Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2024 i Bowhunter

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…

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…

THE DOG DAYS of summer are nearly upon us. That means plenty of heat and humidity, bucks with velvet-covered antlers feeding care-free in farm fields and a growing sense of anticipation for cooler days and archery seasons soon to come. Unfortunately, in many parts of whitetail country, the period from mid-summer through early fall can also mean localized outbreaks of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD), a cyclic disease transmitted to whitetails by tiny insects called midges, of which there are many species. Marked by high fever that causes internal bleeding, EHD kills many infected deer within 24 hours of symptoms appearing. And in areas where outbreaks are severe, a very high percentage of the local deer herd can be wiped out in a very short amount of time. The Perfect Storm…

BOWTECH ARCHERY continues to claim a place among the top bow manufacturers in the world through a relentless pursuit of quality and continuous improvement. Driven by design, innovation and precision engineering backed by results-based performance markers, this bowmaker has been making waves in the industry for 25 years. The culmination of these years of experience and past designs is expressed in the company’s new Core SR model. Featuring Bowtech’s new CenterMass Technology that uses through-riser sight mounting, the Core is designed for whole system alignment and balance. DeadLock Cams work with the carbon/glass split limbs to generate arrow speeds reaching an advertised 344 fps, while the new GripLock feature offers a customized interface for your hand. Bowtech offers ease of tuning through its Dead-Lock and TimeLock features. Complete Alignment 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…

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.…

JUST LIKE FINGERPRINTS, all deer antlers are different. Their uniqueness, along with the annual cycle of antler shedding and regrowth, garners a lot of attention from hunters. However, the process is little understood by most people, many of whom don’t realize antlers are deciduous. Besides a few cancers, antler is one of the fastest-growing living tissues (while in velvet) in the world. From an archeologist’s point of view, you can make the argument that deer antlers helped the survival of mankind. From tools to broadheads, antlers were essential to early man in applications that may forever remain a mystery and are impossible to explain. Antlers vs. Horns Antlers are different than horns. Antlers are made of bone, while horns are made of keratin, a material similar to fingernails. Additionally, when…

TENPOINT CROSSBOW TECHNOLOGIES celebrates 30 years in the crossbow manufacturing arena this year with the introduction of the new TX 440. The company continues to push forward with innovations in design and technology, always looking to improve and always looking forward! The TX 440 is absolutely packed with highlights from tip to toe, starting with TenPoint’s new plate-based Twin-Riser Technology. A custom TriggerTech Trigger, Zero-Trac Barrel and GUIDElock bolt rest all work to precisely launch and guide TenPoint’s specialized Center-Punch HPX bolts. The ACUslide MAXX, AR-style thumb safety, a Dry-Fire-Preventor (DFP) device and safety wings make operation simple and safe. Let’s dive in, as there is so much more to cover! We’ve Got Twins! The Core of TenPoint’s TX 440 is a set of twins — specifically, symmetrical twin aluminum…

BY THE TIME you read this, I will have started my seventh decade on this spectacular rock. Like others my age, I tend to lean a shoulder into anything that represents a significant change in the way I do things. That’s probably a character flaw in this age of constant change, but one place where that crotchety attitude doesn’t apply is in my bowhunting. If a change will make me a better bowhunter/archer, I’m in. So, in my 43rd year of bowhunting, I’m making a major change. I’ve switched from an index-finger trigger release aid to a thumb release. The first thing I needed to do was find a release. After considerable research, I ordered an Ultraview UV Button for hunting, and for practice and backup, I ordered the Ultraview…

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…

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…

BACKCOUNTRY BOWHUNTING is a rite of passage in today’s bowhunting community. Truth be told, many feel it’s the only way to hunt, and with today’s outfitted hunts increasingly costing an arm, leg and your firstborn, a DIY adventure is the best and only option for many. Obviously, a western bowhunt is the first destination we think of when planning a DIY hunt. The West is where I started carrying a bow more than 25 years ago, and it’s where I will continue to go when I want to tackle a true DIY adventure on a budget. The fact is, it’s hard to beat the anticipation and excitement a hunt like this offers. And when you walk off the mountain with one less arrow in your quiver and some hard-earned success…

SPYPOINT FLEX-M CELL CAM Boasting incredible quality at a super-solid price ($89.99), the new FLEX-M delivers 28MP photos and 720p video, with .4-second trigger speed, 90-foot flash and detection ranges, and four different capture modes including Time Lapse+ that takes photos at set intervals, as well as any time the detection sensor is triggered. The camera is easy to set up via SpyPoint’s mobile app and the on-camera buttons that format the SD card. Comes with an installation strap and runs on eight AA batteries. spypoint.com TRUFIRE SYNAPSE LITE This handheld release ($159.99) features true double-sear operation for precision shooting and a wide range of adjustability, allowing you to fine-tune the release to your shooting style. The release comes in a three-finger configuration but can be easily changed to the…