Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2018 i Bowhunter

Bowhunter|July 2018

We Can, and Must, Save Hunting

DARKNESS. If you research the internet for articles about the future of hunting you’ll end up depressed. Any attempt on my part to put a positive spin on this subject would actually contribute to the problem. Too many hunters tend to take a head-in-the-sand approach, hoping they can simply enjoy their own little outdoor world and let others do the same. That attitude has to change. The most telling indicator of impending trouble is a recent study by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service that found the number of hunters in the country has declined from 13.5 million to 11.5 million — in just the past five years! Total hunting expenditures — the money we spend on our passion — fell 29 percent from $36.3 billion to $25.6 billion. That’s…

3 min

Bowhunter|July 2018

Torque Tuning

IN SCIENCE, research is the most highly regarded way to capture evidence about a topic. However, research reveals information about something at a certain point in time, or among a specific sample. Many times, these testing variables change, for whatever reason, and past research can often be refuted by future testing. So, research can’t always be taken as bottom-line truth. This same principle also applies to archery. A so-called “truth” tossed around two decades ago may not apply today, based on specific shooting equipment and advances in technology. The “overdraw” arrow rest is one of those past omens that was touted as bad medicine for shooting accuracy, based on previous laboratory testing. However, the advent of “torque tuning” defies this prior assessment. In fact, moving the arrow rest farther out…

5 min

Bowhunter|July 2018

A Personal Target Range

TWO THINGS have happened to me in recent years that have made target shooting whenever I want much more difficult. The first was having a pair of kids at the same time. After the birth of our twin daughters, my wife and I both experienced a vast reduction in free time, which comes as no surprise to anyone. The second event that cut down on my range time occurred while doing innocent-enough shoulder presses at the gym in 2015. A little twinge in my right shoulder turned out to be a partial muscle tear that nearly sidelined me for a season. How I look at practice sessions has changed a great deal in the last few years as a result. Now I need it easy, and nothing is easier than…

6 min

Bowhunter|July 2018

THE CREEKBOTTOM BUCK

THE STORY OF THIS BUCK dates back to four years ago, but my pursuit of him truly began three years ago when the buck was either 3½ or 4½ years old. I was never really sure of his exact age. In the fall of 2015, I began capturing a number of trail-cam photos of the buck but decided to pass on him several times that fall. He was a respectable deer at that time, but he showed a lot of potential to become the kind of buck all whitetail hunters dream about. We searched hard for his sheds that spring, but never found them. Early in the fall of 2016, the buck started showing up on camera again, and when it came to my expectations of what he would era…

9 min

Bowhunter|July 2018

AGGRESSIVE OUT OF THE GATE

T THE END OF EACH BOW SEASON, I reluctantly look to the new year to see when the first Saturday in November will be, because that’s when the gun season will open in my home state of Minnesota. That usually tells me all I need to know about how much time I need to devote to the early season, because in most years I won’t be able to count on bowhunting any meaningful part of the rut. Last year was no exception, with the firearms season opening on November 4. Combine that reality with the other out-of-state hunts I’d planned, and I knew that I needed to come out of the gate strong and try to kill a buck early. If I’m being totally honest, that’s usually my plan anyway,…

9 min

Bowhunter|July 2018

ASK Bowhunter®

QUESTION I will be leaving the whitetail woods and heading west for the first time to hunt deer. What optics do you recommend to help in locating animals? Don J., Springfield, MO ANSWER Hunting the West will require many hours behind your optics, compared to hunting whitetails from a treestand. You will be glassing open country at long distances from high vantage points, which will require binoculars with 10X to 15X magnification. The majority of glassing will be done with your binoculars, but I always have a spotting scope with me with zoom capabilities from 20 60X magnification or higher. Once you locate a buck with your binoculars, the spotting scope gives you the ability to evaluate him and decide if he is worth spending the rest of the day…

3 min

Bowhunter|July 2018

BETWEEN BOWHUNTERS

CAN’T THANK YOU ENOUGH, DWIGHT Dear Bowhunter , I just read Dwight Schuh’s Pure Bow-hunting in the March 2018 issue, where he announced it would be his last edition of that column. Although I completely understand and respect his decision, his Pure Bowhunting column will be greatly missed. Mr. Schuh living out his dreams has inspired a lot of my own dreams. Although I lack his wonderful ability to write those dreams and adventures down, I can most definitely relate. So, I want to personally thank Mr. Schuh for living out his dreams, and for sharing them with us! I will be praying for you, Dwight, and I wish you many more successful hunting seasons! Kenny, via e-mail Dear Bowhunter , I was saddened to read Dwight Schuh’s final Pure…

4 min

Bowhunter|July 2018

BETTER SHOOTING IN THE WIND

As a bowhunter, sooner or later you’ll be faced with shooting in a stiff crosswind. Depending on the severity of the breeze, only you can decide if the shot is doable or not, based on your gear and experience. However, torque tuning can prove vital in such situations by helping you overcome the increased shooting torque naturally introduced by the wind. This is something I’ve noticed time and again while setting up shots in western landscapes, particularly when using a bow-mounted quiver. Even with a low-profile hood and handle-hugging design, a quiver filled with arrows and fletching tends to bounce in the wind, causing sometimes severe, inadvertent torque. In such instances, when a shot of a lifetime is on the line, it’s nice to know that with torque tuning you’ve…

1 min

Bowhunter|July 2018

Ice-Cold Antlers

I LOOKED TO MY LEFT and nearly swerved off the county road. Fifty yards away, a 5x5 muley buck with deep forks was swaggering across a snow covered field. It was November 4, 2017, and the rut was in full swing. My wife, Greta, and I had just left our house that morning to visit her mother and help with a few Saturday chores. I kept on driving, but dropped off Greta and quickly drove nine miles back home. As is always the case when I have a Wyoming deer tag, my bow, arrows, and hunting duds were tucked behind the driver’s seat. The big buck was still in the field when I drove by, sniffing after more than 50 does and chasing a handful of smaller bucks. Less than…

5 min

Bowhunter|July 2018

HUNTING OPEN-COUNTRY BULLS

WE BOUNCED ALONG through inky blackness on miles of rough road in the sagebrush. We had passed exactly one tree in the last five miles. “Are there really elk out here?” my buddy Joe Bell asked. “Trust me,” was my response, the darkness hiding my smile. We eventually parked the truck, grabbed our bows, bin oculars and daypacks, and we hiked up a lonely looking hill by headlamp. Once at the top, we took off our packs and settled in for daybreak. The pungent scent of sagebrush stung my nose, and my eyes watered from the cold morning air. Bugling bull elk serenaded us in the dark as we eagerly awaited sunrise. The rutting bulls were definitely on the prowl, and although their challenging bugles seemed out of place here,…

10 min

Bowhunter|July 2018

PLANNING AN OUT-OF-STATE ADVENTURE

I STARTED BOWHUNTING when I was 20 years old, and like a lot of bowhunters, whitetails and turkeys were my focus in the early years. As my passion grew, I read lots of magazines and talked to as many bowhunters as I could. It didn’t take long before I was dreaming of going on an out-of-state adventure to hunt something new, but I feared the cost would be more than I could ever afford. I know other dreamers have experienced the same concern, but with proper planning and budgeting you can do many hunts that you never thought possible. It does take discipline, but something as simple as eliminating a daily habit such as a fountain drink can help you save up enough money to buy an out-of-state tag. After…

10 min

Bowhunter|July 2018

Just Fine

LAST ISSUE, I highlighted five dangers — exposure, getting lost, falling, illness, and wild animals — that inspire fear in the outdoors. And I listed five gear and preparation steps anyone can take to eliminate fear and ensure safety, regardless of the circumstances. The problem is, all gear can fail. A few years back, I attended a GPS training session in which the instructor extolled the virtues of GPS units. “When you’re elk hunting, you can save your camp as a waypoint, then put the GPS into your pack and hunt all day and never worry about where you are,” he said. “When it’s time to return to camp, you just turn on the GPS and navigate back.” In theory that’s perfect, but what if your GPS fails, as all…

4 min

Bowhunter|July 2018

MOSSY OAK® BHAND CADO KEYS TO CONCEALMENT

MAKE PLANS FOR YOUR DIY WESTERN HUNT HUNTING THE WESTERN STATES is on every hardcore bowhunters list of things to experience. Regardless of which species you plan to hunt, here are four DIY tips that will lead to success when hunting the West. 1) Use the best optics you can afford paired with a quality tripod. The country is huge, and it is essential that you rely on your optics to help search for game. Quality glass will improve your ability to locate animals. The combination of 10x42 binoculars and a spotting scope allows you to locate animals and evaluate if they’re worth the effort to pursue. A quality tripod is a must to stabilize your optics, allowing you to glass more effectively and for longer periods of time. 2)…

3 min

Bowhunter|July 2018

Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks

ADMITTEDLY, I’m a tad stubborn and generally resistant to change. These traits would make me very easy to shoot if I were an animal, as I am very much a creature of habit in many ways. When it comes to my traditional gear, I have long lived by the rule, “If it’s not broke, don’t try to fix it.” That attitude is sometimes tough in the hunting industry, where manufacturers often ask me to try some new whiz-bang gadget or gizmo to get my opinion. I work with many of the manufacturers whose products I have been using for years. I usually try new stuff out, and then ultimately go back to my tried-and-true gear. I try never to write or say anything negative about some of these products, regardless…

5 min

Bowhunter|July 2018

Latest On British Columbia Grizzly Situation

IN MY MARCH 2018 COLUMN, I discussed the August 2017 ban on hunting grizzly bears in British Columbia. In that column I noted that a meat hunt was still allowed, but no hide or skull (i.e. no “trophy”) could be taken. However, Kyle Amon, one of our subscribers from Alberta, e-mailed me with an update of the new regulation. In December 2017, British Columbia’s provincial government decided to just stop all grizzly hunting, period — not for trophies, not for food, unless you are a First Nations or indigenous person. Interestingly, the Minister of Environment said that the government would improve the management of grizzlies while encouraging bear viewing for ecotourism. I would think that without hunting, there is no real way to manage bears other than spending money to…

5 min

Bowhunter|July 2018

ELK Forecast 2018

IT’S STILL SUMMER, but critters that are more in tune with the natural world can already sense a change is coming as the days grow shorter. Once gangly calves have nearly filled out their frames, and cows grow increasingly intolerant of their incessant begging for milk. Antlers, still covered with plush velvet, now tower high above the brows of bulls. One day soon, the cows will cut off the milk supply to their youngsters. Physiological changes will also result in a cessation of blood flow to antlers and the bulls will begin bulking up for the rig ors of the rut. Meanwhile, down on the flat, two legged preda tors are practicing and preparing for the upcoming contest. Another elk season is just around the corner, and once again Bowhunter…

1 min

Bowhunter|July 2018

WHAT’S NEW

1 TROPHY TAKER® TRIPWIRE™ •Smooth, quiet design •Durable construction •Buss cable driven The Trophy Taker Tripwire ($39.99) is an accurate drop-away rest at a price that’s hard to beat. The polymer and metal used in its construction is lightweight and tough. The Tripwire is driven by your bow’s buss cable, giving you maximum fletching clearance for better downrange accuracy. Windage and elevation are adjustable, and it has a built-in dampening system for a quiet draw and release. Contact: Trophy Taker, 1-800-624-5988, trophytaker.com. 2 BEMAN® ICS PRECISION HUNTER™ •Advanced, lightweight carbon construction •6.5MM S diameter w/direct-fit S Nocks •Offered in four sizes The ICS Precision Hunter ($80.99/half-dozen) has the highest tolerances of any arrow in the Beman lineup. It’s made from lightweight carbon that’s extremely durable. The straight ness tolerance is…

2 min