Field and Stream - Bow Hunting Big Game RSS

The Best Field & Stream Reader Photos From January 2012

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:06:52 -0500

The 50 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos of January.

The Best New Knives of 2012

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:04:49 -0500

These are the best new knives for outdoorsmen available in 2012.

Wyoming Game and Fish Department Lobbies for Deer Baiting Bill

Online Editors — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:48:48 -0500

by Scott Bestul

As a rule, deer biologists tend to hate baiting. But in a likely unprecedented move by a state game agency, the Wyoming Game & Fish Department is asking the state legislature to help them legalize baiting in the state. According to this AP story, biologists are struggling so mightily to control whitetail populations that they’re looking to add another strategy to their toolbox.

It’s important to note that in this case, officials intend to limit the use of bait to urban areas or other deer-control hotspots. Their hope is to be able to lure deer to spots where the animals would be more vulnerable to harvest, and to areas where shooting is safer. No plans seem to be in the works to legalize baiting on a broad basis at this time.

SHOT Show 2012 From The Floor: Day 2

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:34:22 -0500

Photos from the floor of SHOT Show 2012, Day 2.

SHOT Show 2012 From The Floor: Day I

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:48:40 -0500

Photos from the floor of SHOT Show 2012, Day 1.

Trivia Question: What Bow Did Bo Duke Shoot?

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:36:21 -0500

by Dave Hurteau

We all have our embarrassing secrets. I’ll spare you mine, for the most part. But for the purposes of this blog, I will admit to one: As much as I would like to trace my interest in archery to the likes of Hill, Bear, Pope, or Young, the truth is that the real greats were all before my time. No, being a product of the television generation (an embarrassing admission itself), my initial fascination with archery was sparked by the exploding arrows of—cringe—Bo and Luke Duke.

Vibration and Hand Shock from Compound Bows in Super Slow Motion

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:39:01 -0500

by Dave Hurteau

If you saw David Maccar’s recent post “High-Speed Video: .308 vs. Soup Can” (if you didn’t you should) then you know that we recently had the use of some spectacularly sophisticated high-speed cameras.

For this video, we wanted to see something that is normally only felt: hand shock and vibration from a bow. At 19,300 frames per second, two things jump out at me:

The Best Field & Stream Reader Photos From 2011

Dave_Maccar — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:15:14 -0500

The 60 best photos submitted by readers in 2011.

Field & Stream's Best Photo Galleries and Blogs of 2011

Dave_Maccar — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:53:52 -0500

The 25 best online stories from F&S in 2011.

The Best Field & Stream Reader Photos From December 2011

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 09:44:10 -0500

The 50 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos of December.

First Shots Photo Collection

Online Editors — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:59:48 -0500

A collection of jaw-dropping hunting and fishing photos from Field & Stream's "First Shots" magazine section.

The 75 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos From November 2011

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 10:13:59 -0500

The 50 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos of October.

Guest Shoot Me Down: Expensive Bows Are Worth Every Penny

Online Editors — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 10:32:13 -0500

by Dave Hurteau

In our last “Shoot Me Down,” I argued that “Speed Kills” because a fast bow allows you to use a heavier arrow and larger broadhead without giving up too much in trajectory. In response, lovetohunt gave us a thesis on kinetic energy, momentum and most interestingly, bow-and-arrow efficiency. Now, as our SMD winner, he is here to rant and rave as my special guest.

Take it away, lovetohunt:

Expensive bows are worth every penny.

All too often I see people hunting with bows that look like they were made in a toyshop 15 years ago. These folks can’t seem to justify spending the money on today’s better models, but I don’t think they realize that these expensive bows kill deer better than those ancient bows do.

Use a Rangefinder to Learn How to Judge Distance Without One

Sarah Smith — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 10:17:47 -0500

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.

The 50 Best Photos from Round II of the 2011 F&S Fall Trail Cam Contest

Online Editors — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:51:21 -0500

The Best 2011 Round 2 Trail Cam Photos

Heroes of Conservation Winner Announced!

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:58:38 -0400

At a time when the U.S. government is being asked to do more with less, conservationists all over the country are doing more without waiting to be asked. These efforts were recognized at the sixth annual Heroes of Conservation awards gala, sponsored by Field & Stream and Toyota. "It's a critical time, budgets are tight, and it is possible that essential projects to restore and protect America's wildlife and lands will be shelved due to lack of funds," F&S Editor Anthony Licata said at the Washington, D.C. event. "But there is hope. We are humbled by and incredibly grateful to people like our heroes, who are willing to work even when there isn't a budget."

Video, Interview: Mountain Biker Clobbered by Charging Antelope

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:31:20 -0400

by Dave Maccar

Charging wildlife isn’t the first thing on a mountain biker’s mind in the heat of a race, but the animals don’t know that.

Evan van der Spuy was racing in the 38 km Time Freight MTB Express mountain bike race at Albert Falls Dam, 20km outside the city of Pietermaritzburg in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa for Team Jeep South Africa over the weekend.

His teammate, Travis Walker, was in third place with a GoPro camera mounted on his bike, and captured this amazing footage below of Evan, who was in second place until this red hartebeest (a member of the antelope family) had something to say about it.

Yes, the hit was as hard as it looks. Evan was stabilized with a neck brace and taken to the hospital for overnight observation. He sustained a minor concussion, whiplash and some bruising on his head where his helmet imploded on impact.

F&S spoke to Evan today to get his take on the events behind this video, which is rapidly going viral.

Evan said he is recovering well, and feels extremely lucky.

“Luckily I walked away with just a bit of whiplash and a concussion, considering what happened,” he says. “I saw the animal moving to cross the road in front of me, but when I saw how close it really was, I was shocked. Then, from the moment it hit me I was unconscious. I actually don’t know what happened from then.”

Missouri Bow Hunter Tags Huge Double Drop Buck on Archery Opener

Dave_Maccar — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 11:38:30 -0400

Massive Missouri archery opener double drop buck

Canadian Moose Hunter Fends Off Charging Black Bear With Bow

Sarah Smith — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 10:36:32 -0400

--Chad Love

A Canadian moose hunter is out of the hospital after fending off (and ultimately killing) a charging black bear.

From this story on lotwenterprise.com:

A Kenora area hunter is lucky to be alive after fighting off a bear attack, Sept. 26. The 48-year-old man was treated for puncture wounds to his arm, shoulder and neck at Lake of the Woods district hospital and released later the same afternoon. The bear was mortally wounded during the encounter and did not survive. A Ministry of Natural Resources official credits the man for taking action to save his life.

"It was a dangerous situation," affirmed MNR Lake of the Woods supervisor Leo Heyens. "He did all the right things. If he hadn't fired an arrow or fought back, yelling and making himself look big, it could have been more serious."

Top Five Bows of 2011

Dave_Maccar — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 10:36:32 -0400

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.

Pro Skier Tags 200-Class Colorado Velvet Muley

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:30:08 -0400

Pro skier Drew Rouse tagged this 200-class Colorado velvet muley in late August.

Countdown to F&S’s Best of the Best Bow #6

Sarah Smith — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 16:30:52 -0400

by Scott Bestul

With archery seasons fast-approaching (or already open) it’s time to finish up the results of our annual bow test. For details of how the test is conducted, see the original post. Early next week we’ll feature the Top Five bows—a “best of the class”—in a single roundup of the elite bows of 2011.

But this post is devoted to the 6th place winner…

Bear “Carnage”

Price: $849

Weight: 4 lbs. 12 oz.

Length: 32” axle-to-axle

Speed: 345 fps (IBO) 288 fps (our test: 29-1/4”, 437gr. Carbon Express Aramid arrow. 28.5 draw length, 70lbs)

Getting Medieval: Serious Hunting With Gear From the Middle Ages

Online Editors — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 14:55:19 -0400

This group of hunters reenact medieval hunting as close as possible, and they're darn good at it.

Countdown to F&S’s Best of the Best Bows #12

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 10:28:21 -0400

by Scott Bestul

In case you missed it in the last post, I just got done testing 14 brand-new bows with a group of experienced archers for Field & Stream’s “Best of the Best” awards program. For details of how the test is conducted, see the original post . Every week from now until September, I’ll be posting reviews of the test bows, counting them down from #14 to #1 and revealing the winner here, shortly after the September issue hits mail boxes and newstands.

This week we’ll continue the countdown with:

Bow #12: Martin “Onza 3” (martinarchery.com)

- Price: $599
- Weight: 4 lbs. 14 oz.
- Length: 32.25” axle-to-axle
- Speed: 340 fps (IBO); 266 fps in our test with a 28.5-inch draw length, 70lbs draw weight, and shooting a 437gr. Carbon Express Aramid arrow.)

Countdown to F&S’s Best of the Best Bows #13

Dave_Maccar — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:49:13 -0400

by Scott Bestul

In case you missed it in the last post, I just got done testing 14 brand-new bows with a group of experienced archers for Field & Stream’s “Best of the Best” awards program. For details of how the test is conducted, see the original post. Every week from now until September, I’ll be posting reviews of the test bows, counting them down from #14 to #1 and revealing the winner here, shortly after the September issue hits mail boxes and newstands.

This week we’ll continue the countdown with:
Bow #13: Diamond “Deadeye” (diamondarchery.com)

- Price: $749
- Weight: 4 lbs. 6 oz.
- Length: 32” axle-to-axle
- Speed: 291 fps.