The Total Deer Hunter Manual (Field & Stream): 301 Hunting Skills You Should Know

by Scott Bestul, David Hurteau

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 bowhunters, traditional rifle-shoots, 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,

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.

Selected chapters
-Get a Grip on Deer Senses
-Track the Rut
-Break Down Your Deer Season
-Be a Mountain Man
-Learn 5 Lockdown Secrets
-Field Dress a Buck in Minutes
-Analyze Whitetail Anatomy

Genres: Horror, How To

256 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2013

Reviews

[Elizabeth Tuecke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have basically zero experience on the subject, so maybe don't listen to me haha, but personally, this book seemed to kinda lay out a bunch of stuff you could learn from a couple hours of YT. I appreciated it, it was enjoyable, but you could also just watch the videos.

[Cory · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and gained significant deer hunting knowledge. I plan to keep a copy on my bookshelf to reference in the years to come.

[Will Dole · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable and informative read. Sometimes the tips contradict one another, but such is the nature of wisdom literature: let the reader understand that right application all depends on the circumstance.

The last tip, on using beef fat instead of pork fat in your venison burger, is absolutely correct. Did that this year and it was an absolute game changer. Better flavor and freedom to cook rare.

I also enjoyed all the tracking and stalking tips.

[Mercey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this non fiction, deer hunting book. It has tons of great pictures, really explains the routes, methods, and tips and tricks to use for best hunting success. It also has a ton of research-based practices and some that even prove that older practices that many hunters have been using for decades are not exactly the best methods.

[Carson L · Rating 5 out of 5]

i like it

[Jerrod · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am very thankful for the Socastee Library here in Myrtle Beach. This was a good read, it solidified many of the ideas that I was taught as a child but lost of the many years between then and now in which I did not hunt. I have retained many of the skills and even continued their practice through the years despite not being a hunter. The book reads like a magazine published into book form. It was quick and ideal for many sittings and or flying through in a block of time. It did not get lost in long chapters, so much as I could tell the most important skills were based on how often they were spoken about. Five Star Primer text, not necessarily a deer hunters bible, but this would make a great coffee table book as much as a present to a young hunter.
Learn to think like your prey: stay cool, well fed, hidden.
Learn to stalk as your prey would not expect: death from above, the shadows, are you a deer?
Know the wind and where it carries your scent.
Know when to not act like a hunter...

[Mark Schleier · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars only because it wasn't all inclusive. As in, when you finally shoot the deer, the sections weren't very detailed. Eg. How to make sure you deer is dead once you find it, what to do if, hunting regulations, etc.

[Gavin Emmert]

i like the book

[Jacob]

I thought this was a very good book. It had a lot of information, not only about the deer but other things as well. They also made it make sense.

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

let's just go ahead and call this what it is: "The Total WHITETAIL Deer Hunter Manual"