Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2022 i Petersen's Bowhunting

I WANTED TO VOMIT. I was still in the first hour of a 2020 elk hunt with J&J Guide Service in Montana, and I had just let my “bull of a lifetime” slip through my fingers. An unexpected encounter led to a fleeting — but perfect — 52-yard, quartering-away shot opportunity. I came to full draw and stared through my peep sight as the monster bull posed perfectly for several seconds. But as I struggled to control my breathing and my nerves and settle my pin on its chest, the clock ran out and the bull stepped back into the pines. You idiot! I thought to myself. How in the world could you not get that shot off?!?! The look on my face, captured forever on video, said it all.…

YOU CAN’T REALLY KNOW where a buck will be on any given day. All you can do is make assumptions, based on trends you see in his behavior. The more you know about the deer, the better your assumptions and the more often you will find yourself one step ahead of him. So, unless you have a good bit of information about the buck you are hunting, you will be wrong most of the time. That’s OK; it is still part of the fun, because sometimes you will be right. And all you need is to be right once per season! Gathering Info Before I used trail cameras, I had to base my hunting decisions purely on sign and sightings. I learned the hard way that the sign was not…

MOST ARCHERS don’t really think about how their shoulders are positioned, or how they align. There are way more important things to think about during the shot, so they usually let the shoulders settle in wherever they want to be. We did the same thing — until one of us accidentally stumbled onto where our shoulders should be. It all started when one of us was practicing and shooting horribly. In frustration, he decided to push his bow arm shoulder in toward the string and more in line with his bow hand at full draw (changing his shoulder alignment). Suddenly, his steadiness at full draw and shooting accuracy improved drastically. Had he found a magic recipe for holding steady? He started consciously pushing that shoulder in (it naturally rotated up…

IN THE MID-90s, I was afforded the opportunity to travel to Alaska with an acquaintance of mine — Lance Frazier — to hunt caribou. Lance had been on a guided hunt the previous year and befriended some natives doing subsistence hunting along the mighty Mulchatna River. After much talk and bartering, Lance worked out a deal to come back each year and spend time with the locals. When asked to participate in this venture, I was apprehensive, as everyone else would be hunting with firearms. I just didn’t see how a lowly bowhunter could fit into such a free-for-all. Lance assured me they would transport me up the river to good caribou country and deposit my scrawny hide on the bank of the rolling, powerful torrent. I would be able…

An Outdoor Sportsman Group ® Publication PUBLISHER Jeff Waring EDITORIAL STAFF EDITOR Christian Berg ART DIRECTOR Mark Olszewski ASSOCIATE EDITOR Mark Demko EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Sally Burkey ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR Jason Henning SR. DIGITAL EDITOR Drew Pellman FIELD EDITORS THE DIY GUY Eddie Claypool GEAR TESTING Jon E. Silks BETTER BOWHUNTING Randy Ulmer BOWHUNTING WISDOM Bill Winke ADVERTISING SALES ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER Jeff Millar (717) 695-8081 jeff.millar@outdoorsg.com PRODUCTION MANAGER Brittany Kennedy (717) 695-8089 brittany.kennedy@outdoorsg.com ENDEMIC AD SALES VP, ENDEMIC SALES Mike Savino; mike.savino@outdoorsg.com NATIONAL ENDEMIC SALES Jim McConville (440) 791-7017 WESTERN REGION Hutch Looney; hutch@hutchlooney.com NATIONAL AD SALES ACCOUNT DIRECTOR – DETROIT OFFICE Kevin Donley (248) 798-4458 NATIONAL ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE – CHICAGO OFFICE Carl Benson (312) 955-0496 DIRECT RESPONSE ADVERTISING/NON-ENDEMIC Anthony Smyth (914) 409-4202…

BETTER BOWHUNTING ONE OF THE MOST difficult phenomena bowhunters face when shooting at game is the animal’s ability to jump the string. At distances past 20 yards, deer can move a significant distance between the sound of the shot and the arrow’s arrival. The distance the animal moves depends on many variables including the volume and tone of the sound your bow produces, the arrow’s speed, the distance the arrow must travel to the deer and the attitude (spookiness) of the animal. The bottom line is this: If the animal is not there when the arrow arrives, it doesn’t matter how accurate your shot is — you will miss the mark. In the last column, we discussed whether making your bow shoot faster will help in dealing with the issue…

ELITE MAY NOT be among the “old guard” in the bow-making business, but the company’s consistent track record of success — on tournament podiums and in the field — makes it a force to be reckoned with. One of the keys to Elite’s success since its inception in 2005 is an unwavering focus on delivering the most shootable bows in the game! In fact, Elite claims “shootability” as its hallmark trait, defined by the collective experience of a pleasing draw cycle, excellent overall bow balance and an overall feel that ultimately increases the archer’s enjoyment and accuracy when it matters most. Elite’s new Terrain puts the spotlight on shootability at an affordable price. Hybrid cams, outfitted with Winner’s Choice bowstring and cables, work with the past-parallel split limbs to generate…

CROSSBOW TEST AS A SISTER to TenPoint — one of the top crossbow makers in the world — Wicked Ridge is in the unique position of being able to take advantage of a solid stream of innovation and technology coming from the industry icon and incorporating it into its budget-friendly crossbow line, providing an excellent performance-to-price ratio to customers. For 2022, the company brings its A game with the Raider 400 De-Cock. This rig features a best-in-class cocking/de-cocking device called the ACU-draw De-Cock that uses Auto-Brake technology. Other components include a two-stage D-1 Trigger, new Dry-Fire-Prohibitor, TACtical X stock, S5 Cams and WRX limbs. Let’s dig in! Name Says It All You know a feature is important when a company puts it right in the name of its product, and…

IT HAS NOW been 55 years since the scientific community first identified Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) — though no one really knows how long it existed before that. Over the past five-plus decades, CWD has spread throughout much of North America, causing major concern among government wildlife agencies, conservation organizations and hunters as we continue searching for answers about how to effectively deal with a disease that threatens not only whitetails but all cervids (mule deer, elk, moose and caribou). As I follow the CWD saga, I see a promising area of research that sheds some light on how nature may “manage” this disease: beneficial genetic mutation, through disease-driven natural selection. Perhaps, just as nature intended, these population-level genetic alterations are lowering the number of CWD positives and slowing the…

CROSSBOWS AS I PLANNED for my 2021 Alberta elk hunt, I laid my hunting gear out carefully on a table to assess each item’s overall weight and need. The following week would be a grind, but I knew I would love every minute! Bowhunting elk can be physically demanding, so having the right gear allows you to stay mobile to chase elk or get into position ahead of them. It all starts with your crossbow, where weight, size and other factors must be considered. The Crossbow Several compact crossbows on the market are easier to carry and maneuver through the rough country that elk call home. Speed, of course, always plays into the equation, as meadows and field edges can present longer shots of 40 to 50 yards. Some speed…

A DURABLE, FEATURE-RICH blind that won’t bust your budget. A portable ground blind is a tool every serious bowhunter needs in his or her arsenal. Let’s face it; there are many great ambush locations — open fields, food plots, fence crossings, pond berms and the like — where treestands and saddles simply won’t work. A blind is tailor-made for such scenarios, keeping you comfortable, concealed and protected from the elements as you wait for game to pass within bow range. Even on hunts where spot-and-stalk is your preferred tactic, keeping a portable ground blind handy is a wise move that has saved many hunts. For example, if you run into an unseasonably warm week for your elk hunt, setting a blind on a well-used wallow or waterhole could be just…

LASER-FAST & ACCURATE $499.99 Leupold & Stevens; leupold.com The new RX-FullDraw 5 combines Leupold’s DNA engine and Archer’s Advantage software to provide fast, accurate readings based on your bow setup. The rangefinder factors in personal ballistics such as arrow weight, arrow velocity and peep height, along with the shot distance and angle compensation, to provide exceptionally accurate readings (±.5-yard to 125 yards). Flightpath Technology also aids in shot calculations by determining whether the arrow will clear obstructions between you and your target, helping you set up for the proper shot every time. The RX-FullDraw 5 features 6X magnification, exceptional brightness and clarity and can range trees up to 1,100 yards away. The new, 20-yard pin solution helps bowhunters prepare for a clear shot at close range, where thick brush…