Tested: 2019 HOYT CARBON RX-3 & PRIME LOGIC CT3

Welcome to
BIG BUCK
CENTRAL
Top 5 Deer States
for the Next 5 Years p. 30

LATE-SEASON
BLUEPRINT
Right Place.
Right Time.
Tagged Out! p. 36

GAIN THE
ARCHER’S EDGE
Your Off-Season Action Plan
for In-Season Success p. 44

• Arizona Coues Deer

Quest p. 40

• Levi Morgan’s Advice for

Awesome Accuracy p. 14
 We’ll show you ghosts.

or computer. 24/7 intel that leaves nothing to the imagination. spartancamera.com

 JAN/FEB 2019

F E ATU R E S 30
The 5 Hottest Deer
30 Destinations for
the Next 5 Years
Looking to Tag a Trophy Whitetail?
Look No Further Than Our
Fab Five!
BY CHRISTIAN BERG

36 Late-Season Case Study

Post-Rut Can Be Prime Time —
In the Right Place
BY BILL WINKE

40 Finish Early and Stay Late

On an Arizona Coues
Deer Hunt, Tagging Out
is Only Half the Fun
BY EDDIE CLAYPOOL

44 Growing Yourself in
the Off-Season
For Serious Bowhunters,
There Is No Downtime
BY JOHN DUDLEY

48 Don’t Blink! 48
Father-Daughter Bowhunting
Ends Way Too Soon
BY GREG BRUSH

52 What I Lost To Win

Finding Triumph in
the Face of Tragedy
BY NATHAN “TATE” HALE

2 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING 01/02 • 2019

 MEET THE
CROSSBOW
OF THE YEAR
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28 TECHNICAL BOW TEST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BY JON E. SILKS
Hoyt REDWRX Carbon RX-3

56 TECHNICAL BOW TEST . . . . . . . . . . . . . BY JON E. SILKS

Prime Logic CT3

58 FIELD TESTED . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Browning Trail Cameras, Skull Hooker
BY BOWHUNTING EDITORS

p. 56

62 NEW GEAR
An expanded look at bowhunting products

p. 62

p. 28
p. 58

D E PARTM E NTS
6 FIRST SHOT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
What Goes Around Comes Around
BY CHRISTIAN BERG
RAD O
12 THE INBOX FREE podcasts available
Readers speak out about their sport and magazine from iTunes,
or listen online @
14 CHANGING THE GAME . . . . . . . . . . . BY LEVI MORGAN bowhunting.podbean.com
Facial Contact

16 BOWHUNTING 101 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BY BILL WINKE

Game Changers
TODAY!
20 WHITETAILS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BY JASON SNAVELY
Deer Science and Bowhunting Success

24 BETTER BOWHUNTING . . . . . . . . . . BY RANDY ULMER • Winke’s Wisdom:

Part 1 of 3: Peep Sights

• Broadhead Battle:
26 CROSSBOWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BY BOB HUMPHREY
Crossbow Safety

64 THE DIY GUY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BY EDDIE CLAYPOOL

The Buck • Leasing 101:
Statement of Ownership is on page 57
4 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING 01/02 • 2019
 FIRST
QQ SHOT
What Goes Around
Comes Around
I
f there’s one thing bowhunt-
ing has taught me — painfully,
over and over and over again
— it’s humility. Simply put, a life-
time isn’t nearly long enough
to master this game; and no
matter how many victories you
record in your hunting journal,
I guarantee the next defeat is
never too far down the road.
Some of you may recall my fea-
ture article in the November/De-
cember issue, Making It Look Easy,
that chronicled the incredible deer-
hunting success I enjoyed in the fall
of 2017. I won’t rehash all the details,
but the bottom line is I hunted a
total of eight days to kill four bucks
in four states — including a 13-point
Kentucky velvet buck that grossed
181 3⁄8 inches and a 13-point Kansas
giant that grossed 182 6⁄8!
To call it a season for the ages
would be an understatement. Need-
less to say, I was the envy of all my
bowhunting buddies, and photos of
my bucks earned me my proverbial
15 minutes of fame on social media.
More than a few folks declared me one
of America’s luckiest deer hunters and
wondered if I’d kill a 200-inch buck
next. Several others asked whether
I could share a little bit of whatever
deer-hunting “magic” I possessed.
I have to admit, it was pretty cool.
I felt as if I could do no wrong in the
deer woods, and that great bucks
would ind me no matter what stand
I was in. Still, even as I racked up
(pun intended) success after success,
I felt a growing unease in my gut. Af-
ter all, any rational bowhunter had
to know the winning streak was un-
sustainable. And as the season turned
into the off-season and I had more
time to relect on my incredibly good
fortune, my mind became consumed
with an ominous thought: Dude, you
are going to pay for this. You are going to
pay for this big time!
Oh, it’s not as though I actually
believed the deer gods were out
6 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING
BY CHRISTIAN BERG
for revenge. It’s just that I’ve been
chasing whitetails with a bow long
enough to know my 2017 season was
the exception, not the rule.
With that, fast-forward to late Sep-
tember of 2018 in southern Ohio,
where I kicked off my deer sea-
son with an opening-week hunt at
Whitetail Heaven Outitters. As any
bowhunter knows, you always hope
for cool weather on an early-season
hunt. But in this case, I was greet-
ed with a serious spell of extended
summer that included temperatures
approaching 90 degrees each day,
along with high humidity that made
just walking from the truck to the
treestand enough to get soaked in
your own sweat. On top of the heat,
an extremely wet summer resulted
in a record mosquito hatch, mean-
ing that much of the time spent on
stand was consumed by swatting the
blood-sucking parasites off my skin.
Not surprisingly, deer movement
in those conditions was extremely
minimal. On the irst day of the hunt,
I saw a doe, a fawn and a 4-point
buck. On the second day of the hunt,
I saw the same three deer. And it
wasn’t like my experience was an
outlier. Although a couple solid
bucks were taken over the course of
the week, most of the more than 20
bowhunters in camp reported little
deer activity, and certainly not much
movement from the many shooter
bucks captured on trail cameras in
the days leading up to the season.
On the afternoon of the third day,
my guide suggested I move to a new
stand near the top of a steep, hard-
wood ridge. Climbing in shortly after
3 p.m., I sat and stared blankly into
the empty woods for the next four
hours. Finally, at 7:20 p.m., I caught
movement about 80 yards out in front
of the stand. Quickly focusing on the
spot, I could see deer legs moving in
the fading evening light.
Moments later, the body attached
to those legs came into view, and I
could tell it was a buck. Lifting my
binoculars to my face, I conirmed
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01/02 • 2019
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 FIRST
QQ SHOT
my suspicion; this was the
wide-racked 10-pointer my
guide had shown me on the
trail camera. In spite of the
challenging conditions and
virtually nonexistent action, it
looked like things might work
out after all.
Realizing I only had about
10 minutes of shooting light
remaining, I knew time was
of the essence. Still, as the buck ap-
proached, I told myself not to rush and
wait for a high-odds shot opportunity.
After giving the buck several minutes
to slowly feed its way in my direction,
the deer turned broadside and took a
step forward that moved the front-side
shoulder blade away from the vitals. It
was the shot every bowhunter
hopes for. However, there was
just one problem — a dead oak
tree stood directly between my
stand and the deer, partially
obstructing my view of the
animal.
No problem, I thought. Just
wait for the vital to clear the
tree and make your shot.
Moments later, as the buck
fed contentedly, I carefully exam-
ined the shot angle and felt conident
I had clearance to the right of the tree
for my arrow to pass by and ind its
mark. Coming to full draw and set-
tling into my anchor position, I cen-
tered the sight housing in the peep
sight and settled the 30-yard pin on
the buck’s chest. Slowly releasing
the safety on my tension-activated
release and pulling into the shot, my
arrow was soon on its way.
I barely had time to see the orange
streak from my Lumenok leave the
bow before a loud whack told the tale
of woe. My arrow had delected off
the tree and missed the buck com-
pletely! My heart sank as the startled
buck leapt, then ran about 20 yards to
my right before stopping and trying
to igure out what had just happened.
In desperation, I grabbed another
arrow from my quiver, nocked it and
pleaded with the universe to give me
another opportunity. But in my heart,
I knew the truth: that was my oppor-
tunity. So many times in bowhunting,
one shot is all you get, if you get one
8 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING
®
PRESIDENT & CEO Jim Liberatore
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, PUBLISHING
& BRANDED MEDIA Mike Carney
EVP, GROUP PUBLISHER & OPERATIONS Derek Sevcik
VP, CONSUMER MARKETING Peter Watt
VP, MANUFACTURING Deb Daniels
DIRECTOR, MARKETING Kim Shay
These trail-camera photos show the SENIOR DIRECTOR, PRODUCTION Connie Mendoza
wide, 10-point buck Editor Christian Berg DIRECTOR, PUBLISHING TECHNOLOGY Kyle Morgan
missed during his early-season Ohio hunt
OUTDOOR SPORTSMAN GROUP DIGITAL
with Whitetail Heaven Outfitters. After
days of battling excessive heat, humidity EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, FISHING Jeff Simpson
and swarms of hungry mosquitoes, Berg DIGITAL EDITOR, HUNTING Drew Pellman
finally had his opportunity when this buck
showed up at last light and presented a For questions regarding digital editions, please
30-yard shot. The Editor’s arrow deflected contact digitalsupport@outdoorsg.com.
off a tree and landed in front of the buck. MEDIA FISHING
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HUNTING
SHOOTING
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bowhuntingmag.com rileshootermag.com
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northamericanwhitetail.com
wildfowlmag.com
Copyright 2019 by Outdoor Sportsman Group®
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written
at all. And considering all the factors permission.
working against me on this hunt, I Bowhunting® is a registered trademark of Outdoor Sportsman Group® in
the United States.
felt fortunate to have seen a shooter
The Publisher and authors make no representations or warranties regarding
buck, never mind launch an arrow. the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of the information contained in
Although I still had two days re- this publication. Any reliance or use of the information is solely at your own
risk, and the authors and Publisher disclaim any and all liability relating
maining in the hunt, I arrived back thereto. Any prices given in this issue were suggested prices at the press
time and are subject to change.
at the lodge that evening resigned to
Some advertisements in this magazine may concern products that are not
my fate, and I was hardly surprised legally for sale to California residents or residents in other jurisdictions.
when the remainder of the hunt
passed with nothing more spotted Cover Photo: JOHN FORD
than a doe and a fawn.
Due to notoriously early maga-
zine deadlines, I sit here typing this
column without knowing the ulti-
mate outcome of my 2018 whitetail
season. It’s only mid-October, and
there is yet far more opportunity
in front of me than behind me, in-
cluding a prime rut hunt in Central
Kansas and a late-season hunt in Illi-
nois. Add in my local hunting efforts
around home in Pennsylvania, and I
may yet tag a trophy or two.
Then again, I may end up eating
a steaming bowl of tag soup. Be-
cause in bowhunting, as in the rest
of life, what goes around deinitely
comes around.
01/02 • 2019
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 THE
INBOX
Eddie Hammers His Point
I generally go straight to the last
page to read Eddie Claypool’s col-
umns. I’m more than touched by his
most recent, The Journey (p. 80, Nov/
Dec 2018). I’ve been bowhunting
since the mid-1960s and still love
every minute of it. Eddie hits the nail
on the head with the evolution of my
thinking and bowhunting goals over
those years. It’s most enjoyable now,
at age 63, when I can just enjoy the
whole picture of each day without
any pressure from myself or others
to put another animal on the wall.
I’ll be out there in a wheelchair if
necessary one day, too.
Tom Weigand, Shellsburg, Iowa
Straight Talk on Arrow Spin
In Levi Morgan’s article on arrow
vanes (Choosing the Right Vanes for the
Job, p. 16, September 2018), he talked
about natural arrow rotation and
how most right-handed bows launch
arrows with a left rotation and to
letch arrows the same direction. I
tested this, and my arrow has a left
rotation from my right-handed bow.
This being said, according to the
article I should be letching with
a left offset or helical vane orien-
tation. If this is true, most people
today are letching wrong. Left-
hand letching jigs are hard to ind.
What are your thoughts on this?
You have a great magazine. Keep
up the good work!
Dave Shirley, Blythewood, S.C.
PB Responds: Yes, that is correct! If
the arrow naturally launches with
a leftward (counterclockwise) spin,
you should letch a left offset or he-
lical. You are also correct that most
[right-handed shooters] are letching
their arrows the wrong way. I think
this is mainly just from a lack of
knowledge.
Changing the Game
Columnist Levi Morgan
I’ll Have What He’s Having
In the September 2018 issue, John
Dudley has a ine article, 5 Parts
to the Perfect Arrow. In it, he states
he prefers to shoot an arrow that
12 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING
QUESTION
OF THE MONTH:
bowhunting@outdoorsg.com.
weighs more than 500 grains travel-
ing at 280 feet per second.
I shoot a Mathews NO CAM HTR
with a 75-pound draw weight and
29-inch draw length. My 505-grain
arrows max out at 250 feet per sec-
ond. John, what bow are you shoot-
ing? I want one, too!
Mike Hambuchen, Conway, Ark.
PB Responds: One of my advan-
tages is my longer draw length.
Since I have a 31-inch draw, I nat-
urally get approximately 15 feet
per second more speed compared
to a 29-inch draw. As for my gear,
I’m shooting a Hoyt REDWRX
Carbon RX-1 Ultra at around the
same poundage as you. Keep in
mind that, with most bows, the
cam setting your bow uses for your
draw length can affect eficiency
and speed. For example, I chose a
cam number that lets me shoot it
in the longest slots for that cam.
It really helps maintain speed. If,
by chance, you have a cam num-
ber that forces you to have it in the
shortest position to get your draw
length, then you could be losing
more speed than you would with it
in a longer slot. Finally, remember
that added weight in the middle of
the bowstring — brass nock sets,
kisser buttons and peep-sight tub-
ing — greatly reduces arrow speed.
John Dudley
It’s About TIME for
Sunday Hunting!
Hunters United for Sunday Hunt-
ing (HUSH) continues to advance its
mission to remove the prohibition
on Sunday hunting in Pennsylvania.
The state’s hunters face a big barri-
er to hunting — lack of time aield.
In fact, lack of time is the No. 1 rea-
son given when surveying former
hunters who are no longer buying a
hunting license. It is also the biggest
barrier for recruiting new hunters to
our ranks.
Over the past year, HUSH has
made tremendous progress in its
efforts. The Pennsylvania Game
Commission (PGC) has issued a res-
olution supporting the removal of
the prohibition and requesting it be
given regulatory authority to sched-
ule seasons including Sundays.
The PGC is the expert on wildlife
management and is tasked by Penn-
sylvania law to do just that. It’s time
the legislators allow the PGC to do
its job.
Many conservation organizations,
including the United Bowhunters
of Pennsylvania, QDMA, NWTF,
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers
and RMEF, have also declared their
support for our mission.
Recent polls have shown more
than 80 percent of Pennsylvanians
support our mission, and we believe
the state’s legislature will ultimate-
ly repeal the prohibition. However,
more help is needed to ensure our
success. Sen. Dan Laughlin of Erie
has introduced a bill that removes
the prohibition while also strength-
ening trespass laws. We encourage
Pennsylvania bowhunters to con-
tact their senators and urge them to
support the bill.
When it comes to Sunday hunt-
ing in Pennsylvania, it’s about
TIME! Join our grassroots effort to-
day and help make Pennsylvania’s
hunting community as strong as
possible.
Harold Daub, Halifax, Pa.
Executive Director,
Hunters United for Sunday Hunting
facebook.com/huntersunited
forsundayhunting
01/02 • 2019
YOU’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS
SINCE THE DAY THEY WERE BORN.

DISCOVER OUR COMPLETELY REDESIGNED

YOUTH BOWS AT MISSIONARCHERY.COM
T Facial
Contact
 BOWHUNTING
QQ 101
T
wo products have changed
the way I hunt more than
any other advances that
have come along in the past 30
years. In most cases, these two
breakthroughs have made me
more effective as a bowhunter,
but they have also allowed me
to enjoy the experience more —
to get more out of my hours in
the field.
In the end, we all hunt for slight-
ly different reasons, but respect for
the game and a real desire to be im-
mersed as deeply in the experience
as possible are universal. These two
game changers do that for me.
Trail Cameras
I came late to the trail-camera par-
ty and didn’t start using them until
2008. I wish I had started sooner,
16 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING
Game Changers
Of all the new bowhunting tools Field Editor Bill Winke has seen over the past 30
years, none have increased his effectiveness as much as trail cameras and trailer
blinds. The cameras have helped Winke understand how deer use his property in
a much deeper way, and they have kept him from hunting an area when the timing
wasn’t quite right.
because I would know more about But these cameras also reduce the
the deer I hunt as a result. Each year, amount of time I spend hunting ar-
trail cameras teach me more and eas where there aren’t any mature
more about deer and how they use bucks. In other words, trail camer-
my property. Without trail cameras, as really gain their value by keep-
I would still be guessing and assum- ing me focused and allowing me to
ing and not really knowing what make the most of my hunting time. I
these fascinating animals really do. have a lot of time to hunt, so I could
Some people criticize trail cam- occasionally squeak out a mature
eras because they feel the cameras buck kill even without the cameras.
make bowhunting too easy; that But for people who have very lim-
they eliminate the need for good, ited time to hunt, cameras are even
old-fashioned woodsmanship. There more of a game changer.
is some truth to this. Without ques- Not only do the cameras tell
tion, relying on trail cameras signii- you where to focus your time, they
cantly reduces the amount of time can also tell you when to focus it.
I spend scouting my hunting areas By studying the photos, you can
each year looking for deer sign such determine when bucks are mov-
as big rubs and big tracks. ing in daylight and what direction
01/02 • 2019

they are coming from — indicating
something about where they are
feeding or where they are bedding.
This information opens up a wide
range of options for you as a bow-
hunter targeting that buck. It really
is the most critical intel you need
in order to evaluate your strategies
(whether or not they work) and
eventually become a master of this
chess game.
For some bowhunters, that might
make the hunt too easy. I get that.
For me, it makes the relationship
with the hunt deeper. I am more en-
gaged in the places I hunt and the
deer I hunt as a result of knowing
the bucks are there somewhere. It
makes me hunt better, cleaner and
not as sloppy as I could if I was just
putting in the time.
It is also fun to follow speciic
deer for more than one year and
learn more about how they behave
as they get older. That also deepens
the quality of the experience for
me. I ind it fascinating to see how
they change. I could never learn
that without the trail cameras, and
my enjoyment of the hunt would
be poorer for it.
In other words, cameras make it
realistic to go from just deer hunt-
ing to hunting a speciic deer. It
doesn’t always work, so the chal-
lenge is still central to the quest, but
making that quest a bit more per-
sonal not only makes any success
more rewarding, but also allows
us to learn more about deer than
we ever thought possible. That, in
itself, is very rewarding.
Trailer Blinds
My second game changer is less
obvious. I think we all understand
the value of trail cameras, but I bet
many of you have never considered
Shop at Walton’s $10 Off $
and save!
BY BILL WINKE
QQ
how a good ground blind could
change the way you hunt.
Again, just like with the trail cam-
eras, there are going to be detrac-
tors. Some people hate hunting from
blinds because of the feeling of be-
ing constricted without a full ield of
view. It can create a kind of artiicial
experience, like watching the hunt
on a TV screen rather than actually
being there with the wind blowing
in your face and the squirrels climb-
ing in the tree next to you.
Just like with the cameras, I total-
ly get this argument. However, like
with the cameras, there is another
side to the ground-blind experience.
There are times and places where the
blind is absolutely head and shoul-
ders more effective than hunting
from a stand.
I would rather sit in a blind and
watch deer acting naturally for a
Continued on page 18
 BOWHUNTING
QQ 101
Continued from page 17
long time — and possibly even shoot
one — than sit in a stand and proba-
bly spook those same deer before the
evening is over. I can’t enjoy them
or learn from them if they aren’t out
there for me to watch.
Ground blinds offer the advantage
of keeping you hidden and reducing
your airborne scent. You can hunt
closer to the action than you ever
could from a treestand, and you can
hunt there longer than ever would be
possible otherwise.
It seems that no matter how care-
fully I hunt near feeding areas and
how well I place my stands, deer
eventually either see me up there or
pick up a whiff of my scent on the
swirling winds. Either way, that spot
becomes a lot harder to hunt effec-
tively in the future. Educated deer
don’t move as naturally in daylight
as those that don’t realize they are
being hunted.
Without question, blinds are the
best way to hunt feeding areas with
a bow, but this also can be frus-
trating if you put the blind in the
wrong spot. You have to get within
30 yards of perfect — not always
easy in a big, open ield. This is
18 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING
Trailer blinds have allowed Winke to hunt feeding areas far more effectively than he ever
could from a treestand. He puts a blind in a likely spot and then gives the deer time to
get accustomed to its presence. Once the deer are used to the blind, Winke can use
the trailer to move it anywhere in the field to hone in on the preferred feeding area of his
target buck.
where the real game changer comes Eventually, I got a shot at him, but
in: Put that blind on a trailer and he ducked the arrow (dropped at
move it around until you have it the sound of the shot) and got away.
perfectly positioned. But my poor shot selection notwith-
I will give you an example: I standing (I should have aimed low-
hunted a big deer for two years on er on a noticeably alert buck at 30
a seven-acre ield. He would come yards), the blind did what I needed
out from different spots but always it to do. This story has been repeated
seemed to end up more or less in a number of times for me since that
the same part of the ield by last 2011 hunt, with some successful con-
light. That is not something that I clusions along the way.
could learn easily from trail cam- I have a few semi-permanent
eras. I had to be there watching a blinds on ields, but not many.
number of evenings before I saw Most of the spots I hunt regularly
the pattern develop. have a trailer blind on them for this
I hunted that buck with a blind very reason.
on a trailer. Once he got used to it in I use high-quality, hard-sided
the ield (which took about 10 days, blinds. They aren’t cheap, but be-
based on trail-cam photos), I was cause of the mobility of the trailer, I
able to move it around and he nev- don’t need nearly as many to cover
er paid any more attention to it. Fi- my best spots. Just two trailer blinds
nally, after enough sits, and enough give me enough options to cover a
tweaks of the blind, I igured out lot of ground. I would need at least
where I needed to be, and on three eight permanent blinds to cover the
different evenings I had him within same amount of area as effectively.
bow range. You could do the same thing with
01/02 • 2019
 Without question,
blinds are the best
way to hunt feeding
areas with a bow,
but this also can be
frustrating if you put
the blind in the
wrong spot.
Q    Q    Q    Q    Q    Q    Q

less expensive, soft-sided blinds.

They just aren’t as effective at con-
taining odors as the hard-sided
blinds. EXCLUSIVE
To combat the feeling of sitting in
a closet with the door cracked open,
I use blinds with lots of windows.
FREE
Stauer® 8x21
By keeping the right ones uncov- Compact
ered (never let your silhouette show Binoculars
between two uncovered windows) -a $99 value-
you can see plenty and the deer with purchase of
can’t see you. It puts you right in the Whitetail™ Hunting
action — exactly what you need to Knife
shoot deer in ields with a bow.
Of course, there is the challenge
of getting away from the blind at the
end of legal shooting time. To do that
correctly, you really need a distrac-
tion that doesn’t come from the blind
to bump the deer off long enough for
you to get out. The best one is a coy-
ote running into the ield, but that Not shown
can be hard to arrange! The second actual size.
best is to have family or friends drive
out there and bump them off with a
$49 Save $30
vehicle or ATV.
Those are my two game chang- PLUS Free Stauer Compact Binoculars
ers. I love new bows, faster arrows,
sharper broadheads and brighter
ÌÌÌÌÌ
sight pins just as much as the next
guy. And cumulatively, all those
advances might add up to a game
changer. But nothing I have seen in
30 years of serious bowhunting has
compared to the effectiveness boost
I have gotten from trail cameras and
trailer blinds.

www.b owhuntingmag.com
 WHITE
TAILS
Deer Science and Bowhunting Success
LINDA ARNDT PHOTO

S
ince its first organized gathering in Virginia in 1977, the
Southeast Deer Study Group has served as an annu-
al think tank for deer managers and scientists to share
the latest research and issues related to whitetails. I began
attending the meetings as an undergraduate student of wildlife
science in the 1990s and immediately recognized that research
presented during the annual, three-day event is packed with
insights that can make us better bowhunters by being better
deer managers.
When hunters voluntarily pass on year-
ling bucks, such as the one on the left in
this photo, it results in a greater number
of older, more mature bucks to hunt in
subsequent years. A study of yearling buck
survival conducted in Delaware found that
75 percent of yearlings on private land
survived to the next year, compared to a
survival rate of 37 percent on public land.
Q    Q    Q    Q    Q    Q    Q    Q

So, with that in mind, I thought it
would be worthwhile to provide an
overview of the group’s 41st Annu-
al Meeting, held in 2018, and sum-
marize some of the key indings of
interest to those of us with a passion
for chasing whitetails with stick
and string.
QDM = Better Hunting
Does private deer management re-
ally improve hunting success? Well,
University of Tennessee researchers
dug through 16 years of data from
the Ames Plantation Hunting Club
and discovered a return on invest-
ment guaranteed to turn the head
20 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING
of any Wall Street investor. If you
think passing young bucks is hard to
stomach, take a look at these igures!
Among bucks killed by club
members, those ages 2 ½ years old
or younger decreased from 55 per-
cent prior to the implementation of
quality deer management to 23 per-
cent after QDM. Obviously, killing
fewer immature bucks each year re-
sults in a greater number of mature
bucks available to hunters in subse-
quent years.
So, was the wait worth it? Well,
the harvest of mature bucks (those
3 ½ years old and older) among
club members increased 467 per-
cent during the study period. Yes,
you read that right; a 467 percent
increase! What’s the downside to
that remarkable upside? There
isn’t one. In fact, it gets better for
those who like to stock their freez-
ers with organic, free-range meat.
Since well-managed properties seek
to maintain healthy deer densities,
doe harvest is a go-to population
management tool for club members.
In fact, doe harvest per member in-
creased 154 percent during the study
period! More hunters consistently
killing older bucks while also increas-
ing their overall doe harvest sounds
like a win-win to me!
01/02 • 2019

Q    Q    Q    Q    Q    Q    Q    Q
In fact, the older
bucks get, the less
effective humans
become as
predators.
Q    Q    Q    Q    Q    Q    Q    Q
I’ve always encouraged my cli-
ents to maintain a hunting log that
tracks hours hunted along with
bucks, does and fawns observed
from the stand. These numbers,
when compared from year to year,
allow you to identify trends and
determine how well your man-
agement efforts are working. They
also allow us to adjust our harvest
guidelines. The Tennessee hunters
in this particular study were able
to reduce the stand hours required
to observe a mature buck by 45
percent, while overall buck obser-
vations increased 84 percent! If you
could sit in your stand for half as
long and increase your buck sight-
ings by 84 percent, would you turn
that opportunity down?
Yearling Buck Survival
In many areas across the white-
tail’s range, it can be tempting to
put your tag on a young buck. And
we’ve all heard hunters say, “Well, if
I don’t kill him, my neighbor will!”
However, after 16 years of working
with private deer-management pro-
grams across the country, I’ve found
hunters are just not that effective at
killing them all! In fact, the older
bucks get, the less effective humans
become as predators. If that didn’t
bruise your ego, read on.
Jacob Haus led a study of year-
ling (1 ½-year-old) buck survival in
Delaware that proves how passing
on young bucks can result in huge
www.b owhuntingmag.com
rewards in future years. Since white-
tail science has repeatedly proven
that a buck’s antlers get larger with
age, managing for older bucks is
the main objective for those of us
who enjoy hunting and harvesting
mature bucks.
In this particular study, research-
ers sought to document the effect
of land ownership on yearling buck
survival. Annual survival rates of
yearling bucks that lived exclusive-
ly on private land was 75 percent!
Survival rates for yearling bucks
on public lands during the hunt-
ing season was cut in half, but still
reasonable at 37 percent. I found
these numbers encouraging for both
private- and public-land hunters. As
bucks get older, they get smarter and
harder for hunters to kill. If you’re
willing to put in the time — even on
public land — there are always some
mature bucks to be hunted.
Food-Plot Findings
As a private consultant and found-
er of a science-based food-plot prod-
ucts company, sound science that
explores deer nutrition demands
my attention. One study conduct-
ed in Mississippi by Jacob Dykes
found that deer both seek out and
avoid certain plants to balance their
diets, maximizing overall health.
These indings add to volumes of
fact-based, scientiic support that
supplemental food plots make a
property more attractive than one
that fails to offer such diversity. Fur-
thermore, the importance of testing
and improving your soils is backed
by these indings.
I irmly believe year-round,
high-quality food plots offer
small-acreage bowhunters huge
advantages over neighbors who
don’t offer food plots. Food-plot
managers often read about the
importance of maintaining suit-
able soil pH and fertility levels,
but this study was able to show us
why! Nutrient availability in the
soil and a proper pH contribute
to higher-quality forages that deer
inherently know to “seek out.” Al-
BY JASON SNAVELY
though dozens of soil nutrients can
be studied as they relate to food-
plot quality, researchers generally
look to phosphorus and potassi-
um. High phosphorus availability
tends to be selected by whitetails,
along with higher crude protein
levels. While boosting soil fertility
certainly takes some time and ef-
fort across much of the whitetail’s
range, the results are well worth it!
Scientists also lent their inquisi-
tive, fact-seeking skills to a popular
food-plotting debate regarding the
cultivation of soybeans for deer.
What type of soybean is better at
handling heavy browse pressure:
production agricultural soybeans
or forage soybeans? Well, research-
ers conirmed previous indings
that forage soybeans are the reign-
ing king, regardless of marketing
claims to the contrary. If your goal
is to have plenty of deer to hunt and
you desire to hunt soybean food
plots, true forage soybean varieties
are hands down the way to go if
you want to maintain the attractive-
ness of your plots throughout the
hunting season!
Size Matters!
Some research indings are sim-
ply fun to know for the next ireside
chat at deer camp, and the indings
from graduate student Daniel Mo-
rina’s research on whether a buck’s
antler size, age and body mass af-
fects a doe’s level of attraction falls
perfectly into that category! To
successfully demonstrate that does
seek out and choose to breed with
bucks that boast larger head gear,
researchers cut larger antlers off
older bucks and secured them to
the heads of younger bucks. Sep-
arated by a fence, does and bucks
still spent time attempting to breed,
allowing researchers to determine
whether does were attracted to ant-
ler size, body mass or age. Almost
80 percent of the does chose bucks
with larger antlers over those with
smaller antlers, regardless of age or
body size — proving that antler size
matters to the girls!
PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING 21
 BETTER
QQ BOWHUNTING
Y
our peep sight may
seem like a relatively
unimportant bow acces-
sory. Most bowhunters think of
the peep as a one-size-fits-all
add-on. You buy any old peep,
put it in the string and you’re
good to go! However, the peep
is far more important than
most bowhunters realize.
Your sight picture is a big deal,
and few things impact it as much
as your peep sight. When it comes
to the sight picture, there are only
a few variables within your control.
The most important of these are the
size, type and position of your peep
sight. Improving your sight pic-
ture should be a priority. Over the
course of the next three columns,
I’m going to tell you everything I
know about peep sights! Hopefully,
this information will help you make
the right choices when it comes to
your peep-sight options.
Peep Size Selection
The most important decision you
must make (once you have chosen
to use a peep sight in the irst place)
is the size of the aperture. I use an
aperture size that will best match
the hunting conditions I’ll be facing.
I have used the Tru-Peep by Fletch-
er for more than 30 years. It comes
in many sizes, and I’ve literally
used them all over my competitive
and hunting careers. When I know
the shots are going to occur in full
daylight, such as when I’m stalking
mule deer or antelope here in the
open terrain of the Southwest, I will
use a peep with a small aperture.
When I’m hunting in dark forests or
in rainy/cloudy conditions, I use a
much larger aperture.
I default to the smallest aperture
I think I can get away with on any
given hunt. There are two very good
reasons to use a small peep aperture.
First, by reducing the size of the ap-
erture, you reduce the margin of er-
ror when aiming. It is easier to keep
24 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING
Part 1 of 3:
the pin close to the center of the peep
when the peep aperture is small. For
example, if I use a peep with a large
aperture and I mistakenly aim with
the pin halfway between the center
of the peep and the edge of the peep,
my arrow will hit much farther from
my aiming point than it would if I
aimed with the pin halfway between
the center of the peep and the edge
of the peep using a small aperture.
Secondly, a small peep improves
your depth of ield. Depth of ield is
a photographic term. Photographers
know that by reducing the diameter
of the aperture in the lens (increas-
ing the f-stop) they can keep objects
in better focus in the foreground and
in the background. When using a
small peep sight, both the pins and
the target can be somewhat in focus.
You don’t have to focus on one and
blur the other.
In my opinion, this is one of the
downfalls of using the extremely
large peep aperture many bowhunt-
ers prefer. They often choose their
aperture size based on the outside di-
ameter of their round sight housing.
They want to center their pin guard
Peep Sights
Your peep must be anchored solidly in
place by a system that allows you to
quickly determine if it has been moved.
Field Editor Randy Ulmer uses a method
where the serving extends to the bottom
of the peep on the left leg of the split
string and down to the top of the peep
on the right leg of the split string. If the
peep moves up or down, a visible gap
will be created between one of these
servings and the peep.
Q Q Q Q Q    Q    Q    Q
in the peep. These bowhunters have
no real choice on peep diameter if
they’re going to aim this way — only
one size will work just right. As a dis-
claimer, these large peeps seem to be
easier to use if you have young eyes.
However, if your eyes are starting to
fade with age, it becomes much more
dificult to focus on the pins and the
target at the same time.
When I’m hunting in deep woods
with a heavy canopy or in cloudy,
dark, rainy weather, I switch to a
larger peep aperture by necessity.
The need for improved low-light
visibility outweighs my obsession
with extreme precision. I fully real-
ize that I won’t be quite as accurate
under these conditions and limit my
shot distance accordingly.
Securing the Peep
In the past, I have been lax in fully
securing my peep sight irmly into
the string. I believe this is why I
sometimes found myself shooting
slightly low or slightly high during
my daily practice sessions in hunting
camp. I rarely had signiicant left or
right drifting of my groups during a
hunt. However, I often had to adjust
my sights for vertical discrepancies.
I think these up and down chang-
es were caused by my peep being
moved during the hunt by catching
in brush, the bow case or some oth-
er object and being moved slightly
up or down the string. It takes only
a few pounds of upward or down-
ward pressure to move a peep sight
up or down the string an eighth of
an inch. That’s enough to throw you
off on mid-range and longer shots.
01/02 • 2019

Shooting a bow with a peep sight in-
stalled is much like shooting a rifle with
iron sights: you must have good alignment
of the front and rear sights for consistent
accuracy. On a bow, the peep sight is
your rear sight — don’t take it for granted!
Ulmer prefers a peep with a small aper-
ture when hunting in sunny conditions
such as on this Arizona antelope hunt.
I realized I should take this aspect of
my bow setup more seriously. I knew
serving the peep into place securely
reduces the chances it will move. So,
I began being much more aggressive
with my peep serving. However, no
matter how well I served the peep into
the string, it could still be moved rela-
tively easily. So, I wanted a method I
could use in the ield to quickly deter-
mine if my peep had moved.
In the past, I used Wite-Out or
white paint where the peep meets
the string to mark the correct peep
location. Unfortunately, these mark-
ings rubbed off fairly quickly in the
rain or in the brush.
Here’s what I do now: First, I
serve the peep into the string as al-
ways. Then I serve each of the legs
of the serving from the peep down
to the point where the string splits.
So, when I am inished, the serving
®
BY RANDY ULMER
QQ
extends to the bottom of the peep
on the left leg of the split string and
down to the top of the peep on the
right leg of the split string. If the
peep moves up or down, a gap will
be created between one of these
servings and the peep.
While this technique probably
won’t keep the peep from moving
any better than a conventional serv-
ing job, you will be able to quickly
tell if the peep has moved. If it has,
you’ll notice a gap and can easily
move the peep back to its original
position.
Pinpoint accuracy depends on a
good rear sight, so don’t take your
peep sight for granted. Not only
must it be the correct size for your
hunting conditions, it must also
be anchored solidly in place with a
system that allows you to quickly
determine if it has moved.
 CROSS
BOWS
A
crossbow is a tool, like
a hammer or a gun.
All are relatively safe
when handled properly. Sure,
there is risk associated with
any tool — you could drop a
hammer on your toes — but if
you take precautions and fol-
low the proper protocol, you can
significantly reduce any poten-
tial risk. Most of the problems
are related to human error, and
most of the solutions involve
common sense.
Manual Labor
The irst thing you should do upon
opening the box your new crossbow
came in is read the instruction man-
ual. No one is above this step, even
veteran crossbow shooters.
I speak from experience. At any
given time, there might be eight or
10 different crossbows in my shop
for testing and evaluation. I was
assembling a Carbon Express bow
once and feeling pretty conident.
So, I decided to skip the manual and
get right to it. Things went fairly
smoothly until I got to attaching the
riser. Despite my best efforts, I could
not get the smaller screw holes to
line up. I was about to pack the bow
up and ship it back when I read the
manual. There, in black and white,
was a caution that the various com-
ponents needed to be assembled in a
particular order for the screw holes
to line up. Doh!
The 10 Commandments
Everyone knows (or should
know) the 10 Commandments of
Firearm Safety. Most apply directly,
or closely, to crossbows, too. With
appropriate acknowledgment to the
National Rile Association, here’s
my modiied crossbow version:
1. Treat every crossbow as if it’s
“loaded.” Unlike a irearm, you can
easily see if a bow is cocked/loaded.
But even at rest and without a bolt,
26 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING
Crossbow Safety
Safety should be top of mind when using tools of any kind, including crossbows. Always
keep your crossbow pointed in a safe direction, especially when it is cocked and loaded,
but even when it is not.
there is still considerable tension
on the strings and cables that could
cause damage if mishandled.
2. Keep the bow pointed in a safe
direction at all times. Unlike guns,
crossbows don’t have a muzzle. Still,
they have a front end that should not
be pointed in the wrong direction.
This applies more to when the bow
is loaded, but it’s good to always be
aware of where the business end is
pointed.
3. Be sure of the target and what’s
in front of and beyond it. Unlike
a bullet, your bolt isn’t going to
plow through the brush — even the
littlest limb can delect it away from
its intended target. And if you miss,
that bolt could go a long way in who
knows what direction as it ricochets
off trees and rocks. Included in this is
knowing the identifying features of
the game you hunt (particularly the
vital areas), making sure you have
an adequate backstop and not shoot-
ing at a lat, hard surface or at water,
unless of course you’re bowishing.
4. Keep your inger outside the
trigger guard until you are ready to
shoot. Enough said.
5. Check your rail and bolt. Make
CHRISTIAN BERG PHOTO
sure the bolt is properly seated in the
rail groove with the cock vane down
and that the nock is making irm
contact with the latch, string and
anti-dry ire mechanisms. If not, best
case: the bow won’t ire. Worst case:
the bolt, bow or both are destroyed,
which could also result in injury.
Also, make sure you carry only the
proper “ammunition” for your bow.
If it calls for 22-inch bolts, don’t use
20-inch bolts. Make sure there is am-
ple clearance for broadheads, too.
Mechanical heads pose fewer issues,
but you may need to use longer bolts
if shooting ixed-blade heads.
6. Discharge or unload cross-
bow when not in use, and before
transporting. If you must, it’s OK
to transport it still cocked a short
distance on foot or in/on a vehicle
(when safely restrained and prefera-
bly in a hard case), though the latter
is still not recommended. And don’t
store your crossbow cocked for any
extended period of time. It puts ex-
cessive stress on strings, cables and
limbs that can lead to issues in time.
7. Point a crossbow only at some-
thing you intend to shoot. This is
pretty much a repetition of com-
01/02 • 2019

Q   Q   Q   Q   Q   Q   Q
Tip of the Month:
Always wear proper eye protection
when working on or shooting your
crossbow. There are many moving
parts and sharp, pointy objects and
components under a lot of tension.
Any one of these could cause severe
damage in less than the blink
of an eye.
Q   Q   Q   Q   Q   Q   Q
mandment number two. Avoid all
horseplay.
8. Don’t run, jump or climb with a
crossbow, whether it’s cocked or not.
A lot of safety instructions advise not
even walking around with a cocked,
loaded crossbow. That’s good advice,
unless you’re still-hunting. There’s
a partial exception to the climbing
rule: Cock your bow before climbing
into your elevated stand or blind,
but don’t load a bolt until you and
it are securely in position. You can
discharge from the stand, but you’re
better off removing the bolt, lower-
ing the bow and discharging on the
ground. When raising or lowering
the crossbow, always position it so the
butt is facing you.
9. Store crossbows and bolts safely,
in secure locations beyond the reach
of children and careless adults. The
irearm commandment also advises
storing guns and ammo separately,
but I’m not really sure that applies
here. I mean, the odds of accidental
discharge are pretty small considering
the bow is stored un-cocked and with
no bolt attached. Still, don’t leave your
bow where curious eyes and hands
(or vermin) can access it. Put it in a
locked hard case.
10. Avoid drugs and alcohol before
and during crossbow shooting, includ-
ing any legal or prescription mind- or
behavior-altering medicines. Some
™
BY BOB HUMPHREY
might argue, “What’s the big deal? It’s
not like a gun; there’s no harm in hav-
ing a couple beers while shooting a
bow.” Yes, there is. Even a single beer
can alter your judgment and relexes,
and it’s the irst step down a slippery
slope. Save the libation until after the
work is done.
Maintenance
Like reading the manual, proper
crossbow maintenance should also
be mandatory. But how many of you
follow maintenance schedules to a
T? Do you change your engine oil at
exactly 3,000 miles or let it run a few
hundred over? Do you clean and oil
your guns after every hunt? Do you
change the batteries in your smoke
alarms every year? You get the point.
There’s a little leeway, but not much,
if you want to ensure your crossbow
provides many seasons of safe, reli-
able performance. For how and when
to care for your particular crossbow,
read the manual.

Hoyt’s new Custom-Tune grip is designed
to produce a neutral wrist position, which
the author found to be very enjoyable to
shoot. The grip’s underlying metal plate
can be adjusted to fit the shooter’s hand
and pressure points.
rubber shelf pad, a semi-inline
roller guard cable-containment sys-
tem and front/rear stainless-steel
stabilizer-mounting inserts further
enhance the RX-3 riser.
Distributed Balance
& Power
The RX-3 Hybrid limbs are con-
structed via a lamination process
that allows for full contour with-
out cutting through critical stress
ibers — an action that spells trou-
ble for typical limb designs. Hoyt’s
Uniform Stress Distribution (USD)
processes create a limb that stores
more energy throughout the entire
length of the limb. The RX-3 also
features the company’s Limb Shock
vibration dampeners that work
with the past-parallel limb con-
iguration to tame each shot. Both
the top and bottom limbs are short
and wide for increased torsional
stability. However, the asymmetri-
cal wider pocket and outside limb
www.b owhuntingmag.com
BY JON E. SILKS
SPEED & ENERGY
DRAW-FORCE CURVE
KINETIC DYNAMIC
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
375-GRAIN 300 fps 74.96
ARROW foot-pounds 83.04%
425-GRAIN 284 fps 76.13 84.34%
ARROW foot-pounds
width on the bottom of the bow, as
compared to the top, keeps the ver-
tical center of mass at the grip for
exceptional overall balance. Hoyt
calls this coniguration its Offset
Weight Distribution Technology.
Shock Pods are anchored in the
riser tab next to the bottom limb
bolt. Draw-weight peaks of 40, 50,
60, 65, 70 and 80 pounds are avail-
able, all with 10 pounds of down-
ward adjustability (80-pound limbs
not available on Turbo model).
Hyper Performance
The new ZT Hyper Pro Cam & ½
system works in conjunction with
Two base cams and a rotating module
Hoyt’s patent-pending Split Cable span the entire draw-length range. Cam
system, which uses a unique yoke 2 is adjustable down to 24½ inches and
and split ends to balance the load up to 28 inches, while Cam 3 adjusts from
evenly on either side of the lower 27-30 inches. The module on either can be
cam. A curved groove on the mod-
ule causes one side of the split cable
adjusted without a bow press.
to move closer to the centerline of the
bow during the draw cycle, resulting
in the company’s 3D Shift Technol- Impressions
ogy, designed to eliminate inherent The RX-3 was lawless in it, form
torque and, therefore, the need for a and function. A quick bump was
lexing/moving cable guard. felt in the grip at the shot; howev-
Two base cams and a rotating er, there was zero detectable vibra-
module span the entire draw-length tion. Like its predecessors, and in
range — Cam 2 reaches from 24 ½ to true Hoyt fashion, this bow has a
28 inches, and Cam 3 offers lengths super-smooth draw cycle.
of 27-30 inches. No bow press is The test bow did tip the scales
required to adjust the module with- a bit heavier than the advertised
in the range of each cam. Standard weight. The RX-3 has good on-tar-
system letoff is 85 percent, with an get balance and a slow, steady drop
80 percent option. Hoyt outits the after the shot. I liked the new grip
RX-3 string with its Hole Shot String more than expected, as it it my
Vibration Dampening System, which hand very well.
dynamically interacts with the draw Overall, the RX-3 is another big
cycle and shot. success for the Hoyt crew!
PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING 29
 The 5 Hottest
Deer Destinations
A
merica is blessed with an abundance of big-game
animals for bowhunters to pursue, but it’s no
secret whitetail deer are No. 1 on the list. Thanks
to their relative abundance and wide geographic
distribution, whitetails draw more bowhunters aield
each year than any other species — by a wide margin.
The quality of America’s whitetail hunting has
increased dramatically over the past several decades,
thanks largely to a tremendous rise in the adoption of
quality deer management principles by state wildlife
agencies and private landowners alike. As a result, there
are now many states that regularly produce the kind of
world-class trophies historically only associated with a
handful of whitetail hotspots.
Given the whitetail’s tremendous popularity and the
number of bowhunters who travel long distances each
year in search of a trophy buck, we thought it would be
fun to take a look across the nation and identify the top
ive deer-hunting destinations for the next ive years.
Although we didn’t want to limit our search too much,
we felt that — in addition to great bowhunting — any
state that made our list also had to offer good non-
resident license availability (sorry, Iowa) and enough
public land to make the whitetail resource accessible to
blue-collar bowhunters (sorry, Texas).
Although we don’t claim our rankings are an exact
science, they are based on a combination of research and
input gleaned from an informal poll of 10 nationally
recognized whitetail experts: Kip Adams, conservation
director at the Quality Deer Management Association;
Ralph Cianciarulo, co-owner of Archer’s Choice media;
Eddie Claypool, DIY whitetail guru and BOWHUNT-
ING ield editor; Levi Morgan, world champion archer
and co-host of Bow Life TV; Rick Mowery, communica-
tions manager of the Pope and Young Club; Dan Perez,
chief executive oficer of Whitetail Properties; Steve
Scott, vice president of the Whitetail Institute; Jason Sna-
vely, owner of Drop-Tine Wildlife Consulting and BOW-
HUNTING Whitetails columnist; Bill Winke, co-owner of
Midwest Whitetail and BOWHUNTING ield editor; and
Dr. Grant Woods, renowned whitetail biologist and host
of Growing Deer TV.
The experts certainly didn’t agree on everything, but
when combined with a review of whitetail trophy data
and other deer-hunting information, there were some
JOHN FORD PHOTO

clear trends involving states that kept popping up again

and again. So, without further ado, here are our picks
for America’s top ive whitetail destinations for the next
ive years:

30
 #
5 0
A
sk the average bowhunter what
species comes to mind when
you mention Montana and the
most common answer is likely to
be elk, probably followed by mule
deer, moose or even mountain lion.
Therein lies the beauty of Montana
as a whitetail-hunting destination,
as this stunningly beautiful Western
state harbors a whitetail resource far
bigger than its reputation.
“When you consider all variables,
Montana should be No. 1 as far as I
am concerned, because I can’t think
of a state that beats it,” Snavely said.
“I don’t mind hunting the Midwest,
but there are a lot of reasons I think
Montana is much, much better.”
According to Snavely, a profes-
sional deer manager and BOW-
HUNTING’s Whitetails columnist,
Montana’s best whitetail hunting
is found along the numerous river
drainages in the eastern half of the
“Big Sky Country”
state — most notably the Missouri, other crops that combine with copi-
Powder, Tongue and Yellowstone ous natural browse and cover to cre-
rivers. “The solitude and remoteness ate an ideal whitetail habitat. “Col-
of those magniicent river bottoms is liding with that, we have … lower
unmatched,” he said. “It just blows hunting pressure [than most other
my mind every time I am out there. states] and an abnormally high den-
Eastern Montana is the last, best- sity of good bucks in that sweet spot
kept secret” in the whitetail world. of 150-180 inches,” he added.
In addition to stunning natural As an added bonus, Montana’s
beauty, Snavely said the wide, open archery season structure — run-
river bottoms allow local ranchers to ning from early September to mid-
grow a plethora of corn, alfalfa and October — makes it one of a hand-
ful of states where bowhunters have
a legitimate chance to take bucks in
velvet. Another big factor working
in favor of Montana whitetail hunt-
ers is a mind-boggling amount of
accessible land. Nearly 30 percent of
the state — some 28.2 million acres
— is public. And the state’s block
management program makes an ad-
ditional 7.3 million acres of private
land available for public hunting.
Montana may be the most expen-
sive state in the nation when it comes
to non-resident deer tags, which will
PHOTO COURTESY OF MONTANA WHITETAILS/www.montanawhitetails.com
set you back roughly $625. And, they
aren’t necessarily the easiest tags to
get. Still, if you are looking for an
outitted or DIY deer hunt that offers
a great combination of quantity and
quality, Montana is hard to beat.
More Information: Montana Fish,
Wildlife and Parks; fwp.mt.gov
The river bottoms of Eastern Montana not
only hold large concentrations of white-
tails but plenty of good bucks among
them. South Carolina bowhunter Mike
Mattson killed this fine trophy in 2014
during an outfitted hunt with Montana
Whitetails.
31
 #
4
Oklahoma bowhunter Brad Gaddis killed
this giant Sooner State buck in 2013 on his
own property while hunting over a food plot
planted with Whitetail Institute Pure Attrac-
tion. The non-typical buck received an official
Boone and Crockett net score of 212 5⁄8 .

S
imilar to Montana, Oklahoma is a
high-quality whitetail state that
has largely lown under the ra-
dar on a national basis, at least until

PHOTO COURTESY OF WHITETAIL INSTITUTE/ www.whitetailinstitute.com

recent years. Long overshadowed
by its neighbors to the south (Texas)
and north (Kansas), Oklahoma is
attracting growing attention from
non-resident bowhunters.
Dan Perez, CEO of Whitetail Prop-
erties, said the Sooner State is particu-
larly attractive to hunters looking to
invest in hunting property that doesn’t
carry the same kind of premium price
as deer dirt in states with bigger repu-
tations for trophy bucks. “Our goal as
a land company is to get ahead of the
curve,” Perez said. “If you are interest-
ed in buying whitetail ground, Okla-
homa is a really good place to invest.
It’s a great state. Four or ive years ago,
you and I probably wouldn’t even be
having a conversation about Oklaho-
ma. It has just been kind of a sleeper.”
Because Oklahoma can be sus-
ceptible to extended periods of hot, Those small pockets sometimes hold and available over the counter.
dry conditions, Perez said most of tremendous numbers of deer.” Oklahoma is home to a growing
the state’s best deer hunting is con- Oklahoma offers a fairly liberal sea- number of whitetail outitters that
centrated along river corridors. “The son structure and bag limit for bow- offer quality hunting. DIY bowhunt-
best habitat follows water,” he said. hunters, with an archery season that ers, meanwhile, can ind ample op-
“You might be hunting an area that runs from Oct. 1-Jan. 15 and a bag lim- portunity to explore via a statewide
is ields and fencerows and kind of it of six deer, including two antlered network of Wildlife Management
open ground, but along those wa- deer and four antlerless deer. Non- Areas and the Oklahoma Land
terways it is just lush vegetation. resident archery deer permits are $300 Access Program (OLAP) that makes
signiicant acreage of private ground
accessible for public hunting.
“The Sooner State” More Information: Oklahoma De-
partment of Wildlife Conservation;
www.wildlifedepartment.com

In 2016, 59 percent of all bucks taken by

Oklahoma hunters were 3 ½ years old or
older, ranking the Sooner State fourth in
the nation in percentage of mature bucks
in the overall harvest, according to the
Quality Deer Management Association.
32 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING 01/02 • 2019
N
ow we are breaking into our top
three, and honestly, you won’t
ind any surprises here. Truth
is, iguring out exactly what order to
“The Buckeye
State”
#
3
put our inal three states in was a real With 6.11 bowhunters
chore, because an argument could per square mile, Ohio
easily be made for putting any one
of them at the top of the list.
ranks third in the nation in
Ohio, for instance, takes a back seat bowhunter density, behind
to nowhere in monster whitetail pro- only Pennsylvania and
duction. The Pope and Young Club’s Maryland, according to the
record book proves that — Ohio to eat, Ohio bucks are dificult for
has produced the No. 3 (198 3⁄8) and hunters to pinpoint, allowing many Quality Deer Management
No. 6 (196 6⁄8) typical whitetails and the to reach full maturity and develop Association. Ohio ranks
No. 1 (294 0⁄8) non-typical whitetail. giant racks. ifth in the nation for overall
And it’s not like these bucks were Ohio also doesn’t have a center- hunter density at 12.3 per
killed a long time ago. The No. 1 non- ire rile deer season, restricting gun
typical was taken in Greene County hunters to shotguns and muzzle- square mile. The Buckeye
in 2000. The No. 3 typical was taken loaders. Better still, from a bowhunt- State’s ability to consistently
in Muskingum County in 2004, and er’s perspective, is that the irearms produce world-class bucks
the No. 6 typical was taken in Adams seasons are relatively short and don’t
County in 2006. So, if you’re looking coincide with peak rut. “So,” Morgan
is even more remarkable
to kill a truly giant buck — especially said, “that saves a lot of big deer.” considering that relatively
if you’re an archer living in the na- There are plenty of outitters and high hunting pressure.
tion’s heavily populated Northeast leasing opportunities in Ohio, but
Corridor — Ohio has to be at or near a quality, DIY hunt isn’t out of the
the top of your list. question. In fact, Ohio offers access Florida bowhunter Caleb Stephens killed
this giant southern Ohio buck during an
Another great thing about Ohio, es- to public land throughout the state October 2017 hunt with Whitetail Heaven
pecially when compared to other well- via Wildlife Management Areas Outfitters. The deer grossed 202 inches
known whitetail destinations in the and other properties owned by the and is a fine example of the heavy-bodied,
Midwest, is how friendly it is to visit- Department of Natural Resources. heavy-racked trophies that have earned
ing bowhunters. Non-resident archers More Information: Ohio Division the Buckeye State such a stellar reputa-
can get guaranteed hunting licenses of Wildlife; wildlife.ohiodnr.gov tion among whitetail hunters.
for $146.12, with an either-sex deer
permit costing just $41.60 more. So, for
less than $200, you can bowhunt the
Buckeye State to your heart’s content
during a lengthy season — roughly
PHOTO COURTESY OF WHITETAIL HEAVEN OUTFITTERS/www.whitetailheavenoutfitters.com

four months, from the end of Septem-

ber into February.
“Ohio has been awesome to me,”
said Levi Morgan, world champion
3-D shooter and Bow Life TV co-host.
Morgan grew up in North Carolina
and currently resides in Pennsylva-
nia, but his family owns a 200-acre
farm in southern Ohio where, several
years ago, he killed a giant buck that
sported numerous drop tines totaling
26 inches of antler.
What makes the Buckeye State so
good for whitetails, Morgan believes,
is an almost perfect blend of rugged
terrain covered in hardwood forest,
along with plenty of agriculture to
boost deer nutrition. With plenty of
places to hide and plenty of places

www.b owhuntingmag.com
 #
2
O
ver the last decade, Kentucky
has gone from a sleeper state
to one that is routinely men-
tioned among America’s most desir-
able whitetail destinations — and

PHOTO COURTESY OF WHITETAIL PROPERTIES/www.whitetailproperties.com

for good reason. Kentucky ranks
No. 5 all-time in Boone and Crockett
whitetail entries (ahead of both Ohio
and Kansas). And if you look at just
the past decade, Kentucky’s 418 B&C
entries rank No. 3 nationally.
Clearly, the Bluegrass State has
a lot going for it when it comes to
whitetail hunting, starting with a
conservative bag limit of one buck
per hunter, per year — regardless of
residency or land ownership. Simply
put, “a lot of bucks reach maturity
there,” said Dr. Grant Woods, noted
whitetail biologist and host of Grow-
ing Deer TV. “Each hunter is not tak-
Thanks to its early archery opener, Kentucky is among a handful of states nation-
ing three or four bucks, and when wide where bowhunters can chase velvet bucks such as this giant taken by Whitetail
you are only allowed one buck, you Properties Land Specialist Stephen French in 2017.
tend to be more selective.”
Sure, Woods said, Kentucky has
great deer habitat, including almost
impenetrable forests in the eastern the rut, Woods said even the impact the ability to take one buck and up
end of the state and a great mix of of that is mitigated by the one-buck to three antlerless deer, depend-
woodlots and agriculture in the west bag limit. “If you kill a buck in bow ing on the county where you hunt.
— a region Woods fondly refers to season, you are only doe hunting in Kentucky also offers an extremely
as “Little Iowa.” But, Woods notes, gun season,” he said. long archery season that runs near-
Kentucky’s neighbor to the south, Kentucky is also a very hunter- ly ive months, from Sept. 1 to late
Tennessee, has almost identical habi- friendly state, with inexpensive January. Plus, the early bow opener
tat but produces only a fraction of license fees and seasons that give makes Kentucky one of a handful of
the trophy bucks Kentucky does due sportsmen plenty of time to enjoy states where bowhunters can pursue
to a much more liberal bag limit on the outdoors. Non-residents can pur- whitetail bucks in velvet during the
bucks. And while it is true that Ken- chase an annual hunting license for irst week to 10 days of the season.
tucky offers a relatively long, two- $140 and deer permit for $120 over Finally, Kentucky offers plenty of
week rile season that coincides with the counter. The deer permit includes public ground for visiting bowhunt-
ers to explore, with an extensive
network of Wildlife Management
“The Bluegrass State” Areas statewide. There are also other
state and federal lands, such as the
Estimated Kentucky massive Land Between the Lakes
deer population National Recreation Area, and
numerous private properties open
heading into the to public hunting, particularly in the
2017-18 hunting eastern portion of the state where
858,876 seasons, according many mining and timber companies
make large tracts available for public
to the state’s
recreation.
Department of More Information: Kentucky
Fish and Wildlife Department of Fish and Wildlife
Resources. Resources; fw.ky.gov

34 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING 01/02 • 2019

M
any times, the best answer to a
question is the most obvious
one, and that’s certainly the
case when it comes to selecting Kansas
as the No. 1 state on our list. Outside of
Iowa, which we eliminated from con-
tention due to the dificulty of obtain-
“The Jayhawker State”
#
1
ing non-resident licenses, it is hard to
top 10 non-typicals, with bucks that Kansas also has a one-buck bag
scored 264 1⁄8, 257 0⁄8, 255 6⁄8 and 250 6⁄8.
imagine anywhere that rivals the Jay- limit for residents and non-residents,
That’s more than 1,000 inches of
hawker State for producing big bucks. which encourages hunters to be se-
antler from just four animals!
The great thing about Kansas deer is lective in their harvest decisions. It’s
“We all have different goals, but if
they have giant bodies to match their this lack of pressure, combined with
yours is to really have an opportunity
giant headgear. If you’ve ever sat in a great habitat and genetics, that al-
to harvest a trophy of a lifetime, I don’t
Kansas deer stand on a frosty Novem- lows Kansas to produce the kind of
think there is any place that you have a
ber morning and watched one of those bucks most bowhunters only dream
better chance than Kansas,” Whitetail
tank-sized, 250-pound bucks chase a about. “It can just consistently, year
Properties CEO Dan Perez said.
doe across a CRP ield, you know ex- after year, produce giants,” said Bow
actly what I’m talking about. And ifBig whitetails can be found across Life TV’s Levi Morgan, who counts
the state, from the more heavily forest-
you haven’t, you need to add a Kansas his annual Kansas whitetail hunt as
ed and hilly terrain of Eastern Kansas
whitetail hunt to your bucket list! a highlight of the year. “You shoot
all the way through the classic prairie
Interestingly, Kansas doesn’t have three or four giant deer off a farm,
terrain of the state’s middle and west-
a single typical whitetail in the top 10 and you show up the next year and
ern sections. Although hunting pres-
of the Pope and Young Club’s all-time have three or four more on the very
sure is a bit higher in Eastern Kansas
records, but it accounts for four of the irst trail-camera pull,” he said. “It’s
— where the bulk of the state’s popu- like, ‘Where do they come from?’”
37% lation resides — it is still only a frac-
tion of the pressure deer face back
Kansas’ archery season runs from
mid-September through December.
on the East Coast. Non-resident deer licenses, which in-
Percentage of Kansas’ total “I go to Kansas because … I clude either-sex and antlerless tags,
deer harvest taken with archery can drive around for miles are $442.50 and must be obtained
and not even see another via an annual draw system. Licenses
equipment in 2016, which ranked vehicle parked to indicate aren’t guaranteed, but draw odds are
sixth in the nation, according to another hunter is out in the at or near 100 percent in many units,
the Quality Deer Management ield,” Perez said. with decent odds in others. So, visit-
ing bowhunters have a good chance
Association. of obtaining a deer license every
year. In addition to the deer permit,
non-residents must also purchase a
general hunting license for $97.50.
Kansas offers a good supply of
public ground statewide and also op-
erates an extensive Walk In Hunting
Area (WIHA) program that makes
lots of private ground available for
PHOTO COURTESY OF WHITETAIL PROPERTIES/www.whitetai properties.com

public hunting. A searchable map

of public-hunting areas is available
on the state wildlife department’s
website.
More Information: Kansas
Department of Wildlife, Parks and
Tourism; ksoutdoors.com

Kansas produces lots of big bucks,

including four of the top 10 non-typicals
in the Pope and Young Club’s all-time
record book. This big non-typical taken
by Whitetail Properties Land Specialist
Adam Hann in 2016 is a great example
of the kind of big bucks that earned the
Jayhawker State the top spot on our list.
PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING 35
36
LATE-SEASON
Case Study
n recent years, I have shot a number of bucks after
I the rut, almost as many as I have shot during the
rut. However, for some reason, the late-season
bucks have not been as big. I think that is just coin-
cidence. I have deinitely had chances on big ones
during December and January; I just didn’t get it done.
But the bucks I have shot have been mature, and shoot-
ing a small-antlered old buck is no easier than shooting a
big-antlered old buck. Antlers are cool, for sure, but the
“old” part is the real challenge.
In this feature, I am going to focus on two late-season
bucks. I killed them both from the same spot under very
similar conditions four years apart. I shot Loppy in late De-
cember 2012 and Tight-Racked Ten in late December 2016.
My hope is that these two stories demonstrate a late-
season blueprint — how the late season can sometimes
work out for a bowhunter. And I hope they show that
trophies aren’t always determined by antler size.
The Hunt for Loppy
I started paying attention to “Loppy” back in 2009
when he was just one of several mature bucks on the
farm. After a few narrow escapes that season, Loppy
lived another year and showed back up on the trail cam-
eras the following September. That is when he became a
top prize. While he had been quite visible during day-
light in 2009, in 2010 he only showed up on the cameras
after dark.
In 2011, based on the photos I got from three weeks of
surveillance, Loppy was again 100 percent nocturnal. So,
like in 2010, I chose not to hunt him. Without some day-
light activity, hunting any buck can be sheer frustration.
Loppy set up to be one of those bucks.
Loppy was nothing if not consistent; the story re-
peated itself in 2012 when October photos showed zero
daylight activity. Interestingly, his core had moved each
year, and now he was a full mile to the west of where he
was living in 2009! Just inding him back each year was
a minor victory. Again, he went to the bottom of the list
because of his lack of daylight movement.
I started to write Loppy off as unkillable. He had
been a fully mature buck in 2009 when we irst started
seeing him. He could easily have been 8½ years old in
2012, but without question, he was an old bugger —
and cagey.
My irst breakthrough in the multi-year hunt for
Loppy inally came in early December 2012. I had put
out my cameras after the rut, hoping to ind some pros-
pects for the late season. There was Loppy. Only now he
was showing up right on the fringe of daylight — a few
photos that didn’t require the infrared lash. But it was
something; a glimmer of hope. I iled the information
away — I still didn’t trust him.
I stayed clear of the area where Loppy was living
until the conditions were right. The day after a cold front
came through, December 21, I made my move. Deer
tend to move very well during a snowstorm here in the
Midwest, and very well the day after a harsh cold front
comes through even if it doesn’t bring snow. I have seen
this pattern hold up over the years.
Every buck in that area came out onto the one-acre
turnip patch well before sunset. There were six or seven
of them, but the one that came out last really grabbed
my attention. It was Loppy; the irst time I had seen him
in daylight since November of 2009. For more than three
years he had eluded me.
Loppy fed for several long minutes before working
his way closer. I stopped him for a 25-yard shot, which
I made. I have killed bigger deer in my life, but few of
them made me any prouder.
How the Late Season Worked
The trail camera photos told me where Loppy was
living, but the weather forecast told me when to hunt
him. This is the typical game plan for late season. Sure,
it would be great if a buck was just randomly moving in
daylight on your cameras, but that is rare during the late
season. By the time the regular irearms season is over,
most of the bucks are very shy.
Don’t let nocturnal behavior worry you during the
late season. The buck you’re after doesn’t have to be a
daylight roamer for you to kill him. He only needs to
move once in daylight for you to be successful — as long
as you are there when he does. Fortunately, predicting
that one time is much easier during the late season than
at any other time of the year.
Late-season hunting isn’t easy, but if you have the right conditions
(a good food source, relatively unpressured deer and cold weath-
er) it can be very productive — nearly as productive as the rut.
37
 LATE-SEASON Case Study
It really is that simple. If you can
ind the buck you want to hunt, you
just wait until a cold snap puts him
on his feet earlier than normal. It
takes a pretty sharp fall in the mer-
cury, though. A little downward blip
in the temperature graph usually
won’t do it. You will likely need an
afternoon where the temperature is
at least 15 to 20 degrees below nor-
mal. The irst really cold evening is
best, but if the weather is prolonged,
don’t be afraid to keep going.
I have had years when it never got
cold, and during those seasons, I rarely
This is the photo the author got of Loppy in
early December. It wasn’t much, but it was
enough to show that the buck was in the
area. When the next big cold front came
through, roughly three weeks later, Winke
hunted the area and was able to catch the
buck in daylight for the first time in three
seasons!
38 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING
killed bucks during the late season.
Success is that weather dependent.
The second part of the magic win-
ter formula is to keep the pressure
off until the time is right. Deer are re-
ally good at knowing when you are
hunting them, and that sensitivity
goes up to an even higher level dur-
ing the late season. You aren’t going
to get away with many hunts in your
good spots at this time of the year
before you have educated the deer to
the point where they aren’t moving
in daylight at all — or they just leave
and feed somewhere else.
Rarely will you ind a mature buck
using a feeding area in late season by
himself. There just aren’t that many
good places to eat. Usually, there
will be lots of other deer that come
out irst. Even on days with normal
temperatures, there will likely be a
few does and young bucks that come
out right at last light.
So, just being there every night until
he shows up won’t work. You are go-
ing to burn the spot out way too soon.
It isn’t enough to keep from spooking
the buck you are after; you have to
keep from educating any of the deer
using the feeding area. Otherwise,
their cautious body language will
quickly transmit tension through the
entire herd and a sense of unease will
hang over the area like a black cloud.
That is why you have to be super
careful not to overhunt those few
really productive food sources dur-
ing this time, and why you have to
wait for the cold snaps and then go
hunting. Don’t give in to the tempta-
tion to hunt sooner.
I have had successful late seasons
where I only hunted two or three
evenings. I would check cameras
in several spots, several times per
week, until I found a buck to hunt,
but I didn’t actually hunt him very
often — only when the conditions
were perfect. The real hunt, during
the late season, takes place without
a bow in your hand — it is the time
spent checking cameras. This leads
me to the discussion of the buck I
called Tight-Racked Ten.
Hunting Tight-Racked Ten
Like Loppy, I had quite a bit of his-
tory with Tight-Racked Ten. I didn’t
start hunting him until 2016, the year
I killed him, but I irst became aware
of the buck in 2014 through trail-
cam photos and sightings. I igured
he was 3 years old then. He was in
more or less the same area in 2015,
and when I looked for him in early
October of 2016, I found him there
again.
That is where the story takes an inter-
esting turn. I killed him on December
28, a half-mile from where I thought he
lived. That is the power of food during
this time of the year. I would have bet
money that Tight-Racked Ten would
never show up at that small turnip plot
(it was turnips again in 2016, actually, a
blend called Big-N-Beasty).
He came out two nights in a row,
and my ability to keep hunting him
effectively hinged on a luke. On
December 27, Tight-Rack came out
with about 20 minutes of legal time
remaining. He was working very
slowly my way amid a group of
smaller bucks and does. There was
some question as to whether he
would make it in time. If he didn’t, I
This is the buck the author nicknamed
Loppy. He was likely 8 years old in 2012
when Winke finally shot him. The buck had
been nocturnal on trail cameras for years
until a cold front in late December brought
him out at least an hour before the end of
legal shooting time.
01/02 • 2019

would be faced with the problem of
having to get out of that blind with
a dozen deer nearby. It would have
been a disaster.
Instead, a rabbit in the brush un-
der the blind bolted out into the ield
and spooked a fawn that was feeding
nearby. She, in turn, started the ripple
effect of running deer. That rabbit and
the fawn cleared the entire plot! My
cameraman and I took the opportuni-
ty to get out of there fast without any
deer knowing we were ever there.
The next evening, Tight-Rack
came out a bit earlier, easily made it
within bow range before the end of
legal time and I made the shot.
Low-Pressure Strategies
This hunt proiles the importance
of keeping the pressure off these late-
season deer. Those two hunts were
the irst two times I had hunted that
blind in more than a month. Those
deer were comfortable enough using
the plot to come out in daylight when
the temperature inally dropped.
In this case, it was actually a warm-
up after a prolonged stretch of really
cold temperature that got them on
their feet. I have written about it here
before, but during the late season,
any weather break (whether cold
after warmer days or warm after
colder days) will get them going.
Getting back to the key, those deer
were relaxed. I didn’t hunt them
until things were right. As I men-
tioned, I only hunted two days all
late season in 2016.
Ground blinds were another con-
tributing factor to the success I had
on both these hunts. People don’t
really like to hunt from blinds that
much; you just can’t see as well. But
www.b owhuntingmag.com
If your hunting area has a good food
source, you will have deer during the late
season. Corn is a favorite, but any grain
crop, and even some greens such as
brassicas and winter wheat, can produce
action.
today’s advanced blinds have a lot
more windows and are constructed
with enjoyment in mind. I used to The author was able to find Tight-Racked
be one of those guys who hated Ten in the same place every October,
blinds, too, but when hunting near including in 2016, the year he shot him.
However, Winke ended up shooting the
food sources, especially during the buck a full half-mile from this spot in late
late season, blinds are one of the December as the buck was searching for
keys to success. Plus, as I age, I ap- the best available food source. That’s the
preciate the fact that they are much power of a good food source during the
safer than a treestand — especially late season — deer will travel to find it.
when my hinges are
cold and stiff.
Late-season hunt-
ing gets good when
it gets cold, right?
And the deer are su-
per wary, right? Put
those two conditions
together and tell me
how effective you are
going to be in a na-
ked tree on the edge
of that frozen tundra
with a dozen sets of
eyes ready to notice
your every move. I
know how it goes; I
have tried it many
times and cleared
more than one ield by
wiping a snot ball off
the end of my nose! This is Tight-Racked Ten right where he
Blinds (at least the good ones) not was standing the evening before Winke
only keep you warm enough to put shot him. The deer came from at least a
in the necessary time, but they keep half-mile away to use the food plot.
all those small movements hidden.
Further, well-made blinds are also
very good at containing your scent, However, if you have the food
so you have less chance of a deer get- source and limited hunting pressure
ting downwind and blowing the en- in the area (it doesn’t have to be zero
tire hunt. I would build a blind out pressure, just limited), you have the
of sticks and cedar boughs before I opportunity for good late-season
would go back to hunting from a tree- hunting. It isn’t as much fun as the
stand during the late season. It just rut — not by a long shot — but I do
isn’t much fun and not very effective. think that as I get better at hunting
So, that is how trail cameras, this time of the year, my success rate
weather patterns, food sources and is nearly as high during December
ground blinds came together to pro- and January as it is in November.
duce two of my more memorable Plus, it is just fun to be able to keep
late-season hunts. Late season isn’t hunting. Don’t put your bow away
good everywhere; I don’t want to for the season until you at least see if
mislead you in that regard. It can there are any decent bucks still living
be downright bad in places with- in your hunting area. If there are, a
out food sources and in places with cold snap may just put them right in
heavy hunting pressure. your pocket.
PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING 39
 Finish Early &
W
ith the amount of time I spend on the
lonesome highway each year, I
certainly have plenty of time for
meditation. Such was the case in late
December of 2017, as the Claypool
Clan rolled down Interstate 10, headed for southeastern
Arizona. Bittersweet emotions ran strong through my
heart and mind as I realized that this trip marked the
end of another year of bowhunting adventure. Having
always viewed my yearly Coues deer foray as the last
trip of an exciting season of hunting, it was only natural
that I was a little melancholy.
As a new line of thinking popped into my head, how-
ever, newfound excitement rose in my spirit. What if I
called this trip the beginning of a new bowhunting season,
rather than the end of the last one? After all, almost all
of the trip would fall in a new year, and with turkey sea-
son starting only a couple of months after we’d get home,
there really wouldn’t be much of an off-season, would
40 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING
there? Smiling at my new “revelation,” the sky immedi-
ately became a little bluer, the air a little fresher. I should
have been looking at things this way a long time ago!
Toward the middle of our second day of travel, a
familiar sight came into view. In the foothills of rugged
mountains, our little spot was situated at an elevation
below the likelihood of heavy snows. Such being the
case, even if the weather got nasty up high, I could al-
ways hunt around camp. On the other hand, if warm
and sunny weather prevailed, I could head uphill just
about as far as a guy could desire. What a winning hand!
Over the 25 years I’d been pursuing Coues, I’d
migrated around the state of Arizona — and part of New
Mexico — always looking for that “magical” spot. I’d
been through some great times in widely varied types of
habitat, but recently I’d settled on this spot as my main
squeeze. Ranging in elevation from 4,000-9,000 feet, this
country offered it all. I could hunt ’em in the mesquite
of the desert or the mature pines of the mountaintops.
 Finish Early &
Stay Late
I had good spots in both types
of habitat, and everything in be-
tween. There was a good population
of the little buggers throughout, and
thus, I often varied my hunting loca-
tions for regular changes in scenery
and climate. I could hunt in easily
accessible locations, or in designat-
ed wilderness. What more could a
bowhunter ask for?
Always allowing the maximum
amount of time possible for this
trip, my wife, Peg, and I looked for-
ward to a relaxed experience where
we could simply go at an unhur-
ried pace. Slowly attaining a good
base camp, we laughed, loved and
enjoyed the carefree life with which
we were blessed. Our dog Lulu dug
for ground squirrels, Peg basked in
the warm winter sun and I scurried
about in my usual way, busy with
hunting plans. In our book, we were
rich beyond measure; a iner exis-
tence simply could not be bought.
And, as December came to an end,
the Claypools prepared to greet the
New Year with a cheeseburger and
a soda, followed by some M&Ms.
Meanwhile, Lulu worked on a
rawhide “chewy.”
Quietly lost in our own thoughts
and prayers, a couple of rednecks sat
around a campire as the Milky Way
ran across the dark desert sky. When
midnight inally passed, a woman, a
dog and a scrawny bowhunting runt
headed for the warmth of a trailer
and a comfortable bed. Oh, and did
I mention the Coues deer rut was
underway? Aahhh, now there was
some good dream material!
Getting to Work
After a great breakfast, I loaded
the ATV with treestands and headed
out — a full day was ahead. Making
my way back into the foothills, I soon
parked the machine, shouldered a
backpack and headed for remote
country. I knew well the spot I de-
sired, thanks to previous years of ex-
perience in the country. Dependably
unbothered, the spot would provide
42 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING
a couple of treestand locations at a
moderate elevation, where even the
worst of cold fronts couldn’t dis-
lodge my hunting efforts. I always
used this spot as a “backup” to my
main focus, which lay about a half-
mile straight up.
As I hung treestands, Lulu scatted
about feverishly in pursuit of myriad
sights and smells. Trimming a little
new growth, I soon had things in
good order. As I hiked back to the
Eddie’s
Equipment List
ATV, I wondered if branding this
spot “secondary” was a good choice.
Deer sign was abundant, and it was
going to be hard to focus on my oth-
er area with this spot in the back of
my mind. On the other hand, I might
yet end up spending the entire sea-
son in my lower-country spot. Af-
ter all, who could ever know when
the weather might decide to pitch a
curveball and throw a couple feet of
snow on the high country? Oh well,
I’d not worry about such; I’d simply
be prepared for the possibility. It was
time to get back to camp; supper
would be on the table.
As my irst day of in-ield work
came to a close, my aching back
spoke of its antiquity. But I loved
hard work, of which I didn’t do
much anymore. A few years back,
I’d taken an early retirement from
the pipeitting trade after 40 years
invested. All my life, I’d busted my
Eddie Claypool’s dog Lulu is his almost
constant companion afield. Even in the
Arizona desert, you can bet Lulu will sniff
out some water!
butt working like a “real man,” and
now, short spurts of such were pre-
senting new challenges. Weighing
the pros and cons of the situation, I
opted for the retired status and its
“pitfalls.” I’d just have to learn to be
happy with such a miserable fate!
By the end of our second day
aield, Lulu and I had traveled to my
high-elevation hunting spot and a
couple more treestands were up. The
area showed good activity, and I was
excited to start putting in some time
in hopes of encountering one of the
large-antlered bucks I knew inhab-
ited the area. With the rut entering
its strength, it was time to cut out the
preparation stage and move into the
hunt itself.
Patience Is a Virtue
For the next few days, my time
was spent in high, lonely environs.
Getting into the routine of putting
long hours in a treestand is always
a dificult transition. Wired for “cov-
ering ground,” I’d never really been
thrilled with the lie-in-wait approach.
And though I’d taken my share of
good bucks off the ground, I also
had learned well the facts revolving
around spot-and-stalk Coues deer
bowhunting — a low-odds proposi-
tion, for me, at least. That being the
case, patience was a virtue. I’d just
have to hang tough and sit, sit, sit.
01/02 • 2019
 My fifth day afield with bow in
hand started out like the previous
four — two hours before daylight.
Loading into my truck, I drove 10
miles, unloaded the ATV, rode the
ATV for 30 minutes, then shoul-
dered a backpack and headed out
for a long hike to a treestand. By
first light, I was climbing aloft,
settling in for another anticipat-
ed long, unproductive vigil. Boy,
would I ever find that to be a
wrong assumption!
By sunup, I had long since settled
into my usual trance, thinking about
who knows what. Then — just like
THAT — nearby movement caught
my attention. In a second, I was
shocked into the reality of a mature
buck being within 25 yards of my
location. Where’d he come from?!?!
Quickly assessing the buck, I knew
immediately he packed a good rack.
Unable to get a clear view, howev-
er, I had to quickly decide whether
I’d try to take him. By the time my
mind tripped into kill mode, my
quarry was already making his de-
parture. Grabbing my bow, I imme-
diately assumed the position and
began looking for an opening in the
buck’s line of travel. Seeing a pos-
sible spot to take a shot, I hoped for
an opportunity. As so rarely hap-
pens, my quarry strolled right into
the only place that offered a reason-
able opening, and the arrow was
on its way. Not sure what I’d ac-
complished, I watched as the buck
bolted forward 30 yards, stopped,
looked around the area for a few
seconds, then tipped over. I couldn’t
believe this. WOW. Just like THAT,
my hunt was over!
As I sat beside my trophy, my
mind spun in many directions. This
was a NICE buck. Was I really al-
ready DONE on January the 6th? YES.
But I didn’t want to go home yet;
I’d just gotten started! OK, we were
NOT going to go home yet. NOW
we could goof off. YEP, that would
work. Snapping a few quick pictures
of my blessing, I grabbed my gear
The author found plenty of Coues deer
sign throughout his hunting area and
erected a handful of treestands in the most
likely ambush locations.
and headed back to base camp. Peg
and Lulu had to see this!
Living the Good Life
Later in the evening, good times
were shared around our trophy.
“Hero” shots were taken. The story
was told, with heads shaking in
amazement. I basked in the after-
glow. I simply could not believe I’d
taken a big buck so early in the hunt.
And although this unexpected, early
blessing had thrown all my plans
into disarray, as time passed, I be-
gan to realize this “early out” could
be turned into productivity. Now, I
was free to scout long and hard; to
explore my areas like I’d never ex-
plored them before; to hopefully
glean new and exciting information
on additional hotspots.
For the next two weeks, the Clay-
pool Clan lived large. Sightseeing
tours were in order. Trips to town
for shopping were on the agenda.
All-day scouting trips were regular
occurrences. Overall, the entire crew
seemed to be rather enthralled with
its newfound liberation from the gru-
eling routine of daily hunting. The
weather remained abnormally excel-
lent, and as the days rolled by, so did
miles spent exploring new, beautiful
and intriguing country. As for my
end of the deal, well, some really
exciting new hotspots were located.
New treestand sites were prepped
for future hunts, and an overall
excitement lodged in my bones.
As the trip came to a regrettable
end in late January, it was good to
be driving away with excitement for
a return visit permeating the crew.
Clearly, this had been time enjoyed
by all, and God willing, we’d be
back again in 11 short months. Now,
it was time to get home and make a
little jingle so we could hopefully do
just that.
On his fifth day on stand, Field Editor
Eddie Claypool took this fine Coues deer
buck that showed up unexpectedly and
roused him out of a daydream.
PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING 43
 Growing
Yourself
in the

There is no better way to

improve your skills as a
bowhunter than to participate
in archery competitions during
the off-season. Competition
creates the same kind of
high-pressure situations you’ll
CHRISTIAN BERG PHOTO

encounter in the field, and

learning how to deal with
them will make you much less
susceptible to buck fever.

44
 By John Dudley

T
wenty-five years ago, on a cold January evening,
I stood on a shooting line in a small indoor
archery club and shot my irst target round.
I was petriied. Being a bowhunter from
Mississippi, I hadn’t shot much other than paper
plates in the backyard. Yet, there I was shooting
my irst target for a score. I went on to shoot a
group any sawed-off shotgun would be proud of. Seri-
ously, I wish I still had that target so I could show you; it
was that bad! But that’s OK, because it reinforced why I
was there in the irst place. I was there to get better.
Although I loved bowhunting, I wasn’t that good at
shooting. Most of us learn the hard way that adrena-
line, lack of preparation and minimal understanding
of technique can cook up a mean bowl of “tag soup.”
I had missed some hard-earned opportunities from
the treestand a month or so earlier, and I didn’t want
Many archers don’t worry much about their grip. However, your
to taste that kind of defeat again. Looking back, I am bow hand is the first and last thing to influence the arrow’s
pleased to report my enjoyment of being a “bowhunt- direction. Make sure you have a consistent, torque-free method
er” improved dramatically once I learned to irst enjoy for holding your bow.
being an “archer.”
Using the off-season to grow yourself as an archer is
something every bowhunter should embrace. It’s a sim- a cold lake, it’s nerve-wracking at irst. But soon you are
ple commitment that requires minimal investment but swimming around invigorated.
yields maximum return. In this article, I want to plant a I started acclimating myself to buck fever the day I
few seeds you can gradually water throughout the off- stepped onto that indoor archery range I mentioned
season to grow yourself into a better bowhunter! earlier. I learned shooting in a competition — and hav-
ing something at stake — creates pressure and tests your
Acclimate Yourself nerves. It might not be exactly the same as having a big
One of the best things to work on during these winter buck in front of your treestand, but it is very close. The
months is acclimation. This is the key to overcoming one of archers who learn to effectively deal with the nerves
bowhunting’s biggest hurdles. Every fall, I am fortunate to of competition become great bowhunters. They have
spend time in multiple hunting camps, and I never fail to ice water in their veins and rarely miss an opportunity.
witness “buck fever” get the best of fellow bowhunters. I Using this winter to get involved with some local leagues
suffered from it for years, and until I identiied it and made should be your irst step. I remember feeling anxious each
an effort to be comfortable with it, I didn’t have much suc- time I stood next to another person on league night and
cess in the ield. each time we walked down range to score our arrows. It
At its most basic level, buck fever is a form of perfor- was intense when I started, and most likely it will be for
mance anxiety. The spike in your heart rate, adrenaline you, too. As I got better and was lucky enough to make
surging through your veins and massive antlers in front of a shoot-off or have to go head-to-head to break a tie, I
you somehow cause you to forget everything you thought would feel those nerves kicking in just like when I was
you knew about shooting a bow. More than likely, the end drawing back on a buck; same shakes, same pounding in
result is an errant shot and yet another story of the one that my chest and the same feeling of wanting to rush the shot.
got away. I’ve been there. It’s awful. But there is hope, and But the more I competed, those feeling occurred less and
I am living proof! The key to beating buck fever is learning less, as though I was building a callous that shielded me
to be comfortable with it. Comfort comes from acclimating from the intensity of the situation. When this happens,
yourself to the moment of truth. Much like jumping into you are making progress as a bowhunter because your

45

When you employ proper technique, you
will find yourself in the classic T-form
at full draw, with your body forming the
center upright, your bow arm pointed
directly toward the target and your release
arm elbow pointed directly away from it.
resistance to buck fever is building.
Again, this happens from subject-
ing yourself to high-pressure situa-
tions over and over. The mind and
body adapt and get used to it. When
I was at my best as a target archer, I
was competing constantly. That year,
hunting was the easiest of my life be-
cause it was just another walk in the
park. I want you to commit to ind-
ing a place where you can practice
with something at stake. Shoot with
people who make you uncomfort-
able or nervous. Tell yourself going
in that you are there to acclimate and
any progression should be consid-
ered success. Seek out opportunities
to shoot when something is on the
line and continuously strive to beat
your old scores. This is your irst step
to growing.
Focus On the Process
There is a critical component to
46 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING
Growing Yourself
in the
shooting that will both help
control your emotions and
boost your accuracy. This is
one of the most overlooked
aspects of archery and
bowhunting. It is simply
focusing on a process. The
process I’m referring to is a
simple, systematic routine
to walk you through the
fundamentals of making
a good archery shot. This
serves two purposes. The
irst is that it helps engrain
the core points of tech-
nique. The second is that it
helps keep your conscious
thoughts focused on mak-
ing that perfect shot rather
than blowing it. Years ago,
as a competitor, I learned a
valuable lesson that if you
are consciously thinking about steps
or processes then it doesn’t allow your
mind to get distracted with negative
thoughts or nervousness. I give each
of my students some basic fundamen-
tals to think about on every shot.
Normally, I elaborate on each step,
but here I am just going to give you
the “CliffsNotes” version. There are
six simple things I want you to think
about during every shot.
No. 1, look down at your feet
and make sure your stance is good.
Your stance is your foundation, just
like a golfer stepping into the tee
box. If your feet aren’t comfortable,
your brain will know it. Instability
in the feet equals instability in the
bow hand.
No. 2 is your grip. Very few
archers think about their grip unless
it feels uncomfortable. However, the
bow hand is the irst and last thing
to determine the path of the arrow.
Make sure your grip is torque-free
and not only feels right but looks
right, too.
No. 3 is your front shoulder posi-
tion. As you draw the bow, the front
shoulder has the ability to move to
a plethora of positions. What you
want is for the front shoulder to be
down and forward. You don’t want
the shoulder compressed against the
neck. Coaches refer to this as “collaps-
ing.” To have your front shoulder in
the correct place, raise the bow up to
the target with the front arm straight
out, then draw the string back to-
wards the face while keeping that
front shoulder forward and down.
You don’t want the front shoulder
pushed back against the neck.
No. 4 is anchoring your release
hand. This is a critical step. Depending
on your release aid type, your anchor
position can vary. If you have a hand-
held release, you want your index in-
ger under your jaw line and your mid-
dle inger above your jawline. If you
have a wrist-strap or index-inger re-
lease, then your index-inger knuckle
should be at the base of the earlobe. As
a quick reference, you can search You-
Tube for “mastering the release aid”
and ind a video I did for Petersen’s
BOWHUNTING last year showing the
proper anchor positions with either
style release.
No. 5 is looking through your
peep sight. This is so important and
something that must be done last.
The reason being is that the peep
sight position can vary if the front
shoulder or anchor is wrong. When
your shoulder is forward/down and
your anchor solid, then the peep
should have the front sight perfectly
centered once the string is at the tip
of the nose. If any of these steps are
incorrect then the string might be
on the side of the nose and the peep
will be closer to the eye. When each
of these steps is done correctly, the
shooter is in a very good posture,
will have good technique and the
arrow will be free of obstructions on
the face. Take a look at the accompa-
nying photo. Notice how, when each
of the ive steps are done correctly,
they force the archer into a perfect T
formation. From there, you are all set
to move into the inal step, which is
actually a subject of its own.
01/02 • 2019
Your shot process is not over when the bowstring is released. It is important to follow through after the shot by holding your bow arm
steady and allowing the tension in your release arm to pull your release hand back over your rear shoulder. These two images show
the author practicing proper follow-through at the moment of the shot.
Reinforce Your Finish
If you want to boost your accura-
cy, you need to put off-season effort
into inishing the shot. If you only
take away one thing I have written,
this is arguably the most important.
I’ve seen it irsthand from the best
tournament archers in the world, as
well as the best bowhunters. Time
after time, I see archers make their
shot and then immediately quit ev-
erything to watch the arrow. It’s a
common mistake and is directly re-
lated to a hit or miss. Remember that
just because the shot happened, that
doesn’t mean it’s done. When an
archer triggers the release and tries
to watch the arrow, they commonly
miss the mark because their front
sight/rear sight alignment is instan-
taneously falling apart as the release
hand is dropping down and away
from the face. Remember, an arrow
isn’t a bullet. It’s not that fast and is
on the bowstring long enough that
your follow-through has an impact
on accuracy.
Another common problem is when
shooters try to just “lock in” to their
anchor and remain very static in
their pull as they focus intently on
aiming the pin and hitting the trig-
ger. Being static on the bowstring
is the No. 1 reason why people im-
pact high of the target because they
are creeping forward as they hit the
trigger. “Creeping” results in high
hits. Both of these reasons are why
I teach students step No. 6 — pull
through and inish. Once you are
looking through the peep and the pin
www.b owhuntingmag.com
is loating on the target, do your best
to stabilize the pin movement, even
though it may not be perfectly steady,
and continue to build gradual pres-
sure on the string and trigger until
the shot happens with a surprise. As
soon as that shot breaks, focus on the
FOLLOW-THROUGH by bringing
the release hand straight back over
the rear shoulder. You will be amazed
at how much this helps reduce your
left-to-right variations as well.
As a bowhunter, I ilm myself a
lot, and when I’ve made mistakes
as the shooter, it is often clear that I
“quit the shot” as soon as it went off
rather than pulling through the shot
and inishing with the release hand
over the shoulder. The results will be
clear to you!
Learn Some DIY
Another great investment to make
in the off-season is simply learning
to work on some of your own equip-
ment. This is important for multiple
reasons, and I really encourage peo-
ple to get gear knowledge — even if
they have a great archery shop close
by. You will gain conidence in what
you are doing and be less likely to
blame your gear if you are in a slump.
You can make quick ixes in the ield
in case there’s ever an equipment
failure. Learning your gear better
lets you troubleshoot things in the
ield and naturally keeps you more
conscious of the little things that can
cost you a perfect hit on a big buck.
For example, if you learn how to
properly letch your own arrows,
The off-season is a great time to learn new
skills such as how to tune your own bow
or build your own arrows. The more you
understand all your bowhunting equip-
ment and how it works, the more likely you
will be to notice any problems that arise
and make quick fixes in the field.
you are more likely to notice if a vane
is hanging off or installed incorrectly.
For those who want to grow your
off-season gear knowledge, I do lots
of DIY equipment videos on my
Nock On Archery YouTube channel.
I do these because I know how much
it helped me improve my archery
and want to pass this on. Although
you may learn something by read-
ing a great article here, I want you
to take it a step further and dive into
some hands-on skills such as tying
in a peep sight or letching your ar-
rows. If you don’t feel like you can
do it on your own, ask your local
pro shop to let you help on a few
simple things. Watering your thirst
to learn is a great way of growing
your success.
PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING 47
 Don’t
Blink!
Alaska bowhunter Kendra Brush, shown here with her father,
Greg, was only 16 when she arrowed this brown bear with her
bow. Over the years, she has compiled quite an impressive list
of bowhunting trophies while heading afield alongside her dad.
E
very parent has heard the cliché, “Don’t blink.
They grow up way too fast!” And at some
point, most parents have rolled their eyes at the
trite saying, dispelling it during the whirlwind
period of their lives that is fully dedicated to the mad-
ness that comes with dealing with young children.
Until that last child is on the cusp of lying the coop,
that is. That’s when the truth really hits home. The spring
of 2016 was no different for me.
I swelled with pride and joy as my youngest daughter,
Kendra, inished her senior year of high school, gradu-
ating with high marks and receiving multiple academic
scholarships to continue her education. But in the back
of my mind there loomed an ever-present feeling of anxi-
ety, almost panic. As I knew, she would soon be leaving
our home in Soldotna, Alaska, to begin her college career
in St. Paul, Minn.
48
My anxiety stemmed from the fact that I had already
felt the pain of losing my best hunting buddy ive years
prior when my oldest outdoor girl, Kelsey, left for col-
lege, fell in love, graduated school, married and then
made the Midwest her new home.
As a loving father, I was naturally thrilled to see
Kelsey succeed and start the next chapter, but as a hard-
core Alaska hunter who cherished every outdoor minute
with his Big Girl, I knew that 3,400 miles, a job and a
husband changed everything.
All those Saturday morning spruce hen quests, Sep-
tember moose hunts and Kodiak blacktail adventures
with Kels — poof! They are nothing but memories now.
So, when my second (and last) daughter Kendra
picked up the stick and string as a little girl, I ran with
it. We watched the Outdoor Channel together, shot our
bows together, became NASP instructors together, taught
The area where Greg and
Kendra Brush bait black
bears is also home to
a healthy population of
brown bears, which cer-
tainly keeps the bowhunt-
ers on their toes as they
travel to and from their
bait sites! Greg has even
developed his own bear-
proof trail-camera cases
to keep his expensive
scouting gear safe.

Father-Daughter
Bowhunting Ends Way
Too Soon
Women on Target courses together, Yet a decent black bear had some- distant and too busy to hunt with
shot TechnoHunt league together how eluded Kendra. It wasn’t for lack Dad anymore.
and, naturally, bowhunted together; of trying, that’s for sure. For years, And thus, with the clock ticking,
quite successfully, I might add. she and I spent each May and June the pressure to get Kendra a quality
deeply vested in the time-consuming bow shot at a black bear multiplied
The Pressure Mounts activity known as public-land bear exponentially.
Following in her sister’s foot- baiting in Alaska. Scouting spots,
steps, Kendra quickly became an setting up stands, servicing barrels A Slow Start
accomplished hunter, with a special and checking trail cameras made for A decade or so ago, baiting for
gift for remaining steady and calm some good memories, but somehow black bears on Alaska’s Kenai Penin-
during high-pressure situations that big, black, furry “cherry on top” sula was different. While it was nev-
unlike anything I had seen in near- never happened for her. er as good as some of the guided bait
ly 40 years of bowhunting. Indeed, Combine this lack of black bear hunts that remote Canada offered,
my youngest soon became known success with the ever-looming real- it was reliable enough that, with a
as Killer Kendra as she amassed ity that my baby girl was suddenly commitment of time and effort, a
quite the critters; squirrels, spruce 18 and preparing to depart for col- do-it-yourselfer had good chances of
hens, wild hogs, turkeys, javelinas, lege in the spring, and a stark real- taking a decent bear.
whitetails, blacktails, free-range ity hit me squarely between the eyes: Brown bears were virtually off
blackbuck and axis deer — even a My last remaining child, my bow- limits then and mostly considered
brown bear with a bow at the ten- hunting pal, was about to mimic her a nuisance to serious baiters, which
der age of 16. oldest sister, surely becoming too kept some hunters at home during

49

the spring. Consequently, when an
opportunistic spring black bear or
two found my bait in our area, they
usually locked on it and became pat-
ternable, which meant they also be-
came killable.
Over the years, with some hard
work, my partners and I managed to
arrow nearly a dozen mature black
bears over bait. So, you see, it wasn’t
like I didn’t know what I was doing.
But the last few years, just as Kendra
began her quest to kill a blackie with
her bow, coincidently, things changed.
The Alaska Board of Game liberal-
ized the brown bear restrictions on
the Kenai and began allowing regis-
tration brown bear hunting over bait
to thin a previously unchecked and
growing population of coastal griz.
Hunters responded quickly, taking
the ield in greater numbers for their
chance at the very special and cov-
eted trophy. This, of course, resulted
in more hunters and more baits,
which of course made the overall
black bear hunting here considerably
tougher, at least for Kendra and I.
Although Greg Brush has enjoyed many
bowhunts with his daughter Kendra over
the years, he said the time passed far too
quickly. He advises parents to cherish
every opportunity they have to head afield
alongside their children.
50 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING
Don’t Blink!
Combine this increase in hunting
pressure with two very mild winters
and early springs, and bear baiting
in my area wasn’t quite like the good
old days. Where I used to have mul-
tiple bears “lock in” to my baits and
become easily patterned by mid-to-
late May, I now had very few random
hits. And when I did get one, it was
usually from a bear with a full belly
that ate a bit and moved on, presum-
ably making the easy tour from bait
to bait to bait.
The spring of 2016 was no dif-
ferent. Kendra and I had some im-
mature brown bear boars and some
sows with cubs frequent our bait,
but no blacks. When we inally had a
black stop by, it showed itself on trail
cam as a skittery, nervous youngster
that was hard to pattern but also not
of the age class that we were target-
ing. So, Kendra and I kept servicing,
checking and praying for just one
mature black bear that might ind
our bait and let his guard down.
As we entered June, and Kendra
got busier managing her work ob-
ligations and college preparations,
it wasn’t looking good. Brown bear
season closed June 1, and overall
bear activity waned as the bears
began traveling more due to moose
calving, like they always do.
Still, we pressed on.
The Kindest of Offers
Public-land hunters in Alaska are
generally a guarded bunch, and bear
baiters, in particular, often hold their
cards close to the vest. So, when a
bear-baiting pal of mine phoned
me early one June afternoon, I fully
expected another casual conversa-
tion consumed by two hunters grum-
bling about lack of bear activity.
Rather, this friend irst surprised
me by stating that he had two ma-
ture black bears repeatedly hitting
one of his baits, then loored me with
the kindest of offers.
“I know you have been trying for
years to get your daughter a crack
at a good blackie with a bow,” he
casually stated, followed by, “I was
targeting a big brown bear boar any-
way and have killed plenty of black-
ies over the years. So, why don’t you
come sit my bait with Kendra?”
Initially stunned, I momentarily
fell silent at my buddy’s proposal.
Honestly, who does that? Only a
true friend; a fellow member of the
brotherhood known as bowhunters
who was also a loving father who
has blinked and watched his own
kids grow up way too fast.
And so, the offer was accepted,
the proper paperwork was illed out,
and less than 24 hours later, Kendra
and I were in a tree with hope and
dreams renewed.
Don’t Blink!
In retrospect, the hunt that fateful
day was somewhat of a microcosm
of the past three years of baiting with
Kendra.
We had to dig deep to ind the
initiative to rise at 3:30 a.m. so we
would be totally settled into the
tree prior to the arrival of what my
friend called, “The 6 a.m. bear.” And
when that bear arrived as scheduled
but winded us prior to moving into
bow range, Kendra and I had to ight
off the demons known as “frustra-
tion” and “give up.” The next three
or four hours were uneventful, and
thus serious perseverance was sum-
moned to diligently remain on stand
through constant wind and rain.
When Kendra and I could stand the
cold, wet boredom no more, patience
was needed as we trudged back to the
truck to dry out and regroup.
And much to my delight, just as
the skies cleared, a driven, mature
bowhunter was revealed as I posed
a simple question to what was once
my precious little girl. “Do you want
to quit now or take a short nap be-
fore seeing if the ‘noon to 3 bear’
shows up?” I asked.
“Oh, we’ve got to tough it out,
Dad!” she replied. “Let’s hunt this
afternoon.”
Less than two hours later, after a
refreshing catnap, bits of black fur
repeatedly popped up nearly 100
yards from our treestand in the form
of a hungry but wary bear that must
have known something wasn’t quite
right. But then, as quickly as it had
appeared, the bear was gone. Faith
was summoned to remain quietly on
stand the next three hours as Kendra
and I contemplated the unknown.
01/02 • 2019
 Equipment List

After many years of trying, Kendra Brush finally got her

chance at a trophy black bear. These photos show the
bear in Kendra’s sight as she waited for it to present the
perfect shooting angle, a video grab of Kendra’s arrow
immediately before it zipped through the bear’s vitals and
then Kendra happily posing with her trophy.

Was the glimpse of black we saw at
11:30 a.m. the “noon to 3 bear” my
friend had described?
At 3 o’clock, we dejectedly be-
gan our exit by lowering Kendra’s
Bowtech to the ground. Suddenly, I
spotted black legs moving through
the spruce branches to my right. In-
stantly freezing, the roller-coaster
ride continued as excitement quickly
turned to disappointment when the
eager customer showed itself to be a
small, immature bear recently kicked
out by mom.
But no sooner had we forcefully
molded disappointment into grati-
tude for the opportunity to watch an
unaware wild animal at close range,
hope was reignited as the little guy
exploded from the bait in sudden
terror.
Kendra casually whispered, “It
winded us, Dad!”
“No, it didn’t!” I replied. “The
wind is right. Get ready!”
And in a blink, everything
changed.
Kendra rose to her feet and picked
up her bow in one luid motion,
precisely as the challenger emerged
from the thick brush. Sauntering in
with the regal body language that
clearly states, “I’m the boss!” was
the type of black bear that needed no
debate as to whether it was worthy
of an arrow.
In fact, Kendra clearly knew it was
her dream bear, evidenced by the
fact that she was already at full draw
as I turned to hiss the totally unnec-
essary prompt, “Draw now!”
A long 50 seconds later, the big
boar inally turned, opening up the
vital area we needed. Kendra’s little
Eva Shockey bow thumped, and
the arrow hit low and tight, cutting
through the roaring bear like a hot
knife through butter.
What transpired then, as we lis-
tened to the eerie death moans of an
expiring bear just 20 yards out, was
a release of emotions so complex, so
pure, so full of joy and pride and love
and relief that Kendra and I fell into
each other’s arms, softly sobbing.
This was much bigger than just
the successful completion of a tough
bowhunt or the taking of another ine
trophy. Rather, as I held my youngest
in that tree, that moment in time rep-
resented everything I hold sacred;
the great outdoors, the challenge that
is bowhunting, unwarranted kind-
ness by a bowhunting brother, my
faith, my children and the memories
I cherish. But it also represented the
blink that I know to be true, because
our children really do grow up way
too fast.

www.b owhuntingmag.com PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING 51

What I
LOST
To
WIN
T
he morning of Sept. 14, 2015,
my father and I were put-
ting the inishing touches
on a ground blind. Dad had
spent the last couple weeks
designing a blind perfect for
a bowhunting amputee, something
I would soon be. A certain anxiety
hung over us that morning; it seemed
we didn’t know what to say to each
other. As we got closer to inishing,
words became fewer. Looking back, I
can understand why. A father, scared
for his son; a son, scared about his fu-
ture. The next day, I would have my
right leg amputated below the knee.
This blind brought us closer togeth-
er even though we were unable to
share words.
Thirty-seven years ago, I was born
with Bilateral Congenital Vertical Ta-
lus (CVT), better known as “rocker
Hale and his father, David, finished building this amputee-accessible
ground blind the day before Hale’s leg was amputated below the knee.
That tearful labor led to a major bowhunting victory for Hale later that year.
bottom feet.” Despite years of failed
attempts at reconstructive surgery,
CVT had stolen enough from me, in-
cluding a college football career and
my personal joy. For the last 10 years,
my mobility had signiicantly de-
clined, and I was living with severe
pain, 24 hours a day, in both legs.
We inally inished the blind; it
was time to head home, pack and
drive to the motel near the hospital
in Columbus, Ohio. As I got ready to
leave and hugged my dad, through
tear-illed eyes, I choked out the
words, “Dad, I am so scared.”
The 15th of September, I became an
amputee. I spent the next four days in
Grant Medical Center. The next two
weeks, I stayed at my parents’ home
in Southeast Ohio to begin the heal-
ing process before going to my friend
Jason’s home. Jason had understood
how challenging this
decision was for me
and had suggested I
move in with him two
months prior to surgery
so, when I was ready,
I could move back in
with him and feel I had
some independence.
Over the years, bow-
hunting had become a
very important part of
my life, and this would
be the irst year since eighth grade I
would miss opening day. Knowing it
would be a few weeks before I could
even think about hunting was very
hard on me. Sitting in my parents’
house nine days after my surgery
was the irst time I had depressing
thoughts about my new life as an
amputee. Was I ever going to be able to
do what I had done the past 20 years, the
thing I loved the most?
Back in the Woods
Saturday morning, bow season
started without me. Sunday morn-
ing, I was struggling with my emo-
tions when my great friend, Jason,
called to check on me. He could tell
I was having a dificult time, so he
said, “I’m going to come visit, and
we can shoot bows.”
I replied, “I am by myself, so I
would like your company, but I don’t
know about the shooting.” I was hav-
ing my own pity party. Jason must
have sensed that and arrived shortly.
It wasn’t long until he brought up
the idea of shooting our bows again.
Shrugging my shoulders, I said,
“Maybe in a little bit.” Within a few
minutes, he asked again, and I inally
gave in. Jason knew it would help me
get my mind going in a more positive
direction. It only took 20 minutes of
shooting my bow from my electric
53
 What I LOST To WIN
wheelchair until I felt much better.
Archery has always been a release for
me, and this time was no different. I
realized as an amputee that I was still
going to be able to accurately shoot
my bow. I now realized the thing I
loved the most was going to help me
in my healing process. This change in
my life was going to turn out OK, and
I was going to adapt and overcome
this new challenge.
I shot as much as I could the next
two weeks. I was shooting great and
felt I could make an ethical harvest
out to 40 yards while sitting down
and balancing my weight on one foot.
Now I just had to wait until I felt I
could make it to the deer blind and
have my leg up for a couple hours
without causing any harm to the
residual limb, which was still very
tender from the operation. That day
came on Oct. 9, 2015. Jason and my
dad loaded me into the UTV, and Ja-
son took me to the blind. I was only
able to sit with my residual limb up
in the blind for about an hour and a
half after a bumpy ride, and I had to
end the hunt 25 minutes before the
sun set and the deer would really be
moving well. It was hard for me to ac-
cept I still had a long way to go before
I could hunt as hard as I was used to.
That evening, the pain spiked way
up, the incision that was holding my
skin together started to open in one
spot and I wondered if I had pushed
it a little too far. However, I came to
understand something that evening
as I lay in bed with my residual limb
throbbing. Although this season
would be my most challenging yet,
it would also be my most blessed. I
would be back to the basics of just
seeing the blessing of getting to hunt,
and I would appreciate the sunrises
and sunsets a little more than I ever
had. That night, while lying in bed,
I set a goal to harvest a mature buck
before I received a prosthetic leg.
My next hunt would not come until
Oct. 20. It took 11 days to let the incision
close up, so I took that time to heal and
shoot my bow a little each day. Start-
ing Oct. 20, I hunted six or seven days
a week, mornings and evenings. I was
often humbled and wondered if the
goal I had set was a little farfetched.
Each hunt, my father had to load ev-
54 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING
erything for me, help me into the UTV
and drive me to the blind. From where
Dad would park, I would crutch to the
blind, get set up with his help, then
call him later when I was ready to be
picked up. Over the course of several
weeks, I saw several shooter bucks
— always out of range and moving
through areas I was unable to reach
on crutches. This was very frustrating,
seeing mature deer and knowing if I
could just walk I could have moved
a treestand, waited on the right wind
and had a good chance to tag out.
As the frustration grew, something The author followed up his Ohio bowhunt-
happened that changed everything. I ing success from 2015 with two more
started to receive support on social good bucks in 2016 and 2017, making
media from so many friends, as well him three for three in three seasons as
as people I had never even met. Peo- an amputee. Hale credits his success to
ple were telling me how I was inspir- a positive attitude, hard work and a lot of
support from his family and friends.
ing them, changing their outlook,
and they were seeing their problems
in a more positive light. Every day,
different people took time to lift me
up and encourage me so I could keep
grinding toward my goal. Keith Car-
roll, owner of South Paw Taxidermy,
sent me a message on social media
offering a free European or shoulder
Although this
mount. Nick Morgan, owner of Tri-
ple Threat Outdoors, set up my bow season would be
for next to nothing and gave me a T-
shirt from his shop the irst time we
ever met; we have remained friends
my most challenging
ever since. Who does that?!?!
As November arrived and the yet, it would also be
rut kicked into high gear, I felt good
about my chances to connect on a
mature buck. However, the one thing
my most blessed.
that can mess everything up is Moth-
er Nature. Apparently, she was not
as excited about my goal as I and so
many other people were, because it
was hot the irst two and a half weeks
of November. Temperatures on many A Little Deception
days would reach the 70s, which kept As I mentioned, I had a plan: to
the deer in their beds. Finally, by the set up a doe decoy in the corner of
third week of November, the tem- the wheat ield where I had seen oth-
peratures dropped and the deer were er does feeding and mature bucks
moving. I saw two mature bucks that checking them.
were using the winter wheat ield be- The afternoon of Nov. 24, I inally
hind my parents’ house to feed and had a perfect wind to try my plan.
check does to see if they were in es- My father loaded all my gear and the
trus. With those sightings, a plan was doe decoy into the UTV and took me
made and put into action. I knew my to the ground blind set in the corner
time was running out. In one week, of a 40-acre wheat ield surrounded
Ohio’s shotgun season would open; by hardwoods. After he got me set-
after that, it would be very hard to get tled, I pointed to where I wanted
it done with my bow. the decoy set in a spot that would
01/02 • 2019

offer me a good shot if a buck ap-
proached the “doe” from the rear, as
they normally do. Around 4:30, the
deer started to hit the ield to feed.
Four does fed within 15 yards of my
decoy. Now I just needed a mature
buck to step out. Around 5 o’clock,
I looked left and saw a shooter buck
step out about 180 yards away. I
could tell by his posture he had more
than feeding on his mind; within sec-
onds, he started moving in my direc-
tion. As he closed the distance, walk-
ing steadily and grunting with every
step, I remember thinking, Lord, now
is our chance to achieve the goal we set
and show others what is possible and
what bowhunting can do for someone.
With the buck now at 40 yards
and closing, I hooked my release on
my string loop and focused. With the
buck at 30 yards, the does feeding in
front of me decided they were not in
the mood to be dogged by the buck
and trotted off into the woods to my
right. I quickly turned my eyes back
to the buck and saw he was commit-
ted to the decoy. He walked into my
shooting lane, matching a grunt for ev-
ery step. I drew my bow and stopped
him not three yards from the rear end
of my doe decoy, set 21 yards away. I
released the arrow and saw the Nock-
turnal lighted nock travel through the
lungs of the buck and into the green
winter wheat behind him. I watched
him run into the woods and listened
for any sounds of him crashing down.
www.b owhuntingmag.com
That’s when I was startled by the
vibration of my phone. In the excite-
ment of the hunt, I had forgotten I
was within binocular view of my
parents’ house. My dad had watched
the entire thing go down with my
mom and one of my older brothers.
“Hello,” I answered.
“You smoked him, didn’t you?”
Dad asked.
I told him the shot felt great,
maybe a touch high, but deinitely
double lungs. I told him to give it
about 30 minutes, then bring the
UTV down and we could get on the
blood trail. After that, I called Jason
to tell him I had made a good shot
on a mature buck. After he congrat-
ulated me, he headed over to help
in the recovery. I sat there alone for
15 minutes and prayed. I thanked
God for His peace. I thanked Him
for His creation, and I thanked
Him for this buck and everything
it meant to me as I started this new
journey in my life as an amputee.
My prayer was interrupted by the
sound of the UTV approaching.
Dad enthusiastically helped me out
of the blind and onto my crutches,
where we would share a hug that
was so much more certain about
my future than the hug we shared
the day before my amputation.
With tear-illed eyes, I was able to
say, “Thank you, Dad. That deer is
as much yours as it is mine. I could
have never even made it to the
blind without your help.”
Mission Accomplished
After loading everything up,
we headed to the house to meet Ja-
son and my brother Brian. I reluc-
tantly agreed to stay at the house
while they went and recovered the
deer. The area where the buck had
gone was very thick, and it just
wasn’t a good idea for me to crutch
through it.
When Dad, Brian and Jason left,
I visited with Mom and anxiously
waited on a text from Jason. As time
passed, I became worried. I hadn’t
heard from Jason, so I called him. He
told me, “We are on blood, but he
is not bleeding like you’d think he
would be. I’ll be in touch when we
ind him.”
More time passed, and inally I just
couldn’t take sitting around anymore.
I told Mom I was going to crutch out
to my truck and drive home to get out
of my hunting clothes, and I would be
right back. As I made it to my truck
and opened the door, I heard my
mother yell from the back door, “They
found him!” I raced back to the house
as fast as crutches can carry a man and
called my dad. He said the shot was
in the upper lungs; it just took a few
yards for the blood to ill up and start
coming out of the wound. They would
be in after they got the buck cleaned
out and put the tag I gave him on it.
I waited patiently for the sound of
the UTV, and as soon as I heard the
familiar rumble of the motor coming,
Mom and I headed down to the ga-
rage to meet Dad, Jason and Brian.
I thanked them for recovering the
buck, and then I laid my hands on
my prize — a 9-pointer with a broken
brow tine on his right side. In an in-
stant, all the uncertainty of Sept. 14,
2015, was made certain, and all the
fear was washed away in the exulta-
tion of victory. Goal accomplished!
This story is important to me for
two reasons. First is the people who
cared for and supported me during
the biggest change of my life. We all
came together and achieved an awe-
some goal. Second is to show the
healing power of the outdoors and
bowhunting. This story isn’t about
what I accomplished; it’s about how
bowhunting and being in the out-
doors can make everything right in
our lives when we are up against our
biggest challenges.
From the 2015 archery season,
other dreams were born. I have since
started to do some public speaking,
sharing my whole story (loss of col-
lege football, a few years of extremely
negative and unhealthy living to be-
coming a happy, healthy and deter-
mined amputee) with athletic teams,
individuals, churches and college
classes. If, in any way, people are in-
spired by what I have been through
and how I have chosen to live a life
of no limits in the outdoors as an
amputee, that makes it all worth it.
Through this hunt, I came to see that,
no matter how much I’ve lost, in the
end, I can always win.
PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING 55

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tem, which combines a lexing arm
and a set of rollers. During the draw
cycle, the arm bends toward the
bow’s centerline and then quickly
moves back and out of the way of
vanes at the shot, reducing torque.
Performance Stance
The Logic CT3’s short limbs
www.b owhuntingmag.com
BY JON E. SILKS
DRAW-FORCE CURVE
employ a broad stance to provide
stout torsional rigidity, which
works in conjunction with the TRM
Parallel cams to defeat cam lean at
every turn. A compressed axle sys-
tem stabilizes the limb tips, tying
them together to take advantage
of the overall width. Individual
limb pieces are cut from a compos-
ite glass material and are matched
into sets based on delection val-
ues. Limbsaver Twist Lox vibration
dampeners are installed between
the limbs. Draw weights of 40, 50,
60, 65, 70 and 80 pounds (peak) are
available.
Finish options include Realtree
Edge, First Lite Fusion/Cipher, Op-
tifade Open Country, Elevate II and
Subalpine, Black, Recon Gray, Ghost
Green, Morel Brown and Tundra
Tan. A full-capture aluminum limb
pocket aligns the limbs to the riser.
Impressions
At the range, Prime’s Logic CT3
was on target both iguratively and
literally. As an overall unit, it was
fun to shoot, with a very consis-
tent draw cycle and low shock, vi-
bration and noise when ired. Shot
noise was reduced even further
with an aftermarket string silencer.
Mass weight was a little more
than advertised. The grip was func-
tional, and the bow balanced well
on target, holding steady without
a struggle. Follow-through was
still and easy. Prime has certainly
accomplished its goal of producing
another solid performer.
Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation
(Required by 39 USC 3685)
1) Publication Title: Bowhunting
2) Publication Number: 1049-9768
3) Filing Date: 10/1/18
4) Issue Frequency: Published nine times a year, including one double
issue: Jan/Feb, Mar, Apr/May, June, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov/Dec
5) Number of Issues Published Annually: 9
6) Annual Subscription Price: $17.97 US
7) Complete Mailing Address of Known Ofice of Publication:
Outdoor Sportsman Group
Contact Person: David Madrid, 323-791-7190
1040 6th Ave., 12th Floor
New York, NY 10018-3703
8) Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business
Ofice of Publisher:
Outdoor Sportsman Group
1040 6th Ave., 12th Floor
New York, NY 10018-3703
9) Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor,
and managing Editor:
Publisher: Jeff Waring, 6385 Flank Drive, Suite 800,
Harrisburg, PA 17112-2784
Editor: Christian Berg, 6385 Flank Drive, Suite 800,
Harrisburg, PA 17112-2784
Production Manager: Brittany Kennedy, 6385 Flank Drive, Suite 800,
Harrisburg, PA 17112-2784
10) Owner:
Outdoor Sportsman Group, 1040 6th Ave., 12th Floor, New York,
NY 10018-3703. Stockholders owning or holding 1 percent or
more of the total amount of stock: None
11) Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders
Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds,
Mortgages or Other Securities: None
12) Tax Status (For completion by nonproit organizations authorized to
mail at nonproit rate): The purpose, function, and nonproit status
of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax
purposes: Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months
13) Publication Title: Bowhunting
14) Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: Oct 2017
Average No. No. Copies
of Copies of Single
Each Issue Issue
During Published
Preceeding Nearest
12 Months to Filing
Date
15) Extent and Nature of Circulation
a) Total Number of Copies............ 122,626............. 120,331
b) Paid and/or requested
circulation
1) Paid/requested
outside/county mail
subscriptions stated
on PS Form 3541.......................... 97,168............. 94,858
2) Paid in-county subscriptions........ 0........................ 0
3) Sales through dealers
and carriers, street
vendors and counter..................... 4,031................. 4,745
4) Other classes mailed
through USPS............................... 0........................ 0
c) Total paid and/or
requested circulation.................... 101,198............. 99,603
d) Free distribution by mail
1) Outside-county as
stated on PS Form 3541............... 527.................... 538
2) In-county as stated
on PS Form 3541.......................... 0........................ 0
3) Other classes mailed
through USPS............................... 0........................ 0
4) Free distribution
outside the mail.............................75.................... 0
e) Total Free Distribution................... 602.................... 538
f) Total Distribution........................... 101,800............. 100,141
g) Copies not Distributed.................. 20,827............... 20,191
h) Total...............................................122,627............. 120,331
i) Percent paid and/or
requested circulation.................... 99.4%................99.5%
16) Electronic Circulation
a) Paid Electronic Copies..............8,935................. 9,729
b) Total Paid Print Copies +
Paid Electronic Copies..................110,134............. 109,333
c) Total Distribution + Paid
Electronic Copies.......................... 110,735............. 109,871
d) Percent Paid (Both Print
& Electronic Copies)......................99.46%..............99.51%
17) This statement of ownership will be printed in the Jan/Feb 2019
issue of this publication.
18) Signed by Peter J. Watt, Vice President, Consumer Marketing:
Date 10/1/18. I certify that all information furnished on this form
is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes
false or misleading information on this form or who omits material
or informtion requested on the form may be subject to criminal
sanctions (including ines and imprisonment) and/or civil
sanctions (including civil penalties).
PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING 57
 FIELD
TESTED
A Superior Scouting Advantage
Admittedly, I’m a little slow to embrace technology. Yet, when
I do warm up to something, I usually go all in. Such has been
the case with my usage of trail cameras. As the years have
passed, my wife, Peg, and I have come to realize we actually
get more enjoyment from running trail cameras than from the
hunt itself. It is with great relish we pull SD cards and down-
load the photos. The excitement of seeing animals exhibiting
their natural behavior is certainly worth the price of admission.
And there are always bonuses for our viewing pleasure —
non-target species such as wolves and mountain lions occa-
sionally surprise us with amazing and exciting images.
Over the years, I’ve tried most of the trail camera brands
out there. Only recently, however, did I have my first experi-
ence with Browning Trail Cameras and found my overall sat-
isfaction level elevated a notch or two. Browning offers a com-
prehensive lineup of camera models that check all the important
boxes — affordable, efficient and easy to use. In my humble opinion,
the picture and video quality of the Browning models are second to
none, and detection ranges are excellent on all models. Add on fast,
noiseless shutter speeds and extensive battery life, and you certainly
have a winning combination.
Using the cameras “Out West” this past season, I was able to cap-
ture photos and videos that exhibited great clarity and color — some
of the panoramas were breathtaking. Considering the abuse these
cameras endured from the rough-and-tumble handling encountered
on my backpack hunts — all without missing a beat — I could find
no fault in this gear. And later, as I transitioned into my Midwestern
whitetail hunts of autumn, the cameras continued to offer flawless
performance and prove themselves to be real workhorses.
I was particularly impressed with the overall performance of
Browning’s Spec Ops Advantage, a no-glow model featuring 20MP
still images, full HD video and an 80-foot detection range. This unit
Skull Mounts Made Easy
With 40 years of bowhunting under my belt, it goes without saying
I’ve accumulated a few trophies. Early on, I was infatuated with shoul-
for other options for displaying my trophies.
Coming up with no quick alternatives, antlers
soon began to stockpile in the four corners of
my den. When I became aware of the “European”
approach to preserving game heads, I knew this would
be my chosen route. In my estimation, this approach would
my trophies in an appealing, orderly and
space-saving manner. The only problem now would
that would accomplish a tasteful presentation.
After much weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth
in pursuit of just such a goal, I realized that the amount
of time and effort that I was investing in my homemade
expect, I would much rather bowhunt than tinker with giz-
mos! So, my antler piles began to grow again. Then, just as
my wife, Peg, was about to lose her mind from the clutter, I
became aware of a quality solution — Skull Hooker.
58 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING
provided excellent image quality even without
the brighter light emission of standard red-
glow IR models. Because the invisible flash is
so stealthy to game animals and humans alike,
this unit also provided me great service when I em-
ployed it as a perimeter surveillance camera. Its fast recovery speeds
and silent shutter captured many wily whitetail bucks in their annual
act of autumn procreation without a single hint of “camera shyness.”
Other highlights of the Spec Ops Advantage include a two-inch color
viewing screen, adjustable trigger speed from .4-.7 second and a
.6-second recovery time. The unit will capture up to eight images per
trigger and is compatible with SD cards up to 512GB.
Now, as the Claypool Clan prepares to head out for another great
Coues deer adventure in Arizona, my Browning cameras will be
stowed away near the top of my pack. I can hardly wait to recover
the excellent images they will provide of a supremely elusive deer.
Thanks, Browning, for helping make my time afield more productive
and enjoyable. — Eddie Claypool
MSRP: $189.99
Contact: Browning Trail Cameras, 888-618-4496;
www.browningtrailcameras.com
Available in Graphite Black
or Robust Brown, Skull Hooker’s
Little Hooker, Big Hooker, Bone
Bracket and Table Hooker are
great options for highlighting Europe-
an mounts of everything from moose
to pronghorns. These multi-position
products can be rotated up and down
and side to side for the perfect view-
ing angle. Easy to assemble and install,
there is no need to drill into your skulls for
To display a grouping of heads, consider the Trophy
Tree, which can tastefully and compactly arrange multiple species.
Thanks to the wide variety of products Skull Hooker offers, I have a
Throw in a few elk and mule deer racks hung on Big Hookers,
lording over the upper reaches of the room, along with a few
bear and wolf skulls well positioned on Table Hookers and Bone
Brackets, and I’m surrounded by countless great memories. And Peg
is happy, too, as Skull Hooker products are all easy to access and
clean. Now, that’s a win-win situation! — Eddie Claypool
MSRP: Varies by product
Contact: Skull Hooker, 541-887-8622;
www.skullhooker.com
01/02 • 2019
 WH E R E TO AM E R I CA’S

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 NEW
GEAR
Gold Rush
Gold Tip’s new Black Label shafts are laser-measured at multiple
points to ensure +/-.0025-inch straightness along the full length of
the arrow or bolt — not just at the middle. Utilizing Gold Tip’s Smart
Carbon technology, the shafts are available in 300, 340 and 400
spines and come fletched with either three or four vanes. Other
features include Gold Tip’s Premium GT Nocks, black anodized
nock collars and Accu-Lite inserts, and 20-grain FACT weights for
increased FOC. Available only at authorized archery pro shops.
MSRP: $144.99 per 12
Contact: Gold Tip, 800-551-0541; www.goldtip.com
Elegant Experience
Part of Rinehart’s Competition Series, the new Gazelle
3-D target makes practicing for your next safari almost
as enjoyable as the hunt itself. Made of the company’s
high-density, self-healing foam, the gazelle target mea-
sures 51 inches high and 37 inches long, simulating a
120-pound animal. Scoring rings on the target’s
core help bowhunters prepare for clean
shots on these wary antelope, and the
gazelle can handle both fieldpoints and
broadheads.
MSRP: $439
Contact: Rinehart Targets,
608-757-8153; www.rinehart3d.com
Hot & Ready
Air-activated as soon as its packaging is removed, the VAPOR
Magnet draws in whitetails just like a real scent trail. The por-
table, disposable container replicates the natural body tem-
perature of a deer, evaporating deer urine for up to five hours.
Best of all, it works rain or shine, in cold weather or hot. VAPOR
Magnets are sold with either doe in estrous or dominant buck
scents and can also work with
your favorite scents. No flame
or batteries required.
MSRP: $9.99
Contact: Vapor Heated
Scents; www.vaporheated
scents.com
Multi-Talented
The SlideWinder multitool from Outdoor Edge is putting a new spin
on the traditional utility blade. Using standard replaceable blades
that can be swapped out with the push of a button, the SlideWinder
also features Phillips and flathead screw-
drivers, a bottle opener and a pocket clip.
The SlideWinder is available in three
colors — blue, black and orange — and
is constructed from glass/nylon and
stainless steel. Weighing in at 1.5 ounces with an
overall length of 3.5 inches and a thickness of 5⁄16-inch, it fits
easily into a pants pocket, backpack or toolbox.
MSRP: $14.50
Contact: Outdoor Edge, 800-477-3343; www.outdooredge.com
62 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING
Sponsored by
www.lancasterarchery.com
Charge into the Unknown
HybridLight’s line of Realtree-clad products allow
bowhunters to explore the wilds without fear of
running low on energy — for their electronics,
anyway. The lithium ion-powered flashlights and
lanterns can charge electronic devices via built-in
USB and Micro USB ports; then, when their own
batteries run low, built-in solar chargers help
generate power for hours of illumination. The
lights can also be charged directly, and each can hold
a charge for up to seven years. Backed by a lifetime warranty,
these rugged tools are ready for decades of clean-energy use.
MSRP: $39.95-$69.95, depending on model
Contact: HybridLight, 800-365-0350; www.hybridlight.com
Pocket Power
The next step in the slingshot’s evolution,
the Pocket Shot and Pocket Hammer
are now available in Mossy Oak Original
Bottomland camouflage. These circular
slingshots are capable of launching a
variety of projectiles — pebbles to marbles
to paintballs and more — at velocities up to 350 fps, depending
on the model. Both the Pocket Shot and Hammer can hit 9x9-inch
targets out to 30 feet, making them lethal on small game. Covered in
the same pattern that helped launch the Mossy Oak brand, these 21st
century slingshots are a great addition to any bowhunter’s pack.
MSRP: $25 (Pocket Shot) and $45-$50 (Pocket Hammer)
Contact: The Pocket Shot; www.thepocketshot.com
Best of Both Worlds
Most trail cameras use mechanical filters to “see”
the infrared light emitted during nighttime photog-
raphy, but they’re not as effective during transitions
from light to dark and dark to light. They also make
more noise, which could spook game. Enter the
Rival Cam 18 and Rival Cam 18 Lightsout models
from Wildgame Innovations. Utilizing Tru-Dual
Cam technology, both models feature two cameras
each, one for daylight photography and one for night. Together,
these 18-megapixel units can take stunning photos and shoot 5-,
15- or 30-second 720p video clips — all without making a sound.
MSRP: $129.99 (Rival Cam 18) and
$139.99 (Rival Cam 18 Lightsout)
Contact: Wildgame Innovations; www.wildgameinnovations.com
Hunt Warmer, Hunt Longer
Using carbon-fiber heating elements to distribute
warmth across your chest, stomach and back, the
M12 Heated QuietShell Jacket is a battery-
powered shield against the cold. A one-button
LED controller provides three settings, and a
new Quick-Heat function warms users three
times faster than competitors’ garments. Its
also made from a water- and wind-resistant
polyester that stretches to reduce noise as
you move. The M12 is available in Realtree
Edge and comes in sizes S-XXXL.
MSRP: $169.99
Contact: Milwaukee Tool, 800-729-3878; www.milwaukeetool.com
01/02 • 2019
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 THE DIY
I
n 1988, I t d,
but as a bowhunter, I had yet
to come of age. At this point in
my outdoor life, I’d not harvested
a large-antlered whitetail.
I’m relating this so you can see
how the “big event” that happened
in my life that year set me on a new
course of bowhunting participation.
And if you are dedicated to operating
at a top-end level, I’m willing to bet
there was something that happened in
your outdoor life that greatly altered
your psyche. For me, the epiphany
occurred on Oct. 22nd ...
I’d read a lot about people harvest-
ing “Pope and Young” whitetails,
though I had experienced nothing of
the sort. I’d been bowhunting white-
tails for well over a decade, but my
irst buck that would score more than
110 inches had yet to materialize.
Small-minded in my efforts, I’d in-
vested all my time in the area around
my northeastern Oklahoma home —
record-class bucks were very few and
far between there. Combine this with
the fact my whitetail savvy was in its
early stages of development, and you
had a perfect recipe for failure. As a
64 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING
STRATION
matter of fact, I never really allowed
myself to think outside the rut I was
in. I was a blue-collar guy — mar-
ried, with children — striving just to
survive. A few years earlier, I’d made
my irst trip “Out West” to bowhunt,
which had started a process of change
in my bowhunting mindset. I saw that
I could think bigger than I was used
to and accomplish more than I had
planned. However, I’d not yet carried
this over into my whitetail hunting,
which was in a dismal state of affairs.
But all that was about to change…
On a warm, late-October morning,
I climbed into a treestand I’d only
recently erected. Facts were, I’d only
received permission to bowhunt this
ground a few weeks earlier, a won-
derful blessing resulting from my
willingness to get off my duff and
seek out access to a top-end piece of
whitetail ground. Never believing I
could gain access to such a property,
I prayed to God and put my best foot
forward. I’d stop by the crusty old
rancher’s spread on my way home
from work to help him with chores.
Then a miracle happened: One
day, he tossed me a spare key to his
gates. I was ecstatic! And although
BY EDDIE CLAYPOOL
The Buck
ew I was yet to acquire the
tetail savvy to truly reap the
ential of this property, fate
was about to intervene. I would
soon learn the reality of the
old saying, “Even a blind sow
nds an acorn every once in
while.”
I’d arrived at my treestand
later than planned — I’d wan-
dered around the area in the dark for
a while, looking for the tree. After a bit
of blundering around, even I knew I
was damaging my morning hunt.
Sitting down against a tree, I wait-
ed for daylight so I could, hopefully,
see where I was and ind my way to
where I wanted to be. I arrived at my
hide as the sun rose above the eastern
horizon, agitated at my incompetence.
As expected, I saw little action that
morning. I was convinced I’d alerted
every deer within a half-mile radius
with my bumbling entrance. Com-
bined with the fact that the rut was
yet to start, and that the tempera-
ture was supposed to climb to 90
degrees, I sat in a trance, counting off
the hours to departure. By 10 a.m.,
I’d had enough; gathering my gear,
I prepared to leave. Listening to that
still, small voice in the back of my
head, I decided to wait another half
hour. Minutes later, as I pivoted my
head to my right and rear, a large
buck appeared about 30 yards away.
The rest of the encounter is a blur. A
short time later, I was on the ground
searching for clues as to what had
just happened. It turned out that I’d
arrowed the brute, and he was soon
recovered a few hundred yards away.
NEVER had I been more excited.
This story represents the line of
demarcation between one bowhunt-
ing existence and another. After that
160-inch brute was under my belt,
I never looked back. I had done it. I
could do it. And now, I intended to do
it A LOT more. “Things” have never
been the same since.
01/02 • 2019
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