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.
Let’s face it; there’s nothing better than spending a day afield with bow in hand. Whether chasing backyard whitetails, bugling bull elk or exotic African species, the dawn of each new day brings unlimited possibilities for adventure and heart-pounding encounters with game. Unfortunately, archery seasons seem to pass in the blink of an eye, leaving diehards like us far too much time to plan, prepare and dream about future hunts. Like many fellow archers, I rely on outdoor television to help keep my bowhunting fire burning during those slow times. So, there’s nothing more frustrating than flipping the channels only to find an assortment of off-topic programming. There’s nothing wrong with waterfowling or fishing, mind you. It’s just that I’m a bowhunter, and when I need a bow-hunting fix, I…
Don’t Forget Us Hello from New Jersey! I’ve been a subscriber for several years, and I enjoy your magazine from cover to cover. I do feel, however, there is one demographic [you] could stand to recognize more often — the weekend warrior fighting to maintain his claim on some corner of public land. While a regular monthly department may be unrealistic, an occasional feature would be nice. It’s sometimes difficult to relate to stories of glassing from hilltop to hilltop across thousands of acres of valley floor, or maintaining vast food plots with the option of sitting in one of two dozen stands during some six-day hunt. I’m lucky if I can get out every Saturday to one of three stands I have hung on over-pressured state land. I do…
SHOW ME A RECORD I had spotted this turkey the night before and watched the direction he went so I could get set up in the morning. Sure enough, after daybreak I heard him fly down and knew he was close. I had my bow already in hand and I just sat in my treestand like a statue, listening to my heart pound until I caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of my eye as he walked into a food plot. As soon as he put his head down, I drew my bow and sent an arrow flying. It pinned him down and he flopped twice and that was it. I joked with my dad about possibly breaking the state record for weight, but I was stunned…
II f you are reading this magazine, I assume you are a bowhunter. Maybe you are new to bowhunting and trying to learn everything you can. Maybe, however, you have been a successful bowhunter for years and are simply reading this because you are addicted and can’t get enough. Either way, we all want to be better shots, and if you say you don’t, I’d say you’re not a passionate hunter. There are many things that make up a great archer, and I plan on talking about all of them. But no one thing is more important than having a perfectly balanced bow. The overall goal of finding perfect balance is to be able to draw the bow with your eyes closed, settle in and open your eyes to a…
Most of us tune our bows and practice shooting all summer in anticipation of getting a shot at a good buck. We invest thousands of dollars and countless hours in hopes of having a great experience! But all our work is for naught if we don’t understand why paper cuts kill deer. Almost all deer killed by archery equipment die as the result of massive hemorrhaging, or blood loss. Hunters often ask, “How much blood must a deer lose before it dies?” This is a very difficult question to answer given the number of variables such as body size and gender of the deer, physical condition, level of excitement when shot, etc. A Lot to Lose The blood volume of most animals is approximately 7 percent of body weight. So,…
Christmas is just around the corner. You need to put something on your list or you may get socks and a tie again this year. I have some ideas for you! It is nothing to spend $800 or even $1,000 on a bow and another $500 on accessories and arrows. Fortunately, you don’t need those high-dollar setups to kill just about anything that walks on this planet. Today’s bargain bows were yesterday’s barnburners. Just five to 10 years ago, the highest-performance bows on the market were on level with the budget bows of today. They were fast enough and accurate enough then to grab headlines and make us yearn to buy one. The deer and elk haven’t changed, so if that level of performance was top shelf back then, you…
