Bowhunter brings you expert advice from legendary Bowhunters! Each issue is filled with updates from major bowhunting organizations, coverage of bowhunting locations across North America, complete coverage of the sport and much more.
“IT IS NOT THE STRONGEST OF THE SPECIES THAT SURVIVE, NOR THE MOST INTELLIGENT, BUT THE ONE MOST RESPONSIVE TO CHANGE.” — CHARLES DARWIN AS THE FATHER of Evolutionary Theory, Darwin was certainly not excluding mankind in his assessment. We humans naturally resist change because it can be mysterious and unpredictable. But those who refuse to accept change wither; those who embrace it flourish. Are there exceptions? Sure, but like the passage of time, change will not be denied. The inevitability of change is coming to your favorite bowhunting magazine. But first, some history. If you visited a local newsstand in the summer of 1989, you would find a well-established, 18-year-old magazine called Bowhunter. You’d also find a newly minted competitor called Petersen’s Bowhunting, a publication that would go on…
SUNRISE WAS STILL A PINK PROMISE when a dark blob appeared. It floated through foot-high grass, paused several times and finally stopped 14 yards below my stand. Legal shooting light was 10 minutes away, but I could clearly see the critter through my 10X binoculars. The bear was large, his shoulders scant inches below the top of the 35-inch bait barrel. He appeared to be dark brown, but it was tough to tell for sure. The area where I bowhunt bears in Wyoming has several color phases, from jet black to brown, cinnamon, red and blonde. My heart was pounding like a bongo as the bruin reached in the bait hole and fished out a strip of beef. I had been sitting more than a week, and this was the…
The size of a black bear can be difficult to judge, and it is painfully easy to confuse little with big. A truly large bear often has distinctive traits. The head is broad, the muzzle stout, the forehead often creased with prominent muscle mounds on each side. Ears look small compared to the head. The wrists above the front paws seem especially massive, and the belly hangs low. Problem is, a hunter must see plenty of bears before he can compare and identify such traits with any degree of accuracy. And bears, like humans, do vary in specific characteristics. For example, one of my largest record-book black bears was long and lanky with a rounded forehead and a lean belly well above the ground. In my experience, the most surefire…
WHEN I WAS 18, I worked in an archery shop. Well, actually it was a sporting goods store, but I worked in the archery department. In that archery department there was a poster of a man with a beard carrying a bow. He was dressed in camouflage, and that poster was advertising the first manufactured camouflage designed for hunters. It was called Trebark, and the man’s name was Jim Crumley. I remember that poster vividly. I bought a pair of pants and a shirt in Trebark, because I had never seen anything like it. Nobody had, and I thought I was invisible when I wore it. This was back before Realtree, Mossy Oak or any of the other camouflage companies had come on the scene. Fast forward to this past…
IF YOU ARE A REGULAR READER of this magazine, you will see my name on this column and realize right away I am non-native. I am the Asian carp that snuck into your pond! Hopefully, you won’t spear me or cast a gill net. Ideally, you will find my writings at least interesting — maybe even truly useful. I sold my first hunting article way back in 1990 to a young magazine called Petersen’s Bowhunting. Thus began a 33-year association with the Bowhunting brand. What fun we had over the years! I will miss that magazine. In many ways, I felt it was my baby as much as the editor’s. Change is inevitable, and I am looking forward to this new opportunity. I thought it might be a fun time…
ANY CRITTER THAT CAN SHAKE the ground under your feet with its call before you even lay eyes on it is capable of melting even the most accomplished bowhunter’s mettle. Vocal interaction is what makes turkey hunting so special, but when you make the decision to hunt them with a bow, you add a whole new level of challenge and excitement. Success seldom comes by simply convincing one to make an appearance. When hunting turkeys with archery equipment, you must call them in close, wait for just the right moment, draw undetected and make an accurate shot. Over the years I’ve either made, or seen my buddies make, just about every mistake in the book. As a result, I’ve learned some things along the way that have drastically improved my…
