We believe the hunting world lost its way decades ago, with technology, food plots, and heated stands replacing true woodsmen skills and knowledge of animal habit and habitat. At Big Woods Bucks, our goal is to revive and promote hunting in its most ancient, purest form, by getting out into the big woods, learning to read the woods & subtle sign that makes the biggest difference in your success. The woodsman skills we teach help you safely test yourself against the wilderness and have real, authentic big woods adventures along the way. So stop sitting and start hunting!

Hal Blood

Hal Blood

Chris Dalti

Chris Dalti

Hal Blood

Hal Blood

Chris Dalti

Chris Dalti

We believe the hunting world lost its way decades ago, with technology, food plots, and heated stands replacing true woodsmen skills and knowledge of animal habit and habitat. At Big Woods Bucks, our goal is to revive and promote hunting in its most ancient, purest form, by getting out into the big woods, learning to read the woods & subtle sign that makes the biggest difference in your success. The woodsman skills we teach help you safely test yourself against the wilderness and have real, authentic big woods adventures along the way. So stop sitting and start hunting!

What is the "big woods?"

Broadly speaking, as defined in Hal Blood’s books, the “big woods” is anywhere where deer do not primarily feed on agriculture. In particular, "the big woods" refers the heavily forested areas of the northeast and the upper Midwest. 

What is big woods hunting?

Big Woods hunting combines a variety of tactics, including tracking, still hunting, sitting, and hunting out of a stand when appropriate. Each tactic has its place, although Big Woods Bucks aims to highlight and promote tracking and still-hunting above all others because, if practiced correctly, these methods are the most reliable way of taking a buck in the big woods. 

FROM THE BLOG

VIDEO: The right spot to sit! | Brad Willey’s 2022 New Hampshire Muzzleloader buck

VIDEO: The right spot to sit! | Brad Willey’s 2022 New Hampshire Muzzleloader buck

Brad gets it done with the muzzleloader on a crunchy day in New Hampshire

Posted on February 14, 2025 by Scott Gaillard

On a sunny, crunchy day in New Hampshire Brad lets out the world’s longest grunt, then picks a great spot to sit and wait. Check it out!

VIDEO: “IT WASN’T PRETTY!” Persistence pays off | Brad Willey’s Maine 2021 Big Woods Buck

VIDEO: “IT WASN’T PRETTY!” Persistence pays off | Brad Willey’s Maine 2021 Big Woods Buck

Brad finds himself in a shooting gallery and gets it done in Maine! His second buck in 2021.

Posted on February 5, 2025 by Scott Gaillard

Brad Willey gets it done again in Maine by thinking outside the box, and doing a lot of shooting! Big Woods Bucks don’t come easy, and it may not be pretty, but as Brad says, persistence is the key. 

VIDEO: Chaos on the Mountain! Brad Willey puts his red dot to the test on a Big Woods Buck

VIDEO: Chaos on the Mountain! Brad Willey puts his red dot to the test on a Big Woods Buck

Brad Willey gets into a chasing frenzy on top of a mountain and puts his red dot to work with some quick shooting!

Posted on February 2, 2025 by Scott Gaillard

Brad Willey shows what a red dot sight can do with some up close and fast paced rut chasing action in the Big Woods of New Hampshire!

What is tracking?

Tracking is the purest form of hunting. To consistently be successful at tracking bucks, a hunter must be able to accurately read a variety of sign, be in good physical condition and fast on the track, and be a capable woodsman. Big Woods Bucks aims to help hunters achieve all these skills and more.

BWB Partners

Our fine partners make it possible for us to share our adventures with all of you.

Minus33
The Freedom Model Online
On The Hunt
The Maine Sportsman
Kittery Trading Post
K-Data Systems