Bowhunter -julkaisun September 2025 -irtonumeron sisällysluettelo

WELCOME TO sweet September! If you’re an avid elk hunter, the month needs no introduction. These are the eagerly anticipated days when bugles ring out from the ridgetops, beckoning us to magical mountainside encounters between bull and bowhunter. Although I consider myself a “whitetail guy,” it’s impossible to resist the siren song of September elk. Let’s face it; there’s not a more charismatic big-game animal than a mature bull elk in a rutting frenzy. And though I’ve been fortunate to tag more than a few trophy-sized bucks over the years, my most memorable bowhunting moment occurred in September 2013 in southern Colorado. I was on a guided hunt at the legendary Crazy French Ranch outside Trinidad, not far from the New Mexico border. After passing an opportunity at a young…

Easton 5.0 Easton Archery constantly tries to give bowhunters and target archers options, which is why this projectile kingpin added the all-new 5.0 arrow to its numerous offerings. Engineered for bowhunters who want an ultra-versatile shaft, the 5.0 platform reduces friction for increased penetration while being less reactive to wind pushing on its sides. The lighter mass of the arrow ensures bowhunters can create a wide range of setups, from light and fast to those with high FOC configurations. The 5.0 comes in ±.003-inch (Standard) and ±.001-inch (Match Grade) straightness tolerance options. HIT collars are included with the new Match Grade version. $109.99 (Standard Grade) or $129.99 (Match Grade), per 6 | eastonarchery.com Speed Broadheads New Speed Broadheads feature patent-pending Speed Reactive Technology that ensures incredible accuracy in flight and…

OF LATE, I have deeply pondered the important things in life, especially why I hunt. I understand and accept this complicated, emotional quandary. I know others will never understand; they consider this pursuit a depravity, an obsession. When asked why I hunt, I long for words to convey this profound, innate desire and need. Yet it would be like trying to explain the limitless love one feels for their child to a person with no children — impossible within the limitations of language. It must be experienced to be understood. Hunting is not religion, but it is spiritual. I feel closest to God when immersed in nature and wilderness. Though uncomfortable admitting it to fellow churchgoers, I feel the Holy Spirit more passionately in wild and lonely places than in…

I SUSPECTED 2024 might be a difficult pronghorn year in Wyoming. Sometimes, I hate it when I’m right! My September bowhunt started even worse than I’d imagined. In 2022, an outbreak of disease killed off a high percentage of antelope in my favorite hunting area. The following winter was brutal and cut down the herd size even more. I managed to scratch out a decent archery buck in 2023, but it was the only record-book buck I saw. Last year was not any better. I hiked the hills for several days without seeing even one decent-horned buck. There were quite a few pronghorns wandering the prairie, but males all seemed to be young, with puny headgear. Wyoming harbors more antelope than any other state, so even on down years there…

EARLY-SEASON bowhunting is always exciting. It has been a long wait since last year’s season closed, the venison in the freezer is almost gone, and whether it’s one of your target bucks or a doe, many bowhunters can’t wait to let an arrow fly! Some states open bow season at the beginning of September. If you hunt one of them, you’re in luck, as this is the best time of year to pattern unpressured bucks. Patterning bucks is always a chess game, but investing some boot leather and glassing before bucks shed their velvet can lead to antlers on the wall. Come opening day, hunting along a crop field’s edge is where many of us find ourselves. This strategy works well and has been time-tested over the years. A problem…

AS A GUY who loves traditional archery equipment, I like to shoot both recurves and longbows. But I’m honest enough with myself to know I shoot a recurve better than I shoot a longbow. I practice with my longbow every year and often get myself pumped up to hunt with it, but almost every year, right before hunting season, I lose confidence in my shooting and end up grabbing my recurve. I just feel so much more comfortable and confident with my recurve that I almost always chicken out. I did use a longbow almost 15 years ago to shoot an antelope and made a great shot, but I went back to the recurve and could just never get my longbow confidence back. This past spring was no different. I…

LATE SUMMER AND EARLY FALL are primetime for Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) across the whitetail’s range. This viral disease, spread by biting midges that breed in stagnant water, can cause massive local or regional deer die-offs and is known to be particularly lethal for mature bucks, making it a particular concern among hunters. EHD outbreaks are especially prevalent during prolonged drought periods, as hot, dry conditions result in more warm, shallow, stagnant bodies of water with exposed areas of mud — the perfect breeding environment for midges. The dry weather also limits water sources, forcing deer to congregate around the water that remains, making them highly susceptible to midge bites and EHD infection. Mature bucks are particularly vulnerable in late summer because the biting midges are attracted to the velvet-covered,…

IN THE ARCHERY WORLD, there are a handful of companies that produce such unique equipment it brings instant and unmistakable brand recognition. One such company is Excalibur Crossbow with its recurve limbs and no-cams platform. So, when Excalibur introduced the Hybrid X with its InnerDrive Cam System earlier this year, it absolutely shocked the bowhunting community! As you might expect, however, Excalibur still managed to maintain its brand recognition and certainly its no-nonsense approach to making durable hunting rigs. Excalibur’s Hybrid X is built with stationary cams anchored to, and protected by, a secondary riser. A set of solid HO Extreme Recurve Compound Limbs, limb dampeners, primary riser, Mercury 2 string and cables and pivoting pockets round out the bow assembly. A two-piece, injection-molded, polymer stock features a rubber-wrapped pistol…

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) seems to dominate the news nowadays. From positive predictions such as avoiding traffic accidents and automating mundane daily tasks to gloom-and-doom forecasts such as eliminating most human jobs or even going rogue and staging a global machine takeover, it seems just about everyone agrees AI is going to have a big impact on the future. The hunting world is no exception, and if the all-new EDGE 3 camera from Moultrie is any indication, this exciting technology has the potential to make us far more efficient and effective bowhunters. Although the EDGE 3 is packed with a ton of useful features, to me the headline is on-board AI integration that allows the camera to instantly identify whether it has captured an image or video of a buck, doe,…