Hunting
From whitetails to gators, dawn to dark — honest gear picks and the tactics to actually use them. Pick your hunt:
Pick your hunt
Latest Articles
- Best Duck Decoys for 2026: 6 Picks for a Southern Spread
The six duck decoys worth building a 2026 spread around, from a $55 starter six-pack to flocked bodies that fool late-season mallards. - Best Rifle Scopes Under $500 (2026): 6 Picks Compared by Price and GlassThe $200-500 band is the sweet spot of the riflescope market in 2026. Six picks compared on glass, magnification and repeatable zero – plus how to choose.
- Best Duck Hunting Waders (2026): Breathable vs. Neoprene, Every BudgetFrom $120 neoprene to zip-front breathables: the duck hunting waders worth buying in 2026, plus the $40 of accessories that doubles their lifespan.
- 2026 Duck Season Dates by State: Openers, Zones & Bag LimitsOpener coming up? Get your gear sorted first. Many regular duck seasons open in late fall — check your zone’s dates below. These are the two gear guides waterfowlers use most before opening day: Best duck hunting waders →Best duck decoys → Duck season is the main event for waterfowlers across four flyways, but it…
- Wild Hog Hunting Cost: DIY vs. Guided (2026)Quick answer: a guided day hog hunt in the South usually costs $275 to $950 per person, a thermal night hunt $350 to $600, and a helicopter hunt about $2,750 to $3,000 for roughly two hours in the air. DIY is far cheaper: West Texas day access starts around $150, and Texas requires no hunting…
- Best Caliber for Wild Hog Hunting (2026): Energy Chart, Bullets & GearAffiliate disclosure: Get Out Mor earns a commission when you buy through some links on this page, at no extra cost to you. The cartridge advice below is independent of those links. Quick answer: for most hog hunters in the South, a .308 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield or 6.5 Creedmoor with a bonded or controlled-expansion bullet…
- Alligator Hunting Cost: DIY vs. Guided, State by State (2026)Ask five hunters what an alligator hunt costs and you’ll get five different answers, because there isn’t one number. A guided hunt can run anywhere from $600 to well over $8,000 depending on the size of the gator, and a DIY setup can cost as little as a few hundred dollars in reusable gear. Here’s…
- Trout Fishing in Florida: Panhandle Streams, Stocking Schedule, and Shoal BassFlorida’s freshwater trout fishing — stocked rainbow trout in Panhandle streams, the native shoal bass fishery, best waters like the Chipola and Coldwater Creek, techniques, and seasonal timing.
- Live Bait vs. Artificial Lures: What Actually Works InshoreThe honest breakdown of live bait vs. artificial lures for Florida inshore fishing — species-by-species comparison, conditions that favor each approach, and when experienced anglers make the call.
- Redfish Fishing Complete Guide: Florida Rigs, Bait, Spots, and SeasonsThe complete Florida redfish guide — biology, habitat, seasonal patterns, best rigs, sight-fishing techniques, and how to read the water to find red drum year-round in Florida’s inshore waters.
- Best Time of Day to Go Saltwater Fishing: Species-by-Species BreakdownThe real answer to when to go saltwater fishing — dawn-to-dusk breakdown by species, seasonal adjustments, why topwater is best at first light, and how tide timing interacts with time of day.
- Kayak Fishing for Inshore Species in Florida: The Complete Setup GuideEverything you need to kayak fish Florida’s inshore waters — choosing a pedal vs. paddle kayak, essential electronics, top species and tactics, launch spots, and safety rules.
- How to Read Tides for Inshore Fishing: A Complete GuideMaster tidal fishing for Florida’s inshore species. This guide covers the four tide phases, outgoing vs incoming advantages, species-specific timing, tidal range by region, and moon phase fishing.
- How to Process and Cook Alligator Meat: Field to Table GuideComplete guide to processing and cooking alligator meat after your Florida harvest — field dressing steps, understanding gator cuts, gamey flavor fixes, and recipes that actually work.
- Night Hunting for Alligators: Spotlighting Techniques and SafetyEverything you need to know about spotlighting alligators at night — reading eye shine, making the silent approach, boat setup, weather conditions, and safety rules for Florida’s nighttime gator season.
- Alligator Hunting Gear List: Bang Sticks, Harpoons, Snares, and LightsThe complete Florida alligator hunting gear list — from high-powered spotlights and harpoon setups to bangsticks, snare poles, and safety equipment. Built from real swamp experience.
- Florida Gator Season: Dates, Permits, Tags, and FWC Application GuideEverything you need to know about Florida’s alligator hunting season — application dates, the FWC lottery process, permit costs, CITES tags, management units, and what to do if you don’t draw.
- Florida Alligator Hunting: The Complete Beginner’s GuideEverything a first-time Florida alligator hunter needs to know — from the FWC permit lottery and legal methods to spotlighting techniques, safety rules, and field-to-freezer tips.
- Public Land Hunting Laws vs. Private Land: What Every Southern Hunter Needs to KnowYou cross a fence, you think you’re on WMA ground. Or maybe you weren’t sure and figured it’d be fine. Then a game warden walks out of the treeline. That moment — right there — is the difference between a clean season and a criminal charge that follows you the rest of your life. Understanding…
- The Decline of the Mourning Dove — and What Hunters Can Do About ItThe mourning dove is still the most hunted migratory bird in North America. Three hundred and forty-six million birds, according to 2023 USFWS estimates. Over sixteen million harvested annually. By the raw numbers, that sounds like a species doing just fine. But dig into the long-term data — sixty years of Breeding Bird Survey records…
- Hunting Public Land in the Ouachita National Forest: What You Need to KnowNearly 1.8 million acres of public timber straddling Arkansas and Oklahoma, a mountain range that runs the wrong direction, and a turkey population that rivals anything in the South — the Ouachita National Forest doesn’t get nearly the attention it deserves. If you’ve been grinding over-pressured WMAs or shelling out for lease fees, it’s time…
- Understanding HIP Certification for Migratory Bird HuntersMost hunters who get a citation on opening morning of dove season don’t have an illegal gun, didn’t exceed the bag limit, and weren’t hunting the wrong species. They just forgot a free registration that takes two minutes to complete. The Harvest Information Program — HIP — is one of the most overlooked requirements in…
- How the Federal Duck Stamp Program Works — And Why It’s One of Conservation’s Greatest SuccessesFor $25 a year, you can fund the single most land-efficient conservation program the federal government has ever run. Ninety-eight cents of every duck stamp dollar goes directly into wetland acquisition — not overhead, not salaries, not bureaucracy. Since 1934, that stamp has protected over 6 million acres of wetland habitat across North America. There’s…
- Why Doves Flock to Specific Fields: Understanding Dove Behavior and HabitatIf you’ve ever watched a field you were certain would hold birds go completely empty on opening morning, you know the frustration. Doves aren’t random. They follow rules — biological rules built around food, water, grit, and safety — and once you understand those rules, you stop picking fields by feel and start picking them…
- Feral Hog Damage: What the Data Actually ShowsThe numbers are worse than most hunters realize — and sport hunting alone won’t fix it. Feral hogs are not a nuisance problem. They are a full-scale ecological and agricultural crisis unfolding in slow motion across the South and beyond. The data is messy in places — researchers argue over the exact dollar figures —…
Dove Hunting — 2026 season dates by state, regulations and field tactics