May Issue | Est. 2019

Author: Dakota Jennings

Panoramic illustration of late-season hunting: snow geese over corn stubble, whitetail on a frosty ridge, hog and coyote in southern marsh, elk and mule deer on snowy high-country saddle, with gear in the foreground

Overview of Late-Season Hunting Opportunities Across the U.S.

This article lays out practical tactics, gear checks, and legal reminders to extend your hunting season across different U.S. regions. It breaks down what species to hunt, where they concentrate in late fall and winter, and the safety and regulatory steps needed to do it legally and safely.

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Muted watercolor-and-ink scene of a mature whitetail buck moving through bare Southern Appalachian hardwoods in late winter with acorns, rubs, tracks, rhododendron thickets and a trail camera on a tree

Reading Late-Winter Food Sources to Find Whitetails

This article explains how to pattern whitetail deer in the Southern Appalachians during late winter by reading remaining food sources, scouting sign, and timing feeding windows. It covers regional food maps, using trail cameras and glassing to confirm movement, practical stand and exit choices, and a plant ID cheat sheet to find deer in bare timber.

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Vintage-style flat-lay photo of laminated license sleeve with blank cards, phone, notebook, pocketknife and binoculars on a frost-dusted wooden table

2026 Winter Hunting and Fishing License Requirements to Know

This article summarizes recent fee and rule changes affecting hunting and fishing licenses in Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia for winter 2026, and highlights the growing use of digital licenses while noting when printed backups are still smart. It offers a state-by-state primer, a practical checklist for buying and displaying licenses, and simple compliance habits (harvest reporting, tagging, residency proof) to avoid fines and stay legal.

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Vintage watercolor-style winter prairie with coyote in distance, fence row and simple hunting gear on snow

Setting Up for Coyote Hunts During Open Winter Season

A compact guide to hunting coyotes in open winter country, focusing on simple scouting, a rugged cold-weather kit, short effective calling scripts, and repeatable setups. It stresses controlling wind, keeping calling sessions brief, and prioritizing safety and legality while hunting fence rows, gullies, and creek bottoms where coyotes concentrate.

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Vintage watercolor and pen-and-ink illustration of rabbit and squirrel tracks in fresh snow with bed site, feeding sign, and winter tracking gear

Tracking Rabbits and Squirrels in the Snow

This piece teaches how to distinguish rabbit and squirrel tracks in snow, read movement and pause patterns, and use those clues to locate bed sites and feeding runs. It also lists essential winter gear and step-by-step tactics for quiet, safe tracking and recovery in cold conditions. Practical safety reminders and small-game ethics are woven throughout to keep outings productive and responsible.

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Muted watercolor illustration of a Southern Appalachian January scene: deer tracks in snow leading past a packed rucksack to a bedded mature buck at the edge of laurel thickets on a frosty ridgeline.

Late-Season Deer Hunting Tactics for January

This article outlines where mature bucks hold in January across the Southern Appalachians, which post-rut tactics still produce results, and how snow and freezing temperatures change tracking and recovery. It concludes with a practical cold-weather gear and safety checklist to keep hunts productive and safe.

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Vintage watercolor-style scene of a late-winter woodland with a bright early-green patch, a whitetail deer feeding nearby, a trail camera on a tree and an empty ladder stand

Food Sources Deer Key on After a Warm Snap

This article explains how short late‑winter warm spells create concentrated patches of early green that attract deer and how to exploit that window. It covers which plants green up first, where those patches show on the landscape, simple fast‑scouting methods (cameras, glassing, sign), and easy stand placements that respect scent and thermals.

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Ink-and-watercolor style landscape of Southern Appalachian ridge with brassica plot, oak flat and deer bedded on a south-facing bench showing post-season feeding and bedding behavior

What Deer Do After Gun Season Ends

After gun season bucks and does tighten movement ranges, concentrating near food and thermal bedding as they recover from the rut. The article explains where deer hold (oak flats, brassica plots, south-facing benches), how timing shifts with pressure and weather, and gives habitat and scouting actions to improve post-season hunting and herd health.

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Muted watercolor and ink sketch of a December hollow with a cottontail in a crusted snow run and a canvas game bag on a stump

Rabbit Hunting in Deep December

This guide explains where cottontails concentrate in deep December, practical still‑hunting and ambush tactics for frozen runs and crusted snow, and the clothing and kit that keep you effective in bitter weather. It also covers quick field‑processing, simple recipe ideas, and safety and legal reminders to make late‑season rabbit hunting productive and safe.

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Mature whitetail buck walking a daylight game trail in Appalachian hardwoods with visible rubs, a scrape, a strapped trail camera, and a distant ladder stand in soft morning light

The Myth of the Nocturnal Buck

This piece debunks the blanket claim that mature bucks are strictly nocturnal, explaining that deer shift day/night activity in response to hunting pressure, biology (rut, energy needs), weather, and food availability. It gives practical, Appalachian-tested scouting methods, stand-placement rules, and four scenario-based checklists so hunters can adapt sits to what deer are actually doing on their ground.

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