Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2017 i Petersen's Hunting

NOW, NINE YEARS LATER, I AM WRITING MY LAST ONE. IT HAS BEEN A GREAT RIDE... They say time flies, and they are right. It seems like just yesterday I took the helm of Petersen’s Hunting and wrote my first “From The Editor” column. I was nervous, apprehensive, and not sure I had the chops to steer this publication in a direction that would resonate with today’s hunters. Now, nine years later, I am writing my last one. It has been a great ride, and my regrets are few—really, my only regret is not outlasting Craig Boddington as the longest-tenured Editor of Petersen’s Hunting , but then, taking a backseat to Boddington isn’t something to be too ashamed of, either. While I didn’t go so far as to get a…

BULLET BASICS Considered by many to be the pinnacle of bonded-core, polymer-tipped bullet design, the Scirocco II features a sleek, aerodynamic profile, utilizing a tangent ogive that flows through the air with minimum friction. A polymer tip that resists deformation in the magazine further aids flight characteristics and initiates immediate, dramatic expansion on impact. Constructed with a thick, heavily tapered jacket bonded to the core, the Scirocco II is arguably the toughest of its type. TESTING GROUND A Utah cow elk fell from the bullet shown. It impacted broadside at 250 yards, taking it squarely through both lungs just forward of the crease behind the shoulder. The bullet was loaded in Remington factory .300 Win. Mag. ammunition and clocked 2,960 fps. FIELD PERFORMANCE The impact velocity was estimated at 2,602…

EQUAL PARTS luxury hunting estate, natural history museum, and gourmet restaurant, Sable Lodge is the crown jewel of Eastern Cape Bowhunting (ECBH)—a perfectly appointed, exquisitely decorated masterpiece. If you prefer to surround yourself with unrivaled hunting, opulent accommodations, and world-class cuisine, this gem no doubt deserves top billing on your bucket list. This American-owned estate is decorated with lavish, colonial South African decor. You expect Teddy Roosevelt to stroll through the great room and join you for high tea. Each of Sable Lodge’s four private suites, as well as the dining room, bar, and great rooms, boasts relics and artwork from days gone by, trophy-class taxidermy, and a uniquely African ambiance. With roughly 15,000 acres of prime bowhunting real estate, ECBH has more than 30 species on the docket, including…

My friend Alan cut the motor and the boat glided to a stop underneath the branches that formed a shady canopy over this skinny river channel. We scanned the trees for any sign of movement while Dixie, a petite black Lab, shivered in anticipation. Just as I caught the flicker of a tail, Alan snapped a 20 gauge to his shoulder and fired. Before the squirrel dropped to the ground, Dixie was already out of the boat on a beeline to the base of the beech tree. Another squirrel for the pot. We won’t go hungry tonight. In the media, this publication included, big game grabs the boldest headlines, and few can deny the excitement of a trophy buck stepping from the brush or a branch-antlered bull screaming at dawn.…

The “Jordan Buck,” a former world-record holder, was taken in 1914 by a guy who followed some tracks across the Wisconsin countryside and soon thereafter shot the buck with his Winchester lever action. Since those simple days, tactics for hunting big bucks have evolved big time, to the point that some hunters don’t even venture outside until they receive a picture on their smartphone showing a bruiser munching at the feeder. More common, however, are the millions of whitetail hunters who climb into a treestand, grunt periodically, and hope a Booner comes their way. Most of these fellas would do well to expand their playbooks. After all, great deer hunters take big deer year after year because their proven tactics have withstood the test of time. So go dig up…

SEN. MIKE LEE (R-UT) An outspoken critic of federal land ownership, Lee is often cited as the main detractor of public lands. He has sponsored and cosponsored bills that would turn public land back to the states. “When an unelected and unaccountable bureaucracy owns and manages more than half the land in your state, that is a recipe for disaster,” says Lee’s official website. SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX) It became clear where Cruz stands on public land during the 2016 presidential race. He ran a campaign commercial in Nevada vowing to turn all federal land back to the state. It’s not a new idea. In 2014, Cruz filed an amendment to the Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act of 2014 that would have forced the federal government to sell off millions of acres…

I am a long-time subscriber of Petersen’s Hunting and love the variety of articles from Africa to the Arctic and everywhere in between. While I enjoy reading about the exotic stuff, in my home state of Pennsylvania, I primarily hunt whitetails. I appreciate Jeff Johnston’s insights into the world of deer in the “Whitetail” column every month, but I want more! Any plans on coming out with an entire issue devoted to whitetails? CHRIS REED Via e-mail Chris, thanks for subscribing and for taking the time to write. Here is the blessing and the challenge with Petersen’s Hunting : We cover all types and species of hunting and serve all hunters. If we do too many articles on Africa, I hear about it from our die-hard deer hunters. Conversely, if…

HISTORY Introduced in 1958, the .338 Win. Mag. was inspired by big-bore aficionados such as Elmer Keith. It dominates a vast territory between the much-loved .30 calibers and the .375 H&H so popular among those who pursue dangerous game. Rightly so: It offers tremendous performance on an incredibly broad spectrum of game at an affordable cost in recoil. Even now, at 59, the .338 Win. Mag. is so popular that every major rifle manufacturer chambers it and every major ammunition company builds ammo for it. APPLICATION Conceivably at its best on elk, moose, and bison-size game, the .338 Win. Mag. isn’t too much for deer and antelope, and with a heavy-for-caliber, tough bullet designed to break heavy bones and penetrate deeply, it’s an outstanding choice for big bears. A broad…

BALLISTIC APPS and laser rangefinders have taken the guesswork out of long-range shots. You can’t buy skill, but you can buy the correct data. The latest technology can be accessed in seconds using smartphone apps. You can find a pile of these apps on the market. These are the four that I have used in the real world. APPLIED BALLISTICS MOBILE Brian Litz, the founder of Applied Ballistics LLC, is considered the dean of long-range shooting. Applied Ballistics software is considered the industry gold standard and is used in numerous military and civilian products. This is the most advanced and capable app that I evaluated —and the priciest. If you want to get into the weeds of long-range ballistics and want the best environmental software out there, this is for…

According to many hunters, a great mule deer buck is the most difficult of all North American trophies to collect. Opportunities come dear, and anymore, a decent tag is a trophy in itself. All the best big-buck areas are in draw programs, and pulling a permit is cause for real celebration. Long gone are the days when a hunter could load up the pickup and head to Utah, Colorado, Arizona, or Wyoming, stop at a gas station or hardware store once inside state lines to purchase a tag, and hunt big bucks in prime habitat. However, while they are obscure, a few decent over-the-counter (OTC) opportunities still exist. Most are in states not commonly on the muley hunter’s big-buck radar. If you missed the 2017 draw deadline and are weeping…

LAND TAWNEY PRESIDENT & CEO, BACKCOUNTRY HUNTERS & ANGLERS Tawney is one of the most active and vocal defenders of public lands. When he isn’t trekking to Capitol Hill from his home in Montana, he’s meeting in state offices with key players in the fight to protect public lands and access to them. An avid hunter and angler, Tawney doesn’t just fight for public lands, he relies on them. RANDY NEWBERG TELEVISION HOST Newberg has turned a passion for public land hunting into a career through two television shows, On Your Own Adventures and Fresh Tracks . He not only promotes public land opportunities on his show, but also advocates for it through a variety of outlets. He has a YouTube channel, a podcast, and a forum on his website.…

WHEN THE Twin Otter touched down on the landing strip, I couldn’t have been more excited. I was about to embark on a genuine Arctic hunting adventure for muskox—a hunt I’d fantasized about for years. I was as far north in Canada as I’d ever ventured before, and I was greeted by George and Mabel, an Inuit couple who were to be my hosts for the hunt. After an overnight stay in Cambridge Bay, a small village well north of the Arctic Circle, I boarded a smaller plane and flew to a forlorn spot on the banks of a river where several Inuit families had set up a camp. This was the time of year they net and spear Arctic char for their winter food supply. Besides fishing, they hunt…

In April 1805, after wintering with the Mandan and Hidatsa people near present-day Stanton, North Dakota, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set off up the Missouri River in search of the Northwest Passage—a water route to the Pacific Ocean. Their party included 31 men, the Shoshoni woman Sacagawea, her two-month-old baby, and a dog. Near the present-day Montana state border, on April 22, 1805, Clark climbed a cut bluff on the bank of the Missouri and documented a vision of the Great Plains forever etched in American history: “immense herds of buffalo, elk, deer, and antelope feeding in one common and boundless pasture.” The next day they shot three mule deer and a buffalo for the table. On May 7, where the Milk River meets the Missouri, Clark wrote, “We…

Looking to up your scouting game? Browning’s Recon Force Extreme Full HD trail cam is your ticket. With 20-megapixel pictures, the trail cam has a full 80 feet of motion detection, and the built-in infrared flash can reach over 120 feet. Pair that with its 0.4-second trigger speed and you’re all but guaranteed that big buck will have his photo snapped. Not happy with just photos? The cam takes full HD video clips with sound. A two-inch color viewing screen is an added bonus. $180; browningtrailcameras.com Unplugging from the cell phone is OK when heading into the backcountry, but to ensure your safety, take along the Garmin inReach Explorer+. The handheld satellite communicator has built-in GPS navigation and uses global Iridium satellite coverage, enabling you to text from the device…

It was nearly black dark in the cypress swamp when she tiptoed down the narrow trail. She stopped in the palmettos at 35 yards, one or more of her senses telling her that she probably wasn’t alone. With traditional irons, I wouldn’t have had enough light to shoot, but the LED gave me a precise aiming point just behind her quartering-away shoulder. I exhaled and locked my eyes on the dot as the trigger broke. Confused by the thunderclap and the double-lung hit, she sprinted past me before crumbling into a massive oak five yards away. The bullet expanded and devastated both lungs before exiting through the offside shoulder. The gun I used was a Glock long-slide 10mm customized by ZEV Technologies. I’ve seen deer hit well with .300s run…

Years ago, on a sheep hunt in Alaska’s Wrangell Mountains, we were far up on a treacherous slope, nothing but jagged rocks. The nearest scrub timber was a couple thousand feet below…and miles away. On a little bench near the top we found the skeleton of a mature bull moose, antlers still attached to the skull. No horse could get up that mountain, but somehow that moose did, and he died there. I’ve wondered ever since what he was doing. Perhaps trying to escape wolves, but you just never know with moose. The moose is the world’s largest deer, genus and species Alces alces . It is hardly a North American animal; in numerous races and varying sizes, the moose circumnavigates the globe in the Northern Hemisphere. Fossil evidence suggests…

SEN. MARTIN HEINRICH (D-NM) An outspoken proponent of public land, Sen. Martin Heinrich has cosponsored a number of bills that benefit the hunting community and fought against those that don’t. He has also been critical of senators who are attempting to wrest control of federal lands. Heinrich is an avid hunter who chases everything from elk to quail on public lands in New Mexico. SEN. JON TESTER (D-MT) Few politicians can walk both sides of the aisle like Montana Sen. Jon Tester. A third-generation rancher, Tester not only understands the need for energy development, but also knows how important our public lands are. He’s been outspoken against land transfer efforts and introduced a bill blocking two large gold mines on public land bordering Yellowstone. REP. MIKE SIMPSON (R-ID) Many of…