Tired of getting your gear ripped off? Here are some suggestions to help you prevent that from happening. 
By Darren Warner
Last year I had the pleasure of taking my nephew on his first bow hunt. We spent the summer glassing fields, trimming shooting lanes and hanging stands. As we got our gear around during the pre-dawn, both of us felt as giddy as schoolgirls in anticipation of opening day of deer season. Continue reading
Looking for a great over-the-counter deer hunt, all for a low budget price? If so, check out Arizona … it has just what you’re looking for
By Eric Welsh
It was late December 13 years ago when I embarked on my first journey to Southern Arizona to hunt desert mule deer. My hunting buddy and I each had an over-the-counter archery deer tag in our pockets, and with other hunters’ stories in our heads, we were positive we would be wrapping that tag around some bone in the next few days. Continue reading
There’s nothing easy about bowhunting elk on public ground, but it can be done effectively—if you put in the necessary time and hard work and employ the right strategy
www.donaldmjones.com
By Dan Staton
A quiver full of unspoiled broadheads, a fine-tuned bow rig, some tread left on my boots and thousands of public ground acres to hunt. No cell phone service, no wireless Internet connection and an alarm clock that I don’t mind hearing in the morning.
This is what September is all about. This is the one month of the year when my life is free of distraction and disquiet. There is only one sound on the mountain uniquely designed by God to transform an old man into a young man, turn tired feet into hooves like a deer, and rejuvenate achy joints into leopard speed. This phenomenon is something I’ve felt firsthand each fall. Just when you think the elk rut is shut down for the day and you cozy up next to a spruce tree for a midday siesta, a bull’s bugle rings out and ignites Supermanlike strength into a once-dejected bowhunter. Sound familiar? Continue reading
It took 12 days of hiking and searching and four tedious stalks, but this bowhunter finally found himself within striking distance of one spectacular coues buck.
The best coues deer country is remote and well away from road access. The author prefers to hunt areas between 4,000 and 6,500 feet elevation.
By Joe Owens
These three-day, over-the-weekend “bomb” hunts were really beginning to kill me. For the past month, I had been departing my home every Thursday evening after work from Chandler, Arizona, and driving several hours to my hunting spot, then backpacking into a remote hunting area in the dark.
At first light the next morning, I’d hike my way to a good vantage point and begin glassing, searching for rutting coues bucks. I’d continue the search and glass throughout the weekend. Late on Sunday, I’d hike my way back to my truck in the dark and head for home. Come Thursday evening, I’d do it all over again. Continue reading
The best way to stay in shape as a bowhunter is to cross-train. Here’s how to do it.
Western bowhunting can be very demanding physically. Hunters who are in better shape tend to experience improved success and enjoy the experience more overall.
By Dan Staton M.S., P.E.S.
Why stay in shape as a bowhunter? The answer is simple: So you can hunt harder and longer and with greater effectiveness, meaning that you won’t be so prone to fatigue and losing focus. Besides, staying fit usually means enduring a longer bowhunting career, and that’s something we all want to do—hunt well into our senior years. I know I do.
But how do you do it? The market is full of “proven-to-work” exercise routines; some are certainly worthwhile, others are not. However, based on my expertise and experience, a bowhunter’s routine should focus on general physical preparedness (GPP) and not specialized training. Basically, the concept of GPP involves cross training, which is a way of working out that involves nearly all your body’s muscles, rather than pinpointing specific groups. This type of training improves strength, flexibility and endurance—all key to becoming better at this sport. Continue reading
These products were designed with one thing in mind: more deer-hunting success
Equalizer
By Steve Bartylla
Within minutes of me sitting on stand, deer began filtering out. It was mid-December, and the temp was going to hit negative numbers.
About an hour before shooting light expired, an old 8-point stood near the wood line, surveying the scene. Six deer were feeding in the standing corn behind me. Soon, the buck made his way across the CRP to the corn, and I began preparing for the shot. My two biggest concerns were getting out of my Heater Body Suit undetected and the shot distance, which was more than 40 yards. Continue reading
Bow Efficiency
All things being equal, a bow shot at maximum draw weight will deliver arrows more efficiently, since the string's harnesses are tighter and the brace height is usually shorter, with the limbs "bottomed-out." This means that if two identical bows are set at 60 pounds but have different adjustable limb weights (i.e. 50-60 vs. 60-70), the bow with the 50-60 limbs would shoot more efficiently.
Q: Joe, I really enjoy your magazine. I have heard the same comment made many times over the years. I am wondering if it’s based on facts, studies, opinion or an old wives’ tale? It goes something like, “A bow performs better if the bow’s weight is set at its max,” or “If you shoot at 63 pounds, it’s better to have a 50-to-60-pound bow and set it at its max (60 pounds) than to have a 60-to-70-pound bow set at 63 pounds.” I am not sure what “performs better” means.
If you shoot lots of arrows, is it better for the bow to be shot at its max? Wouldn’t this be putting maximum pressure on the bow on each and every shot over and over? Thanks for your input.
J.B., via e-mail Continue reading
When it comes to great, innovative products, this longtime shop owner says these rule.
Carnivore Meat Bags
By Aaron Lasco
Hoyt Carbon Element (hoyt.com)
Every year, I wonder what manufacturers could do to improve bow technology. Hoyt has answered the question with the 2011 Element. Last year, Hoyt introduced the Carbon Matrix with an all-carbon-tube riser, making a longer-axle bow lighter without giving up true shootability. This year, Hoyt has perfected it! The Element features the same carbon-tube riser but in a shorter, more desirable length for bowhunters, all without sacrificing the accuracy that a longer axle-bow provides. This bow is off-the-charts quiet, accurate and super deadly! It also emits zero vibration at the shot. All I can say is, “Wow!” Continue reading
A father and son defy the odds, both taking trophy coues bucks in back-to-back seasons on public land in Arizona.
Rick Forrest shot this velvet-clad coues buck spot-and-stalk in southern Arizona. He shot this 111-inch buck in late August 2010.
By Brandon Ray
Rick Forrest is one of my favorite guys to write about. I’ve known him for 20 years. Not only is he a talented archer and a wildly successful bowhunter, he’s also an accomplished engineer. He’s designed such fine products as the Sonoran bow sight (my personal favorite) and the prototype for the popular Swhacker expandable broadhead, previously called the Sonoran broadhead. And one thing is for sure: He’s the real deal! Continue reading
