Articles

Bowhunting Spring Gobblers

2012-03-26T17:19:34Z

With a new year upon us, many bowhunters are thinking about the warm days of spring and with that, the gobble of the wild turkey. Turkey hunting with a bow is a real challenge, and one I’ve enjoyed for many years. I have taken 25 wild turkey grand slams, many of those with a bow. This is truly one of my most favorite times of the year.

To me, there are three key elements to successful spring turkey hunting: scouting, decoys and blinds. Equipment and shot placement are also important, but if you don’t pay attention to these three elements, the others won’t matter because you won’t be releasing many arrows.

2012 PSE Dream Season EVO

2012-03-26T14:49:25Z

Double Barrel Arrow Loader

2012-03-26T14:41:22Z

Jon and Pete Shepley of PSE Archery

2012-03-21T20:58:02Z

If there’s one thing that our late editor, Bill Krenz, taught me in terms of writing, it’s the importance of using free association to hone an idea. The industry personnel we profile in our Inside Archery cover stories are fascinating people to listen to, and finding the thread of a story that does them justice can be a challenge. So after I’ve listened to the interviews, I sit down and brainstorm words that seem to fit the interview subject.

Hoyt Carbon Element RKT

2012-03-15T21:35:09Z

In the popular movie Field of Dreams, actor Kevin Costner repeatedly hears a voice saying, “If you build it, they will come.” So Costner built a magical baseball field that brought numerous people to his small Iowa farm. I’m not sure if someone at Hoyt heard a voice about building an irresistible bow, but for the past three years they’ve been building it, and archers have come in droves.

Bear Archery: Rise Up!

2012-03-15T21:21:10Z

“Rise Up. Join Us,” invites Bear Archery’s 2012 marketing campaign. And if you spend any amount of time talking to the people behind Bear Archery, you’ll want to do just that. There’s a palpable excitement surrounding Bear, and it’s easy to see why dealers and consumers across the country want to be a part of the Bear Revolution.

“Our theme this year is a call to action,” explains Bear Vice President and General Manager Jack Bowman. “It’s a movement. We want everybody to be a part of it. ‘Rise up. Join us.’ That is the movement that we’re trying to create. We’re focusing on and listening to our dealers. We’re listening to end-users and developing the products that they want to use in the field.”

2012 Gear of the Year Winners!

2012-03-06T21:36:44Z

Bowhunt Americareaders have strong opinions about their bowhunting equipment.

What’s the best bow, the sharpest broadhead, the finest sight, the quietest treestand and a whole lot more? Bowhunt America readers know what they like and what they prefer.

The annual GEAR OF THE YEAR program allows Bowhunt America readers to vote and comment on today’s best bowhunting gear. Readers from all over sent in their official 2011 ballots or voted online between July and November of 2011 to express their opinions. The results were carefully tabulated. Here are the winners!

The top vote-getters in each product category are listed as Gear of the Year Gold Winners. Because the votes were so close in many categories, Gear of the Year ties were declared. Tied winners are listed in alphabetical order.

Gear of the Year Silver Winners captured the second most bowhunter hearts and minds. Gear of the Year Bronze Winners garnered the third most votes.

Click Here to See All Gear of the Year Winners!

Mission Riot

2012-03-06T18:30:25Z

Better Odds with Black Bears

2012-03-05T15:33:28Z

When it comes to bowhunting big game animals, the most sought-after species is the whitetail deer. Hunters can’t get enough of them. Bowhunters dream about running an arrow through a monster buck, and thousands of archers put their hard-earned pennies toward guided whitetail hunts.

While I’m not discouraging a great whitetail hunting adventure, there is something bowhunters need to be aware of: the chances of actually tagging a trophy whitetail are slim. Most outfitters boast a 30- to 40-percent success rate on mature whitetails. These less than impressive success rates aren’t the fault of the outfitters—the savvy nature of these elusive beasts just makes them hard to hunt successfully.

Bowhunting Above the Clouds

2012-02-15T17:04:40Z

Thorough research and rigorous training will improve your chances of arrowing the trophy of a lifetime on a high-altitude mountain goat hunt.

BowTech Invasion CPX

2012-02-08T21:34:10Z

Matt McPherson of Mathews, Inc.

2012-02-02T16:36:38Z

Many companies today espouse various corporate values. Some companies value creativity, some pride themselves on their adaptability and some promote honesty above all else.

Of course, developing a set of corporate values is fairly easy. Maintaining those values—especially in the face of an uncertain or downright bleak economic climate—is another thing altogether.

So you can’t blame companies for losing sight of their stated values. A company that puts customer service above everything else might have to cut a few corners in that area to boost profitability. And a company that claims its employees are its most important asset may have to cutemployee benefits just to survive. But that’s certainly understandable. When you’re running a business, you sometimes need to make sacrifices. Those carefully worded values may feel warm and fuzzy, but clinging to them too tightly can just drag a business down.

Or so we think—incorrectly, as it turns out. In our own industry, we have an example of a company that is succeeding because of—not despite—its core values. That company is Mathews, Inc., and its core values of integrity, innovation and impact have been driving the company’s success for 20 years.

Mathews’ founder and CEO Matt McPherson has been shooting bows since he was a child.

“My father was a small town preacher and he was looking for ways to save money,” McPherson recalls. “He decided that he was going to hunt deer to get some meat for the table. But my mother was petrified of guns and worried that he could get hurt. So my father went out and bought a bow. Not long after he got kid bows for my brother Randy and me. We absolutely fell in love with bows.

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Bear Anarchy

2012-02-02T16:15:24Z

Excellence breeds excellence. It’s an undeniable fact, and Bear Archery is proof of it. Bear Archery is a company on fire. With an ongoing focus on building quality bows, Bear is satisfying the needs of bowhunters.

A true stunner, the 2011 Bear Carnage was coveted by bowhunters. The Carnage was the complete bowhunting package—balanced, accurate, fast and quiet. Its innovative 4x4 Roller Guard greatly reduced cable friction, giving the bow a particularly smooth draw, and its distinctive Dual Arc Offset String Suppressors were anything but run of the mill.

Easton Carbon Injexion and New Archery Products Deep Six Broadheads

2012-02-02T15:59:34Z

New gear wonders claiming to change the face of archery seem to be everywhere. Many of these hot new products create a buzz, but when compared to truly revolutionary game-changers—the first compound bow, laser rangefinders, parallel-limb design, digital scouting cameras, scent-containment clothing, carbon bow risers—it’s clear that most of them fall short of the hype. While they may be good products, they don’t become coveted bowhunting gear. It takes something truly special to do that. Something like Easton’s new Carbon Injexion arrow.

Not So Easy Africa

2012-02-02T14:59:09Z

The sun was high in the sky when Marius placed his hand on my shoulder and whispered, “Slowly grab your bow.”

The windows of the blind limited my visibility, and my heart rate peaked as I wondered what African prize was approaching. All I could see were Marius’ eyes looking hard to our left. I followed the professional hunter’s gaze, and then I saw them: two gorgeous springbok, South Africa’s national animal. Cautiously the two springbok began drinking from the water tank just 20 yards in front of our blind.