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

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, 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.

Selected chapters include:
-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

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.