By Dave Hurteau

Okay fine, a trade show may not the best place to thoroughly test new bows. It’s noisy and you only get to shoot each model a handful of times before having to pass it off to the next person in line. But you can get back in line as many times as you want, and you can absolutely get a solid first look at every bow at the show.

And so we did. At this week’s ATA show in Louisville, Kentucky, Bestul and I focused on the new flagship models for 2013. We shot, and waited to shoot, and shot, and got in line again…until we had a firm enough grasp of the new crop of compounds to share our first impressions with you. Here they are, in alphabetical order by manufacturer:

Bowtech Experience ($899; bowtecharchery)
Specs: 335 fps IBO; 32 inches axle-to-axle; Brace Height 7; 4.2 pounds
Skinny: After playing the speed game—and playing it very well—for the last couple of years, Bowtech has touched the brakes a little to offer everyday hunters a smoother, easier shooting experience.
Hits: Smooth draw cycle. Excellent valley; you can relax a little at full... [ Read Full Post ]

By David Draper

I’ve eaten a lot of great meals in the field—from my dad’s fried-egg sandwiches to breakfast burritos the size of my forearm—but it’s hard to top the prime rib I had marsh-side after a morning of gunning for ducks on the Great Salt Lake back in November. The memorable meal was cooked up by Camp Chef field chef Matt Anderson. Coming in a close second were the chili cheeseburgers Anderson’s co-worker Steve McGrath fired up from the deck of an airboat the day before.

[ Read Full Post ]

By Chad Love

A judge has cleared the way for wolf hunters to use dogs during the Wisconsin wolf season, making it the only state that currently allows it.

From this story on jsonline.com:
A Dane County judge said Friday the Department of Natural Resources had failed to enact adequate restrictions for dogs used to track or trail wolves, thereby prohibiting the practice under current state law. However, Judge Peter Anderson's ruling would allow dogs to hunt wolves.

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By David E. Petzal

One of the cultural phenomena I observe in deer camps is the cornucopia* of sweets that seem to lie on every table that is not already cluttered by used socks, ammo boxes, or 25-year-old copies of Playboy. Grown men who would not dream of doing so under normal conditions gobble stuff that is guaranteed to give you diabetes before it even clears your descending colon.

In the camp that I most recently decorated with my presence, there was not only candy of all sorts, but boxes of Twinkies for the lowbrows and for the highbrows like myself, terrific coffee cake that would give you diabetes before it got past your duodenum. Of course I indulged. I’ve had to fight my weight since I was 11 years old, and for the rest of the year I stay away from the sugar, but in deer camp it’s different. [ Read Full Post ]

By David Draper

Back in the late 1980s, I was wearing flannel before anyone even heard of Pearl Jam, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I’m at the forefront of food fashion as well, at least according to the Food Channel list of what food trends will be hot in 2013. In fact, I’m betting most Wild Chef readers are ahead of the trend that says smoking will be the next big thing in the restaurant scene. Firing up the smoker is just one of the many techniques we regularly rely on.
 
Over at Epicurious, it’s more of the same with their claim that the white-hot focus on all things below of the Mason-Dixon line will push even further south to Brazil, where churrascaria reigns. I will admit I was getting tired of food media hitting me with yet another recipe for the world’s best fried chicken and waffles, so reading about meat-centric Brazilian barbecue is definitely something to look forward to. [ Read Full Post ]