EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

TRUMP: A Bowhunter And Proud Of It! P. 32

®
THE #1 BOWHUNTING MAGAZINE APRIL/MAY 2016

SPRING
PURSUITS
■
Go Blind-Less For Gobblers
■
Monster Bear Hotspots
■
Solve Target Panic Now!

BIG BUCKS
How To Win The Waiting Game
P. 44

PLUS
8 Products For Run-And-Gun Toms
P. 24
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Features Departments
Fifth Avenue Redneck ❯❯❯ 32
BY CURT WELLS, EDITOR EDITORIAL ❯ 4
CURT WELLS, EDITOR
You never know who among us is a serious bowhunter.
This one may surprise you. BETWEEN BOWHUNTERS ❯ 6
LETTERS FROM READERS
Blind-Less Rios ❯❯❯ 38 KEYS TO CONCEALMENT ❯ 8
BY TONY J. PETERSON, EQUIPMENT EDITOR
BOWHUNTER STAFF HUNTING TIPS
Bowhunting turkeys without a blind isn’t easy,
but it sure is fun! WHAT’S NEW ❯ 58
BRIAN FORTENBAUGH, ASSISTANT EDITOR
The Core Problem Of Target Panic! ❯❯❯ 44 ASK BOWHUNTER ❯ 60
BY JOEL TURNER MATT PALMQUIST ON BOWHUNTING TURKEYS
Identifying the cause of your target panic is the first
step towards conquering it. WHERE TO GO ❯ 62
MARKETPLACE ❯ 63
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTIONS
Bear Forecast 2016 ❯❯❯ 48
BY JOHN SOLOMON THE WILD SIDE ❯ 64
Use this data to help you plan your next bear hunting adventure. DWIGHT SCHUH, HUNTING EDITOR

Time For A Fresh Change ❯❯❯ 52

BY STACE ACUP
To bag a trophy buck, consider backing off until the time is right.
Columns
PURE BOWHUNTING ❯ 12
DWIGHT SCHUH, HUNTING EDITOR
ON THE TRACK ❯ 16
CHUCK ADAMS
THE TRADITIONAL WAY ❯ 22
FRED EICHLER, TRADITIONAL EDITOR

TRIED & TRUE ❯ 24

TONY J. PETERSON, EQUIPMENT EDITOR
KNOW HUNTING ❯ 26
DR. DAVE SAMUEL, CONSERVATION EDITOR
PHOTO COURTESY OF DONALD TRUMP JR.

32
2 >BOWHUNTER APRIL/MAY 2016
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2016©
 Editorial ®
CURT WELLS, EDITOR An Outdoor Sportsman Group Publication
PUBLISHER Jeff Waring
EDITORIAL STAFF
EDITOR Curt Wells
ART DIRECTOR Mark Olszewski
ASSISTANT EDITOR Brian Fortenbaugh
Politics — Inescapable EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Sally Burkey
FIELD EDITORS
CONSERVATION Dr. Dave Samuel
Before you vote this fall, consider the issues that EQUIPMENT Tony J. Peterson
HUNTING Dwight Schuh
may affect your life outdoors. TRADITIONAL Fred Eichler
CONTRIBUTORS
Chuck Adams•Joe Blake•Chuck Denault•Jeff Frey
Cameron R. Hanes•Donald M. Jones•Larry D. Jones

T HROUGHOUT THIS YEAR, at least

until the whitetail rut, we will be inundated
with political messages. On page 32, you will
Judy Kovar•Lon Lauber•Pat Lefemine•Frank Noska
Matt Palmquist•John Solomon•Dan Staton
Randy Ulmer•John “Lefty” Wilson•C.J. Winand
ADVERTISING SALES
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Danny Farris
find a feature that will take this publication as (719) 393-9781; danny.farris@outdoorsg.com
close to the elections as we’re likely to get. I inter- ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER Jeff Millar
(717) 695-8081; jeff.millar@outdoorsg.com
viewed a bowhunter whose identity might sur- ADVERTISNG SALES REP Mark Thiffault
prise you — Donald Trump Jr. — the eldest son (800) 200-7885; mark.thiffault@outdoorsg.com
of presidential candidate Donald Trump. We PRODUCTION
MANAGER Brittany Troutman
think you will find it quite interesting, regard- (717) 695-8089; brittany.troutman@outdoorsg.com
less of your political leanings. We make no en- COORDINATOR Melissa Williams
(717) 695-8088; melissa.williams@outdoorsg.com
dorsement by publishing this article. That is not
ENDEMIC AD SALES
our place. If Chelsea Clinton bowhunted, we’d national endemic sales
interview her as well. Well, okay…maybe not. Jim McConville (440) 791-7017
western region
That said, politics, or more accurately, poli- Hutch Looney (818) 990-9000
cies, are inextricably woven into our lives when As the song says, “This land west region Pat Bartee (402) 463-4589
it comes to issues like health care, national secu- was made for you and me.” southwest region
Michael Garrison (309) 679-5054
rity, and the economy. But what about the issues midwest region Rob Walker (309) 679-5069
that affect our outdoor lives? There are many, but two stand out on a federal level. east region Pat Bentzel (717) 695-8095
Before you vote, know where your chosen candidate stands on these two issues. CORPORATE AD SALES
First, there can be no negotiation, no compromise, no show of weakness when it east coast account executive
Kathy Hughett (646) 225-6559
comes to the 2nd Amendment. It is chiseled in granite. Anyone who believes that the midwest account director
crafters of the Bill of Rights were referring only to militia, after a collection of armed Kevin Donley (248) 798-4458
midwest & mountain account executive
private citizens wrested this land away from the British Army, is simply ignoring Carl Benson (312) 955-0496
the reality. This is an issue bathed in passion, and when threatened with the loss of west coast account executive
our right to bear arms we react. This is why, ironically, President Barack Obama just Viga Hall (714) 222-1692
direct response advertising/non - endemic
might be the most successful firearms salesman in history. I know dozens of people Anthony Smyth (914) 693-8700
who previously never owned an AR-style rifle or a handgun until Obama took of- www.bowhunter.com
fice and started threatening gun ownership. Today, those people own at least one Bowhunter, (ISSN # 0273-7434) is published 9 times a year, including one double
issue; Jan/Feb, March, April/May, June (Gear Special), July, August (Big Game
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PRINTED IN
may be annoying, but it is important because the winners can change your life in THE U.S.A.

general, as well as your life in the outdoors. Make sure your voice is heard. ❮❮❮
4 >BOWHUNTER APRIL/MAY 2016
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 Between Bowhunters
LETTERS FROM READERS

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Jeff Paro

Concern About CWD
Dear Bowhunter,
Regarding Dr. Dave Samuel’s Know
Hunting column in your January/Febru-
ary 2016 issue, he is concerned that the
spread of CWD will impact the fees states
collect. But should that be our primary
concern? Isn’t CWD also called Mad Cow
Disease, which can kill/infect humans via
consumption of an infected animal?
As I understand what Dr. Samuel has
written, the largest impact is on older,
mature deer populations. But since this
is a slow-acting, degenerative disease,
younger deer that may appear healthy
could be infected but not showing
symptoms. Is that right, or did I misun-
derstand Dr. Dave?
I ended up trading my bow for some au-
tomotive work. Fast-forward to today. I’m
41 years old, have a new bow, a minimal
amount of hunting attire, and a burning
desire inside me that is coming danger-
ously close to the textbook definition of
obsessive for just being outdoors. To un-
plug from the world, to read the stories of
other hunters…oh man, what a great life!
I even went on my first elk hunt in Sep-
tember 2015. My cousin had the tag, so I
went along simply for the experience, and
it was amazing! He never got a shot off,
but the time spent in the mountains, the
planning, the actual drive to the camp-
site… I mean, how blessed are we? More
than I’ll ever know, I’m sure.
Since finding my “inner-outdoors-
EVP, GROUP PUBLISHER,
HUNTING & SHOOTING Mike Carney
SENIOR VP, TV OPERATIONS
GROUP PUBLISHER, FISHING Steve Hoffman
VP, FINANCE & OPERATIONS Derek Sevcik
VP, CONSUMER MARKETING Peter Watt
VP, MANUFACTURING Deb Daniels
VP, CONTENT DEVELOPMENT Todd Smith
VP, DIGITAL SALES David Plante
SENIOR DIRECTOR, PRODUCTION Connie Mendoza
DIRECTOR, PUBLISHING TECHNOLOGY Kyle Morgan
OUTDOOR SPORTSMAN GROUP DIGITAL
DIRECTOR, DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT Berry Blanton
DIRECTOR, DIGITAL AD OPS Reggie Hudson
MANAGER, DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT Brock Norman
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, FISHING Jeff Simpson
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, HUNTING/SHOOTING Randy Hynes
For questions regarding digital editions, please contact
digitalsupport@outdoorsg.com

It would seem to me that CWD has man,” I haven’t missed an issue of Bow-
MEDIA FISHING
the potential to devastate hunters, not hunter, my DVR is maxed out with hunt- outdoorsg.com bassfan.com
just deer. Is there an inexpensive test that ing shows, I’m at the local shooting range TELEVISION
floridasportsman.com
flyfisherman.com
hunters can employ to determine if their at least four days a week, and I’m loving outdoorchannel.com gameandfishmag.com
thesportsmanchannel.com in-fisherman.com
just-killed deer/elk is infected? every minute of it. True, sometimes this worldfishingnetwork.com
Mark Witte, Sequim, Washington sport can get expensive. But what I’ve SHOOTING
HUNTING gunsandammo.com
received in return, in the form of memo- bowhunter.com handguns.com
Dr. Dave responds: Mark, let me briefly ries and knowledge, is truly priceless. bowhuntingmag.com
gundogmag.com
rifleshootermag.com
shootingtimes.com
address your questions about chronic wast- I just want to say thank you for all the petersenshunting.com shotgunnews.com
northamericanwhitetail.com
ing disease. This is a prion disease found in articles and the way they’re written, and wildfowlmag.com
deer and elk that is similar to other prion most of all for making me feel welcome
diseases such as Mad Cow in cattle (that to your sport, or as I like to say, your art. Copyright 2016 by Outdoor Sportsman Group

humans can get), and Creutzfeldt-Jakob
Disease (found only in humans). Humans
cannot get CWD from deer, and there is no
quick test that individual hunters can use to
detect it. If in doubt, submit the head (brain)
to your state officials to check for CWD. And
yes, young deer can carry the disease and
not show visible symptoms. New data shows
that as the prevalence grows in an area, we
lose older bucks, and the potential is to lose
huge numbers of deer. If that happens, hunt-
ing drops, and the money from hunters used
to manage wildlife decreases. Thus, hunters
need to begin to show concern to politicians
and force them to approve money for re-
search needed to curb this disease.
Keep Fueling My Bowhunting Fires
Dear Bowhunter,
I am new to the art of bowhunting,
and I mean that in the truest sense of the
word. Although not a complete stranger
to archery, I find myself having a new pas-
sion for the draw and release of the arrow.
I got my first compound bow while I
was in high school, shot it a few times at
some bales of hay, and that was about it.
6 >BOWHUNTER APRIL/MAY 2016
Maybe I’ll get to take an animal in 2016. All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without
written permission.
Anything. I’m not picky. Wish me luck! Bowhunter® is a registered trademark of Outdoor Sportsman Group in
the United States.
Martin Kozlowski, via e-mail
The Publisher and authors make no representations or warranties re-
garding the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of the information
Enough With The Complaining! contained in this publication. Any reliance or use of the information is
solely at your own risk, and the authors and Publisher disclaim any and
Dear Bowhunter, all liability relating thereto. Any prices given in this issue were suggested
prices at the press time and are subject to change.
It amazes me how much some people Some advertisements in this magazine may concern products that are not
legally for sale to California residents or residents in other jurisdictions.
will rant and complain because “their”
magazine doesn’t contain 100-percent Cover Photos: Whitetail Buck — Mark Raycroft;
Rio Turkey — John Eriksson/Images On The Wildside
content that they 100-percent agree
with. As a Westerner, I can’t relate to many
whitetail articles, but I also realize that’s
what most of your readers are interested
in, so I don’t read them as thoroughly as
articles about elk, muleys, pronghorns,
Alaska and Canada, etc. Nor do I shoot
my stickbow as much as my compounds,
but I don’t get my undies in a bunch about
stickbow articles either, especially when
said articles mostly pertain to hunting.
Anyway, that’s my two cents. Keep up the
good work! ❮❮❮
Bruce Morrison, via e-mail
Send your BETWEEN BOWHUNTERS
letters to Bowhunter, 6385 Flank Drive,
Suite 800, Harrisburg, PA 17112 or e-mail
to bowhunter_magazine@outdoorsg.com
 DRAW
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Cabela’s® Tactical Tat’r™ 2 Turkey Vest
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age space. The Tactical Tat’r 2 has a very well-
designed system of specialized pockets for
your favorite turkey calls and other important
gear, and each pocket is designed for quick
and quiet access to its contents. An extra-large
game bag expands for carrying decoys and
a bird. The weight of a fully loaded Tat’r 2 is
evenly distributed across your shoulders, and
quick-release buckles in front allow you to
customize fit. It’s available in sizes S/M, L/XL
and 2XL/3XL, and it looks really sharp in Mossy
Oak® Obsession™ camo. Contact: Cabela’s,
1-800-237-4444, cabelas.com.
8 >BOWHUNTER APRIL/MAY 2016
By Curt Wells, Editor
For those of us who pursue the wily,
often exasperating wild turkey with a bow and arrow,
a popup ground blind is our greatest ally. Turkeys dis-
regard popup blinds, even if they’re set up in an open
field, and especially if there is a decoy or two nearby
to distract them.
Still, the eyesight of a turkey is its first line of
defense against every danger from owls to coyotes to
humans lurking in the shadows. The art of camouflage
must be mastered when hunting tom turkey, and that
means blending in and adapting to our surroundings
like a chameleon. Since we spend a lot of time in the
dark recesses of a blind, the smart bowhunter wears black. A black hood (or facepaint)
prevents a gobbler from spotting your shiny face, and dark gloves are crucial, especially
on your bow hand, because it will be close to the blind opening when you’re at full draw.
But hold on! All black won’t cut it. We still have to travel through the woods, to and
from our blind, or as we carry our blind and decoys, listening for birds and searching for
that perfect setup location. Since black is one of the most visible colors in the spectrum
— at least in the woods and fields — you risk getting picked off by every turkey within
eyesight, many of which you won’t even know are there. How many times have you been
moving slowly through the trees and spotted birds in a distant field?
If you see them before they see you, you’ve got a chance to back off, set up, and call.
If they see you first, it’s over.
Camouflage is always important, whether it’s black in a blind or a great spring pattern
like Mossy Oak Obsession. Birds are not like big game animals that have a difficult time
discerning colors. Turkeys see color just fine, which is why the deep greens and other
earth tones in Obsession are important to your efforts to break up your form and remain
unseen. The best plan, when on the move, is to stuff your black fleece, gloves and hood
in your turkey vest, and rely on your camouflage layer to get you from one location to
another undetected.
And keep in mind, although difficult, it is possible to arrow a gobbler without taking
refuge in a popup blind. You’ll have to set up in excellent cover, and then construct a
natural blind using available vegetation, or even some camo netting. With a few lengths
of wire or zip-ties, you can quickly build a natural blind. Leave yourself narrow shooting
lanes separated by thick cover, so you can get to full draw undetected. A decoy or two
will keep a gobbler busy while you draw. Of course, your body will have to be camouflaged
from head to toe, as well as all your other gear, because a nervous bird, particularly
those in the East, will spook with the slightest visual provocation.
Finally, if you’re a bowhunter who is prone to switching to a scattergun out of venge-
ful frustration (a perfectly understandable response, by the way), you’ll be glad you’re
already wearing Mossy Oak Obsession when you slide your shotgun out of the case and
shove some serious turkey medicine into the chamber.
However you hunt turkeys — think camouflage. Think Mossy Oak Obsession.
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Rest Assured
“As the saying goes, control what you can, and accept what you can’t.”
N
EVER WILL I FORGET
my first trip to the wilds of
Alaska. On August 27, my
friend Roger Iveson and
I had flown by floatplane
to a river in south-central Alaska. As we
unloaded our gear from the Cessna 206,
the pilot asked when he should return to
pick us up.
Roger and I looked at each other
blankly and shrugged. “Uh, how about
September 19?”
The pilot said, “You guys are crazy.”
Then he jumped into his plane and flew
off into the wild blue yonder.
Watching the plane disappear over
a very distant horizon, we stood on the
riverbank, 200 miles from the near-
Physical condition might seem irrelevant on many hunts, but even hunting by
horseback can wear you out. Getting in shape for every hunt can go a long
way toward giving you peace of mind.
12 >BOWHUNTER APRIL/MAY 2016
Hunting Editor
DWIGHT SCHUH
est anything, and calculated how many
days we would be there. Twenty-three.
We felt alone. Very alone. What had we
got ourselves into? No sight in the world
produces a more unsettling feeling than
the sight of a vanishing bush plane.
An unsettled, helpless feeling is not
unusual on backcountry hunting trips.
In The Wild Side (page 64), I discuss my
ventures “Into the Unknown.” As I say
there, hunting far-off, unfamiliar terri-
tory produces some of the finest experi-
ences and memories in bowhunting. But
it also produces some of greatest fears
and doubts. Over the years, I’ve learned
to turn doubts and fears into victories.
Here are some of the things I’ve learned.
To a large degree, mental comfort in-
the backcountry depends on your prepa-
ration. In 1988, my friend Larry Human
and I drew bighorn sheep tags on the
Middle Fork of the Salmon River in cen-
tral Idaho, one of the largest wilderness
areas in the Lower 48. In early October,
we trailered our pack llamas to a remote
trailhead and started the 30-mile trek to
our destination. A stiff wind carried a
hint of rain and snow. Given the menac-
ing weather and vastness of the moun-
tains, my apprehension grew, and with
each step, I fretted: Did I bring enough
clothes? The right boots? Enough food? The
right maps? Yadda, yadda, yadda…
The trip turned out great. We had
adequate gear, and Larry killed a beau-
tiful ram. The point is, to alleviate fear
and apprehension, trust your planning.
Research your destination to learn the
weather patterns, terrain, and trail sys-
tems, and then plan accordingly. Lay
out combinations of longjohns, jackets,
raingear, hats, gloves — whatever will
cover anticipated conditions. Assemble
all the necessary maps. Think all these
things through. Have a system.
Also, plan your communication.
Back when I got into this business, we
had prayer and smoke signals. That was
about it. Today, things are different.
Many backcountry hunters carry satel-
lite phones to ensure contact with the
outside world. For years I have carried
a SPOT device (findmespot.com), with
which I can send brief “okay” messages
to my wife and can summon emergency
help if ever needed (thankfully, I’ve nev-
er had to use that option). The DeLorme
inReach Explorer (inreachdelorme.com)
is another excellent option. Guaranteed
communication with the outside world
goes a long way toward eliminating ap-
prehension in the backcountry.
So does verbal communication be-
AUTHOR’S PHOTO
fore any trip. When I look back on that
Alaska trip with Roger Iveson, I can only
ask, What were we thinking? Before any
trip, nail down dates, times, places, and
 BT-X

REFUSE to FOLLOW
@bowtecharchery www.bowtecharchery.com

© Bowtech, Inc. 2016. All rights reserved. Overdrive Binary is a trademark of Bowtech, Inc.
Pure Bowhunting
contingency plans if things go awry,
and communicate all of this with your
pilot, family, friends, and any other re-
sponsible contacts. Never leave things
to chance. Then relax. If you’ve done the
homework, prepared and communi-
cated, you have no reason to fret. Let the
adventure begin!
Apprehension often comes from fear
of equipment failure — at least it does for
me — and that concern is not without
precedent. In 1996, I drew another Idaho
bighorn tag, and again I packed 30 miles
off-road with my llamas, this time by my-
self. All was well, until the cable guard
on my bow broke. With no backup, I cut
one of my arrows to length and wired it
to the riser of my bow (with wire I found
nailed to a tree in an old outfitter’s camp)
to jury-rig a cable guard. It worked — sort
of. Fortunately, I had some Judo practice
heads for re-sighting my bow.
Better yet is a backup bow. On a
three-week hunt in British Columbia,
I dropped my bow on a rock and split
the top limb. It was toast. Fortunately,
I’d included a spare bow in my duffel. It
was back at base camp, and I had to wait
a day for the bush pilot to fly it out to me.
But at least it was available, and I ended
up killing a moose and a grizzly with it.
To eliminate anxiety, do your homework
ahead of time to learn the terrain and all
the road and trail systems.
14 >BOWHUNTER APRIL/MAY 2016
If you expect five-star
accommodations and
treatment in the back-
country, you will be
sorely disappointed.
Always be realistic in
your expectations.
Without that backup, my hunt was done.
If you don’t have room for two iden-
tical bows, consider a smaller backup.
Weighing little more than three pounds
and measuring 28 inches long, my Mis-
sion Craze fits easily in a duffel bag. It’s
a great backup bow. If that doesn’t work,
at the very least include Allen wrenches,
spare strings/cables, spare rest, and other
essentials for onsite repair.
Prepare physically, too. Even if you’re
hunting with an outfitter, don’t assume
life will be easy. Just surviving foul
weather, long horse rides, steep climbs,
and other inevitable trials can require
huge energy. Sure, if you’re going on a
baited bear hunt where a guide delivers
you to a treestand on a quad, then physi-
cal condition might have no bearing on
your hunt. Just suffice it to say that the
better shape you’re in, the better you’ll
be able to handle tough conditions.
Enter every hunt with an open mind.
Many Northern hunts are contingent on
bush flights, and those are contingent on
weather. On my first Dall sheep hunt in
the NWT, dense fog kept all of us hunters
grounded in base camp for the first four
days of the eight-day hunt. So we could
do nothing but sit in a cabin, watching
our precious hunting time evaporate.
In situations like this, the anxiety
level can be intolerable. If you’re a “stick
to the schedule” guy, you will go crazy
when this happens. To alleviate the ten-
sion, take some entertainment. A good
book or e-reader loaded with a half-doz-
en books can be a sanity saver. On one
Alaskan hunt, when my partner and I
got stuck in a tent by a blizzard for three
days, I read “Lonesome Dove” — all
945 pages — while waiting for the bush
plane. It saved my sanity. If you don’t
read, take your knitting, or whatever you
do to keep yourself occupied.
And learn to accept reality. As the say-
ing goes, control what you can, and accept
what you can’t. Few adventure hunts go as
planned. I would estimate that 50 percent
of my trips to Canada and Alaska have
been delayed by weather, logistics snafus,
mechanical problems, misunderstand-
ings, lack of communication… Accept
that and go with the flow, or you’ll suffer
terminal frustration.
The worst fate may be lost luggage.
When I arrived in Ft. Simpson, North-
west Territories, to hunt Dall sheep, only
one of my two bags arrived. We had to
head to camp immediately so we could
not wait for my second bag. Fortunately,
my bow, arrows, and boots were in the
one bag that arrived, so I had the es-
sentials. To get by, I bought some cheap
underwear and socks at the one mer-
cantile in Ft. Simpson, borrowed a few
other items from the outfitter, and went
hunting — and I killed a ram. To keep
the anxiety at a tolerable level, you just
expect things NOT to go as planned.
Don’t sweat it.
Many years have passed since Roger
Iveson and I landed on that wild Alaska
river, but the memory of apprehension
remains vivid in my mind. As do our
mistakes.
Since then, I’ve taken dozens of simi-
lar hunts into the unknown, and I still
feel some apprehension and fear at the
start. But drawing on experience, I’ve
learned to think ahead, plan well, and go
with the flow. Now when I arrive in some
AUTHOR’S PHOTOS
unknown and intimidating place, I can
rest assured I’ve covered all the bases and
will enjoy another great adventure bow-
hunt. ❮❮❮
On The Track
Meat In The Pan
Bears are a fact of life when bowhunting the West.
I
DON’T NOR M A LLY t hi n k
about famous artwork when I
bowhunt, but that’s exactly what
I was doing as I peeked over the
knife-edge of a ridge.
Forty yards below me, bones were
cracking, limbs were snapping, and a
giant hump of fur was flashing in and
out of sight. The wind was in my face,
but I lingered less than a minute before
I turned and sneaked away through the
trees. You never know when Wyoming
breezes might shift, and I was much too
close for comfort.
A print of a 1915 painting by Charles
My 2015 Wyoming elk was demolished
in one night by one or more grizzly bears.
The 6x7 rack and skull were not damaged.
16 >BOWHUNTER APRIL/MAY 2016
CHUCK ADAMS
M. Russell hangs on my office wall — a
gripping scene from the old West. A
puzzled hunter stands atop a sheer and
icy cliff, staring straight down at a dead
bighorn ram teetering six feet below on
an unreachable ledge. The rif leman’s
shot was obviously good, but the sheep
might as well be a mile away.
“Meat’s Not Meat Till It’s In The Pan”
is one of Russell’s most famous works, a
comical yet frustrating snapshot of what
might really happen on a hunt. A similar
thing had just happened to me in 2015.
Early that morning, I climbed a thou-
sand feet through deadfall timber and
began sneaking sidehill along a heavily
used elk trail. The telltale barnyard odor
of bulls, cows, and calves lingered where
they had passed through sometime dur-
ing the night. A bugle sliced the air, and I
hustled toward the sound.
Seconds later, a giant “woof” thun-
dered in front of me. Electric shocks
raced down my spine as something big
and dark moved in the tight timber 20
yards to my left. I grabbed my canister
of pepper spray and tiptoed downhill in
the opposite direction.
A large, silver-backed grizzly bear
swaggered out of the trees, eyeing me
suspiciously and grunting hoarsely as
he circled to get my wind. Fortunately,
the breeze was sliding directly down-
hill away from him. I ducked behind a
stump, laid down my compound bow,
and fingered the handgun on my belt
with my free hand.
The bruin slowly moved away, cran-
ing his massive neck to peer maliciously
until the timber swallowed him up. I
waited five minutes, dropped even lower
on the slope, and then trotted toward the
bugling elk.
Grizzly bears are a fact of life on bow-
hunts in western Wyoming. You hope
for the best, prepare for the worst, and
keep on chasing bucks or bulls. That’s
what I did that morning. Two hours lat-
er, I slipped across a draw, eased around
a tree, and shot a dandy 6x7 bull.
The elk was chasing cows, and he
stepped ahead as the arrow flew. The gi-
ant two-blade Rage broadhead hit a bit
too far back, entering behind the ribs
but angling nicely forward. I waited two
hours before cautiously taking up the
trail.
The bull had moved predictably
downhill, bedding in one place and tak-
ing the easiest route along the bottom of
AUTHOR’S PHOTO
a gulley that plunged off the mountain-
side. I was easing along the trail when I
heard crunching sounds beyond a dino-
saur spine of rock.
On The Track
A grizzly was on my elk. A bear had
never stolen an elk from me before, but
I knew the law. I was not allowed to “ha-
rass” this protected species by pushing
it off the carcass, and only a fool would
have tried that weak-brained stunt any-
way. A grizzly will fight to the death over
fresh meat. All I could do was leave the
area, retrieve the antlers later, and punch
my Wyoming elk tag.
Charlie Russell was right — meat is
not meat until it’s in the pan…unless you
are a grizzly bear.
The next day, at high noon with
September temperatures pushing 85
degrees, I eased into the hollow where
the bear had been. As I expected, the
grizzly — and perhaps a few of his bud-
dies — had demolished the carcass.
Now they were burping and snoozing in
some pocket of deep shade. I cautiously
strapped the well-chewed and legally
tagged head to my Freighter Backpack
Frame and hiked back to my pickup.
Fortunately, the 355-inch rack and skull
did not have a scratch.
My wife, Greta, and I love elk meat,
A big, dry cow elk from Montana filled my
freezer in 2015. Finally…meat in the pan!
and we had just lost an entire freezer-
filling bull. Fortunately, I also had a 2015
cow elk tag in Montana. So early Octo-
ber found me sitting near a waterhole in
dry country where I had seen plenty of
elk in previous years.
It was still warm in the West, and I
had high hopes of seeing animals at the
spring-fed pond. I was also happy be-
cause there were no grizzly bears in that
part of the state.
It was almost dark when a bull bu-
gled beyond a nearby ridge. The rut was
winding down, but this guy was obvi-
ously still feeling the urge. I nocked an
arrow, crouched lower in my sparse
brush blind, and peered through the
growing gloom.
An elk appeared along the timber,
followed by another and another. Soon,
a small 5x5 was pushing three cows and
two calves toward the water.
A big, dry cow reached the pond first,
and dropped her head to drink. I struck
like a hawk after a meadow mouse. The
Easton shaft flickered above 40 yards of
sagebrush before smashing home with a
satisfying thud.
Thirty minutes later, I found my elk
at the end of a short and massive blood
trail. There were no antlers to grab as I
scooted the carcass into position and
pulled out my gutting knife. Ask me if I
cared. There would finally be succulent
meat in the pan — the best reward of all
on an archery hunt! ❮❮❮

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 STRYKER KATANA 385

NEVER COMPROMISE

@strykercrossbows www.strykerxbow.com
© Bowtech, Inc. 2016. All rights reserved. Stryker is a trademark of Bowtech, Inc.
 The Traditional Way
Shoot ‘Em Flying
Take aim at aerial targets for one of the most
fun practice sessions you’ll ever experience.
I
F YOU have not shot aerial targets
with your traditional bow yet, then
you are truly missing out on one of
the coolest things you can do with
a stickbow besides hunting.
One of the reasons I love shooting
aerials is I remember all the old films of
Fred Bear shooting thrown discs with
his recurve. I was always intrigued by
this, and I knew that one day I wanted to
be able to do that, too.
I am proud to report that I am not
only routinely shooting aerials these
days, but I have also introduced a lot
of my friends as well as our boys to the
sport. Shooting just fixed targets all the
time can start to get old. As a parent, I
am constantly looking for ways to keep
my kids outside in the great outdoors,
as well as introducing them to new ways
to enjoy archery. That includes practice,
bowhunting, and of course, safety.
From paper targets, I graduated the
kids to Rinehart 3-D targets. They show
Shooting aerial discs
with flu-flu arrows is
fun, and it will help you
prepare for small game
animals like pheasants.
22 >BOWHUNTER APRIL/MAY 2016
Traditional Editor
FRED EICHLER
the animal’s vitals, and our boys are learn-
ing while they are having fun shooting.
As a way to keep things fun and exciting,
the next step was discs in the air. Shooting
aerials is tons of fun, great practice, and a
terrific way to either get kids involved, or
to help keep them interested in shooting a
bow. It also looks pretty impressive, and it
can be picked up easily with a little prac-
tice. You’ll be surprised just how quickly
you can determine the necessary lead on
targets thrown at various angles. Besides,
developing a “feel” for hitting aerial tar-
gets is a huge part of the fun.
What You Need
The nice thing about aerials is that
the targets are inexpensive to buy. Three
Rivers Archery has a 12-inch aerial tar-
get in their catalog for only $12.50. I
suggest a few of them, so you don’t have
to stop the fun to pick up one target. If
you’re into building your own, you can
simply cut circles out of cardboard and
start gluing them together. Usually five
or six layers are plenty to stop an arrow.
I suggest starting with a 15-inch circle,
and then working down to something
tougher, like a six to eight-inch disc.
After either purchasing or making
your targets, you now need some flu-flu
arrows. If you have never heard of a flu-
flu arrow, Wikipedia defines it as “a type
of arrow specifically designed to travel a
short distance. Such arrows are particu-
larly useful when shooting at aerial tar-
gets, or for certain types of recreational
archery where the arrow must not travel
too far.” In my opinion, the term flu-flu
arrow is not really accurate, because you
are shooting the same arrow you target
shoot or hunt with. The only difference is
the feathers. It also doesn’t matter if you
use arrow shafts made of wood, alumi-
num, or carbon. They will all work fine
with the addition of larger feathers.
The history of the flu-flu dates back to
Maurice Thompson’s book, “The Witch-
ery of Archery,” first published in 1878.
In it, Maurice talks of a Native Ameri-
can who used “broad-feathered arrows,”
which he had named “Floo Hoo” on
account of a peculiar roaring sound it
made while flying through the air.
To sum it up, basically it is just over-
sized feathers placed on your regular
hunting arrow that act as a wind drag,
preventing the arrow from going very far.
There are tons of combinations and ways
of applying the feathers to achieve the
desired result. The easiest way to get flu-
flus is to order them from Three Rivers
Archery or Kustom King Archery. Both
are traditional equipment suppliers that
can make them up for you. Oftentimes,
local archery shops can also fletch them
up for you, or you can just purchase some
full-length feathers and make them your-
self. There is a learning curve here, and I
would suggest purchasing a video or fol-
lowing instructions online to help you
fletch your arrows correctly.
Once you have some flu-flus fletched
up, you can enjoy some great fun target
shooting. Besides aerial-disc shooting, flu-
AUTHOR’S PHOTOS
flus are also a great option for close-range
hunting on small game like birds, squir-
rels, rabbits, or anything where you don’t
want your arrow to fly out of sight. ❮❮❮
 When you pass on the Love of
Archery you are giving more than
time and expertise, you are teaching life
lessons. The legacy of archery brings with
it, the respect for the land and game, the
appreciation of hard work from practicing,
and the joy of accomplishment.
At 3Rivers Archery we have been living
archery for more than 30 years now.
Ofering expert advice, genuine
customer care, fast shipping, top quality
products, and competitive pricing. Call us
anytime at 866-732-8783, or go online at
3RiversArchery.com to see our growing
selection of archery gear, helpful videos,
product reviews, and easy ordering.
Tried & True
On-The-Go Gobbler Gear
Bowhunting turkeys and mobility have never been less at odds
than they are now, thanks to some killer equipment.
H
AV I NG GROW N U P
running and gunning for
turkeys in southeastern
Minnesota, it was pure
torture for me to bowhunt
turkeys from the original ground blinds.
There is something about distant gob-
bling that makes staying put tough.
I’ve now realized that a good portion
of my reluctance to become a full-on
turkey bowhunter came from my initial
use of inadequate equipment. When I
think back to my early days, it’s easy to
remember how heavy the blinds were,
how uncomfortable the blind chairs
were, and how basic the decoys were.
I still have a few of my original decoys,
and they look like caricatures of turkeys
when compared to today’s models.
While it’s easy to recall the transi-
tion now as having occurred over several
spring seasons, the true moment when I
Scenes like this are
becoming more common-
place to me now that I’ve
upgraded some important
pieces of my turkey hunt-
ing arsenal.
24 >BOWHUNTER APRIL/MAY 2016
Equipment Editor
TONY J. PETERSON
switched sides occurred several years ago
when a good buddy and I drove to Ne-
braska for the early archery season, with
no real plan in mind other than to find
some birds on public land and hunt them.
We stumbled into an area that was
littered with longbeards, and while we
didn’t kill one, it wasn’t for a lack of try-
ing. As we drove home from that trip,
I knew that a few things would make a
return trip much easier. For starters, a
lightweight blind would be the ticket. I
also knew that several of the birds I had
called in had flared at my decoys. It was
clear by watching them that they were
fired-up until they hit the 40 or 50-yard
mark, and then their demeanor would
change drastically, and sure things
would turn into something else entirely.
The following April, we made the re-
turn trip. The hunt was completely dif-
ferent, and I lost count of the number of
AUTHOR’S PHOTO
birds that I called into bow range. What
I didn’t lose count of was the number of
turkeys I missed. Suffice it to say, it’s an
embarrassing amount.
That hunt validated my belief that
bowhunting turkeys with the right gear
could result in a much better time. It also
showed me that carrying lightweight,
quality equipment allowed me to move
on birds. I didn’t run-and-gun the same
way I would have had I carried a shotgun,
but I did move more often to wherever the
action seemed the hottest. And that new-
found mobility resulted in a lot of good
encounters, and easily one of my most
enjoyable hunts ever.
If you’re looking to arrow a spring
longbeard but have reservations about
being cemented to one spot by subpar
gear, consider upgrading a few pieces of
equipment. Arguably the most impor-
tant will be your blind.
This spring I’m giving The Club
($172) a shot in several states. Primos is
now offering this 65"-tall blind in Mossy
Oak’s Break-Up Country pattern, which
is an excellent camouflage for the spring
turkey woods. In total (carrying bag in-
cluded) The Club weighs only 17 lbs. —
lightweight enough to carry deep into
any turkey woods. Lastly, this blind fea-
tures the new SS Hook blind windows
for truly silent operation.
 Cabela’s also offers a great option to these calls is I often want to carry a
in their Stealth Hunter4Ground Blind couple with different surfaces for dif-
($250). This blind measures 70"L x 70"W ferent tones. Knight & Hale created the
x 78"H, so it easily accommodates two Dual Threat ($25) to address this all-too-
common complaint. With one glass and
one slate surface, you can easily switch
between the two with minimal move-
ment. Having the tonal options is great,

the neck, and noisy to boot. While I love

their realism, their bulk is a deal-breaker
sometimes. During those hunts, I use
hunters. To ensure you don’t miss a thing, lightweight, highly portable faux birds, but maybe the best benefit of this call is
the Hunter4Ground allows for 360 de- like the new JAKE PURR-FECT ($60) the ability to sound like two distinctly
grees of shooting and viewing options, from Montana Decoy. It weighs only 22 different hens in one calling session.
and it is a breeze to set up and take down. oz., sets up in seconds, and looks incred- I use a bunch of different diaphragm
There are situations where a bigger calls throughout the season because of
blind is needed, especially if you’re their ease of use, ease in portability, and
going to sit near a CRP field, or maybe because I lose them all of the time. Or
hunt when crops are starting to show run them through the wash. Or simply
some growth. In these cases, and others, wear them out. Whatever the case, if
a standing shot might be your best bet. you’re not using a diaphragm call, you’re
Fortunately, Ameristep has released the missing out on the bowhunter’s best
84"-tall Haven ($220). Covered in Mossy weapon in the gobbler woods.
Oak Break-Up Country and fitted with This spring, consider the Turkey
several integrated brush loops, the Ha- ible. Better yet, with the new Perfect Pose Man Three Pack ($22) from Flextone
ven is perfect for plenty of turkey hunt- Technology, you can fine-tune head posi- Game Calls. Designed with the help of
ing situations. tioning to make this jake look even more
like a weakling to approaching birds.
One of the secrets to successful turkey
bowhunting often involves showing birds
something a little different, like the new
lightweight LCD Laydown Hen ($80)
from Avian-X. Passing gobblers that get
an eyeful of this super-realistic decoy are
likely to stroll right in just from the good- Eddie Salter, this pack contains three
vastly different-sounding mouth calls to
give you the edge when cutting, purring,
yelping, or saying pretty much anything
buried in a real hen’s lexicon. ❮❮❮

Manufacturer’s Contact List:

To make the most of your blind time,
a quality chair like the Millennium
G100 ($200) is an excellent choice. This
is by far the most comfortable blind
chair I’ve ever used, and it weighs only
7.5 lbs. The G100 features three adjust-
able legs, and a seat that needs to be sat
on for hours to be truly appreciated.
Now it’s time to think decoys. This is
the hardest decision I make each spring,
especially when I’m hiking serious dis-
tances to get to my spots. Carrying a
flock of full-bodied decoys is a pain in
to-go vibes the body positioning gives off.
That shift of focus is perfect for giving you
the chance to draw unseen.
There are plenty of types of calls I’m
happy to leave in my truck when I set
out in the morning — pot calls aren’t
one of them. Nothing says I’m a foxy hen
just waking up and getting ready to chat
quite like a good pot call. The downside
•Ameristep, 1-800-847-8269,
ameristep.com
•Avian-X, 1-877-534-2263, avian-x.com
•Cabela’s, 1-800-237-4444, cabelas.com
•Flextone Game Calls, 1-800-847-8269,
flextonegamecalls.com
•Knight & Hale, 1-800-500-YELP,
knightandhale.com
•Millennium Treestands, (601) 932-
5832, millenniumstands.com
•Montana Decoy, (717) 566-1276,
montanadecoy.com
•Primos Hunting (601) 879-9323,
primos.com
WWW.BOWHUNTER.COM 25
Know Hunting
Young Archers & 3-D Targets
A relatively new organization is poised to change archery forever.
W
H E N I S TA RT E D
bowhunting, there were
no 3 -D a n i m a l t a r-
gets. Way back when,
I was like many kids
who shoot bows today. I loved shooting
at animal targets. With no 3-D targets,
my brothers and I made our own. We
simply drew an animal on cardboard
with crayons, and then attached it to the
three straw bales that we stacked in the
backyard. Not 3-D, but it was the best we
could do, and it was fun.
I’m not sure why that is. Hitting the
bull’s-eye on a regular target is also
fun, but there is something about 3-D
animal targets that creates a challenge.
And maybe that is why a relatively new
organization, Scholastic 3-D Archery
(S3DA), is growing so fast.
S3DA is a nonprofit organization
that fosters, educates, and guides youth
in 3-D archery through afterschool
Youths everywhere are discovering the challenge and fun
of 3-D archery thanks to organizations like S3DA.
26 >BOWHUNTER APRIL/MAY 2016
Conservation Editor
DR. DAVE SAMUEL
programs at schools, archery clubs, and
dealers. It all started when Jennie Rich-
ardson from Kentucky, who instigated
the creation of the National Archery in
the Schools Program (NASP), realized
that kids wanted to shoot 3-D animal
targets with compound and recurve
bows. So three years ago, she, along with
others, began this program. In January
2013, there were clubs in two states. To-
day, there are clubs in at least 24 states (I
hesitate, because S3DA is growing so fast
that it’s hard to keep up with the count).
I believe that S3DA is on the verge of
changing archery forever, and I predict
it will increase archery participation
and new bowhunters in a way that we’ve
never seen before. It will keep kids in tar-
get archery longer, continue to increase
female participation in hunting (the fast-
est growing component of hunting to-
day), and be a huge boost in afterschool
participation in archery.
It’s no secret that hunter numbers
are on the decline. That’s not true in all
states, because in some, hunter numbers
are up. For example, from 2001-2011,
hunter numbers were up 69 percent in
Arizona, 32 percent in Connecticut, and
28 percent in Wisconsin. However, dur-
ing that same time period, hunter num-
bers were down 45 percent in Delaware,
30 percent in New Mexico, and 19 per-
cent in Michigan. When you look at the
big picture, with active hunters growing
old, and fewer young hunters entering
the sport, the picture is not rosy.
We’ve all known that recruiting our
youth into hunting is necessary. Hav-
ing said that, there were no national-
level programs out there that were really
bringing our youth into hunting. Enter
S3DA. Does shooting 3-D targets lead
youths into hunting? Maybe. One small
study was done of recent participating
students in S3DA archery clubs in In-
diana, and 83 percent purchased hunt-
ing licenses. Now, that’s a grabber. The
archery industry obviously sees this as
a plus, and is throwing support behind
S3DA. Other organizations are also
lending support.
Recently, the Pope & Young Club
became a major sponsor by creating the
S3DA/PY Clear Path Initiative. This ini-
tiative is designed to help students and
their family member’s transition from
introductory archery to a lifetime of
ethical, fair-chase bowhunting. P&Y as-
sisted S3DA in rewriting their training
manuals to help educate young archers
and their instructors about the impor-
tance of fair-chase ethics, conserva-
PHOTOS COURTESY OF JENNIE RICHARDSON
tion, and the rich heritage of modern
bowhunting. Participants in S3DA now
learn about the North American Model
of Wildlife Conservation and the role
bowhunters play in the conservation of
wild game animals. S3DA will now re-
cruit mentors and instructors from the
Pope & Young Club.
This partnership is great for kids, their

Girls and women shoot as well as boys
and men, so it’s no wonder we are see-
ing both genders on S3DA teams.
families, and bowhunting. No question,
I believe that S3DA will provide “a clear
path for kids” that will facilitate getting
them into the fun of archery, into the
woods, and into bowhunting. P&Y joins
Cabela’s Outdoor Fund, Bear Archery,
and others, as major sponsors of S3DA.
If a student participates in archery via
NASP, 4-H, or Boy Scouts, then S3DA is
a logical next step. Kids can shoot their
own bows, participate at grade school,
middle school, or high school levels, and
have fun shooting bows. As Jennie Rich-
ardson stated, “Once these kids progress
through the various introductory pro-
grams, they naturally want to expand
their knowledge of shooting styles and
equipment. The all-inclusive mindset
of S3DA opens the door to the world of
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archery for these kids. The enthusiasm
surrounding this program is incredible
to experience.”
S3DA clubs can be hosted by schools,
sporting goods stores, churches, archery
clubs, and more. There is instructor
training available that centers on safety
and the fun of shooting bows at 3-D
targets. If they so choose, and affiliate
with a public school, then club mem-
bers can compete not only as individu-
als but also as a team representing their
school. Clubs not affiliated with a school
can only compete as individuals. Public
schools align with S3DA because it pro-
vides afterschool activities.
One rapidly growing aspect of S3DA
is in colleges providing archery scholar-
ships. Even NAIA colleges and universi-
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ties are using varsity archery teams as a
way to help recruit students. And they can
create archery as a varsity sport because
there is no concern about Title 9 issues.
As we’ve all witnessed, girls and women
shoot as well as boys and men. Thus, we
find both boys and girls on S3DA teams.
At the S3DA National Tournament
last spring, colleges gave participants
$264,000 worth of scholarships. Think
about that. Shoot bows, have fun, and get
scholarships to attend colleges. And this
was just the second year for a national
tournament. Colleges are already lining
up to give more scholarships in 2016.
Another aspect of S3DA that has not
come to fruition yet is the initiation of
high-school archery as a varsity sport.
With the growing interest of colleges in
recruiting young archers to their teams,
it is hoped that this will spur high schools
to get S3DA going as a school sport.
For more information, or to get in-
volved with the S3DA, visit s3da.org
or e-mail them at S3DArchery@gmail.
com. S3DA needs state coordinators and
instructors to lead clubs in your area. E-
mail them to lend a hand. ❮❮❮
For further information on the issues discussed,
go to www.knowhunting.com
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WWW.BOWHUNTER.COM 27
FEATURES
DON’T ASSUME THIS NEW YORK REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER IS ALL CITY.
COUNTRY NOT ONLY RUNS THROUGH HIM, IT’S HIS CORE LIFESTYLE PASSION.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF DONALD TRUMP JR.

FIFTH AVENUE
32 >BOWHUNTER APRIL/MAY 2016
W
HEN I WAS OFFERED THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTERVIEW DONALD TRUMP JR., the firstborn son of billionaire-turned-presidential-
candidate Donald Trump Sr., I admit to being skeptical. I was told he was an accomplished bowhunter, but I still
wondered if he would turn out to be a “pretender,” a “city boy” with a limitless supply of money and attitude. Was he
the type who would climb a tree twice a year and call himself a bowhunter?
Well, read on and you will learn, as I did, that this young man is no pretender. I found the 38-year-old Trump Jr. to
be a very articulate business executive who has a far more intimate knowledge of the details of archery and bowhunting than
I expected. He understands the value of hunting, in a conservation sense, and the romance of bowhunting in particular. No,
his upbringing in a wealthy family with brother Eric, and sister Ivanka, was not typical by any stretch of the imagination. But
perhaps that makes his journey to the outdoors and bowhunting that much more remarkable.
BY CURT WELLS, EDITOR

QA SO, HOW DOES THE SON OF A WEALTHY NEW YORK REAL ESTATE DEVEL-
OPER FIND HIS WAY TO THE WOODS CARRYING A BOW AND ARROWS?
Well, my love for the outdoors came from my grand-
father, Milos Zelnicek, a blue-collar electrician who
lived in the Communist Czech Republic. He saw the lifestyle
we lived here and understood both the good of that life, and
the pitfalls, and he wanted to make sure we saw the other side
of life. As youngsters, my brother Eric and I spent six to eight
weeks every summer with him. He would say, “There’s the
woods; go have fun,” and my broth-
er and I immersed ourselves in
the outdoors. He taught us how
to shoot homemade stickbows,
and we were amazed how much
amusement we could get out of
those crude bows and arrows. I
just had a knack for it. Since then, most of my bowhunting
has been self-taught, so the learning curve was slow because
I made every mistake possible. The good thing about that is
those lessons are well-learned. By the time I went to college
in Philadelphia, I was driving back and forth on the week-
ends to go bowhunting, and I’ve been into bowhunting ever
since.
QA I KNOW YOU HUNT WITH FIREARMS, BUT WHAT WOULD YOUR BOWHUNT-
ING RESUME LOOK LIKE? DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE SPECIES TO HUNT?
Well, favorite is subjective, and what I love about hunt-
ing is it is seasonal. So about the time I’ve had enough
of sitting in a whitetail stand, I get a bit of a lull and then I go
right into turkey season. Then summer comes, and I’ve been
fortunate to have done quite a bit of bowhunting in Africa,
and I’ve taken 15 or 16 species there. Then fall comes and
I’m out west, where I’ve taken elk
and numerous mule deer. I’ve
also hunted sheep and caribou,
but mostly with a rifle. Of
course, whitetails are big for
me because they’re the most
accessible. I can roll out of
bed at my cabin and choose
from five treestands within
500 yards of the front door.

QA WHAT KIND OF ARCHERY TACKLE

AND GEAR DO YOU HUNT WITH?
Well, I shoot both tra-
ditional and compound
bows — mostly traditional around
home, and then a compound when I
hunt out west. Right now I’m shoot-
ing Mathews compounds, and I have
a number of recurves, including DAS
bows from 3Rivers Archery and a
couple of Black Widows. I’m a do-it-
yourself kind of guy. I cut and fletch
my own arrows, especially the tradi-
tional shafts. I think tuning is just as
critical on traditional gear, because
you have to tune the arrow more than

REDNECK
the bow. A 25-grain change in point
weight, especially with broadheads,
can make a huge difference, and I’m
always tweaking my arrows to get the
best flight. With a compound, I’m
tuning the bow more than the arrow.
I have a bow press, so I do all that stuff
myself. I shoot fixed-blade broadheads
FIFTH AVENUE REDNECK
with my traditional gear, and mechanicals out of my com-
pounds. Twenty years ago, when mechanicals first emerged, I
had problems shooting deer broadside and having the arrow
almost bounce off. The technology has improved, and now
I’m having great luck with Rage Hypodermics.
QA YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF ALL THINGS ARCHERY AND BOWHUNTING TELLS
ME YOU’RE A DETAIL-ORIENTED GUY. THAT IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT
IN THE CORPORATE WORLD. WHICH CAME FIRST?
Certainly it came from the outdoors, because I started so
early. In archery, if you want to be good, you have to pay
attention to details. I’m not satisfied with a six-inch group at
20 yards. If my fletchings are not all touching in a tight group,
I’m working to find out why. Archery has taught me so much
discipline, and a willingness to accept a challenge, and all that
translates into the business world.
QA IS YOUR BROTHER AS PASSIONATE ABOUT THE OUTDOORS AS YOU ARE?
Yes, he is. We work two offices down from each other,
and every weekend we’re doing some kind of shooting
together. He’s my number-one hunting buddy, and we don’t
do anything halfway.
QA YOU AND YOUR WIFE, VANESSA, HAVE FIVE CHILDREN. DOES SHE GET
OUT IN THE FIELD OR ON THE RANGE WITH YOU?
She will, but she is Mama Bear to the extreme, with
five kids under eight years old. She’s an incredible wife
and mother, but she is a freakishly talented shooter, especially
with a high-powered rifle. She has a PSE bow, and she shoots it
well, too. I will say the archery industry has done a better job
than any other industry in getting women into the game and
encouraging them to participate, whether it’s on the shooting
side or the hunting side. And that interest filters down to the
kids. My four-year-old knows a caribou from an elk, and a
trout from a bass. It’s amazing what they will absorb, and the
whole family benefits.
QA SOME HUNTERS SAY THEY JUST DON’T HAVE TIME TO BOWHUNT. HOW
DOES AN ULTRA-BUSY NEW YORK REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER FIND THE
TIME TO GRAB HIS BOW AND GO HUNTING?
Listen, it’s about prioritization. The outdoor lifestyle is
very important to me. We head for our country place
every Friday night. With mobile technology, I can work any-
where in the world, and I don’t think we’ve spent a weekend
in the city as a family since my daughter was born. I’m not
exaggerating when I say I am doing some form of shooting 48
weekends out of the year. I don’t get that much vacation time,
but I make sure I get in at least one major hunting trip every
year. And there are times when I’m working on a deal and I
decide I am done for the day. That deal can wait until I am out
of the tree and back on my computer. I make time for hunting
and fishing.
QA WHAT OTHER BENEFITS HAS HUNTING GIVEN YOU OVER THE YEARS?
Well, the anticipation of an upcoming adventure keeps
me sane, it helps me work harder when I am working,
and it also helps keep me in shape. I don’t work out because
I love working out. If I have a sheep hunt coming up, I work
hard to get in shape. Usually the guide will figure, yeah this
guy talks a good game, but he’s from the city, he’s Trump’s
kid, and he’ll never hold up. My goal is to show the guide I can
handle myself on the mountain. If he knows I’m up for it, he’ll
take me into places he may not take everyone else.
QA I IMAGINE IN YOUR BUSINESS LIFE YOU RUN INTO ANTIHUNTING TYPES.
HOW DO YOU HANDLE THEM?
I’m certainly not loved by a lot of those people
because I don’t apologize or renounce hunting and
fishing, and I don’t back down. That’s not my style. Of course,
they will never let the facts get in the way of their campaign
against hunting, but I hit them back by saying, “Here are the
benefits for conservation, and here are the facts about wildlife
and hunting.” I’m a big believer in the hunting and conserva-
tion mindset and the value that hunters bring, not only in this
country, but all over the world.
QA HOW IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR FATHER, AND WHAT DOES HE
THINK OF YOUR LOVE OF HUNTING?
He’s been very supportive, but he grew up in Queens,
New York. He’s an avid golfer who spent his life build-
ing a company. That was his focus. He takes pride in my
accomplishments, but it’s probably too late to introduce him
to hunting and fishing. That said, my brother and I are good
sounding boards for him. My father knows what he doesn’t
know, and he will defer to those who do know. You can bet
Eric and I will be in his ear when it comes to things we value.
And my father is a very vocal supporter of the 2nd Amend-
FIFTH AVENUE REDNECK
ment. Maybe it’s because he’s a New York guy, but he doesn’t
get the credit he deserves for that support.
QA DO YOU THINK YOUR FATHER IS SURPRISED BY HOW WELL HE HAS DONE
IN THE CAMPAIGN?
My father would never do anything that he didn’t think
he had a good shot at. He has done everything he want-
ed to do in his life and could sit back and play golf every day.
But that’s not his style. He’s a true American and a true patriot,
and he’s sick of the lies and nonsense in Washington and the
crony capitalism, which is why he’s funding his own campaign.
He doesn’t want to be bought. He wants to do what’s right for
the country — not what’s right for some lobby group.
QA SOME WOULD SAY THAT WITH YOUR “RESOURCES,” WOULDN’T IT
BE EASIER TO JUST SPEND ALL YOUR TIME HUNTING AND FISHING?
WHY WORK?
It’s not so simple. Part of what makes me the person I
am is we were not spoiled financially. We had to work.
We were not just given everything, and I know it’s hard to say
that in America today. People throw out the old “Silver Spoon”
thing, but that’s not the way we were raised by my father and
grandfather. We started work young, and my dad often made
sure we had to earn whatever we got. Being a trust-fund baby is
not my style. I graduated from the Wharton School of Finance
at the University of Pennsylvania, then moved to Colorado and
spent 18 months working as a bartender and fly fishing and
hunting all the time. I wanted to take a break before I started
my career in the business world. I’m just not programmed to
not be working.
Q YOU ONCE SAID, “HUNTING FORCES A PERSON TO ENDURE, TO MASTER
THEMSELVES, EVEN TO TRULY GET TO KNOW THE WILD ENVIRONMENT.
ACTUALLY, ALONG THE WAY, HUNTING AND FISHING MAKES YOU FALL IN
LOVE WITH THE NATURAL WORLD.” EVERY HUNTER CAN IDENTIFY WITH
THAT QUOTE. DO YOUR NONHUNTING ACQUAINTANCES “GET YOU?”
A I’m a pretty vocal proponent of the outdoors. I’ve intro-
duced dozens of New Yorkers to the outdoors who would
likely never be exposed to it. I’ve taken them shooting for a
weekend, or hunting upland birds, and every one, even the ones
who may have been squeamish about the idea at first, has said it
was one of the most fun weekends of their life. My friends here
in New York City call me the “Fifth Avenue Redneck.” They no
longer call me when they have something planned in the city on
the weekends, because they know I’m in the woods somewhere.
The outdoors has been good to me, and it kept me out of trouble.
I believe in the outdoor lifestyle and the benefits it brings to my
life, and I want to make sure it is still there for my children and
other people’s children in the future.
QA SO WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE BOWHUNTING
MOMENT?
I’ve been really lucky to do some cool stuff all over the
world, but I would have to say the first elk I got with
a bow. It was during my time in Colorado when I had two
friends who were U.S. Ski Team members. We spent 28 days
hunting elk on public land. It was a DIY hunt, and we were in
great shape and hunted hard. One of my buddies tagged his
elk on the 15th day, and the other on the 20th day. We packed
their bulls out on our backs, and had a great experience. On
the very last day, the day before I was to drive back to New
York to start my career, we were hiking up a very steep slope
toward a bugling bull. Suddenly, I saw a hoof step down
through the brush 10 yards in front of me. I couldn’t see the
bull, but I signaled to my buddy to start cow-calling. When
the bull started moving toward an opening I drew my bow,
and when the vitals cleared at seven yards, I took the shot.
Luckily the bull ran downhill, which made the pack out quite
a bit easier. But after 28 long days of grueling hiking and hard
hunting, that 4x4 raghorn is still the greatest animal I’ve been
able to take because of the intensity of the hunt and the effort
expended. The three of us defied the odds by all tagging out
on bow-killed elk. It was an unforgettable experience.
By now you know preconceived notions do not always
translate into reality. Yes, there are plenty of big-city businessmen
who are serious bowhunters, but prior to this interview Don-
ald Trump Jr. would not have appeared on my list. He and his
brother Eric are two great examples of the transcendent nature
of hunting with a bow and arrow. This passion we all love casts a
wide net across every walk of life from rich to poor, young to old,
city to country. The flight of the arrow is capable of capturing the
imagination of anyone given the opportunity to experience it.
We can all learn from the late Milos Zelnicek. If you share
the outdoors and archery with a youngster, or anyone for that
matter, the magic will happen on its own.
You just never know who will become one of us. ❮❮❮
S
lanted sunlight reached through the cedars in front of me, scattering both
light and shadows on my position. Not ideal, I thought, as I scraped a few
rocks away from the sandy soil to get more comfortable. The sun needed
another 45 minutes to inch closer to the horizon in order to leave me com-
pletely tucked in evening shadows, otherwise getting drawn on any birds would
be a tough proposition — especially since my natural blind was weak on cover.

Hesitantly, I yelped a few times with my mouth call, and Body Shots Please
then awaited a response. Another series of yelps, along with Knowing that we’d be hunting out of natural blinds for ca-
some added cutting, reached far enough through the Texas gey birds, we all decided that we’d spend the morning body-
landscape to land on a set of ears and a bird immediately shooting the turkeys with Rage heads, as opposed to trying
gobbled. We had a short conversation, and within maybe two to decapitate them. I was situated in my blind well before first
minutes the low drum of a strutting gobbler permeated the air light, and even though I’ve hunted Rios a few times, I was still
around me. In all of his glory, he two-stepped his way into my shocked at their willingness to gobble. Having cut my teeth
decoys and chest-bumped my jake. on Easterns, it’s always a special treat to listen to Rios or Mer-
I knew I’d get busted but I didn’t have a choice, so I drew. He riam’s sounding off like they haven’t got a care in the world.
came out of strut like a popped balloon and started to walk away, When it was light enough to shoot, I started calling with a
keeping a wary eye on me. I centered my
pin on his skull and released, only to
watch my arrow zip past his head and
shatter on the Texas rocks beyond him.
A miscommunication somewhere
along the lines had resulted in myself
and bowhunting insiders Jace Bauser-
man, Bob Robb, Brian Strickland, Mike
Nischalke, and Mark Land sitting in
natural blinds instead of pop-ups for
the wary South Texas turkeys. The sea-
son was just about to close, and the
birds at Rio Bonito Ranch, while vocal,
were not suicidal. Our goal was to lop a
few gobbler heads off with Muzzy’s new
M.O.R.E. broadheads.
The problem was getting the birds to
sit still long enough to allow for a good

Blind-Less
head shot. Since we were in Texas, there
was also the chance of a hog showing
up, and for porkers we all packed Rage’s
new Kore broadheads. When we showed
up, we realized pretty quickly that we
wouldn’t have blinds until the following
day, which meant we were somewhat up
to our own devices to set up as efficiently as possible.
My devices, it turned out, hadn’t created a very good natu-
ral blind. So after that missed bird ran off into the mesquite, I
tucked myself deeper into the cover. An hour later, an absolute
stud of a Rio snuck in with a hen, but he stayed at 25 yards,
which was about 15 yards farther than I wanted to risk for a
head shot, so I held off. Several birds gobbled on their way to
the roost, and as the cedars became fully bathed in darkness, I
heard my guide’s Suburban rattling along the two-track.
When Dan stopped to pick me up, I borrowed a pair of brush
clippers from him and constructed a serious natural blind for
the morning. When finished, I had an igloo-shaped, cedar-
bough blind with one hole to shoot through. No one anchored a
bird that first evening, but there were plenty of close calls.
AUTHOR’S PHOTO
few different mouth calls and a couple of slate calls. I wanted
to make it sound like the nearby longbeards were missing out
on something pretty special. It was during one of my calling
sessions that I caught movement coming into my decoys. A
pale-headed hen purred her way toward my hen-jake combo,
and for a few minutes she mingled with my faux birds. With a
little encouragement I got her to yelp along with me, and sev-
eral gobblers shouted their approval.
When she fed off, I spotted more movement and realized
that two full-strutters were standing at 40 yards. One of the
jakes couldn’t strut hard enough, while the other was much
more cautious. A few purrs of my own and they committed.
It was clear they weren’t looking for a fair fight, as they each
took one side of my jake decoy and bumped him. When I hit

38 >BOWHUNTER APRIL/MAY 2016

 EXPECTING PUSHOVER
BIRDS CAN BE A BIG
MISTAKE AS THE HUNTING
SEASON WINDS DOWN.
BY TONY J. PETERSON, EQUIPMENT EDITOR

RIOS JOHN ERIKSSON/IMAGES ON THE WILDSIDE

Blind-Less Rios
full draw, the non-strutting cagey bird
caught me and started to turn away. His
eager buddy had missed my movement,
so I switched targets to aim at him.
My pin settled three inches above the
top of his drumstick, and I watched my
arrow zip through him, leaving a trail
of feathers in its wake. Both jakes took
off running, and at 40 yards the sand
drained fully from my jake’s hourglass
as he tipped beak first into the earth.
His buddy didn’t know what to think,
but in typical turkey fashion he spotted
an opportunity to beat up on his recent-
ly departed friend — a job that he took to
in impressive fashion. For a half-hour I
watched the jake lift my bird’s head and
then drop it. He’d also climb on top of
the dead bird and peck away at his head.
Since we could shoot two birds, I
thought it might be a good opportu-
nity to double-up on jakes, which is not
something I’ve ever shied away from.
Turkeys are turkeys to me, and even
though I’ve killed quite a few of them,
there has never been, nor will there While we were supposed to try to lop a few
probably ever be, a safe jake around me. turkey heads off with Muzzy’s new M.O.R.E.
The problem was that he was at 40 yards broadhead, we ended up working just as
hard to simply arrow a bird through the
and moving in and out of the brush. body. I got lucky enough to get a chance
With nothing to lose, I started calling to body-shoot this jake as he strutted
like it was my last chance to ever turkey next to my decoy.
hunt, and eventually the jake broke off
of his dead partner and strutted closer. High-Fence Suckers
Somewhere inside his brain he knew No one else had scored on a bird that
something wasn’t quite right, and when morning, and at lunch Dan told us that
I drew, the bird began to realize that he we could fish the private lake on the
might be better off vacating the scene. ranch if we wanted to. Jace and I had
He started to walk off, and a few feathers both packed travel rods to target the
from his back were my consolation prize. lake’s largemouth, and we eagerly took
I scrambled out to grab my bird and Dan up on his offer. The lake was a shell
see if I could make the most of the rest of its former self, drawn down from seri-
of my morning. After an hour of dead ous drought. We climbed the dam to
quiet, a gobble snapped me to attention. look over the deepest part of the lake and
And in a total repeat of the previous decide how to fish it.
evening, I called in a beautiful tom that We caught a few smaller largemouth,
drummed his way in. He was on a beeline and we were discussing hiking back to
for my decoys, and I was tensing up to the lodge for our evening sit when we
draw when I heard something in the rocks noticed about two-dozen suckers fin-
to my right. A pig head poked out of the ning away below the dam. The pool they
cedars, and a dilemma landed squarely in were in was gin-clear, and it appeared to
my lap. I already had a turkey down, and have the suckers trapped.
there is something about hogs that makes I’ve already mentioned that Muzzy’s
me just want to shoot as many of them as Mark Land was part of our hunt, and if
I can. I was vacillating between bird and there is a more devoted bowfisherman
swine, when the pig got downwind of my than Mark, I’ve yet to meet him. We told
decoy and caught a whiff of scent he didn’t Mark about the suckers, and the next day
like. He swapped ends, and the Rio did the we snuck up to the pool. Both Brian and
AUTHOR’S PHOTO

same. In a matter of a couple of seconds I Jace, being from Colorado where they
went from choosing between which ani- apparently don’t bowfish much, wanted
mal I wanted to shoot more, to staring at to give it a shot, because neither of them
an empty scene in front of me. had ever done it before.
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I grabbed my camera and climbed
to the top of the dam to take a few pho-
tos and watch the action unfold from a
bird’s-eye view. Mark followed me up
there, and in his casual Southern drawl
said, “Those boys might want to be care-
ful in that water, because there is a water
moccasin down there.” Sure enough, a
four-footer had climbed up onto one of
the dam pilings to bask in the sun. We
dropped a few stones in his direction to
urge him to slither to places less inhab-
ited by us, and eventually the shooting
started.
Now, I know it’s easy to be an arm-
chair quarterback, but if I’ve ever seen a
poorer example of fish-shooting, I can’t
remember it. And I’ve introduced a lot
of newbies to bowfishing. Arrow after
arrow sliced through the water and scat-
tered the panicked suckers. Mike and
Jace ended up skewering one apiece, un-
til the rough fish eventually had enough
and huddled up under the dam where we
couldn’t reach them. We joked that the
stranded suckers were “high-fence fish”
Muzzy’s Mark Land made good on a buzz-
because they couldn’t leave, but the body er-beater shot at this Texas longbeard.
count would lend most folks to believe The bird rounded out Mark’s traditional
they were as free-ranging as they come. bow Grand Slam — no easy feat.
Tough Going as they started to walk away, I aimed at
As a group, we stacked up the close the first pig. As I was about to trigger my
calls on both turkeys and hogs, but we release, he passed into some brush, forc-
were in rough shape by the last morning. ing me to switch targets once again. This
Jace and I had hunted around a bowl that time it didn’t work as well, and I buried
seemed to draw in hens at roosting time, my arrow into the dirt beneath his belly.
and that meant the toms were always Pure panic and nothing more caused me
coming and going. We decided to set up to miss what could have been a great way
blinds on each end of the bowl and give to finish the hunt.
it a shot for our last few hours. After packing up our gear, we found
At first light, with the wind whip- out that at least one of the members of
ping and the gunmetal gray sky showing our group could shoot — Mark Land
only glimmers of sun poking through, had recurve-bagged a beautiful Rio that
we started calling back and forth to one morning. The South Texas trophy was
another. Several hens answered our call- not only a great standalone animal to
ing, and soon enough they pitched down bag but also rounded out Mark’s tradi-
into the grass. I counted seven light- tional archery Grand Slam.
blue-colored heads bobbing through the It wasn’t lights-out, easy hunting like
grass. Toms gobbled in the distance, but I expect in Texas, but it sure was fun.
as the time ticked away, we realized our Going blind-less for gobblers is a seri-
chances of a buzzer-beater were fading. ous bowhunting challenge anywhere,
With only an hour left, a group of and while we certainly didn’t set any ac-
six hens walked by both of our blinds. curacy records, we did enjoy our time in
No toms, no jakes, no legal birds in tow. the cedars. ❮❮❮
We were down to our last few minutes
when I spotted a black animal sneaking AUTHOR’S NOTE: For this hunt I used
through the brush. Two big hogs showed, a Bear Archery Arena 30 bow, Trophy
AUTHOR’S PHOTO

and I popped my head-lopper-fitted ar-
row off and nocked a Rage-tipped arrow.
At 35 yards, the two porkers tested the
air and turned nervously. I drew, and
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 ❱❱❱ Editor’s Note: In our last issue, Randy Ulmer addressed the subject of Target Panic, a malady that affects
many bowhunters. In our effort to help those afflicted, we present another perspective from Joel Turner.

“I’VE GOT TARGET PANIC.”

Those words are uttered by a vast majority of archers at some point in their shooting journey. Many
talk about it as if it is a disease. Others refuse to talk about it for fear that merely speaking the words
will cause the affliction. There may be some truth to that, but more on that later.
Throughout the years, there have been many solutions devised to combat this problem. An entire
industry has been built because of target panic in the form of trigger-less release aids, clickers, and
coaching. But what is the core problem that every archer faces? Why is it that every human, with an
extreme few exceptions, deals with shot anticipation in one form or another? Is it the fear of missing?
Is it the adrenaline surging through your body when faced with shooting at an animal? Is it a lack of
concentration? Target panic has been said to be all of those things, but there is a deeper core problem
that we are all born with.

As shooters, we are all dealing with target panic,
and to truly control this beast, we must first under-
stand the core problem of shooting — the mind will
not allow the body to cause an explosion as a sur-
prise without having a response to that explosion.
If given the chance, your mind will always brace
the body for impact, or an explosion, especially if
it has a way of predicting or controlling when that
explosion will occur. When we think of impact or
explosions, we instantly think of the recoil and ex-
plosion of a firearm. A bow firing is an explosion as
well, just on a smaller scale. Also, shot anticipation
is greater with a bow because the body is in tension,
and this tension is the only thing stopping the ex-
plosion from happening.
I say we are born with target panic because we
are born with a natural self-preservation response
to loud noises and impact from falling. When a
loud noise is presented to an infant, we see a star-
tle response where the hands go up, the head goes
down, and the eyes close. All of this happens invol-
untarily. Further, when someone falls, they invol-
untarily catch themselves to brace for the impact. It
is because of this self-preservation response that we
are all dealing with target panic and shot anticipa-
tion. If your mind knows an explosion or impact is
imminent, it will form a response to brace for that
phenomenon. This response is readily seen in fire-
arms when an untrained shooter thinks the safety
has been deactivated when it has not, and they jerk
the trigger but the gun does not fire. When this
happens, we see the response of the body with the
tensing of muscles and the closing of the eyes. In ar-
chery, this response is more difficult to see because
the bow has no safety, and it always fires when we
activate the trigger or release our fingers. In fire-
arms, it is commonly referred to as “flinching.” In
archery, we call it “target panic.” Whatever you call
it, this phenomenon lives within all of us and is di-
rectly linked to the core problem of shooting.
The core problem is dealt with by the mind in
three main forms. We see them as the three most
common forms of target panic. Either the mind
locks the sight off the target, it does not allow the
archer to get to full draw if the arrow is already
aimed, or the archer punches the trigger of a me-
chanical release. The mind knows that aiming at
the spot or getting to full draw with a traditional
bow is linked to the explosion of the bow firing.
We have all been there. We bring our sight up from
the bottom or down from the top, and just before
we get to the spot the sight locks up and it’s like the
bow is in a vise. Any movement towards the target’s
center causes the trigger to be punched, or the hand

TARGET
THE CORE PROBLEM OF

TARGET
44 >BOWHUNTER APRIL/MAY 2016

RECOGNIZING THE ROOT CAUSE OF TARGET
PANIC IS THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS
GETTING IT UNDER CONTROL.
By Joel Turner
TPANIC!
PANIC!
to relax, and the arrow is gone. The mind is simply
readying the body for the moment of impact/explo-
sion. The mind wants to control exactly when the ex-
plosion will happen, so it can precisely brace the body
for the impact.
With traditional bows, we often see archers lock
up on the draw and stop their drawing hand inches
in front of their face. Their draw weight now feels like
a thousand pounds. When the mind is ready for the
explosion, the archer jerks the string back towards his
or her face in a rapid motion and releases the string
at the same time. The mind just successfully got the
archer through another explosion.
Some archers even keep their finger behind the
trigger, because it is the only way they can get their
pin on the target without punching the trigger. Once
the pin is on the target, we see the trigger finger
slowly creep up above the trigger like a rattlesnake
ready to strike. Because the trigger is linked to the
explosion, the mind keeps the finger away from the
trigger. When it is ready for the explosion, the mind
sends the recoil-bracing motor program along with
the trigger-punching motor program and the arrow
is away. However, because the motor programs are
now linked, the recoil bracing happens just before the
trigger is activated and all of the muscle contractions
affect the point of impact.
Unfortunately, we practice this braced shot over
and over and expect to get better at shooting. Our
mind loves us for it because we are not surprising it
with explosions all the time. The mind has developed
a response to lessen the effects of the explosion on the
body. Know that you, as a shooter, will always be bat-
tling this hardwired response. However, if we under-
stand this core problem, we can start to practice the
right things to override this system.
DECIDE TO SUCCEED
Before an archer can gain control of their shot,
they need to know what decisions need to be made
within a shot, when to make those decisions, and
how to carry out those decisions once they have been
made. So, what decisions need to be made within a
shot? You need to stop expecting things to work for
you, especially under stress. I see people all the time
AUTHOR PHOTO
WWW.BOWHUNTER.COM 45
THE CORE PROBLEM OF TARGET PANIC!
buy a new bow, or a new release, or take instruction, and they
expect the new shiny toy to be their cure for target panic. There
is no system out there that will work for you. You have to work
for it. Embracing this new mindset is where you begin. Once
you have taken this first leap, the next decision that must be
made is that you will not shoot an arrow unless your shot plan
is going perfectly.
Most archers have no way of knowing whether the shot is
going perfectly or not, because there is no movement in their
shot that they can evaluate. They move their trigger finger
quickly, using an automatic movement that is too fast for them
to evaluate and catch feedback within the movement. Again,
that automatic movement has been linked to recoil bracing. It
has been linked to jerking the sight to the target and punching
the trigger all at the same time. The same can be said for tra-
ditional bows when the string is jerked back towards the face,
or the bow jumps to the proper sight picture and the string is
released simultaneously.
To take a movement that has been made automatic through
repetition and slow it down to the point that it can be evaluat-
ed, modified, or stopped anywhere within the movement will
always require a decision. The shooter has to decide to work
through the trigger perfectly, with a movement slow enough
to catch feedback within the movement. If this movement is
allowed to be automatic, it will be linked to recoil bracing. The
shooter must decide to send the motor program to the back
muscles instead of to the trigger finger, thumb, or fingers. Di-
recting motor programs requires intense concentration.
THE HOW OF CONCENTRATION
The end goal of all this is to concentrate on the movement
of the back muscles, and keep that movement going at a rate
that you can stop or modify anywhere within the movement.
In order to be a better shooter, you need to learn how to
concentrate on the motions that make up the perfect shot
sequence.
46 >BOWHUNTER APRIL/MAY 2016
The shooter must keep that movement going until the trigger
breaks, or the psychological trigger (like a clicker on a tradi-
tional bow) activates. When concentration is placed on this
movement and nothing else, the shot comes as a true surprise,
and there is no input from the shooter while the arrow is still
in the bow. The shooter is now only catching the recoil of the
bow after the arrow is gone.
To truly concentrate on a movement that causes an explo-
sion is extremely difficult, especially if you do not know how to
concentrate. What is a shot sequence made of? What is a gro-
cery list made of? Many of you are thinking that these things
are made up of items, ideas, or thoughts, but let’s go one level
deeper. These things, like any list, are made up of words that can
be used for attentional cues. What you say is what you think.
Knowing that, you must use “self-talk” to direct concentration
into the movement that activates the shot. If the movement of
the back muscles that we desire is pulling, then we need to use
that motor-program word in our self-talk or mantra. The way
the mantra is said is the way the movement will go. I prefer to use
the words, “Keep pulling, keep pulling…” until the shot comes
as a surprise. The mantra must be rhythmic and smooth if the
movement is to follow the speech pattern. When these words are
spoken during the activation portion of the shot, then the con-
centration is on that movement and it can be evaluated, modi-
fied, or stopped anywhere within the movement.
The intense concentration and involvement in the pro-
cess of the shot-activation movement will never be automatic.
Shooters never just find themselves moving their back muscles
perfectly and executing the surprise release.
Some professional archers claim they only think about
aiming, and they just let the shot happen subconsciously or
automatically. However, if those archers really analyze their
shot, they would realize there is a point at which they make
a decision to follow their shot sequence. They are constantly
evaluating their shot within the shot process, and they have
the ability to stop a bad shot before it happens.
So to get around target panic, the archer must decide to
succeed. They must break the shot into two very separate jobs.
Job number one is: Draw back and aim. Get it done. Watch
it to keep it.
Job number two is: Put the concentration into the move-
ment that activates the shot. That is done through the use of
words and the decision to use them. If any portion of the shot
is not going as planned, recognize the error and let down your
draw. With every perfect shot, realize how you did it, mentally.
What were you thinking about during the movement? Were
you saying your mantra? Could you have stopped the shot-
activation movement?
As archers, we don’t need to get better at shooting. We need
to get better at recognizing our thoughts during a shot. Re-
fuse to shoot an arrow that is not going perfectly, and have the
ability to recognize errors in the process. Instead of going to
the range and practicing your shooting to get better at shoot-
ing, go to the range and use the unnatural act of shooting to
practice your concentration. Good shooting comes from good
concentration, and if used properly, the reverse is true as well.
By not deciding to concentrate, you are deciding to be the vic-
tim of target panic. ❮❮❮
AUTHOR’S PHOTO
The author is the Founder of Ironmind Hunting and Controlled
Process Shooting. Visit his website, ironmindhunting.com, where
you can register for courses in Target Panic and Shot Control. He
is also a two-time RMEF World Elk Calling Champion.
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BEAR
®

FORECAST 2016
BEAR NUMBERS ARE IN GOOD SHAPE ACROSS NORTH
AMERICA, AND THAT’S GOOD NEWS FOR BOWHUNTERS.

S TABILITY AND CONSISTENCY can sometimes sound boring, but “Bears are attracted to what I call novel visual stimulus (some-
not when you’re talking about bear hunting in North thing visually different in the landscape). Some people have hung
America. Especially when it has been doing as well as it has the CDs from a string. I’ve placed a three-foot-tall piece of blue PVC
past few seasons. After three years of conducting surveys with pipe upright next to a good feeding area, such as a chokecherry
wildlife agencies across the United States and Canada, I’ve patch. The blue color seems to stand out to bears (as an attrac-
had the chance to not just collect the numbers and compare tant), and having a measurement item has helped me gauge the
data, but also to analyze the big picture and identify trends. size of a bear.”
And based on this research, this season of bear hunting looks I’m also happy to report a continuing effort for wildlife de-
to be as good, if not better, than last year. partments to expand black bear hunting opportunities. New
Generally, harvest numbers (total bears killed) were very Mexico now has a spring bear hunt, but it is a very limited
stable, with a few noticeable increases in Colorado and Maine. draw for only 20 tags in the Valle Vidal area (Game Manage-
Minnesota’s numbers also improved considerably. But harvest ment Unit 55, which is adjacent to the legendary Vermejo Park
numbers can be looked at as more than just the total number Ranch). Ontario is also looking at extending spring hunting op-
of bears killed from one year to the next. When compared to portunities, and updates to their regulations are happening as
the total estimated number of bears in a state or province, it this article goes to print.
can show a relative density, which is helpful. As an example, The number of states and provinces offering quality hunt-
when I booked my first and only Canadian bear hunt, I chose ing opportunities is staggering. Of 32 states and 11 provinces
an area that had a high density of bears and a high success rate reporting, 33 rated their black bear hunting opportunities as
because I wanted to see a lot of them, and have the best odds “Very Good” or “Excellent” — that’s about 77 percent. The
at a successful hunt. But due to the density (and thus more data table will help point you in the right direction for plan-
competition for resources), the average bear was significantly ning purposes, but be sure to continue your research by con-
smaller than in other provinces. This can be a major factor tacting the state or province’s wildlife department. ❮❮❮
when contemplating what you want to get out of a
trip that you’ve spent years saving up for. By John Solomon
Also, look at total harvest compared to hunter
success rates. This can also be misleading if you
don’t know the total number of available tags. For
instance, one state might have unlimited over-
the-counter tags, and even a substantial harvest
can work out to a small percentage overall. Or, a
state might enforce a harvest quota regardless of
the number of tags sold, meaning there could be
hundreds of hunters going after a few bears in a
given region. Unless a good harvest reporting
system is enforced, it is difficult to get an accurate
picture of hunter success.
Regardless of the statistics, bear numbers look
healthy overall for the upcoming season, and only
one state showed declining numbers — ironically,
Colorado — but that is part of their wildlife man-
agement plan. According to Colorado Wildlife
Manager Jerry Apker, Colorado has substantially
increased bear license availability to help trim
bear populations across the state. As Apker ex-
plained, “There are many licenses that have been
left over after the draw, and many more remain
available in units around Glenwood Springs,
Rifle, Collbran, Meeker, Montrose, and Grand
Junction.”
If you hunt in Colorado, or anywhere in the
Western United States, Apker offered some good
advice for novice and experienced hunters alike.
“Spot-and-stalk hunting depends a lot on finding
good berry, chokecherry, or acorn foraging areas
near drainages that bears use for travel routes.” He
also shared one of his own archery hunting tips. PHOTO: DONALDMJONES.COM
48 >BOWHUNTER APRIL/MAY 2016
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 Estimated
Bear Previous Percent
State/Province Forecast Population Harvest Success Spring Season Fall Season
Alaska (grizzly) Good 30,000 1,900 (2012) Unknown Vary widely by mgt. unit Vary widely by mgt. unit

Alaska (black) Excellent 100,000 3,250 (2012) Unknown Vary widely by mgt. unit Vary widely by mgt. unit

Arizona Very Good 1,500–2,000 243 5% 3/20–7/31 (bow only) 8/21–10/1 (bow only)
Arkansas Very Good 5,000 Approx. 365 Unknown None 9/26–11/29*
California Good 34,000 1,078 5% None 8/15–9/6 (bow only)
Colorado Excellent 17,000 1,400 7%* None 9/2–9/30
Georgia Excellent 800* 129 Unknown None See Remarks**
Idaho Good 20–25,000 2,500 (2012) Unknown Vary widely by mgt. unit Vary widely by mgt. unit
Kentucky Very Good 500 11 (2012) 1% None See Remarks
Maine Excellent 35,000 3,238 32% None on public land 8/29–10/31
Maryland Excellent 1,000+ 69 7% None 10/26–10/29
Massachusetts Very Good 4,000–4,500 147 (2012) 2% None 9/8–9/26; 11/2–11/21
Michigan Very Good 11,000 1,360 20% None Varies by region*
Minnesota Good 15,000 1,965 28% None 9/1 –10/16
Montana Good 13,000 1,405 20% for NR 4/15–6/15* 9/3–9/14 (bow only)**
New Hampshire Excellent 5,545 786 7% None 9/1–11/24; Varies by area
New Jersey Excellent 2,200+ 253 4% None 12/7–12/12
New Mexico Very Good 7,989 475 11% See Remarks* 9/1–9/24 (bow only); Any
weapon 8/16–31; 9/25–11/15
New York Very Good 5–7,000 1,258 (2012) Unknown None Not Reported
Nevada Very Good 400–700 17 30% None 9/15–12/31
North Carolina Excellent 17–20,000 2,991 Unknown None Varies east/west sides of state
Oklahoma Good Unknown 28 (2012) 15% None 10/1–10/19*
Oregon Good 25–30,000 1,641 8% 4/1–5/31 8/1–11/30 (east) or 12/31 (west)
Pennsylvania Very Good 18,000 3,368 2% None 9/17–11/21*
South Carolina Good 700–900 63 Unknown None 10/17–10/30
Tennessee Very Good 5–6,000 342 Unknown None See Remarks
Utah Excellent Unknown 234 42% Depends on unit* Unknown

Vermont Excellent 6,000 556 Unknown None 9/1–11/13; 11/14–11/22

Virginia Excellent 17,000 2,144 11% None 10/4–11/14 (bow, statewide)
Washington Very Good 25–30,000 1,633 (2012) 18% Sp 7% Fall April-May August-November
West Virginia Excellent 12–14,000 2,581 10% None 10/1–11/19, 12/5–12/31*
Wisconsin Excellent 22,000 4,279 54% None 9/9–10/13*
Wyoming Very Good Unknown 399 12% 4/15–4/30 (bow only) 8/15–8/31 (bow only)
Canada
Alberta (black) Very Good 40,000 3,033 (2013) 93%* April-June; varies by unit Sept-Nov; varies by unit
British Col. (grizzly) Very Good 13–15,000 181 Unknown April-June; varies by region Aug-Nov; varies by region
British Col. (black) Excellent 120–160,000 2,814 Unknown April-June Aug-Nov; varies by region
Manitoba Good 31,000 1,786 (2013) See Remarks April-June August-October
New Brunswick Excellent 17,500 1,710 (2012) 68% NR/15% R April-June September (bow only)
Newfoundland/Labrador Very Good 6–10,000 Not Reported Not Reported May-June September-November
NW Territories (grizzly) Good 3,500 Not Reported Unknown April-May July-October
NW Territories (black) Good 10,000 Not Reported Unknown Not Reported Not Reported
Novia Scotia Excellent 8–10,000 885 (2012) 15% None September-December
Ontario Excellent 85–105,000 5,006* See Remarks See Remarks 8/15–10/31 (north);
9/1–11/30 (central)

Quebec Very Good 70,000 5,040 (2012) 30% May-June Not Reported
Saskatchewan Very Good Unknown, high Surveys to be Unknown 4/15–6/30; 8/25–10/14;
conducted soon (5/31 in some areas) (9/10 in some areas)
Yukon (grizzly) Good 6,500 70 (2012)* Unknown April-June August-November

Yukon (black) Good 10,000 74 (2012)* Unknown April-June August-November

BEAR FORECAST 2016

50 >BOWHUNTER APRIL/MAY 2016
Bear Online Online
Population Baiting Hounds License License
Trend Legal? Legal? Purchase? Application? Remarks
Stable Yes* No Yes Yes Varies by region. Go to www.wildlife.alaska.gov., then to “regulations,” then to
“hunting regulations.” *Only in an Active Predator Control Area by permit.
Stable Yes* Yes** Yes*** Yes *Only in an Active Predator Control Area by permit.
**Only by special permit. ***Go to www.admin.adfg.state.ak.us/license.
Stable No Yes Yes Yes Some hunts offered as limited draw.
Stable Yes No Yes No *Bow only in Zones 1 and 2
Increasing No No Yes Yes No Report
Decreasing No No Yes Yes *Average statewide archery **Archery season overlaps with rifle season.
Increasing No Yes* Yes NA *Southern Zone only**9/29–10/1, 10/6–10/8, 10/13–10/15
Stable Yes* Yes Yes Yes *With permit
Increasing No No Yes No Very limited season. Check www.fw.ky.gov in March for season dates and regulations.
Increasing Yes* Yes** Yes Yes *8/29–9/24 baiting is legal; 9/12–10/31 hounds are legal; 9/1–10/31 trapping is legal.
Increasing No No No Yes Permits awarded via lottery, $15 fee to apply,
Increasing No No Yes No No Report
Increasing Yes Yes Yes Yes *September 10 earliest start. Go to www.michigan.gov/dnr for more information.
Increasing Yes No Yes Yes No Report
Stable No No Yes Yes *Some units close May 31. Region 1 (NW) had the highest harvest rate at 42%. **Check regs.
Stable Yes Yes Yes Yes Archery bear season overlaps with archery deer season for 21⁄2 months.
Increasing Yes No Yes Yes No Report
Stable No Yes** Yes Yes *Limited spring draw opportunity in the Valle Vidal area 4/15–5/20 (20 permits)
**Hounds are not legal during archery-only season.
Increasing No No Yes Yes No Report
Increasing No Yes Yes Yes No Report
Increasing Yes Yes Yes No Information on seasons and baiting regulations at www.ncwildlife.org.
Stable Yes** No Yes Yes *Bow only **Baiting on private land only.
Stable No No Yes Yes No Report
Stable No No Yes Yes *Bow only some WMUs; Statewide archery 11/14–11/18.
Stable No Yes Yes Yes No Report
Increasing No Yes Yes No Bow-only season starts last Saturday in September and continues for a month.
Increasing Yes** Yes Yes Yes *Opening & closing dates vary by area. See www.wildlife.utah.gov.com and
go to guide book. **Only bowhunters
Stable No Yes Yes Yes No Report
Increasing No Yes Yes Yes* *Lifetime or disabled veterans
Stable No No Yes No No Report
Varies No Yes Yes No *Bow only. Concurrent buck/bear firearms season w/o dogs 11/21–12/3, depends on county
Stable Yes Yes* Yes No *Varies by region, check the state regulations.
Stable Yes No Yes Yes For season dates, go to www.wgfd.wyo.gov.

Stable Yes No Yes No *Guided nonresidents

Stable No Yes No No No Report
Stable No Yes No No Bow-only seasons, Regions 1, 2, & 4 are generally late August/early September.
Stable* Yes No No No Nonresident success rate is approximately 75%. *Increasing, varies by region
Increasing Yes No No Yes No Report
Stable Yes No Yes* Yes* *Licenses and applications online for residents. Nonresidents must contact a guide.
Stable No No No No No Report
Stable No No No No No Report
Stable Yes No No No No Report
Stable Yes Yes Yes No *2,446 harvested by NR
(54% success); Tentative Spring
season 5/1–6/15, Check regs
Stable Yes No No No No Report
Increasing Yes No Yes NA NR require the service
of a licensed outfitter.
Stable No No No No *Approximately 25%
taken by residents.
Stable No No No No *Most taken by residents.

PHOTO: DONALDMJONES.COM
BY STACE ACUP

TIME FOR A
Old habits die hard,
but sometimes change can
become the catalyst for success.

FRESH
CHANGE
I avoided hunting my stands
until the timing was optimal.
The reult was this eight-
pointer, which measured just
over 126 P&Y-style points.

F
OR YEARS, I had always prepared for bow season
with the same overall approach: Put up deer stands in
July and August, get my bow in order, and then hunt
every weekend from opening day until I either filled
all of my tags or the season ran out in mid-January. And
while I had some success filling my freezer along the way,
I approached my season. First, I had to have shoulder sur-
gery in 2012, and I ended up with a long rehab and recovery
period. It was assumed that 30 years of heavy shooting had
complicated, if not caused, the problem with my shoulder.
The surgery was a success, and despite being done with re-
hab, it still weighed on my mind as I focused on the 2013
AUTHOR’S PHOTO

harvesting a true Pope & Young-class buck with a bow had bow season. I began to wonder if it was time to cut back a
always eluded me. little bit.
Then two things took place that would change the way The second thing that happened around that time was

52 >BOWHUNTER APRIL/MAY 2016

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Time For A Fresh Change
For the second
something I heard from a well-known deer hunter. He was ad- consecutive
season, November
vocating that except for the occasional cold front in October, 10 proved to be
to wait until the end of October when the rut kicks in to begin golden as I was
able to kill this
hunting in earnest. Looking at my own track record in late nine-pointer that
September and October, I had killed some does but very few grossed 134 P&Y-
bucks during that time, and none were high-quality bucks. style points.
With Bill’s advice echoing in my head, I wondered if I was
burning out my stands long before they had the potential to
be productive for older bucks. Would hunting fresher stands
during the rut produce better results?
With this newfound inspiration, I held off going to the
woods for almost the entire month of October in 2013. My
first couple sits in late October and early November were some
of the best hunts I’ve ever experienced. Deer movement was
plentiful, and I was seeing more bucks than does — something
that had never been the case in 15 years of hunting this same
farm. I am convinced that at least part of the reason for the in-
crease in deer sightings was due to the fact that I was hunting
my stands for the first time, right when the bucks were starting
to move more frequently because of the pre-rut.
It was November 9, and I had only hunted three times all
season. That day would be my first sit in a stand I refer to as the
“Buck Rub Alley” stand. The wind was right, and it was a cool,
almost calm morning.
I rattled every 30 minutes or so, with grunts and an occa-
sional snort-wheeze thrown into the mix. At 9 a.m., I spotted a
large eight-pointer I had named “Hitchhiker.” I had been after
this now 140-class buck for two years. He was on the move,
and was too far for a shot. I grunted at him, but to no avail.

When the buck was far enough away that I could risk mov-
ing without being spotted, I grabbed my rattle bag and rattled
hard. The results were immediate as he quickly turned, pinned
his ears back, and came at me on a string. I should have Hitch-
hiker on my wall today, but my shot was off the mark and he
lived to see another day. Despite this disappointment, I was
still encouraged that my decision to keep my stands fresh until
the rut appeared to be paying off.
The next day, November 10, I was in a different stand just
a couple hundred yards from where I had missed Hitchhiker.
Around 8 a.m., I spotted a buck about 100 yards away crossing
a drainage ditch and walking away from me.
At first I thought it was Hitchhiker, and I got excited at
the thought of an opportunity for redemption. I grunted at
him, but despite looking my way, the buck had no interest. I
grabbed my rattling bag, and in what seemed like a repeat of
the day before, I cracked the bag and the buck immediately
turned and started my way.
As he got closer, I realized that it wasn’t Hitchhiker. But it
was a good mature buck, so I prepared myself for a possible
shot. He got to within 20 yards and then stopped and stood
facing me head-on, looking for the fight he had heard. Fortu-
nately, the brush was thick enough around my stand that he
AUTHOR’S PHOTOS

couldn’t see that far, and finally he committed to coming past

This is Hitchhiker two weeks after I rattled him in on November
9, 2013, only to miss him. It was the first time I had hunted that
particular stand that season, and my timing was perfect.
54 >BOWHUNTER APRIL/MAY 2016
me. When he presented me with a quartering-away shot at 15
yards, I threaded an arrow down through both of his lungs. He
made it about 80 yards before piling up.
Time For A Fresh Change
My 2013 buck turned out to be my
first legitimate Pope & Young-class
buck, netting just over 126 inches. As I
sat down beside him, I couldn’t help but
smile to myself that it seemed too easy,
not having had to put in days and days of
hunting. Keeping my stands fresh for the
rut had provided me with quick success,
and it had made that season one of my
most memorable.
After the great experience I had in
2013, I decided to play the same hand in
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the 2014 season. I stayed out of the woods
from the September opener through the
entire month of October.
November 1 was the first hunt of the
season for me, and right off the bat I had
a 140-class 10-pointer headed my way.
He ended up following a doe away from
me, but it was apparent that keeping my
stands fresh until the rut was again pro-
viding me with quality buck encounters.
Many experts have stated that No-
vember 7–10 may be the best days of the
entire rut to harvest a buck. I have also
seen this to be true, and so I always try
to take some vacation days each year
around that time. Most of the bucks
I have killed during bow season have
fallen on one of those days, including my
2013 eight-pointer.
For the 2014 season, November 10 was
on a Monday, so I took Monday through
Wednesday off work, figuring it would
be my best chance for a buck before the
upcoming Missouri rifle season opener.
Like in 2013, I was seeing more bucks
than does, and I was also getting good re-
sponses to my grunting and rattling.
On Monday, November 10, the wind
was wrong for my stands, so I opted to
skip the morning hunt and sleep in in-
stead. In the afternoon, I decided to
change things up a bit by hunting on the
ground in an overgrown part of the farm
that I had not hunted in a long time. The
wind was perfect for it, so I tucked my-
self into an old cedar tree early in the
afternoon. My only concern was that
this spot was tough to hunt and if a deer
came through it would be spitting-dis-
tance close!
It was still a good hour and a half be-
fore dark when I heard what sounded
like a cough or sneeze of some kind.
Not expecting any deer that early, I dis-
missed it as nothing. Five minutes later, I
Going on high alert, I grabbed my
bow and waited. It wasn’t long be-
fore I saw movement, and a large buck
emerged from the brush not 30 yards
away, headed right for me.
At 10 yards, he worked a scrape and
overhanging licking branch, giving me
quite a show at eye level. He looked enor-
mous that close, and I dared not breathe.
When he was done with his scrape, he
chose to take the trail to my right. I care-
fully eased my bow back to full draw,
and as he came through he was a mere
five yards away!
I touched off the shot as his chest
came into view through the shooting
hole I had cut in the brush. My arrow
took him through the heart and lungs,
and he sprinted past me and I heard him
crash not 40 yards away.
As I eased up to him, I was ecstatic
to see how nice he was! He was a nine-
pointer that ended up grossing 134
P&Y-style inches. He had a beautiful
double-throat patch, and he was clearly
an older buck. He was my second P&Y-
class buck taken in as many years, and
on the same date to boot! I never ex-
pected to see a buck of this caliber so
early before dark, and I truly believe it
was at least partly due to my waiting to
hunt until the time was optimal for big-
buck movement. That was the first time
I had hunted that particular spot that
season, so it was as fresh as it could have
possibly been.
There are many variables that con-
tribute to success in hunting, and noth-
ing is a sure thing. The best that we can
usually do is to take every measure we
can on the variables that we have some
control over. While not a new concept
of course, I proved to myself that there
can be real value in keeping stands fresh,
and then waiting until conditions are

FAX (417) 725-3190 heard it again — only this time it sound- optimal for big-buck movement before
www.blackwidowbows.com
ed much closer! hunting them in earnest. For me, this
was a change from the normal routine I
had followed for years, and it paid off for
me in spades. And it can work for you,
too! ❮❮❮

The author has been bowhunting for 32

years and works for a software company
near Belton, Missouri.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: My most recent

equipment choices include a Hoyt
UltraTec, Gold Tip Hunter XT arrows,
Slick Trick Magnum broadheads,
TruGlo sight, Cobra Diamondback
rest, Nikon Monarch binoculars, and
Cabela’s clothing with ScentLok.
56 >BOWHUNTER APRIL/MAY 2016
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What’s New
BRIAN FORTENBAUGH, ASSISTANT EDITOR
Pinpoint Accuracy From Beman
B EMAN HAS SEVERAL new-
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for bowhunting, including the ICS
Precision Hunter™ ($80.99/half-dozen
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layered carbon for durability and speed,
the Precision Hunters have an unbeliev-
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with S Nocks™ (13 grains) and 21-grain
CB™ Inserts. ICS Precision Hunter ar-
rows are offered in sizes 300 (9.5 gpi),
340 (9.3 gpi), 400 (8.4 gpi) and 500 (7.3
gpi). Contact: Beman, (801) 539-1400,
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Whitetail Institute’s high-protein (up
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rate after deer start to graze it. Replacing
sorghum with Sunn Hemp also allows
planters to spray their PowerPlant food
plots with Arrest MAX™, Whitetail In-
stitute’s selective-grass herbicide. Other
nutritious components of this drought-
tolerant forage mix include sunflowers
58 >BOWHUNTER APRIL/MAY 2016
and vining legumes like soybeans and Help Bucks Maximize Antler Growth
peas. A 25-lb. bag will plant three-quar-
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Draw Deer In Close
Using decoys to draw whitetail bucks
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The three-pack weighs 56 oz. and stacks
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No respectable outdoorsman should
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This sleek-looking knife comes
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Contact: Camillus, 1-800-835-
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 Se rious bowhunters n e e d
se rious bowhunting television —
BOWHUNTER T V
52 we e ks a ye ar!

(Eastern Time)

PREMIERES WEDNESDAYS 10:00 PM;

MON 10:00 AM; THUR 1:00 AM; THUR 2:30 PM; FRI 7:00 AM

(Central Time)

WED 10:00 AM; FRI 7:30 PM; SAT 5:00 AM

Bowhunter Magazine Equipment Editor

Tony J. Peterson arrowed this Texas white-
tail while hunting with Southern Outdoor
Experience at the Canyon Ranch in Sonora.
To book a hunt of your own, visit www.
soehunts.net, or call (910) 358-3106.

TUNE IN THE WEEKS OF MARCH 14 AND APRIL 18!

ENT ADVICE
GRE AT HUNTING STORIES • SOUND HUNTING TIPS • TRIED-AND-TRUE EQUIPM
 Ask Bowhunter
Q
I HAVE BEEN bowhunting spring gobblers for several years, with no
luck. What can I do to improve my chances?
A
TURKEY HUNTING can leave
even the best bowhunters frus-
trated. With that said, stick with
it, because when that arrow connects on
your first strutter, you will be hooked.
Over the years, I have developed several
tactics that have helped me find success
on a regular basis.
Decoys have improved a lot since I
first started hunting turkeys. Realistic
full-body tom/jake decoys have proven
to be most effective for coaxing in long-
The relatively new practice of “fanning”
has become popular. It’s effective because
the movement of the fan can trigger a
gobbler into charging. Be sure to take
all safety precautions before attempting
this tactic.
60 >BOWHUNTER APRIL/MAY 2016
J. Clark, via e-mail
beards. My setup consists of a jake and
hen combo 90 percent of the time. Add-
ing movement to my decoy spread has
proven deadly. In fact, I have killed birds
with just a tail fan on a stake that can be
raised and lowered by a drawstring. A
real fan works best, but a manufactured
tail fan will also work because the added
movement is the key factor.
Hunting out of a ground blind is a
game-changer if you haven’t been using
one. Turkeys aren’t alarmed by the blind,
so you can confidently set up in the open
where birds spend time strutting. The
ground blind covers your movement
and allows you to relax, as compared to
sitting motionless against a tree. Set your
decoys facing the blind, eight to 10 yards
away, so leery birds are less intimidated.
And if they do hang up, they are still
within range.
It will be much more difficult, but
you can still find success without a blind.
Learn to draw your bow with limited
motion, and position your decoys where
the bird will approach behind cover.
Timing the draw is crucial to success. If
the bird is in strut, draw when he turns
and faces away from you. Multiple birds
coming into your decoys will increase
the difficulty of drawing undetected.
While scouting to locate birds, iden-
tify roost areas, strut zones, and frequent
travel routes. Document times you see
birds in each area, and set up according-
ly. When birds are pressured, they will
change their patterns, so reevaluate and
adapt your plan of attack. I love to set up
near strut zones where the decoys will be
highly visible to any traveling birds.
The latest craze in turkey hunting
involves using a full-body tom decoy as
cover to stalk strutting toms. I have been
using a tail fan to do this for years with
great success. This tactic defies all the
rules of turkey hunting. Movement is
usually a deal-breaker. But when “fan-
ning,” as I call it, movement can trigger
a response, and the bird may charge. For
best results, use the topography to ap-
proach within 100 yards before showing
the fan. This style of hunting is unortho-
Ground blinds do not spook turkeys, and
if you put your decoys close, an incoming
gobbler will be distracted while you draw.
dox, but it is exciting. If you decide to try
fanning, make sure to take every safety
precaution, preferably hunting in an
archery-only season.
The next challenge is making the
shot. It is very easy to rush the shot on
any animal, but especially so on tur-
keys. I attribute this to their flighty na-
ture, and our own belief that they may
spook at any moment. Typically, you
have time to concentrate on making the
arrow count. Study a diagram of turkey
anatomy and where to aim. Straight up
from the legs, regardless of angle, is usu-
ally good advice. Due to their small vital
area, I use mechanical broadheads with
a large cutting diameter to inflict more
damage.
I have purposely saved the topic of
calling for last. It is part of every turkey
hunt, but it is easy to overanalyze. Pick
out a call that you are comfortable using,
and then learn the basic sounds. Success
leads to confidence when calling. I am
an aggressive caller, and I have learned
when to crank it up loud and when to
back off. The only way to learn what
works for you is to use your call, so don’t
be afraid of messing up. Real birds sound
less than stellar more often than not.
I wish I could tell you there will never
be times of frustration when bowhunt-
ing gobblers, but unfortunately that
isn’t true. However, these tactics have all
helped further my success each spring,
and hopefully they will lead to success
for you, too. Good Luck! ❮❮❮
AUTHOR’S PHOTOS
PHOTO
Matt Palmquist, Contributor
E-mail your ASK BOWHUNTER questions to
bowhunter_magazine@outdoorsg.com
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 The Wild Side
DWIGHT SCHUH, HUNTING EDITOR

Into The Unknown

True bowhunting adventure begins in the discomfort zone.

B
ACK IN MY EARLY DAYS of bowhunting, I hunted the same places Chuck Adams was the first bowhunter
year after year, not so much from choice as by default. As a budding free- to take all North American big game
lance writer, I scarcely made enough money to feed my wife and me, let species, but many other bowhunters fol-
alone go on expensive adventure hunts across the country. So I hunted lowed. I had no illusions about achieving
my home state of Oregon, and I got to know my home turf very well. that lofty goal, but I definitely had the
But I’d always dreamed of hunting across North America, and the world. As desire to learn about as many big game
a young boy, I devoured magazine stories and books about hunting adventures species as possible, and to learn new
around the world. That all planted a dream in my heart, and with growing success hunting methods. This fascinated me.
as a freelance writer, I started living that dream. It began small with my first out-of- Equally fascinating were the var-
state excursions, first to Nevada, then Colorado, and then on to Idaho, Montana, ied environments where these animals
Wyoming, and other Western states. I loved jumping into my truck and heading live. I’ve chased big game from Pacific
across state borders to the Rocky Mountains, places I’d read about but had never Northwest rainforests to Southwestern
seen. Talk about adventure! deserts; from Alaskan tundra to Colora-
From neighboring states, my horizons expanded to Alaska, Canada and Mexico, do’s 13,000-foot peaks. Going from one
and even to South America and Africa. Not in my wildest dreams as a boy would I to the other demands adaptation and
have believed I would ever do those things, but it was happening. I loved exploring knowledge, and that makes bowhunting
new and wild places, and hunting trophy animals of the high and wild. For more a rich process for me.
than 30 years, I lived the dream. It also makes bowhunting a trying
On his Meateater TV program, Steven Rinella made an interesting observa- experience. During all my adventure
tion, saying he’d spent all his life roaming around, never getting to know any one hunts into the unknown over the years, I
place well, while his farmer buddy had lived his whole life on one farm and knew have ALWAYS felt uneasy, insecure, and
it intimately. I don’t recall what conclusions Rinella drew from that, but he got me intimidated — fearful — at the begin-
to thinking about the question: What are the pros and cons of chasing the dream ning of each hunt. I hate it.
versus hunting old familiar places? In this column, I will examine the roaming ap- Yet I love it because it adds zest to life.
proach, and in my next The Wild Side, I will look at old familiar places. Frankly, a steady dose of the comfort
Perhaps my dream chasing emanated from an inherent sense of adventure. As a zone can be pretty bland, and hunting
product of my DNA, it was inevitable. Something deep inside me had always com- the unknown forces me into the discom-
pelled me to stray outside my comfort zone. That’s why a story by Steve Gorr (cascade- fort zone. It stretches me, and that’s the
bow.com) in Outdoor Life magazine in the late 1960s, when I was a new bowhunter, source of excitement, the real thrill in big
made a deep impression on me. As I recall, Steve grew up in the Midwest, but seeking game hunting. Meeting my fears head
adventure he simply packed his car with all of his belongings, moved to Colorado, and on in wild and lonely places, I learn to
started hunting elk with his bow. His adventure really resonated with me. overcome and take control. While I have
So did the desire to pursue new and different game. In my early bowhunting ALWAYS gone into the unknown filled
years, I hunted only deer and elk, but my reading as a boy had kindled a fire to hunt with fear, I have ALWAYS come away
bighorn sheep, mountain goats, caribou, moose, grizzly bears, African game… You filled with a huge sense of accomplish-
name it, if it was big and wild, I wanted to hunt it. ment and victory. That’s why I’ve always
Further fueling that desire was the chase for the so-called Super Slam in the 1980s. loved bowhunting the unknown. ❮❮❮
AUTHOR’S PHOTO

64 >BOWHUNTER APRIL/MAY 2016

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