Field & Stream September 2017

Outdoor writer and veteran bowhunter Tony J. Peterson cowrote “Go Public.” Here, he dishes on public bucks, rack obsession, and his new BFF. • Best public-land buck: A 156-inch 10-pointer in Nebraska • Favorite part of hunting public land: The challenge. Bowhunting on public land is, without a doubt, the hardest you can make deer hunting. It’s really satisfying when you fill a tag. • On the big-buck craze: The focus on antlers takes away from the actual hunting experience. Managing deer herds for big bucks lacks a sense of mystery. • The biggest misconception about publicland hunting: That you can rely on the tactics you use on private lands. It’s a totally different game. • Hunting with F&S deputy editor Dave Hurteau: It was awesome… other than the fact…

AS OF LATE, we’ve been fighting the public-land battle hard—in the magazine and on fieldandstream.com—covering the politics, the stakes for hunters and wildlife, and the uncertain future of these priceless places. (SPOILER ALERT: We have no intention of cutting back on that coverage.) In this issue, we’re at it again with our cover story, “Go Public” (p. 40). In this go-round, though, we’re leaving out the politics-as-usual and calls-for-action in favor of covering another side of public lands—namely, the fun, adventure, and rewards that await you there. Last September, during South Dakota’s bow-season opener, deputy editor Dave Hurteau pitched a D.I.Y. deer camp with writer and public-land hunting expert Tony Peterson. This was not a trophy hunt, but like most public-land trips, it was a hard hunt. The planning,…

I wrote a story this month (“The Bear at Last Light,” p. 48) that I hope you enjoy. And if you do (or don’t), my email’s above. Anyway, if there’s one more scene that I wish I’d had room to include, it’s this: After our final waterfowl hunt, we set up some grills in the field and cooked goose sausage, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwiches, which I dubbed the McHonker. You couldn’t have asked for a better way to end a hunt. If you want to learn how to make one—and trust me, you do—watch our video at fieldandstream.com/McHonker. P.S. I ate two.…

PHOTOGRAPHER: KALEB WHITE LOCATION: NEBRASKA This tall-tined 5x6 elk was basking in the moment after fighting off a rival during the rut in Nebraska last September. That morning, photographer Kaleb White located two bulls bugling for cows. “They got closer and closer, to within 100 yards of each other, then they went at it,” he says. “My heart was pounding. Their hair tenses up; you hear the crack of the antlers. The 5x6 ran the satellite bull off, then went to strut his stuff on top of a hill.” Sneaking through the grass about 75 yards away, White followed the bull to see what he’d do next. “He wasn’t bugling anymore. He just stretched and scratched his back with his antlers— you can see the spots on his hindquarters—for a…

AMAZON ASPIRATIONS “Welcome to the Jungle” was great. One day I hope I can finally make a trip to fish the Amazon. Mark Dickey, via Facebook KID YOU NOT The photo re-creation of the July 1961 cover illustration was spoton. Believe it or not, I remember that vintage issue from when I was a boy. I couldn’t get over the artist’s perspective from inside the tent, so I guess that’s why it stuck with me after all those years. Thanks for letting an old man feel like a kid again. Mike Pavik, Fort Dodge, Iowa Thanks for the nostalgic return to the old days of F&S. Your classic cover re- creation brought back fond memories of reading F&S as a child. I hope to see more vintage images like this…

F&S readers share their facepalmworthy mishaps. Ten minutes before sundown, I heard what I thought was a buck of a lifetime rustling behind my treestand. I was excited and nervous as I prepared to shoot. But suddenly, out trotted a basset hound, a retriever, and a giant mutt. They spent the next several minutes barking up at me, begging me to come down and play. I tried to shoo them away, but that only encouraged them. —JOHN EDWARDS I gave myself a scope cut while shooting at a nice 8-pointer. My grandfather and uncle helped me track the deer. Don’t ask me how, but we spent hours following a blood trail in a giant circle, only to realize the blood was from the cut on my forehead. —MATT MILES After…