When I first began hunting, my answer would have unequivocally been "turkey." I had hunted whitetail deer, but hated sitting in a tree stand all day. I'd hunted mule deer in open country, too, but the lack of cover in Northwest Nebraska makes them very much herd animals that may be on your property one day, but never return the rest of the week. Plus, they aren't difficult to spot. Turkeys, meanwhile, speak to you while you're waiting on them to show up.

But since I began still hunting 3 years ago, I have come to love hunting whitetail deer more than anything else. There is no dull moment. Each step is a strategic move; each sound is a new possibility; and each kill is the result of improvising to get to the right place at the right time, despite the fact that wasn't where you started out or maybe where you planned to end up.