Petersen's Bowhunting is the source for the tactics, tools, and techniques necessary for successful bowhunting. Get practical shooting tips and useful information on archery, equipment tests, clothing, and product evaluations.
Few things make a hunter’s heart beat faster than the sound of a bugling bull elk echoing across a Rocky Mountain ridgetop. After all, our sport is as much about the thrill of the chase as it is the kill, and the high-pitched screams of a rutting bull are possibility in audible form. Add in the majestic, ivory-tipped antlers a bull wears atop his head and the unspoiled wilderness he calls home, and it’s no wonder tens of thousands of us are drawn to the high country each fall like moths to a flame. And yet, as I sit at my desk and review the incredible collection of elk-hunting stories you’ll find inside this issue, I am keenly aware that so much of elk hunting is more about the characters…
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS Back in the July issue, we asked how far is “too far” to ethically shoot at a big-game animal with a bow. Here’s what you had to say: 50-Yard Max I hunt with a Barnett Ghost 410 crossbow that is capable of hitting targets at 100 yards with ease. But I wouldn’t take a shot over 50 yards, and that would have to be under perfect conditions. I regularly practice out to 50 yards and sometimes farther, just to be able to say I can hit my target. But a bag target is not a deer; it isn’t going to move or duck or suddenly turn right as I let the arrow fly. So, for me, anything over 50 yards with my crossbow is a no-go. David…
Archery seems simple at a glance. You pull back a string and let it go, right? How hard could it be? Well, the answer is pretty dang hard if you’re looking to be the best archer possible. Archery is made up of so many steps you must be able to repeat to shoot consistently. One of those many steps is your stance. Stance is the foundation on which your shot rests, and if it is different from one shot to the next, chances are your arrows will hit in different places too. Some of the key components of a proper stance include keeping your feet shoulder width apart, pointing your toes slightly outward and opening your hips to the target. It is important to be steady while shooting a bow.…
You’ve waited all year for this moment. Stands have been hung for months, your bow is tuned to perfection, your clothes are washed and the sun is rising on opening morning. But as you sit there eagerly waiting for the hunt to begin, you can’t help but wonder, Have I done everything under my control to maximize my odds of success? The truth is, scientists have toyed with hunters as subjects of their research, and their findings tell us much about what we need to do — and what we need NOT to do — to optimize our chances. Unfortunately, many times this highly technical, statistic-flooded scientific research never hits mainstream literature. I started reading the science behind deer hunting and management while still in high school, and I’ve always…
Hunting accuracy starts with your gear: a well-tuned bow and perfect arrows. So, that is what I am going to focus on this month. There is no way to justify not tuning your bow and your arrows. It is an essential skill of bowhunting. While most bows are easy to tune, there are some that will test your patience. Rather than diving into the technical aspects of bow tuning, I will let you address that with your local pro shop. There are lots of folks there willing and able to help. In this column, I am going to delve into why some bows can’t be tuned and how to avoid them. Then I will come back with a discussion on arrows. Fixing an Untunable Bow Back in the late 90s…
We’ve spent the past couple months discussing the many shooting skills necessary to be a consistently successful spot-and-stalk bowhunter. As I’ve said, this style of hunting can be unpredictable, and you must be ready to make an accurate shot from a variety of positions in a variety of conditions. This is the third and final installment on the topic. Shoot from Your Knees About half of my muley bucks have been taken while shooting from my knees. After I’ve crawled into position undetected, the last thing I want to do is stand up and take a chance the deer might see me. So, I shoot from my knees. Shooting from your knees has a lot of advantages. It decreases the size of your profile while keeping you low to the…
