Indice dei contenuti per April/May 2020 in Bowhunter

When I think about using paper maps and the generally limited information of only 15 years ago, I cringe. Traveling bowhunters have it so good today. This is due in no small part to apps like onX ($30+, onxmaps.com), which offer up so much relevant info that it can seem overwhelming. If you’re not using something like onX to find and digitally scout new spots, mark sign, and develop a plan, you’re missing out. Another must-have for this style of hunting is a quality pack. ALPS OutdoorZ (alpsoutdoorz.com) makes some of the best, and their Hybrid X ($300) is perfectly sized at 2,750 cu. in. Not only is this pack loaded with pockets and gear lashes, but it’s also built for hauling loads of all sizes. As someone who had…

I BECAME a wildlife biologist so I could become a better deer hunter. Once I understood the relationship between deer and their habitat, I started to tip over more deer on a regular basis. But, the road to understanding proper deer habitat and management can be tough when you actually put boots on the ground. Location, location, location is the universal mantra from any real-estate agent. The market value of any property is where it’s located. The same scenario can be said of understanding deer hunting and management. Using the real-estate analogy, deer management equates to habitat, habitat, habitat. This parameter can’t be underestimated. Deer management can be described as the three legs of a stool. Biologists and land managers must constantly balance: (1) existing deer populations, (2) hunter-management objectives,…

THIS COLUMN IS IN TWO PARTS, because I had to give a little history on how it came to be that I would travel such a long distance to pursue my biggest fish with a bow. I have been a bowfishing fan for about as long as I have been shooting a bow. I started out chasing frogs and carp. I had a blast, but I was always looking for new adventures and new species of fish to go after with my bow. During the summer months, besides hogs and some small game, for me, bowfishing was where the action was. I was after anything and everything that swam and was legal. I was especially excited about the tastier fish. I know all fish are edible, and smoked carp is…

· Bows with sights (2)/arrows/broadheads/ arrow tube/bow sling · Stabilizer/side stabilizer · Quiver · Release aid (2) · Rangefinder (2) · Binoculars (10x42)/bino harness · Spotting scope* · Garmin InReach GPS or Sat phone · Camera/cell phone/iPod with extra batteries or portable charger · Hiking boots · Gaiters · Socks/sock liners (1 pair for each 2-4 days) · Merino wool underwear (2) · Boxers/briefs (1 pair for each 2-4 days) · Hunting pants (2) · Hunting shirts (2) · Handkerchief (2) · Down jacket · Warm hat · Ball cap · Trekking poles · Water bottle with filter straw or squeeze water filter/water bladder · Raingear · Gloves (1 pair light, 1 pair warmer) · Glassing pad · Small first-aid kit · Bow repair kit · Backpack · Sleeping bag…

1 STRIKE FORCE OUTDOORS® TRIPOD FEEDER • 240-lb. feed capacity • Heavy duty hopper • Timer or Photocell With a feed capacity of 240 lbs., the Strike Force Outdoors Tripod Feeder ($169.99, Photocell/$179.99, Programmable Timer) has the largest capacity of any poly feeder on the market. It’s equipped with heavy duty steel legs, a built-in varmint guard, and a sturdy metal spin plate. The Programmable Timer model can be set to distribute feed up to six times per day, and feed amounts per cycle are adjustable. The Photocell version comes preset to feed at dawn and dusk (adjustable). Contact: Strike Force Outdoors, 1-888-272-4430, strikeforceoutdoors.com. 2 HUNTERS SPECIALTIES® CLOSING TIME™ • Produces all turkey sounds • Slate or glass calling surface • Kiln-dried walnut pot Hunters Specialties recently introduced its Strut…

IN A DARK CANYON NOT FAR from my childhood home, stands a large, vertical, black-rock slab. On it are carvings made a thousand years ago by a member of an ancient pueblo culture. The etchings show a deer and a man holding a bow. Nothing more; no landscape, no trees… just the man, the bow, and the deer. The remarkable thing about the etchings (enough to catch my attention even back then) was the unusually large set of antlers. This image has remained with me, branded into my memory, through all these years. I’ve often wondered: Was this ancestral man as fascinated by large antlers as I am? Or was this just an accident of proportion made by a primitive artist? I suppose we’ll never know the truth. However, I…

I OFTEN GO ON do-it-yourself bowhunts in remote and rugged areas. Some of those places, like Alaskan deer country, are teeming with dangerous bears. Sometimes I go by myself, but more often with a good friend or two. The obvious question is often asked by magazine readers, seminar attendees, and social-media followers. What is the most dangerous part of hunting on your own? Most folks assume it is remote conditions, with risks of a broken leg or catastrophic fall, or the nightmarish chance of being mauled by a monstrous bear. I laugh at these misconceptions. A careful woodsman has little chance of hurting himself while hiking, and anyone worth his salt carries a satellite phone or Garmin inReach device to make instant contact in an emergency. Brown and grizzly bears…

EVERY YEAR AT THIS TIME, it seems we’re pummeled with new technology designed to improve bow performance, broadhead accuracy, and arrow speed. All of these things are blessings come hunting season. And archery engineers know this, which is why they’re on a continual reinvent-and-tweak process to enhance the shooting process. The problem is, this new gear is often dialed-in to perfection in a controlled lab setting, where experts can place small touches to make it perform at peak levels. A new bow is a prime example. Chances are, this year’s bow was made slightly better than last year’s in terms of speed, consistency, and low vibration. However, can this performance be detected and felt straight out of the box, or do you need to create the perfect shooting package by…

AS I WAS PREPARING a fall food plot a few years back, a good buddy of mine who has been involved in various whitetail circles over the years insisted that managing habitat for whitetails is like a good marriage. Although it can be hard at times and there are setbacks, if you’re willing to put in the work, paydirt will ultimately come. After 25 years of marriage and nearly as long chasing whitetails, I’ve learned that there is a lot of truth to that. Much has changed in the whitetail world since I arrowed my first buck nearly two decades ago. Not only have we evolved into better bowhunters, but the practices in both habitat and whitetail management have also seen dramatic improvements since the turn of the century. It…

Three Bush-Plane Strategies If you plan to fly to a remote bow-hunting area by wheel or floatplane, here are three tips to ensure a safe and productive experience. First, you should research specific pilot records that are easily available online. Also ask for a list of previous passengers, and phone a few to get a feel for your pilot. I never fly unless my pilot has 5,000 hours or more in the air in remote country. Most pilots I rely on have a lot more than that. For example, I first flew with my friend Dean Andrew on Kodiak Island, Alaska, 34 years ago. He was younger then, but already experienced. I’ve flown with Dean on Kodiak nearly half the years since, and his 25,000-plus flying hours on that island…

No tuning column would be complete without mentioning the importance of consistent arrow spine. Most of today’s arrows are uniform in weight and straightness, but arrow spine can vary somewhat, depending on the manufacturer and the grade of arrows. Spine relates to the “flex,” or stiffness, of an arrow. The stiffness must match the bow’s stored-energy capabilities, and it must be consistent from one arrow to the next. If not, each arrow will flex differently in flight, causing inconsistent groups, especially with broadheads. To ensure arrows are matched from one arrow to the next, I use a RAM Products Spine Tester. This device allows you to measure spine consistency 360-degrees around the shaft. To maintain solid consistency, I prefer spine to be .005-inch, plus or minus, from one shaft to…

DID YOU EVER CONSIDER the economic benefit from the consumption of wild game and fish? Consider this example. In the elk hunting seasons in Canada for 2014-15 and 2015-16, there were 30,375 elk harvested. That two-year harvest generated 6.7 million pounds of edible meat. The United States’ elk harvest for those two years was much larger with 383,361 elk harvested, generating 85.4 million pounds of meat. We hear about food problems all the time. Food is pulled from grocery stores because it is unsafe. Children in some parts of our country don’t get enough to eat. We hear about the loss of habitat due to agriculture all the time. Yet we have this sustainable food resource sitting right under our nose that could feed hundreds of thousands with minimal ecological…

MY HEART POUNDED. Nocking an arrow to my string, I tried taking deep breaths to calm myself. Whether my pulse was elevated from the quick climb to intercept the feeding turkeys or from anticipation, knowing that at any second they would feed around the corner, was hard to say. Most likely, a combination of both. Now, I was hopeful of a getting a shot with my new little West Asian recurve. There was nothing to camouflage myself in or behind, so once the turkeys came around the corner into view I’d certainly be spotted standing square in the open. Fortunately, the point-and-shoot nature of my little recurve gave me confidence that I could take a quick shot at the first good opportunity. Luckily, in New Zealand, where Merriam’s are invasive…