Precision Bowhunting: A Year-Round Approach to Taking Mature Whitetails

I looked at this book several times over the last year, and kept deciding to purchase other hunting books (usually because other titles were cheaper). I really wish I would have gone ahead and pulled the trigger on this one from the get-go. This is kind of the goldilocks of whitetail books – it is just right. Meaning it is not worthless commercial dribble that you expect from the hunting shows attempting to sell the gimmick of the week; its not the typical cookie cutter outdoor writer formula where they compile their same old tired Outdoor Life articles repackaged as a book; nor is it the romanticized rantings of some want to be Indian tracker who attempts to project abstract thinking abilities on a prey animal. If that is what the book isn’t, how about what it is? Well, simply it is pretty well written, informative, and entertaining advice and knowledge regarding whitetail behavior and more effective ways to hunt mature whitetails.I have not read any of the other Eberhart books, so I cannot compare and contrast this book to the others. I can say that I do like the format of this book, and the month by month organization is a really good reference tool for hunting, scouting and prep work. I found this book to be in the more sensible middle than several other whitetail texts I have recently read, as well. For example, one of the books I enjoyed last year was “Whitetails – A Research Based Hunting Model” by Dr. Robert Sheppard. One of Dr. Sheppard’s main points was not to overhunt stands, and he vehemently supported only hunting a stand site once a season. While the Eberharts also emphasize not overhunting an area, they are more sensible in the approach. In fact, they advise that there are times when you should definitely re-hunt stand areas – not only in the same season, but at times on back to back days. While I certainly support not over pressuring an area, the one hunt rule just seemed foolish to me, and doesn’t align with my own experiences. I’ve killed several bucks that I certainly would never have harvested if I had given up on a stand after a single hunt. I heartily agree with the Eberhart method of intense scouting and stand site prep in the winter post season, instead of the late summer/early fall preseason. Scouting and prepping in winter really helps relieve perceived pressure on the deer, as they have all summer to forget about human presence. It is also much easier to find scrapes, rubs, and trails during winter when the rut sign is reasonably fresh, and the vegetation is thinned out allowing much better visibility. Of course, the Eberharts have snow to deal with in Michigan, but snow cover is a rarity in the mid-South where I hunt.The authors really stress scent control, and give a great deal of good advice on managing the issue. They are believers in hunting high, which I also buy into, but the 25 – 30 ft stand heights they describe do create some extreme angles for bowhunters. They are also strong proponents of saddle hunting 9that is, using the arborists type harness saddles as tree stands). This does create extreme mobility and flexibility in stand sites. Dr. Sheppard recommended a similar tactic in his book. The Eberharts were at one time advisors on the now defunct Tree Saddle, which can still be occasionally found on eBay but is no longer manufactured. New Tribe arborist equipment is making a similar model to the Tree Saddle called the Aero Hunter Evolution. I myself have converted to a saddle type stand called Guido’s Web. It is bulkier than the Tree Saddle and Aero Hunter, but is much more comfortable.There is some fluff and filler in the book, but I have found myself highlighting and revisiting several portions of the book. It is billed as a bowhunting book, and that is certainly what it was written for, but it applies just as well to rifle hunting. Many concepts may be less important for rifle hunters who are glassing huge fields, but for those gun hunters in the woods, these concepts are just as important as they are for the bowhunter when the target quarry is mature bucks. I recommend the purchase.

Nothing earth shattering but lots of timeless advice. This is a must read for anyone new to bow hunting whitetails. It contains lots of good info and reminders for seasoned hunters also, but may not provide as many ah ha moments.This is more of a hunting strategy book vs hunting story book. If you are looking for more of a narrative with tips also try “Whitetail Access” by the same author. Both are great reads.

Great book for guys who want to step up their game

Honestly I had way higher hopes for his books... there is some good information, but some really useless information as well. The main problem is all of his books are just about word for word, chapter for chapter the exact same. First he gives statistics about why the state he hunts is the hardest cause it receives the most pressure, then he talks about pre season scouting, obtaining hunting permission, fitness and nutrition, his saddle, scent control, rattling and calling, his other equipment then a little about hunting early, mid, and late season. The chapters are in the same order and titled the same in both books. I read the first one and then it was like I was reading the exact same book all over again, I actually had to check the cover and make sure I didn't accidently pick up the wrong one of his books. There are chapters over fitness and nutrition that are pretty basic and I don't want to say irrelevant, but, useless to me anyways. There is also a chapter about knocking on peoples doors and giving them resumes to ask for hunting permission, again, to me this chapter was boring, redundant and useless. He uses the same pictures in some of his examples, like his equipment chapters and talking about his ambush saddle. Most of the chapters are pretty repetitive, he reiterates the same thing 3 times and mentions them all again in every other chapter as well. These are short books that are easy to read, but I feel like they are just being filled with fluff and pushed out for a profit. It even says that John was too busy and would have never done it himself, it’s his son that made these books to profit off their family’s name. If you have watched any of his youtube videos, you already know everything you need to know about is scent lok routine that he harps on practicing extreme scent control for 20 pages. If you're interested, buy just one book and read it, save yourself the time and money, the other 2 are the exact same.

While reading this book I realized that this book is not for all bow hunters...at least until they are willing to put down their guard and listen. I came to this conclusion while discussing the book with a few fellow bow hunters. Certain topics I brought up during our discussion they found to be excessive or not necessary, or just plain wrong, while I could see the true value and necessity. So, here I thought they would be excited at what I had learned. Now these are not guys I hunt with, which is probably a good thing. I don't want them in any of my stands.If you are going to commit to being a successful hunter, you need to put yourself in the best position possible. This book IS for the hunter that can be critical of their own hunting practices and experiences, compare them to what the authors are presenting, and align themselves to be a better hunter. This book is a must for the serious hunter who wants to challenge what they believe about hunting. This is a technical book that has plenty of first person accounts blended in to make it truly interesting. Yes, it has several pics of beautiful deer that were harvested, but they do not distract from the reading. I went back and looked at all the pics when I finished reading the book. This book will stay in my library and be shared with my three sons when the time is right.

These guys know how to hunt. Before reading this book, I never thought about how pressured animals were that much in tune with their surroundings. I also use these tactics to blakctails in our neck of the wood. Precious advices from pros.

Bought as a gift for my husband an avid bow hunter and he is enjoying the book.

I'm a new hunter ... I thought this book was great

Good book