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.
EACH AUGUST, the BOWHUNTER Big Game Special features incredible archery adventures, and this month’s issue is certainly no exception. I am confident you’ll be entertained and inspired as you read about these epic hunts and the immense effort each bowhunter expended along the road to success. Although the hunting locations and species pursued vary, a common theme among all the hunts is adversity, whether that be sleeping in a bug-infested cave to maximize hunting hours, getting stranded without shelter on a frigid mountainside, or searching three days to recover a caribou bull that vanished into the Alaskan bush. Regardless of whether you are on the hunt of a lifetime or just sitting in a Back Forty treestand, bowhunts seldom go according to plan. Overcoming obstacles is a big part of…
WITH ARCHERY SEASON fast approaching, now is the time to put the finishing touches on your rig. And although the latest bows seem to get all the attention when they launch with the new model year, the importance of teaming that bow with the right accessories can't be overstated. Truth be told, by the time the season comes to a close a few months from now, we all hope to punch a tag or two and have a freezer full of meat to show for our efforts. Well, there’s no doubt that having a good, quality bowsight, arrow rest, stabilizer and related accessories play a key role. Bowsights Although a fan favorite for the Western bowhunting crowd, hunters east of the Mississippi are also impressed by Spot-Hogg’s offerings, and the…
NO FEAR! Mathews is known for making some of the be st bows in the world, and sometimes — especially if you produce top-notch results year in and year out — that mea ns rethinking things from the ground up, walking away from the fa miliar and taking the plunge into unknown waters. That is what Mat hews did in creating its new-for-2024 Lift and showed up to the par ty with a lightweight bow that has very little bark and a vicious bite. Available in two axle-to-axle length models — the Lift 29.5 (the subject of this test) and Lift 33 — the Lift features all-new limbs, cams, limb cups, riser and strings. Powered by the SwitchWeight X (SWX) Cam and reimagined RPD Lim bs, this bow is advertised…
I've BEEN ELK HUNTING almost 35 years, and during that time, I’ve had some amazing adventures in the elk woods. Like most elk hunters, the vast majority of my hunting has taken place on public land using over-the-counter tags, though I have been fortunate to draw a few limited-entry units. A few years ago, my good friend South Cox, owner of Stalker Stickbows, asked me if I wanted to join him on a wilderness hunt, deep in the Colorado Rockies. This hunt normally takes several points to draw, but South had a line on some unit-wide landowner tags. I couldn’t say yes fast enough. We’ve now done this hunt several times, and it’s one of those adventures I dream about all year! We’ve had great success on this hunt over…
I DIDN’T GROW UP in a hunting family, and frankly didn’t have much interest in it as a kid. Instead, I learned how to fly fish at a young age and could generally be found ditching class my senior year of high school to chase trout in the New Mexico mountains. I have always enjoyed the mountains, and I started rock climbing when I was 19. It consumed my life like nothing before. I moved around the country to climb, and eventually customized a Dodge van and moved into it so I could live on the road. It was quite an experience and allowed me to visit a plethora of cool places. The summer of 2022, I was supposed to work at a small-town brewery in Wyoming to continue my…
For more than three decades now, late December finds me rolling down the lonesome highway from my Oklahoma home to the high desert of southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona. With the whitetail rut pretty much over and Old Man Winter knocking on the door, I’ve always figured there can’t be a better option than hitting the reset button by hunting the Coues deer rut! So, shortly after Christmas 2023, the Claypool Clan was once again loading up the camping trailer, ATV and pickup truck. Heading west at sunrise, by mid-afternoon I-40 was in the rearview mirror. Turning onto “Old 54” at Santa Rosa, N.M., rolling southwest, we had I-10 firmly in our sights. A few hours later, cresting the top of the Organ Mountains, the lights of Las Cruces…
