hunting.DIY

DIY Strategies and Tips

Welcome to Hunting.DIY

DIY Hunting: The No-Nonsense Guide for All US Game Species. Forget the hype and fake “pro tips.” This site is for real hunters who want to do it themselves—no guide, no fancy lodge, no bull. Here you’ll get straight-shooting info for every major species, all fifty states, and all skill levels. We’re building the only nationwide, no-nonsense resource for hunters who aren’t afraid to work for their own success. If you want real adventure and stories worth telling, you’re in the right place.

🦌White-tailed Deer

White-tailed deer are king—nothing else is even close. Millions of hunters chase these ghosts of the woods every fall, from thick swamps down south to snowy farm country up north. You don’t need a lease or a private ranch; you need good boots, some patience, and the guts to hunt public land where the deer are wild and the competition is real.

The basics? Scout hard to find trails, food, and fresh sign—then set up and wait. Tree stands, ground blinds, or a plain old fallen log all work if you put in the sweat. Whitetails aren’t dumb. They smell, hear, and see better than you do, so forget shortcuts and hunt the wind every time. Bagging a good buck with your own plan and your own work—nobody can take that pride from you.

🦃Wild Turkey

If you want a real test of patience and grit, hunt wild turkeys. These birds have eyes like security cameras and never do what you expect. DIY turkey hunting is about sneaking, listening, and calling them in the hard way—no decoy lines or guided deals here. Roost a bird at dark, set up before sunrise, and call your heart out. When a tom answers, your pulse will blow up. Some days you win, most days the birds win. Score a public land gobbler on your own? That’s bragging rights forever. Want to take on the ultimate hunting challenge? Turkey Grand Slam

🐿️Squirrel

Squirrel hunting is where most real hunters get their start. It’s fun, fast, and you actually get shots. Bag a mess of bushytails on a cool fall morning, and you’ll be hooked for life. All you need is a .22 or a shotgun and the nerve to sneak in close. Squirrel woods are everywhere: state forests, public land, city edges—everywhere. These little acrobats are perfect for new hunters, for teaching kids, or for pros polishing stalking skills. Plus, squirrel stew is legit.

🐇Rabbit and Hare

If you want action and plenty of it, get after rabbits and hares. Walk fencerows, grass patches, and thickets. With a buddy or a beagle, it’s pure jumping-and-shooting, sometimes in the snow or rain, and always a riot. Rabbits are where you learn to trust your eyes and gut, react fast, and have some laughs along the way. Best part? Rabbit season is long, limits are solid, and a frying pan full after a cold winter hunt beats any fancy restaurant dinner.

🦆Ducks

Think sitting in a comfy blind is duck hunting? Think again. Public land ducks mean muddy boots, pre-dawn hikes, ice, wind, and calling your own shots. You’ll carry way too much gear, bust through cattails, and maybe pull down a limit if your scout game is strong. Bad weather is good weather—warm days mean empty skies. It’s feast or famine, but when the mallards drop in close over your decoys, every ounce of work is worth it.

🦌Mule Deer

Western country, big country—mule deer thrive in battered canyons, sage flats, and alpine bowls. Spot-and-stalk hunting for muleys on public land is a festival of glassing, hiking, and blowing stalks until you finally get everything right. Muleys aren’t fools; the dumb ones get shot opening day. Stick with it, cover miles, and respect the land, and you might catch a big buck feeding at first or last light. Bringing home a solid muley—especially out West or above timberline—takes legs, lungs, and stubbornness.

🪿Goose

DIY waterfowlers know geese are the heavyweights—literally and figuratively. Early mornings, icy fingers, and plenty of decoys. You’ll set spreads on grain fields or in river bottoms, learn to call loud and true, and sometimes watch flock after flock circle and land elsewhere. But get it right, and nothing beats the sight and sound of big honkers dropping in close. It’s all about scouting, timing, and grinding. Bring friends—you’ll need help hauling all that out, if you’re lucky.

🦌Elk

Elk hunting is a gut check, plain and simple. You’ll bust miles of steep, wild country—blisters, busted brush, and legs burning by lunchtime. These animals can smell a human from a football field away and vanish silent as fog. Most days you eat tag soup, but the payoff is nuts: nothing beats the sound of a bull bugle echoing in the early morning, or the feeling of packing out your own steak from public land. Be ready to work for every chance, and don’t be afraid to fail—because DIY elk hunting will humble you, but it’s also the purest high in Western hunting. Want to take on the ultimate Elk hunting challenge? Elk Grand Slam.

🕊️Upland Game Birds (Pheasant, Quail, Grouse)

If you like boot leather and fast shooting, upland birds are your game. Chasing pheasants through standing corn, busting quail from brush, or beating the woods for grouse—nothing is guaranteed and nothing comes easy. Good dogs help, but legs, quick reflexes, and stubbornness are required. The birds run, flush wild, and seldom stick to the plan, but a full vest of feathered prizes? That’s old-school hunting, the kind people remember for decades.

🐻Bear

Want adrenaline? Hunt bear DIY. These animals aren’t just big—they’re smart, sly, and unpredictable. Whether you’re in the Northwoods or the Rocky Mountains, scent and safety matter most. Public land bears might show up after hours of glassing, or not at all. When you do get close, your heart will bang against your ribs like a drum. Every hair stands up, because you know who’s really in charge out there. If you want stories with teeth, this is it.

🫎Moose

Moose hunting is big-country, heavyweight action. These giants don’t give up easy, and tags are hard to come by. If you draw, be ready for bogs, swamps, and blood-pumping close encounters—think Jurassic Park with antlers. Packing out a moose from public land is the definition of suffering (in a good way). You’ll earn every pound, and the memory will haunt you—in a great way—for the rest of your life.

🐐Mountain Goat

Want bragging rights? Hunt mountain goats. Most hunters never even try, and most who try, don’t tag out. You’ll be clinging to rock slides, sucking thin air, and second-guessing your sanity half the time. The animal itself? Built for cliffs and blizzards, never where it’s easy. DIY goat hunting is for the hardest of the hard-core. Make it back with a goat, and you’ll have a story nobody can top.

🦌Pronghorn (Antelope)

Pronghorns are the ultimate speedsters—nobody runs and nobody sees better. Out west, you’ll glass for hours, crawl on your belly, then watch them blow out over the horizon when you’re sure you’ve got it made. Tags are often easy to get, but filling one? Be ready for wide open spaces, wild wind, and shots across big prairie. DIY pronghorn hunting is a game of patience and persistence, and when you finally close the deal, you’ll know you earned it.

🌌 Sky Watching While Hunting

Many of the best hunting locations are far from city lights, making them perfect for sky watching. Whether you are waiting for dawn or tracking nocturnal game, keep an eye on the sky—you might spot something unusual. Recent government UAP disclosures show many sightings occur in remote areas.

Check out real-time UAP intelligence: SkyWatchMesh UAP Reports • UAPRSS Intelligence Hub

Trusted by Hunters: Essential Resources