Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2020 i Bowhunter

IT WAS BACK in November 2016, when I spotted a really good buck from my treestand. The mainframe 6x6 was out in the wide-open Kansas prairie chasing a hot doe. When the buck finally locked down with the doe, both bedded in the grass, my cameraman and I bailed out of the tree and began what turned out to be a 3½-hour stalk. I crawled to within 30 yards of the bedded buck, and when the doe stood up, so did the buck, and I put an arrow through his lungs. It was a grueling but fun stalk. Of course, it’s always more fun when it works. That evening, after we recovered the buck, several other hunters in our hunting camp remarked that attempting such a stalk would never have…

IF YOU REMEMBER from my April/May column, I had decided to go after striped marlin with my friend Ty Miller of Blue Arrow Expeditions. Ty had received the first permit to guide bowfishermen for billfish from Mexico’s equivalent of our Game and Fish Departments. The permit had taken years to obtain, and this was going to be an exploratory proof-of-concept trip. I was joined by my good friend Larry Plunk, who was going to try to shoot a marlin with his Hoyt compound bow, and I was going to use my Hoyt Satori recurve. My wife, Michele, and our boys also came along for the fishing and the adventure. While researching bowfishing for marlin, the biggest obstacle was the lack of information. The only person I could find who had…

A LOT HAD been on my mind when I finally stepped foot on the small East Texas ranch I consider my second home. With fears of COVID-19 literally paralyzing the developed world, and my 80-year-old parents a member of the greatest at-risk pool, I felt it necessary to make the 800-mile journey to keep closer tabs on them. Although stringing a few evening bowhunts together was not my primary intention, with good numbers of hogs running around unchecked, and spring fast approaching, a bowhunt or two was certainly in order. Unpressured pigs are generally not shy of the evening light, and it wasn’t long before a group of three wandered out on the edge of the field. Although wild pigs are smart, perhaps the smartest of all the game we…

“THAT’S A NICE BUCK,” my friend Duane Nelson said as he peered through his 10X binoculars. “He has deep forks, decent eyeguards, and a pretty good spread.” As usual, my pal was not excited about the buck he was sizing up. Duane is calm by nature, and besides, he has seen thousands of big bucks during his 40-year guiding career. Some of the largest mule deer in North America live within 75 miles of Duane’s home in southern Alberta, Canada. A “nice” buck does not register the slightest bump in his blood pressure; only a whopper scoring over 200 P&Y points does. This deer might score 180 — worth a second look for sure, but no reason to do backflips. By comparison, my heart did do a leap as I…

ANSWER Once I narrow down a mountain range to hunt using initial resources like biologists, wardens, and local contacts, I begin e-scouting using onX’s mapping software. This gives me the ability to view hunting environments from home. By selecting the software’s various Basemaps, you can switch between topo, aerial, and hybrid views. I like the hybrid view, which blends satellite imagery with contour lines to capture terrain features, along with changes in elevation. Here are the specific steps I follow when e-scouting and planning a deer hunt in the backcountry. Search out the right country. Muley bucks prefer subalpine terrain (9,500 to 11,000 feet elevation), with rocky fingers jutting downward from “treeless” alpine ridgelines to lush bowls of grasses, forbs, and shrubs. Typically, you’ll find wet meadows that provide water…

OCCASIONALLY, a scientific paper comes out that really makes you sit back and question the results. In this case, thinking outside the box and coming up with a study design really got my attention, because it was genius. Daniel Morina recently completed his Master of Science degree in the Wildlife Department at Mississippi State University. One part of his thesis dealt with trying to determine exactly what a doe is really looking for in a buck prior to the actual breeding process. In other words, can you independently associate a buck’s body size, age, or antler size with what a doe is looking for in a mate? Before we look at Morina’s study design, we need to understand that a buck’s antlers serve three main purposes: signal, weapon, and display…

AS I WRITE THIS (March 27), we are in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic that is sweeping the world. I know you’re weary from hearing and reading about this virus, and I am, too. However, this virus stimulated me to dig out a copy of a book I read several years ago and had saved on my computer. The title is, “Why Bother About Wildlife Diseases,” written by Dr. Milton Friend and published in 2014. Google that title and read this brilliant book. It’s online, and it covers the importance of zoonoses, which are infectious diseases transmissible from animals to humans, and vice versa (Coronavirus is a zoonosis). Dr. Friend notes that there are 870 species of infectious organisms that you can get from wildlife. As an aside, with…

GROWING UP IN NEW YORK, MY FAMILY’S FAVORITE WINTER GETAWAY WAS OAHU, HAWAII. MY GRANDMA LIVED THERE, SO WE MADE A TRIP TO THE ALOHA STATE EVERY FEW YEARS. HAWAII IS A SPECIAL PLACE, BUT EVERY TIME I LEFT, I FELT LIKE THERE WAS MORE TO THE ISLAND THAN I WAS EXPERIENCING. Fast-forward 10 years to 2017, and I’m a 29-year-old bow-hunting addict loving archery, adventure, hardship, meat, and wild places. A midsummer scouting trip for mule deer found me listening to a few hunting legends on a podcast, talking about axis deer in Hawaii. From the sounds of it, this place checked just about every box I could imagine for an adventure hunt. I didn’t know when, but I did know a trip to this wild place was on…

IF YOU’RE PLAGUED by shooting problems such as target panic, now is the time to give yourself a major boost in shooting control and accuracy. Over the years, I’ve experimented with all sorts of archery tools and methods, and I believe I can boil it down to three things that have made the most difference in my shooting success. These elements are fairly simple, too, and only real effort and discipline are needed to put them in place, and to execute them properly. Your willingness and ability to grasp the details in these points, while keeping an open mind, are what will matter most in achieving success, so don’t take them lightly. RETOOLING THE BOW All great archery coaches talk a lot about the physical aspects of shooting. They analyze…

Although many believe weight and age are important, Morina’s study showed does prefer a buck with larger antlers. Biologists now know antlers simultaneously serve as a weapon between bucks, and a display ornament to attract does. Biologists know a deer’s body weight seldom drastically changes from one year to the next, but the size of antlers can easily swing one way or the other by 10 percent. Why does this occur? Most likely because body size/weight is essential for survival, whereas antler size is important for reproduction. Research has shown the differences in antler size from same-aged bucks can be a valuable tool in assessing the condition of a deer herd. For more information on Morina’s research, go to youtube.com/watch?v=2qMeXu I dhcw.…

Cellular trail cameras are insanely addictive and can prove to be a huge asset in certain areas. Unfortunately, they are generally pretty expensive as well. Luckily for us, Moultrie (moultriefeeders.com) has decided that it’s not only the caviar munchers and the onepercenters who should get deer images sent right to their phones. Their new XA and XV-6000 Cellular Game Cameras are $120, and allow you to access your photos, change camera settings, and monitor battery life all through the Moultrie Mobile App. Another option is the Cuddelink Gen 2 from Cuddeback (cuddeback.com). Their daisy-chained camera system allows you to put out up to 24 cameras, all of which report back to a home camera with imagery. The Gen 2 can be accessed via smartphone, tablet, or computer, which then allows…

Moments of boredom filled the air as we looked out over a giant pool of water. We sat this very spot for three days, seeing nothing more than the occasional chirping sparrow or barking gray squirrel to disrupt the utter silence. Nestled among a boulder-strewn canyon and large ponderosa pine forest, the “tank” was picturesque and dreamy, but we hadn’t caught a single glimpse of a tawny-colored elk at the watering site. Would things ever change? PRE-HUNT EXCITEMENT For the last couple of years, my daughter, Mikaela, and I have discussed fall hunting plans: Where will we go? What will we hunt? We often apply in our home state of Arizona for elk, but routinely strike out. We’ve also applied for backcountry mule deer tags in other states, but thus…

1 WHITETAIL INSTITUTE® RAVISH RADISH™ • Attractive early fall to late winter • Plant it in late summer • Establishes and grows quickly Attract and hold deer from early fall until late into the winter with Whitetail Institute’s Ravish Radish ($39.98, 5 lbs./ $79.96, 10 lbs.). This annual germinates and establishes very quickly. Its foliage becomes even sweeter with the first frosts. Ravish also improves soil quality and the health of other plants. It can be sprayed with WI’s Arrest MAX™ herbicide to control grasses. Designed for moderately to well-drained soils, 2.5 lbs. plants a quarter-acre. Contact: Whitetail Institute, 1-800-688-3030, whitetailinstitute.com. 2 RAD INNOVATIONS® BOW SPIDER™ • Secure, hands-free bow carrier • Multiple mounting options • Available in three colors The Bow Spider ($84.95) is designed to securely and safely…

IN THE FAR northwestern corner of Arizona, lies a stretch of uninhabited country known as the Arizona Strip. It is 80 miles by 80 miles of sage, juniper, and bitter brush. It spans the country from Utah’s southern border, all the way to the Grand Canyon. Geographically speaking, the Strip should belong to Utah. I suppose the Mormons didn’t see any good use for it, so they let Arizona have it. The problem for us Arizonans is, we can’t get there from here. The Grand Canyon lies smack in the way! We have to go all the way to Utah to get back into Arizona! Most folks think the Strip isn’t good for much of anything. All that grows there are cactus, rattlesnakes, and a few giant mule deer. There…