After an exciting hunting season, I sat down with two local hunters, Cory Buchanan and Matt Hudson for a chat. Here is what they had to say:

"Whitetail deer hunting is very popular in northeast Missouri," Buchanan said. "Scouting deer is a very successful way to put yourself in a position to harvest a deer. Trail cameras are the easiest way to know what kind of deer herd you have on your farm, or wherever you hunt. Trail cameras take pictures and videos of animal movement. They allow you to pattern and learn where and when the deer are moving. Not everyone realizes the effort you have got to put in and all the time you spend. It is not always as easy as all the television shows make it seem. There are tons of things that determine if you succeed, starting with your stand placement. Stand place is a big one because if you are not in the right spot then you are not gonna be successful. You, also, have to play the wind. The wind is a big part of bein' successful."

"Sometimes it is a mind game that you play with yourself because the good ole' Missouri weather plays a big factor," Hudson said. "When you are sitting out one day and it's forty degrees and then the next day it can be below zero. You never know what the Missouri weather is gonna bring. But that moment when you get to put your hands on that big Missouri buck, or even that nice big ole' doe for meat in the freezer, it is all worth it at the end of the day."

For all you hunters out there...

XO and best wishes,

Ashley Rose Corbin (with some help from those two)