Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2017 i Petersen's Bowhunting

The media landscape has changed dramatically during my nearly nine years as BOWHUNTING editor. And if you look back a bit further to the early days of this publication, the changes are nothing short of mind-boggling. Back when BOWHUNTING made its newsstand debut in 1988, outdoor television was in its infancy, and I’m not sure Al Gore had yet “invented” the Internet. Nearly three decades later, we all know the world is a far different place, with multiple television networks dedicated to outdoor programming and hundreds of digital outlets delivering a seemingly endless supply of hunting-related media on demand. Not surprisingly, all these changes have had a profound impact on the way we serve our BOWHUNTING audience. Although the magazine is still our core product, we think of “The Modern…

Everyone has had that one setup that was money — that one bow they shot better than any other. The problem is once you replace the strings, cables or limbs, it’s never the same. You can go to the same model, poundage and draw length, but it still doesn’t feel right. If only you had taken notes on everything. There are some key things you always should write down once you have that dream setup you are in love with. First, write down all the measurements on the bow. Then, take notes on how your arrows are built. Lastly, take notes on other things in your shot more along the lines of feel and execution. When we have the best setup of our lives, we need to realize that bows…

To be a consistently successful spot-and-stalk hunter, you must be able to shoot well. You must be proficient under all circumstances and in every type of habitat. Of all the environments bowhunters encounter, the mountains present the toughest challenge. There you may encounter just about every situation that can make shooting difficult. The wind is usually blowing, you’re nearly always on a hillside and the shot is almost always uphill, downhill or sidehill. You’ll be under intense pressure, and you’ll probably be shooting at a relatively long distance. When it is time to shoot, you may have been lying flat on your belly for several hours — usually after a long stalk. You will have to draw your bow slowly and quietly with cold, stiff muscles. You’ll likely be shooting…

Prime bows are stable performers each year, demonstrating excellent quality and sporting features that support the company’s slogan, “Designed to Hunt.” My son Caleb became a Prime customer in 2016 and put that slogan to the test. Prime got an A+ as he and his Ion smoked a Pennsylvania buck and two does! The bow fit him well and stayed dialed in from summer through Thanksgiving. I was excited to see what Prime had in store for 2017. Prime’s new Centergy features an 82X aluminum alloy riser with SWERVE technology and a centered grip. The TRK Parallel Cam system powers the rig, along with Gordon Composite limbs. The two-piece Ghost Grip and riser-based string stop enhance the shooting experience, while the Flexis-AR cable-containment system reduces torque. Wide-Spread Control Prime is…

The Double Bull Deluxe from Primos ($482.95; www.primos.com) sports Truth camo, designed specifically for concealing ground blinds in any terrain. A zipperless double wide door allows for silent entry and exit, and the 180-degree front window features Silent Slide window closures. At 70 inches high and 77 inches hub to hub, the Double Bull Deluxe provides plenty of room for you to make the perfect shot. Ameristep’s Spirit Blind ($199.99; www.ameristep.com) provides stealthy concealment with organic window opening shapes and brush pockets around windows so you can blend into your surroundings. Shoot through the replaceable camo mesh windows to remain undetected. The Spirit features a silent daisy chain window closure system and 75-inch shooting width. A Rugged Spider Hub frame allows for easy setup and teardown. The Zonz Specialist Ground…

Keep It Quiet Even the smallest sound can send deer bolting and ruin your opportunity at the buck of a lifetime. The SHAG (Shelf-Hushing Arrow-Grabbing) pad from Vapor Trail helps to minimize bow noise at the moment of truth. It silences arrow contact on your shelf and cradles the arrow until you draw or your rest is activated. High-grade adhesive backing keeps the small accessory in place. The SHAG pad is available in 11 colors and can be trimmed to size. MSRP: $11.99 Contact: Vapor Trail Archery, 763-862-8870; www.vaportrailarchery.com Start a Revolution The new M360 Revolution Treestand provides a full range of sight and motion with its 360-degree swiveling seat and 40-inch platform. The foldable ComfortMAX seat is lightweight, durable and non-absorbent, while the 35-foot safety line system ensures secure…

Name: Kevin “Rocket” Blanch Home State: Indiana Occupation: Technical Director, Verizon IndyCar Series Years Bowhunting: 7 Current Bow: Native Rampage Crossbow Favorite Animal to Hunt: Whitetail Deer Q: Kevin, you’ve only recently gotten into archery. What prompted you to start bowhunting? A: It’s up close and personal. It’s a lot different than gun hunting. I actually took up hunting because of my job. I used to fish competitively all the time. Once the IndyCar Series started getting into back-to-back races where we were gone all the time, I thought, “You know what? I’ve got to figure out something else to do here.” So, I took up hunting. I hunted for years but never hunted whitetails. All my family had, so I figured I would give it a shot. Q: When…

Michigan Mismanagement There are several irritating issues that do not please me about Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources. First, the DNR recently approved a request by Ann Arbor to use questionable birth control methods to reduce the burgeoning deer herd in that city. In other cases, the DNR allowed the use of paid sharpshooters to reduce deer numbers rather than permitting Michigan’s licensed deer hunters to participate and control the deer population. The DNR also keeps adding more early deer seasons for various special interest groups (youth, veterans, handicapped, etc.). The seasons are usually short, and most sportsmen have no problem with the DNR’s goal. However, it seems wrong to allow children to shoot bucks, often trophy bucks, when they could be shooting does, especially when many areas are overpopulated…

Is whitetail outfitting dead in North America? Was it ever as good as we see on popular TV shows, or are those properties outliers in the whitetail world? Is it feasible for the average bowhunter to earmark a few thousand dollars and drop it all on a whitetail bowhunt? And when he or she makes the big investment, what are the reasonable odds of harvesting a Pope and Young-caliber buck? I’ve booked hunts across North America over the last 11 years, from Mexico to British Columbia. After my dream Dall sheep/mountain caribou hunt in the Northwest Territories in 2015, I realized my true passion is chasing whitetails with a bow. This resulted in my decision to book only high-quality whitetail hunts in the coming years. Knowing what I now know,…

Crossbows are certainly not without their critics, which sometimes even include those who use them. And those critics had good reason to be critical in the past. Compared to the options we now have, crossbows of old left a lot to be desired. But human nature, innovation, competition and consumer demand have led to marked improvement in some of the more noteworthy crossbow knocks. Skin it Back Bulky, cumbersome, ungainly — crossbows are just not as enjoyable to tote around in the woods and can seem far less maneuverable in the close quarters of a ground blind or even a treestand. But they’re getting better. According to a crude analysis of data collected from seven years of annual crossbow roundups, average width has gone from 21 ½ inches in 2011…

It was early on the first morning of a four-day hunt when the handsome 10-pointer emerged from the brush and strode into view. So early, in fact, that I debated whether to seize the opportunity. Though it had been less than two hours since sunrise, I had already seen at least two dozen whitetails in the thick river bottom, including several shooter bucks. And while the buck now standing 40 yards away — broadside, stock-still and staring in the opposite direction — sported a wide, 130-class rack, his body told me this was an up-and-coming youngster with plenty of unfulfilled potential. Surely there will be more opportunities, I thought as I lowered my bow and watched the buck drop down to the river bank, cross a shallow riffle and disappear…

NOVICE TO PROFICIENT My wife Ashley entered the archery world in March of 2016 after some coercion from me and my family. A trip to our local archery shop with a friend got her squared up with a Diamond Edge. She started off pulling 20 pounds and learning the fundamentals of archery. Over the summer, week by week, she honed her skills and increased her draw weight. When opening day of archery season arrived, she was ready. Her time came sitting alone in an Ameristep blind when she harvested her first whitetail on my family’s ranch. All the hard work and dedication to learning the fundamentals of archery paid off. It might not be the biggest 9-pointer, but I am very proud of her accomplishment and excited to share my…

The number one question I am asked relates to disappearing bucks. A hunter has kept his eye on a nice buck all summer. He is excited to start hunting it in the fall, but then it just disappears in September — never to show up all season. I have run into these disappearing bucks a number of times, and it can be very frustrating if you don’t understand what is happening and know how to adapt. Some bucks have a different fall range from their summer range, and the two ranges don’t always overlap. Nothing you can plant and no amount of reduced human interaction will change things. Some bucks just leave for whatever reason. Not every buck you find this month will still be there in October. The Great…

It’s unlikely that anyone has ever told you to shoot a bad shot on purpose. However, when we received this advice, it eventually made us much better archers. During some tournament shooting, one of us was having problems being consistent throughout the entire competition. He would shoot well for most of the tournament but always seemed to hit a rough patch and miss quite a few shots. After a particular tournament, he vented his frustrations to Steve, one of the top shooters. He pointed out that if he wouldn’t have had a plague of high misses, he would have won. He was just going to have to practice harder. Steve just shook his head and asked him a simple question, “What’s causing the high misses?” When he didn’t really have…

Arrow Rests Working as a bow-shop technician and now as an equipment tester has put me in contact with every style of arrow rest available. Everyone tries to make a better mousetrap, but I continually return to a drop-away rest. Although most drop-away rests perform well, I personally prefer a free-falling, cable-actuated rest. I love the benefit of a fall-away rest — complete vane clearance — with straightforward mechanics. Of course, regardless of how much clearance a fall-away rest provides, arrow guidance is irreplaceable. Your launcher must remain up as long as possible to guide the arrow before clearing the way for your vanes. Limb-driven fall-away rests are frequently easier to set up and tune to drop immediately before the vanes pass through the shelf. Two-prong fixed-position rests are basically…

Mathews Archery is dependable — the kind of company you can trust. Their people are quality-driven, and their products have been proven by thousands of customers and millions upon millions of shots fired. If you want to jump into the Mathews camp, you can do so with confidence and settle in for the long haul. Those facts alone are a great reason to see what they have to offer this year. Let’s dive into the details! With just a few tweaks to the popular HALON platform, Mathews introduces the 2017 HALON 32. The new rig is available in 5-, 6- or 7-inch brace height models. We will be looking at the 6. It is powered by their CROSSCENTRIC Cam, which was inspired by the NO CAM, and a set of…

This One’s for the Girls Whether you’re spotting and stalking on a western hunt or logging miles during a daylong off-season hike, a quality backpack that can comfortably carry your gear and supplies is a necessity. But as a smaller-framed female, I find most of the options on the market are too large and hang too low on me, even when I max out the adjustable straps. The dedicated options for women are limited, and the packs I’ve tried in the past just didn’t provide the same quality and toughness available in men’s designs. But then I shouldered the Monarch X. After some quick adjustments to the shoulder straps and waist belt, it fit me like a glove. Developed with the help of female hunters at ALPS OutdoorZ, the Monarch…