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.
YOU’VE PROBABLY HEARD THE old adage, “The harder I work, the luckier I get.” It’s a phrase that has stood the test of time, because it contains an important truth: success is not the accidental result of some unseen cosmic force; rather, it is the direct result of effort made in pursuit of a goal. This wisdom is certainly applicable to bowhunting, as evidenced by the success of the contributors featured in this Whitetail Special issue. For Jim Bouchard (Michigan DIY Double, p. 42), his remarkable success during the 2024 whitetail season began months earlier, with countless hours spent scouting the swamps and ridgelines near his home to identify key travel corridors and bedding areas. That effort paid off in a big way last fall, allowing Bouchard to be in…
RUT READY Tink’s #69 Doe-In-Rut Value Pack Tink’s has given the packaging of its iconic #69 Doe-In-Rut Buck Lure a fresh look for the 2025 deer season, but the product inside the bottle is the same legendary formula that has been helping bowhunters bag big bucks for decades. The Value Pack features a one-ounce bottle of #69 Doe-In-Rut Buck Lure, made using pure estrous doe urine, along with a Tink’s Scent Bomb that offers an easy, no-mess way to disperse the scent in your hunting area by placing it near a trail or scrape. $9.99 | tinks.com KUIU Alpine Jacket Made for mild to cold conditions, KUIU’s Alpine Jacket is a minimalist, high-performance solution crafted for hunters who count every ounce and demand essential protection without unnecessary bulk. This fleece-lined,…
TRAIL CAMERAS and smartphones have provided today’s deer hunters with more information than ever. But even with all this technology, the whitetail rut remains one of hunting’s great mysteries. Hunters spend most of the year waiting for the chaos of the deer rut. Yet too often, the rut slips by unnoticed. Many hunters still blame the moon, but science has consistently disproved any lunar influence over rut timing. So, why do so few hunters witness a buck mounting a doe, despite all the time we spend on stand? In more than 50 years of bowhunting, I’ve only seen breeding happen three times. If you have hunted long enough, you might have seen bucks chasing does. And if you’re lucky enough, you’ll see a buck scent-check the back end of an…
FOR BOWHUNTERS across most of whitetail country, rut hunting typically means cold weather. If you’re lucky, there may even be a layer of fresh snow on the ground, quieting your approach and making it easier for you to spot approaching deer as they move across the landscape. Of course, along with that snow often comes a whipping winter wind that presents its own set of challenges — not the least of which is staying warm long enough to wait for Mr. Big’s arrival. From the rut through the late season, having bowhunting apparel you can count on to keep you warm, comfortable and concealed from deer is critical. Based on my testing, the new RiverWolf Jacket and Pant from Code of Silence fit the bill, thanks to ultra-quiet fabric, a…
BOWTECH ARCHERY has a long history of producing top-end bows that push the innovation envelope with features and technologies that benefit bowhunters. The new Ascend is an excellent example of this, and at a price that is sure to turn some heads. The Ascend features a four-track, binary cam system that works with the machined, carbon-fiber, split limbs to generate game-stopping arrow speeds, while the integrated DeadLock Lite tuning system makes it easy to tune for perfect arrow flight without a bow press. Bowtech builds the Ascend’s machined-aluminum riser with a reflex configuration and outfits it with a molded rubber grip, roller guard cable-containment fixture, built-in Picatinny sight-mounting rail and Integrate-compatible rest-mounting bracket. DeadLock Lite Cam Bowtech outfits the Ascend with a new “Lite” version of its popular and proven…
THIS STORY STARTS IN THE FALL OF 2023 in the Flint Hills of Kansas. I (Cody) had been hunting hard — all day every day — trying to get on a big buck. Despite my best efforts, I really didn’t have a bead on a shooter, and I was getting pretty nervous I just wasn’t going to make it happen that year. In desperation, I decided to circle back to a property where I had permission to hunt, even though I hadn’t really seen much deer activity there on my previous visits. While there, I spotted a giant buck tending a doe out in one of the pastures — sometimes it really is better to be lucky than good! It was right before dark, and I didn’t have time to…
