Author: Crossbow Magazine Staff

Two hunters draw on the same buck at the same distance, and one puts the bolt exactly where he was aiming while the other watches his shot drift six inches wide. Both had good gear, both had practiced, and both would probably blame the wind or a bad rest before considering the actual explanation. A shaky hold at full draw has less to do with nerves than most hunters assume, and considerably more to do with basic physical strength most people never train specifically for archery. Crossbow hunting looks less physically demanding than traditional archery from the outside, since the…

Ask any group of serious whitetail hunters when the biggest bucks get killed during the rut, and you will hear the same answer: the middle of the day. Mature bucks cruise between bedding areas from late morning through early afternoon while most hunters are back at the truck eating a sandwich. The all-day sit is one of the most effective tactics in deer hunting, and the thing that breaks it is rarely patience or cold. It is food. A hunter who did not pack right gets hungry, gets miserable, and climbs down at 10:30. This article is about making sure…

You pass by a plant you like and don’t know its name. Luckily, your phone can help you identify it in seconds. A clear photo is often enough to name a species. So, how to use a camera to identify plants? To use your camera to identify plants, take a photo of a single leaf, flower, or stem in natural light. Then, upload it to your phone’s visual lookup, use image search, or open a specialized identification app. It’s very simple.  Below, we will explain how each method works and show you several tips to achieve the most accurate identification…

Modern Sport Shooting Trends: Discipline, Data and Preparation Sport shooting in 2026 is less about spectacle than repeatability. The ISSF calendar has already moved through Granada, Munich and Suhl, and July brings the World Cup Shotgun in Lonato from July 3-13 before the Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun World Cup in Hangzhou from July 20-29. The sport is split into rifle, pistol and shotgun, but the shared pressure is the same: one poor sequence can erase 40 minutes of clean work. Margins stay small. The disciplines are drifting further apart A 10m air rifle final and a skeet final ask different questions of the…

Most hunters own more knives than they use and still reach for the wrong one when a deer is down and the light is fading. A practical setup is three or four blades, each matched to a task you will actually perform between the shot and the freezer. The hunter who packs a deliberate kit and keeps it sharp spends less time fighting the tool and more time on the work. The Field Dressing Blade The field dressing blade does the most work of any tool a hunter carries into the woods. A drop point blade between 3 and 4…

Seasoned huntsmen know that there’s no such thing as being too prepared. Forgetting to hone one’s skills is like playing poker blindfolded, whether on platforms like RollXO Casino Australia or with your friends. This article covers all key abilities that hunters must work on to get better odds at going home with game in their trunk. Camouflage An important thing that is often overlooked is the ability to blend with one’s surroundings. Carefree individuals own one camo suit, rarely bother to wear face masks or paints, and fully conceal themselves from prey. Honing this skill is a must, especially when…

Outdoor culture has always been closely connected to patience, preparation, and community. Hunting trips, fishing weekends, archery competitions, camping excursions, and backcountry travel often involve long stretches of downtime between moments of activity. While those quiet periods have traditionally been filled with conversation, storytelling, or gear preparation, modern technology is gradually reshaping how outdoor enthusiasts spend their free time. Smartphones and mobile connectivity have introduced entirely new forms of entertainment into outdoor lifestyles. Even among audiences deeply connected to traditional hobbies like hunting and archery, digital platforms now play an increasingly visible role during travel, off-seasons, and quieter moments in…

Your survival knife isn’t a one-size-fits-all tool. The blade that saves your life in a collapsed urban environment will fail you in the backcountry, and vice versa. The difference isn’t philosophical—it’s mechanical, material, and mission-specific. Understanding which custom knife matches your actual preparedness scenario determines whether your primary tool becomes an asset or a liability when systems fail. Whether you’re navigating concrete jungles or remote backcountry, the foundation of any preparedness plan rests on blade reliability and ergonomic design under stress. Serious survivalists increasingly turn to M390 and Damascus steel constructions with Micarta or carbon fiber handles—materials that deliver consistent…

Outdoor hobbies have always captured the imagination. Activities like hiking and hunting carry a sense of adventure (obviously). They involve planning and strategy – sometimes an element of luck. Those same qualities make them surprisingly well-suited to gaming. Developers often look for themes that feel familiar and exciting at the same time. Outdoor life has made its way into many different types of games. Some you would not expect. Sometimes it appears as a backdrop with forests and mountains setting the scene. Some games are all about outdoor pursuits that shape the entire gameplay experience. The influence of hunting and…

The difference between a great deer hunt and a miserable one? It rarely comes down to luck. Most of the time, the outcome gets decided days — sometimes weeks — before you ever step into the woods. Experienced hunters know this already. In fact, they treat pre-hunt prep like a second job. They do not leave gear readiness to chance, and their gear preparation habits reflect years of hard lessons learned the expensive way. A frayed string. A fogged optic. Broadheads that flew perfectly in September but wobble in November. These small failures stack fast when you’re sitting in a…