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.
I WAS 9,000 MILES from home — standing atop a ridge somewhere on New Zealand’s South Island — glassing a herd of Pitt Island sheep feeding along a creek in the valley below. A day earlier, I arrowed a magnificent red stag, crossing a major item off my bowhunting bucket list and securing an incredible set of antlers that adorn my living room wall to this day. Now, as others in my group continued to hunt for their stags with the assistance of our outfitter, I was turned loose for some solo, spot-and-stalk hunting for a mature ram. As best as I could tell through my 10X binoculars, there were several full curl rams in the group below me. All I had to do was get close and make the…
MY FIRST LOOK did not last long. Wide antlers rose above the sage 30 yards away, swiveled in a heartbeat and vanished beyond a ridge. But that brief glimpse was burned into my brain. Four fat and even tines per side, prominent eye guards rising from heavily beaded lower beams and a spread that took my breath away. Sure, I knew a deer rack always looks bigger going away, but this muley was large. It was September of 2023, and I was bowhunting pronghorns in the rolling, ravine-sliced sagebrush country of eastern Wyoming. Trees or even tall bushes were few and far between, but that’s what antelope like. Their binocular eyeballs help to keep them safe from danger. Shallow and sudden gullies give a foot-hunting archer hope. In the right…
WHEN IT COMES to mule deer and other big game in open country, it is a mistake to rely too heavily on camouflage alone. Sure, you can benefit from well-chosen duds if you get pinned down while standing or kneeling in view of an animal. But no matter the camo pattern, a keen-eyed deer or antelope will spot you every time if you move in sight. Effective open-country archers work the contours of the land. They lurk behind hills, slip up ravines and crawl through low spots. Using the terrain is the only surefire way to fool prying eyes. If an area is too flat, without some relief to provide cover, you are best off finding another, more broken place to stalk or still-hunt. It is easy to waste valuable…
LIKE MANY OF YOU, I am either hunting or thinking of hunting. It’s my hobby, and as a guide it’s oftentimes my job to take others hunting. I like to think I am a good hunter and a halfway decent guide, despite the fact that my excitement level can be unnerving to some clients. I maintain a regular practice schedule and feel confident in my shooting. You would think after more than 40 years of bowhunting, most of that time spent shooting a traditional bow, that mistakes would be rare. I’m here to admit, however, that for me, mistakes and/or bad guesses still plague me. I think that’s why I am so addicted. Bowhunting just lends itself to unforeseen issues and mistakes, partially because animal behavior is just not something…
MANY BOWHUNTERS think of public land as the only place for a person to leave his vehicle in full camo while carrying a treestand on his back. But the run-and-gun approach that works so well on public land is just as effective on private land. I grew up carrying my stand into the woods almost every day, sometimes on public land but mostly on private land. While this hunting style is definitely more of an adventure, there are also tangible reasons why an ultra-mobile approach will make you a better bow-hunter. The ability to read and react to changing deer behavior is a huge advantage for a whitetail bowhunter, whether that means well-timed, mid-season adjustments as bucks change behavior or an aggressive hang-and-hunt strategy that you employ nearly every day.…
GATHER ’ROUND as we embark on a journey deep into the heart of Colorado, where the battle for the future of hunting and wildlife management is fiercely blazing. Let me assure you, this isn’t just a local skirmish — it’s a tectonic shift that could send seismic waves across America. What’s all the fuss about? Well, it’s about whether the traditional role of state fish and wildlife agencies is on the brink of extinction at the hands of the stealthy strategy known as “ballot box biology.” Instead of deferring to the recommendations of wildlife-management professionals, animal rights extremists are wielding a new weapon: the referendum process. You might ask, “What’s wrong with letting the people decide?” Here’s the problem: these ballot initiatives are typically backed by extreme, antihunting groups with…
