Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Petersen's Bowhunting (September 2018)
Petersen's Bowhunting (September 2018)
Petersen's Bowhunting (September 2018)
b u i lt f o r
bowhunters who demand everything.
A V A I L A B L E O N LY A T G E N U I N E H O Y T R E T A I L E R S .
2018 BROADHEAD TEST:
BIG
GAME
BONANZA!
• DIY Elk Double p. 64
• Utah Bull of a Lifetime p. 72
• Quest for a 70-inch Moose p. 78
• High & Deep for Mountain Goats p. 94
TESTED:
• Hoyt Nitrux p. 40
• Excalibur Assassin p. 104
• Mission SUB-1 p. 116
STEALTH
THE RESULTS ARE IN.
IS LETHAL.
Mathews TRIAX
Competing 2018 Models
F E ATU R E S
2018 HEAD-TO-HEAD
BROADHEAD TEST
Mechanical Mayhem!
42
54 5 Parts to the
Perfect Arrow
Be More Deadly by
Sweating the Small Details
BY JOHN DUDLEY
72
Climbing High
94 When Chasing Mountain Goats,
Just Getting There is Half the Battle
BY MATT GUEDES
XERO BOW SIGHT THE AUTO-RANGING DIGITAL BOW SIGHT THAT LEAVES GUESSWORK BEHIND.
TM
G E AR
40 TECHNICAL BOW TEST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BY JON E. SILKS
Hoyt Nitrux
p. 110
p. 104
p. 116 p. 108
D E PARTM E NTS
8 FIRST SHOT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BY CHRISTIAN BERG
Never Stop Chasing Dreams
• Awesome Arrows:
120 THE DIY GUY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BY EDDIE CLAYPOOL
Roots
6 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING 0 9 • 2018
Arm Yourself with Maximum Penetration Full Metal Jacket.
Christian Berg
A
s I’ve often noted in this up and moved forward, having been ART DIRECTOR David J. Siegfried
column, bowhunting made better for the experience. And ASSOCIATE EDITOR Emily Kantner
success rarely comes though many would consider Eddie EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Sally Burkey
a master of Western bowhunting, he FIELD EDITORS
easily — if it comes at all! would be the irst to tell you he never HUNTING SOLO Eddie Claypool
Because of that, successful stops learning. In fact, in recent years CROSSBOWS Bob Humphrey
bowhunters tend to be irratio- GEAR TESTING Jon E. Silks
Eddie has continued to expand his
BETTER BOWHUNTING Randy Ulmer
nally optimistic, goal driven, bowhunting horizons by tackling
BOWHUNTING 101 Bill Winke
tenacious and resilient. After all, new challenges and chasing new
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ADVERTISING SALES REP Jeff Millar
This month’s issue is illed with In Four Trips and 40 Days (p. 78), (717) 695-8081 jeff.millar@outdoorsg.com
tales of adventure from bowhunt- author Darron McDougal tells the PRODUCTION
ers who refused to let temporary story of Wisconsin bowhunter Glen MANAGER Brittany Kennedy (717) 695-8089
brittany.kennedy@outdoorsg.com
setbacks stop them from pursuing Rutten’s 16-year quest for an Alaska- COORDINATOR Leah Jaroh (717) 695-8087
their dreams. Perhaps no one bet- Yukon bull moose. Between 2000 leah.jaroh@outdoorsg.com
ter exempliies this “never say die” and 2016, Rutten made four trips ENDEMIC AD SALES
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THE
INBOX
Worried About Crossbows Why can’t we all bury the hatch-
I read The State of the Sport Report et, so to speak, and accept one an-
in the July issue with interest and other’s weapon choice for what it
concern. I’ve enclosed a report that is? We should all have the oppor-
was written some 35 years ago (in
1983) and would like to share it with
QUESTION tunity to hunt with our weapon of
choice, as long as it is legal. If we
you. I believe it’s still valid today. OF THE MONTH: hunt with either longbow, com-
We (the Ohio Bowhunters Associa- pound, recurve, crossbow, rile,
tion) were passionate about protect- muzzleloader or handgun, so be it.
ing bowhunting and our bow season Enough is enough.
from being exploited by crossbow David Lorenzoni, Woodruff, Wisc.
manufacturers and their lobbyists.
We knew the manufacturers were He Left the Club
targeting gun hunters for their cross- Christian Berg’s editorial in the
bow market but needed bow season to July issue, Be a Bowhunting Advo-
sell them — mainly because bowhunt- bowhunting@outdoorsg.com cate, encouraged readers to become
ers did not want them. We lost the bat- members of the Pope and Young
tle because we couldn’t compete with Embracing Crossbows Club. He also indicated that Pope
the money, power and big-time cross- Mr. Berg, as a bowhunter, I would and Young’s membership had
bow manufacturers lobbying the Ohio like to respond to your editorial in dwindled from 8,000 to 6,500 over
Division of Wildlife. the July issue. I couldn’t agree with the past two decades.
Today, crossbows dominate the you more! We have to stand up for I don’t know the reasons why all
market because they are easily mas- what we believe and join a club that those other people left the Club, but
tered. Why take up the challenge of supports our sport. But what hap- I deliberately allowed my member-
shooting a [vertical] bow when you pens when the club you had been ship to expire well over a decade
can be deadly accurate at 35 yards a member of and supported for 30- ago because I simply got sick and
in an hour? Herein lies the problem; plus years decides to go in the op- tired of their constant rant against
simplicity and instant success has posite direction than what you and crossbows. Many of their claims
become more important than the other members are thinking? seemed ridiculous and not based
challenge of developing the skill of I am referring to the crossbow de- on any facts. I was irritated by their
mastering a [vertical] bow. bate here in our great State of Wiscon- closed-minded, “the sky will fall”
Unfortunately, it may be the time sin. You reported that the Wisconsin mentality. Subsequent legalization
we live in — the “now generation” Bowhunters Association (WBA) had across the nation has not caused any
and instant gratiication. Bowhunt- at one time more than 11,000 mem- signiicant problems, other than per-
ing could go the way of black pow- bers (and I was one of them) and is haps blemishing the Club’s ego.
der season, where muskets, wad- presently down to fewer than 5,000 Here’s the Catch 22: There are
ding, balls and powder horns and members. First, let me give you a literally hundreds of thousands of
ramrods were replaced with scoped, small history lesson on WBA. hunters who now participate in state
inline, breech-loaded riles. It’s all in Back in the 1970s, when we as archery seasons with crossbows, but
the name of progress. All I can say is, bowhunters started to evolve from re- not a single one would be able to
“Follow the money.” curves and longbows to the infancy of join the Pope and Young Club (nor
Just walk into a sporting goods so-called compounds, we didn’t have would they be welcome). Just think
store as deer season nears and watch the rift between the two user groups, about the vast number of people
what the young people are looking as we have now between compounds who are excluded from Club mem-
to purchase. I can almost guarantee and crossbows. As a matter of fact, the bership due to their personal choice
you it’s not the [vertical] bows they WBA accepted the compounds with of equipment.
are picking out; it’s crossbows! There open arms and still promoted our I can’t help but wonder what Ishi
is where all your future bowhunters sport. That is when the membership would think if he saw a modern com-
have gone, and you won’t ind that grew to more than 11,000 members, pound bow with all the incredible
reported in any statistics. because we were all one group. accouterments. No doubt he would
I’m an old-school bowhunter, hav- Now, with the introduction of the have been amazed. He’d probably
ing started with a stickbow in 1963. all-inclusive crossbow season [over- have that very same reaction upon
I’m now 76, shoot a compound bow, lapping with archery season], we are seeing a modern crossbow. Howev-
still a member of the Ohio Bowhunt- all in an uproar and pitting one user er, would he really think one was
ers Association and proud to be a group against the other. WBA is trying much more ethical than the other? I
dedicated bowhunter. to divide and conquer by not includ- seriously doubt it.
Tom Bowman, Hilliard, Ohio ing crossbows into their user group! Rick Casey, Paw Paw, Mich.
14 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING 0 9 • 2018
Choosing
the Right
Vanes for
the Job
M
WHITE
TAILS BY JASON SNAVELY
Research shows that buck-harvest restrictions based solely on antler points allow
H
ow do you decide wheth-
hunters to legally harvest the most promising young bucks in the population while
er to dump the string on protecting young bucks with lesser racks. Over time, this results in removing many of
a buck? How will your the bucks with the greatest antler potential early in life, such as this fine Pennsylvania
decision impact the quality of 2 1⁄2-year-old that was killed in the fall of 2016.
your future buck population?
buck’s overall antler size is the worst
If you lack a vested interest
in the antler size of bucks
criterion you can use when mak- #DeerWeek Is Coming!
ing harvest decisions. In fact, when
in the future, perhaps your antlers alone are the deciding fac- #DeerWeek, brought to you by Leupold,
decision won’t impact the qual- tor, hunters can degrade the overall Kimber, and Old Trapper, runs Sept. 17-23 on
ity of your hunting. However, size of bucks at maturity. I’ll explain. Outdoor Channel and Sportsman Channel.
Each night from 7 p.m.-midnight you’ll find
if you’re like the majority of Unintended Consequences the networks’ very best deer-hunting shows.
bowhunters, and the thought One afternoon in 1998, I was Additional #DeerWeek programming is
of wide, tall and heavy-racked walking down the hallway between available on the MyOutdoorTV mobile app, and
bucks is what gets you out of classes at Mississippi State Uni- a wide variety of #DeerWeek videos, articles,
bed in the morning, you should versity when my advisor, a world- hunting tips and prize giveaways can be found
continue reading. renowned deer researcher, called
across our social media platforms. For full
me into his ofice to show me some-
When deciding whether to come thing quite profound. Doc knew I
schedules, contest info and more, visit www.
to full draw on a buck, what distin- was absolutely addicted to learning deerweek.com.
guishing characteristics are you ob- about whitetail deer and that my
serving? Undoubtedly, most of us are career would be wrapped around
scrutinizing boney headgear when whitetails for the coming decades. I
deciding whether to shoot or pass. was sworn to secrecy, since he had
Maybe he’s bigger than the one you literally just inished crunching the
shot last year, or even bigger than numbers and the groundbreaking antlered bucks early on in their
your best buck to date. Perhaps he research wasn’t yet published. lives. Doesn’t that seem counter in-
appears to meet or exceed the Pope As I sat and looked at the ig- tuitive to what we’re aiming to do?”
and Young or outitter-set minimum ures and graphs, my professor What Doc was suggesting is that
score. I’ve been working with deer said, “This is reliable proof that state biologists and lawmakers
hunters/managers for 16 years now, antler point restrictions (APRs) re- who were trying to improve over-
and I can assure you antler charac- sult in high-grading bucks before all buck quality by implementing
teristics are what most hunters use they reach the age when we want harvest restrictions based solely on
to decide if an animal is taking a to harvest them! Antler restrictions antler points were, in fact, doing the
ride in the back of the truck. Fright- protect the smaller-antlered young exact opposite by allowing hunters to
eningly, science has proven that bucks and allow them to grow cherry pick the top 15-20 percent of
making decisions solely based on a older while removing the larger- Continued on page 20
18 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING 0 9 • 2018
WHITE
TAILS
Continued from page 18 Results of High-Grading In fact, research on public manage-
bucks in the herd before they reach Groundbreaking research done ment areas revealed an average 17-
their prime years and maximum at Mississippi State identiied that inch decline in antler scores among
antler size. although antler restrictions can 3-year-old bucks! The research
Buck harvest is regulated with protect many yearling bucks from caused the state agency to adjust its
selective harvest criteria. In the mid harvest, high-grading the herd is APRs to eliminate high-grading of
1900s, during the restoration phase, a likely outcome. What is high- yearling bucks.
any buck was legal as biologists and grading? High-grading occurs when If that doesn’t convince you that
managers sought instead to protect the top-end bucks are harvested at an high-grading results from an APR
the reproductive, female segment early age and therefore are not avail- that doesn’t protect 100 percent of
of the herd. With the whitetail deer able for harvest at maturity, when immature bucks, consider the fact
restoration story being such a great they would express their full genetic that prior to the statewide 4-point
success, modern-day selective har- potential. Instead, their smaller-ant- APR, more than 80 percent of 3-year-
vest criteria tend to focus on antler lered cousins have been preserved old bucks sported 8 or more points.
characteristics that lead to more, and are still available for harvest. Post APRs, the proportion of 3-year-
older bucks in the herd available for As an example, imagine 100 buck old bucks with 8 or more points
harvest. In an effort to keep things fawns hitting the ground in the plummeted below 50 percent, while
simple for hunters, the late 1990s spring of 2018 as a “cohort,” a group bucks in the same age class carry-
found state lawmakers and biol- of animals all born in the same ing only 4-7 points more than dou-
ogists seeking to utilize the num- year. As these bucks move into the bled! Let’s face it; none of us are real
ber of antler points as a means of 1 1⁄2-year-old age class, approximate- thrilled to see an overabundance of
relieving heavy harvest mortality on ly 10 percent will die from natural 4-point, 3-year-old bucks!
younger age classes, more specii- mortality. The survivors will begin
cally 1 1⁄2-year-old bucks. Following to grow their yearling set of antlers. Breaking the Barrier
many years of protecting does while Based on a number of factors, in- So, how do we break through the
labeling any buck a legal buck, year- cluding birth date, habitat quality, barrier? The answer lies in devel-
ling bucks comprised upwards of 80 genetics, etc., the remaining 90 (10 oping buck-harvest criteria that ad-
percent of the total buck harvest in died of natural mortality) yearling dresses the unique circumstances of
many states. Hunters began to de- antlered bucks will possess slightly your area while also aging bucks on
mand a more balanced buck harvest, different antler characteristics and the hoof. The fact is, all age classes
and that meant increasing the num- scores. Some of these yearling bucks of bucks can possess 8-point racks,
ber of 2 1⁄2-year-old and older bucks will be spikes, some will possess 8 or proving that the number of antler
in the post-hunting season popu- more points while others will fall in points is the worst criterion to use
lation. Decisions to harvest or pass between. A 4-point minimum APR when deciding whether to harvest a
on particular bucks has a profound will only protect a certain percentage particular buck.
impact, both positive and negative, of these yearling bucks from harvest; After working with private land-
on the future dynamics of the deer the smaller-antlered segment of the owners and pushing my own deer
herd, including antler size. cohort. The question is, are we pro- management programs to the max,
As a biologist, I want hunters to tecting the bucks that have a great- it’s obvious that advanced deer
make harvest decisions that will er chance of growing larger antlers management requires a mindset
have a positive impact on future at 5 1⁄2 years of age? Absolutely not! shift beyond what got us here. I wish
antler size. Since overall antler size In order to do that, we would need I had a dollar for every call I’ve re-
typically increases with age, adopt- to protect yearling bucks with 6-10 ceived that sounded something like
ing a mindset that allows young and points as their irst set of antlers, this: “We have been practicing qual-
middle-aged bucks to walk makes because these are the bucks that pos- ity deer management for 10 years
sense. This general approach mir- sess the greatest potential for large now, but we just can’t seem to get
rors what is commonly referred to as antlers at maturity. Ultimately, pro- past that 140-inch mark.”
quality deer management, with tro- tecting smaller-antlered yearlings If you want to break through the
phy deer management being slight- (2-3 points) while harvesting larg- barrier, it requires that extra effort to
ly more restrictive on middle-aged er-antlered yearlings (4+ points) re- make harvest decisions this season
buck harvest. These basic buck- duces antler size of the cohort (born that are sure to have positive im-
harvest parameters are great until in 2018) down the road when those pacts on the standing crop of bucks
you reach that frustrating plateau bucks reach maturity. that are available for future harvest.
all deer hunters/managers reach The Mississippi 4-point antler I irmly believe that slot limits, much
when it seems like all the food plots restriction is the perfect example. In like isheries biologists employ, will
and minerals in the world won’t re- fact, overall antler size within each be the solution for those looking
sult in any additional large-racked age class (cohort) declined after the to maximize the antler potential of
bucks. 4-point APR became law in 1995. mature bucks.
20 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING 0 9 • 2018
BOWHUNTING
QQ 101 BY BILL WINKE
W
hen our son asked
Bowstring: I once arrived at an elk head off these problems before they
me a few years ago
hunt only to ind my bow was shoot- cost you a buck. That is the main
if he could ride the ing so low I couldn’t even hit the tar- takeaway from my sad day in the
four-wheeler over to a friend’s get at 20 yards. It was a hot week, and stand, but you can also prevent this
house and blow up Tannerite the bow was in a black case on the trip from happening, to some extent, by
with a .30-06, I remember think- out. The string stretched. Fortunately, selecting the right accessories. Now
ing, That sounds like a good I had a portable press and was able to I only use rests with secondary set-
twist it back to the right length. screws that lock them in place, or I
idea; what could go wrong? Your string is made up of several use rests that mount into pre-shaped
When my best friend, who was strands of soft extruded polyeth- cutouts in the riser. I no longer trust
sitting on the bank behind me as I ylene. The word “soft” should im- the notion that I can tighten a single
cast for trout, started throwing big mediately make you cringe. Almost retaining screw enough to keep a rest
rocks to see how close he could get everything else on a bow is made of from pivoting if it takes a hard knock.
to my head without actually hitting something hard that can take a lick-
it, my otherwise predisposed mind ing and keep on ticking. Execution Errors
registered, That sounds like a good The string can let you down in Oh, boy. Now we are in the same
idea; what could go wrong? many ways. Obviously, it can stretch. league as the four-wheeler, Tannerite
“What could go wrong?” are the The center serving can break or slip. and .30-06. There are a ton of things
famous last words of many a You- The peep sight can stop rotating cor- that can go wrong here. Let’s look at
Tube hero. Fortunately, our son still rectly. If you have an older string on the most obvious ones.
has all his limbs and senses. I wish your bow, or shoot several thousand Rushing the Shot: This has cost
I could report the same result from arrows per year, it is wise to buy a me a couple of trophies over the
my trout stream experience. new custom string and break it in years. We all have a built-in tenden-
So, this month, I am going to ex- before the season. This is the most cy to want to shoot quickly. I have
plore what can go wrong when the important accessory on your bow. more or less eliminated this prob-
focus of our season is standing right Sight Pins: After the string, your lem by forcing myself to squeeze
there, 30 yards away. Knowing what sight pins are the most vulnerable the trigger on all my shots. On the
could go wrong, hopefully, gives us parts on your bow. I have had pins range it is not hard to do, but on live
the chance to avoid the seemingly break and bend during the course game this takes discipline and a very
inevitable calamity. Continued on page 24
I
n the early days of drop-away arrow rests, there weren’t many as long as possible during its accel-
options. Just as now, the launcher arm was pulled up as the eration. The shaft should only lose
bow was drawn. A cord or rubber tube was attached to the contact with the rest at the last possi-
bow’s cable on one end and then to the arrow rest on the other ble moment, just before the letching
passes.
end. When the cable moved vertically, the arrow rest launcher If the launcher arm loses contact
arm followed. There were no limb-driven rests in those days. with the arrow too soon, there is
These drop-away rests were adjustable as to how long they nothing to support the front end of
would stay up as the arrow was launched. The archer could the arrow. So, if the driving force
quickly and easily adjust the rest’s timing by changing the length pushing the arrow (the bowstring)
does anything even a little differently
of the cord or tubing.
from shot to shot, the entire arrow
These drop-away arrow rests the arrow before the “wings” of the may be steered off its intended
allowed an archer to shoot arrows broadhead (the exposed blades) have path. In my experience, accuracy
letched with maximum offset or he- a chance to exhibit any inluence. and consistency deinitely suffer
lical vane orientation without wor- Every arrow has inconsistencies when I set the arrow rest to fall
rying about the letching contacting in straightness, weight, concentricity very quickly.
the launcher arm. This was espe- and spine. Spinning, especially fast
cially good news for bowhunters, spinning, minimizes the effects these Timing & Tuning
because we’re the ones who need a variables have on the light of the ar- There are other serious issues
radical letching coniguration to get row. This results in better accuracy, related to a short contact time. In
the arrow spinning very quickly and especially when using broadheads. some instances, the bow can prove
control the broadhead in light. very difficult to tune in the hori-
A rapid spin rate helps stabilize Needed Guidance zontal plane (left and right tears
the arrow, and the sooner the arrow When I irst started shooting these through paper). Some bows will
gets spinning the better. You want the new drop-away rests, I was instruct- shoot a perfect bullet hole right
letching to take over the guidance of ed by the manufacturer to allow the out of the box. However, I found
28 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING 0 9 • 2018
BY RANDY ULMER
that if the bow didn’t shoot well left and right as well as up and down shot to shot, especially when you
through paper from the begin- (the horizontal and vertical planes). I throw the human element into the
ning, it was nearly impossible to am a little skeptical of those claims. mix. If those claims of perfect nock
adjust it to shoot the arrow in a High-speed bows with large cams travel were true, you could theo-
straight line, no matter how much are just predisposed to vary from retically shoot very well with little
tuning I did. It seemed the arrow arrow rest/shaft contact. Unfortu-
had a mind of its own and was go- nately, most bows don’t have perfect
ing to do exactly what it wanted to nock travel and need some assistance
do, no matter what adjustments I from the arrow rest to “smooth out”
made to the rest.
When the arrow was on the
rest for such a brief period, I just
couldn’t tune left or right tears out
“ Every arrow
has inconsistencies
inconsistencies.
So, given that, here’s my conclu-
sion: the ideal drop-away arrow
rest will control (contact) the arrow
of the bow. However, once I set the for as long as possible as the arrow
arrow rest to provide longer contact in straightness, is accelerated forward by the bow-
time, my tuning became much eas- string. The launcher arm will drop
ier. In fact, I found I could tune my weight, concentricity away just before the letching passes
bow exactly the way I always had by. Furthermore, the launcher arm
when using a conventional (static)
arrow rest.
Some manufactures claim to build
bows with perfect nock travel, both
and spine
” should be lexible enough to help ab-
sorb some of the up and down move-
ment (bounce) of the arrow during
acceleration.
COMPOUND
CROSSBOW
150GR.
150GR.
SWH00243
SWH00251
Q Q Q Q Q Q Q
I
recently came across a significant news story involving cross- good, bad or indifferent? I suppose it
bows that really caught my attention. It was an article in the depends to a certain extent on your
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the headline of which proclaimed, perspective, and where you place
“For first time, Wisconsin crossbow deer kill exceeds vertical bow your emphasis.
Perhaps the biggest area of con-
harvest.” cern is the impact crossbows have
on wildlife resources, particular-
I wondered if this was the cross- 2014, Wisconsin crossbow hunters took ly whitetail deer. According to the
bow proponent’s worst fear, and 33 percent of the overall archery har- Quality Deer Management Associ-
the naysayers’ chance to inally say, vest, while vertical bowhunters took ation’s Whitetail Report 2018, Wis-
“I told you so!” Was the sky inally 67 percent. The crossbow kill increased consin’s 2016 buck harvest was up
falling? to 39 percent of the archery harvest from the ive year (2011-15) average.
Whether intentional or not, one in 2015, 45 percent in 2016 and 51 But is that a good sign, or the result
of the irst things I couldn’t help percent in 2017. of all those extra crossbow hunters
but notice was the headline’s subtle That phenomenon is hardly killing too many deer? It’s too soon
distinction that crossbow hunters unique. Michigan saw a similar to tell, so we’ll look elsewhere.
“killed” deer, while vertical bow- trend from 2009-2013, when the pro- Michigan’s 2016 buck kill is down
hunters “harvested” theirs. Clearly, portion of hunters using crossbows about 3 percent from the ive year av-
more investigation was in order. during the archery deer season erage. But Ohio’s is up 3 percent, and
climbed from 19 to 50 percent. Ohio Pennsylvania’s is up 15 percent. How
A Growing Presence eliminated crossbow restrictions about some of the other crossbow
Harvest igures from the Wiscon- during its 1982-1983 season, and states? Arkansas’ 2016 buck kill is up
sin Department of Natural Resources within a decade crossbow hunters 4 percent, while Georgia is down 3
(DNR) help shed a ray of light on the outnumbered vertical bowhunters. percent. Illinois is up only 1 percent,
subject. For example, this transposition At the time, the state had an esti- but Missouri is 11 percent above the
wasn’t really unexpected, given re- mated 82,000 vertical bowhunters ive-year average. There are numer-
cent trends. Since crossbows were irst and 11,000 crossbow hunters. By ous reasons for these changes, or lack
allowed during the regular archery the 1992-93 season, vertical bow- thereof, including disease outbreaks
deer season in 2013, the vertical bow hunters had grown to 95,000, while and changes in regulations. Mean-
harvest has gradually declined while the number of crossbow hunters while, the overall trend in nationwide
the crossbow kill has risen steadily. In skyrocketed to 97,000. Since then, Continued on page 34
40
™
SPOT-ON BY CABE JOHNSON
Y
ears ago, one of us was
should be perfect. In practice, how-
shooting tournaments
ever, the video forced him to admit
and bowhunting regular- he wasn’t actually shooting with a
ly. He was getting better with surprise release.
each practice session, but the So, he decided that until he
gains were very slow. Even- could execute his shot as a sur-
tually, the progress stopped prise, he needed to really focus on
bringing that release hand straight
altogether, and his shooting back along his face during the shot.
became stagnant. As soon as he started working on
He didn’t have access to top his follow-through with his release
shooters or coaches to ask for help. hand, he realized it was not going
So, he had to be his own coach. to be an easy ix. He’d so ingrained
He read lots of articles and books the bad habit of pulling his release
about proper form and follow- hand away from his face that he
through. He knew the release of couldn’t stop doing it. He would
the bowstring was supposed to have a good release once or twice
be a surprise — not something he and then he would revert back to
consciously anticipated. At the his old form. He realized he was
moment of release, his bow was anticipating the shot and was
supposed to move straight toward literally linching at the moment of
the target and his release hand was release.
supposed to move straight back The difference between a good
away from it. He had taken all the and a bad follow-through became
information and applied it — or at painfully obvious. The arrow im-
least he thought he did. pacts were quite a bit different
When his shooting inally hit a downrange, and seeing the differ-
never-ending plateau, he decided to ence made him very motivated to ix
ilm himself shooting. He was pretty the problem.
sure he knew what his form looked Since the problem was extreme,
like, but he needed to be sure. the ix was going to have to be ex-
What he saw on the video shocked treme as well. Just focusing on pull-
him. He discovered that — right at ing the release and release hand
the moment he released the string straight back wasn’t good enough.
— he pulled his release and release So, he came up with the idea of con-
hand away from his face. According sciously pushing his release hand
to all the experts, the release and re- into his jaw/face. That way, the
lease hand were supposed to move linch became much harder to do.
straight back and stay in line with The other solution he came up with
the bowstring and arrow. He was was to make sure his release hand
deinitely not doing this. was touching his jaw/face when
He realized when he pulled the re- the arrow hit the target. Focusing
lease away from his face that it was on those two things allowed him to
hard to be consistent. In other words, have a much more consistent release
he would introduce different lateral point, and his shooting improved
movement (torque) to the bowstring dramatically.
on each shot, resulting in different Thankfully, over the years some
arrow impact points on the target of us have been able to learn to
from shot to shot. shoot with a true surprise on the
Now he was confused. You see, he shot. But, before any of us ever got
knew the shot was supposed to be a to that point, we all had to spend
surprise. And if the shot was a true time pushing our release hand
surprise, he would not have time against our face and making sure it
to add any additional inluence to was still there when the arrow hit
the bowstring before the arrow was the target.
36 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING 0 9 • 2018
BY JON E. SILKS
lows cables to cross at a more natural distribution limb build that does not
position. Other riser features include a cut across critical stress ibers. Hoyt’s
StealthShot string-suppression system patented Split Limb Technology elim-
and stainless-steel stabilizer mount. inates common stressors found in
solid-limb V-grooves and limb-bolt
Hybrid Speed & Comfort grooves while providing lateral and
Hoyt outits its new rig with the torsional stability.
Nitrux Cam & ½, which is what The laminated, pressed and
is known as a hybrid system. This machined multi-layer limbs are
means it uses two elliptical cams, a matched into sets based on delec-
control cable, split harness power tion values. Archers can choose limb
cable and an evenly placed string. sets in 40-, 50-, 60- or 70-pound peak
It is advertised to generate IBO draw-weight options. Quadlex
arrow speeds of 333 fps. Engineers limbs measure 12 inches long and
focused on creating a relaxing valley ¾-inch wide. Limb pockets are pre-
and shoulder-friendly letdown to cision machined, minimal in materi-
improve the overall shooting expe- al, cap the limb ends and provide a
rience (making practice fun again!). solid base at this critical interface.
Cams ride on steel axles and sealed
inner-race bearings for reduced fric- At the Range
tion and increased eficiency. A total The Nitrux is a ine example of the
draw length range is covered by two quality construction and workman-
base cams and a rotating module ship Hoyt is known for. The bow has
that does not require a bow press a smooth draw, with easy transitions
to adjust. Cam 2 covers from 24-27 to and from peak holding weight.
inches and Cam 3 from 27-30 inches. There was a quick but notable jump
System letoff is advertised at 80 per- in the handle at the shot, along with
cent. Hoyt uses Fuse Custom string very minimal, short-lived vibration.
and cables for the Nitrux. Post-shot stability on target was sol-
id. When it comes to shot noise, the
Bomb-Proof Precision Nitrux likes heavier arrows. Shot
Hoyt takes pride in its reputation noise was good overall, but the bow
for producing bomb-proof limbs. became whisper quiet when launc-
Their success is not by accident, how- ing arrows weighing 425 grains or
ever, as each design is engineered and more. The X-ACT grip was both
tested to withstand a minimum of comfortable and functional.
1,000 dry-ires at an 80-pound draw Overall, the Nitrux is a well-built
weight and 30-inch draw length. It bow with all the Hoyt quality and
starts with a process that allows for performance markers we have come
a highly contoured, uniform stress to expect.
www.b owhuntingmag.com
2018 BROADHEAD TEST
MECHANICAL
G
etting a bunch of bowhunters together and trying
42
“ In the seven-year
history of our broadhead
test, this is the most
accurate group of heads
we have ever
”
tested.
—Jon E. Silks
Bow Setup
43
2018 HEAD-TO-HEAD BROADHEAD TEST
Tests & Results
BROADHEAD PHYSICAL DIMENSIONS
Physical Dimensions: A Mitutoyo MANUFACTURER MODEL # OF BLADES ADVERTISED TESTED
8-inch dial caliper was used to de- CUTTING DIA. CUTTING DIA.
termine the size of each broadhead’s
cutting diameter, blade length, blade
thickness and the length of the head
beyond the end of the arrow. Cutting
diameter on three blade heads was
calculated by laying two of the blade
tips along one jaw of the calipers and
the third on the opposite jaw. That
number is divided by 1.5, and then
multiplied by 2. Example: Greatest
distance is .75/1.5=.5x2=1-inch cut-
ting diameter.
An Easton Digital Grain Scale, cal-
ibrated according to manufacturer’s
instructions, was used to determine
the weight of each individual broad-
head. Three separate heads were
measured and averaged for a inal
result.
I
a cutting diameter of 1.375 inches.
The radius is .6875-inch, so you mul-
tiply .6875 by the number of blades,
3. Your TCP is 2.0625 inches, which
means you will cut slightly more
than the 2-blade head with a 2-inch
WATCH THEM TODAY! cutting diameter.
0 9 • 2018
HEMORRHAGE
TEST
TOP 10
PERFORMERS
HARD-IMPACT
DAMAGED FERRULE
FULL PENETRATION
MISSING BLADES
BROKEN BLADES
TEST
BENT BLADES
BLADE EDGES
DULLED TIP
MARRED
RESULTS
Hard-Impact Test: The hard-
impact was designed to simulate the
performance of a head after it en-
counters and passes through a hard
material such as bone. This test was
performed at 20 yards, and the impact
material was .03-inch sheet metal. A
thin, dense foam panel was placed
approximately 18 inches behind
the metal to “catch” the heads after
passing through. High-speed video
equipment also was used to capture
these shots in slow motion. You can
check those out on our website.
46 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING 0 9 • 2018
SPECIAL THANKS!
0.5"
-0.5”
FIELDPOINT -1.0”
COMPARISON KEY
O ZERO-PENETRATION DAMAGE
FIELDPOINT w TEST
X 4
Q ) Rage ..........................Trypan Ti
W TruGlo .......................Backflip
▲ ‡
< † Bloodsport.................GraveDigger
Δ Chisel Tip
Muzzy .......................HB-Ti MORE
Zero-Penetration Test: The zero-
penetration test was a violent test Ramcat .....................Savage
of the broadheads’ durability. It was
conducted by shooting into the lat SEVR .........................Ti 2.1
surface of a ield stone at 20 yards Swhacker ..................2-Inch
and evaluating the overall condition
of the head after impact. The accom- Wac’Em .....................Steel EXP
panying chart rates the damage for
each head. High-speed video equip- Wasp .........................Jak-Hammer
ment was also used to capture these G5 ..............................DeadMeat
impacts in slow motion. You can
check those out on our website. Kinetic ......................KinEMaxx MOST
Rocky Mountain ......Warhead SS
The zero-penetration test is a violent test designed to be the ultimate measure of a NAP ...........................Killzone
broadhead’s durability. Each head was fired directly into a solid slab of field stone and SwingFire
then evaluated for damage. Virtually every head in the test suffered significant damage,
with sparks literally flying as the metal heads impacted the stone at high speed. Slick Trick ................RaptorTrick
48 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING 0 9 • 2018
STEP THROUGH TO PRO PERFORMANCE.
400 FPS* | 6.9 LBS TOTAL WEIGHT | PATENTED STEP-THROUGH RISER
*Speed test using 380-grain arrow. barnettcrossbows.com U.S. PATENTS: 9,097,485; 9,255,755; 6,901,921; 9,395,143
2018 HEAD-TO-HEAD BROADHEAD TEST
THE COMPETITORS
Bloodsport system can be reset to use the same head and
blades multiple times.
GraveDigger Chisel Tip MSRP: $44.95 per 3
Four heads make up Bloodsport’s GraveDigger www.kineticbroadheads.com
hybrid broadhead family, with two Extreme mod-
els reaching a cutting diameter of 2.25 inches and Muzzy HB-Ti
BLOODSPORT two standard models coming in at 1.75 inches. Muzzy’s titanium hybrid broadhead sports a 1-inch
GRAVEDIGGER
CHISEL TIP Both versions are offered with chisel or cut-on- fixed blade cutting diameter and a 1.625-inch cut from
contact tips. We tested the standard GraveDigger the mechanical blades. Titanium allows for a longer
Chisel Tip, featuring a 1-inch fixed blade up front machined ferrule, which is needed for the design, while
and a pair of mechanical blades that open to a maintaining an equal or greater strength. Fixed blades
1.75-inch diameter. The head can also be shot in measure .05-inch thick, are serrated and have a single
fixed-blade mode simply by locking down the me- bevel that is said to improve flight. Fixed blades are
chanical blades. This gives you a 1-inch cut up offset to induce flight-stabilizing spin. The expandable
G5 DEADMEAT front with two .5-inch bleeders. Bloodsport’s pat- blades are rear-deploying and are able to rock back and
ented blade-retention system and no-fail mechan- forth to move around obstacles, thereby increasing
ical technology is designed to deploy immediately penetration. Big shoulders on the front of the .039-inch
upon entry with minimal energy loss. This head is thick expandable blades grab to increase hide cutting
made with an aluminum ferrule and stainless- at entry and create large entry wounds.
steel blades, requires no bands or O-rings and is MSRP: $49.99 per 3
engineered to fly accurately out of both com- www.muzzy.com
IQBOWSIGHTS.COM
2018 HEAD-TO-HEAD BROADHEAD TEST
THE COMPETITORS
Ramcat Savage not the other. A telling video of this feature can be
Ramcat’s 3-blade Savage features a stainless- seen on the company’s website. SEVR’s StretchCut
steel tip with the company’s patented Concave blade effect is designed to grab and stretch the
Scoop Technology designed to create an airfoil hide while cutting to induce a wound that is actu-
ally larger than the advertised cutting diameter. The
RAMCAT SAVAGE ing wind planing. It is also said to create a hydro- patented Practice-Lock feature allows archers to
foil while passing through the target, forcing body practice with their actual broadheads.
mass outward and reducing friction on the shaft MSRP: $13.99 each
for better penetration. The aluminum ferrule holds www.sevrbroadheads.com
the .032-inch thick blades at a 2-degree offset
and allows a laid-back angle that produces a 1.5-
Slick Trick RaptorTrick
Slick Trick’s first mechanical, the RaptorTrick,
inch cutting diameter. Three O-ring positions offer
is built on a solid stainless-steel ferrule that has a
functionality for rigs ranging from average-speed
slender, streamlined mid-section, which is slotted
compounds to super-fast crossbows. Ramcat per-
to accept the .035-inch thick steel blades. The
formed extensive testing on blade retention after
front of the ferrule is machined into a four-edge
tip that also has slots, although not all the way
ROCKY MOUNTAIN age also employs Firenock Aero Concentric Tech-
WARHEAD SS through like the mid-section, to accept the blade
nology, which uses two O-rings on the threaded
tips, thereby allowing for longer blades and a
shank to ensure the broadhead is 100 percent
greater cutting diameter. There are three grooves
concentric in the insert.
in the ferrule to adjust O-ring placement to match
MSRP: $39.99 per 3
www.ramcatbroadheads.com the performance of your rig — closer to the tip for
faster arrow/bolt speeds and away from the tip
for slower rigs. Two small “wings” on the blades
Rocky Mountain maintain a low profile in flight while also providing
Warhead SS enough surface to catch on the face of the target
Rocky Mountain’s Warhead SS is built on a solid and cause the blades to cam over and fully deploy
SEVR Ti 2.1 stainless-steel ferrule that is not only strong but to their 2-inch cutting diameter.
also streamlined for enhanced aerodynamics and MSRP: $47.99 per 3
penetration. The hybrid tip is hardened to make it www.slicktrick.net
tough enough to handle those hard-impact shots.
Expandable blades are made of stainless steel and Swhacker 2-Inch
measure .035-inch thick. When fully open through Swhacker offers several versions of its 100
an over-the-top action, blades reach a 1.5-inch cut- grain, 2-blade broadheads, including the 2-inch
ting diameter. The jackknife blade deployment sys- cutting diameter model we tested. Each of the two
tem allows the tip to first penetrate the outer layer blades has a main cutting edge and a smaller wing
of the target before the tabs catch and open the edge that protrudes from the ferrule during flight to
blades. This reduces issues with angled shots and create a 1-inch cut. The wing blades are designed
large losses of energy on hide. to withstand the initial impact, cut through the hide
SLICK TRICK MSRP: $29.99 per 3 and then open the main blades. Main blades are
RAPTORTRICK www.huntrockymountain.com intended to open after initial penetration, bringing
untouched blades into play for maximum cutting
SEVR Ti 2.1 potential. The chisel tip is made of hardened, high-
SEVR, a new direct-to-customer brand, submit- carbon steel, while the ferrule is made of anodized
ted its Ti 2.1 rear-deploying broadhead for testing. aircraft-grade aluminum and the .032-inch thick
As the name suggests, this new offering has a 2.1- blades are stainless steel.
inch cutting diameter and solid titanium ferrule and MSRP: $36.95 per 3
tip, which is machined directly into the body. www.swhacker.com
SEVR’s patented Lock-and-Pivot blade system
locks the blades open and to each other on impact, TruGlo Backflip
TruGlo’s 3-blade Backflip is built on a ferrule
SWHACKER target. This is coupled with a pivoting feature said that is CNC machined, along with the tip, from a
2-INCH to make steep angle shots a possibility as well as single piece of titanium. The integrated TRU-
allowing the blades to move around obstacles such CUT tip is designed to cut on impact and create
as bone when encountered by one of the blades and Continued on page 114
Be More Deadly
by Sweating the
Small Details.
54
5 Parts to the PERFECT ARROW
can be made that it doesn’t matter vouch for better accuracy because of
that much because we are bowhunt- it. Find a good scale and weigh each
ers, not Olympic archers, but I chal- thing out and ind the combination
lenge that thought. The reason is be- that gives you a quiver full of match-
cause a broadhead adds an entirely grade projectiles. After I assemble
new steering element to an arrow each arrow, I’ll either write the total
and magniies these variables and weight on the vanes or the cresting.
intolerances. Because of this, I advise This is the same sort of care an elite-
all bowhunters to pay close attention level irearms marksman would take
to the straightens of the arrow they with the ammunition he loads.
choose. Straighter arrows are more
expensive for a reason. Slow It Down
In addition to straightness, you The next number to pay attention
need to take note of the consistency to is your speed. Bows have come a
of arrow weight. Arrows with lower long way over the years and speeds
cost or cheap components often have have increased a lot. Years ago, I
a bigger variation in weight. Some made the decision to stop worry-
ing about achieving top speed and
instead focus on shooting the heavi-
est arrow possible while still being
in a realistic speed range. There are
so many factors that go into arrow Purchasing a small digital grain scale is
accuracy relative to speed, and I’ve a good investment for any archer, as it
found that the faster the arrow goes, allows you to precisely measure your
the harder it is to control. My per- components while building arrows for
sonal speed “sweet spot” is right maximum weight consistency from one
around 280 fps, as I’ve found this shaft to the next.
speed allows me to employ mul-
tiple broadhead styles and letching of your arrow weight you have to-
options and still be deadly accurate. ward the front end of the shaft. Un-
Even though my bows could shoot less you are a math whiz — and I
more than 320 fps with 350-grain certainly am not — the easiest way
arrows, I personally opt for arrows to igure out the F.O.C. of your ar-
that weigh more than 500 grains. rows is to ind an online calculator
John Dudley believes the added Yes, they are much slower but also and type in the required info. This
expense of arrow shafts with “match- much harder hitting! will give you a number, most likely
grade” straightness tolerances are worth Every time I get a new bow that is between 5 and 20. There is a growing
it, as added straightness translates into faster than the old one, I see it as an debate over what, exactly, the opti-
added accuracy. opportunity to add arrow weight. I mal amount of F.O.C. is for a hunting
keep my speed where it is most ac- arrow, but I believe it lies somewhere
curate while boosting the power at 10 or higher.
manufacturers advertise their weight behind that arrow. A lot can be said Think of it this way; an arrow with
tolerances, while others don’t. Re- about both the momentum and ki- a high F.O.C. is like a rock tied to a
gardless, you should do some due netic energy a heavy arrow offers. string. If you throw that rock, the
diligence and invest in a small grain I’m a huge fan of heavy arrows for string is going to follow directly be-
scale and individually weigh your many reasons, including the fact they hind it in a straight line. But if you
arrows and components. When I shot are harder hitting, give you the abil- took all that weight and put it in the
with the U.S. team, I spent extra time ity to effectively shoot broadheads back of the arrow and tried to throw
weighing each of the arrows I was with large cutting diameters and do the string, it would not guide the
going to make before I fully assem- a better job when encountering bone rock in the back very well!
bled them. There were times when I such as a shoulder or massive rib. Your F.O.C. depends on many fac-
would have some shafts that were a tors, including the weight of your
grain or two heavier than the others, Boost Your Front Weight nock and vanes and the weight of
but then I would match them with The term F.O.C. is becoming much your insert and broadhead. One
components that were a grain lighter more prominent in the bowhunting thing to consider is the added weight
than others. This way, all my arrows community. It refers to the front-of- of a lighted nock and/or a custom ar-
for game day would weigh within center balance point of your arrows. row cresting, if those are things you
1 grain of each other. I’ve taken this F.O.C. is calculated as a percentage, use on your arrows. Both add weight
same step as a bowhunter and can and the higher the number, the more to the back of your arrow, but I am
CL
WITH
MUZZY.COM
HB-Ti
T T
deadly accurate . insanely reliable
5/8”
Surface
Cutting
2
FEATURES
• Titanium Ferrule
• .039” Thick Expandable Wing Blades
1 5/8“ cutting diameter
• 1” Fixed Blade Cutting Diameter
• 050” Thick, Single Bevel Serrated
Fixed Blade to Induce Spin
1” Fixed Blade Cutting Diameter
• 2 5/8” of Total Cutting Surface
• Fixed Blade Retention Collar
5 Parts to the PERFECT ARROW
be in light. BUT, the tradeoff is that to get it to group the same. The key is
the more spin you have, the more inding the sweet spot.
drag you will create on the arrow. I’ve had years where I shot smaller,
Drag equals deceleration, and decel- high-proile vanes, while other years
eration results in a loss of accuracy. I shot longer, lower-proile vanes.
Overall, there is a ine line between Each has its pros and cons, and one
having a highly controlled arrow vs. thing that’s important to note is that
one that loses its accuracy because of those results will change depending
deceleration. Arrows that spin very on what you need out of that arrow
fast will stabilize quickly and have in regard to your hunting. For ex-
good accuracy. However, the further ample, a shorter vane will have less
Learning to fletch your own arrows is a
the arrow gets from the bow, the fast- wind drift than a longer vane. I’ve skill that will benefit any bowhunter, as
er it will slow down, which in turn had times when I know I’m hunting it gives you the ability to experiment with
diminishes accuracy. in open country where high winds virtually limitless options when it comes to
So, one of the questions you need are likely, so a longer vane won’t be your arrow performance.
to answer is, at what distance do you advantageous. I then decided to go
want to be most accurate? It has been with a shorter vane and more com-
my experience that the faster an arrow pact broadhead. By trying different using Nock On Max Stealth Vanes
decelerates, the poorer it groups. Back options, you will instantly see the and Rage Trypan broadheads. This
when I shot 90-meter target competi- results of what different conigura- vane setup has also yielded amaz-
tions, I found arrows with a 1-degree tions do. I’ve shot at least four differ- ing results with several other broad-
offset most accurate. However, my ent styles over the past three years. heads I shoot regularly.
F.O.C. was very high, and my arrows Each was tailored to a speciic hunt
only had target tips. That same setup in terms of speed, expected shot Do Your Homework
would not be nearly as accurate with distance, weather conditions and Most broadhead companies love
broadheads. To get the same accu- broadhead choice. the phrase “lies like a ieldpoint.”
racy as my target tips, I would have Most recently, I have been hunt- The truth is, that’s NOT always the
to shoot more offset or a longer vane ing with a four-letch coniguration case. Some bowhunters simply prefer
PRIME CUTS COME
Conclusion
As bowhunters, we strive to be
accurate. It is surprising to me how
many people are limited by their
choice in arrows and arrow builds.
Just because it works for your buddy
doesn’t mean it will work for you.
Not all shooters and/or bows are the
same, and I’ve witnessed hundreds of
instances where the same bow and ar-
cher experienced staggering improve-
ments in accuracy just by switching to
a properly matched arrow.
Having the best arrow for you is
simple: pay attention to the numbers,
slow it down, boost your F.O.C., be
letched to kill and do your home-
work! Then it’s time to burn an ev-
erlasting memory of the best arrow
light you’ve ever seen as it sails into
the boiler room!
N
orthwestern Wyoming isn’t a place for the had set the stage for a long learning curve in the area —
faint-of-heart bowhunter. Rugged, re- one which has spanned decades. Always searching for a
mote mountains — which harbor one of new hunting opportunity, I had invested time in many
the highest saturations of grizzly bears in of the units that make up this pristine Wyoming coun-
North America — are enough to sap the try. Some of these experiments had sent me home with
will of even the most dedicated outdoorsman. On the my tail between my legs, and others had provided good
other hand, the rougher, the better has always been my call memories. Having never settled into a particular area of
to arms. So, I always migrate to such places; just give me choice, I continued to apply for tags helter-skelter. And
a backpack, put a bow in my hand and turn me loose. 2017 was no exception.
Sometimes I suffer a beat-down, sometimes I break even We pulled into our unit, the air illed with smoke from
and occasionally I ill a tag or two. No matter my fate, I the countless ires that burned throughout the West. New
always come out a winner. country is always slightly intimidating, and with visibil-
Late in August of 2017, the Claypool clan headed for ity now measured in yards not miles, our surroundings
a destination that had always been dear to my heart. I seemed doubly surreal. Making camp in a quiet loca-
had spent a lot of time in this area over the years, with tion, I immediately set out to do some exploring. Cover-
one of my irst journeys to the area occurring in 1981. ing a lot of ground — some by truck, some by ATV and
I suffered a serious beating on that trip, due to a seri- much by foot — I slowly began to get a grip on the area.
ous lack of experience and common sense. That defeat Though most of it was off-limits to my DIY approach,
Holding the
bowstring tightly
against my face,
I relished the
moment.
THIS was what
I lived for!
With a well-placed arrow at 45 yards, Eddie wrapped up his 2017 elk season with this
Idaho bull.
BACTERIA
BUILDS UP.
O-ZONE
ATTACKS.
ODOR
DISAPPEARS.
0 9 • 2018
Hunting slowly into the resource, yards. Realizing the boss would ap- gurgled down the hill, and a brilliant
I began to have fun and enjoy the pear, adrenaline surged through my September sun shone down from a
blessing of being back in the moun- veins. When antlers bobbed over baby blue sky. Snowcapped peaks
tains in September. Suspecting that the hill, my rangeinder read 45 loomed overhead, further emphasiz-
my quarry was probably “educated” yards. Fully prepared for just such ing the beauty of our location, the
from previous assaults by earlier an opportunity, the proper sight pin blessing of our situation. Everyone
bowhunters, my tactic of choice was found its mark. was happy — no grizzlies, awesome
spot-and-stalk. And over the next As Peg, Lulu and I de-boned the weather, ATV nearby. This was one
couple of days — after some sneak- bull, a slight breeze luttered golden for the books. But … what were we
ing in and some sneaking out, com- aspen leaves nearby. A trout stream going to do with all this meat?
bined with a lot of watching from a
distance — I slowly began to form
a plan of attack I hoped would end
in success. I needed a south wind
and would need to make my move
on a morning hunt. According to the
weather forecast, the 25th would be
my day of choice.
Entering the small patch of tim-
ber, I hid behind a large spruce as
daylight slowly arrived. I spotted
the elk as they worked their way to-
ward my location and reveled in the
challenge of the experience. Making
sure to keep the wind in my favor, I
slipped from tree to tree as the elk
moved closer. Cows, heading to-
ward their bedding area, were soon
iltering past my location at 40-50
spot
www.b owhuntingmag.com
Tagging
Long
the Bull
Elk of a
Lifetime
By Benton Christensen
VIC SCHENDEL PHOTO
turned up the hill. We both igured called “the growler.” This bull had After dreaming about this Utah hunt for
he would have scored in the 350- been in the same canyon for a few 20 years, author Benton Christensen put
inch range. Shortly after this, we years and wasn’t too far from camp. in the sweat equity to get into elk shape
had another close encounter with an We igured he was a mature bull, following back surgery and was rewarded
with this nearly 400-inch bull.
enraged bull. He was closing in fast, so Ray and I decided to head there
but I inadvertently spooked a cow that evening. We hadn’t walked very
and she took the bull back up the far when Ray got an answer to one ume. I wasn’t really expecting it to
mountain with her. The bulls quit of his calls. The low-pitched growl be a big bull, but I got ready anyway.
bugling midmorning, and we head- was unmistakable. It was just like The small lat we were standing on
ed back to camp. had scattered Ponderosa pines with
Growls & Bugles Equipment List little ground cover, so visibility was
pretty good.
One of my friends who has hunted I almost blew it. I stopped behind
this area for deer for many years was a large tree about 30 yards from Ray.
camped near us, and we stopped to Because of the wind direction, I need-
check in with him before he headed ed the bull to come to my left. After
home. He told us about a bull he a brief pause, I decided to move to
the next tree so I would have more
Robert had described! The problem open ground on that side. I took a
was he was in a really rough and step forward and immediately froze.
heavily wooded area below a line I could see the bull standing about
of cliffs. We slowly worked our way 100 yards away, looking in my direc-
down the ridge, calling and glassing. tion. He was the biggest bull I had
We wanted to make sure he was big ever seen. After a few seconds, he
enough to go after before we tried to bugled and then started walking for-
get down through the cliffs. We did ward. I slowly took a step back and
spot a really nice 6-point, but not “the quickly loaded an arrow. I looked
growler.” There was a brief lull in the back at Ray, pointed, and mouthed
bugling, but at about 7, bulls started “big bull.” I think Ray could track
screaming all around us. We could the location of the bull by watching
Benton Christensen tagged this 4x5 tell one bull was closing in quick. I me peek around the tree. He used his
velvet mule deer near his Idaho home in checked the wind and moved up in calls to walk the bull right past me.
early September before heading to Utah in front of Ray. This bull had a high- I get buck fever. Since my irst ar-
search of a bull elk. pitched bugle without a lot of vol- chery buck in 1986, I shake, hyper-
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as he closed the distance. My single- The Utah elk unit where author Ben-
pin sight was set at 30 yards, and I ton Christensen scored his bull borders
slowly dropped the pin lower in his Canyonlands National Park.
chest as he approached. I grunted
to stop him in an opening at about
25 yards, but he kept walking. Ray in the tumble. I started to pick my
quickly squealed on his call, and the way down the ledge, but I didn’t
bull stopped in the next gap in the make it very far.
trees. I slid my sight pin up to the I sat down and cried. The emo-
edge of the tree covering his front tional roller coaster I had been rid-
shoulder and watched as my ar- ing for the past several years had
row disappeared through his chest. de-railed and was lying in a puddle
At the shot, Ray and I both hit our of tears in the mountains of southern
bugles. I lost sight of the bull imme- Utah. All the anticipation and anxi-
diately and heard a few quick crash- ety of inally drawing this tag. The
es as he ran off. Ray was able to see four surgeries in the past ive years.
him for a few seconds and could tell Not knowing if I would be able to
Benton Christensen’s bull elk dropped he stopped a short distance in front hunt or shoot my bow again. It all
on a steep slope, intertwined with a dead of him. After a brief pause, Ray lost poured out on the rocks above my
tree, making field dressing and packing sight of his antlers as they dropped bull. And I should mention the bull
out the trophy a challenge.
off the edge of a steep rock face. It was big — really big!
sounded like a train wreck as the Because of the steep slope and the
ventilate and my heart pounds. It bull tumbled down. dead tree, picture-taking and ield
doesn’t matter if it is a small buck or I started to shake. I guided Ray to dressing the bull was quite a chore.
a big bull. Every time I draw my bow where I had taken the shot, and he As we worked, other bulls bugled
on an animal, the battle begins again. quickly found my arrow. We had a all around us. It was just like being
But not this time. I don’t know why. short discussion about the shot, and in that awesome elk-hunting video.
Maybe it was because I had made both of us were sure that because of When we got to the truck around
this shot in my mind a million times the loud crash, the bull would be just midnight, I realized my back was
the past three months. When the in front of us. We slowly followed pretty sore. But for the irst time in
bull hit 40 yards, I drew my bow. For the tracks to where Ray had last seen a long time, it hurt in a good way. I
the irst time in more than 30 years the bull. When we peered over the did ind the broken point, and it its
of bowhunting, my pin hit the bull’s rocky ledge, we could see him tan- together pretty well. Had the point
chest and didn’t move. I remember gled in the branches of a huge, fallen not broken off, my bull would have
making sure my pin was centered ponderosa pine. I noticed the second a gross score of just less than 400
in my peep, and then I tracked him point on his left side had broken off inches.
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79
4 TRIPS &
40 DAYS
Trip 4
After preparing and saving nickels
and dimes for seven years, Rutten and
girlfriend Jennifer Halderson trav-
eled from central Wisconsin to Min-
neapolis, then directly to Anchorage.
From there, they picked up his regis-
tration tag at Dillingham, then lew
to Ekwok. At Alaska Premier Outit-
ters, Rutten was paired up with guide
Joe Kazimirowicz, an Ekwok resident
who has taken 20-some moose him-
self. “Kazimirowicz knows moose
and moose hunting,” Rutten noted.
“We hit it off right away, and got to
know each other quite well through-
out the hunt. Joe hadn’t previously
guided a bowhunter, but he had faith Wisconsin bowhunter Glen Rutten 0is all smiles as he shows off his lifelong dream. The
enormous bull moose scored 515 ⁄8 SCI and ranks as the No. 9 SCI archery bull on
in me and I in him.”
record.
recalled. “Kazimirowicz is a bril- ramping up, as was the response
Equipment List liant caller, and on day three while rate to Kazimirowicz’s calling
Bow: calling from a bluff we call ‘Scenic efforts,” Rutten said. “Honestly,
Sight: Overlook,’ he spotted a huge, 70- having multiple 50- to 65-inch bulls
inch bull emerging from the dense within range and not killing one of
Arrow Rest:
cover, the antlers appearing white them was getting me down, but Ka-
Arrows: against the spruce backdrop. We zimirowicz lifted up my spirits and
Broadheads: aptly nicknamed the bull ‘Whitey.’ kept me in the game mentally.”
Quiver: The bull relucted to advance our
Stabilizer: way. Perhaps he had a cow with Time’s Ticking
Release: him. We’re not sure.” On the morning of Sept. 14, and
Binoculars: Rutten and Kazimirowicz hunted with only two days remaining, Rut-
Rangefinder: the enormous bull again the follow- ten, Kazimirowicz and Halderson
Clothing: ing day, Halderson joining for the returned to the area where they had
experience and to shoot pictures. encountered Whitey. “Actually, we’d
“Whitey again responded to Kazi- been there the day before, too,” Rut-
mirowicz’s calling, but when we ten said, “and Kazimirowicz called
Rutten’s previous three 10-day scaled down the bluff and crossed a 50-inch bull within 12 yards, but
hunts culminated in 30 days spent the river, a second very large bull the bull had only two brow tines
aield chasing the elusive tundra gi- surprised us,” Rutten shared. “What per antler. To be legal in this unit, a
ants. Obviously, Rutten hoped anoth- a problem to have: a 70-inch bull 200 50-inch-or-smaller bull must have
er 11 days would result in realizing yards away and a 60-inch bull 53 at least four brow tines per antler.
his lifelong dream. “Outitter Jason yards away! Unfortunately, the wind It was still a remarkable encounter.
Mogen had told me the Mulchatna was at our backs and the sun in our And, we had a good feeling the loca-
River basin — a narrow, winding faces. The bull advanced and was tion would produce sooner or later.”
river with bluffs, meadows and thick soon facing us at 32 yards — a poor So, that morning Kazimirowicz
cover — is an ideal bowhunting lo- shot angle. He trotted away, and the began serenading the bulls around 7
cation,” Rutten said. “He was right. commotion had apparently alerted a.m. in the predawn darkness. “After
And, just being in Alaska with a bow Whitey, as we couldn’t relocate him.” 50 minutes, we heard antlers com-
in hand is a phenomenal experience. The team pushed on through ing through the brush, approaching
It’s humongous, beautiful and over- many rigorous mornings and after- from the same location the 50-inch
whelming, all at the same time.” noons of bowhunting, while rest- bull had come the day before,” Rut-
ing and ishing for silver salmon ten remembered. “It was like déjà
Bull After Bull during the midday hours. And vu. Kazimirowicz peered out of the
Rutten and Kazimirowicz began though they encountered many cover and conirmed it was a differ-
seeing bulls daily. “We had many bulls — several within bow range ent bull, a shooter.”
close encounters with undersized — a shot opportunity did not ma- Playing the wind, Rutten advanced
bulls and shooters alike,” Rutten terialize. “The rut was obviously forward to work into shooting
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0 9 • 2018
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The Big
Oftentimes, finding
whitetail success
requires making a
“big move,” whether
that’s a small tweak
to an existing stand or
heading into an entirely
Move
new area to hang a
new stand and hunt it
immediately.
By Bill Winke
Two Twists
for Terrific
Treestand
Success
T
he ability to read and react, whether that means Instead, you start from scratch nearly every day to as-
well-timed mid-season adjustments to changing sure you are hunting fresh stands as often as possible.
whitetail patterns or an aggressive hang-and- Your odds of taking a nice buck are never higher than
the very irst time you sit in a new stand. In fact, I have
hunt strategy, is critical to success as a whitetail
bowhunter. If you can stay ahead of the action, arrowed most of my bucks the irst time I sat a new stand
you are going to have a successful season. or the irst time after a long layoff. Deer are very sensi-
In this feature, I am going to proile two ways adding tive to hunting pressure, and when they igure out we
mobility to your treestand hunting plans will improve are hunting them, they change their behavior fast. For
your success this fall. that reason, hunting fresh stands every day of the season
will increase the number of deer you see.
Hang and Hunt Whitetails can detect our presence in ways few hunt-
The hang-and-hunt strategy is a self-contained ap- ers even consider. Sure, they can see us walking to our
proach to deer hunting. It is not something you do two stand or smell our scent in the air as we actually sit on
or three times per season to ine-tune an existing stand. stand. This is obvious to most hunters. But, it is actually
86
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The Big Move
was about 150 yards, and I did that
because it was really hard to get from
the original tree back to my truck
without alerting deer. The second
spot was a little better, but the exit
route was still not perfect; I had to
cross a small opening where deer in
nearby plots could see me.
The inal move was only 50 yards,
but it allows me to now hunt the stand
often without alerting deer. I can sneak
to and from the stand behind a row of
thick cedar trees, and even though I
am not right on top of the action like
I was in the second stand, I make up
for it by being able to hunt the spot
more often. It is now the very best
stand on the farm and one of the best I
have ever hunted. I just put the time in
and eventually something good comes
past. If I had not moved that stand, I
would burn that area out quickly and
rarely ill my tags.
Pay attention to everything that happens
around your stand and mentally (or physi-
cally) log your sightings. Eventually, pat-
terns will develop that you can exploit with
Tricks for Moving a Stand During the Season
O
a careful, well-timed move, but don’t be
hasty. Learn enough to know for sure that
you are transitioning to a better spot.
0 9 • 2018
AG2302GB
PERFORMANCE DRIVEN
Climbing
High
A
fter six years of applying, I logged
onto the Colorado Parks and Wild- Just Getting
life website to check the status
of my fall hunts. To my surprise,
There is
I had drawn a mountain goat ar-
chery tag for Game Management
Half the Battle.
Unit 5. I was shocked, excited, nervous and pumped
all at once.
Everything changed that day. I immediately real-
By Matt Guedes
ized that in order to be successful on this hunt, with
its rugged terrain and high altitude, I needed to do
research, scout and train hard. And I began doing all
those things immediately as I looked forward to this
hunt with great anticipation.
browning.com
Climbing Author Matt Guedes captured
this photo of mountain goats
lounging in the sun during his
bowhunt in Colorado’s Game
Management Unit 5.
Author Matt Guedes and his team were able to get within eight miles of their mountain
goat hunting area via the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, which cuts
through the Colorado backcountry and drops hunters, hikers and other adventurers 30
miles into the backcountry at a place called Needleton.
0 9 • 2018
QUALITY GEAR
YOUR HUNT
DEPENDS ON
PACKS | FURNITURE | HUNTING BLINDS
ALPSOUTDOORZ.COM
Climbing
The mature nanny mountain goat taken by author Matt Guedes had horns that
measured 9 7⁄8 inches long, making it the second-largest goat killed in Colorado in 2012.
0 9 • 2018
Lights-out speed, superior accuracy, bone-crushing power, deep hits
and unwavering stability. Archery hunters want it all, and now they have it.
Climbing
drove one hour to get on the train at As we approached 9,300 feet,
Durango. We boarded the train and Tekoah, who was 12 at the time,
rode this fantastic, coal-powered started feeling a little sick. He had
steam engine for two hours. We got a rough bought of altitude sickness
off at Needleton, and 7.6 miles and three weeks earlier while scouting.
3,000 feet in elevation climb was all He got concerned, and he and Marc
that stood between us and the goats. headed back down to a lower eleva-
In our preparation for this high- tion. Tekoah ended up being ine,
altitude hunt, we were all taking but didn’t want to take any chances.
the Altitude Advantage supple- We ended up hiking uphill for six
ment from Wilderness Athlete. This hours that day and inally arrived at
product was a great help to all of us. a campsite just before dark. We im-
Kenny, who joined the team the day mediately set up our Kifaru eight- This picturesque waterfall was one of
before we left, didn’t even get to take man teepee. It weighed 7 pounds, 7 many beautiful sights author Matt Guedes
the ive days of suggested pills be- ounces and served us very well on saw during his hike into Colorado’s moun-
fore beginning the hunt. He started this trip. We were exhausted and tain goat country.
the day before the hunt. Kenny said, turned in for the night.
“I can’t believe how much this prod- After a night of itful sleep, we
uct helped me.” Chase arrived from were up and ready in the dark. We moved in close to the group and
Ohio ive days before the hunt. As a We waited for daylight and my realized this herd consisted entirely
latlander who now was carrying a anxiousness was quickly relieved of nannies and kids. However, there
heavy pack and hiking to over 11,000 when I could see goats all around us were several very mature nannies in
feet, Chase attributed his lack of up on the tops of the mountains. I the group. I had a limited schedule,
problems to Altitude Advantage. wasn’t overly excited about having with only four days to hunt on this
We left the train and hiked imme- to hike up another 1,000 feet or so, trip. With that being the case, my goal
diately uphill. The hike was tough but then we saw a bunch of goats was either a good billy or a nanny
with the weight of the packs. My coming downward about a mile in with horns that measured longer than
Tenzing pack was working well de- front of us. We glassed all the goats, nine inches — and I knew three of the
spite being packed heavy. Chase was and although we saw several billy nannies in this group potentially met
wearing an Outdoorsmans Pack Sys- goats up high, we decided to move that criteria. Kenny pointed out what
tem and had it packed to hilt also. in on the group working downhill he considered the largest nanny in the
The Outdoorsmans Pack System is because we didn’t think any of the group. I agreed with his assessment
as good and versatile a backcountry billies had horns more than 9 inch- and decided I would take that goat if
pack as there is on the market. es long. I got the opportunity.
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Tight Quiver, Tighter Groups
As an Eastern bowhunter, 90 percent of my time afield involves for small-diameter shafts. You can even cus-
sitting in treestands for whitetails. And, like most whitetail hunt- tomize the fit of each slot simply by tightening
ers, I’ve traditionally used a quiver simply to carry my arrows in and or loosening the ArrowWedge adjustments,
out of the field — removing the quiver from my bow once on stand allowing you to create a snug, vibration-free fit
and hanging it on a gear hook above my head. But after I got the no matter what arrows you shoot. In fact, Tight-
editor’s job at BOWHUNTING a decade ago, I started to do more Spot says its quiver has as much as 20 times the
Western hunts for elk, mule deer and pronghorns. Most of those arrow-gripping power of competitors, eliminating
are of the spot-and-stalk variety, which necessitates shooting with the annoyance and expense associated with
your quiver on the bow. And over the course of time, I’ve come to getting back to the truck only to discover
appreciate the benefits a bow-mounted quiver offers in terms of you’ve lost an expensive arrow and broad-
keeping a follow-up arrow at the ready, with minimal movement head somewhere in the woods. Since I first
required. Several years back — after getting glowing reviews from got my TightSpot, I’ve found myself using
friends in the archery industry — I got a TightSpot quiver and haven’t it on more and more hunts — and taking the
looked back. As the name implies, TightSpot quivers are designed quiver off my bow less and less. Sure, keeping your
to sit tight against your bow’s riser, a key feature when it comes to quiver on adds a little weight, but the 5-arrow Tight-
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narrow profile thanks to its patented, dovetail mounting bracket and there’s a reason the world’s best target shooters add
exclusive RightSpot three-way adjustment system that allows you weight to their bows; it just makes them more stable
to move the quiver in and out, up and down and forward and back on target. Finally, it’s worth noting TightSpot backs its
to achieve perfect balance on your bow. In essence, this high level quivers with an unconditional lifetime guarantee. If
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much like a stabilizer, the TightSpot also helps reduce bow noise and asked. And regardless of your hunting style, there’s a TightSpot for
vibration via numerous built-in dampening features, including the you. The quiver is available in 3-, 5- or 7-arrow versions in various
woven carbon-fiber frame rods, acoustic dampening material in the finish options that include just about any kind of camouflage pattern
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Defining Success
Every year, it seems there are a few trends was some of the best wild game meat you can find heading home
that emerge in the bowhunting market, and to Pennsylvania with me! Had I not been equipped with this setup,
2018 is certainly no exception. As our staff there would’ve been absolutely no chance to take a clean, ethical
walked the aisles at the archery industry’s shot at that doe. Simply put, I was proven wrong. So, how about fea-
annual ATA Show back in January, it quickly tures? Well, let’s start with the fact that the rangefinder portion of the
became clear rangefinding bowsights were an DEFINE is built directly into the sight housing. The goal here was
area of emphasis for several manufacturers. to create better balance — which is super important because of the
To be sure, the concept of combining a sight added weight that you’re probably not used to — and a clearer line
and laser rangefinder into a single unit is an in- of sight. The display has two key features — a blue yardage indica-
teresting idea. But in spite of that, I was skep- tor that ranges out to 99 yards with a
tical. I simply had trouble foreseeing a hunting built-in angle compensation, and
scenario where having this technology would a yellow battery indicator. The
offer that great of an advantage over my usual trigger comes with adhesive
rangefinder that hangs around my neck at all so you can find the mounting
times. A few months later, however, I spent a week hunting axis position on the riser or grip
deer in Texas with some folks from FeraDyne Outdoors, and one that fits you best. For sighting
of the products we tested was the new IQ DEFINE Rangefinding in, you’ll start with a laser fea-
Sight. Naturally, it wasn’t long before I found myself in a situation turing a visible red dot to calibrate your 20-
where the innovation was not only handy, but necessary. On the yard pin — the first of five bright fiber-optic pins. From there, the
second evening, I was hunting out of a manmade brush blind locat- micro-adjustable pins can be set just as you would with any other
ed over a well-used waterhole. The wind was swirling for the entire sight. A bubble level, toolless adjustment, second- and third-axis
duration of the sit, which alerted the incoming herd of axis deer time adjustment and an integrated sight light with five brightness lev-
after time before a shot opportunity presented itself. Finally, two does els rounds out the package. And don’t let the price tag fool you.
worked their way into the water — 22 yards away the DEFINE told Remember, with this two-in-one technology, you can now get a
me as I drew back and activated the external trigger attached to the sight and rangefinder for less than buying the two separate items.
grip of the bow. Just then, however, I was winded again and the doe — Drew Pellman, Sr. Digital Editor
I was aiming at spooked to the other side of the water hole. With her MSRP:$379.99
clearly on alert, I simply clicked again for a new range — 34 yards Contact: FeraDyne Outdoors, 800-282-4868;
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cutting diameter upon impact. TruGlo’s broad-
head designs undergo spin and sharpness test- Wasp Jak-Hammer
ing to ensure they meet performance standards. Wasp’s popular Jak-Hammer features a stain-
A broadhead wrench and replacement blades less steel tip and blades built on a solid aluminum
are included. ferrule. The three edges of the Trocar-style Stain-
MSRP: $45 per 3 less Smart Tip (SST) are pre-aligned at the fac-
WAC’EM STEEL EXP www.truglo.com tory with the three stainless-steel blades to create
a straight cut path for greater penetration and
Wac’Em Steel EXP bigger wound channels. The SST is pressed-on for
Wac’Em’s all stainless steel expandable is superior durability. Blades are retained in flight by
available in 2- and 3-blade versions, both with a a neoprene O-Ring, which is said to never weath-
1.5-inch cutting diameter. The 3-blade model er, crack or break down, even in the coldest tem-
included in our test has a Total Cutting Potential peratures. The tips of the .036-inch thick blades
of 2.168 inches. The tip features a cut-on-con- are designed to catch the target and cam over the
top to a fully opened position where they reach a
WASP JAK-HAMMER on impact while also concealing the blade tips to 1.75-inch cutting diameter.
prevent them from deploying until the head is MSRP: $34.99 per 3
deep enough to contact the smaller wings, www.wasparchery.com
M
ission, like its parent accuracy. The fully contained rolling total of 1.25 inches and is also revers-
company Mathews, is sear removes friction for a smooth able to accommodate both left- and
overall trigger action. right-handed shooters. Both cheek
obsessed with accura-
This trigger also features an auto- piece and butt plate are overmold-
cy and winning, and they do engaging safety. A bolt detector is ed with rubber for a softer feel and
both quite well! pushed out of the way when a bolt quieter operation.
A few examples: the new SUB-1 is loaded, which in turn allows the A machined aluminum stock
crossbow, which is the subject of this trigger safety to be disengaged. Bot- frame is anchored to the bottom
test, made six of six NFAA podiums, tom line — it will not allow the rig of the rail and includes the trigger
12 of 12 IBO podiums and 15 of 15 to be dry ired. Mission’s Easy-Load guard and mounting structure for the
ASA podiums in 2018. In fact, the Bolt Retention Arm applies consis- injection-molded composite foregrip,
SUB-1 gets its name from the abili- tent pressure to the bolt, holding it which has integrated inger guards
ty to stack bolts into a group of less securely in place. Continued on page 118
than 1 inch at 100 yards. Years ago, when you were done
The SUB-1’s accuracy is a product
of many features and technologies
hunting with a crossbow, you had
to ire the bolt to uncock the bow.
SPECIFICATIONS
working together, including the two- Manufacturers have been tackling Manufacturer:
stage, match-grade trigger, adjustable that problem recently, but it doesn’t
stock and cheek piece, balanced RS get much easier or quicker than Mis-
Tread riser and SYNC X Cam system. sion’s De-Cocking Button. Simply
Model:
reattach your cocking rope, push Safety Features:
Match-Grade Accuracy the button, pull up on the rope and
Mission is all about accuracy, and slowly let the string down. That’s it. Riser:
it starts with their 3.4-pound trig-
ger. It is called match-grade, as it Comfort Adjust Cam System:
possesses the precision and quality Mission’s machined aluminum rail String:
needed for competition, which lets plays a big role in the overall struc- Cables (x2):
you know you have the best avail- ture of the SUB-1 as it stretches almost Limbs:
able trigger on your hunting bow. It the entire length of the rig and serves Draw Weight:
is also a two-stage model, meaning as the top-level anchor for all other
Power stroke:
your irst pull is to position the trig- components. Attached to the rear of
ger at the breaking point (some call the rail is Mission’s injection-molded
Stock/Forearm:
this take-up or removing the slack) composite butt stock that can be ad-
and your second pull actuates the justed to one of multiple positions for Grip:
trigger and bolt release with little a total length-of-pull change of 1.25 Overall Advertised Length:
additional travel. A two-stage trig- inches, from 14.5 to 15.75 inches. The Weight (crossbow only):
ger is often associated with superior cheek piece/comb is also adjustable a
Finish:
Mission’s SUB-1 is built to be the most accurate crossbow ever made. The Benchmark Advertised Speed:
Fire Control System consists of a two-stage, match-grade trigger, Easy-Load Bolt Reten- Suggested Retail Price:
tion Arm and the super easy de-cocking button. An adjustable butt stock and cheek piece
position the shooter for maximum success, while the high-letoff SYNC X cam system, split Comments:
limbs and RS Riser work together to generate 400-grain bolt speeds of 350 fps.
PROSHOPS
■
OH
GUIDES AND OUTFITTERS ■
Hunt Alberta ■
Moose
MD
High Success Rates
■
SilverFoxOutitters.com
1-800-899-5064
www.bowhuntingmag.com
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