck and headed south to the central Ohio area. After arriving at home, I threw on my camo and headed to my stand. The wind was … Read more

by SSG Robert Soucy (Kabul, Afghanistan) I’ve been hunting deer since before I knew it. At 5 yrs old I remember waiting for word of my fathers return from his hunting trip to Vermont. When he finally pulled into the driveway with a buck on the roof of the station wagon I would leap with … Read more

by Jimmy DaSaint This story isn’t about winning a writing contest. There will be no descriptive encounters with a grey muzzled buck stepping out of a foggy mist. No, “…and I drew the glistening arrow to my anchor point and waited: one more step, come on! Just one more step!” Instead, I hope you take … Read more

by Rex Holmes, Jr (Natchez, MS) Rex Holmes,Scott & Grayson Phillips, and Wilson Burton THE MOST SPECIAL DEER HUNT EVER #2 It’s hard to believe a year has gone by since the last youth weekend in Tennessee and our participation in The Kids Hunting For A Cure event. This hunt was just as special as … Read more

by Larry Oakley (Kingston, Ontario) Inside The Wild “We kill them because we love them.” At that early age I had not yet isolated the fact, although I had seen it’s signs, that hunting is a lonely sport, that a hunter is essentially a lonely man, more often than a “lone” man; and the bigger … Read more

by Mathew Oloughlin(Miami, Texas) Whitetail Deer And Mule Deer With Locked Antlers Hello, I found two deer locked together by their antlers. One happens to be a whitetail & the other is a mule deer! I am trying to find out how rare of a find this truly is? I have asked all kinds of … Read more

Mark Shepard Mark Shepard Pro Bass Fisherman, Avid Hunter & Master Guide A Guiding Life: Living, Fishing and Hunting the American Dream, by Mark Shepard with Phil Fragasso, was published on September 1. The back cover of the book describes Mark and his story like this: Part Ernest Hemingway, part Grizzly Adams, and part downhome … Read more

by Denver R.Crouch (Salt Lick Ky.Bath Co.) I’ve been a die hard compound bow hunter for 29 yrs but, due to shoulder replacement surgery on July 26, 2010 I thought my 2010 deer season would be lost. But after talking it over with my Surgeon he gave me the OK to use a crossbow, which … Read more

Great Big Bucks on the Rosebud By Scott Winston Use caution if you decide to hunt the great big bucks on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Caution, not in the sense that you will find yourself in danger, but caution, in that the mystique of this country will take root in your soul … Read more

by richard burton (haleyville,al) I have lived in Winston County 45 years. I spent20 years hunting deer in Pickens on 500 acres that was a dear paradise! I sold my interest in that land and now hunt exclusively on 200 acres that I own in Winston County, between Haleyville and Double Springs. My farm is … Read more

by emily (Westchester, NY) I live in the suburbs of Northern Westchester, and my property adjoins Blue Mountain Reservation. I saw two big black cat sightings in the past few months, as well as a mountain lion or cougar on my driveway. The big black cats looked like black panthers. One was walking into the … Read more

by LW Oakley (Kingston, Ontario) You are often alone, silent and still while hunting in the cold, grey November woods. Being alone with your thoughts in a dark secretive place gradually heightens your sense of awareness. You see leaves flickering gold and red and yellow as a gentle breeze passes through the trees above you. … Read more

by Jay (Fort Worth, Texas) I have been waiting for my elk hunt at Banded Peak Ranch Outfitters since last September when I had to leave Colorado earlier than expected to make it home for my anniversary. I obviously got married before I became addicted to elk hunting, since my anniversary is September 20. My … Read more

by Dewaine Waak (Honey Grove, TX) First Deer,,, Wow I started chasing whitetails in 1972, I suffered from “buck fever” early on, my dad tried to work with me to calm down and concentrate on a target, instead of just seeing the rack. He had taken several bucks and was proficient at getting his deer … Read more

by Tired of Ohio Public Land Hunting (Muskingum County, Ohio) Every year, it never fails, we follow, we watch , we address all problems that we can control and think that might happen in the places we hunt, which is Ohio public land. In yes, the hottest places in Ohio, Muskingum County, Coshocton County and … Read more

by Patrick Marion (Carthage,NC,USA) Hi my name is Patrick Marion I just got back from Ohio where i stuck a huge 10 point. It was the afternoon of nov.5 and  I was hunting public land in Vintion Ohio. I was siting on the edge of a cutover and open woods with a hard funnel for … Read more

by Jeff Schlehofer (Sugar Grove, Il, Kane) Illinois Trophy Buck John was kind enough to let me share with you a parcel of property that I have owned for over 1