Sunday, August 23, 2015

Book Review: "Whitetail Wisdom" by Dan Schmidt



Dan Schmidt has been the editor of Deer & Deer Hunting since January 2002.  Over the years he’s had the opportunity to work with some of the country’s top whitetail experts, and in the process he himself has become an expert.  He proves this in his book, Whitetail Wisdom (KP Books, 2005).

The subtitle of Whitetail Wisdom is “A Proven 12-Step Guide to Scouting Less and Hunting More.”  Don’t be fooled, though.  Mr. Schmidt does not encourage walking into the woods cold.  He simply suggests that you learn everything you possibly can about whitetail behavior and habits so that you can apply that knowledge to any situation you might encounter in the deer woods.  All of this can be implied from several of the chapter titles, such as Become A Student, Think Like A Deer, Match Wits With A Matriarch, and Become a Buck Hunter.

The real benefits of reading this book, though, are in the many tips Schmidt provides to help you simplify your approach and become a utilitarian hunter.  With so much technology available to hunters today, it’s easy to forget the basics that result in consistency afield.  Schmidt reminds us that we don’t necessarily need all those fancy gadgets available to today’s sportsmen to be successful.  All we really need is common sense.

Whether you hunt with bow, rifle, shotgun, or muzzleloader, Whitetail Wisdom is chock full of valuable advice.  You’ll learn how deer behavior changes throughout the season so that you’ll be able to adapt your hunting strategies as well.  The chapters on shooting and tracking are alone worth the book’s cover price.


One of the best aspects of Whitetail Wisdom is that its focus is geared toward public land rather than private leases.  The theory behind this is that public land whitetails are some of the most pressured  and most challenging whitetails you’ll find anywhere.  And if you can be consistently successful hunting on public land, you’ll find success almost anywhere you travel in whitetail country.


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