Innholdsfortegnelse for April - May 2017 i Petersen's Bowhunting

Spring turkey season is so close I can almost taste the drumsticks! And as I look ahead to chasing longbeards and all the other adventures 2017 has in store, my optimism is at an all-time high. Part of my hopefulness is a response to a difficult 2016. Due to circumstances beyond my control, my workload was heavier than ever, resulting in far more time behind a desk and far less time in the field than I would have liked. And when I did manage to get out, my success rate was far less than stellar. From bad choices (passing a nice 10-point whitetail buck on the first morning in South Dakota) to bad weather (record November heat in Illinois) to bad luck (a cancelled flight that cost me a late-season…

We all realize that to shoot a bow, some form of pushing and pulling has to take place — but probably not as much as you’ve been told. My entire life, I was preached to on how I needed to push my bow arm at the target and pull on my release arm firing the shot using my back muscles. I quickly realized that doing that the same way each time was next to impossible. Archery, like I’ve always said, is a game of repetition, and trying to rip the bow in half just wasn’t something I could repeat. One day I’d do great, the next I’d be pulling harder and hit to the right or push shots out to the left. The inconsistency was really frustrating. Now, a lot…

I cherished my first hunting bow. When I bought it, I was still in school and had an extremely limited budget. That bow was my companion in the woods for years and years. As it aged, I nursed it along until I could finally afford a new one. When I bought my second bow, I held onto the first one, mostly for sentimental reasons but also to use it as a backup. I left it fully set up with sight, arrow rest and quiver. I shot it occasionally to keep the moving parts moving. I still have that old bow. I still do the same thing today. As I upgrade to a new bow, I always keep my most recent bow as a backup. The obvious reason is to use…

Let Us Hear Your Voice The InBox is one of my favorite pages in the magazine, because it gives the editorial team an opportunity to hear directly from you, our readers. Your support is the reason Petersen’s BOWHUNTING exists. So, hearing your compliments and criticisms — along with the bowhunting topics that stir your passions — is invaluable as we continally strive to make the best bowhunting magazine out there even better. Recently, however, much of the commentary on this page has revolved around a single issue — crossbows. While I’m all for some lively debate on the merits of crossbows, or lack thereof, I would also love to hear your thoughts on other topics, such as bowhunting ethics, favorite equipment, wildlife management, habitat conservation, favorite hunting grounds and the…

I collected my first speeding ticket because of my whitetail addiction. I was a senior in high school, and with the rut in full swing, I managed to convince the study hall teacher my time was better spent in a stand along a scrape line I couldn’t get out of my mind. My sit just two days earlier found me within 15 yards of a mature 8-pointer that was rubbing every tree in sight. That encounter resulted in my first live experience of a “lip curl,” or flehmen, as the buck scent-checked a scrape and shredded an overhanging licking branch. I was hooked! Unfortunately, ground cover in the sapling-infested woodlot prevented a clean shot. Just reliving that bowhunt from two decades ago makes me long for the smells, sounds and…

Spanish philosopher George Santayana is widely credited with the observation that “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” The point is, we are wise to study history and learn from our mistakes, lest we repeat them. Unfortunately, human nature and time often dim our recollection and change our perspective. In medieval times, the conventional bow and arrow was a specialized weapon that required considerable practice and effort to become proficient. In militaristic cultures, which was just about every culture back then, bowmen were often considered an elite class. They were separate from and superior to the plebeian foot soldiers, though being of uncultivated ancestry they were still below the aristocracy. An army led by heavily armored noble knights, reinforced by the great unwashed foot soldiers and…

THE BACK SCRATCHER I have been hunting this buck for a few years. Last year, my neighbor shot him high in the front shoulder, and I helped him track for a couple hundred yards. After that, I had the buck on camera a couple of times in mid-December. This year, he started showing up on camera in mid-October, so I knew he was in the area. Last week, I finally got time to put a stand up about 40 yards from that camera, and sure enough he came by the first time I sat in that stand. I hit him a little back when I shot, so I had to track him for about a half mile before I decided to pull out for the day. The next morning, I…

Most bowhunters want to start their post-season scouting by walking everything and looking for the best sign: the heaviest trails, biggest rubs and widest scrapes. It’s very tempting to take this route — and even a lot of fun. If you scout before spring green-up, all sign from the prior rut is right there for you to find. It would seem the perfect time to scout up a new stand overlooking the most heavily used funnel or the line of rubs on fat saplings. The stands you hang over such spots might work, but you may also spend your whole season chasing your tail as you jump from one to the next, never experiencing more than a few good hunts all season before your top choices are dead. I wrote…

Bowtech prides itself on being a leader in archery technology. And for 2017, the company continues its high-tech push with the new SmartBow concept designed to tackle common problems with tuning, shootability and performance. The SmartBow platform is a key component of the flagship Reign 6, which features the OverDrive Binary cam, Microsync Dial cam synchronization system, FlipDisc performance adjustment, Outrigger offset stabilization system, Carbon Core split limbs, Center Pivot riser and FLX-Guard cable-containment system. Vibration and noise-reducing accessories are also found on the riser, cables and cable guard. Smarter, Easier, Better Bowtech’s SmartBow platform marries numerous technologies to bring critical and useful results to the table. The OverDrive Binary cam system is the heart of the platform and includes the FlipDisc, which is a new version of the popular…

The new Rage Turkey Broadhead ($29.99 per 2-pack; www.ragebroadheads.com) features a razor-sharp Meat Hook Tip combined with a 2-blade Slip-Cam rear to take turkeys down quickly and ethically. With a 2 1/8-inch cutting diameter, the 100-grain broad-head was designed to impair one or both wings on contact. The aerodynamic, anodized, aluminum ferrule with a Rage Shock Collar ensures secure blade retention in flight and reliable deployment upon impact. Cabela’s new line of Scout Camo Clothing ($50-$60; www.cabelas.com) is lightweight and breathable for spring gobbler hunts. Both the pants and seven-button shirt were designed with 130-gram polyester ripstop, stretch panels for mobility and mesh-backed pockets. The polyester hoodie and long-sleeve tee feature flat-lock seams and double-needle stitching for comfort and durability. All pieces are treated with 4Most Inhibit technology to prevent…

I had been north of the United States border in the past, but never with my bow in tow. So, when the invite came to hunt in the True North last May, it took me about two seconds to accept. Making the circumstances even better was that the opportunity came via some old friends at Vista Outdoor Group. I’d hunted with them twice in the past — you may recall my Kansas whitetail kill in the October 2016 issue — and was more than excited to be back with the Bushnell/Primos/Gold Tip team as I tried for my first black bear. Narrows West Our destination was Narrows West Lodge, located right off the center of Lake Manitoba and nearly two hours northwest of Winnipeg. In this portion of the province,…

Boots Worthy of the Buckmark Browning is among the most recognized brands in hunting, and products bearing Browning’s iconic Buckmark logo have a well-earned reputation for quality that lives up to the company’s bold slogan, “The Best There Is.” So, when Signature Products Group teamed with Browning to create a new footwear line for 2017, expectations were high. “We take a lot of pride in making sure the Browning products stand up to that reputation,” said Steve McGrath, SPG’s marketing director. “We are very confident … people are really going to like what they see.” Anchoring the Browning Footwear line is the Buck Shadow, a versatile big-game boot designed to tackle a variety of adventures, from Western spot-and-stalk affairs for antelope, elk and mule deer to all-day treestand vigils for…

Triple Duty Celestron’s new ThermoTorch is a versatile gadget for outdoorsmen. The 3-in-1 tool serves as a tactical flashlight, odor-free handwarmer and back-up power source. The rechargeable ThermoTorch is available in two versions: the ThermoTorch 5 provides up to 5 hours of heat, and the ThermoTorch 10 provides up to 10 hours of heat. Water-resistant and durable, the ThermoTorch will stand up to tough hunting conditions. MSRP: $69.99 (ThermoTorch 5); $89.99 (ThermoTorch 10) Contact: Celestron, 310-328-9560; www.celestron.com Light Your Fire Arrow Precision’s 185-pound draw weight INFERNO Flame is a lightweight, well-balanced rig that produces bolt speed of 385 fps. Dipped in Trek camo, it features a comfortable ribbed front grip with extended thumb guard. It comes packed with a 4x32 multi-reticle illuminated scope, four 20-inch carbon bolts with 100-grain fieldpoints,…

Name : Jason Aldean Home State : Tennessee Occupation : Country Music Star Years Bowhunting : 8 years Current Bow : Mathews HALON Favorite Animal to Hunt : Whitetail Deer Q: You’re an avid archery hunter. How did you get started with the sport? A:I hooked up with Adam LaRoche and some of the guys with the Buck Commander crew and started hunting with them a little bit. All they basically did was bowhunt; that was 90 percent of what they did. I remember Adam sending me a Mathews Z7, and I started getting out in the yard and shooting a little bit. Luke Bryan and I were out on tour together, and we would get out and shoot every day. Q: You recently became a brand ambassador for Field…