Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2020 i Petersen's Hunting

Brian Cheney needed a Hunter Education class. His 15-year-old son was raring to go upland hunting on a trip to South Dakota. If he took a Hunter Education class—the critical first step required by all 50 states to buy a hunting license—he’d join a band of family and friends that chases pheasants every fall. Cheney went online to find a Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Hunter Ed class for his son. There was an Internet-only option, in which students take a class and test online, but it was available only to students at least 16 years old. For those who were 11 to 15 years old, there was an Internet + Field Day option, where after passing the test students had to demonstrate safe handling of firearms at a state-offered…

The new BARNETT TS380 delivers performance with a reasonable price tag. Speed tested at 380 feet per second, the TS380 is capable of downing any big-game species. An adjustable length-of-pull butt stock allows the crossbow to fit shooters of all sizes. The TS380’s trigger features TriggerTech’s three-pound, zero creep release. The machined aluminum flight rail ensures shot-after-shot accuracy. $549; barnettcrossbows.com Wireless game cameras that text photos remotely enable hunters to view them without stepping foot on their hunting property. The downside is they’re expensive. The SPYPOINT CELL-LINK now offers an affordable solution. It plugs into the SD card slot on standard game cameras, turning them into wireless-enabled cameras. Cell-Link is compatible with nearly all modern cameras and includes a free data plan with 100 photos per month. (Paid plans start…

Today’s passionate hunter is a breed much different from our hunting forefathers. Navy Seal hunters, my brother calls them. Motivations are different. Gear is different. Techniques are different. And the rewards are viewed differently. Young to middle-aged people have an increased awareness of the importance of good nutrition, of exercising and staying fit, and of seeking out psychologically healthy, stress-busting activities—at least that’s how it is here in the West. Let’s take a look at several of these evolving motivations and their tangible effects on today’s hunters. First, the philosophy of healthy living has bled into—and has been adopted heartily by—the younger hunting demographic. Speaking from my own perspective and that of most of my young to middle-aged friends, watching many of our parents age and deteriorate from a life…

I’ll bet my new bow you’ve heard a hunting buddy say something like: “That big buck went nocturnal on me, and I never saw him again.” But “Public Hunts on Deer Movements and Behavior,” a recent study by Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPW), suggests hunters may not have as much influence on buck movement and behavior as we think—at least not during the rut. The TPW study also revealed interesting data concerning the home ranges of bucks and the best times to hunt. The study was conducted by capturing and GPS-collaring 30 mature deer (14 does and 16 bucks) aged 3.5 years and older. Their movements were then tracked across the 6,500-acre Kerr Wildlife Management Area (KWMA) of Central Texas. The high-fenced KWMA was divided by a low fence into…

Valo Is Versatile. It’s effective across a variety of terrain and vegetation after seasonal changes or frost burn. Featuring, a complex color palette, Valo takes on the colors of its surroundings, and works at both, long and short range distances. Valo Is Subtle. It’s composed of lighter, low-contrast earth tones with a minimal amount of black. Its subtle tones conceal a hunter’s movements, blending in and adapting while hunting in dormant, uniformed, and muted environments. It’s KUIU. Valo’s large macro pattern with micro details share the same human outline disruption qualities as Verde and Vias. Hunters now have three camouflage options optimized for any distance, environment or season.…

BULLET BASICS Comprising a lead core bonded into a copper-clad steel jacket, the DGX (Dangerous Game eXpanding) Bonded is one of the best dangerous-game bullets available. It’s extremely tough; expands reliably but not excessively; and provides deep, straight penetration even when massive bone is impacted. It has rapidly become a favorite of African Professional Hunters for use on Cape buffalo. TESTING GROUND During a grueling and glorious day hunting the Mozambique swamps with Zambeze Delta Safaris, I shot an old Cape buffalo bull from about 60 yards. Fired from my Ruger M77 Hawkeye African in .416 Ruger, the 400-grain bullet shown impacted the broadside bull on the shoulder. FIELD PERFORMANCE It wasn’t my first shot, but these were buffalo, so I kept shooting. On impact, the bull stumbled, trotted a…

We live in an age where traditional walnut and blued steel have been replaced by synthetics, stainless steel, and finishes impervious to everything but a nuclear attack. These rifles are practical, durable, and, often, boring. Fortunately for those of us who appreciate traditional hunting rifles, the pendulum is beginning to swing back a bit in our direction. Among the new rifles that mimic the qualities of their ancestor designs, the 150th Anniversary Marlin 444 stands out. Although the company has a Custom Shop, many American hunters view Marlin as a company that makes serviceable and modestly priced rifles for everyday use. That wasn’t always the case. Marlin Firearms Co. was founded by John Marlin back in 1870, when the nation was still reeling from the Civil War. Marlin had been…

The usually peaceful, oak-covered hillside exploded with excitement. Three Mountain Feists yapped frantically as they leapt and clawed at the big oak in a futile attempt to reach their quarry. Nearly as excited as the dogs, the group of three young hunters circled the tree, scanning the limbs for their target. Soon, the cry of “there he is, in the highest fork” rang out from one of the hunters, followed by the crack of a .22. The squirrel fell to ground, the dogs pounced, and the young hunters laughed and congratulated each other and the dogs. Their kill was added to the game bag, destined for a later date as dinner, and the hunt continued. SQUIRREL MEAT HISTORY That same scene, or something close to it, has been playing out…

I don’t remember exactly what Dad said when he handed me my first pocketknife, but I do know it came with a warning. Typical of his generation, my father was a man of very few words and even less emotion, so it was probably straightforward: “Don’t cut yourself.” The implied threat “or else” was a given. I assure you there was none of the pomp from him that accompanies such a rite of passage in young-adult paperbacks. Instead, it was simply understood if I did anything other than whittle sticks, or if I cut my flesh or the flesh of anyone else, my privileges would be revoked. It won’t surprise anyone who knew me then, or who knows me now, those privileges lasted less than one hour. Not long after…

A DENSE fog had barely lifted when the faint chop of the helicopter’s rotor echoed down from Montana’s Bears Paw mountains, sending the small group of hunters, biologists, volunteers, and tribal officials scurrying into position. It was a cold, damp morning in late January, and before my coffee had even cooled enough to drink, the buzz of what was about to happen spiked my system with a boost of adrenaline better than any caffeine. The chopper deftly circled around the line of trucks and trailers, swinging a heavy line below. The pilot gently lowered his cargo to the ground. We gripped our hats and shouldered into the rotor’s wash. As quickly as it had appeared, the helicopter was off, leaving behind four bighorn sheep, blindfolded and bucking in their hobbles…

I enjoyed the article “First Blood,” written by Jodi Semler, in the June-July issue. I have been hunting large and small game for more than 50 years and still get excited when afield. My husband introduced me to hunting and encourages me on my hunts, which I sometimes even do alone. Even when I don’t harvest any game, it’s always a great day with nature. From harvesting pheasants, grouse, ducks, geese, and turkeys to deer, antelope, and elk, it’s an adventure. At the age of 70, I harvested my first elk in Wyoming on a walk-and-stalk hunt. What an unforgettable hunt. My husband accompanied me and got to share that awesome time! Being able to provide meat for our table has been a wonderful bonus. I would encourage any female…

HISTORY Created by necking down Winchester’s innovative, short-action, rebated-rim .284 case to hold 6.5mm bullets, the 6.5-284 wildcat’s burgeoning popularity quickly put its parent cartridge to shame. Adopted and legitimized by Norma in 1999, it became the darling of the long-range crowd, earning a now socially unacceptable nickname among Army snipers chagrined to find that in terms of minimal wind drift and long-range drop, it easily kept pace with their .300 Win. Mag. rifles issued for distances beyond the standard M24 .308-caliber sniper rifle’s effective range. In short order, the 6.5-284 set new 1,000-yard world records, killed game at unprecedented distances, and became the pet of the arcane-cartridge crowd. To get best performance out of it, however, the cartridge must be chambered in a long action so that long, high-BC…

The long-range craze has bled into the hunting world, and with it comes all the accoutrements long-range shooters love to add to their rifles and kit. That’s great for the marketplace, but much of those gadgets don’t really have a home in the field. Still, some of that new tech is great and can help hunters—especially those who take their game at ethical ranges but still like to stretch things out on the range. Vortex, which already makes great riflescope options for both hunters and long-range shooters, recognized there was space in the market for a hunting scope that carried a few modern features—like a locking, adjustable elevation turret; illuminated reticle; and side-parallax adjustment—but still managed to be relatively lightweight and easy to use. By eliminating the exposed windage turret…