Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2022 i Petersen's Hunting

OVER THE COURSE of the last decade, the hunting community has seen an influx of what could be called nontraditional new hunters. It’s somewhat of a broad generalization to say the traditional hunter is white, male, and, likely, rural. However, we can all agree this has been the persistent stereotype for the last 100 years. Today, there are more women afield than ever. The number of people of color who are taking up the hunt is increasing. And even urban dwellers are heading into the woods in growing numbers. All these new, and unique, hunters are a welcome addition to our ranks. A more diverse hunting community creates a stronger voice against the anti-hunting movement. It also equals a wider outreach into the world to educate non-hunters about the role…

By the time we had secured the hippo leg and got settled in the blind, I’d counted 10 crocodiles in the little bay. They were smelling blood and cruising like scaly torpedoes. This hunt wasn’t going to take very long. Boy, was I wrong. An hour passed. Several had closed in and were waiting patiently 20 yards away, noses, eyes, scaly backs, and strips of dragon’s-teeth tails exposed above the dark Zambezi River water. One croc, maybe hungrier than the rest, finally crept in slowly and silently, bumped the bait with its nose, then backed off and lay still, mostly exposed in the shallow water. This wasn’t a huge croc, but also not small, maybe 11 feet. I’d guess the age as possibly 50 years old. The beast had nothing…

There’s an innate disconnect among many new-age hunters. This disconnect is predators and the methods of pursuit used to tag them. I don’t know what it is about predators that tugs on people’s heart strings, but there is no denying they elicit extreme responses. We, as seasoned hunters, need to do a better job of educating new hunters on the importance of hunting and managing predators. It is important to educate ourselves on traditional hunts and understand that if we do not unite as hunters, our ability to pursue these animals will be lost, and with it the start of the downward spiral of our sport. Don’t believe me? Just look at the legislation being introduced around the country and the hunting bans that already have been passed. Washington State…

“GET A GUN!” outfitter Reggie Collingwood shouted. “Somebody get a gun!” “What is it?” I asked. “Just get a gun!” he repeated with urgency. I had just saddled my horse, which blocked my view of whatever Reggie was worked up about. I jerked my Winchester Model 70 out of the scabbard and ran around the horse to see what was causing all the commotion. There, sitting 50 yards away, was a wolf. I couldn’t believe it. He was watching us out of curiosity. Reggie was still shouting, but I didn’t need any urging to shoot. My .30-06 bullet hit the wolf under the chin. I was astounded at what had just happened. Why did that wolf, which was an almost fully grown male, decide to pay us a visit? There…

I applaud author Lynn Burkhead for the discussion in his article questioning cellular trail cameras usage (“Cellular Cameras in Fair-Chase Hunting,” September 2021). Admittedly, everyone can decide for themselves what their personal ethics are in regard to fair-chase might be within legal constraints. What amazes me among virtually every article I have read in hunting and outdoor magazines is that the authors continually avoid addressing one of the concerns that every fair-chase hunter should be aware of when cell cameras and other hunting shortcuts are discussed. This issue is the baiting or feeding that most often occurs to determine camera placement and to ensure the quarry can be photographed. Who would have anticipated how many hunters currently employ multiple trail cameras? It seems to me the primary reasons are to…

INTERNATIONAL GOALS have been set at conserving 30 percent of the world’s land and waters by 2030. An effective biodiversity strategy must be based in scientific data and include all stakeholders. Most importantly, as human populations continue to expand, the solution to biodiversity must involve coexistence between humans and wildlife. Through participation and management, hunters play a key role in ensuring increased and sustainable global biodiversity levels, particularly in Africa. In order to effectively conserve large land areas, an incredible amount of funding and local support is needed. Hunting, particularly like that of southern Africa, is a low-impact, high-revenue generator; hundreds of thousands of dollars are generated from a relatively small number of hunters. This funding goes towards conservation of the land area, employment through conservation jobs in local communities,…

With the Swagger Hunter42 bipod you’ll be ready for your shot no matter what the position. This bipod allows the user to extend the legs from 9.75 inches all the way out to 41.25 inches to ensure a stable rest wherever you set your predator stand. The nitride-finished springs that secure the legs offer easy and fluid movement, so you never have to pivot around your bipod. If you are looking for a rest that offers adjustability and stability, this is the one for you. $170; swaggerbipods.com The Alps Enforcer Predator Vest was designed specifically for predator hunters who need to remain mobile but also have a comfortable seating position while calling. Featuring a fully adjustable, removable kickstand frame and memory-foam seat, the seat sets up anywhere and you’ll be ready…

The morning was sunny, calm, and cool. Perfect. Just after sunrise I crept into what we call the “Pecan Grove,” figuring I’d snipe two or three squirrels with ease. I sat against a stout oak, watching and listening. Four gray squirrels quickly surrounded me, chattering and jumping back and forth from limb to limb and bouncing from tree to tree. Problem was, none of them stopped long enough for a clean shot. For a while it felt like “Whack-a-Mole.” Finally, one made a mistake, stopping on a slender branch about 50 yards out, showing just an eye and ear. The little Ruger cracked and the squirrel came down. Time to move up to the Rimrock Stand. If you really want a skillet full of fried squirrel, probably the best course…

My buddy Eric was determined to hunt Wyoming Range mule deer with his chassis rifle. He shot it so well, out beyond 1,000 yards, and had so much confidence in its repeatable precision that talking him out of the idea of deer hunting with a 12-pound rifle was futile. A couple of days into our horseback hunt, a coyote crossed the trail, trotting away but not yet in full afterburner flight. Eric dismounted, somehow shucked the behemoth rifle from the saddle scabbard, threw himself prone, deployed his bipod, and asked for the range. “Two-eighty,” I whispered. He fiddled with the turrets. But now the coyote was at 330. I reported the range. More turret twisting. New range: 410. The coyote, now in overdrive, was safe from the fusillade of increasingly…

My lungs were burning, legs shaking, feet aching, but I still took another step. The baying from the hounds echoed across the steep canyon walls, bouncing from trees to rock faces and back again. It was almost deafening, though we were still a mile away. When you turn dogs loose on a fresh track in Montana, there is no looking back. You’ve made your decision, and you owe it to the dogs to get to the tree as fast as you can. The dogs are then at their most vulnerable, their bay attracting more than just their handler to the tree—not to mention the apex predator sitting mere feet above them. I have never had a more grueling hike than to a lion tree—the knee-deep snow and steep terrain breaks…

BULLET BASICS Lead round balls are the original gunpowder-propelled projectile. Originally dropped down the maw of a smoothbore barrel and tamped in place with a wad, they weren’t particularly accurate. Rifling and tight-fitting leather or linen patches wrapped around the ball changed that, and as history tells us, the American Revolutionaries used their longrifles with wonderful effectiveness on the British. Current-made round balls by Hornady are cold swaged, not cast; a process that eliminates voids and inconsistencies. Made of pure lead, they obturate to help fill the rifling and seal the bore when the blackpowder ignites. TESTING GROUND My son William (age 11) drew a special youth Idaho muzzleloader pronghorn tag. He opted to hunt with my .45-caliber custom longrifle with a 42-inch barrel. After several failed but fun stalks,…

Amazing barbecue is an art form. In Kansas, it’s a religion. On both my log burner and Camp Chef Woodwind, I have smoked my share of beef brisket and pork shoulder. As a hunter, I wanted to try my hand at smoking venison. The front shoulder of a hog, known as the pork “butt,” is where you traditionally get your pulled pork. In colonial New England, butchers packed inexpensive cuts of meat—like the pork shoulder—into large barrels called “butts.” Pork shoulders packed into these butts were called “pork butts,” and the name is still around today, though the cut has nothing to do with a hog’s rear end. Obviously, the shoulder on a deer is far leaner and contains less meat overall as compared to a hog. Nevertheless, you can…

As the old saying goes, “The best coyote gun is the one you have in your hand when you see a coyote.” But for those of us who enjoy agonizing over rifle type, make, model, and just the right configuration of coyote cartridge, well, the world is our oyster. Thanks to modern cartridge designs and to advancements in cutting-edge projectiles and fresh new loads for classic cartridges, hunters now have a better selection to pick from than ever before. Here are seven of the best cartridges, from proven classics to a few young upstarts that have a promising future in the hands of capable coyote hunters. .204 RUGER If you’re a fur collector, this cartridge is where it’s at. Introduced in 2004, it was created by necking the .222 Rem.…

I know some old men who’ve hunted the same stands every November for 40 years. Their spots go by generic names: The Corner, The Shelf, The Holler. Often the hide is a box blind—maybe just some plywood panels with a sloped roof atop a single bench seat and a floor of questionable stability. Or maybe it’s a ladder stand, grown slightly into the tree’s trunk and doctored every October with a fresh ratchet strap. They are hunters who chew tobacco and eat fried chicken in the stand. They piss right out onto the ground—deep amber, coffee-smelling stuff—and consider the wind only when a deer snorts at them. I don’t want to wax too nostalgic and say those old men know better than today’s whippersnappers toting tree saddles and mapping trail…