BowCast Blog

Mental Checklist - 20 Days to go!

When I first arrived at the Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, it was the middle of the night.  We had rented a car from the airport and drove up this crazy winding road, Snowbird came out of nowhere and took my breath away, even at night.

The staff members in the Cliff Lodge lobby were quick and efficient and we were up in our room on the 5^th floor in no time.

SnowBird...I'm down for anything that has the word "resort" in its name...

What a fun day!

On Saturday I was privileged enough to be able to shoot with Jerry Long (Dustyvarmint) and Gary Martin (the 16^th person to complete the North American Grand Slam, and the 1^st in Wisconsin

Hey Guys...

  If you have been reading my blog long you might remember that I found a place that doesn't get hunted very hard but that I always find scrapes in the area.  So once our season finished I hung a Covert Camera in the area to see if I could pick up any deer in the area.  The good news is that I found a ton of deer.  The bad news is that most of them are Mulies.  I also found a nice herd of Javelina's.  

Hey Guys....

   The other day someone was asking me if I knew of any resources to help the traveling archer.  They were basically looking for  a list of archery shops, clubs, 3-D Ranges, etc...    Well there is, it is called..

 I made the 1,500 mile round trip drive to the Salt Lake City ISE show last weekend.  The trip was worth every mile!  The BowCast/FMP/Badlands booth was one of the best in my opinion.  We sold a ton of packs and talked to some great people.  Thanks for everyone who stopped by the booth to talk packs and bowhunting.

Hi BowCasters! 

Peep sights are one of those little pieces of equipment that are often overlooked.  Little consideration is given to what style we use, what size we should use, where we place them, and how we place them.  I have always said that a bow needs to work as a system in order to ensure maximum accuracy and consistency.  The purpose of this blog is to guide you thru the process of selecting a peep.  Let me stress that is no right answer for everybody and that finding the right system is a process; you will need to determine work works best for you.

Gear Review-MSR Dromedary Hydration System

Although I was not able to attend Hoyt Night, I was able to shoot their new bow the AlphaMax 32 inch at my local pro shop.  I really wish I had the opportunity to shoot this bow set up with accessories and test it out at a few  3-D shoots and with broadheads in the field.  But I will gladly shoot it at the pro shop and enjoy the new features that Hoyt has shot into this new bow.

Hey Everybody....

If you guys have been keeping tabs on my blog you know that I love to post about first time hunters.  It doesn't matter if it is a kid or an adult, there is something awesome about a first bowkill.

Shannon killed her first doe this year and she is hooked.  She sent me the story and pictures below.

GREAT JOB Shannon!!!!

J-

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I did not grow up in a hunting household like most huntresses. I grew up in San Diego and spent my time showing horses and hanging out at the beach. I always wanted to learn how to hunt but I did not have anyone to show me or take me. I did express interest to my father, and he taught me how to shoot and take care of firearms, which drove my passion to learn more. I attended Oregon State University where I majored in Public Relations. For elective classes I took forest management, animal sciences and other agricultural classes. My passion to learn more about hunting and game management grew. After college I was blessed to land a job in the hunting industry. I was recently invited to hunt with Vicki Cinaciarulo and her Posse members for an episode of Archer’s Choice TV.

Living the Essence; Hardcore Bowhunting

Peers ask me all the time, “Why do you like bowhunting so much? All it is, is shooting animals.” I just have to smirk the comment off, because I know that bowhunting is something that is kindled deep in the heart of a person who wants a challenge; to be responsible, respectful and rejuvenated by all that nature has to offer. Some people say that “If you haven’t already done it, you never will.” I tend to disagree; however, if you really want to be a hardcore bowhunter, all it takes is for someone to plant the seed. From that point on, bowhunting is one of those things that people will either grow apart from, whereas the true hardcore bowhunter will find themselves obsessed by mystique of the bow and arrow. I am of the later.

Elk

                For elk, the 3 major areas I concentrate on are;

1)      Quality Forage, Shelter and Water - This is number one; simply put elk are big animals and if you don’t have the food, shelter and water to support them, so simply won’t find them in that area. There needs to be a big supply of quality forage, especially if you’re looking to find a good size herd, ample quantity of quality food for the animal.

One of my favorite things to do during the summer is fulfill those buck and bull filled dreams by going out and pinning down those big guys for the fall season. Most guys tend to take scouting lightly, and use the excuse that the animals probably won’t be where you scout them come season anyway. However, if you scout properly, efficiently and in quality areas, your chances of success during your fall bowhunt increase tremendously.

Talk about RAIN!!! It has been a long time since I have seen this much rain this late in the year. In fact, we had TORNADO warnings for the first two days of our Antelope season. I was praying that the area that I was hunting was relatively dry and that I might be able to sit a tank until I was forced to do a little spot and stalk.

Because of birthdays and family visiting I wasn't able to make the first two days of the hunt, usually two days isn't that big of a deal but our Antelope season is only 7 days long so you have to take advantage of everyday. So I rolled out of Silver City Monday morning around 5:00 am trying to make it to my hunting spot before noon. I was able to get to my camping spot around 10:00 am. So I quickly setup camp and headed to the mountain. I say mountain but in reality the area I was hunting was pretty flat. The good thing about this area is that I could see and glass a long way but the problem was that the antelope would see me coming.

Last week I wrote about the 3D course from John North that I had the opportunity to shoot. We shot it again this weekend - here is some footage. I'd be interested to know, based on the shots you see in the video, give it a rating in the comment section 1 (Piece of Cake through 10 (Extremely Challenging). We'd love to hear your opinion:

Challenge yourself this summer

On Episode #49 of BowCast - Half Time! - 5 tips to ensure victory in the fall! , you will hear about the first point that we recommend all of us archery hunters doing in the month of June before upcoming fall big game seasons - shooting 3D.