Petersen's Bowhunting June 2017

I’m sure you noticed the monster whitetail on this month’s cover; after all, bucks with antlers approaching the mythical 200-inch mark are awfully hard to miss! But I hope you also took time to notice the successful bowhunter sitting behind that buck. Samantha Morgan is one of the most recognizable female faces in archery today, and considering her impressive list of accomplishments — both as a champion 3-D target shooter and deadly bowhunter — we couldn’t think of a better person to become the first woman on BOWHUNTING’s cover in the 28-year history of the magazine. Truth be told, such an honor is long overdue. After all, it’s no secret women represent the fastest-growing segment of the archery community. Recent surveys by the Archery Trade Association indicate that women now…

Bowhunting Down Under As a subscriber and very interested reader of BOWHUNTING , I have for some time now wondered if you and the regular USA bowhunters are aware how very different we as hunters are here in Australia, including the animals we are allowed to hunt. Here we are not permitted to hunt the native animals — kangaroo, wallaby, emu and a variety of other species. Huge penalties apply if we are detected doing so. We are, however, encouraged to hunt feral animals such as pig, goat, wild dog, deer, fox, rabbit, camel and Asian buffalo, as these damage our fragile bush, outback areas and waterways. No tags are needed. The majority of our hunting is by arrangement with landowners or their managers and established over many years. We…

I’ve spent the last 15 years traveling across the nation to meet landowners committed to maximizing the potential of their whitetail properties. One common denominator among the consistently successful bowhunters is that they don’t sit back and wait for the hunt to come to them. Instead, they design the hunt! Blindly hanging stands and sitting for hours on end without a well-developed plan is simply not an option. In addition to above-average success rates, these management enthusiasts are enjoying more consistent deer action throughout the season and from year to year. From time to time, every bowhunter questions whether the property where they hang their stands has the potential to produce mature bucks “as seen on TV.” There’s an unfortunate mindset among many hunters that, “If we don’t shoot young…

I always thought public-land hunting was a second-rate experience for the whitetail enthusiast — something you did only if you couldn’t find private land to hunt. Over the past several seasons, however, the small group of guys who work for me have shown the world a different side of public-land hunting. They now hunt public land almost exclusively, even though they also have permission on some good private land. These guys are seeing — and hunting — bigger deer than I am most seasons. It is a lot of work, but they are having a great adventure. In this column, I am going to tell you how they do it. Keys to Success Avoid hunting pressure: For starters, you have to find places other hunters aren’t hitting hard. There will…

If you know archery, you know how important a consistent anchor position is. Most people think of anchoring as a single thing, but the truth is, having a repeatable anchor position involves three major components. Everyone’s anchor involves — or at least should involve — the following: release-to-hand contact, hand-to-face contact and string-to-face contact. If you have these three components down, you will have a solid anchor position. Release-to-hand contact is very crucial in all parts of your shot, but none more so than your anchor. If you are shooting a handheld release, that importance doubles. You can literally change your draw length and entire form just by positioning the release differently in your hand from one shot to the next. It is criti- cally important to find a comfortable…

A batting coach can tell more by watching the baseball than by focusing on the movement of the bat. Top golfers also study their ball flight to suggest changes in form. In all sports involving a projectile, it benefits the performer to understand the cause and effect relationship between results and the actions that cause them. Studying the grouping of your arrows — especially the bad shots — is a great way to diagnose problems. The Low Miss At a 3-D tournament years ago, a competitor and I were tied after regulation. I was up first in the shoot-off and hit the 10-ring, leaving my competitor a chance to beat me. In the excitement, he punched the trigger, and his arrow zipped under the target. His unfortunate miss highlights a…