Hunting and Fishing News Blog Articles

As bowhunters, we have the responsibility of taking good shots on big game animals. A good arrow setup for your bow, shot angle and reading the body language of the animal are very important components to executing a perfect shot while out hunting. So, let’s dive deeper and take a look at what exactly those look like. 

Arrow setup

Let’s start out with your arrow setup. Correct FOC and total arrow weight as well as your broadhead all have to match your bow and the game you are hunting. I’ve broken this into two categories to make it as simple as possible. If you pull less than 60 lbs. and have a draw length under 27”, I highly recommend building your hunting arrow for maximized penetration. This means a heavier shaft, a cut on contact (COC) broadhead and a total arrow weight near 400 grains. The most important component here is the broadhead. A quality COC broadhead will give you maximum penetration with your setup, but also be sure to avoid hitting any heavy bone like a shoulder. 

If you pull least 70 lbs. and have at least a 28” draw length, I believe you have a little more freedom with your arrow setup. Your total arrow weight won’t matter as much, although the heavier the arrow, the quieter your bow will be, and you will have plenty of KE to take down a deer or elk. I recommend a minimum of 415–grain total arrow weight under these specs. With this kind of power, you will have plenty of energy for expandable or non–COC type broadheads. No matter what your setup is, try to keep your hunting bow shooting 300 fps or less, as broadhead flight can be more sporadic at further distances with increased speed.

Reading body language

The Wyoming Game and Fish has made some fairly significant changes to the draw system process this year for non-resident elk hunters. Starting this year (2020) nonresident applicants will still have to apply for their elk tag by the 31st of January, however their application will remain in the Wyoming system until May. Instead of conducting the draw in February the state will hold off until May to actually conduct the nonresident elk drawing. This is a good news/bad news scenario. The good news is you will have clear until May 8 to modify or even withdraw your elk application, as long as you have one placed into the system by January 31st. This will give applicants more time to modify an application once more is known about the season dates, quotas and winter conditions. The bad news, is your money will be tied up until at least the third week in May and there’s not much you can do about it. The end result, all the guys who depend on the Wyoming elk refunds to fuel other state applications early in the season will have to find other alternative sources of funding for those additional apps this year.

“Nonresident elk hunters should also be aware of a significant change to the draw date beginning in 2020. The nonresident elk application period remains Jan. 2-31. However, applicants have until May 8 to modify or withdraw their applications. Draw results will post the third week in May.  The change is meant to give applicants more information before the draw.” –Wyoming Game and Fish Department 

The post Changes for 2020, Wyoming Elk appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Electric-assist bicycles are growing and growing in popularity. In 2019, our crew spent a lot of time on a Rambo bike and a Bakcou bike (pronounced backoo, formerly called Backcountry eBikes) on our spring hunts and fall hunts. My son and I put on 40 miles on each of these in one day of antelope hunting alone while exploring some new country in my hunting unit. They are a very handy and quiet piece of equipment to get into tough places where pickups & SUVs are a challenge to drive. 

Below is a rundown on the standout features on both the Rambo R1000XPS Carbon and the Bakcou Mule 750w. This isn’t meant to be an overly technical review. This is based off of real field use and user feedback, not a press release. Both bikes use top-quality Bafang motors and high-end front fork suspension systems, Tektro brakes, chains, pedals and tires. 

An important note in field use is not to overinflate the fat tires! The PSI on both brands is listed on the tires, and I suggest dropping the pressure 3-5 PSI per tire … unless you don’t want to sit or walk much the next day. After proper adjustment on the tire PSI, the ride was much more comfortable and sustainable. I would also suggest upgrading to a softer and wider seat for all-day comfort when cruising open trails and roads.

Both brands have a ton of upgrade and accessory options so make sure you check out www.badassoutdoorgear.com to complete your setup for e-bike hunting. Everything from additional battery options, saddle bags, trailers, lights, and more are available and Badass Outdoor Gear happens to carry both brands. Their staff are extremely knowledgeable to answer any e-bike questions.

Bowhunter Dan Pickar shares his first impressions of the brand new Mathews VXR hunting bow. This 2020 bow is lighter than ever and just as quiet as the Vertix. Pickar uses a chronograph to speed test the VXR with two different arrow weights in this bow review.

The post 2020 Mathews VXR Review appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Guest Author: Samantha Gangler

I could see his all his vitals. I just needed him to look away so I could draw back. Right then, the bull smelled the air in the opposite direction of me. As he tilted his head back, I drew my bow slowly; I leveled, aimed and released the perfect arrow into his lungs.

The post Successful Bowhunters: Samantha Gangler appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Guest Author: Matt Jones

Matt went in for the final stalk alone as his mom and I watched from a spot nearby.  It seemed like forever as he worked within 30 yards of the feeding buck, but finally he raised his rangefinder and slowly transitioned to his bow and came to full draw.

The post Successful Bowhunters: Matt Jones appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Guest Author: Brevin Brook

Slowly closing the distance, the big bull is headed straight for me. Because of the angle, I didn’t have a frontal shot. So, I had to wait until this bull was probably a yard and a half. The whole time, I was wondering if he was going to turn or walk right into me; then, he finally turned slightly. As he was doing this, his second brow tine on his right side hit the bottom cam of my Pro Defiant Turbo. Once this happened, I waited a split second for his beam to clear, and I stood on my toes and stuck my arrow right into his shoulder.

The post Successful Bowhunters: Brevin Brook appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Guest Author: Battleborn Wildlife

I let my arrow fly and heard it connect with the tank. He jumped and stood perfectly still. Sherman had no idea what had just happened. The arrow made a clean pass through that connected with lungs. The perfectly–placed shot had left Sherman wobbling. Not wanting to leave anything to chance, I wanted to get another arrow in him. I crept around a tree, and he turned into another shooting lane. I drew and sent another arrow flying. It was perfect.

The post Successful Bowhunters: Battleborn Wildlife appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Guest Author: BRANDON STUART

As I ran up to my wife, Sharla, she was crying and telling me she had just, “ruined the hunt.” 

I told her, “Babe, you just saved the day!” 

It had been 11 hours since I had first hit the bull, and we were back in the game! 

Guest Author: ALEX MILLWARD

Ding, ding, ding…. At 3 am, an alarm wasn’t necessarily what I was wanting to hear. At that moment, the internal debate began. You’ve already hunted pretty hard this season, you’re sick and you have to be to work at 9; is it really worth it? Followed by, It’s November, and the deer are rutting hard. Your boss said, “If you kill a deer, you don’t have to come in on time.” The more time you spend on the mountain, the more likely you will be to have a shot. And lastly, Do it for Nick!

Earlier that year, I was deciding where to apply for an archery deer tag. Being new to Utah, I wasn’t sure where to go. While working at the local archery shop, I met Nick, who would become one of my best friends and point me in the right direction. 

Good hunting partners are hard to find; however, you will know you have found the right one when they want success for you more than they do themselves. This describes Nick perfectly. 

This article cracked me up after I read it. The first thing asked about low hunter and harvest numbers in Montana from the fall of 2019 was if it was due to CWD. I commend the Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks officials for not knee-jerking their conclusion and comment on what the cause of the low numbers was.

Weather and other factors have probably played a role in hunter harvest numbers this year due to the early winter we’ve had across the region. But…CWD is the hot topic right now, much the same as it was almost 20 years ago, so that is what people assume.

Severe winter weather, wildlife-vehicle collisions, and a host of other reasons contribute exponentially to more big game deaths than the confirmed CWD cases can come close to. This isn’t to say that CWD shouldn’t be monitored, but there is SO MUCH we don’t know about disease transmission and whether or not carriers of the disease always exhibit signs or if some animals are carriers but are immune to the symptoms similar to the way humans can be carriers of certain diseases but the diseases never manifest themselves in their bodies.

The point is we all need to take a deep breath and look at the facts of CWD, not the fodder that is being propagated right now. I’ve seen this “episode” before and I’m not particularly enjoying this recent re-run. 

Go bow hunting for big cats! Guy Eastman is hunting Colorado cougars and that means he’s hunting with dogs. Trained dogs are used to track down and tree a mountain lion. Arrowing an angry cat is a serious challenge when its cornered 30 feet up in the protection of thick limbs. This fair chase hunt gets more than a little western when a cornered lion makes a great escape into a road culvert.

The post Beyond The Grid Bowhunting Mountain Lions Teaser #1 appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Go deer hunting on Wyoming public land with a father and son team. Hunter Mason is on a DIY hunt for his very first mule deer buck. This 13-year-old was lucky to draw a hard to get limited quota Wyoming mule deer tag. The duo has to put onXhunt to work when muddy roads limit access on checkerboard public land. Mason makes his dad proud with a one-shot kill on a great 4×4 mule deer trophy.

The post Beyond the Grid Public Land Wyoming Deer Hunt appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

If you are familiar with this blog you know that we report on poaching incidents with regularity. Sometimes we are lucky enough to see a case head to court and that is what appears to be happening in a poaching case in the Roundup, Montana area. Earl Russel Benes faces 24 criminal counts, of which eight will be felonies. We reported this earlier this fall and it feels good to know that the resolution to this case seems to be on it’s way.

However, there are still plenty of others to report on. Like a bull moose that was shot and left to waste in the Highland Mountains south of Butte, Montana. This one is particularly sad because of the scarcity of moose tags across the West. Many hunters have been building points and strategies to hunt the Shiras subspecies of moose for years and when an incident like this happens it robs hunters of opportunities.

There was also the incident of poached spike bull elk on Montana State University’s Red Bluff Ranch, this incident may simply be a case of someone not identifying their target and shooting a spike where it is illegal to do so. When these types of incidents are actually reported by the hunters admitting fault the meat can often be salvaged and donated. When a fear of consequences strikes though, the meat is more often than not wasted.  

In the same article detailing the spike elk poaching two more poaching incidents are detailed involving white tailed deer that were likely shot at night. Willful incidents like this are the ones that are very hard to swallow for me as a hunter. If you know anything about this incident let the authorities in Montana know. 

Bowhunter Dan Pickar reviews the powerful and compact Kilo3000BDX range finding binoculars. These 10×42 mm binos are impressive in low light and can range reflective surfaces out to 3000 yards. Features including scan mode, angle compensation and BDX system integration make these a powerful tool for bow and rifle hunters alike.

The post SIG Sauer BDX Review appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

We have all heard 10% of hunters harvest 90% of the game. It seems to be true as we see the same guys being successful year after year. The odds of this happening on luck are astronomical so what is the secret? While I don’t think it’s just one thing there are certain traits, tendencies and a certain tenacity the majority of these ten percenters possess. I believe archery hunting on public lands is one of the toughest challenges out there! You want something to test your will to succeed and to build character; step out into the mountains with a stick and string with the goal of arrowing a trophy. Bowhunting has a way of throwing every challenge in between you and your goals. Figure out how to overcome these challenges and you are well on your way.  

No Quit – My biggest asset as a bowhunter can be summed up in one word, PERSEVERANCE!  Honestly this is the key to my success. Sure I am in good shape, I am a decent shot, I am proficient at stalking but those can all fail me. The one thing that never lets me down is my will to succeed. It has waned here or there and definitely has been tested but I continue to believe I can achieve my goals in the backcountry. I keep going and I keep pushing doing everything in my power to create opportunities. 

The Power of Positive Thinking – A big part of keeping your head in the game is your attitude. The minute you start to get down on yourself or junk the hunt, you’re headed toward failure. You have to be a glass half full guy and be the eternal optimist. Believe over that next ridge there are trophy critters. Believe that if you spot an animal even miles away you can close the distance and get in close. Know inside you have what it takes to execute your shot. This constant belief that success is just around the next corner is what drives you to keep trying.

Love the Pain – You have to learn how to embrace the grind! It takes constant effort and constant exertion on a hunt. I picked up a saying somewhere about endurance sports that you have to get comfortable in the pain cave. Part of the fun of a tough hunt is that it’s not going to be fun all the time. It’s fun when you look back on it and extremely rewarding. Think about endurance runners, they are not having fun all the time in fact they are miserable and have to push through the pain a lot. They love it because of the feeling of accomplishment they get when they finish. Get comfortable in this state of misery and grind through it. Nothing feels better than reaching a tough goal but you are going to have to endure to get there.  

Guest Author: Thomas Austin

As the bull’s body was no longer obscured by the grass I quickly judged the distance and chose a pin I drew back my bow and settled in on his vitals as he continued to walk towards to calls of my hunting partner as he reached the highest point in the meadow from which he should have been able to see the cow to which he was calling his walk came to a sudden stop. with no hesitation, I slowly applied backpressure on the trigger until the bow went off from the second the arrow left the string it destination was never in doubt, the arrow slammed into the bull’s vitals and passed through him in the blink of an eye.

The post Successful Bowhunters: Thomas Austin appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Guest Author: Alex Kurz

Ryan and I whispered to one another as the bull walked in, “This is gonna happen”.  As the bull crested the final null where we knew Alex could see him, time stood still.  The bull took a few final steps toward the spring, and put his head down to drink perfectly broadside.  Alex released his arrow and made a perfect double lung shot.

The post Successful Bowhunters: Alex Kurz appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Guest Author: Ernest Chavez

I had no cover, so I just stood there, nocked an arrow and tried to catch my breath and compose myself. The bull continued to bugle and started raking the ground with his antlers. To my surprise, he started walking right at me, at 30 yards I drew. At 20 yards, I let the arrow fly and buried it in the sweet spot. It was then that I knew I would need some help.

The post Successful Bowhunters: Ernest Chavez appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Guest Author: Lindsay McQuaid 

After the shot, I heard the bull break a few branches, but didn’t think he went very far. About two minutes later I heard breaking of branches one more time. The forest was then quiet. A couple of texts to family and friends helped to pass the half hour I made myself wait. As I followed the blood trail for a short 30 yards, I was shocked when I came around a willow bush and came face to face with my bull.  He was much larger than I could have hoped for.

The post Successful Bowhunters: Lindsay McQuaid appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.