Indholdsfortegnelse for November 2022 i Petersen's Hunting

LONG-TIME READERS of these monthly missives know I often take good-natured jabs at hardcore whitetail deer hunters and their obsession—sometimes addiction seems a better word—to the sport. But I’ll let you in on a little secret. I actually enjoy hunting for whitetails. While it’s not a long stalk on a bedded mule deer or a cat-and-mouse game with a switched-on antelope, waiting for a mature whitetail buck to show up is a pleasure all its own. And when that magical moment does happen, I have been known to absolutely fall apart, shaking with a type of buck fever that I rarely experience with any other animal. I think part of that excitement is fueled by decades of popular media preaching just how difficult it is to kill a big buck.…

SAFARI CLUB INTERNATIONAL is suing the state of California over AB 2571, which prohibits marketing or advertising of firearms to minors. Because of its overly broad language, the law does more than just violate constitutional freedoms—it threatens youth firearms training and education in the state. The law went into effect July 1 and is already having devastating effects on the hunting community. For years, the SCI Orange County Chapter in California has hosted a Youth Quail Hunt. Started by Cliff and Toni McDonald, the hunt began with 17 youths in 2010 and has grown to 70+ in 2021. The three-day event teaches camping, conservation, hunting and harvest skills from start to finish at no cost to kids ages 8-15. For many, this is their first time hunting and marks a…

Kuiu’s entry into the whitetail world is built with industry-leading technologies to keep you comfortable and undetected while in the stand. The Proximity Insulated Hooded Jacket and Insulated Pants feature 100-percent polyester knit brushed face that eliminates unwanted noise. Backed with a SynthaCell wind-resistant bonded membrane that wards off chills from those blustery late-season breezes, while the Silvadur AM anti-odor treatment reduces human scent. The jacket also has a unique safety-harness port that stays sealed to keep cold air out. $299 (jacket), $269 (pants); kuiu.com Staying mobile is the name of the game during the rut. Game Winner’s Climber 2.0 weighs in at 30 pounds and has a weight capacity of 300 pounds to accommodate hunters and all their gear. The Climber 2.0 is also comfortable, featuring a 18x12-inch seat…

In remote hunting locations all over the world, quartering big-game animals right where they fall and then packing out the meat on your back is both part of the tradition and the most practical way of doing things. Contrast that to the lengths Eastern whitetail hunters sometimes go to for extracting small animals from relatively easy-to-access areas. I’ve watched men rig elaborate pulley systems to get a doe across a creek borrow tractors and tow straps to pull a 140-pound buck out of a ravine; and ride ATVs miles out of the way to save on a 200-yard trek to the truck. When such plans fail, whitetail hunters frequently make the situation more difficult by grabbing deer by the front legs and dragging it all the way to the truck.…

I REALIZE you have a job and that it’s important. Perhaps you’re even the type of person who invites the boss over for dinner. But November is coming. Would you rather spend the next year thinking back on a positive performance review, or remembering the big buck that charged into your shooting lane all bristled up, nearly causing you to soil yourself ? I know which I choose, and if you picked the other one, we’re probably not meant to be friends. Work will survive without you for a few days, but this part of deer season won’t last long. Get your calendar out and use a big, red Sharpie to set aside some days for this year’s Rutcation. But which days? Every week of November is a good one…

Whitetail hunting is a different adventure than those found in the high mountains or by traveling abroad, but it still captures the hearts and souls of many hunters. So much so, that people become hopelessly addicted to the pursuit of finding a big buck from the time the first nip of fall is felt all the way until snow is flying and temperatures plummeting. The rut is one of the most coveted times of the year for hunters afflicted by the whitetail vice. It’s a time when big bucks will let their guard down while on the trail of a hot doe, or when they cruise to different properties in search of a fight and an afternoon liaison with the victor’s reward. It truly is a hunting experience like no…

BULLET BASICS A classic boat-tailed hunting bullet with a lead tip, the Interlock was designed with a belt, or cannelure, around the shank. Meant to create a mechanical lock between lead core and copper jacket, the feature gave the Interlock its name and made it just a bit tougher than most other cup-and-core bullets. TESTING GROUND A friend used the bullet shown to shoot a massive-bodied mature bull elk he’d tracked for several hours. Fired from his .300 Weatherby at 100 yards, the Interlock exited the muzzle at about 3,100 fps and impacted the bull at an estimated 2,920 fps. FIELD PERFORMANCE Entering the quartering-away bull mid-ribs, the Interlock drove through vitals, into the off-side shoulder and came to rest against the hide in front of the shoulder without contacting…

In 1925, the .270 Winchester was the fastest and flattest-shooting cartridge, with mild recoil. We attribute the .270’s popularity to Jack O’Connor’s writing. There’s truth in this, but 20 years would pass before Professor O’Connor adopted it and made it his. Plenty of hunters had already discovered that the .270 shot flat, kicked little and hit hard. As O’Connor taught us, the .270 is near-perfect for the sheep he loved to hunt. It’s equally perfect for all open-country deer hunting. Many Westerners swear by it for elk, while others damn it as too light. O’Connor had no qualms about using it for elk. He also used his .270 for grizzly. His .270s went to Africa, but not as the only rifle. O’Connor never suggested that a .270 was ideal for…

LIKE MOST hunters, I hold onto my antlers after each hunt. In the past, I’d send the best ones to a taxidermist and put the others in a pile in the attic. As time went on, all the spots on the walls held a mount or a rug, and I continued building that pile. As one who hunted for a living as an outdoor writer, the attic pile grew to a rather impressive size. When you successfully attain that period of your life dubbed the Golden Years, you start to seriously think about downsizing. That means old people get rid of stuff or move to a smaller house with no stairs and no lawn or maybe become a snowbird and avoid the cold winters and shoveling snow. I’m perfectly happy…

With my buck tag already filled, I dedicated the Kentucky rut to hunting with family and friends. That led to a sit in the treestand with my uncle Ben during gun season. On a property with about 15 prehung tree-stands, we selected a proven one called “The Killing Tree.” Daylight broke, and we began seeing deer. Glassing in all directions, our total continued to rise—10, 20, 30, 40 and more. Deer were appearing everywhere except where we were. In fact, we watched not one, but two mature bucks walk within 20 yards of another treestand in sight. After the third one walked by a treestand we call “Cemetery Stand,” we packed up, quietly eased over to that stand location and climbed up. We were still settling in when the oldest…

Yes, I do shoot and hunt with the newest, hottest cartridges. In fact, I just returned from South Africa, where my battery included both a 6.8 Western and a .300 PRC. Earlier this spring, I hunted black bear with rifles in .350 Legend and .450 Bushmaster. However, I will admit I have a fetish for older cartridges, often chambered in vintage rifles. The word “classic,” when used as an adjective, is defined: “Judged over a period of time to be of the highest quality, and outstanding of its kind.” That answers one question, but begs another: “How much time?” There is no official timeline that makes something an antique, but 100 years is a common threshold. My beloved .270 Winchester, introduced in 1925, falls short. My favorite lever-action cartridge, the…

In today’s antler-afflicted world it’s a frequent question: “What’s your best whitetail?” By rigorous standards, never a giant. I’ve killed some good bucks along the way in Kansas, Georgia, Texas, here and there. The whitetail I think of as my “best” came up out of a riverine and headed across open ground toward thick stuff. It was a long way off; we hustled, cut him off and got a shot just as he hit the last open spot. Big in the body, he was just a seven-pointer but, in several attempts, he was the only branch-antlered buck I saw on New Zealand’s South Island. He went down among the first big trees. Beyond was primeval, impenetrable forest. Hobbit country. Toto, this sure didn’t look like Kansas. That buck was a…