Bowhunter brings you expert advice from legendary Bowhunters! Each issue is filled with updates from major bowhunting organizations, coverage of bowhunting locations across North America, complete coverage of the sport and much more.
“DO YOU HAVE any cameras up over here?” That’s clearly a leading question for a deer hunter. So, when my farmer friend posed it to me this July, I figured there was more behind his query than simple curiosity. “No,” I replied. “Why?” Well, my buddy was seeing a couple good bucks making regular appearances around the property and hoped I would set up a few trail cameras in advance of hunting season. Needless to say, I was happy to oblige. About a week later, I grabbed three Moultrie EDGE cellular cameras and headed over, setting them on a small clover plot and a pair of mineral sites. I knew I’d get plenty of deer pictures, but I was honestly shocked by what I saw. Not only were there a…
A DARK DOT appeared on a shale slide near the top of Montana’s Crazy Mountains. I was bowhunting elk at the timber line and just happened to glance toward the naked peaks above me. I planted my fanny and dialed in the binocular. A large black bear popped into 10X focus. I had a bear tag in my pocket and had not seen an elk all morning. The bear was more than a mile away but seemed headed on a bee line for me. I settled down to watch. Half an hour later, my heart went into overdrive. The bruin briefly vanished in a cut 100 yards away and popped out again on the narrow ridge where I was sitting. I ducked behind a stunted spruce and nocked an arrow.…
THE PIG WAS CLOSE, almost too close. Although he acted nervous as he gobbled up corn around the feeder, he trusted his eyes to warn him of any danger within striking distance and his nose and his ears to warn him of anything approaching from farther away. He had probably been here many times before and avoided any negative consequences. The problem this time was that I was sitting motionless above in a Millennium stand, and the wind was in my favor. I was testing out a new Wasp Sharpshooter CBW broadhead, and I knew my light recurve was more than enough to kill the pig. But I also knew it was doubtful my arrow would pass through. That’s exactly where the broadhead would come into play. You see, CBW…
MOULTRIE EDGE Solar Cellular Trail Camera Moultrie is taking battery life to the next level with the new EDGE Solar, featuring the industry’s largest integrated solar panel and included, rechargeable lithium battery for true “set it and forget it” performance in the field. The solar panel atop the camera articulates, allowing you to orient it for maximum sun exposure and then lock it in place. Power from the sun is stored in the integrated battery, allowing you to set the camera and receive images and videos all season long with no additional visits to the camera site. Other highlights include automatic cellular connection to the nation’s four leading networks, 40MP still images and 1080p videos, on-demand image and video capture, built-in storage that eliminates the need for SD cards, .4-second…
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS in bowhunting can be a pretty touchy subject. Some folks love the gear. Others think it’s tarnishing the sport. I get it — I’ve always felt conflicted about certain technologies in bowhunting. To me, archery is supposed to be challenging. That’s part of what makes it so rewarding. I’ve wrestled with advancements that seem to circumvent the need for field-craft and good, old-fashioned woodsmanship. There’s a line between tools that help us become better hunters and tools that start to do the hunting for us, and it’s not always a clear line. What’s perfectly legal and widely considered ethical in one state is often taboo and completely banned in another. But there is one area where I believe the technology debate should stop cold — game recovery. The…
AROUND THIS time of year, we hear the deer experts share their opinions on the best time to hunt the rut. This is always intriguing, especially when you’re trying to maximize your vacation days during the most exciting hunting days of the year. Some hunters point to the moon as the main factor influencing the rut. If moon phase or position works for you, by all means, stick with it. There’s nothing better than a well-earned trophy. However, from a biological perspective, the moon theory has been repeatedly disproven through various peer-reviewed studies. In short, while the moon can influence fish behavior in connection with lunar cycles, it has nothing to do with the timing of the whitetail rut. In fact, the conclusion of all the various studies has been…
