In Minnesota’s vast public land regions of the north, the prospect of connecting on a chocolate-horned bruiser buck can feel a tad daunting. The seemingly endless rugged landscape of interwoven aspen, balsam, beaver ponds, clearcuts, alders, and swampland make it difficult to even know where to begin. The northern regions of Minnesota hold fewer deer per square mile than the agriculture country so it goes without saying that it takes great effort and mettle to find success as a hunter. For many of us, this magical landscape, where wolves roam like shadows and ghosts of whipsaw loggers beckons us each fall with the visions of that dark-horned buck. Although this region intimidates many, there are ways to tip the odds in your favor this fall. One overlooked area that doesn’t get the attention it deserves is the ash swale. 

Read more ...

MDHA is committed to preserving our hunting heritage, promoting habitat education as well as building and protecting habitat to benefit deer and deer hunters in Minnesota. The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association Hides for Habitat program is a recycling program that turns donated deer hides into dollars to be used for habitat. Since 1985, MDHA’s Hides for Habitat program has aided MDHA in our commitment with the collection of 1,002,953 donated deer hides to raise over $5.8 million dollars. 

Read more ...

For decades, hunters and biologists have speculated and analyzed what really instigates and dictates the whitetails’ rut. Is it really the moon phase, or a combination of environmental and biological factors? Is the rut simply blueprinted by estrous females and their genetics; and what about those individual bucks that seem to be ahead of the ball game – dominating the whole playing field – even before does are receptive? Beside testosterone, a buck’s personal attitude also has a strong influence on its ability to successfully rut…..

Read more ...

These are a great starter or appetizer for any meal – you will not believe how good these are! This recipe is better with a darker meat like doves or pigeon, but you can also use pheasant, small guinea hens, goose or duck. If using pheasant, keep the pieces to about 1-inch thick. You are just trying to cover the date or fig with meat. One thing I need to try is a small piece of goat cheese to add another layer of flavor to this recipe. 

Read more ...

An old hunting buddy of mine pulled up in his pickup last spring when he saw me snowshoeing out of the woods on a sunny March day. He cut right to the chase as his window cracked open, “WHERE THE BLAZES ARE THE DEER?!” I shook my head and said “We might as well be chasing white elephants!” 

Read more ...

Like many of you, my eagerness for targeting mature “Northwoods” whitetail bucks has grown tremendously over the past several years. Although I have always had an unwavering passion for whitetail hunting, growing up hunting farmland deer in the Bertha-Hewitt area since 1998, though I still hunt there from time to time, the challenge of tracking down these tough, free-roaming deer in the North has me captivated. These elusive animals are like an entirely different breed of bucks altogether. 

Read more ...