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From tag to table — official season dates for all 50 states, plus safe doneness temps for your harvest.
| Species | Archery | Firearm |
|---|---|---|
| Deer | Sep–Oct | Nov |
| Elk | Sep | Oct–Nov |
| Turkey | — | Apr–May |
All 50 state wildlife agencies, plus how seasons, tags and licenses work.
Find your state → Network| Doneness | Target |
|---|---|
| Rare | 125–130°F |
| Medium-rare | 130–135°F |
| Well-done | 160°F+ |
Safe pull temps for venison and steak, from Popular BBQ.
View full chart →Reader Favorites
Editor’s Note: Today’s guest column comes to us from Maria Davidson, SCI Foundation Large Carnivore Program Manager. Many states throughout the continental U.S. are seeing a rise in black bear populations. Population growth pushes bears into human-dominated areas that are unsuitable for wildlife, precipitating a comparable increase in dangerous conflicts with humans, pets, and livestock….
Very few things make me angrier than poaching. One of them is poaching endangered species. Many hunters (including myself) are willing to give a bit of grace to “mistaken identity” poaching, when the hunter had no intentions of poaching but misidentified their game–say, mistaking a hen turkey (not legal) for a jake (legal). Many of…
Addicted to “Missing 411”? This story holds the keys to many of those mysteries. People go missing in the backwoods all the time. David Paulides’ riveting book and documentary series have described some of the most bizarre and difficult to explain. Thing is, there’s always an explanation, even if that explanation doesn’t follow common sense…
Tucked in to the rolling hills of southern Iowa’s Decatur County is Sand Creek Wildlife Area, a 3,700-acre destination for deer hunters and bird watchers. Here, cell service disappears and nature’s sounds take over – this isn’t a white noise machine – it’s the real thing. “It’s one of our most popular areas because of…
Most hunters will never see an animal like this in the wild … but if you want to pretend you did, now’s your chance! The International Wildlife Museum of the Safari Club International Foundation permanently closed on December 31, 2023. The museum housed nearly 2,000 taxidermy mounts and skulls. In the wake of this closure,…
Editor’s Note: Today’s guest column comes to us courtesy of Paul Erhardt, Managing Editor, the Outdoor Wire Digital Network. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NRA’s Renewed Focus on Hunting Jun 25, 2024 In the wake of months and month of turmoil surrounding the cabal of insider dealings at the National Rifle Association, nobody could really fault you for losing…
This land is your land, this land is my land … partisan paybacks are getting out of hand. Whether you pull the lever for a pol with an R or a D after their names, one thing we should all be able to agree on is that public lands are meant for, well, the public….
What makes the perfect outdoorsman’s blade? Well, the perfect everyday carry knife is one that fits in your pocket as well as it does your hand, so you’ll always take it with you. It’s crafted of tough, yet easy-to-sharpen Nitro-V steel. It should have a full tang for hardiness, but it should be lightweight. It…
Okay, this is seriously … well, kool! We just couldn’t help spelling it that way, because the Komplete NCR from Umarex is an all-new approach to airgunning that’s going to make airgunning in the backcountry so much simpler. Its ease of use, combined with cutting-edge NitroAir technology, makes the Komplete an ideal choice for both…
Yes, “Spring Bear Mayhem” is well underway this year … “Over, under, around, or through–if a bear wants it, the bear will have it.” We’ve talked a lot in this space about being bear aware, but a lot of people still have a bit of a blind spot about bears. Fact is, whether you’re male…
Sunglasses make poor eye protection, and vice-versa. Unless they’re GATORZ! Most commercial sunglasses are constructed of material that absolutely cannot withstand any impact more forceful than an expended brass case … and even though said brass case won’t break the lenses, it will absolutely insert its piping-hot self in between the frame and your face….
Here’s a guy who turned “one of these days” into “today, tomorrow, until I want to go home.” Do you ever look around you at the four walls of your office and think, “One of these days, I’m going to bust out of here and just travel the country, adventuring and hunting”? Of course you…
