Innholdsfortegnelse for April/May 2023 i Petersen's Hunting

WITH THE 2023 spring turkey season on the horizon, it is a great time to reflect on the immense conservation success of the wild turkey—a comeback from a national population as low as 200,000 birds to an incredible 7 million. It was an effort led by the wild turkey’s most stalwart advocate: hunters. While the restoration of the wild turkey is regarded as one of America’s most remarkable wildlife conservation successes, wild turkeys in some regions are experiencing population declines. The national wild turkey population peaked in the early 2000s, but has fallen an estimated 10%-15% since 2004. Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all explanation for the declines, either. There are many possible culprits, such as degrading habitat, overharvest, diseases and nest success rates, to name a few. These barriers, however,…

Accurately measuring powder is one of the most important parts of reloading, whether developing a new load or keeping rounds consistent across batches. The Hornady Precision Lab Scale offers a .01-grain readout and has a 3,000-grain capacity. The scale also features easy calibration, print to spreadsheet function, high and low sensitivity settings and compare, percent and count modes. If you’re looking for the most precise tool on the market for your loading bench, this scale is it. $419; hornady.com Clean brass is essential for building your next handload. Frankford Arsenal’s Rotary Tumbler Lite is specifically designed for those who aren’t looking to reload vast amounts of ammo. It is able to hold up to 300 pieces of .223 brass and has a maintenance free, direct-drive electric motor. The system features…

American hunters crave accuracy and velocity. The double rifle delivers neither, at least not to the degree that most of us desire. First, there’s the practical impossibility of getting both barrels to shoot absolutely parallel. The bullet paths must either diverge slightly. Or, must converge, meaning the bullet paths will cross at some point, and then drift apart. When it comes to velocity, break-open actions are not strong, naturally trying to unhinge with each shot. At its best, and for most lasting use, a double rifle needs to be chambered to cartridges with breech pressures in the 40,000 PSI range, about a third less pressure than our fast magnums. Then, there’s that pesky issue of weak primary extraction. Doubles are most reliable with rimmed cartridges, so the extractor/ejector can get…

WHEN YOU’RE far out on the trail it’s always wise to have a firearm close at hand. You may stumble upon a grouse for the pot or spot a coyote prowling around the back 40. In remote areas, where assistance is far away and you bear responsibility for your own well-being, having a personal defense weapon in your vehicle is a smart decision. And while there aren’t strict guidelines regarding what qualifies as a “truck gun” this category of firearms traditionally have several features in common: short overall length, a durable design and an affordable price point. Indeed turck guns come in all shapes and sizes for a variety of applications. If you live in the wide-open prairies of Wyoming where ‘yotes and prairie dogs are your primary targets, a…

A motionless sit beneath the roost on a cool spring morning fires up the senses and signifies turkey season is here yet again. Many hunters anticipate springtime even more than the first frost of fall. Those afflicted by turkey fever await the warmth to thaw their chilled bones more than the rest. All winter, hunters fiddle with calls and finalize gear to ensure they are set for opening morning, ready to announce that crow call or owl hoot to entice the first gobble of the year. Gentle yelps and clucks can lure a tom in close for a shot as he is looking for an early morning liaison. But stay sharp, a tom’s keen eyes will catch even the slightest movement. After the report of your shotgun, sling that bird…

BULLET BASICS Federal’s Terminal Ascent is arguably the most versatile modern hunting bullet made. Descended from the Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, it has a solid-copper rear shank, and a bonded-lead frontal core. It’s fitted with a “Slipstream” composite tip that resists erosion in flight. The tip is hollow to ensure low-impact expansion at extreme range. The ultimate variation on the TBBC, the Terminal Ascent has excellent aerodynamics, so it’s very good for long-range work. Unlike most competing designs, it’s also tough enough to withstand very high impact velocities at close range. It’s quite accurate, too: Federal holds the Terminal Ascent to a 0.60-inch accuracy standard for ten-shot groups fired from 100 yards. TESTING GROUND The bullet pictured was loaded in Federal’s Custom Shop, for my Gunwerks ClymR chambered in 7mm…

Hunters have long argued about what guns a person really needs. A rimfire, of course. And then a small-caliber centerfire for predators and such. And then something a little, or a lot, stouter when you move up to big and dangerous game. It’s an argument that gets discussed around campfires and on barstools around the country. Heck, around the world. And there is no one good and right answer. Or is there? Now, this isn’t a discussion about how many guns a hunter needs, because we know that number depends on your bank account, spousal arrangement and a host of other factors. But what if there’s a single-gun solution to having just the right amount of calibers and cartridges available in your gun safe, packed in a lightweight, accurate package…

Leupold’s new BX-4 Range HD binoculars are a highly anticipated and welcomed addition to their tried, tested and proven lineup of optics for hunters. The BX-4 Range HD 10X42 incorporates Leupold’s powerful DNA laser rangefinding engine with the crystal-clear Elite Optical System. This pairing provides hunters and shooters alike a first-class viewing experience with integrated rangefinding and ballistic compensating capabilities at their fingertips. WHY A RANGEFINDING BINOCULAR? Before I dive into the nitty gritty of what makes the BX-4 Range HD’s a serious contender, lets first establish why a rangefinding binocular can, and will, make you a more successful hunter and marksman. If I’m perfectly honest, I have fought off the urge for several years to take a plunge into the world of range-finding binoculars. Having a separate rangefinder and…

AT THE 2023 SHOT SHOW, crowds were back, with the NSSF claiming it was the largest show yet. Aisles were packed and manufacturers are finally catching up with crazy demand brought on by the previous few years. That means innovation was back in style as well, and we found lots of new products we’re excited about. Here are a few of our favorites. CHRISTENSEN ARMS MHR Christensen Arms expanded its product lineup with its all-new Modern Hunting Rifle, designed to meet the needs of both hunters and shooters in a lightweight, sub-MOA package. Built on an aluminum mini-chassis with V-block bedding, the MHR provides the accuracy potential of a chassis rifle and the ergonomics of a hunting rifle all while offering exceptional modularity. The all-new FFT stock, forearm and grips…

Bear baiting is an art form. It is not science, and it is not cheating. It is grueling hard work combined with a sixth sense for terrain and topography and a malformed appreciation of culinary products. One bear hunter confessed, “I like to spot and stalk for spring bears, because baiting is way more work.” He was right. Bear baiting done right is backbreaking work. However, it’s also the most successful and—some would argue—most ethical way to hunt spring bears. Why ethical? Three reasons: Hunting over bait enables you to wait for just the right shot presentation; to be selective in what bear you kill; and to be certain there are no cubs present. Let’s dive into how to successfully bait bears. PICK YOUR SPOT(S) Like releasing an arrow from…

Whitetails pay my bills, but I’d rather hunt spring turkeys, and it’s a good time of year to talk about them both. Turkeys and whitetails share much of the same habitat and some of the same habits. Though the tactics and skill sets for hunting them are different, you can learn things in the turkey woods to complement your whitetail strategy in the fall. LATE-WINTER SCOUTING I don’t need much of an excuse to go for a walk in the woods on a warm day in late February or March when the peeper frogs are singing, and the daffodils are blooming. A day of kicking turds would do just fine. But usually, I go out under the guise of turkey scouting, though turkeys are still flocked up for the winter…

MANY HUNTERS dream of stalking black bears in the British Columbia backcountry, envisioning high peaks, old-growth forests and up-close encounters with giant bruins. I’ve hunted bears in B.C. several times, and all those dreams are true. But so is a harsh reality. The bush, as the backcountry is often called, is so dense, hunting bears in the thick of it is next to impossible. Instead, to hang your tag on a trophy bear in British Columbia means spending long hours staring through a cracked windshield as you put on the kilometers while coursing along a maze of forest roads. After bulldozing a road through the bush, logging companies seed the ditches with grass. Once that greens up, bears coming out of hibernation feast on the new forbs, paying special attention…

“THESE BEAR being so hard to die rather intimedates us all. I must confess that I do not like the gentlemen and had reather fight two Indians than one bear.” So said Captain Meriwether Lewis on his journey up the Missouri River in 1804-1805. The term “gentlemen” reveals his respect for the grizzly. Of course, members of the famed Lewis and Clark Expedition used primitive guns that we find antiquated today. Nonetheless, Lewis’s comment correctly expresses the ferocity and aggressiveness of grizzlies. None of that has changed. A charging grizzly is a force to be reckoned with. If you’re lucky, it’ll be a bluff. If you’re not, you’d better hope and pray that your defensive plan will save your life. History is rife with stories about grizzly bear maulings that…