Deer

Jump shooting bucks consists of walking at a moderate pace trying to roust out a buck and drop it as it gets up or loads its legs to take its first jump.

After nearly 30 years of dreaming about it, I finally got to experience my first Texas deer hunt recently, and it did not disappoint. It was everything I'd imagined and then some. If you too are dreaming of a whitetail hunt in the Lone Star State, here's what you need to know.

Most hunters who have pursued whitetails for more than a season or two have learned what "staging areas" are.

I have been hunting for about 12 years now and truly enjoy every minute of it.

Giving up on the rut is one of the biggest mistakes a deer hunter can make. And, it happens all the time.

The late fall is my favorite time to get outside with the camera. Being a wildlife photographer, the whitetail rut holds a special place in my heart. To see big bucks vigorously chase does, mark territory, and scrap with their peers is always amazing to witness — and even better to capture on film.

Most hunters firmly believe that pressured whitetails head deep into the dark forests, duck into the thickest brush found there, and hunker down and wait it out until hunting season passes. Being smart beasts (as nature intended), the deer know you'll be looking for them there, so they've moved.