Indholdsfortegnelse for November 2025 i Game & Fish South

Allow me to be the first to wish you a very Merry Rutvember. As I type this, the lush greenery and bright midday sun of early September outside my office window make the deer rut feel impossibly distant, though I take comfort in knowing that before long we’ll be heading to the woods to partake of the most exciting and unpredictable stage of deer season. Within these pages, you’ll find loads of practical info to help you make the most of the rut where you live. In addition to the deer coverage in your respective regional section, Tony Hansen uses this month’s Bowhunting column to offer his best tips for maintaining your composure and executing the perfect shot when a buck wanders within range of your stand. In the second…

If ever there was a month made of anticipation, it is November, when there is potential in every sunrise. Big deer are on the move, and if we play our cards right, we might get a shot at one. Many of those shots, however, will be missed. Plenty of hunters know how to set stands, scout sign and run trail cams. But all that means little if you can’t make the shot when the moment of truth arrives. Call it buck fever, nerves or just plain panic, it’s the one factor that separates filled tags from stories told with empty hands. The good news? You can prepare for it. You can condition yourself to make the shot when it matters most. Let’s walk through how to keep yourself from choking…

You might recall the heated debate back in June over whether to include the sale of millions of acres of federal land in the One Big Beautiful Bill. Utah Senator Mike Lee, along with several of his Republican colleagues, had proposed selling up to 1 percent of BLM and Forest Service land to help balance the federal budget. That idea so riled up hunters and anglers that Lee eventually abandoned his idea of selling public lands across the West, which he said would have been used for affordable housing. You may have participated in this legislative drama by calling your senator or representative to tell them that, as we’re losing traditional access to private lands, and as more hunters and anglers crowd our existing public lands and waters, the idea…

I can’t begin to count the number of times I’ve been crowded out by other duck hunters. I’ve had a group build a blind a mere 20 feet from mine, fully aware that I’d had my spread up since the early hours of the morning. There was even a time when a hunter walked in a full hour after sunrise, set up across from my decoy spread (he didn’t bring his own), and proceeded to take potshots at cormorants cruising overhead. Luckily, he missed every single one. I was thinking about those infuriating scenarios on a moderately cool December morning last season while setting up my second decoy spread of the day. I’d already managed to bag a few greenwings, and I knew mallards and gadwalls would start moving soon,…

Visiting history buffs will enjoy the Cherokee National History Museum, the Cherokee Supreme Court Museum, the John Hair Cultural Center and Keetoowah Museum. Each presents a facet of the Cherokee journey, including the conflict within the Nation during the Civil War. Tahlequah, incidentally, is also the headquarters of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, one of only three federally recognized Cherokee tribes in the United States. Numerous shops and boutiques around town offer a chance to browse for antiques or find Cherokee gifts, apparel and jewelry. Take a stroll through the historic Main Street area and you’re sure to find something you like. The city also has great places for dining and gaming. Cherokee Casino and its White Wolf Steakhouse top both lists. The Hangry Bear at the Kroner…

In its nearly 80-year history, Ruger has introduced many rifles and handguns that have become revered by hunters and gun aficionados. The Ruger Precision Rifle (RPR), a factory chassis rifle introduced in 2015 and offering 1-MOA-or-better accuracy, is often overlooked. Now in its tenth year of production, the RPR received a facelift in early 2025 based on feedback from competitive shooters and other end users. The most notable enhancement is the redesigned foldable buttstock, which allows for intuitive and secure adjustment to conform to any shooter or style. The length of pull, cheek rest height, horizontal position and butt pad height can all be adjusted, and the new buttstock is available for current RPR owners to purchase separately ($350). Other new features include a heavier contour barrel (.850 inch), a…

There’s no mystery to growing big bucks,” explained Uncle Chuck. “They need food, good genetics and a chance to age.” Shane listened intently. He’d heard about the bucks his uncle had taken over the years, and now he and his father had made the drive to Kansas to hopefully collect a wall-hanger of his own. “As for the food, that’s why I spend so much time working my plots. With genetics, either you’ve got them or you don’t. But as you can see, we’re blessed here,” he said, nodding at the mounts on the cabin’s wall. “And if a buck gets shot before he’s mature, he can’t reach full potential. That’s why we don’t shoot any bucks younger than six years old.” “Six years at least. Got it,” said Shane.…

REGIONAL RUT UPDATE Game & Fish’s annual rut updates from the field are in full swing. Check out what is happening in your area and learn how to game-plan for your deer hunts this month. DEAR, SANTA … Can’t decide what to put on your Christmas list? Need ideas for what to get the hunters and anglers in your life? Check out this list of great gifts for people who enjoy the outdoors. TIPS AND TRICKS TO BAG BIG BUCKS Read how to set yourself up for success this deer hunting season. Find out how and where to tag your best buck ever in the “Learn” section. TOP WHITETAIL STATES See how the deer hunting stacks up from state to state based on hard data, including historical harvest records, trophy…

Sooner or later, almost every whitetail neighborhood has a legendary local buck that somehow beats the odds and evades hunters season after season. Especially nowadays with the proliferation of trail cameras, everyone who hunts in the area knows about him and hopes to tag him. Usually, he’s a big boy. Ours was not. Ours was Old Spike, who sported two long, single-tined antlers, each as thick as a shillelagh. One opening morning, thanks to a lucky trail cam photo, I changed my plan and went to the Creek Stand, which features a well-worn creek crossing in front of the stand and a steep ridge behind it. There’s a small oxbow to the left. Shortly after sunrise I heard crunching in the frozen grass behind me, craned my neck and saw…

The spot was hardly hidden, clear as winter water on Google Earth. The key to this coastal ribbon was knowing about the major stormwater drain tucked at the rear terminus. Places like this are popular hangouts for giant snook that spend the stable periods lounging in the standing water and crushing anything foolish enough to venture into their realm. Knowing this, Capt. Will Burbach and his buddy cast-netted jumbo mojarra along the mangrove edges, later grabbing each bait as needed and slinging it—with a 7/0 circle hook pinned near its dorsal—deep into the dark passages that transport rain runoff from drainage canals into the adjacent bay. After near misses rendered the first couple of baits unfit for duty, the guide threaded the line deep into the pipe on his next…

An imposing buck wades through the mucky water of a swamp, working its way to an islet. As it trundles onto the exposed piece of turf, its hooves and legs are caked with mud. The 10-pointer has left the high ground where it beds and is now heading toward a distant stand of oaks. Hunters have never encountered this trophy beyond the borders of the marsh where it resides because, like other mature deer in the area, it knows it’s best to not leave the security of its confines before nightfall. Indeed, whitetails find wetlands, which abound throughout the South, quite attractive. Despite some of the challenges the waterlogged terrain presents, ample food is available in and around marshes, drinking water is plentiful and, above all, the kind of security…

Browning has a long history of producing quality over/under shotguns dating back to legendary gun designer John M. Browning’s final design, the Superposed shotgun. One of the first affordable—and commercially successful—over/unders, the Superposed was quite popular until rising manufacturing costs in Belgium made it too expensive, and U.S. distribution was eventually discontinued. (Custom Superposed shotguns are still available from Browning’s Custom Shop.) The Citori, introduced in 1973 and produced in Japan, drew heavily from the Superposed and proved to be a fantastic gun itself, ultimately replacing the Superposed within the company’s lineup. With more than 2 million sold since its introduction, the Citori remains one of the most popular over/unders ever. Many variations have followed, each offering new styles and improvements. One of the more significant arrived in 2012 with…

Veterans have always driven the popularity of hunting rifles. World War I veterans moved us away from the lever gun toward the bolt action while also cementing the legend of the .30-06. After World War II and Korea, semi-auto rifles like Remington’s Model 742 and Winchester’s Model 100 were wildly popular. The AR-15 flourished after the recent Middle East conflicts, especially as the platform’s modularity grew. Thus, for the past several decades, we’ve seen many new AR-15-compatible cartridges introduced, and all of them have hunting applications. With more than a dozen such cartridges, hunters wanting to use a modern sporting rifle have many choices. Maybe the best way to select one is to think of the end purpose. There are four basic applications to consider: recreational shooting, varmint/predator hunting, deer-sized…

As much as we all look forward to the annual whitetail rut and the potential for a big-buck encounter at any moment during a hunt, the breeding season can often be feast or famine for hunters. I’ve had mornings—you probably have as well—when bucks run does this way and that, grunt, snort-wheeze and lock horns. I’ve also hunted from dawn to dark for days on end without seeing a single deer during what should’ve been the peak of the rut. One way to win the rut game, or at least improve your chances, is through the strategic placement of trail cameras to keep tabs on target bucks during a time when their movements are almost completely unpredictable. SURVEIL SCRAPES Scrapes are an excellent location to capture photos and videos of…

Deer signs are everywhere. Rub lines are fresh and scrapes are popping up along field edges. The rut is underway and even peaking in some parts of the South. Mornings feel colder, daylight is shorter, and veteran hunters are watching wind forecasts and hitting their best stands with confidence. But it’s not just deer that demand our attention this month. Waterfowlers across the region are brushing their blinds, and rabbit dogs are singing in piney thickets. Catfish anglers are baiting trotlines, crappies are stacking on mid-depth structure, false albacore are busting bait along the Eastern Seaboard and offshore fishing devotees are tracking cold fronts to time their windows of opportunity. This month rewards preparation and persistence, and successful outdoorsmen keep their foot on the gas until the bitter end. 1…

When the topic of pursuing wild turkeys is discussed, most hunters immediately shift their thoughts to springtime. Outside of the incidental harvest of a bird while deer hunting, many folks rarely entertain the idea of targeting long-beards in autumn. In doing so they are missing out on incredible opportunities to enjoy exhilarating close encounters. The birds behave differently in the fall, prompting a departure from the spring-season mindset and requiring hunters to switch strategies and techniques in order to tag out. Typical running-and-gunning remains an option during the autumn months, and with a little luck, the results are likely to be good and the experience thrilling. But passionate turkey hunters owe it to themselves to try a spot-and-stalk hunt. A fanatical gobbler chaser myself, I can promise that those who…

Situated in the Cookson Hills at the western edge of the Ozarks along one of Oklahoma’s most cherished clearwater rivers, Tahlequah beckons the sportsman seeking outdoor adventure in the region Oklahomans call Green Country. The site of Oklahoma’s oldest main street, Tahlequah has been the capital of Cherokee Nation since their forcible removal to what was known as Indian Territory in 1839. It has also been the seat of Cherokee County—as part of the state of Oklahoma—since 1907, and is currently home to nearly 17,000 residents, Northeastern State University and thriving businesses across a wide range of industry sectors, from technology to energy to farming and a slew of others. FERTILE WATERSHEDS The Illinois River Basin, which comprises the Illinois River and several tributaries, as well as 12,900-acre Tenkiller Ferry…