The last of the snow had just melted off as I hiked out a ridge to look for shed antlers. I was new to hunting this area, and although I’d put my tag on a nice 8-point mountain buck in a different location, I knew I still had a lot to learn about how deer traveled here. I figured this ridge to be a hot spot, even though I’d hunted it on at least five different occasions the previous fall and seen a total of zero deer. Instead of abandoning the spot, though, I wanted to look it over without…
Author: Crossbow Magazine Staff
As I lowered my 10 x 42 binoculars, the reality began to set in. I had done it! I had just fulfilled a lifelong dream that had begun when I was a kid. Not two hundred yards away lay a central barren ground caribou that would surely make the record books. Well, my goal was to see and shoot a good representation of the species, but what had just happened far exceeded my expectations, hopes and yes dreams. This adventure began over a year ago when Ken Gangler of Canadian Sub Arctic Lodge generously donated a hunt for Central Barren…
A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of treating my two sons to a bear hunt in New Brunswick, Canada. The area we were hunting is located off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, 15 miles inland from the fishing village of Alma. It has a large population of black bears, and I wanted to take them to a place where I knew they’d have a great chance of taking not just any bear, but a good-sized bear. This area also held the high potential of getting a bear with a “blaze” (white “V” on its chest.) I…
Western big game hunters often hunt remote areas far from access points, and the only way to get their harvest back to the vehicle is to skin and quarter it in the field and pack it out. The idea is slowly catching on with Eastern deer hunters, especially with those who hunt remote areas of public land. Success in these areas often means going where other hunters aren’t willing to go, and that can mean hiking several miles beyond access areas. Trying to drag a big-bodied mature buck out that far is simply unreasonable. The idea of skinning and quartering…
Most archaeological experts agree that the first cutting tools were likely made over three million years ago as bones from that period began to show evidence of cuts, scrapes, and gouges that were different from the normal damage seen from predatory animals. These cutting tools began as pieces of stone that were crudely shaped and slowly evolved to knapped flints that were finely crafted and capable of serious work. It wasn’t until the copper, bronze, and iron age that cutting tools took their next serious leaps when our ancestors developed the means to sepa- rate metals from ore and eventually…
With the growing popularity of crossbow use, Omega Sights created the new 2023 Hawkeye. Like its siblings, the new 2023 Hawkeye is a digital reticle sight, a continuous rangefinder, and an HD video camera, all in one. But what sets the new Hawkeye apart is that is has both Day vision as well as a Night Vision feature. Additionally, its new 50mm super Sony hi-resolution camera and processor aids in seeing what the naked eye cannot in low light conditions such as pre-dawn or dusk, even without the use of its night vision feature. The new Hawkeye boasts a…
From now on, this is to inform all the crossbow bashers, haters, and critics that it’s time to stop! Crossbows are here to stay and are growing in popularity every day. The terms like “cross gun” or “that’s not a real bow” need to cease being used when refer- ring to crossbows. Crossbows are legitimate weapons that are legal to use in most states, so it is time to be accepted as such. Some people say, “it is not bowhunting” but most all states say “it is bowhunting” in some form or fashion. They also say it’s “cheating” and not…
HIT THE APEX OF HUNTING WITH RAVIN’S X FACTOR Ravin Crossbow Introduces Three New Crossbows With Silent Cocking Ravin Crossbows is adding some X Factor to three brand new 2022 bows—and that means they’re coming with the highly sought after fully-integrated silent cocking. It’s Ravin’s latest upgrade to these already popular, powerful, cutting-edge cross- bows. R26X First out of the gate is the R26X, which is available and shipping now. The R26X takes the compact R26 platform with HeliCoil Technology and adds the highly desired silent cocking feature to give you a whisper quiet draw every single time. The blazing…
A good friend of mine, Kevin Roark, mentioned that I would be welcome to hunt on his property which has a total of 12 acres. The front section featured 6 acres of flat grass and pasture with the back 6 acres being wooded and very steep. I welcomed this new opportunity as much of the area that I had hunted for the past 10 years had been sold off for new housing developments. Kevin’s place was also out in the country and that would prove to be a big advantage later on. Kevin invited me out to take a tour…
In July of 2022, I was contacted by Dan lnfalt and asked to participate in a Wisconsin public land hunting challenge that he’d dubbed “The Battle of the Bows.” The 4-day hunt would take place in mid-October in the bluff country along the Wisconsin river. The participants would be the Hunting Beast crew, who shot both compounds and crossbows, some recurve hunters, team Crossbow Magazine and Savanna Outdoors. The hunt was great fun and several friendships and memories were made. The Battle of the Bows challenge can be viewed on The Hunting Beast Youtube Channel.