There's nothing fun about bowhunting in the waning days of archery season. After weeks of pressure from gun hunters and muzzleloader hunters, there are a lot fewer deer around than at the beginning of the season. And by Christmas, temperatures can be brutal. Throw in a stiff northwest wind and you might start to wonder if you belong in an asylum, rather than a tree stand. So why do late-season bowhunters take to the woods in less-than-ideal conditions? Because they can. When you live for deer hunting, you have to take advantage of every opportunity. Despite the brutal conditions, December can actually be a good time to tag a deer.

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Mark Anderson hunts from a heated deer stand mounted on a Chevy truck bed on his property outside Sauk Centre these days. “I’ve paid my dues freezing in ladder stands,” says the 84-year-old. Like in 1982, when he shot a non-typical 18-point buck. “It weighed 190 lbs. dressed. We made a gun rack out of the hooves. Today it has my dad’s old Zulu 12-gauge shotgun hanging on it.” Moments like these, hunting with his son-in-law while his wife and daughters bake Christmas cookies back at the house, keep Anderson coming back for more.  

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I saw the big fella cruising on a crisp November day. He was covering ground in a great hurry grunting with every step. Then, six does and fawns came flying out of that gnarly bedding area on a knob adjacent to a fresh aspen cutover and beaver pond, not wanting anything to do with the randy fella. 

I grabbed the grunt call off the hook and challenged his manhood with my own deep, guttural grunt. I’ll never forget that image when the ten-point jammed on the brakes and bellowed the loudest grunt I’ve ever heard.

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Snowfoot is a reinvented approach to snowshoeing. Technically categorized as a specialty snowshoe, its globally patented design and unique integrated features place it in a category all its own. Where traditional and aluminum snowshoes serve a singular function - to float and move you in a straight line - Snowfoot uniquely combines features to create complete freedom of movement. Here are a few things that make this product distinct:

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When you think of world class whitetails, states like Iowa, Illinois, Kansas and even places in Canada will probably come to mind before Minnesota. These states consistently produce trophy whitetail bucks in terms of antler scores. Minnesota produces some respectable antlers, but it's most impressive measure of whitetail bucks is probably weight.

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Fall of course is the most important time of the year for MDHA chapters and members. Deer season obviously, but it is also time to collect hides! The Hides for Habitat program is unique to MDHA and is a celebrated example of recycling. Deer hides donated by conservation minded hunters are turned into wildlife habitat and hunter education. It makes sense utilizing a by- product of our hunt and as a fundraiser, it works! 

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