By Dave Hurteau

Many of you have heard this tip; it’s an oldie but a goodie. So think of this video more as a reminder to actually get out there and do it. You don’t need a bunch of expensive targets; two or three cheap bag versions will work fine with field points. And don’t forget to take those targets into the woods once in a while for this type of practice session, as distances look surprisingly different depending on the amount and type of cover.

Guest Blog by Steven Hill

Stephen Esker, the Ohio crossbow hunter who shot a pair of 200-class whitetails  inside the Columbus city limits in back-to-back seasons and rented a helicopter to recover one of the bucks, shares news of yet another dandy Columbus bruiser that was taken last night by Ronnie Stevens with a Parker compound bow. Esker taped this massive 11-point typical with just over 196 gross inches and a net score of 189 and change. That’s a green score, of course, but Esker thinks the buck will rank among the top 16 typicals in the Boone and Crockett book after the 60-day drying period.

Stevens was driving home from his kid’s volleyball practice last week when he spotted the buck standing in a suburban bean field. He started knocking on doors, secured permission and quickly set up a trail cam. In a day he had photos, and a week later the buck was feeding right under his stand.

Stay tuned for more details.

by Scott Bestul

We’ve been counting down the best bows of the 2011 season, and we’re down to the cream of the crop. In most years, whittling out the bottom half of 15 or 16 bows isn’t too difficult for my testing team. Deciding on the Top Ten involves a little quibbling, but is rarely a tough chore.

But the Five Best? We’ve never actually gotten testy with each other when picking the five elite bows of the year, but individual scores reflect how close the voting can get. No more than 20 points (out of a possible 160) separated the Number Five bow from our Champion (the Best of the Best winner), and this year even featured a tie for the runner-up bow. So without any more fuss, here are the five models that everyone in my test team shot over and over… Sometimes looking for that one little feature that made a big difference. And sometimes because a really, really good bow is just plain fun to shoot.

Bow Number Five
G5 “Prime Centroid” (g5prime.com)
(MSRP: $999)

Hits: Most top-flight bows have a design feature that’s both innovative and problem-solving. In the case of the Prime, it’s called “Parallel Cam Technology ™” which is designed to virtually eliminate cam-lean, as well as reduce nock travel and limb fatigue. Basically two cams sit side by side, and the design change is both innovative and eye-catching; one of those features that jumps out at a shooter and says “this could be really cool…or really bad.” In the case of the Prime, it’s really good.

Misses: The only deductions my team gave to the Prime were in the shock/vibration category. This was nit-picking for two testers, but one team member gave it a big enough demerit to drop the Prime a place or two.

Takeaway: Major kudos go to the G5 team for incorporating an innovative design into a bow that’s just a pleasure to shoot. The Prime had a great back wall, a nice draw cycle and at 282 fps, sent an arrow zipping along. And once we got used to looking at parallel cams, we gave high marks to the Prime for fit-and-finish.

by Dave Hurteau

Every so often, we ask: What is an appropriate punishment for this or that game violation? Well here’s a novel approach, from a story by the Associated Press:

An Oregon man and his son who pleaded guilty to poaching will spend the next four deer seasons in jail and have been stripped of their hunting privileges for life.

Under a plea deal, they'll report to prison on Oct. 1—the first day of deer season—for 90-day terms each of the next four years.