Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2025 i Petersen's Hunting

I DON’T remember how I spent my Septembers before I started bowhunting for elk. Hunting antelope, certainly. And maybe some fishing before the meat of hunting season really began. But from the time I heard my first bugle deep in the Montana backcountry, I knew I would spend as many early autumn days possible deep in the backcountry, following game trails through dewy meadows, golden aspens and thick blowdown, searching for another hit of that particular type of adrenaline that surges at the screeching growl of a bull elk in rut. That first bugle came half a lifetime ago, but I still remember it well. It echoed up from deep in the timber below us, a challenging response to my friend, Bill Buckley’s, own bugle. I scrambled to set up,…

One of the most common questions from backcountry hunters, both rookies and veterans, is “how do I cut weight in my backpack?” I certainly remember my first trips into the backcountry and I was asking the same thing. Since those first trips a decade or so ago, I have learned a few tricks to help with such things. These tips will surely help you go in more lightweight and, hopefully, come out heavy! 1 WHAT DO YOU REALLY NEED? Especially, if you are new to backpack hunting, there are things in your pack that you don’t really need. I guarantee it. I’m betting you’ve got a whole lot of “just-in-case” items. It’s time to cut the fat. The best way I have found to narrow down what you need and…

IN MID-MARCH of this year, news broke that Utah had passed legislation giving the Division of Wildlife Resources the authority to double nonresident hunting fees: licenses, tags, application costs, you name it. As expected, the reaction was swift and angry. Hunters across the country lit up forums and social media, outraged at the idea of paying twice as much for already hard-to-draw tags. Since then, it seems Utah has been in full-on damage control mode, launching PR campaigns through emails and social media posts. Messages like “Price increases won’t take effect until July after this year’s draw” or “Just because we can raise fees doesn’t mean we will” started showing up everywhere. It’s clear they realized they kicked the hornet’s nest, and now they’re scrambling to calm the swarm. It…

Few animals capture the imagination quite like the Rocky mountain elk. Whether it’s their regal headgear, echoing bugles or tawny coat, something about elk resonates among those who spends their time afield with gun or bow in hand. For a lucky few, elk are in their sights every season, but for most of us, a bull remains a dream just out of reach, an aspiration to achieve at least once in a lifetime. Even for those who hunt them annually elk are anything but ordinary. Every one is earned, often through blood, sweat and, yes, even tears. I’d also argue any elk is a trophy, from a wise and wary old cow to an eager young raghorn to the herd bull who skirts the edge of the dark timber. Each…

BULLET BASICS Hornady’s Interlock bullet is a classic flat-based, lead-tipped hunting bullet with a raised copper ring around the interior of the jacket that “interlocks” the lead core in place. It’s excellent for traditional hunting distances inside 300 yards or so, and is particularly good in heavy-for-caliber iterations. Showcased here is a rather special version fired from the legendary .405 Winchester lever-action cartridge loved by Theodore Roosevelt. He termed it his “Medicine Gun for Lions.” It’s not a high-BC bullet, and it’s not a premium modern controlled-expansion bullet, but thanks to its large frontal diameter and considerable weight, it packs awe-inspiring wallop. TESTING GROUND A friend borrowed my rifle to shoot a cow bison, which is a big, shockingly tough animal. They don’t die easy, and follow-up shots are often…

The 44 Mag is the latest rendition in a long line of nearly bomb-proof packs from Kifaru. Made from 500-denier Cordura, the 44 Mag weighs 6 lbs., 6 oz. when paired with a 25-inch medium ARK Frame and provides users 4,720 cubic-inches of storage. Its clamshell main compartment, horseshoe front zip and dual-side pockets allow users easy access to everything regardless of where it’s stored. Proudly made in the USA. $350, bag only/$500, ARK Frame; kifaru.net The Primos name is synonymous with elk hunting and their new Icon Series builds upon that tradition. The Locator Long Range is designed for catching the attention of cross-canyon bulls with loud, precise cow/calf vocalizations, while The Closer produces softer, sweet-sounding mews and chirps to close the deal on a lovestruck bull. Both utilize…

I FIGURED it would be an easy hunt. I had a doe antelope tag in a unit close to my home in northwest Wyoming where I’d hunted many times before. It’s a large unit with very little hunting pressure since the license quota is fairly low. Hunters are dispersed over a wide area. I don’t hunt solo much any more, given my Golden Years and minor physical issues, though there are exceptions. I’ll no longer hunt elk alone because of the obvious need to move much weight out of rugged terrain, as well as all the challenges when hunting them in mountain country. I’ll tackle mule deer in more open landscapes alone, as well as antelope on the prairie. Perhaps one of the reasons I do still hunt solo is…

WELL KNOWN for their scoring system and record book, the Boone and Crockett Club is about so much more than a score. Founded in 1887 by Theodore Roosevelt, B&C is the oldest conservation group in the country. Roosevelt and other members of the Club saw the devastating loss of wildlife and their habitat at the turn of the century and led the charge to change the course of history. Their policy efforts protected wild places, halted the market hunting of wildlife, and established the system of funding that supports wildlife conservation across the country. Today the Club is known for its Records Program, but the measurement system was initially established to “record” what was thought to be the vanishing North American big-game species. While it might have seemed counterintuitive, Roosevelt…

Swarovski NL Pure 14x52 Long-range glassing is the name of the game when hunting the vast expanses of the West, and few, if any, do it better than Swarovski’s 14x52 NL Pure binocular. Utilizing Swarovision technology, these high-powered binos provide the finest resolution, clarity and light gathering capabilities on the market. As a passionate mule deer hunter, the countless hours I have spent behind various models of “big glass” is mind numbing. With that said, after spending substantial time behind Swarovski’s NL Pure 14x52s it became crystal-clear (pun intended) that they are in a class of their own. Premium glass always comes with a hefty price tag, but that pain is long forgotten when you realize the critical role they play in filling your freezers and your walls year after…

JOHN “Jack” O’Connor (1902-1978) was America’s dominant gunwriter for at least 40 years. Often called the “Dean of Outdoor Writers,” O’Connor was Shooting Editor of Outdoor Life for 31 years. Upon retirement in 1973, our founder Robert E. Petersen snatched him up as Executive Editor of the then brand-new Petersen’s HUNTING, his work gracing every issue until his sudden death, while on a cruise with his wife Eleanor. Fellow gunwriter and rival Elmer Keith referred to him as .270 Jack. The O’Connor legend and legacy are inextricably linked to a favorite cartridge, the .270 Winchester, introduced in 1925, thus turning 100 this year. The .270 was an O’Connor favorite. He wrote about it a lot, especially in later years. So much that it was almost a personal talisman, his signature…