Top Trophy Whitetail States, Best Deer Rifles for New Hunters, Top Lakes in America
Deer season is just weeks away for many states! Find out where you need to be opening weekend!
Which States Provide the Best Opportunity to Kill a Trophy Buck?
Do you think this list is accurate?
Seeing Iowa below Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky just doesn’t seem right.
Kansas at No. 9!?
It’s no surprise that Wisconsin comes in at the top spot in Boone and Crockett’s list of top trophy whitetail states. But it may seem like states one through 10 could be shaken up in just about any order.
When it comes to out-of-state hunts, Ohio and Kentucky are both prime spots for hunters on the go. They are both centrally located and relatively cheap to buy a non-resident license.
While the Midwest still dominated, the only state out of the west to make the list was Texas. The Lone Star state is on the rise, although hunter opportunity is slim with very little public land access.
Top Five Rifles for New Hunters
Meateater recently published their choices for the top five rifles for beginning deer hunters.
Ruger American Predator - Ruger’s American rifles are popular for a reason. They’re accurate, durable, and reasonably priced. This rifle comes in at $499.
Weatherby Vanguard Sporter - Weatherby’s Vanguard Sporter is more spendy than the Ruger American, but it combines classic hunting rifle styling with modern technological advances.
Savage Axis II - Savage made a name for itself producing accurate rifles at a price everyone can get behind, and the Axis has led that charge. Plus, Savage offers a huge range of options and configurations that play around with barrel length, length of pull, stock patterns, and scopes.
Tikka T3X Lite - Tikka rifles are manufactured in Finland, and they have a reputation for excellent quality and accuracy. Like Weatherby, Tikka promises sub-one-inch groups at 100 yards, and also like Weatherby, you’ll spend a little more than other entry-level options.
Mossberg Patriot - The Patriot is a durable but affordable firearm that, like many of the models in this list, comes in a variety of configurations. The synthetic stock keeps the rifle a svelte 6.5 pounds while the Cerakote combats the moisture you’ll encounter in the field.
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Best Crossbows of 2024 According to Outdoor Life
Outdoor Life tested seven different crossbows to narrow down the best of the best for 2024.
In order to rank the best crossbows, they tested speed, accuracy, cocking and loading, handling, and any extra benefit the crossbow might have added.
Here were the results -
Crossbows Tested in 2024
Editor’s Choice: Ravin R29X
Best Value: Tenpoint Venom X
Best Recurve: Excalibur RevX
Fastest: Tenpoint TRX 515
Bassmaster Lists the Top Lakes in The United States
The list of the best bass fishing lakes of 2024 is in!
Bassmaster ranked this list according to surveys they conducted with people in the bass fishing industries.
According to Bassmaster, “We believe these fisheries are your best options right now to catch a ton of fish and maybe a double-digit bass, which is a unicorn in its own right.”
Top 10 Lakes:
St. Lawrence River, New York
O.H. Ivie, Texas
Orange Lake, Florida
Lake St. Clair, Michigan
Lake Fork, Texas
Lake Murray, South Carolina
Lake Erie, New York
Clear Lake, California
Bussey Brake Reservoir, Louisiana
Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota
Other Top Lakes in US:
Best Bass Lakes in the Northeast
Best Bass Lakes in the Southeast
Best Bass Lakes in the Midwest
Use Your Leftover Venison to Make Ginger and Garlic Jerky
From Field to Plate has created a great deer jerky recipe that you can use to finish off last year’s venison before filling the freezer this year.
Ingredients:
1 pound venison sliced thinly (1/8 inch) It helps cutting is the meat is partially frozen.
1 cup Soy sauce, Low sodium ( if you don’t the meat will be very salty)
1 tsp smoked paprika
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp garlic powder ( not garlic salt )
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
2 tsp cracked pepper
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
Directions:
in a glass bowl min all ingredients (minus meat) until fully mixed and blended
add sliced meat and make sure they are covered completely
Marinate for 4-24 hours
For further instruction on how to smoke this delicious treat, visit here.