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FIRST SHOT Maybe it’s the spectacular places elk call home. Maybe it’s the strenuous physical effort an elk hunt requires. Maybe it’s the majesty of bugling bulls. Or maybe it’s the incredible challenge of calling those bulls into bow range. Regardless, I believe most archery elk hunters will agree there is nothing quite like chasing wapiti, and when you are fortunate enough to finally taste success, it is an accomplishment that forever bonds you to those with whom you share the moment. I had such an experience in September 2019, when Gear Editor Jon Silks and I traveled to Montana to chase elk with Outfitter Rich Schneider of J&J Guide Service. The hunting was nothing short of electrifying, and by the end of the week, Jon and I had downed…
LIVE 2 HUNT Bucks Can Be Here Today and Gone Tomorrow! I find myself bursting with confidence in late summer. I brag to my pals that I have the big one “cased!” And then, BAM!, two days before the season opens, he vanishes. Nine times out of 10, this happens right about the time he rubs his velvet off. I refer to it as “rubbing the stupid off.” It seems this chapter of a buck’s annual cycle is pivotal. In the summer, deer from a wide area will congregate around the very best feed. And during those summer months, bucks seem happy to hang with others of the same dominance. But once they rub their antlers clean, all bets are off. Things reset in their brains, sending them back to…
WHITETAILS Find This Tree Fruit and You'll Usually Find Deer Fruit of the Forest The tree fruit (not a nut) is known as an acorn, pronounced “akern” if you grew up in the South. Acorns, also known as “hard mast,” are relished by many woodland wildlife species. Depending on the conditions Mother Nature throws at us, acorn production can be inconsistent, unreliable and cyclical. While astute bowhunters are aware of this, they also recognize that it’s a mistake to ignore acorns altogether. If acorns had nutrition labels, they would disclose that the main reason for the attraction relates to the fact that they boast a high fat content that equates to maximum digestible energy. White oak acorns, widely considered the most attractive to whitetails, offer 8 calories per acorn, which…
BOWHUNTING WISDOM Plan Now So You Don't Get Shut Out of the Action! I wrote an article about the future of deer hunting for the Iowa Game & Fish magazine 25 years ago. In that article, I laid out what I thought was going to happen in my home state, based on then-current trends and commonsense projections. What I told the Iowa readers didn’t sit well with them; they were used to open hunting and easy access. I got some strongly negative feedback telling me to stuff it. It was a classic example of killing the messenger if you don’t like the message. At the risk of repeating the bad news and getting Petersen’s BOW-HUNTING readers on my back, I am going to cover this sensitive subject again. I will…
BETTER BOWHUNTING Here's How to Tame That Fight-or-Flight Response When shooting at a big buck or bull, my patience goes out the window and I often loose the arrow before I have really settled-in for a good shot. I am much better now than I used to be, but no matter how much I fight the urge, as soon as the sight makes it to the deer I have an overwhelming urge to send the arrow downrange immediately. I am certainly not the only bow-hunter to experience this phenomenon. I think to some degree or another we all feel it. I have seen many of my hunting buddies miss great opportunities at nice bucks by shooting too quickly. I have many friends who are great target archers and seem to…
CROSSBOWS Follow These Tips to Up the Odds of Success There is nothing easy about elk hunting, and hiking for miles through rough terrain and a tangle of trees and limbs should be expected. The elk started to file off the field as the eastern horizon brightened. We were ahead of the animals in the bush and used our cow calls to entice a bull to check us out or round us up. Five cows and calves meandered past us while a big bull bugled farther upwind. The elk were headed for a steep river valley where they were safe from most hunters and had the solitude they sought. Not catching a bull up top would mean navigating steep elevation, a labyrinth of challenging terrain and thick brush. Be Ready…
