MISSOULA, Mont.—Statistics say it won’t be windy when you shoot your Boone and Crockett whitetail. Neither will it be raining. Nor cloudy. Nor warmer than 50 degrees.

A new book, “Boone and Crockett Club’s Complete Guide to Hunting Whitetails,” includes detailed analyses of weather conditions reported by hunters when they tagged a buck big enough to qualify for North America’s premier big-game records book.

More than 8,000 recent Boone and Crockett record entries were reviewed. The most common trophy-day weather data include:

93 percent – No precipitation

8 5 percent – Winds calm to 5 mph

81 percent – Temperature 50 degrees or less

51 percent – Sunny/clear

Boone and Crockett records also reveal the best odds for taking a massive whitetail occur during the week of Nov. 13 between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Along with many more details and charts on weather, dates, times, firearm calibers, ammunition and other behind-the-records statistics, “Boone and Crockett Club’s Complete Guide to Hunting Whitetails” offers extensive, informative chapters on proven trophy-hunting strategies and learned insights from noted whitetail authorities. Read more

Waterfowl hunters have an exciting new hunting opportunity to look forward to, as Sept. 1-7 will mark Michigan’s first early teal hunting season in nearly 50 years. These small ducks, especially blue-winged teal, are some of the earliest duck species to migrate each fall.

This statewide teal-only season is now possible because of growing teal populations. The Michigan Natural Resources Commission approved the Sept. 1-7 early teal season at the commission’s July 10 meeting. Hunters may take six teal per day and hunt from sunrise to sunset.

Accurate identification of ducks is essential during this special season, because only teal are legal to harvest. It is important for hunters to understand the season is experimental for three years, and the Department of Natural Resources is required to measure the attempts and harvest of non-target species to make sure hunters are harvesting teal and not other duck species like wood ducks and mallards. Read more

FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — While public land access remains a persistent and major challenge for many sportsmen, privately owned land provides the majority of opportunity for today’s hunters. When asked to describe the type of land they hunted most often in the past 12 months, roughly two-thirds of hunters used privately owned properties compared to one-third who utilized public lands the majority of the time. Read more