Dr. Ken Nordberg's Article Archive
This page contains links to articles authored by Dr. Ken Nordberg. These articles cover a wide range of hunting topics, including:
- website exclusive articles,
- hunting whitetail deer,
- hunting black bears,
- and tasty wild game recipes.
For more than 4 decades, Dr. Ken Nordberg has done hunting related research with wild deer and black bears over much of North America. Performing original research like his is somewhat unusual for an outdoor writer. Thus, his expertise has become legendary.
At this time, Dr. Nordberg is semi-retired. He still writes, but he is no longer running a booth, or giving seminars as the featured speaker at hunting shows. (His last hunting show was about 2000.) His last Buck & Bear Hunting School was in the spring of 2005. So while many "old-timers" know Doc as "the" expert on whitetail deer hunting and black bear hunting, many younger hunters are unfamiliar with him.
Altogether, Dr. Ken Nordberg's: original research, 11 paperback books, 1 ebook, hundreds of published magazine articles, countless seminars, movies, videos, and DVDs have forever greatly improved the way Americans hunt whitetail deer and black bears. This archive gives young hunters, and us "old-timers," access to the articles that made Doc so famous.
Keep in mind, Dr. Ken Nordberg's longevity as an outdoor writer is extraordinary. You may be interested to know that many of his earliest published articles included topics on fishing and bird hunting. Over the years, his articles have appeared in many major outdoor publications. His first published article on whitetail deer hunting came out in Fins & Feathers in 1980. (He authored hundreds of articles for them.) He also wrote many articles for Sportman's Press. Then in 1990, Dr. Nordberg became a featured writer for Midwest Outdoors — typically writing two articles per month. (The rough estimate is: 24-1/2 years * 12 months * 2 = 588 articles.) During that time, he also wrote for Bow Hunting World, and Bear Hunting Magazine. So — as of June 2014 — the estimate of the total number of articles that Dr. Nordberg has had published is over 700! (The publication dates for his ground-breaking books are: 1988, 1989, 1990 (2 books), 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, and 2014.)
Creating this Archive of Dr. Ken Nordberg's Articles is massive project. In some cases, the articles must be retyped. This process will take some time, so please check this list on a regular basis for new links to the articles that interest you.
[Keep in mind, all of these articles — and the photographs and drawings in them — are copyrighted. While you are welcome to read these articles, you can not legally reprint, republish, or make derivative publications using them. (All rights reserved.)]
WHITETAIL DEER HUNTING ARTICLES:
Articles Exclusive to this Website:
- Opportunistic Stand Hunting (A favorite hunting technique of the Nordbergs that Doc has been teaching hunters for many years.)
- Another Once-in-a-Lifetime Buck (Dave's monster buck from the 2014 season.)
- What Every Deer Hunter Should Know about Trophy-Class Dominant Bucks (Valuable tips for understanding how trophy-class bucks think during the rut.)
- Five Stages of Whitetail Alarm (Doc has been giving hunters this expert whitetail hunting advice for 50 years.)
- The Basics of Hunting Big Bucks (Valuable tips for taking mature bucks using certain fresh deer signs and backpacked stools and/or treestands.)
- Productive Stand Sites (How to hunt whitetail deer using highly productive stand sites.)
- Portable Stump Hunting (Ground level hunting for trophy bucks.)
- When to Hunt Ground Scrapes (Avoiding common mistakes when hunting white-tailed bucks.)
- How to build Dr. Ken Nordberg's Portable Hunting Stool (This article is very helpful. It is an excerpt from Dr. Ken Nordberg's Whitetail Hunter's Almanac 7th Edition which is currently out-of-print. This is a great summer project to get ready for fall!)
Dr. Ken Nordberg's Published Article Archive
1989:
- (May) About Cover Scents (From Sportsman's Press. This is an interesting article Dr. Nordberg wrote about how to use, and not use cover scents. Because he was the expert on this topic, back then, manufacturers in the fledgling scent industry really wanted him to endorse their products.)
1991:
- (Oct) The Great Lesson (Recently — 10/12/2014 — I was able to get copies of some of Doc's older articles. This is the first article that I am uploading from when he wrote for Sportsman's Press. At the time, he was writing about one article per week for them. This particular article is wonderful article where Doc reveals his views concerning hunts where he was unsuccessful at harvesting venison.)
1993:
- (Dec) Keying On Bedding And Feeding Areas (Bedding and feeding areas are the most productive stand sites.)
1994:
- (Feb) “Whitetail Science” First Steps To Success (First Steps to Success for hunting mature whitetail bucks and other deer.)
1995:
1996:
- (Jan) A Proven Gem of a Hunting Tactic (This story describes an advanced scouting technique for whitetail hunting that helps to answer the question, "Where should I hunt next?" Doc calls the “Mid-Hunt Cruising.”)
- (Mar) Back to The Basics — Introduction (Most deer hunters rely too much on using estrus scents, rattling, and grunt calls. In this series of articles Doc covers the most important skills a deer hunter should rely on.)
- (Apr) Spring Chores that Pay Off in Fall (This article talks about what Doc calls, “Spring Scouting.”)
- (Apr) Back to Basics — Identifying Whitetails via Tracks (This article covers how to identify whitetail deer via their track size. Doc's biological research that related whitetail size to track size is one of his most important contributions to the Modern Era of Deer Hunting.)
- (July) Back to Basics — Whitetail Beds and Bedding Areas (This article covers how to identify whitetail beds and bedding areas. Doc's biological research that related whitetail size to bed size is one of his most important contributions to the Modern Era of Deer Hunting. He also defined many of the terms now commonly in use — such as Buck Bedrooms.)
- (Dec) A Lesson In Mobility — The Seven-Stand Buck (This a great story about one of Doc's nice 10-pointers and how he expertly used seven different tree stands to get it.)
1997:
- (Jan) My Son Ken — Master of the Nudge (This story describes a sophisticated 2–3 man drive technique for taking mature, trophy-class bucks Doc calls the “Gentle Nudge.”)
- (Jan) How to Quell Poaching (Every year, poaching is a significant problem problem for ethical whitetail hunters. Please do your part to help reduce and eliminate poaching.)
- (Feb) Johnny-on-the-Spot Bucks (This article covers a buck hunting technique Doc introduced in his Whitetail Hunter's Almanac — 7th Edition.)
- (Feb) Amazing Benefits of Man-made Trails (This short article is full of tips for making deer hunting trails like an expert. Over the years, Doc's research has made whitetail deer hunting trails a science.)
- (Apr) Adult Bucks are Different (This article explains key details that make hunting adult bucks different from hunting young bucks or does.)
- (Nov) Some Valuable Last-Minute Tips (This article reviews the top 8 hunting tips for improving whitetail hunting success.)
- (Nov) Where To Hunt Bucks (This article reviews tracks, droppings, and bed sizes — helping you utilize fresh sign to key on big bucks.)
1998:
- (Dec) Beware the Bold Buck (Sometimes big bold bucks monitor what you are doing very closely. Even an expert whitetail buck hunter can be outfoxed by such a buck.)
2001:
- (June) Trophy Buck Elusiveness
- (Dec) Blind Magic (An early article on ground blinds. Originally this article was published without photos. In this new version the article, more recent photos have been added.)
2003:
- (Jan) Unpredictability — The Final Key To Hunting Success (When hunting trophy-class whitetail bucks, adding unpredictability to your hunting style will greatly improve your hunting success.)
2004:
2005:
2006:
- (Feb) David Beats The Odds (This article covers the Nordberg's hunting camp rules for taking deer, and David Nordberg's great 2005 whitetail hunting season.)
- (Sept) Snow vs. No Snow (This article explains covers strategies for hunting whitetails when snow makes it easier to identify sign, and what to do when there is no snow.)
- (Oct) Why Adult Deer Easily Spot You (This article explains how a camo headnet, camo blaze orange outerwear, a solid natural background and adequate intervening cover can make you invisible to whitetails.)
- (Oct) Early Rising (This article explains the importance for buck hunters of getting up early in the morning, and just how early.)
2007:
2008:
- (Dec) Afterwards (This is a charming article about Dr. Ken Nordberg's first deer hunting season.)
2009:
- (Aug) So You Want to Take a Big Buck — Part 1
- (Sept) So You Want to Take a Big Buck — Part 2
- (Oct) So You Want to Take a Big Buck — Part 3
- (Oct) Group Stand Hunting
- (Nov) Dr. Ken on Deer Hunting 10 Great Hunting Tips
2010:
- (July) Antlers (This is a big article, with lots of photos, that give an impressive amount of information on what hunters need to know about whitetail buck's antlers.)
- (Sept) A Most Productive Deer Sign (Coming Soon)
- (Oct) Accurate Field Shooting Made Easy
- (Oct) Deer Beds And Bedding Areas (Coming Soon)
- (Nov) Straight Talk About Rubs And Scrapes (Coming Soon)
- (Dec) A Better Way To Make Drives
- (Dec) Great Hunting Tips Of The Past
2011:
- (Jan) A Buck For The Taxidermist
- (Jan) Wolves in Our Deer Woods
- (Feb) Hunting Whitetail Feeding Areas
- (June) Preparing To Hunt A New Clearcut
- (Sept) Scouting When it Counts
2012:
- (Jan) A Season of Unusual Buck Encounters
- (July) Previously Hunted Whitetails Don't Forget
- (Aug) Thirty Minutes That Make or Break a Hunt
- (Sept) How To Get Close To Big Bucks (Coming Soon)
- (Dec) Big Bucks I Should Have Taken But Didn't
- (Dec) One If By Tree, Three If By Land (Coming Soon)
2013:
- (Jan) Best Buck In 23 Years
- (Feb) A Great Opener After All
- (Feb) Hunting Wolf Country Bucks During the Rut (Includes a lot of information about whitetail does in estrus — does in heat.)
- (March) Quick, Hide Ken’s Rifle!
- (March) Blinds That Work
- (Sept) In Defense of Trophy Buck Hunting
- (Oct) Countdown To Whitetail Hunting
2014:
- (Jan) The Making of a Buck Hunter (Tyler Nordberg)
2015:
- (Jan) Another Once-in-a-Lifetime Buck (Dave, 2014)
- (Feb) The Cards Were Stacked Against Us
- (Feb) The Making of a Buck Hunter (Jim Nordberg)
- (April) Motionless Stand Hunting — Part I
- (May) Motionless Stand Hunting — Part II
- (July) Antler Rubs
- (July) A Fear of Becoming Lost — Part I
- (August) A Fear of Becoming Lost — Part II
BLACK BEAR HUNTING ARTICLES:
- (1983 & Sept/Oct 2002) Sam's Bear (A grizzly story)
- (Jan/Feb 2002) The Shot and Aftermath
- (March/April 2002) How to Properly Field Dress a Bear
- (May/June 2002) How Big a Job
- (Nov/Dec 2002) It does get better (Coming Soon)
- (Sept/Oct 2003) Thought I'd Seen Everything (Coming Soon)
- (Jan/Feb 2006) Taking a Trophy-Class Black Bear (Coming Soon)
WILD GAME RECIPES:
- (July/August 2002) How to Cook a Black Bear
- (Website Exclusive) Recipe #1 How to Cook Venison Heart
- (Website Exclusive) Recipe #2 How to Cook Fillet Mignon of Venison