Hunting and Fishing News Blog Articles

Test-panel member Danny Hinton at full draw. (Hollis Bennett/)

On the one hand, Danny Hin­ton is a stoic guy with an engineering background. On the other, he’s a die-hard bowhunter and the former owner-operator of an archery pro shop. He has, in other words, the perfect blend of technical and practical knowledge for our bow test, and he’s been a test-panel member for years. So I didn’t take it lightly when he declared the 2019 field of compound bows to be the best he’s ever seen. And I did agree with him.

Still, not everyone here gets a trophy. It’s our job to find the very best equipment, and at the end of our most grueling assessment yet, we did just that. Here’s the scoop.

Bowtech Realm SR6 • 349.1 fps • $1,199 (Hollis Bennett/)

Speed	Accuracy & Forgiveness	Draw Cycle	Noise	Vibration	Handling	Fit & Finish	Value
Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Fair	Very Good	Excellent	Excellent	Very Good

This bow ranked best in nearly every category, easily winning this year’s test. For several years, a signature Bowtech feature has allowed the shooter to change the feel of the draw cycle to suit his or her shooting style. Older models used a disk with three possible settings, but newer models, including the Realm SR6, use a module system that lets you choose either the Comfort or the Performance setting. This is much more user-friendly. We tested the SR6 on both settings but scored it on the Performance setting. Even with that more demanding draw cycle, the bow was one of the smoothest shooters in the test, and it was also the test’s speed champion, at 349.1 fps. Part of that is due to the strategically placed weights in the Overdrive Binary cam system (the feature is easy to see; the weights look like pairs of brass buttons on both cams).

The Realm SR6 was also the accuracy winner, with our four panel shooters averaging 1.07-inch groups. Objective testing showed that it had little vibration, earning it third place in that cate­gory. At 86 percent efficiency, it was the most efficient bow in the test. Its only stumble was in the noise test, where it finished in the middle of the pack. The Realm SR6 handled well and looks good too.

MATHEWS Vertix • 337 fps • $1,099 (Hollis Bennett/)

Speed	Accuracy & Forgiveness	Draw Cycle	Noise	Vibration	Handling	Fit & Finish	Value
Good	Very Good	Very Good	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Very Good

It’ll be no surprise to fans of the Triax and Halon series that the Vertix was the quietest and most vibration-free bow of the test. It uses the Crosscentric cam, but it has an updated Switchweight system that allows you to change peak draw weight and length by swapping a module. The Vertix also has a dovetail mount on the riser to accommodate QAD’s new UltraRest MXT—a system that could send Berger bolts the way of the single cam.

Senior editor Natalie Krebs with the Barnett HyperGhost 425. (Hollis Bennett/)

Our rankings of vertical compound bows hinge on fine details because there’s little difference between them. But in the crossbow world, there are dramatic improvements in performance and handling each year, and the difference between the winning crossbow and last place is substantial. In a way, it’s unfair to compare them. Then again, there is no industry standard among crossbows as there is with a compound bow’s IBO specs. The rule of crossbow-making seems to be “He who innovates the most, wins.”

There’s a thriving market for high-end crossbows too, and that’s why our test rewards top-end performance. But we factor in value as well, because we know many buyers just want a reliable crossbow to take hunting, and they won’t spend four truck payments to get it. Fortunately, this year’s field has crossbows to suit both tastes—and some great stuff in between.

Ravin R26 • 406 fps • $2,050 (Hollis Bennett/)

Speed & KE	Accuracy & Forgiveness	Cocking Effort	Trigger	Safety	Handling	Fit & Finish	Value
Good	Very Good	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Fair

Remember those chintzy crossbow pistols used in ’90s vampire and spy movies? Yeah, they can’t hold a candle to the R26—even though the newest crossbow from Ravin isn’t much larger. Incorporating the best of the Ravin design—level cams that rotate 360 degrees and an easy draw mechanism—into a bull-pup platform makes for the most compact hunting crossbow ever devised. It’s just 26 inches overall, 6.5 pounds, and 5.75 inches axle to axle when cocked. Yet the R26 is still packed full of performance, clocking in at 406 fps with a 404-grain arrow.

We were able to obtain better groups with a few other crossbows, but the R26 was still in the top tier, with a 1.5-inch average at 40 yards. It had an excellent trigger that broke at 2.1 pounds. It would seem the R26 would be a shoo-in for the best-handling bow, and for pure convenience and handiness in a tree­stand, ground blind, or the turkey woods, it is. But when it came to actually shooting it, we found the dimensions to be a little cramped.

It’s a sign of the archery-­gear times to say that a price tag of more than two grand helped this crossbow’s value score, but the R26 costs $500 less than the TenPoint Nitro XRT—which ultimately, albeit narrowly, gave it the win.

The Loligo squid, better known as calamari. (Matthew Every/)

Squid were coming over the rail like live hand grenades into a foxhole, and it was all we could do to get them in a bucket before they exploded with ink all over the boat. The fisherman to my right took a blast to the face, and so did the deckhand, Mike, next to him. On the other side, another angler pulled in a double-header, and we got the first squid off just before the second one blew up. She dodged the shot like Neo in The Matrix, and ink hit the wall behind her with an audible splat.

Left and right, the squid were piling up, and the deck was getting covered in black ink. Mike walked up and down the boat, untangling lines, re-tying lures, and helping anyone who needed it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Captain Greg Dubrule and C.J., another deckhand, recording a Facebook Live video.

“It’s Saturday night, and we’re live!” Dubrule shouted arms spread, looking into the camera. “We’re on the heap, and we’ve got a boatload of people and a boatload of squid. We’re right on top of them, people, they are chewing the anchor line off the boat!”

If they don't ink in the water first, squid are like ticking time bombs on the boat. It doesn't take long before they explode with ink everywhere. (Matthew Every/)

Party All Night

This is a pretty typical Saturday night for Captain Dubrule and his crew during the height of the short-lived squid season. Three hours from New York City, in southeastern Connecticut, they run all-night fishing trips out of Niantic, on the number one voted party boat in the area, The Black Hawk.

For a chance to get in range of white seabass, divers must don camo wetsuits, forgo noisy scuba gear, and swim as slowly and silently as possible. (Mike Raabe/)

Story by Mike Raabe, as told to Natalie Krebs

You're not a true spearfisherman in California until you've speared a white sea­bass. And after you've done that, you're still not legit until you've killed a fish that tips 70 pounds.

These are the accepted, if unofficial, rules of SoCal’s spearfishing bums, a relatively small but hardcore group of sportsmen and -women who hunt the elusive fish year-round. WSB show up in the strongest numbers from March to June, when they start slipping into the kelp beds along the coast to spawn. Spawning peaks during the new moon, when you hunt the fish by listening for them.

“Bass” is a misnomer, as this species actually belongs to the croaker family. Some WSB calls sound like a frog and a cat trying to mate, but the croaking of a spawning male is akin to a boat misfire—you feel it in your chest. Croaks usually mean you’re closing in, but most of the reverberations my buddies and I heard during this year’s spawn led to nothing. This was the slowest season in the 11 years I’ve been going, and we fought hard for the two bass pictured on these pages.

White seabass hunters are free divers, which means we rely on our lung capacity. This is because scuba equipment is loud. It scares fish and turns you into an alien in the underwater environment. But free diving lets you become a part of the ocean. You’re able to observe, hiding in silence or interacting with animals naturally. And that’s important, because these chrome-colored fish are called gray ghosts for a reason. They may be the largest prey in the kelp, but they’re also the most challenging to find. So there’s a certain frustration—not to mention danger—in free diving for them. But that’s half the fun.

This cove in Baja looks like a washing machine on the surface, but underneath, the sea is calm. Even so, only experienced divers should fish here. (Mike Raabe/)
Visual concealment—usually achieved with a camouflage pattern and by sticking to shadowy kelp for cover—is just one thing spearfishermen have to keep in mind when chasing white seabass. Because the fish can both hear noise and feel vibrations, divers must take care not to, say, bump their speargun on the bottom while listening for croaks. Even bubble control when exhaling is key—and don’t even think about ­farting in your wetsuit. (Mike Raabe/)
Salema fish are a good indicator that WSB are in the neighborhood. It’s wise to swim carefully when they’re near so you don’t spook them or the seabass. (Mike Raabe/)
After nearly two months of hard hunting the new moons and chasing disembodied croaks, I watched diver Chris Okamoto shoot this 55-pound white seabass from just 10 feet away. (Mike Raabe/)
One quick incision near the gills to bleed the fish will keep the meat fresh and untainted. Another thrust to the brain will dispatch it quickly. (Mike Raabe/)
More sevengill sharks seem to appear in our hunting grounds each year. I don’t worry about them, as they’re indifferent to us—but not to the fish we spear. (Mike Raabe/)
Boating allows us to hit multiple spots in one day, although anchoring offshore in turbulent waters can sometimes get dicey. (Mike Raabe/)
Diver Ryan Moore—­followed by the family dog, Luna, who will sit on the rocks with Moore’s wife while he fishes—carefully descends to the coast by way of a steep strip of public land. Some residents of the nearby multimillion-dollar homes are attempting to shut down access to prevent spearfishermen like us from frequenting the spot. (Mike Raabe/)
WSB can be found from 5 to 70 feet deep. Here, the sun reflects off Okamoto’s mask as he makes one last lung-­busting push to the surface with his WSB. (Mike Raabe/)
Hunting WSB can require up to 100 dives in a single day. Most spearfishermen max out at two minutes when swimming, or as many as five minutes when still. (Mike Raabe/)
Stealth is mandatory, and so is positive species identification. I was initially certain this fish was a WSB but soon realized it was a protected black seabass. (Mike Raabe/)
Sharks may not bother us, but they’ll make quick work of unclaimed fish. Scott Blumer recovered his WSB minutes after shooting it, but sevengills got there first. (Mike Raabe/)
Packing fish may require fewer trips than with an elk, but it can be just as grueling. Here, Moore takes a shift hauling Blumer’s 56-pounder up a cliff. (Mike Raabe/)
Just as hunters save elk ivories, spearfishermen pry the two otolith stones from the inner ears of WSB. This collection is annotated with the weight of each fish. (Mike Raabe/)

Utah’s Henry Mountain bison herd is one of the only wild herds left in the Lower 48. Buffalo in that unit roam across some of the most rugged territory on earth.

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The hunting is hard, and drawing a permit is even harder. Drawing happens only once in a hunter’s lifetime—and that’s if you’re lucky.

In 2018 my buddy Dan drew a tag. He, his 73-year-old father Jeff, and I loaded a pack string of horses and disappeared into the backcountry.

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Okay I get it. In times of uncertainty and change, it is tempting to seek comfort in the traditional and spurn the new. If it helps put anyone's mind at ease, let me say this No, there is nothing wrong with your old Savage .30/06. It will still kill deer and no one is suggesting otherwise.

But as you'll see here, with a few exceptions, the newest crop of rifles doesn't look much like what you'd find in the gun rack at your daddy's whitetail camp. (If you're looking for more classic designs, you might check out this year's field of new shotguns)

These new rifles are built on chassis stocks, have carbon-fiber components, and are chambered in eigher 6.5mm or 6mm Creedmoor, a fact that has triggered cross-eyed rage among som who wish we could have stopped the clock wit the introduction of the .270 Winchester, or better yet, the Mauser 98. But if you look closely, you'll see plenty of variety in this new field of rifles, and you just might find a new one to add to the old gun rack.

Christensen Arms Traverse • $2,395 • 6.5 CM • Weight: 7 lb. 13 oz. • Trigger: 3 lb. 10 oz. (Bill Buckley/)

Handling	Accuracy	Workmanship	Aesthetics	Ergonomics	Meets Purpose	Versatility	Reliability	Value
Very Good	Very Good	Excellent	Excellent	Very Good	Excellent	Excellent	Very Good	Good

The Traverse is a solid rifle that conveys an impression of heft and substance. The stock has an oversize Monte Carlo cheekpiece, a large, nearly vertical grip with a palm swell, and a wide, flat fore-end with a beavertail contour. The thick carbon-fiber barrel, topped with an imposing (and effective) muzzle brake, completes the image.

For the test team, this beefy rifle felt equally sturdy in hand. The bulk is in all the right places, enhancing the rifle’s ergonomics and performance whether you’re shooting off sandbags at the bench or in a practical field position. Settling in behind the Traverse is like taking the wheel of a luxury SUV. Not only is it super comfortable, but you also feel like you can handle anything Mother Nature might throw your way.

The new crop of shotguns has a little something for everyone. Overall it should be less threatening than the new field of rifles to those sensitive souls who value good old days of wood-stocked pumps. Some of these new shotguns channel the classic designs, and we even have a new side-by-side in the mix. That said, the detachable-magazine semi-autos—one of which is a marvel—will be sure to cause them fits.

Caesar Guerini • $12,995 • 20-gauge • Weight: 6 lb. 12 oz. • Trigger: 4 lb. 12 oz. (Bill Buckley/)

Handling	Workmanship	Aesthetics	Ergonomics	Meets Purpose	Versatility	Reliability	Value
Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Very Good	Excellent	Good

Caesar Guerini has pulled off something remarkable with the Revenant. It has created a production shotgun that, except for the final engraving, is never touched by hand, yet exhibits the fit, finish, and handling qualities of an English Best smoothbore—for a fraction of the price. Yes, 13 grand is real money, but when compared to the cost of a bespoke gun, which can easily top six figures, it is a good value and an incredible accomplishment.

What that buys is perfection: gorgeous wood, flawless wrap-around checkering, exquisite wood-to-metal fit, a level of engraving that no other gun at this price point even comes close to achieving, and a shotgun that shoots beautifully.

The deeply cut and detailed engraving is a three-step process that begins with an automated laser that does most of the cutting, followed by approximately 10 hours of handwork, and then the final application of gold inlay, also done by hand. The Revenant is built along the lines of a classic British game gun, with solid side ribs, 28-inch barrels, a trim fore-end, and a Woodward-style grip. The entire team praised the gun’s balance and nimble handling. It swung easily on every target we presented, solidifying our opinion that it would be ideal for any type of upland game.

That last point is perhaps the most important. Yes, the Revenant is lovely to look at, but at its core, it was born to hunt. Little surprise that it ran away with an Editor’s Choice award.

I wrote my first rub-line article for Outdoor Life more than 30 years ago. Back then, buck rubs were little more than curiosities and rarely played a part in anyone’s hunting strategy. Since then, I’ve spent a great deal of my time in the field trying to hone my mature buck hunting tactics as they relate to rub lines. For more than three decades, waiting in ambush along active rub-lines has become and will remain my No. 1 go-to tactic for killing big deer.

Here are some things I thought I knew about rubs back then, and what I know for sure now. If rub-line hunting isn’t part of your hunting strategies yet, it’s high time that it did.

Mature whitetail bucks have shown a preference for rubbing on specific tree species. (Greg Miller/)

1. Do Big Rubs Always Mean Big Bucks?

According to research I’ve done, the presence of antler rubs on large trees almost always means there’s at least one mature buck in the vicinity. This isn’t to say that big bucks won’t rub small trees—they absolutely will. And as for small bucks rubbing on big trees; they indeed will as well, but only after those trees have already been shredded by a big buck. I personally have yet to see an instance where a small buck initially tore up a big tree.

My first experience with the “big-rubs, big-bucks” rule happened more than 30 years ago. A couple buddies and I were doing some spring scouting when we came across a number of rubs on waist-thick spruce trees. Further investigation in the immediate area led us to the discovery of a few more rubs of the same size. Interestingly, a 13-point buck that grossed more than 180 inches was taken from that area during the following gun deer season. We never found any more of those giant rubs after that.

For nearly a decade, the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) has compiled and disseminated some of North America's finest research on whitetail deer. This year's Whitetail Report lays a finger squarely on the pulse of America's deer hunters and provides a long-term look at what's truly happening in the world of whitetails. Here are a few important figures from the 2019 QDMA Whitetail Report.

Harvest Trends

Overall, harvest trends provide some perspective on deer populations and the people who hunt and manage them. The most recent data available, from 2017-18, is divided into three U.S. regions: Southeast, Northeast and Midwest, and Canada.

Let’s start with antlered bucks killed because they get most of the attention. The top five states are:

Texas (506,809)

In two separate cases, hikers became lost in the wilds of Maui Hawaii last month. Both were 35 years old and each one was in great physical condition. There was even an overlap in the time that the two hikers were missing. While their exact survival situations were very different, the circumstances for each were similar. One hiker was found alive by rescuers, the other, sadly, was found dead.

I’ll take a look at both cases from a survivalist’s point of view and provide some info on how to stay safe during your own summer adventures.

Amanda Eller's Story

The Makawao Forest Reserve where Amanda Eller was lost and eventually rescued. (Wiki/)

On May 24, a tough young woman was rescued from a Hawaiian mountainside. Amanda Eller survived 17 days in the steep mountainous jungle with a broken leg, severe sunburn, dehydration, and painful skin infections. She had gone for a hike on May 8 and took a break to meditate. But she lost her bearings on the way back and ended up wandering away from her car rather than back to it. Over the next two weeks, hundreds of searchers combed the area. Eventually, the family bought additional helicopter search time and Eller was ultimately spotted near a waterfall and airlifted to nearby medical care. Eller later reported that she had broken her leg, but was able to find water, edible plants and even shelter during the ordeal.

Noah Mina's Story

We're not here to take sides. We're not here to end the debate forever. We are, however, here to say that there are times when rigging with bait—either live or dead—will outfish artificial lures, even in freshwater.

The following 15 natural bait rigs are among the best we've ever tried. So when your target species refuses to hit a soft-plastic, consider a more natural change in tactics.

Use this rig to set bait fish fillets up for success. (Pete Sucheski/)

Often, catfish, lake trout, salmon, pike, striped bass, and other heavyweights want nothing more than a fresh, whole chunk of their favorite baitfish, such as a chub, sucker, whitefish, or other oversized forage.

Then there are other times when a more diminutive slice of a favored forage species, such as a perch, bluegill (where legal), shiner, shad, or smelt will turn them on.

To rig, simply fillet the baitfish just as you would with a larger fish for eating, then thread on a whole side as shown. Leave the skin and scales on the meat to make the bait more durable.

Some of my best memories include a charred old coffee pot and stale cans of Folgers in hunting camp, or dozens of tea bag sized coffee singles on my lightweight adventures. But I know I’m not the only one. Preparing coffee is just part of the daily routine in so many camps, and possibly even an article of endearment.

Thankfully, just as our hunting and fishing gear has improved thanks to technology and inventive thinking, so has the way we pack, prepare, and enjoy a cup of java. These days, whether you like your coffee black or loaded with cream and sugar, in an insulated mug or tin cup, there is something for everybody. Whether you’re a hardline coffee snob who demands fresh-ground beans, or you prefer to travel ultralight and drink instant go-juice, there are some great options out there. Here’s a look at just a few of the percolators, mugs, backcountry-friendly jitter juice blends, and other items that will help you start your day off right when you’re out and about.

GSI Outdoors Glacier Stainless Coffee Percolator (GSI Outdoors/)

If hunting camp is the cabin, and morning life revolves around the coffee pot for everyone, a simple stainless steel percolator like the one from GSI is a great option. Made from a heavy gauge, marine-grade steel, it has a hinged lid, inner basket to hold grounds, and a clear plastic knob on the lid so you can gauge the strength of your brew. You get that age-old percolated taste in every cup, it makes enough coffee for everyone in camp to get their blood flowing, and it's simple enough to use that anyone in camp should have no problem preparing the following day's brew. If someone doesn't know how to use a percolating kettle, then they need to be in a different camp.

MSR Reactor Coffee Press Kit (MSR/)

If you're a fan of motor-oil thick, but smooth, rich coffee, a French press is tough to beat, but until recently, carrying a press has been a royal pain for those of us who live out of our backpacks in the mountains for 14 days at a time. It's just not practical to bring a press along when you're trying to cut as much pack weight as possible. Thankfully, now you can use a French press with the cookware you're likely already carrying. The MSR Reactor is a good example because it uses the MSR Reactor 1.0 pot, which I use to boil water for freeze-dried meals. Simply boil your water, dump coffee grounds into the water, insert the strainer and press down on the plunger, and drink!

GSI Outdoors Ultratlight Java Drip (GSI Outdoors/)

If you're a fan of drip-brewed coffee have had to jerry-rig filters in the past to get relatively home-like coffee, then the Ultralight Java Drip is for you. Even the most weight-conscious hunter or backpacker can't complain about this lightweight, compact little device. It's basically a simple, re-useable coffee filter fitted to it's own stand that clips onto a coffee cup. Just add grounds, pour water over the top, and coffee will drop out the bottom of the net. What makes this device unique is the fact you can add or remove coffee grounds to create a strong, or weak, cup of liquid energy.