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.
WE LIVE in a society built on instant gratification. If you can’t Google it in two seconds or learn it from a YouTube video in two minutes, many figure it’s not worth the effort. And if Amazon can’t deliver it to your door in two days, you probably don’t need it. Given the “right now” messaging that bombards us on a daily basis, I’d say it’s more important than ever for bowhunters to remember the best things in life are worth waiting for. In the bowhunting game, success rarely comes easily or quickly — and that’s doubly true when talking about bow-hunting elk, a pursuit in which the time needed to tag out is more typically measured in weeks and years than hours and days. To put it simply, killing…
WHY, YOU ASK? It’s simple; I love giant bucks, and I am a passionate bowhunter! The ninth month is a natural funnel that brings the two together. This is just my opinion, but I think a mature buck looks his best fresh out of velvet. His coat is slick, and his antlers have so much detail. His tines are sharp, and he hasn’t broken anything off yet. His features in this stage are as perfect as they will ever be. I also love early fall, when you can pattern a buck, as opposed to the rut, when you’re relying on a random appearance when the pretty little does control your destiny. Don’t get me wrong; breeding season is also a fun time of year, but if I had to choose,…
CREATIVE FOOD-PLOT strategies have undoubtedly allowed those of us who bowhunt small properties to attract and hold deer like the big boys. The commercial food-plotting industry has evolved quite a bit in the last 40-50 years. Following big agriculture, food-plot products are sourced from growers who genetically select for the most “desirable” traits. As a result, I’ll ask, “Where is this going?” The pressure to grow even the greatest micro plots has forced the average food plotter to rely far too heavily on “premium” seed, genetically modified crops, synthetic fertilizers and herbicides made to match the program. Even with all this technology and research, we never seem satisfied with our results. What gives? It seems we always find ourselves on the defensive when managing our food plots: invasive weeds, low…
“CHOKING” IS A harsh word in today’s culture. If you’re a choker, everyone considers you weak. However, choking is normal. I have choked many times, and still do occasionally, unfortunately. Choking is your central nervous system’s reaction to something it isn’t prepared for. If you spend more than a few hours in a treestand or stalking Western terrain, you’ll start to take serious possession of the outcome of your efforts. You’ll really want success, maybe even really want a certain animal. That’s good, but when your attachment to the outcome increases, the amount of pressure you place on yourself during the moment of truth — when the shot finally comes — also increases. It’s amazing how many bowhunters miss the buck or bull of a lifetime. Guys who are normally…
IN ORDER TO be proficient under any and all conditions you might encounter as a bowhunter, you must be able to shoot well under all circumstances and in every type of habitat. The only way to learn all aspects of in-the-field shooting is to practice extreme shots under extreme conditions. Sidehill Shots One of the trickiest shots for any archer to make is the sidehill shot. This was etched deeply into my psyche during the many years I spent shooting competitively. Whether it be a 3-D target or a field-round target, if the shot was situated on a steep side-hill, the vast majority of the arrow holes would be on the downhill side of the 10-ring. Mind you, this was true even in the pro class at the world championships!…
WHETHER THEY shoot horizontal or vertical bows, I think it’s fair to say the vast majority of bowhunters spend their time afield waiting on an elevated platform for a whitetail to wander within range. It’s a popular and effective tactic, but if you choose it as your only method, you may be missing out on a world of opportunity. Whether you’re waiting for whitetail season to open, bemoaning its passing or merely looking for a change of pace, consider a few less-common crossbow-hunting options. Bushytails Let’s start where many of us began our hunting careers, at least most of us older folks: small game. Squirrel hunting was once far more popular and a great way to teach youngsters things such as patience, stealth and woodsmanship. You have a couple of…
