High-Pressure Shooting (Part 2)

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An inside look at what plagues us when shots really count 

Bowhunter Joel Turner believes in using certain action words or phrases during the shot to assist the mind and body to perform correctly.

By Denny Sturgis Jr.

One of the archers we feature in “Masters of the Barebow 4″ is Joel Turner. Joel is a police officer, sniper SWAT team leader and lead firearms instructor for the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission. He’s also worked in an archery pro shop since he was 16 and is a world champion elk-caller. He has developed a system of shot psychology he teaches daily to people who find themselves in extremely stressful situations. The system Joes teaches for firearms is similar to the system for archery, with just a few differences. Continue reading →

Musk-ox!

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An adventurous bowhunter braves extreme conditions pursuing an Arctic trophy 

David and the author pose with the trophy musk-ox bull. Note the lunar-like landscape in the background.

 By Steff Stefanovich

 Plumes of frosty steam billowed from the big bull musk-ox in the frigid Arctic air. At 25 yards, he angrily pawed the ground and rubbed his pre-orbital gland on his hairy foreleg. He was obviously unhappy that I’d come this close to his eight buddies and him and was letting me know it.

We had stalked the group for a while and finally got them to form the classic protective circle, with each bull facing outward. The bull I was after was to my left, still within the group. I was trying to keep track of him, but the aggressive bull to my right held my undivided attention. (While purchasing our licenses, we had been warned that this behavior indicated an imminent charge.) Continue reading →

Elk Hunting

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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 →

Product Tests: The Helix Broadhead and the Ghost Blind Products

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Superior Two-Blade 

The Helix broadhead is unlike other two-blade heads. This one features a unique blade angle that actually enhances the spin ratio of the arrow, which enhances accuracy and creates more of a "drill-like effect" as it penetrates, cutting a gaping hole rather than a slit. Bow & Arrow Hunting Editor Joe Bell found it to shoot amazingly accurately, despite speeds beyond 280 fps.

The key to a good blood trail and fast recovery is to shoot an arrow that penetrates well and to use a shaving-sharp broadhead that cuts a large wound channel. When these two criteria are met and proper shot placement is achieved, animals usually fall within sight.

However, modern bowhunting equipment has forced us to compromise a little in this area. After all, today’s bows are amazingly fast, and when combined with fairly light carbon arrows, big broadheads don’t fly well from such setups. This has brought about a unique line of compact-style fixed-blade and mechanical broadheads.  Continue reading →

New Products

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 Wicked Fast and Smooth

Diamond’s new Dead Eye shoots a blazing 343 fps IBO! This makes it the most efficient bow this company has ever developed. The bow features the revolutionary Throttle Cam (with rotating draw-length module), FLX-Guard, seven-layer laminated limbs, fully machined riser and the new twin-machined center-lock limb pocket system. Bow’s specs include 80 percent letoff, 32 inches axle length, 6 1/8-inch brace height, 3.95 overall weight and draw length adjustability from 26 to 30 inches. Visit www.diamondarchery.com  Continue reading →

Questions & Answers

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Release Aids and Trigger Pull 

How light should the release's trigger be? Ultimately, it's a personal choice, and the only way to ascertain the answer is through experimentation.

Hey, Joe. I’ve been experimenting with trigger pull and was wondering what you use. Do you prefer a hair trigger or a firm pull? It seems a hair trigger makes me a bit jumpy. Any advice would be great. Thanks.

Jim Perry, via e-mail

Hi, Jim. There’s a fine line between too light and too firm in my experience. Of course, this will vary for each shooter, because everyone’s strength and shooting techniques are a bit different. Personally, I do prefer a fairly light trigger, but not too light. Continue reading →

Hunting Coues Buck

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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 →

Halloween Ghost

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This bowhunter’s dream of owning his own land and managing it properly for big bucks finally comes to life—and in a way beyond belief 

The author with his 2010 Halloween-day buck, which was the buck he and his friends had called “Palmy,” due to his heavy, palmated 12-point frame.

 By Eyad Yehyawi

Living in Iowa my entire life, I had always dreamed of owning my own farm, a sacred place where I could pursue my passion for hunting and the outdoors. That dream became a reality in the spring of 2005, when I purchased a small acreage right out of school and vowed to make it the best I could in regard to bowhunting and wildlife management.

It wasn’t the typical property so commonly advertised today; big buck photos were absent, there were no massive rubs or scrapes tattooing the property, and food plots were non-existent. Continue reading →

Bowhunting Fitness

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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 →