Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2017 i Petersen's Hunting

If a prospective hunter—completely blank canvas—was to get interested in the sport today, they would think they were entering a brave new world. I’m sorry to disappoint, but we have been here before and not much is new…just simply refined. Probably since the beginning of time, hunters have recycled the old, retained and improved what was worthwhile, and rejected the bad—all in a very slow evolution to where we are today. Take this issue of Petersen’s Hunting , for example. There really are few products or techniques that are, strictly, 100 percent new. Yes, in our annual Crossbow Shootout, we test today’s cutting-edge crossbows, but they’re all improvements on an old design. Would a French soldier at Agincourt believe that 600 years later, after the advent of muzzle-loaders and centerfire…

BULLET BASICS This superbly accurate bullet began life as a high-BC match bullet. On game, it tends to penetrate three to five inches and then“grenade” into fragments, causing tremendous internal devastation. On impact, the nose typically collapses inward, creating a tough frontal area that protects the bullet as it penetrates a few inches. Then the sides of the bullet blow out, fragmenting lead and copper shrapnel. TESTING GROUND My wife shot a 2 ½ -year-old Utah mule deer at 55 yards with the bullet shown. Fired from a rifle chambered in .280 Ackley Improved, the 168-grain .284-diameter VLD Hunting averages 0.40-inch groups at 100 yards. FIELD PERFORMANCE Taken high through both lungs, the buck dropped in his tracks. The bullet clipped the bottom of the spine and destroyed both lungs.…

The original 100-grain broadhead from RAMCAT has cut its way through the market with force and has not slowed down. The 1 3/8-inch cutting diameter RAMCAT 100 BROADHEAD is made with an offset stealth blade design and has patented deep lobes in the cutting tip to create an air foil that inhibits windplaning. Upon penetration, these lobes help reduce friction on the arrow shaft for deep and deadly penetration. The broadheads have a one-piece stainless-steel body with .032-inch-thick blades for strength to do as promised: “hits like a ram, cuts like a cat.” $40; ramcatbroadheads.com The arrow that CHANGED BOWHUNTING is now available in six different configurations. From the micro-diameter Deep Six 4mm and 5mm to the newer 6mm through Dangerous Game, crossbow, and bowfishing models, Easton’s got…

POPULATION Numbers in India have increased to more than 50,000, so the blackbuck is no longer endangered in its native range. Numbers in Nepal and Pakistan are much smaller, but there are probably at least 50,000 in Texas. Blackbuck are also extremely widespread in Argentina; total numbers are unknown, but certainly in the tens of thousands. M O S T E X P E N S I V E H U N T S Pakistan because it’s the only opportunity in the world to hunt “native range, free range.” L E A S T E X P E N S I V E H U N T S Texas is probably the right answer, but that depends on where you live. Blackbuck can be hunted very inexpensively in Argentina… but,…

Cooking with fire makes you smarter. No, really. It’s scientifically proven. And if you don’t believe scientists, then just look at your caveman cousin for proof. In his book Catching Fire, anthropologist Richard Wrangham posits eating meat, and, more importantly, releasing its nutritious protein power by cooking it, created a boost in human brain size and function that started the long march from Homo erectus to Homo sapiens, our present form. Perhaps a small spark of the memory of a sizzling slab of mastodon meat stills glows inside us. It’s one explanation for why we still love to cook over fire, when modern conveniences make eating so much easier. It’s that or the romance a crackling fire brings to camp or just the simple fact that smoke and fire give…

THE CURRENT 6.5 (.264 CALIBER) CRAZE IS BEST ATTRIBUTED TO THE 6.5 CREEDMOOR, but once shooters recognized the Creedmoor’s qualities, a host of other 6.5s rapidly gained popularity. However, the 6.5 isn’t technically new. In 1891, the 6.5x55mm hit the scene. Intended for Swedish military service, hunters quickly found it to be great on game, punching far above its weight. Later, Winchester released the .264 Win. Mag., while Remington launched its .260 Remington. Even though both were great performers, it would take time to excite the hunting world. Today, dozens of rifles are available in some form of 6.5. If you’re thinking one may be in your future, read on. We’ve tested a wide range of rifles, loads, and projectiles—at the range and in the field—to find the perfect match…

ONE WOULD BE HARD-PRESSED TO FIND A RIFLE doesn’t chamber at least MANUFACTURER TODAY THAT one model in some variant of a 6.5—so by no means is this list even close to complete. However, it is a good snapshot of several different rifles currently being offered that we have tested and would make fine hunting companions. S&W PERFORMANCE CENTER • M&P 10 (6.5 CREEDMOOR) AR-style rifles have become America’s most popular rifles, and the excellent 6.5 Creedmoor has become one of the hottest cartridges on the market. Smith & Wesson combined the two in this Performance Center rifle, suitable for hunting, long-range target shooting, and everything in-between. The 20-inch 5R rifled barrel has a 1:8-inch twist to stabilize the full range of 6.5mm projectiles, and the two-stage match trigger is…

A Big “Thank You” READING THE APRIL/MAY ISSUE OF PETERSEN’S HUNTING, I CAME ACROSS THE EDITOR’S RESPONSE TO A READER’S LETTER CONCERNING TURNING OVER FEDERAL LANDS TO THE STATES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR RESPONSE, MIKE, AND FOR THE ACCOMPANYING COLUMN BY DAVID HART IN “THE OUTFITTER” CONCERNING PUBLIC LAND SALES. THE POLITICIANS IN THIS COUNTRY DEPEND ON A MISINFORMED/UNINFORMED PUBLIC TO PUSH THROUGH THEIR SELF-SERVING AGENDAS LIKE THE FEDERAL/STATE PUBLIC LAND GRABS. YOUR RESPONSE, AND DAVID’S ARTICLE, WILL HOPEFULLY EDUCATE YOUR READERS AND SPREAD THE WORD THAT TRANSFERRING AUTHORITY TO INDIVIDUAL STATES IS NOT ALWAYS THE BEST POLICY. HERB GROSS Lambertville, New Jersey TRACKING DOG SAVIOR I enjoyed the “Whitetails” column on deer-tracking dogs in the April/May issue. I have some firsthand experience with recovering a deer with the aid…

WHERE: Yukon WHEN: August 2015 OUTFITTER: MacMillan River Adventures BOW: Bowtech Carbon Knight HUNTER: Chris Caliendo Hunting isn’t just allowed on Alaska’s refuges. More than 300 of the country’s 560 national wildlife refuges have some sort of hunting program, which is mandated by federal law. The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 requires refuge managers to give priority to wildlife-dependent recreation, including hunting and fishing when compatible with the refuge’s mission. It’s only fitting. Hunters contribute a large portion of the funding for refuge and Waterfowl Production Area acquisitions through duck stamp purchases. The rest comes from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, along with the North American Wetlands Conservation Act and other sources directly linked to hunters and anglers. In other words, the refuge system is yet…

Though the Indian blackbuck is small, it is one of the world’s most striking creatures. Females and young males are tan and white, and mature males are almost jet-black on top and snowy white on the bottom, with a white muzzle and large white circles around the eyes. The horns, too, are spectacular, growing in spirals, sort of like a kudu, but also heavily ringed throughout most of their length. Unlike the kudu, and Africa’s other spiral horns, the blackbuck’s horns continue to corkscrew, and three and sometimes four complete turns are possible. The blackbuck is a creature of open plains and scrub forest. Once extremely plentiful in appropriate habitat in India, Nepal, and Pakistan, blackbuck numbers were greatly reduced, but it has also been introduced into numerous areas, including…

Let’s shrug off the controversy, ethics discussions, and self-righteous indignation and look at some cold, hard crossbow facts. In many states, debates aside, your decision to hunt with a crossbow often hinges on legalities that are out of your control. If you get past that and find that you are indeed qualified/ allowed to hunt your chosen destination, then it’s time to look at practical facts, performance, and challenges. For instance, in my native state of Utah a hunter may use a crossbow only during archery season, after applying for and obtaining a disability exemption. That disability must be obvious or accompanied by a physician’s statement. Dig deep within the mysterious regulation descriptions and non-disabled hunters will discover that they may use a crossbow only during the “any weapon” season…

JUST BECAUSE THE 6.5 CREED-MOOR WAS DEVELOPED WITH LONG-RANGE COMPETITION in mind, don’t think that all 6.5 bullets have a magical ability to kill game at absurd distances. As a rule, a bullet that is ideal for paper punching is probably not ideal for killing critters. Target shooters like long, sleek bullets that diminish the effects of wind drift. A bullet with a high Ballistic Coefficient slips through the wind easier with less drag, which means if a shooter is battling a gusting crosswind, there will be less drift to target than when using a bullet with a lower BC. Since reading the wind across long distances is far from a science, BC makes a huge difference. On the other hand, a hunting bullet is designed to expand dramatically, transfer…

RUGER • HAWKEYE FTW HUNTER (6.5 CREEDMOOR) Give me a rifle with a great trigger, a good barrel, a stock that fits, and enough weight to give me stability from field positions and you’ll take away all my excuses if I miss. This Ruger, designed with input from FTW’s instructor cadre, embodies each of those attributes. Its two-stage trigger is one of my favorites on the market. The rifle is just the right balance of portability and stability. The example I own is startlingly accurate. $1,269; ruger.com NOSLER • MODEL 48 LONG RANGE (6.5 CREEDMOOR, 26 NOSLER) The 26 Nosler is among the fastest 6.5 cartridges on the planet and does so in a beltless case. Not many cartridges are better suited to long-range shooting than a high-BC…

Who gets to manage wildlife on national wildlife refuges? Thanks to House Joint Resolution 69, the states do. President Donald Trump signed the resolution in April. It nullified the Obama administration’s Alaska National Wildlife Refuge Rule, which placed predator management on Alaska’s national wildlife refuges in the hands of federal officials. The refuge rule, adopted in 2016, essentially stripped Alaska Fish and Game of its authority to manage wildlife on national wildlife refuges. Although those refuges are controlled by the federal government, individual states manage the wildlife within them. Predictably, groups like the Sierra Club and Defenders of Wildlife protested HJ Resolution 69. A representative of the Center for Biological Diversity told the Huffington Post, it was “yet another extremist assault on the environment.” Not exactly, said Sportsmen’s Alliance spokesman…

HISTORY Introduced concurrently withWinchester’s .243 in 1955, the 6mm Remington soundly outperformed its competitor in velocity but was spec’d with a slow 1:12 rifling twist suitable only for light-for-caliber projectiles. The .243 Winchester ably stabilized 100-grain deer-appropriate bullets and soundly trounced the faster 6mm Rem. in popularity. Most of today’s 6mm rifles are built with a fast 1:9 twist, giving the sleek cartridge the superiority it deserves, but the damage was permanent. Contrary to uninformed opinion, its parent cartridge case is the .257 Roberts, not the .308 Winchester. APPLICATION Loved by eccentric shooters and custom gunsmiths, the 6mm is a polite, easy-to-handload cartridge. With the light 55- to 90-grain bullets it was originally designed for, it’s a predator cartridge of outstanding authority. Stoked with 85-grain monometal bullets, such as Barnes’s…

HUNTING OPPORTUNITIES Without question, introduced populations in Texas offer the best opportunities. After the axis deer, the blackbuck is probably the most numerous “exotic” and is available on most hunting properties in southern Texas. Despite the large numbers, Texas blackbuck have never achieved the horn length of the best Indian heads, but that may come down to the subspecies issue. The largest blackbuck came from northwestern India and perhaps our introduced populations came from southwestern India.…

A generation ago, seeing a crossbow while hunting would have been about as common as seeing a knight of the Round Table in full armor. Today, things have changed dramatically. With legalization in most states, special hunting seasons in some, and a general overall acceptance of horizontal hunting, crossbows are becoming commonplace. If you are interested in giving it a try, but haven’t shot one yet, where should one begin? The first thing prospective crossbow hunters will discover is quality crossbows don’t come cheap. Expect to pay as much as a high-end hunting rifle in many cases. However, with a little research, an American-made quality crossbow (avoid Chinese knockoffs like the plague) at a reasonable price can be obtained. Our advice is to start with a complete package made by…

AN ELK IN AFTER THREE DAYS of looking over the same country and finally deciding it was devoid of bulls, Brad Boltz and I packed a string of able horses for an extended trip over the high glacier pass and into the valley of the Muskwa River. The territory drained by this river, and the nearby Prophet River, is wild and raw. This is Stone sheep country, and we’d seen several of them, mostly ewes and lambs, in the peaks surrounding our little camp of clapboard cabins along the Prophet. Grizzlies, too, along with caribou and an unlikely lone whitetail, wandering lost until it came quivering nose to snarling snout with a young griz. But the elk we had on license had gone missing, likely laid up in the high,…

HE SOUNDED like the meanest bull in the forest. His bugle call was coarse and long, followed by a series of deep grunts. Try as I might, despite my desperate attempts with a homemade bugle call, I couldn’t coax him out of his hideout. The occasion didn’t have a happy ending for me. The bull vanished unseen, and I hiked out with clean hands and an unpunched tag. Fast-forward to the same forest 50 years later. Again, I was involved in a calling contest with a bull, but this time I had another strategy. I blew softly on a cow call and the bull came unglued. He responded by crashing out of the timber, looking desperately for the cow, but he didn’t see my bullet. An astonishing change in the…