Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2019 i Petersen's Bowhunting

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…

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…

One of the world’s leading bow manufacturers, PSE continues to forge ahead in the carbon-riser arena. For 2019, it’s expanding the Carbon Air line to include the SE, which is optimized for shorter draw lengths. The Carbon Air Stealth SE is loaded with innovative features such as PSE’s True Carbon Technology riser, Flex Rod cable-containment system with RollerGlide, a Vibracheck-tipped string stop and Vibracheck limb dampeners. Its Small Evolve Cam uses a quad-track design to reduce cam lean and generate advertised IBO speeds of 332-340 fps with a 29 ½-inch draw length. True Carbon PSE’s Carbon Air Stealth SE is unique in its construction — more specifically, its riser’s carbon construction. It employs a monocoquedesign (think of an egg) that allows PSE to optimize fiber alignment to enhance strength and…

TERRAIN: Ridge: A ridge or ridgeline is a line of higher ground that tends to slope down on either side. Deer like to walk these ridges, with the mature bucks using less noticeable trails just over the edge of the ridge, allowing them to stay hidden while simultaneously taking advantage of thermal air currents to smell other deer and predators in the area. Point or Spur: A point or spur of a ridge is a short, sloping line of higher ground with steep drop-offs on each side. These usually form a V or U shape off of a main ridgeline. As the spur begins to drop off, it can create a perfect place for deer, specifically bucks, to bed. They bed here for a few reasons: They can see down…

ERECTING TREESTANDS AND HUNTING from them is arguably the most dangerous thing hunters do in the field. Statistically speaking, treestand accidents account for far more hunting-related injuries and deaths each year than accidental shootings or any other cause. That’s the bad news; the good news is that treestands are actually very safe as long as you carefully follow manufacturer instructions and properly use a full-body harness EVERY time you leave the ground. When erecting stands, keep yourself connected to the tree via a lineman’s belt or tree tether at all times. When hunting, I prefer to stay connected at all times via a safety line that I can hook into before I leave the ground and stay connected to until I come back down. Installing a safety line is a…

Manufacturer: Mission Crossbows, 608-269-2728; missioncrossbows.com Model: SUB-1 XR Safety Features: Dry-fire prevention, bolt detector, auto trigger safety, safety wings Riser: RS Tread, machined aluminum, black anodized Cam System: Sync XR Cam String: Zebra, 39.5 inches Cables (x2): Zebra, 19.375 inches Limbs: Wide stance, split, Gordon Composites Draw Weight: 150-250 pounds, adjustable Power Stroke: 14.625 inches Stock/Forearm: Aluminum stock frame, with separate foregrip, pistol grip and buttstock Grip: Pistol style Overall Advertised Length: 30.5, 30.75 or 31 inches; adjustable stock Weight (crossbow only): 7.6 pounds (advertised and as tested) Finish: Realtree Edge or Black Advertised Speed: 410 fps, with a 19-inch, 350-grain bolt Suggested Retail Price: $1,699 Comments: A top-level performer with plenty of adjustability for a custom fit.…

In 1990, I was attempting to expand my whitetail bowhunting horizons. Till that point, I’d spent all of my time around my northeastern Oklahoma home battling to harvest average-sized bucks. I’d taken my first record-class contender a couple of years earlier, and that experience had given me an insatiable appetite for more of the same. The problem was, mature bucks were rare in my local surroundings. Such being the case, I decided it was time to start spending November in more profitable environs. A friend of mine who resided in a small, eastern Colorado town had been telling me of the big whitetail bucks he’d been encountering regularly while pursuing high-plains muleys. Not really interested in whitetails, he suggested I come out to his area so he could show me…

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…

Manufacturer: PSE Archery, 520-884-9065; www.psearchery.com Model: Carbon Air Stealth SE Riser: True Carbon, reflex, S-RAC filled Grip: Built-In Limbs: Split, Gordon Composites, past parallel Draw Weight: 40-70 pounds peak; adjustable Cam System: Small Evolve Cam System Letoff: 80, 85 or 90 percent (adjustable) Draw Lengths: 24-29 1/2 inches, in half-inch increments; rotating module String: Livewire, BCY 452X, 60 inches Cables (x2): Livewire, BCY 452X, 32 1/2 inches, plus yokes Brace Height: 5.88 inches Axle-to-Axle Length: 33 inches Mass Weight: 3.3 pounds (advertised); 3.35 pounds (as tested) Finish: Mossy Oak Break-Up Country, KUIU Verde and Black Advertised IBO Speed: 332–340 fps Suggested Retail Price: $1,499 Comments: Lightweight and quick.…

• Browning’s Strike Force Apex delivers a lot of performance for a little money, including 1600x900 HD-plus video, 18MP images and extended nighttime video lengths of up to 20 seconds. The camera also features Zero-Blur and Illuma-Smart technology, Smart IR Video and adjustable infrared flash modes. Its trigger speed is .22-second; its recovery time, .6-second. Able to work with up to a 512GB SDXC memory card, the Strike Force Apex is capable of capturing 10,000 images. $150 | browningtrailcameras.com • Bushnell’s Core DS (Dual Sensor) has one image sensor optimized for sharper, richer day photos and one for higher-contrast, greater-detailed night photos. The 30MP camera has a .2-second trigger speed, a .6-second recovery speed and is capable of shooting 1080p, 60fps video with audio. The Core also has a night range of…

THE CRUNCHING OF DRY LEAVES and the faint but distinct sound of a grunt pierce the dawn stillness as a group of does run from what sounds like a very large buck. It’s still pitch black except for the flickering of lights as suburban Atlanta awakens around us. Soon, the sound of leaf blowers and morning rush-hour traffic will drown out the peaceful sounds of nature. We’re perched in a pine tree 60 yards from each edge of a two-acre property situated along a creek bottom that meanders between hundreds of houses. We’re not the only hunters along this deer travel corridor, a fact that gnaws at our minds as each day passes without us closing the deal. Lee Ellis has spent countless hours tracking Zeus, a massive 15-point whitetail…

Hunter Safety System’s Pro Series treestand harness is back and better than ever. Available in Mossy Oak Bottomland, it’s now 40 percent lighter, features a built-in USB accessory port and is treated with ElimiShield scent-control technology. $139.99 | huntersafetysystem.com Hawk’s Elevate Lite is aptly named. At 1.8 pounds, it’s capable of supporting 300 pounds while still providing form-fitting, padded comfort. Its straps are adjustable, durable and equipped with quick-release buckles. Price unavailable | hawkhunting.com Summit’s PRO features a military-style MOLLE attachment system, enabling hunters to have their gear ready when needed. The harness is tangle-resistant, comes with quick-lock buckles and sports padded shoulder straps. Available in men’s or women’s versions. $40-$109.99 | summitstands.com Muddy’s Magnum Elite is lightweight to begin with — 2 pounds — but its air-flow mesh makes…

A Fresh Approach to Scent Control It’s no coincidence that one of the oldest dilemmas in bowhunting — scent control — continues to spur new, high-tech solutions. And for 2019, there is arguably nothing newer, or more interesting, than the ZeroTrace PureION Field Generator from Wildgame Innovations. The ZeroTrace is a first-of-its-kind product that uses positive and negative ions to reduce odors in the field. Arriving just in time for archery seasons, Wildgame’s Mike Scrip said the ZeroTrace is the result of a lengthy research-and-development effort to create a product that is as effective as ozone while avoiding what he described as the shortcomings of ozone-based technology. Hunters’ use of ozone to control odors — both on apparel and gear in closed environments and while afield — has become increasingly…

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…

READING HUNTING MAGAZINES AS A BOY, I FOUND IT irritating when an author said he enjoyed seeing deer as much as shooting them. My hackles rose and I thought, No way! It seemed almost sacrilegious to me at the time. To punish that author for his softness, I often stopped reading his article right there and looked for something a little more bloodthirsty. I loved everything about hunting, any and all forms of hunting, but I most loved filling tags and shooting limits. The quest to put meat in the freezer is what got me out of bed on those cold mornings. Seeing game was only a necessary part of shooting it — merely a means to an end. So, for me to now talk about watching deer without any…

WHEN IT COMES TO BOWHUNTING REPUTATION, I believe those of us who live “Back East” get a bad rap. Let’s face it: The quality of our bowhunting, at least in the minds of many of our bowhunting brethren, pales in comparison to the trophy whitetails of the Midwest or the giant bull elk and mule deer bucks of the West. Besides, the entire eastern seaboard is nothing but one giant patch of urban sprawl, full of smog and traffic jams, right? Well, the truth is, much of the eastern U.S. is covered by large tracts of hardwood forests, courtesy of the Appalachian Mountains. Within these millions of acres of unbroken timber, you’ll find endless tracts of public land. These areas can be surprisingly rugged, thick and unforgiving, making bowhunting difficult.…

I’ve always been a big believer in the old adage, “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.” In other words, when it comes to consistently harvesting mature whitetail bucks with a bow, you must be creative and adaptable — able to hunt them however circumstances dictate. In terms of treestand placement, that means using every scouting technique available to identify the most likely areas for an effective ambush. In this article, we’ll explore some of the strategies that have helped me locate, prepare and hunt productive treestand locations. Location, Location, Location As with any endeavor involving real estate, the key to a good stand comes down to three things — location, location, location! It goes without saying that the possibilities are virtually endless; so, to find your “right…

Fuel the Addiction The Martin ADIX 28 was designed as a short, compact, straight-riser hunting machine. The bow measures 28 inches between the axles and sports a 7-inch brace height. Its draw length can be adjusted from 25 ½-30 ½ inches, and its advertised IBO speed is 335 fps. The ADIX’s patent-pending HYBRYX Cams offer two weight systems with light and heavy weights, allowing archers to fine-tune their shots by interchanging the weights and redistributing the mass. The Martin Helix groove in the lower cam removes lean, while the split harness on the top cam ensures perfect alignment. MSRP: $997 Contact: Martin Archery; www.martinarchery.com Scent-Free Clothing — Any Clothing Hunt X10D’s scent-control technology enables hunters to make even the cheapest/oldest hunting wear virtually scent-free for up to 50 washes. A…