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Earn every badge. Written by hunters for hunters, with no fluff and no made-up regulations.
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Original, practical articles for hunters at every level. Each one earns a Field School badge. They're general advice, not legal advice. Seasons, bag limits, licenses, legal hunting hours, equipment rules and land access are set by your state wildlife agency or the authority where you hunt. Always check with them directly.
Season checklist
Best Hunting Gear for 2026: Whitetail & Waterfowl Season Checklist: every category from tree stand safety to waders, with what to look for.
Badge: Wind Reader🌬️ Playing the Wind for Whitetail: A Practical Field GuideHow wind, thermals and terrain carry your scent, and how to pick stands, entry routes and exit routes that keep deer from smelling you.READ GUIDE →Badge: High Country⛰️ The First-Time Elk Hunt ChecklistFitness, scouting, tags, glassing, gear and meat care: a step-by-step checklist for planning your first elk hunt without the classic mistakes.READ GUIDE →Badge: Night Sky🌙 Moon Phase and Feeding Times: How to Use Them (Honestly)What solunar tables and moon phases can and can't tell you about deer movement, and how to fit them into a hunting plan alongside weather, wind and the rut.READ GUIDE →Badge: Trailblazer🧭 Public Land Hunting Basics: Finding, Scouting and Hunting ItHow to find public hunting land, read boundaries, plan access, avoid pressure and hunt it ethically, plus the rules you must confirm before you go.READ GUIDE →Badge: Marsh Rat🦆 The Waterfowl Blind Gear List: What to Bring and WhyA complete duck and goose blind gear list covering waders, decoys, calls, concealment, safety in cold water and dog gear, with what actually matters.READ GUIDE →Badge: Longbeard🦃 Spring Turkey Setup: Roosting, Calling and Decoy PlacementHow to locate gobblers, set up on a roosted bird, place decoys, call with restraint and stay safe in the spring turkey woods.READ GUIDE →Badge: Safari Ready🌅 Planning Your First Plains-Game SafariChoosing an outfitter, understanding daily rates and trophy fees, shooting off sticks, packing and travel paperwork for a first African plains-game safari.READ GUIDE →Badge: Dead Steady🎯 Rangefinding and Shot Distance BasicsWhy knowing the distance matters, how laser rangefinders and other methods work, angle and wind basics, and how to set an ethical maximum range.READ GUIDE →Badge: Front Runner🌡️ Barometric Pressure and Deer Movement: Hunting the FrontsWhat barometric pressure is, how rising and falling pressure signals weather fronts, what hunters and studies have seen about deer movement, and how to use the pressure trend to pick hunt days.READ GUIDE →Badge: Safe Climber🪢 Tree Stand Safety Checklist: Harness, Lifeline and HabitsA practical tree stand safety checklist: full-body harness fit, lifelines, inspecting stands, hauling gear, weather and an emergency plan so you come home from every sit.READ GUIDE →