If you're not hunting right now, you better have a really good excuse. The pre-rut is rolling and whitetails are on a serious hunt for the first hot does. I'm sure a few of you have already seen chasing, and possibly even a flurry of breeding. It's happening now, and there's no better time to hunt whitetails or muleys.

There's snow across the West. I've been there and done that. It's snowing in Wyoming as I'm typing. I just returned from Colorado after hunting with Elkhorn Outfitters. The weather was brutal, but began to settle enough to spark rutting activity, especially at dawn and dusk. We used mules and horses to access backcountry. They are quiet, and you can even ride up to the elk and deer for a face-to-face view of the critters.

I tagged this muley late last week in north central Idaho while hunting with the crew at Boulder Creek Outfitters.

I had to interrupt the whitetail season for mule deer opportunities. Last week I was in Idaho hunting both whitetails and mule deer. Today, I'm en route to Colorado, specifically targeting muleys.

The best whitetail hunting of the year is occurring right now through the first 10 days of November. It doesn't matter if you're armed with a firearm, bow or muzzleloader ... now is the time to be out and after those crazy whitetails. And don't forget the muleys, either—they also tend to get goofy this time of year.

I'm getting a bit nervous about my upcoming hunts, especially in the Midwest. Why? There have been reported outbreaks of hemorrhagic disease (HD). The outbreaks have been recorded from northeastern Montana all the way down to Missouri.

I just finished chasing Wyoming whitetails for a week. It wasn't easy. I was battling a full moon, the "October lull" and lots of cattle that invaded several hot honey-holes. Here are four tips for hunting full-moon whitetails (in mid-October):

I just put the wrap on my Wyoming whitetail hunt. I'm going to leave you hanging for now, but it was a nail-biter down to the wire. In the meantime, I have to brag about my son, Cole.

I'm still whitetail-less in Wyoming, but it's not for lack of trying. I'm hunting with Brian Beisher at Big Buck Outfitters literally in my backyard. As my previous blog explained, October whitetails can be finicky. That finicky character, along with a full moon, has definitely has been trying my whitetail patience.

Unfortunately, all the moose are still on the loose in Ontario. Our hunt was difficult at best, but the reward would’ve been amazing on film had it happened. It did for our camp mate, however—a bowhunter from Wisconsin.