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Big Game Hunting

Big-game hunting tips and tactics for chasing deer, elk, bears, antelope and more.

Featured In Big Game Hunting

Best Arrows and Broadheads For Elk

By Mark Kayser

Best Deer Hunting Calibers of 2022

By John B. Snow

How to Choose a Compound Bow—and Set It Up—for Elk Season

By Jace Bauserman

101 Best Deer Hunting Tips For the Rut

By Michael Hanback

Famous Bear, Grizzly 399, Kills Elk Calf on Camera

By Bob McNally

Louisiana Crossbow Hunter Couldn’t Afford a Deer Lease. Instead, He Tagged a Giant Buck From His Backyard Porch

By Bob McNally

Wisconsin Hunters Pass on Locked-Up Bucks, Use Angle Grinder to Free Them

By Dac Collins

Video: Colorado Man Wakes Up to Discover a Mountain Lion Eating an Elk on His Front Porch

By Natalie Krebs

Boone and Crockett Says the Use of Smart Riflescopes, GPS-Enabled Tech, and Trail Cams That Transmit Images In Real Time Isn’t Fair Chase

By Andrew McKean

Deer Hunting Season 2021 Forecast: A State-By-State Guide

By Brian Lovett

Washington Deer Hunter Shoots a Buck, Then Three Wolverines Chase It Off a Cliff

By Dac Collins

When Non-Resident Hunters Killed Elk in Populated Areas This Fall, It Turned into a Hunting PR Nightmare

By Dac Collins

Explore Big Game Hunting

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Sheep Hunting Moose Hunting Elk Hunting Deer Hunting Antelope Hunting

How Far Should We Push Our Kids in the Outdoors?

By Christine Peterson

Hunting Argali Sheep with a Crappy Scope, One Box of Ammo, and No Translator

By John B. Snow

Desert Bighorn Ram Killed and Left by a Poacher in Colorado

By Katie Hill

Can Sheep Hunting in the Yukon Survive Another Century?

By Alex Robinson

The Migrations Issue of Outdoor Life Is Here

By Alex Robinson

Alaskan DIY Hunter Tags the Ram of a Lifetime

By Tyler Freel

Ram of Pilot Mountain: The Story of Jack O’Connor’s Biggest Sheep

By Jack O’Connor

An Alaskan Sheep Hunt Turns Into a 70-Mile Hike From Hell

By Tyler Freel

13-Year-Old Texas Girl Becomes Youngest Female Hunter to Complete North American Sheep Grand Slam

By Katie Hill

I Finally Drew a Bighorn Sheep Tag. I Was Too Out of Shape to Punch It

By John F. Lane , Charles Elliott

Sheep Hunting Looks Glamorous, But It Mostly Involves Soggy Gear, Chafing, and B.O.

By Tyler Freel

Sheep Hunters Are a Special Kind of Crazy

By Tyler Freel

Maine Reports Worst Moose Hunt Success Rate in Recent History

By Katie Hill

I Should Have Died in a Floatplane Crash

By Casey West , Dac Collins

A Widowed Homesteader Learns to Hunt Moose, or Die Trying

By Olive A. Fredrickson

The Pebble Mine Site Is a Moose Hunter’s Paradise

By Sam Lungren

Trying to Stop a Brown Bear Attack with a .38 Special, from the Archives

By Cecil Rhode

The Top Moose Cartridges and Bullets

By Tyler Freel

Long Before the “Into the Wild” Bus Became a Tourist Deathtrap, It Was My Dad’s Hunting Camp

By Tyler Freel

Video: Bull Moose Have Brutal Fight in Family’s Driveway—Then One Jumps Into a Pickup Truck

By Tyler Freel

Close Calls and Second-Guesses: Frustrating Hunts Happen to Everyone

By Tyler Freel

I Ditched a Bogus Outfitter for a Real Trophy Moose Hunt, From the Archives

By William N. Roach

Famous Bull Moose Killed in Fight with Even Bigger Bull

By Bjorn Dihle

Attacked on the Nushagak: When a Moose Hunter Gets Pinned by a Brown Bear, It’s Up to His Hunting Partner to Save His Life

By Dac Collins

Solo Wilderness Hunts Are Overrated, and Always Have Been

By Natalie Krebs

Oregon Bowhunter Tags a State Record Bull

By Dac Collins

Wyoming Politician Nina Webber Charged with Reckless Endangerment in Hunting Incident

By Katie Hill

Public-Land Hunters Object to Land Swap in Montana’s Crazy Mountains

By Katie Hill

Pennsylvania Crossbow Hunter Tags Biggest Archery Bull in State History

By Dac Collins

The Best Hunting Backpacks of 2023

By Phil Bourjaily

Thieves Are Stealing More and More Racks From Hunters in the West—and Their Profits Keep Growing

By Dac Collins

The Final Climb: A Steep Lesson in Elk Hunting

By Scott Einsmann

Watch This 6-Year-Old Call in a Trophy Bull with a Cardboard Tube

By Katie Hill

Brutal Beating in Elk Country: Authorities Identify Suspects Who Allegedly Assaulted Two Hunters in Wyoming

By Dac Collins

I Shot the Wrong Bull, and It Was Still the Best Day I Ever Spent in the Woods

By Charles Elliott

This High-Fence Bull Elk Could Break an SCI World Record. It Scores More Than 648 Inches

By Dac Collins

The $725K Mule Deer Tag: Auction Tags Set All-Time Record at Western Hunt Expo

By Andrew McKean

Maryland Hunter Recovers Stolen Buck 14 Years After Killing It

By Bob McNally

Michigan Man Charged with Poaching: “I Am Addicted to Venison”

By Bob McNally

9 Out of Every 10 Harvested Whitetails Are Taken on Private Land. Here’s What That Means for Deer Hunting in America

By Alex Robinson

Michigan Hunter Gets Jail Time for Sabotaging Another Hunter’s Treestand, Causing 20-Foot Fall

By Katie Hill

Two Years After Surviving a Treestand Fall, Ohio Hunter Tags 182-Inch Whitetail While Pregnant

By Katie Hill

Photos from Pennsylvania’s Flintlock Season, the Last of Its Kind in the Country

By Henry Hung , Derek Horner

As Snow Piles Up in Northern Utah, Hungry Mule Deer Are Getting Extra Food from the State

By Katie Hill

Shed Hunting: Ultimate Guide to Finding Antlers

By Tom Carpenter , Michael Hanback

Are Deer Dogs Really a Problem for Deer Hunting in the South?

By Adam Moore

Mexico’s 200-Inch Mule Deer Are Legendary. That Doesn’t Make Them Easy to Kill

By Andrew McKean

After Knocking on Dozens of Doors, Georgia Hunter Tags New State-Record Crossbow Buck

By Bob McNally

Jim Carmichel’s Favorite Hunting Rifles

By Jim Carmichel

Jack O’Connor’s Last Hunt, From the Archives

By Jack Atcheson Sr. , Jim Zumbo

Hunter Tags Nearly 30-Inch-Wide “Super Freak” Pronghorn on Opening Day

By Dac Collins

Wyoming Cuts 11,300 Pronghorn, Mule Deer Tags Due to Drought and Disease

By Wade Thiel

Didn’t Draw a Tag? Here are 3 of the Best States to Hunt Last-Minute Pronghorn

By Jace Bauserman

This Ultra-Runner Is on a Quest to Persistence-Hunt a Pronghorn

By Christine Peterson

Western Bowhunting: Use Cows to Tag a Pronghorn

By Mark Kayser

Mule Deer and Pronghorn Pregame

By John Taranto

Pronghorn Antelope Hunting Tips and Tactics

By Andrew McKean

Public-Land Pronghorns: Where and How to Hunt Antelope on a Budget

By Mark Kayser

Video: Herding Antelope With a Helicopter

By The Editors

Record Pronghorn Certified by Boone and Crockett

By Gayne C. Young

Latest Big Game Hunting Stories

Jim Carmichel’s Favorite Hunting Rifles

By Jim Carmichel

/ Feb 6, 2023

The $725K Mule Deer Tag: Auction Tags Set All-Time Record at Western Hunt Expo

By Andrew McKean

/ Feb 6, 2023

Maine Reports Worst Moose Hunt Success Rate in Recent History

By Katie Hill

/ Feb 2, 2023

Maryland Hunter Recovers Stolen Buck 14 Years After Killing It

By Bob McNally

/ Feb 1, 2023

What It Took to Tag the World Record Mountain Goat

By Katie Hill

/ Feb 1, 2023

I Should Have Died in a Floatplane Crash

By Casey West , Dac Collins

/ Jan 31, 2023

Michigan Man Charged with Poaching: “I Am Addicted to Venison”

By Bob McNally

/ Jan 30, 2023

A Widowed Homesteader Learns to Hunt Moose, or Die Trying

By Olive A. Fredrickson

/ Jan 30, 2023

9 Out of Every 10 Harvested Whitetails Are Taken on Private Land. Here’s What That Means for Deer Hunting in America

By Alex Robinson

/ Jan 26, 2023

Michigan Hunter Gets Jail Time for Sabotaging Another Hunter’s Treestand, Causing 20-Foot Fall

By Katie Hill

/ Jan 26, 2023

Two Years After Surviving a Treestand Fall, Ohio Hunter Tags 182-Inch Whitetail While Pregnant

By Katie Hill

/ Jan 25, 2023

The Pebble Mine Site Is a Moose Hunter’s Paradise

By Sam Lungren

/ Jan 25, 2023

Photos from Pennsylvania’s Flintlock Season, the Last of Its Kind in the Country

By Henry Hung , Derek Horner

/ Jan 24, 2023

As Snow Piles Up in Northern Utah, Hungry Mule Deer Are Getting Extra Food from the State

By Katie Hill

/ Jan 24, 2023

Shed Hunting: Ultimate Guide to Finding Antlers

By Tom Carpenter , Michael Hanback

/ Jan 24, 2023

Deepfake Trophy Hunting Photo of U.S. Diplomat Foreshadows a Troubling Future

By Dac Collins

/ Jan 23, 2023

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OUTDOOR LIFE+

Big Game Hunting

Featured In Big Game Hunting

Best Arrows and Broadheads For Elk

Best Deer Hunting Calibers of 2022

How to Choose a Compound Bow—and Set It Up—for Elk Season

101 Best Deer Hunting Tips For the Rut

Famous Bear, Grizzly 399, Kills Elk Calf on Camera

Louisiana Crossbow Hunter Couldn’t Afford a Deer Lease. Instead, He Tagged a Giant Buck From His Backyard Porch

Wisconsin Hunters Pass on Locked-Up Bucks, Use Angle Grinder to Free Them

Video: Colorado Man Wakes Up to Discover a Mountain Lion Eating an Elk on His Front Porch

Boone and Crockett Says the Use of Smart Riflescopes, GPS-Enabled Tech, and Trail Cams That Transmit Images In Real Time Isn’t Fair Chase

Deer Hunting Season 2021 Forecast: A State-By-State Guide

Washington Deer Hunter Shoots a Buck, Then Three Wolverines Chase It Off a Cliff

When Non-Resident Hunters Killed Elk in Populated Areas This Fall, It Turned into a Hunting PR Nightmare

Explore Big Game Hunting

How Far Should We Push Our Kids in the Outdoors?

Hunting Argali Sheep with a Crappy Scope, One Box of Ammo, and No Translator

Desert Bighorn Ram Killed and Left by a Poacher in Colorado

Can Sheep Hunting in the Yukon Survive Another Century?

The Migrations Issue of Outdoor Life Is Here

Alaskan DIY Hunter Tags the Ram of a Lifetime

Ram of Pilot Mountain: The Story of Jack O’Connor’s Biggest Sheep

An Alaskan Sheep Hunt Turns Into a 70-Mile Hike From Hell

13-Year-Old Texas Girl Becomes Youngest Female Hunter to Complete North American Sheep Grand Slam

I Finally Drew a Bighorn Sheep Tag. I Was Too Out of Shape to Punch It

Sheep Hunting Looks Glamorous, But It Mostly Involves Soggy Gear, Chafing, and B.O.

Sheep Hunters Are a Special Kind of Crazy

Maine Reports Worst Moose Hunt Success Rate in Recent History

I Should Have Died in a Floatplane Crash

A Widowed Homesteader Learns to Hunt Moose, or Die Trying

The Pebble Mine Site Is a Moose Hunter’s Paradise

Trying to Stop a Brown Bear Attack with a .38 Special, from the Archives

The Top Moose Cartridges and Bullets

Long Before the “Into the Wild” Bus Became a Tourist Deathtrap, It Was My Dad’s Hunting Camp

Video: Bull Moose Have Brutal Fight in Family’s Driveway—Then One Jumps Into a Pickup Truck

Close Calls and Second-Guesses: Frustrating Hunts Happen to Everyone

I Ditched a Bogus Outfitter for a Real Trophy Moose Hunt, From the Archives

Famous Bull Moose Killed in Fight with Even Bigger Bull

Attacked on the Nushagak: When a Moose Hunter Gets Pinned by a Brown Bear, It’s Up to His Hunting Partner to Save His Life

Solo Wilderness Hunts Are Overrated, and Always Have Been

Oregon Bowhunter Tags a State Record Bull

Wyoming Politician Nina Webber Charged with Reckless Endangerment in Hunting Incident

Public-Land Hunters Object to Land Swap in Montana’s Crazy Mountains

Pennsylvania Crossbow Hunter Tags Biggest Archery Bull in State History

The Best Hunting Backpacks of 2023

Thieves Are Stealing More and More Racks From Hunters in the West—and Their Profits Keep Growing

The Final Climb: A Steep Lesson in Elk Hunting

Watch This 6-Year-Old Call in a Trophy Bull with a Cardboard Tube

Brutal Beating in Elk Country: Authorities Identify Suspects Who Allegedly Assaulted Two Hunters in Wyoming

I Shot the Wrong Bull, and It Was Still the Best Day I Ever Spent in the Woods

This High-Fence Bull Elk Could Break an SCI World Record. It Scores More Than 648 Inches

The $725K Mule Deer Tag: Auction Tags Set All-Time Record at Western Hunt Expo

Maryland Hunter Recovers Stolen Buck 14 Years After Killing It

Michigan Man Charged with Poaching: “I Am Addicted to Venison”

9 Out of Every 10 Harvested Whitetails Are Taken on Private Land. Here’s What That Means for Deer Hunting in America

Michigan Hunter Gets Jail Time for Sabotaging Another Hunter’s Treestand, Causing 20-Foot Fall

Two Years After Surviving a Treestand Fall, Ohio Hunter Tags 182-Inch Whitetail While Pregnant

Photos from Pennsylvania’s Flintlock Season, the Last of Its Kind in the Country

As Snow Piles Up in Northern Utah, Hungry Mule Deer Are Getting Extra Food from the State

Shed Hunting: Ultimate Guide to Finding Antlers

Are Deer Dogs Really a Problem for Deer Hunting in the South?

Mexico’s 200-Inch Mule Deer Are Legendary. That Doesn’t Make Them Easy to Kill

After Knocking on Dozens of Doors, Georgia Hunter Tags New State-Record Crossbow Buck

Jim Carmichel’s Favorite Hunting Rifles

Jack O’Connor’s Last Hunt, From the Archives

Hunter Tags Nearly 30-Inch-Wide “Super Freak” Pronghorn on Opening Day

Wyoming Cuts 11,300 Pronghorn, Mule Deer Tags Due to Drought and Disease

Didn’t Draw a Tag? Here are 3 of the Best States to Hunt Last-Minute Pronghorn

This Ultra-Runner Is on a Quest to Persistence-Hunt a Pronghorn

Western Bowhunting: Use Cows to Tag a Pronghorn

Mule Deer and Pronghorn Pregame

Pronghorn Antelope Hunting Tips and Tactics

Public-Land Pronghorns: Where and How to Hunt Antelope on a Budget

Video: Herding Antelope With a Helicopter

Record Pronghorn Certified by Boone and Crockett

More from Outdoor Life

After Knocking on Dozens of Doors, Georgia Hunter Tags New State-Record Crossbow Buck

Best New Bowhunting Gear from the 2023 ATA Show

Oregon Bowhunter Tags a State Record Bull