Hunt Trophy Does, Turn Off the Damn Phone, Befriend Your Neighbors, and Make Deer Hunting Fun Again

Lindsay Thomas of the National Deer Association has some ideas about how to bring joy back to the deer woods

By Alex Robinson / Outdoor Life

Hunting and killing a mature whitetail buck is hard. Repeating the feat, season after season, is really hard. And when your hunting season isn’t working out the way you planned, it can get pretty frustrating, too. Especially when you open Instagram and discover that every influencer and their brother has killed a “giant”—or so it seems. 

This time of year, a lot of serious deer hunters start to get grumpy, bitter, or downright pissed as their seasons begin to unravel. That’s a shame. Because in my opinion, the single most important and honest reason to hunt deer is … because it’s fun. 

If you’re not having fun, then it’s time to rethink your entire approach. Lindsay Thomas Jr., the chief communications officer for the National Deer Association, is here to help. Thomas has been a member of the organization’s staff since 2003. Throughout his career as an outdoor journalist, he has written and published numerous articles on deer management and hunting, and he has edited and contributed to several books, including Quality Food Plots. He’s also heard from a lot of disgruntled hunters.

You can listen to my full interview with Thomas in the podcast below and read on for some ways to reframe your deer season and hunting strategy. READ ON