Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2022 i Petersen's Bowhunting

IT IS OFTEN SAID that youth is wasted on the young, and as a “middle-aged” bowhunter rapidly approaching the half-century mark, I’d have to agree! You see, young bowhunters possess what is arguably the most crucial ingredient for success in the field — healthy bodies that can shoot bows, scale mountains and carry heavy packs with ease. The under-40 crowd will have to take my word for it, but it’s only once your body begins its long, slow decline — and the pain of yesterday’s hike is felt even more intensely today — that you truly appreciate the vigor of youth. In other words, you never know what you’ve got until it’s gone. While it’s no secret young bow-hunters can hunt circles around us “veterans,” most youngsters lack the wisdom…

WHEN I STARTED WRITING for magazines, I wrote a lot of articles that profiled the biggest deer shot throughout the Midwest each season. I would make a loop from Iowa into Kansas, then down through Missouri into Illinois and back home again, interviewing successful hunters along the way. I learned a lot about deer hunting through those meetings. The No. 1 thing I learned was that these hunters often didn’t know why they killed their buck. The biggest deer back then seemed to go to the hunters with the least experience. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’d arrive at a person’s home for the interview only to find out that the buck that shocked my eyes was the bowhunter’s first. Maybe it was his first with…

RECENTLY, we’ve noticed a lot of big-time bowhunters are missing out on something that could really help them in field. We’re talking about stabilizers. What are the right kinds? How should they be balanced? How much should they weigh? What about vibration absorption? Many of us have pondered these questions, but finding the right answers is hard. Our experimentation has shown that adding a stabilizer to your bow means holding steadier. And we’ve also learned that the heavier the stabilizer is, the steadier we can hold. Over time, our bows got heavier and heavier. When we were shooting spots, it was awesome; we could hold steady as a rock. But when we went hunting, we stripped off all the extra weight. Packing a heavy bow all day was no fun.…

ANNIHILATOR 100 XL Annihilator is a relative newcomer to the archery world; however, they have turned plenty of heads and built a solid following in a short time. The nearly indestructible 100 XL is made from a single piece of 4140 alloy steel and hardened to Rockwell RC 52. Edges are beveled at 30 degrees to enhance edge retention and durability and are easily resharpened on a flat stone. The unique, scooped-out shape is without cutouts or vents and designed to quietly fly like a fieldpoint at long range and cause maximum damage through wound channels that won’t close up and induce pressure changes inside the animal’s body. The 100 XL has proven effective with all bow styles and a wide range of arrow/bolt speeds. Sporting a 1.0625-inch cutting…

Manufacturer: Hoyt, 801-363-2990; hoyt.com Model: REDWRX Carbon RX-7 Riser: Hand-Laid Hollow Carbon Tube, reflex Grip: VitalPoint, molded elastomer Limbs: Hybrid EXT, split Draw Weights: 40, 50, 60, 65, 70 and 80 pounds peak Draw Lengths: 25-30 inches, in half-inch increments; two base modules Cam System: HBX Pro System Letoff: 80-85 percent, adjustable; 84.77 percent (as tested) String: Fuse Custom, BCY X99, 57.75 inches Cables (x2): Fuse Custom, BCY X99, 33.85 inches Brace Height: 6.25 inches Axle-to-Axle Length: 30 inches Weight: 3.9 pounds (advertised); 3.95 pounds (as tested) Finish: Nine camouflage and solid color options. Advertised IBO Speed: 342 fps MSRP: $1,849 Comments: High marks in every category!…

DO-IT-ALL FLETCHING JIG $153.44 Bohning Archery Company; bohning.com For more than 75 years, Bohning has been an archery innovation leader, striving to bring the most creative solutions to archery enthusiasts across the globe. That’s why bowhunters who work on their own arrows will appreciate the new Cauldron, the company’s advanced, all-in-one, 3-vane fletching jig. Capable of handling plastic vanes up to 5 inches long, the Cauldron is able to fletch all standard, micro- and large-diameter arrows with the nock on, with the ability to fine-tune vane indexing and location. The unit is simple to use, since the snap-in inserts don’t require tools to change, allowing you to swap them out quickly and easily. Fletching options include straight, 1-degree right and left offset, and 3-degree right and left helical. The jig…

THE ANTICIPATION I feel leading up to deer season is unbearable. I get so excited about chasing big bucks, I start scouting probably a little earlier than necessary. But to me, a person doesn’t need to be carrying a weapon to hunt. Maybe the part I enjoy most about hunting a big buck is the process of finding one, and there’s no better time to do that than summer. When I finally find a big, fancy buck, I sometimes quit looking in other country and toss all my eggs in his basket. That’s totally fine; if he’s the right buck for you, then he’s obviously worth all your attention. But you need to make sure he truly is what you think he is before investing your time and effort. Scouting…

ONE OF THE MOST COMMON reasons archers miss or wound deer is from the animal "jumping the string." This phenomenon may seem like a conscious effort on the deer’s part to duck the arrow, but it is merely an involuntary reaction to loud noise. The animal drops down to load its legs in order to sprint away from perceived danger. In my last column, I discussed ways to make your bow quieter to minimize the volume of sound a deer hears. The thought process goes like this — the quieter the bow, the less likely the deer is to react quickly and violently. In the next few columns, I will discuss whether making your bow faster will help in dealing with this issue. Obviously, the faster the arrow, the less…

WITH ITS NEW V3X, Mathews Archery has built off 30 years of experience and its incredibly popular V3 platform to introduce a next-level hunting rig. As bowhunters, we outfit our bows with accessories to help us find success in the field. Rather than concentrate on the bare bow only, Mathews has created harmony across the entire bow setup to develop functionality as a single unit. This focus on the integration of various components brings cohesion and elevates the shooting experience to new heights. The company’s Bridge-Lock Sight Technology, LowPro Quivers and new Stay Afield System (S.A.S.) lead a great cast of technologies and features, so let’s dive in to see how this bow stands out. Systems Integration Mathews has designed and built some of the most efficient, high performance and…

THIS COLUMN MARKS the final installment of my three-part series on the science surrounding the anatomy and physiology of an arrow strike, tracking a wounded deer and recovering mortally wounded whitetails. In Part 1, I covered the different types of shock and organ failure that result in the demise of a bow-shot whitetail. I also discussed the body’s requirement for homeostasis between the circulatory and ventilation systems and discussed how an arrow can disrupt one or both of these systems. Part 2 was dedicated to the dreaded gut and single-lung shots and what they mean for you as a bowhunter. This month, I will highlight some recovery tips and tricks my friend and retired surgeon Dr. Joe Bumgardner and I have amassed over nearly a century of combined bowhunting experience.…

WHEN MOST HUNTERS THINK of hunting the West, elk, mule deer, pronghorns and open-country whitetails come to mind. The region is a mecca for big-game hunters, with plenty of oppor-tunities and often low hunter densities. Wyoming, for example, is a state with more antelope than people. For many, a trip west is a chance to get out of a treestand or blind and wear out some boot leather. However, the biggest mistake is thinking you can approach animals like you would with a firearm — think "archery" for success and strive to be within 30 yards for any shot. Crossbows definitely open up opportunities, but users need to stay focused and hunt strategically to succeed. Know Before You Go When it comes to bowhunting, every big-game species has its allure.…

Manufacturer: Mathews Archery, 608-269-2728; mathewsinc.com Model: V3X 29 Riser: Machined aluminum, reflex Grip: Engage, molded composite Limbs: Past Parallel, split Draw Weights: 60, 65, 70 and 75 pounds peak Draw Lengths: 25.5-30 inches, in half-inch increments; modular Cam System: Crosscentric with SwitchWeight Technology Letoff: 80 or 85 percent (advertised); 82.3 percent (as tested) String: Zebra, BCY 452X, 62.625 inches Cables (x2): Zebra, BCY 452X, 30.0625 inches Brace Height: 6 inches Axle-to-Axle Length: 29 inches Weight: 4.47 pounds (advertised); 4.4 pounds (as tested) Finish: Eight camouflage and solid color options. Advertised IBO Speed: 340 fps MSRP: $1,199 Comments: High quality, high efficiency and high performance.…

HOYT ARCHERY’S FOCUS for its 2022 REDWRX Carbon RX-7, was developing a rig that is lighter, quieter and better aligned than ever. The company brought a Zen-like focus to the RX-7, with an In-Line system that demonstrates a higher level of integration, options and small tweaks that bring great reward. Hoyt's refined approach to carbon-riser technology, in both structure and content, plays well with the In-Line features to bring a significant reduction in overall weight, while a host of other technologies and accessories have calmed and quieted this rig by an impressive 24 percent. In addition, the HBX Pro Cam vibrates less, rotates faster and is positioned better to expand the sight window and tune easier. Riser Revamp It takes courage not to leave well enough alone when you have…

IN THE SUMMER of 2006, my name was drawn by the Idaho Fish and Game department for the right to hunt Shiras moose. As the reality of this opportunity sank in, I was excited and apprehensive. Though I was a hardcore do-ityourselfer, with the know-how and gear to accomplish such a task, I had never pursued moose and never set foot in the country I’d be hunting. My head was spinning. Could I pull off this one-in-a-lifetime opportunity on my own? Or should I just hire an outfitter? The answer was simple, at least for me. I’ve often said, “I’d rather fail on my own than succeed with a babysitter.” It was time to put up or shut up. As summer progressed, a lot of time was spent organizing gear…