Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2022 i Petersen's Bowhunting

On the plus side, this unit can be hunted on an over-the-counter archery license, holds plenty of elk and has lots of public land for eager bow-hunters to roam. But the big downside is high hunting pressure — one of the key reasons overall archery success in the unit is less than 7 percent. In other words, 93 out of every 100 bowhunters in the unit will eat tag soup. I’ve always said you have to be an optimist to be a bowhunter, and I think the decision to tackle this hunt qualifies me in that department! On the first day of our hunt, my friend Tory and I hiked about 7 miles into the backcountry. At midday, we were resting in the sunshine on a rocky outcropping overlooking an…

TRUTH BE TOLD, you cannot completely silence your bow. Unless the wind is blowing violently, or thunder is crashing around you, any deer within bow range will hear you shoot — even if you are shooting a recurve bow with fingers. However, the volume of sound your bow produces, the distance you are from the deer, and the quality of that sound (think metallic clang versus 'whoomph’) all make a significant difference in determining whether the deer will react instantly and violently. If you don’t believe this, try an experiment. Sneak up behind an unsuspecting person and while standing directly behind them, clap your hands loudly just in back of their head and watch their reaction. Most likely, they will have an instant physical reaction. Now, do the same thing,…

SEVERAL YEARS AGO, we were all shooting together when one of us mentioned how blurry his sight pins were. Another said his pins were fine, but his target was blurry. Before long, we were discussing whether our visual focus was on our pins or the target during the aiming process. Some of us didn’t even know where our focus was. Because of the way our eyes work, we must choose where we want to focus. Do you want to focus on your pins and leave the target blurry? Or do you want to focus on the target and leave your pins blurry? As archers, is there an advantage to one focal point over the other? To help answer that question, we decided it would be interesting to talk with some…

SYKD HUNT is a relative newcomer to the bowhunting world, with the company’s concept and vision born around a campfire in northern Pennsylvania. The folks discussing possibilities that day were clear their venture would focus on hunting and the success of the hunters who trusted them with their hard-earned money. Any product with SYKD’s name on it would provide performance well beyond the price tag. SYKD’s Vindicate XVC Crossbow is designed to be a workhorse and is built with the company’s values at the forefront. It features a lever-action, adjustable tactical stock; molded pistol and foregrips; aluminum rail; 4-pound trigger; Anti-Dry Fire and ambidextrous safety. The “bow” part of the Vindicate XVC is built on a cast aluminum riser, fiberglass split limbs and dual cams. Comfort & Fit A hunter’s…

With no choice but to wait until then, it’s during these summer months that we find ourselves “prepping” for success in the fall. I don’t know about you, but right now I’m antsy, and I find every excuse I can to prepare for the best hunts I can have down the road. In the mornings, I drive back roads with a spotting scope in my lap, hoping to catch a glimpse of a buck. Come midday, I check trail cams to see if anyone familiar shows up in my regular stomping grounds. And, in the evenings I hang with the family and shoot bows. Kelsy and I have two girls, ages 4 and 8, and they love shooting. Honestly, for me, they make archery fresh again. I’ve always loved the…

I’VE LEARNED over the years that it’s the little things that add up to make a big difference, not only in hunting strategy but also in bow shooting and setup. In an effort to help you become even better shooters, here are seven simple tweaks that I focus on every summer to produce better habits and better accuracy in the fall. Tuning Tweaks Fine-Tune Your Rest: Proper left-to-right position of your arrow rest can instantly improve arrow flight and accuracy. If you are struggling with a bow that seems to have a mind of its own, or you just bought a new arrow rest and are setting it up for the first time, these basics will get it squared away right from the start. When setting up for a release…

APA ARCHERY, founded in 2002, is a think-outside-the-box company with bow designs and features you will not find anywhere else. Its unique risers are particularly interesting and bring instant brand recognition to both the company and the bows. APA’s innovation continues with the introduction of its Black Mamba 31, which is home to the company’s slimmest riser to date, a riser fang, snake head cutouts, tool center, center shot indicator and much more. Let’s dig in and take a closer look. A Standout Bow There’s no mistaking APA bows due, in large part, to their unique risers. The Black Mamba 31 takes this to the next level with its snake head-shaped cutouts up and down the riser. It is CNC machined from a block of 6061-T6 aluminum and sports a…

Manufacturer: SYKD Hunt, 866-797-9539; getSYKD.com Model: Vindicate XVC Safety Features: Anti-Dry Fire, auto trigger safety, safety wings Cam System: Two-track dual cams, black anodized aluminum Riser: Cast aluminum, black anodized Overall Length: 35.5 inches Axle-to-Axle Width: 17.75 inches (at rest); 14.5 inches (cocked) Advertised Weight: 7.95 pounds String: BCY D97, 37 inches Cables (x4): BCY D97, 20.25 inches Limbs: Split, compression-molded fiberglass Draw Weight: 185 pounds Power Stroke: 15 inches Grip: Pistol, contoured rubber overmold wrap Forearm: Flared, adjustable position Finish: Black/G2 Camo Advertised Speed: 380 fps with 390-grain bolt MSRP: $529.99 Comments: Customizable, comfortable and lightweight.…

EXPANDED MAPPING CAPABILITIES $29.99 FOR HUNTSTAND PRO HuntStand; huntstand.com Whether searching for a new deer-hunting property close to home or remote scouting for a public-land elk trip, having a quality mapping app is invaluable. And, in an effort to keep improving the experience for its users, HuntStand continues to unveil new features that make it easier than ever for bowhunters to plan their next outing. Among the new highlights is an advanced parcel search tool to easily query the Property Information Layer to find the right land and ensure you're in the correct spot. Hunters can also search by landowner name or property size within any state or county and filter results by acreage or proximity to their location. Selecting a tract brings up all parcels associated with that mailing…

My interview with retired surgeon and bowhunter Dr. Joe Bumgardner also detailed two types of shock that lead to an animal's demise: hemorrhagic shock (massive blood loss) and spinal shock (transecting the spinal cord with an arrow). Now, I'll discuss the “gut shot” and also explain why a single-lung hit isn't always lethal. Gut Shots If you bowhunt long enough, you may very well face the frustration of releasing an arrow and hearing that dreaded, hollow sound of a stomach or paunch hit. The mood in camp when a fellow bowhunter has delivered an arrow “a little too far back” is one I’ve experienced many times. This is no time for feeling sorry for yourself; rather, you need to focus all your attention and energy on finding a dead animal.…

HUNTING PUBLIC LAND can be a blessing and a curse. On one hand, archery enthusiasts have millions of acres available to hunt, hike and play with few restrictions. The downside? Everyone has access to these same parcels. There are several ways to approach a public-land hunt with a crossbow to give yourself an advantage; however, the best advice is to keep things simple. Use Shooting Sticks Crossbows are heavy and often touted as advantageous because you can be at full draw before encountering an animal. But for you to have that advantage, a rest or shooting sticks are required. Anyone who doubts this should try holding an 8-pound crossbow in position for a minute or two and see if they can keep the reticle steady on target. Hunt From the…

Manufacturer: APA Archery, 306-948-5101; apaarchery.com Model: Black Mamba 31 Riser: Machined aluminum, reflex, pre-loaded Grip: Machined, wooden side plates, reference groove Limbs: Twin Flex, solid, slim Draw Weights: 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 pounds peak Draw Lengths: 25-31 inches, in half-inch increments; modular Cam System: X1, Dual, Rotating Draw Stop Letoff: 80 percent (advertised); 75.1 percent (as tested) String: Scorpion, BCY X-99, 53 inches Cables (x2): Scorpion, BCY X-99, 32.75 inches Brace Height: 6.75 inches Axle-to-Axle Length: 31.25 inches Weight: 3.8 pounds (advertised); 3.9 pounds (as tested) Finish: Sandstone, Matte Black, Desolve Wing Camo and seven other hunting and target colors Advertised IBO Speed: Up to 350 fps MSRP: $1,199 Comments: The Swiss Army Knife of compound bows!…

THE DIY GUY IT WAS 1991, and I was in the prime of my life. Thirty-three years old, strong mentally and physically, I was consumed with an elk-hunting passion that burned hot in my spirit. I’d rat-holed some money and managed to get a bowhunting tag for the Gila country of southwestern New Mexico. Full of excitement and hunger for new adventure, I’d bowhunted hard for the first two weeks of September, finally harvesting a mature bull. Now, as I drove toward Oklahoma with a large set of antlers in the back of my truck, I was flat broke. I had begged from Peter to pay Paul for this outing, and I desperately needed to get home and get back to work so the Claypools could keep their heads above…