The Total Deer Hunter Manual ─ 301 Hunting Skills You Need

From Field & Stream magazine’s deer-hunting experts, the authors of the Whitetail 365 blog on fieldandstream.com demystify everything the modern hunter needs to know. For bow-hunters, traditional rifle-shooters, shotgun and muzzleloader hunters, and more, this is the one book you need to get the buck of your dreams.

Whether you spend all year plotting and preparing for your ultimate whitetail season, or just enjoy a few hunting trips a year with your buddies, this is the book you need. Hundreds of field-tested tips from Field & Stream’s deer-hunting experts cover tips and tricks from America’s best hunting guides and their own decades of experience, including:

SHOOT BETTER With detailed exercises and advice for bow-hunters as well as rifle and shotgun users, this book takes you out on the range and into the woods, with what you need to bring home a trophy buck instead of a lame excuse.

PLAN ALL YEAR What do you do when deer season ends? Stow your gear, mount your trophies, and start planning for next year. Here’s how to plot your hunting grounds, plant the food deer love, and upgrade your equipment.

TRACK LIKE A PRO Where do deer live? What do they eat? How do they behave during the all-importnant rut season? You may think you know the answers to these questions, but the latest research and unusual historical wisdom will surprise you—and make you a better hunter.

Contents Include:
All About Deer
Where Deer Live
The Latest Whitetail Science
Cover Your Scent
What Deer Eat
Reading Rubs
Tracking Secrets
Know Your Rut
Myths Debunked
Find Big Bucks
. . . and more about how to find and understand your prey

365 Planning
Winter Scouting
Build Your Stand
Plan a Food Plot
Make a Mineral Lick
Put in Ponds
Use a Trail Camera
Use Google Earth to Scout Land
Read the Wind
Make a Hunting Journal
Buy the Best Rifle
Improve Accuracy
Use a Shotgun
Muzzleloaders for Old-School Hunters
Learn the Longbow
The Crossbow Revolution
Compound Bow Basics
. . . and dozens more ways to spend the off-season

The Hunt
Early-Season Tactics
Bow-hunt with a Buddy
Use a Decoy
Rattle and Call
Get into a Stand
Hunt the October Lull
Chase Down Your Deer
Plan an Ambush
Hunt in High Wind
Still-Hunt Right
Walk Quietly in Deep Woods
Hunt from a Canoe
Late-Season Hunts
Spot and Stalk
Recover from a Bad Shot
Haul Your Deer
Butchering Tips
Mount a Trophy

Scott Bestul is a Field Editor for Field & Stream and has been with the magazine since 1993. The author of two books and a widely published freelance writer, Bestul has hunted whitetails in 16 states, with bow, shotgun, muzzleloader and rifle. The Wisconsin native now makes his home in the rugged bluff country of southeastern Minnesota with his wife Shari and teenage twins Brooke and Bailey.

Dave Hurteau is a Senior Editor for Field & Stream magazine, specializing in deer hunting, bow hunting, and shooting in general. He was a contributor to the recent Total Gun Manual and the editor of F&S’s “Gun Nuts” content. He lives in upstate New York with his wife and two sons, and hunts whitetails as often as he can.