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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.

Shoot Me Down: The Whisker Biscuit is Still the Best Rest for Bowhunting

Sarah Smith — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:00:06 -0500

by Dave Hurteau

First, we have a new high-speed video to show you, which is cool on its own merits. It illustrates, like you’ve probably never seen before, the most common complaint about a Whisker Biscuit arrow rest: “Too much fletching contact.” Check it out.

It’s plain to see that there is indeed a mountain of such contact. No one could argue otherwise. So much so that, as I say, it’s just crazy that a Whisker Biscuit can be so accurate.

Yet it is.

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.

Beware: Before You Shoot at a Buck From a Ground Blind...

Sarah Smith — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 12:34:06 -0500

Depending on where you live, it is now, or soon may be too cold to want to spend hours aloft and exposed in a deer stand. And so some of you will likely trade your tree for the comparative coziness of a ground blind. But before you do, take heed of what American Hunter Managing Editor Jeff Johnston told me on a recent whitetail hunt in Wyoming, which he also wrote, in bold, on his BullShooters blog: “If you choose to use expandable broadheads, don't shoot through the mesh, mister!”

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.”

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.

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)

Bowtech Invasion Buck-Scoring Contest, Round 2

Sarah Smith — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:24:50 -0400

by Dave Hurteau

Okay folks, here is the next buck in our scoring contest. I doubt you’ve forgotten, but I’ll remind you nonetheless that you are playing for brand new Bowtech Invasion CPX compound bow, the company’s flagship model for 2011 and a prize worth about $950.

If you are just joining us, here’s the deal: I will post a total of four buck photos, one per week, for one month. (Click here if you missed the first one.) You will guess the gross B&C score of each and keep track of your guesses. Fractionals will count. When I post the final buck, I’ll ask you for your grand total. Whoever is closest wins the bow. If there is a tie, we will have a tiebreaker buck.

Shoot Me Down: Speed Kills

Sarah Smith — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 12:00:48 -0400

by Dave Hurteau

Bowhunters who pooh-pooh arrow velocity are fond of saying, “Speed doesn’t kill.” They reference the slow-but-deadly bows of yesteryear as proof. The term “kinetic energy” gives them a terrible rash.

They are right to a point. Deer are not hard to kill. A knitting needle at 200 fps would probably do the job if perfectly aimed. But there’s the rub. Some arrows are not perfectly aimed in the real world of bowhunting. While additional kinetic energy and momentum may be wasted on a double-lung pass-through, you’ll do well to have more of them should you hit the front shoulder, the spine, or God forbid the ham. And speed gives you that.

I like to shoot one pin out to 30 yards. With a moderately fast bow, I can do that with a 375-grain arrow, all set up to hunt. But with a smoking fast bow, I can do it with a 425-grain arrow, sporting a heavier broadhead, which boosts momentum for better penetration when needed.

Alabama Angler Finds New Giant Gator

Sarah Smith — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 11:03:47 -0400

--Chad Love

'Tis the season, apparently, for giant Alabama reptiles. First, Alabama got a new state record gator now comes word of another large alligator, this time from Lake Eufaula.

From this story on myfoxal.com:

It is all the buzz around the Valley: a local man pulls a massive alligator from the waters of Lake Eufaula, and it was his first time gator hunting! News Leader Nine spoke with Zach Moore about his first big catch, and what the people of Eufaula think of this monster swimming in their waters. "We shot him one time and he came up on the bank and he was standing up and that's when I realized how big he was, and it knocked my socks off because I didn't believe he was that big," said Moore.

70 Great Hunting, Fishing, and Camping Tips from the Readers of Field & Stream

Dave_Maccar — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 11:07:17 -0400

Here are the best Reader Tips from 2009 to the present.

The 30 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos of May 2011

Online Editors — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 13:45:32 -0400

These great photos are our editors' picks for the best shots entered into our Trophy Room last month.

The 40 Best Reader Photos of April 2011

Online Editors — Tue, 03 May 2011 08:27:38 -0400

These great photos are our editors' picks for the best shots entered into our Trophy Room last month.

Video: Mini Crossbow Shoots Flaming Mini Crossbow Bolts

Online Editors — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 10:37:33 -0400

Last year at about this time we posted a story about a diminutive piece of pocket artillery called the mini cannon. It was a real, working gun that used gunpowder, tiny steel balls and what looked like firecracker fuses to wreak havoc on all sorts of common items.