Bowhunterの April/May 2018 の目次

DARKNESS was losing its grip against the gray light of dawn, and from their perch high in the cottonwoods the gobblers, jakes, and hens voiced their approval of the night’s demise. Soft yelps were followed by loud gobbles. A turkey simply cannot gobble softly. Then a distant crow called to his gang, and a dozen scattered gobblers talked back. That’s when I noticed our ground blind was vibrating. It was my 14-year-old grandson, Carson. “Why are you shaking already,” I asked. “I can’t help it. This is so awesome,” chattered Carson. With a proud, gratified smile hidden beneath my facemask, I sat quietly absorbing the moment. The ambient sights and sounds came at me from the outside, but on the inside I was overcome with memories. This was Carson’s eighth…

IF YOU HAVE EVER driven an interstate highway in Wyoming, you have probably been amazed at the number of pronghorn antelope along the way. The Cowboy State harbors thousands of “prairie goats,” including some truly impressive bucks. Southwestern states like New Mexico and Arizona enjoy a reputation for giant pronghorns, and the very largest are usually taken in those milder-weather places. But last time I checked, Wyoming had produced more record-book antelope than any other state. If you want a Pope and Young or Boone and Crockett pronghorn, with hordes of animals to choose from, Wyoming is impossible to beat. I am a lucky guy, because I live in the heart of Wyoming pronghorn country. So, it was no mistake that I was hiking the sagebrush hills just last September…

ACCESS TO HUNTING SPOTS is the number-one barrier to maintaining our numbers. Without a place to go, more and more of us abandon our bows and pick up the little dopamine traps we keep in our pockets to immerse ourselves in a world that is the opposite of what nature provides. Obviously, that’s not good. What is good, at least as far as little victories are concerned, is that an awful lot of the streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs out there are open to the public, complete with easy access. Now, this varies from state to state, and just because you see a meandering river doesn’t necessarily mean you can legally wade it and skewer a few redhorse suckers. You’ve still got to know the rules, and follow them. All…

IS A PRECIOUS COMMODITY. WE TAKE IT FOR GRANTED DURING OUR YOUTH, ONLY TO SEARCH FOR IT LIKE BURIED TREASURE AS WE GROW OLDER. MY 2017 ARCHERY SEASON WAS NO DIFFERENT AS I STRUGGLED TO GET AWAY. FAMILY OBLIGATIONS, WORK, AND OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES HAD LIMITED MY TREE TIME. WHILE MY DAYS IN THE FIELD WERE SPORADIC, I KNEW THAT FATE COULD CHANGE A BOWHUNTER’S FORTUNE IN A MATTER OF SECONDS. I SIMPLY HAD TO STAY THE COURSE AND HOPE THAT A MATURE BUCK WOULD WANDER INTO BOW RANGE. I started hunting in early October and was fortunate to harvest a doe the first week. With a freezer full of venison and two young boys at home, I spent the rest of the month working and taking care of my family.…

RECENTLY, a friend of mine who likes to hunt far off-road by himself as much as I do asked me if I had ever been afraid or intimidated in the backcountry. Thinking back over my many wilderness adventures, I must admit that some have got a little hairy, maybe even foolhardy. One memorable sheep hunt in central Idaho definitely comes to mind. I had packed 30 miles from the trailhead with my llamas and set up a camp. Then I hiked another 10 miles from camp down a gnarly canyon in search of rams. Sliding and stumbling down a scree slide, I stopped to rest and ponder the situation. Sure hope I make it to the bottom, I thought. If I get hurt here, I’ll never make it out alive.…

READER DISAPPROVES OF BAITING Dear Bowhunter , I’ve been a Bowhunter subscriber on and off since 1980. I felt compelled to write a while back when I read an article in your magazine bemoaning the fact that Arizona had passed a law banning the use of bait, and how difficult that would make it for outfitters and their clients to harvest a Coues deer. After reading Curt Wells’ Editorial, “Hunt Right; Hunt Fair Chase,” in your Jan/Feb 2018 issue, I will now offer an opinion. I’ve been hunting Coues deer in Arizona for 20 years now. I’ve taken one with the bow and two with a firearm. Not a very good success rate. But, the satisfaction rate is through the roof! My point is that having read many books on…

HEN THE BIG GATOR FINALLY RESURFACED, he was moving fast with malicious intent, straight toward the sound of a young gator bawling My guide, the source of the sound, was stand ing on the shoreline in the pitch dark with the weak, yellow beam of his headlamp dancing on the top of the closing gator’s head. I was just five yards to my guide’s right, also standing on the shore, at full draw. I admit it was scary and electrifying! Last July, I was at full draw on the front of a moving boat, waiting for a 20 pound silver carp to breach like a kill er whale and offer me a midair snap shot. That’s when my buddy Mark Land yelled, “..ump!” I didn’t hear the first two letters,…

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ROGER ROTHHAAR, the man who uttered that thought-provoking quote, was a unique, talented, and blunt-spoken bowhunter. He left a lasting mark on the sport he loved, and his sudden mid-January death — less than a month shy of his 80th birthday — ended the long life of an individual who arguably was one of the most knowledgeable and successful whitetail hunters ever to release an arrow at a big-racked buck. Although his passion would focus on the ubiquitous whitetail deer, Roger loved bowhunting itself. By age 10, he already was stalking small game with a bow and arrows he’d made. Roger killed his first whitetail in 1965 on a Pennsylvania hunt. Shooting a recurve bow instinctively with deadly accuracy, and using arrows tipped with a broadhead of his own design,…

STABLE POPULATIONS, high success rates, and excellent hunting opportunities continue to show why bowhunters should block off time on their calendar and make plans for chasing bears this year. A spring trip is a great way to shake off cabin fever and start your season early. Fall hunts often overlap hunts for other species, and bears can add a challenging dimension to your time in the woods. In either case, they’re unique animals to hunt, and there are a variety of ways to hunt them. Depending on the state, province, and season, bears can be baited, tracked with dogs, and stalked, all of which are exciting and accessible to novice and experienced hunters alike. Much like whitetails, black bears are pervasive across the United States, and their populations continue to…

“JUST RELAX” I whispered. “Remember to breathe, then squeeze. The release should surprise you.” Alex nodded swallowed and began to draw He anchored just under his right ear, inhaled deeply, began to aim Thwack! The arrow flew sooner than either of us had expected and hit where I’d feared — off low and to the left, about eight inches from the center of the foam target. “Dang it!” Alex murmured, reaching for another arrow. “What’s the matter with me?” It was the night before the first morning of our three day turkey hunt with Nelson Outfitters (nelsonoutfitters.com) in Sheridan, Wyoming, and like Dave Nelson does with all his clients, he had suggested that Alex shoot a few practice arrows from a ground blind we had set up in Dave’s front yard…