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.
One of the most memorable scenes from the 1994 classic comedy film Dumb and Dumber occurred when the well-meaning but clueless Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) revealed his romantic feelings for wealthy socialite Mary Swanson (Lauren Holly). Lloyd: What do you think the chances are of a guy like you and a girl like me (yes, that’s really what he said) ending up together? Mary: Not good. Lloyd : You mean, not good like one out of 100? Mary: I’d say more like one out of a million. Lloyd: So, you’re telling me there’s a chance. YEAH! As bowhunters, there’s an important lesson to be learned from Lloyd when it comes to the power of optimism, and there’s no better time to discuss it than right now, with the summer scouting…
Over many years of shooting — both in competition and in hunting situations — I’ve come to realize the importance of timing in my shot. Release execution and aiming have to blend together perfectly for me to maximize my shooting potential. Timing, or rhythm, is crucial to the success of my archery game. I’ve said at least 1,000 times that archery is made up of hundreds of tiny things you have to do over and over again in order to succeed. Well, “timing” is just all those tiny things working together fluidly. I’ve shot my bow at a high level virtually my entire life, so I know the fundamentals very well and don’t struggle with any of them individually. However, doing them all correctly at the same time and with…
The business term “sunbirds” refers to those who take solutions that work in one area and apply them to another, often with a twist. As a self-employed, private wildlife consultant, I’m constantly striving to take ideas from other areas and apply them to deer management. I firmly believe in the sunbird technique — hang on to this idea as you read. When I attended Mississippi State University, in the 1990s, the big debate (one that continues today) between southeastern and Texas deer biologists was whether spikes were genetically inferior to larger-antlered yearlings or simply late-born fawns that would “catch up” if given the chance to grow. The gist of this disagreement was that Texans, with their larger ranches and seemingly endless supply of bucks, thought spike yearlings should be removed…
If you’ve been following my column for the last three issues, you know we’ve just completed a three-part series on peep sights. After finishing the series, though, I realized I still had a lot to say on the subject. So, with apologies to you and the editor, this is part four (and then maybe five) of a three-part series on peep sights! It goes without saying that you need to thoroughly break in your bow before you go hunting. An important part of the break-in process is getting your peep positioned in the string so it comes back perfectly every time you come to full draw. All archers should know this, but bowhunters miss shots every year because of peep-alignment issues. Here are some preventative measures to help you avoid…
Savvy businesspeople keep up with current market trends regardless of which industry they’re in. So, for the benefit of our readers, many of whom are involved in the archery industry in some form or fashion, we asked the owners of three different pro shops in three different demographic and geographic areas about the trends in their neck of the crossbow woods. Their answers, to say the least, were enlightening. The Cast Ray Weasner has owned and operated Weasner Archery in Bloom-ville, Ohio, since 1990. His state has permitted crossbow use during archery season since 1982. Hailee Daniels owns Ontario Archery Supply in Belleville, Ontario. Hers is a province in which crossbows have always been considered archery equipment. David Wilkins’ situation is a little different than the others. His Wyvern Creations…
A little confession: Most of us at Spot-Hogg are kind of lazy. Unless we’re sure that it’s going to pay off in the form of increased accuracy, we really don’t want to spend a lot of extra time working on our bow setups. So, when different tuning ideas come along, we’re far more likely to try them if they seem easy. On the other hand, if they seem like a lot of work, we really have to be sold to give them a shot. Several years ago, one of us (we’ll call him John) heard an idea at a tournament that turned out to be the latter. John heard that when arrows are shot from a bow, they have a natural spin direction that can be seen by shooting a…
