A good strong knife may cut a stray arrow out of a tree, trim the thread on the serving in the field, skin or gralloch (opening the stomach cavity using ones fingers to prevent puncture to the intestines) the quarry. Folding knives have their own advantage. Their use is more discreet, sparing on the machismo. Worn in a secure belt-pouch, they are generally perceived as much safer than their rigid cousins when use aboard floating craft, in vehicles on rough terrain or on horseback. However, they can also have mechanisms which can fail, blades which close on fingers, and may be too slow to deploy when needed urgently. In such circumstance, it pays to get the best.

Read the rest of this article...

The 2010 ATA show (the seventeenth consecutive for me) was another grand ol’ family reunion.This annual pilgrimage presents a much anticipated opportunity for Ike and me to get together with good friends that have become an important part of our lives over the years, as well as meeting many new folks that will be playing a primary role in the years to come.  But the most exciting part of the expedition is seeing all of the new products that are being introduced in 2010 by the proud manufacturers of the archery industry.And 2010 definitely will be the best ever for the exploding numbers of North American crossbow hunters.

Read the rest of this article...

For three years running and for reasons you could care less about, I once again find myself suffering from a severe case of winter blues. It is not terminal however, and by the time you read this spring will be making me feel much better.

Read the rest of this article...

DEC wildlife managers report that the department plans to have Cornell University’s Human Dimension Research Unit conduct another survey of Empire State hunters, concerning the management of whitetail deer. Primary goal of the survey is to assess hunter preferences for potential strategies that may provide crossbow hunting opportunity, alter buck harvest management and modify deer hunting season structures, say officials.

Read the rest of this article...

A whole lot of energy is expended in the consideration of which of the hundreds of broadhead choices has the best flight consistency, shortest blood trail, or toughest construction, but in my experience very little thought goes into the delivery package that puts that broadhead where it needs to go.  By “delivery package” I mean the arrow itself.

Read the rest of this article...

I think it is a sign of old age remembering stuff. I’m not sure because I have trouble remembering stuff. But I remember my 1990 Chevy pickup truck well.

Read the rest of this article...

Born in 1949 and schooled during the 50’s and 60’s, the year 2010 seemed a million miles away to me during those formative years. But now that it is here, not only does 2010 denote the passing of the first decade of this century, but for me, it marks another important milestone in my life as a hunter. This is my fiftieth year of hunting big game animals in the wild. Tacking on another four years or so for small game hunting is required to complete the report, but it was half a century ago that I shot my very first whitetail deer along the edge of a thick, willowed swamp after a long, cold day of hanging in the limbs of a small poplar tree (without a stand of any kind). I still remember it as if it occurred just yesterday. What a triumph it was for that twelve year old farm boy that was nearly frozen stiff by the time he pulled the trigger of the old Stevens 30-30 dropping his very first whitetail deer...

Read the rest of this article...

The GT Flex crossbow is made by U.S. Crossbowyer TenPoint, but they label it “SixPoint” a logo type reserved for bows marketed within the lower end of their price range. Interesting as that may seem, anyone who reads my reviews will know that I recognize and applaud high quality; what is less well known is that I warn companies to take care over what they send me. If they want a good review it had better be a good product. And there, on my doorstep, I see an inexpensive bow from a company famed as the marketer of the Cadillac of crossbows. Inexpensive is a relative term, but the GT Flex is around a third of the price of some.

The box felt light. In it was a crossbow in two main parts, a recurve prod and a mainframe with stock attached, and some bits and pieces...

Read the rest of this article...

I can remember like yesterday the first time I came to the end of a standing cornfield as a driver and witnessed what seemed like hundreds of pheasants take flight. Some today would trade sighting a dozen whitetail does for that experience. And obviously I remember the fall of my 11th year when I graduated to toter, and was presented with an Iver Johnson 16 Ga., single shot shotgun. But the learning process went on from there. We could hunt until 5 p.m. each day, and I was allowed to hunt alone with my beagle, so I’d jump off the school bus about 3 p.m., run in the house to change, grab the shotgun and my five shotgun shells, and dash across the street into the standing corn. If, when I needed more shells, I hadn’t added a combination of rabbits and pheasants adding up to three to the family table, I got a lecture. “Boy”—I’m sure if he were alive today at 65, I’d still be called Boy – “Those shells cost good money. Stop wasting them.”

Read the rest of this article...

It was the eve of the 2009 firearms season and as was their nature the hunters in our family deer camp were bantering around the campfire.  Their normally jovial mood was slightly tempered, however, and I knew why.  The lack of deer sign had subdued their usually high expectations. 

Read the rest of this article...

A good strong knife may cut a stray arrow out of a tree, trim the thread on the serving in the field, skin or gralloch (opening the stomach cavity using ones fingers to prevent puncture to the intestines) the quarry. Folding knives have their own advantage. Their use is more discreet, sparing on the machismo. Worn in a secure belt-pouch, they are generally perceived as much safer than their rigid cousins when use aboard floating craft, in vehicles on rough terrain or on horseback. However, they can also have mechanisms which can fail, blades which close on fingers, and may be too slow to deploy when needed urgently. In such circumstance, it pays to get the best.

Read the rest of this article...

The 2010 ATA show (the seventeenth consecutive for me) was another grand ol’ family reunion.This annual pilgrimage presents a much anticipated opportunity for Ike and me to get together with good friends that have become an important part of our lives over the years, as well as meeting many new folks that will be playing a primary role in the years to come.  But the most exciting part of the expedition is seeing all of the new products that are being introduced in 2010 by the proud manufacturers of the archery industry.And 2010 definitely will be the best ever for the exploding numbers of North American crossbow hunters.

Read the rest of this article...

For three years running and for reasons you could care less about, I once again find myself suffering from a severe case of winter blues. It is not terminal however, and by the time you read this spring will be making me feel much better.

Read the rest of this article...

DEC wildlife managers report that the department plans to have Cornell University’s Human Dimension Research Unit conduct another survey of Empire State hunters, concerning the management of whitetail deer. Primary goal of the survey is to assess hunter preferences for potential strategies that may provide crossbow hunting opportunity, alter buck harvest management and modify deer hunting season structures, say officials.

Read the rest of this article...

A whole lot of energy is expended in the consideration of which of the hundreds of broadhead choices has the best flight consistency, shortest blood trail, or toughest construction, but in my experience very little thought goes into the delivery package that puts that broadhead where it needs to go.  By “delivery package” I mean the arrow itself.

Read the rest of this article...

I think it is a sign of old age remembering stuff. I’m not sure because I have trouble remembering stuff. But I remember my 1990 Chevy pickup truck well.

Read the rest of this article...

Born in 1949 and schooled during the 50’s and 60’s, the year 2010 seemed a million miles away to me during those formative years. But now that it is here, not only does 2010 denote the passing of the first decade of this century, but for me, it marks another important milestone in my life as a hunter. This is my fiftieth year of hunting big game animals in the wild. Tacking on another four years or so for small game hunting is required to complete the report, but it was half a century ago that I shot my very first whitetail deer along the edge of a thick, willowed swamp after a long, cold day of hanging in the limbs of a small poplar tree (without a stand of any kind). I still remember it as if it occurred just yesterday. What a triumph it was for that twelve year old farm boy that was nearly frozen stiff by the time he pulled the trigger of the old Stevens 30-30 dropping his very first whitetail deer...

Read the rest of this article...

The GT Flex crossbow is made by U.S. Crossbowyer TenPoint, but they label it “SixPoint” a logo type reserved for bows marketed within the lower end of their price range. Interesting as that may seem, anyone who reads my reviews will know that I recognize and applaud high quality; what is less well known is that I warn companies to take care over what they send me. If they want a good review it had better be a good product. And there, on my doorstep, I see an inexpensive bow from a company famed as the marketer of the Cadillac of crossbows. Inexpensive is a relative term, but the GT Flex is around a third of the price of some.

The box felt light. In it was a crossbow in two main parts, a recurve prod and a mainframe with stock attached, and some bits and pieces...

Read the rest of this article...

I can remember like yesterday the first time I came to the end of a standing cornfield as a driver and witnessed what seemed like hundreds of pheasants take flight. Some today would trade sighting a dozen whitetail does for that experience. And obviously I remember the fall of my 11th year when I graduated to toter, and was presented with an Iver Johnson 16 Ga., single shot shotgun. But the learning process went on from there. We could hunt until 5 p.m. each day, and I was allowed to hunt alone with my beagle, so I’d jump off the school bus about 3 p.m., run in the house to change, grab the shotgun and my five shotgun shells, and dash across the street into the standing corn. If, when I needed more shells, I hadn’t added a combination of rabbits and pheasants adding up to three to the family table, I got a lecture. “Boy”—I’m sure if he were alive today at 65, I’d still be called Boy – “Those shells cost good money. Stop wasting them.”

Read the rest of this article...

It was the eve of the 2009 firearms season and as was their nature the hunters in our family deer camp were bantering around the campfire.  Their normally jovial mood was slightly tempered, however, and I knew why.  The lack of deer sign had subdued their usually high expectations. 

Read the rest of this article...