Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2018 i Petersen's Hunting

BULLET BASICS One of the very modern crop of lead-free homogeneous hunting bullets, the Advanced Technologies E-Tip is at its core a Nosler E-Tip, but it has an added black coating that is naturally lubricious and corrosion resistant. Nosler produces it for Winchester Ammunition. Although deep penetration is its forte, a polymer tip and skiving inside the hollow nose cavity facilitate fast expansion. Because it rarely fragments and doesn’t create the massive initial wound cavity of a traditional lead-core bullet, it kills with less lightning-like effect but actually enables the shooter to capably take bigger game with a given cartridge because it can be relied on to drive deep. TESTING GROUND My friend Polo Reyes shot a good California blacktail buck with the bullet shown. The 150-grain E-Tip was fired…

The ban on importing lion trophies from Zimbabwe, Zambia, and managed areas in South Africa was lifted by the Trump administration in late October, allowing hunters to apply for permits to bring their trophies back to the United States. The Obama administration had added the African lion to the Endangered Species List in 2015 after the controversy over the killing of Cecil the lion by Walter Palmer in Zimbabwe. The designation stated that imports from African lions would “generally be prohibited” but still allowed the government to issue permits to import species when it can be determined that the import will enhance survival of the species. A spokesperson from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service (USFWS) said they found “legal, well-regulated sport hunting can benefit conservation by providing incentives to…

REGARDLESS of what anti-gun forces in America claim, suppressors do not make guns silent, nor do they encourage crime. Rather, these simple metal mufflers make guns more pleasant to shoot and could reduce what is no less than a hearing loss epidemic among U.S. sportsmen and women. At the time of this writing, 40 states allow suppressors for hunting, and once you shoot a suppressed firearm, you’ll be reluctant to hunt without one. Here are four suppressors perfect for your favorite big-game rig. DEAD AIR SANDMAN TI This can’s baffles are made of heat-resistant Stellite, and its titanium construction makes it lighter than most centerfire rifle suppressors. Yet it can still handle a .300 Win. Mag. This direct-thread unit, which is generally more accurate than quick-detach systems, reduces the high-pitched,…

If you plan to travel around the world for predators, but want to save space and weight in your luggage, consider a handheld mouth call. Light and effective on predators such as coyote, bobcat, fox, wolf, mountain lion, and bear, the Sceery Variable call is small and rubber coated, and features a hand-tuned, quick-changing reed system. Developed by lifelong hunter and outdoorsman Ed Sceery, the Variable call falls under Ed’s belief that reliable tools can make a big difference in the outcome of your hunt. $22; sceeryoutdoors.com…

The most-used tools in the wild chef ’s toolbox—outside of the brain—are his knives. Along with a good hunting knife, a well-stocked knife roll should include a couple of boning knives, a skinner, and a carving knife—each piece selected to help hunters with every step of the process, from field-dressing to processing to prepping for the table. Even hunters who don’t butcher their own game need a good knife in the kitchen, and the best should be an extension of the hand. Each knife should also be razor sharp, and now is a good time to pull out the stone or sharpener and ensure every blade is as keen as can be. In the meat of hunting season, it’s easy to get lazy and just add a serviceable edge to…

After the big-game seasons conclude, Americans return to the deer woods in search of shed antlers. But this quest for calcium gold is more than mere fun; it can cast light on the shadowy habits of big bucks. WHY HUNT SHEDS? People sometimes ask me why I hunt cast-off antlers. “Can’t eat ’em, so why hunt ’em?” asked one buddy. The simple answer: It’s fun. But it’s more than that—it’s exercise, adventure, and insight for the next deer season. Sheds can also be valuable. An uncommonly big matching set can fetch hundreds of dollars. Even spindly ones can be made into knife handles and Christmas decorations. Plus, shed hunting is a splendid excuse to scout a new property. You’ll learn the lay of the land and perhaps discover the existence…

One company making it easier for hunters to access military installations is iSportsman in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The iSportsman service is used by the wildlife programs on more than 40 Army, Air Force, and Marine installations across the continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaii to register hunters interested in recreating on the bases, sell permits, automatically check-in and checkout hunters to areas, collect harvest data, and more. Where implemented, iSportsman also makes it easier for sportsmen, often replacing antiquated paper systems with a means to easily check-in to areas, locate an open area to hunt, and then checkout and often record their harvest—all from their smartphones where permitted, eliminating the time and driving required when forced to check-in and checkout at a single location. “Many hunters, whether living in rural…

HISTORY The latest cartridge introduced by Hornady, the 6.5 Precision Rifle Cartridge, was co-pioneered by contributing custom rifle companies GA Precision and Gunwerks. Simply a .300 RCM cartridge case necked down to 6.5mm and with the shoulder moved forward 0.0015 to prevent it from chambering in .300 RCM rifles, the 6.5 PRC duplicates .264 Win. Mag. ballistics in short magnum format. It offers more efficiency, with the pleasant side effects of lesser recoil; better barrel life; and the lighter, faster function of a short action. APPLICATION While at its best for long, challenging shots on deer-size game, the 6.5 PRC is entirely at home in elk habitat as long as the hunter chooses a tough, expanding bullet designed for penetration. It could be argued that it’s the best possible all-around…

FRANK COLE kicks lightly at a pile of junk, the Nebraska wind bending around his tall, lean frame. He stoops, digs through the wood and metal, and pulls out a few rusty eye-bolts. “These’ll make for a nice set of legs. And look at this spring here. That’s the body. Of what, I’m not sure.” Out on the gusty prairie, Cole’s art is already taking shape in his mind. He’ll haul the bolts and spring, a length of chain, and a bucket of other finds back to his shop. There he’ll grind and weld, wielding hammer and torch, to turn the forgotten, rusty relics into magnificent metal sculptures. In this case, the scraps will be reborn into a regal bull elk, challenging all comers. Cole has traveled the globe chasing…

Thirteen million pheasants. More than two million ducks. Countless quail, deer, turkeys, and grouse. When it comes to the impact of federal conservation programs, there’s no doubt how important those programs are to hunters. The numbers are as plain as a covey rise. That’s why conservation groups are rallying their constituents to support the conservation provisions in the 2018 Farm Bill. Although details still need to be hammered out, it could prove to be a windfall to hunters, anglers, and rural economies. Proposals include an increase in the amount of acreage in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) from the current cap of 24 million acres to as many as 32 million acres. “There is more demand for the various conservation programs than there was in the last bill,” said Steve…

Don’t call this a flashlight. The OD40 is an optical illuminator, and that’s more than marketing jargon. Much like a laser, THE CREE LED LIGHT projects a focused column of pure light without the use of reflectors. This not only illuminates targets at distances up to 200 yards, but won’t affect the hunter’s vision or flare predators. The light from Optical Dynamics weighs just 14 ounces and operates on two CR123A batteries. $160; longdistancelight.com Renowned predator hunter FRED EICHLER put his stamp on this coyote-killer, quite literally, with Eichler’s signature paws cut into the free-float handguard. The cryo-treated, 16-inch barrel is fitted with an FES brake to reduce muzzle flip for faster follow-ups. Full-length top rail and two shorter rails at 6 and 9 o’clock allow for versatile optic-, light-,…

No 1 . Arizona. It’s the trophy quality. Arizona has the highest-quality elk hunting in the country, the highest-quality mule deer in the country, the biggest antelope in the country, and the second-highest number of desert sheep tags given to nonresident hunters. You do have to buy a hunting license, and when you spend $150 on a state license, it makes sense to apply for several species. No 2 . New Mexico. It’s a neat state because there’s no point system with which to contend. The elk hunting is very high quality, and 16 percent of the elk tags go to nonresidents. Outfitted hunts cost half that of other states, and the elk are generally bigger. You get very high quality for half the price. New Mexico is also neat…

THOUGH I was anticipating it, I jumped when my name was called. It was 4:30 a.m. at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant (RAAP), and the drawing meant I’d been chosen to experience one of hunting’s Holy Grails. For a deer hunter with limited access to quality private land, the chance to hunt trophy white-tailed deer on one of the many military installations in the United States that allow hunting was a dream come true. The pool of huntable private lands is drained a little each time a house is erected or a “No Hunting” sign is hung. Rather than bemoan the inevitable, use that energy to retrain your brain to identify the best public properties—including federal lands managed by the U.S. military. BEYOND offering large swaths of land—some spanning more…

Many military bases limit hunting to archery only and often that also includes crossbows like those from Excalibur. Unlike the competition, the company only uses recurve-style limbs on its crossbows, eliminating timing issues. The design also allows consumers to swap strings and do bow maintenance without the aid of a press or need for a bow shop technician. From the 270-pound draw of my Micro 335, a 16.5-inch, 350-grain Quill bolt (with 100-grain field point) clocks in at 328 feet per second, according to my Competition Electronics chronograph. Accuracy-wise, the Micro 335 put three shots into 0.94 inch at 30 yards and 1.78 inches at 40 yards. I achieved similar groupings with the newer Matrix GRZ2 and Micro Suppressor models, too. The crossbow has proven lethal on several deer ranging…

THE WIND howled and pressed hard against the canvas tent walls, which leaked cold air and chilled all of us to the bone. The stove cracked and spit embers as I opened the door to feed more pellets into the fire. “Are you cold, Zumbo?” my friend, Joe Arterburn, asked from across the tent, a smirk appearing across his face. “It’s freezing, you jackass.” I closed the stove door and retreated to my glass of warming spirits. It was a cold February. A group of friends and I were attempting to bag a few coyotes in eastern Montana. The outing was concocted by my long-time friend Andrew McKean, and Arterburn was a coconspirator. He worked for Cabela’s at the time, and he had allayed our fears of freezing to death…