Fall Muskie Tactics: Why Bigger Baits Win Before Freeze

Muskies feed hardest in the weeks before a lake locks up, and if you want the biggest fish of your life, this is the window to target. The reason is biological: muskies carry an innate urgency to feed heavily and store body fat to survive winter, and that drive often overrides their usual caution...

By James Chen •

Why Mrrping to Stop a Buck Might Cost You the Shot

Stopping a walking buck with a mouth bleat or a “mrrp” before you shoot has become one of the most widely repeated moves in whitetail hunting. You’ve seen it on every hunting show: a buck walks the edge of a food plot, the hunter makes a soft sound, the deer freezes broadside, a...

By James Chen •

TFB Review: Pulsar Thermion 3 LRF XT60 - 1280 HD in a 30mm Tube

The Pulsar Thermion 3 LRF XT60 is a 1280x1024 HD thermal riflescope with a built-in 1,200 m (1,312 yd) laser rangefinder. This is Pulsar’s new flagship thermal, made for hunters who want serious night capability in something that mounts, looks and handles like a classic 30 mm scope. After a...

By Eric B •

Why You Keep Missing Doves and Ducks

Early-season wingshooting humbles experienced hunters as much as newcomers. Birds slip through untouched, the shells pile up, and frustration builds. The culprit is rarely bad luck. Most misses trace back to a handful of repeatable mistakes, and each one has a fix you can work on before you ever ...

By James Chen •

TFB Review: ATN ThOR 6 Mini 384 3.5-28x Thermal Scope

I love a thermal that can pull double duty as a riflescope or a handheld, and the  ATN ThOR 6 Mini 384 3.5-28x  is built small enough to do both. ATN packs a 384x288 sensor and a 35 mm lens into a scope that measures 7.48 inches and weighs 1.19 pounds. Its minimum advertised price (MAP)...

By TFB Staff •

Three Mule Deer Hunts That Taught Me the Hard Way

Every hunter remembers the bucks they tagged. But the hunts that teach the most are usually the ones that fall apart. Michael “Micky” Luby puts it plainly: the hunts he botched outright shaped him far more than the successful ones ever did. Steven Rinella made a similar point when he ...

By James Chen •

TFB Review: ATN ThOR 6 Elite LRF 640 3-24x Thermal Scope

Seeing an animal at night is half the job. Knowing how far away it is decides the shot. The  ATN ThOR 6 Elite LRF 640 3-24x  handles both from one eyepiece. It pairs a 640x512 thermal sensor and 50 mm lens with a laser rangefinder that reads out to 1,000 meters. ATN has also cut its min...

By TFB Staff •

How a Homebound Buck Betrayed a 287-Pound South Carolina Giant

The lesson in this story concerns deer behavior, and it is one you can put to work on your own ground. Archibald Rutledge held that an old buck keeps a home range he loves, and that even after being run out, shot at, or wounded, he returns to that home within a week or ten […] The post How ...

By James Chen •
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