Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2020 i Petersen's Bowhunting

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…

IT’S FUN to see how far we can shoot. But just launching an arrow into the air isn’t good enough; we love to see how far we can shoot accurately. With a movable-pin sight, we can dial our aiming point to the exact yardage we want. When using a movable, multi-pin sight, we have to designate which pin is our floater. We always choose the bottom pin to get the most distance. Of course, the maximum distance is limited with a bow due to physics. When shooting a gun, there are very few limitations to how far we can shoot. With a bow, we have to slide our sight pin lower as shot distance increases. Eventually, we run out of clearance between the pin guard and the arrow’s path. The…

Even if you get really good at beating all of the deer’s defenses and become the perfect buck burglar, you may still struggle if you hunt an area where other hunters are less careful. The deer will still know they’re being hunted and will be very reluctant to move in daylight. That’s one of the reasons I bought land many years ago, just so I could control all the impact and keep the deer as relaxed as possible. Of course, land also makes a good investment. However, not everyone can buy land. So, there will always be the need to manage the pressure of other hunters. The only way I have found daylight movement on properties, public or private, with outside pressure is to hunt where other hunters rarely go.…

CHOOSING A NEW release aid is one of the most important decisions a bowhunter can make. After all, it’s the release aid that provides the interface between you and your shot. That’s why T.R.U. Ball has packed so much performance into the new Beast XT Hybrid. Not only is it a particularly feature-rich release aid, it can also be adapted to your particular shooting style. The Beast XT Hybrid builds on T.R.U. Ball’s proven Beast and Short-N-Sweet designs by taking the same light, non-collapsing trigger found on those models and adding three choices of trigger angle. Bowhunters can now opt for a forward, relaxed or straight trigger position, all in the same release aid — simply remove the trigger’s screw with an Allen wrench and reposition the trigger as desired.…

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,…

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!…

BOWTECH’S COMMITMENT to accuracy and consistency is exemplified in the company’s new DeadLock Technology that allows shooters to easily tune and personalize the 2020 Revolt in brand new ways. In addition to DeadLock Technology, the Revolt features cam modules that can be rotated to adjust draw length or flipped to customize the feel of the draw cycle and performance output. A set of wide-stance, split limbs are aligned and secured to the riser with Deadlock Pockets, while their beyond-parallel position teams up with Bowtech’s Orbit Dampener, DeadLock Cable Containment System dampener and a string stop to tame the shot. Locked In & Loaded Bowtech’s DeadLock Technology features three components that are designed to control, align, harmonize and readily customize your rig for maximum accuracy. First and foremost in the system…

If your're dreaming of taking a big bull elk, you won’t find many areas better than Eastern Montana. The terrain is relatively mild compared to high-elevation hunts in the Rockies, elk numbers are good and trophy quality is excellent. J&J Guide Service offers fully outfitted hunts in both limited-entry and general tag units. In addition to high-quality hunting, the accommodations are very comfortable, the food is excellent and the people are outstanding. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL OUTFITTER RICH SCHNEIDER AT 715-820-0869 OR VISIT JJGUIDE.COM…

With an entire week dedicated to all things deer hunting, #DeerWeek airs Sept. 14-20, starting at 7 p.m. Eastern on Outdoor Channel and Sportsman Channel. Featuring the best deer-hunting programming on TV, #DeerWeek will be hosted by Jeff Danker and country music star Tyler Farr. Additional programming will be available for streaming on MyOutdoorTV throughout September, all brought to you by Academy and Old Trapper. For a complete schedule, original recipes and more, visit deerweek.com.…

THERE ARE A FEW BOWHUNTING TOPICS not meant for casual discussion. In fact, some archery subjects are so polarizing they have the potential to raise blood pressures, weaken long-standing friendships and even break down our bowhunting brotherhood. Crossbows during archery seasons immediately comes to mind. Baiting bears can also stir strong emotions, as can hunting with hounds. And many archers feel guns in bow camp are a big no-no for true bowhunters. I’m not talking about a hip-hugging, life-saving, large-bore handgun meant to stop a charging griz in its tracks and save a bowhunter’s life. In this context, I’m talking about bringing hunting rifles on a bowhunt. I’ll bet that right now, as a reader of this “archery only” magazine, the hairs on the back of your neck are bristling…

TWO OF A KIND $33.95 Outdoor Edge; outdooredge.com Outdoor Edge’s JaegerPair knives are made with heat-treated, 420J2 stainless-steel blades — one 3.9-inch drop point, one 3.7-inch blunt-tipped gutting — for the ultimate in rust resistance and edge retention. The knives are perfectly balanced and feature blaze-orange, rubberized TPR handles for comfort and a nonslip grip. The JaegerPair comes with a black nylon sheath and weighs only 8.5 ounces total. WICKED-COOL CUTTING $29.99 Wicked Tree Gear; wickedtreegear.com Wicked Tree Gear’s Wicked Tough Utility/Bone Saw makes short work of both game and vegetation with its high-carbon steel blades. The saw features a cast-aluminum handle and a high-visibility/rubberovermold grip, as well as a Fail Safe Blade Lock Design. All told, the saw weighs only .5-pound and measures just 8.25 inches closed for easy…

AS TRAVIS AND I trudged back to the Montana trailhead, neither of us expected to be back to the truck so soon. Our wilderness hunt for elk had begun only two days earlier, and a large-antlered bull was already getting a ride on our mule, Runt. I had arrowed this big, non-typical bull less than 200 yards from our base camp, within 10 minutes of first light, on our first morning afield. As we unloaded Runt and deposited meat in coolers, both of us were wondering if our luck would remain good. Finishing our task with a few hours of daylight left, we quickly headed back to camp, six miles deep into trackless country. As the sun began to lighten the eastern horizon the following morning, Travis and I were…

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…

Manufacturer: Bowtech, 888-689-1289; bowtecharchery.com Model: Revolt Riser: Aluminum, Center Pivot Grip: Clutch, modular Limbs: Solid Core, wide stance Draw Weights: 50, 60 or 70 pounds peak Draw Lengths: 26-31 inches, in half-inch increments; rotating module Cam System: DeadLock, Dual Letoff: 80 percent Performance/ 86 percent Comfort (advertised); 84.33/79.11 percent (as tested) String: 452X, 60.156 inches Cables (x2): 452X, 35.375 inches Brace Height: 7.25 inches Axle-to-Axle Length: 30 inches Weight: 4.4 pounds (advertised); 4.6 pounds (as tested) Finish: Black Ops, Realtree Edge, Optifade Subalpine and more Advertised IBO Speed: 335 fps MSRP: $1,199 Comments: Compact, versatile…

The average Alaska-Yukon bull moose weighs nearly 1,000 pounds on the hoof. A trophy bull can weigh 1,200-1,500 pounds, with a few behemoths hitting the one-ton mark. Now, picture that beast piled up on an alder-choked sidehill, an uneven flat of spongy tussocks or partially submerged in the cold, swampy waters of one of Alaska’s seemingly millions of ponds and lakes a half-mile from your runway, camp or trailhead. Alaska law requires you to salvage all edible meat. Better have the tools, the knowledge and a good plan! My friends and I always hunt with daypacks containing parachute cord, multiple knives, a bone saw (for the antlers), game bags and two lightweight 8x10 plastic tarps. (One is to lay meat on as the moose is disassembled, the other to loosely…

Manufacturer: PSE; psearchery.com Model: Warhammer Safety Features: Anti-Dry Fire, trigger safety, finger guards Riser: Machined aluminum, ultra-compact Cam System: Dual Reverse Draw Axle-to-Axle Width: 10.75 inches (at rest), 6.125 inches (cocked) String: 452 Premium, 31 inches Cables: 452 Premium, 17.5 inches Limbs: Split, Gordon Composites Draw Weight: 245 pounds Power Stroke: 14.5 inches Grip: Pistol, contoured finger grooves, molded polymer Stock/Forearm: Tactical stock, molded pass-through foregrip Overall Length: 29 inches Weight (crossbow only): 7.6 pounds (advertised); 7.5 pounds (as tested) Finish: Black anodized with choice of Mossy Oak Break-Up Country, TrueTimber Strata or black limbs Advertised Speed: 400 fps with a 400-grain bolt MSRP: $1,499.99 Comments: Accurate, fast, compact and well balanced.…