Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2023 i Petersen's Hunting

WILDFIRES are nothing new in the West, however, dense forest stands, the rapid spread of highly flammable invasive vegetation and warmer, drier weather are making these fires even more catastrophic. These high-intensity wildfires cause total forest stand replacement, altering the soil chemistry and structure, changing hydrological systems, releasing tons of carbon and toxic pollutants, all while destroying wildlife habitat and threatening communities. Active forest management can help reduce fire risk while also benefiting wildlife and hunting opportunity. Managing for a mix of young- and old-forest habitat types supports more wildlife species because active management replicates the natural disturbances that typically occurred. The diverse landscape supports an array of ecological functions while also increasing ecosystem resilience to disturbance and stress and ensuring connectivity to a variety of habitat types that wildlife…

Nosler’s BallisticTip Ammunition in 6.5 Creedmoor features a 140-grain spitzer-style bullet with a heavily jacketed base that allows for larger mushrooms. The polymer tip promotes proper expansion on impact for reliable energy transfer over a broad range of velocities. For improved accuracy, the bullet features a boattail design that helps heighten BCs. The 140-grain bullet lends itself perfect for mid-sized game like mule deer, whitetail, antelope and hogs. For larger game, the BallisticTip line is also loaded in a variety of popular hunting calibers. $50-$71; nosler.com For backcountry pursuits, a hatchet can be a useful tool. The new Hellgate from MKC weighs in at just 14.9 ounces, and is made of 52100 high-carbon ball-bearing steel. This makes the hatchet tough, yet lightweight, with a perfect balance. The honed edge is…

The red Chevy S-10 was tiny, the way ’80s-era four-banger pickups were, and perhaps that made the buck in the bed of it seem larger than life. But the deer would’ve been big on a flatbed trailer, too. It was a massive, mainframe 8 pointer with beams that curled like flames from a hardwood campfire and forked G-2s so long they could’ve been used to stake bean plants. The buck even looked large next to Larry, who didn’t step out of the S-10 so much as unfold from it. He was 6-foot-4, give or take, and wrapped in lean muscle built from a lifetime of working cattle, hauling hay and wrestling implements. He worked the farm in the evenings, his second job, after he’d put in his eight hours at…

THE RUTTED track was thick with mud from yesterday’s showers; we’d left the truck far behind and were making slow going on foot. The dawn sky was still heavily overcast, but the clouds were moving quickly and would soon disappear behind snowcapped Sierra Blanca. We checked a stock tank for tracks—the big, heart-shaped marks were there, but they were full of rain. Probably yesterday evening. Then from far up the canyon came nature’s eeriest sound—the bugle of a rutting bull elk. The hair on my neck stood up as the banshee wail sounded again, then faded away slowly. My partner and I looked at each other and grinned. Then we chugged up the ridge after our guide to take a closer look. From the top we heard the bugle again,…

WHEN I WAS A KID, I was an avid Petersen’s HUNTING reader, and I always hoped I’d have the opportunity to someday pursue the types of trophies that I saw in the pages of this magazine. Fortunately, I have not only had the opportunity to hunt most of the big-game animals on my bucket list, but I’ve also been able to chronicle those adventures in the pages of the magazine I loved best as a youngster. But that doesn’t mean that my hunting career is over or has even slowed. I’ve simply changed my focus, and now, more often than not, my personal trips are meat hunts. One of the things I’ve learned as I’ve spent more time hunting for the freezer: Though meat hunts are more accessible and cost…

Few marks in the wilderness will quicken a hunter’s heart more than a fresh track. The print, pushed deep into a muddy trail or scuffed lightly atop fresh-fallen snow, instantly alerts us to the wildlife inhabiting the surrounding wilds. A woodsman experienced in the ways of reading sign will likely pause at the sight. Even during the offseason, he’ll kneel, examining the track closely, parsing the clues to better understand the wilderness around him. Are the edges crisp or dulled by time? Is it still filling with water, as if the animal is only seconds ahead? Are the tracks deep and far apart—a sure sign of running game? Or do they meander as the beast grazed undisturbed by predators such as man? All these subtleties tell a story written in…

BULLET BASICS Hammer Bullets are a leading company in a new genre of monometal bullets. Individually lathe-turned on CNC machines and weight-sorted, these projectiles are incredibly consistent and renown for accuracy. Profiles are long, with fine-entry noses and boat tails. Shanks are grooved to minimize bearing surface, enabling maximum velocity. Absolute Hammer bullets feature a large hollow nose and are designed to expand on impact and to sheer off the petals created when the mushroom opens. This creates small auxiliary projectiles that spiral off from the primary wound cavity, while leaving a blunt-nosed shank that drives deep. TESTING GROUND The bullet shown was recovered from a spring-buck in Namibia after being shot lengthwise through the buck from about 120 yards. The hunter was Adam Weatherby; his cartridge of choice was…

Big-game rifle trends fluctuate over time. Over the past few decades, we’ve seen hunting rifles at the extremes of weight and bulk—either uber light or ridiculously huge. Both have their challenges. Things have seemed to settle again near the middle ground and, at this point in history, the “lightweight precision” hunting rifle is immensely popular. These rifles are portable hunting rigs designed to be capable of taking shots at extended distances if the situation dictates. They are nearly as portable as some of the true featherweights, but built with features that make them far more shootable. Like most firearm trends, this one began in the custom world, but major manufacturers have migrated in this direction. Among those makers is Bergara, whose new Ridge Carbon combines the virtues of a precision…

You can’t hunt what you can’t see. Sounds simple, but locating game in the vast, rugged expanses of the West is a challenging obstacle many hunters struggle to overcome. There is an art to using your optics effectively, but first things first: the glass. When hunting the West, there are four optics that are essential for locating, assessing and sealing the deal when the moment of truth arrives. They are a clear binocular, powerful spotting scope, reliable rangefinder and a precise riflescope. Western hunters are inundated with a smorgasbord of optics ranging drastically in function, size and cost. Filtering through the endless options can be a daunting task, but there are a few crucial variables to consider when assembling your Western optics list. Below is a breakdown of these optical…

“THE FIRST TIME a caveman beaned a monkey on the head with a rock from a slingshot they deemed it unfair chase.” So said the late Jack Ward Thomas, noted conservationist and former Chief of the U.S. Forest Service. Fast forward to today, where unfair chase is still being bandied about by hunters, nonhunters and antihunters. Unfair chase is in the mind of the beholder. What is deeply concerning to one person might be perfectly acceptable to another. Bottom line, when hunters assail each other publicly, the issue becomes conspicuous to all observers, many of them nonhunters who may form judgements that negatively affect hunting. Take bear baiting for example. It may or may not be legal, depending on the state or area where you’re hunting. Consider three Rocky Mountain…

Most of our hunting gear comes and goes as we constantly chase the latest and greatest innovations that give us an edge in the field. However, every once in a while, a piece of gear comes along that once experienced, solidifies a permanent place in your gear repertoire. Over the past several years of using and abusing Spartan Precision’s Javelin Pro Hunt Tac Bipod from the tundra of Alaska to the plains of Africa, it has more than earned its indefinite slot in my pack and a well-deserved tested-tough stamp of approval. The Javelin Pro Hunt Tac Bipod overcomes the biggest complaint that hunters have had for decades with bipods—size and weight. Weighing a mere 7.6 ounces, the Javelin Pro Hunt Tac is one of, if not the lightest bipod…

I was 12 years old when I shot my first big-game animal, a Columbia blacktail deer. Once home, Dad showed me how to cape the buck for mounting. That was in 1976 and I’ve been caping big game ever since. Here’s a simple caping approach that minimizes the risk of cutting holes and is simple to do. 1 FIRST CUTS It’s easiest to cape an animal with the head and hide removed. The caping cuts start from outside the animal’s mouth. With a slender, sharp knife, begin with the mouth facing you. Keep the blade tight to the jaw bones when cutting. Start with the lower jaw and cut the front of the lip away from the bone. Work around the jaw until the lips are freed. Move to the…

In 1882, Lt. Col. Eduard Rubin of the Swiss Army invented the jacketed bullet, sheathing a lead core in a thin layer of copper. The jacketed bullet became critically important two years later with the first nitrocellulose-based propellant. Even hardened lead was too soft for new smokeless velocities. For the next century, almost all centerfire rifle projectiles used a lead core jacketed in copper or copper alloy. Hunting bullets soon developed with some lead core exposed at the tip, allowing the jacket to peel back while the soft lead expanded or “mushroomed.” Military, some match and bullets intended for the largest game kept the lead core completely encased to prevent expansion, called full metal jackets or “solids.” Randy Brooks of Barnes Bullets introduced his homogenous copper alloy Super Solid in…