Raised Hunting

The countdown is on for getting out and chasing turkeys. With some turkey season for some states getting ready to open in March, we wanted to share our ideal turkey tactics for opening day with you all! We break down our scouting methods, ideal blind and decoy setups, and offer tips for hunting pesky pressured birds as the season progresses. Whether you're turkey hunting with a bow or a shotgu...

With the weather heating up here in Iowa, our anticipation for turkey season is growing! We're starting to see more birds getting active and even hearing early gobbles ring out in the mornings. With turkey season in Iowa still just over a month away, it's time for us to start thinking about our setups and tactics. From scouting with trail cameras to bow and blind setups, to shot placement,...

As hunters, we've all asked ourselves this question at some point: am I hunting too hard? Conversely, we may wonder, am I not hunting hard enough? Whether it's chasing a target buck, embarking on an out-of-state hunting trip, or simply searching for a massive shed, there's a fine balance between pushing oneself and avoiding burnout. This topic was sparked by a discussion between David...

With spring around the corner, we're approaching one of our favorite times of the year: turkey season! Nothing beats getting set in the morning and hearing gobbles ring out in every direction. Whether you're hunting with a shotgun or a bow, turkey hunting still provides one heck of a rush! However, certain states have seen a major hit and decline in their turkey populations over the years....

To us here at Raised Hunting, this is one of our favorite times of the year—it's finally shed season! There is something about walking through the woods and finding a pile of sheds that is just so satisfying, especially if you find the sheds from your target buck. Whether it's on your own ground or public land, sheds are hitting the ground, and it's time to get walking. Today, we have...

If given the opportunity, many hunters will go into the deer season with a target buck in mind. It may be a buck you have a history with; it could be your biggest buck to date, or it could be a new buck that piques your interest. Many of these opportunities come from hunting private land and deer management. Could it be possible to consistently kill a target buck every year on public hunting groun...

As bow hunters, we are always eager for an opportunity to get out and shoot, refining our form – akin to a hitter stepping into the cage for some tee work. For some, it's as simple as heading into the backyard and shooting at a bag target. Others prefer 3D target courses. We often engage in both, especially when sighting in a new bow. The real question is: How beneficial can a 3D course be for...

In today's age of hunting, a good chunk of private property can be hard to come by, especially for deer hunting. If you have private ground to hunt, whether it is permission, owned, or leased, then you may be looking to try and manage your herd population. You may know some of the neighbors, but not all of them. You walk out to the stand one morning ready for a sit and notice a stand right on...

With the case currently unfolding in Ohio, poaching has become a major conversation in the hunting world. Each year thousands of hunter across the U.S. lose opportunities to harvest incredible animals due to poachers. Many cases come across Fish and Game Departments each year and will continue to do so. The majority of states sentence poachers with heavy fines that can range upwards of $30,000. Th...

There are those days in a hunter's life, where they wake up and get a feeling deep down. You start walking to you stand, and your hair stands up on end. The feeling that drives your mind and tells you that today is the day you kill your buck. Whether the wind is just right, the temperature is perfect, your stand is in the perfect spot, or you just begin to get that feeling that the hunt will g...

For us whitetail hunters, one of the most exciting things to us is hunting a new piece of ground. We take the time to get it set up, hunt it, and harvest the first buck off that ground with a huge sense of pride. For some hunters, especially new ones, the main challenge with a new piece of ground is where to start. How do you scout? What should you be looking for to tell you deer are on your prope...

The times are changing to the future, even in the hunting world. Technology is continuing to make it's impact on the outdoors. A major piece of that puzzle is the use of drones, mainly for recovering your deer. The use of thermal drones has been a hot topic in the hunting conversation for good reason. While the theory behind their use can be incredibly beneficial, there are also some negative...

When you have been deer hunting for many years, you begin to pick up on a lot small details in the woods. Some major details that some hunters both old and new still miss, can come from the animal that they are hunting. Whitetails can be meticulous creatures when it comes to their body language. Their posture, tail movements, and reactions to surrounds, can potentially be the one factor that makes...

Well folks, it is that time of year, bow season for whitetails here in Iowa has come to a close. Although, it wouldn't be a normal bow season if we didn't have it come down to the wire to fill a tag. On December 1st, the final day of the season, Easton AKA "Mr. Deercember", was able to punch his tag on an absolute stud! This makes it three bucks now for Easton in the closing days...

Last week we broke down a study, discussing the breakdown of whitetail genetics. We asked the question, does culling your bucks truly benefit or hurt your herd potential in the future! This week we took a deeper dive into which bucks do hunters normally cull while trying to manage their deer. What traits do you look for in a "cull buck"? What age are you shooting them? These were the mos...

In the deer hunting world, it is safe to say many if not all of us, have heard of a buck referred to as a "cull buck". They are your bucks that typically never get bigger racks, have flaws in their racks or themselves year after year, or simply just a deer you kill as a management deer. What if we told you that these bucks could have the potential to be the father of the next world recor...

With the rut truly in full swing in Iowa, we have been seeing bucks going crazy! So what does that mean if you are gunning for your target buck? Trying to pin him down can be a nightmare, but it can still be done. We wanted to break down hunts we have had in past seasons for our big targets and hone in on strategies that paid off. From hunting water during hot weather, to sitting only one stand, t...

"Sweet November'' started off with a bang! Warren with a sit on November 1st arrowed the biggest deer in Raised Hunting history! The deer we know as "BG" strolled by at 8 yards and that was all she wrote. With the rut in full swing in Iowa, getting into your stand can be tricky. We wanted to breakdown some strategies we have used to access our stands in sticky situations dur...

This is the time that every deer hunting gets excited for! This is the time where the most bucks are on their feet, and your adrenaline is at an all time high! We are getting into the rut ladies and gentleman! All the chaos, madness, prime hunting is about to get underway. We wanted to break down for you guys our top tips of hunting the rut and the days leading up to it. With it being Halloween an...

Your target buck comes out with 10 minutes left of light, but he is out of bow range. What would you do? Would you grunt at him or let him walk and wait for another opportunity? You have an up and comer walk right under your stand while you are trying to manage your population. You know he may have a chance to grow another year, but there is a big chance that the neighbor could get to him first. A...

We have all heard other hunters talk about the "myths" of deer hunting. Many say that hunting mornings in early October is a waste of time. Many say a deer won't do the same thing twice. You may even hear hunters talk about how the fazes of the moon effect deer movement. Well, what do you believe? On this episode we wanted to sit down and debate which myths are facts, and which ones...

When it comes to recovering your deer, a lot of factors can play a major roll in how quickly you can tack them down. Sometimes, you may make the perfect shot and the deer doesn't even go 100 yards. Other times, you may make a bad shot, and you get thrown into a rodeo of a track job. You are on your blood trail and it suddenly stops, you may kick your deer up in the process of trailing, or you...

Your target buck is standing at 20 yards, facing your tree straight on. You have no open shooting lanes to the left or right of you. The thoughts in your head begin to run wild. You begin to wonder if this is your only opportunity to harvest your target buck. As you come to full draw, the deer still hasn't turned broadside. Would you take the frontal shot? With deer season finally here, we wan...

Two western hunts in back to back weeks, this time Easton is on the hunt. For the first time, he gets the chance to go elk hunting, and the opportunity to shoot his first bull. The long awaited hunt has finally come full circle, as Easton, Warren, David set out in New Mexico with the Primos gang. The hype of this hunt did not disappoint, Easton harvested his first ever bull elk with the wildest ex...

The mountains of Colorado are majestic, beautiful, and downright impressive. We you put on over 40 miles hiking for a mule deer, they can be a totally different animal! Miles of steep terrain, thin mountain air at 13,000 feet, and limited wildlife can make a hunt incredibly difficult. Warren sits down on this episode breaking down his high country mule deer hunt. He dives into the expectation and...