The post-deer-season depression is real, with another eight to 10 months until the next season opens. However, hunters using alternate methods are often able to extend their deer hunting timeline, sometimes significantly. In our main hunting areas, archery and muzzleloading hunters gain months of additional time afield. While the move to crossbows appeals to many rifle hunters, and for good reason, the black powder pursuit doesn’t get its fair share of the affection.
Related: New Era of Muzzleloading – Traditions NitroFire & Federal FireStick
Whether going old school flintlock, modern inline, or one of what we’ll call the ultra-modern “muzzleloaders” with prepared charges or uber-long-range claims. The fact of the matter is that just like handguns, there’s a muzzleloader style for every type and skill level of hunter. If you really want to score bonus points on the specialty scale, take up hunting with a muzzleloading handgun.
3) Photography
When the mystique of harvesting a mature whitetail no longer feels as strong as it once did, perhaps it’s time to consider alternate ways to spend time in the woods, using those woodsmanship skills to get close and work a different kind of trigger – the shutter button, that is.
Whether using a telephoto lens or stalking into close range, being in the deer’s terrain and snapping photos of them in the wild can be equally as challenging and rewarding as a hunt, just in a different way. Your trophies will be photographs.
That’s not to say photography is exclusive from hunting; not at all, in fact many – present company included – spend time in the blind earlier in the year, photographing wildlife and observing their natural movements. Not only does that help keep field skills sharp, it also gives you a major jump when early seasons roll around.
4) NRL Hunter Competition
Whether seeking ways to stay sharp in the offseason or become a better shooter when the moment of truth rolls around and that 30-point buck shows himself, taking up competition shooting is a surefire method. While many hunters shoot trap, skeet, pistol silhouette, or 3-Gun, one competition is geared specifically to hunters: the NRL Hunter, or National Rifle League’s Hunter Series.
Related: What Are the Most Popular Shooting Sports?
Though hardcore competitors work for any advantage in the series, the heart of the NRL means using your stock hunting rifle and gear to spot, range, get into shooting position, and engage targets at various stages and distances from 100 to 1,000 yards. The process proves to be not only solid training for real-world hunting scenarios but also gives participants a chance to shoot at longer ranges than most otherwise would on a deer hunt or range session.
5) Mentoring
As mentioned earlier, we’ve heard from more than one hunter who gave up on whitetail hunting when it just didn’t hold the same magic anymore. If that describes you, there is one surefire, 100-percent proven way to rekindle that original flame. Share that passion with a young or new hunter. We can all describe the place, time, and emotion of harvesting our first deer, and none of us accomplished that alone.
When we see a first-time hunter build confidence on the range, eventually culminating in the chance to bag their first deer, that fire returns in a new – sometimes even greater – way. Plus, the best thing we can do for hunting is to share our love for the pursuit, our respect for the outdoors and conservation, with newbies, whether aged 8 or 98.
