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Contributing Writers

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Bernie Barringer

Tony Catalde

Bill Howard

Mark Huelsing

Will Jenkins

Darren Johnson

Amanda MacDonald

Albert Quackenbush

Ryan Shoemaker

Britney Starr

Gretchen Steele

Nick Viau

Tony West

BowAmerica The e-Magazine for

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BillHoward

Contributing Editor

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©BowAmerica 2012

w

On the Cover: Michele Leqve, first female

bowhunter to take polar bear. Michele Leqve

This page: Bison by bow. Bill Howard

COMPOUND

Dream Hunt Collaboration 16 - The 4 S’s MarkHuelsing 19 – Get Fit for the Dream AlbertQuackenbush 21 – Do It Yourself! RyanShoemaker 24 – Research From Afar TonyCatalde 26 – Pick the Draw EmilyAnderson 31 – How to Pick a Guide/Outfitter TonyWest

TRADITIONAL

45 – Traditional Gear Review: Rasher Custom Quivers

NickViau

BOWFISHING

35 – Prep Your Gear! Bowfishing is Near!

GretchenSteele

WOMEN IN BOWHUNTING

Trials, Trails, and Trophy - 8 BernieBarringer

TARGET

NFAA World Archery Festival - 51 AmandaMacDonald

BOWHUNTING LIFE

Archer’s Shoulder: Part 2 - 33 WillJenkins

WILD KITCHEN

Camp Dog’s Catfish Courtbouillon - 38 PapaScott

Spicy Buffalo Sauerbraten - 49 WildKitchen.net

HABITAT & GAME MANAGEMENT

Habitat Management - 47 DarrenJohnson

PREVIEW

Badlands Clothing - 41 RyanShoemaker

The trophy shows are in full swing throughout America. What better time to discuss how to plan

and do your dream hunts! As you walk down the aisles of the shows, looking at the different mounts

and pictures of exotic game animals in exotic locales, you feel that urge. But your brain tells you it is

nothing but a dream. Well, our staff with BowAmerica will hopefully fuel that fire within you and set

you on course for that once in a lifetime hunt.

On the table of contents page, you see a bison I took by bow. That was the first big game animal I

ever harvested with archery equipment. Through practice, determination, and research I was able to

make not only a dream come true, but I was also able to do it with equipment that I would come to love

to use. That made the hunt even more special.

We changed up the way the articles would flow this month, figuring the both the traditional and

compound archers would need the same information on planning and executing that dream hunt. So

you will see a section on dream hunts, with 6 different authors. They share information on how they

are planning their dream hunts in order to show you how to plan yours.

But, leading off, is a story you MUST read! Bernie Barringer of BowHuntingRoad.com shares

Michele Leqve‘s quest for the largest bear in the world. Not only is it the largest bear, but the hunt

must be taken in the harshest conditions. I spoke with Michele by phone while planning this issue and

her story really is remarkable. She shows the essence of dedication to a dream as well as stick-to-it-

iveness. Despite hurdles along the way, Michele and her husband Jim stayed the path, and the result

was extraordinary.

Other stories include Part 2 on Archer‘s Shoulder by Will Jenkins. Last month he laid the basic

biology behind the shoulder and muscles and how they work together. This month he gets a little more

specific on how archer‘s shoulder and rotator cuff injuries may come about.

We have a preview of Badlands new clothing line, and for you traditional archers, a review of

Rasher Quivers.

We also have Gretchen Steele joining us reminding us that bowfishing season is right around the

corner, so you had better get that equipment ready!

Amanda MacDonald covers our target and competition shooters with her experience from Vegas.

You know the saying, ‗what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas‘. Well Amanda did not listen and brings

the NFAA World Archery Festival to you here in BowAmerica magazine.

Darren Johnson continues his now monthly column on habitat management. If you are planning on

managing your own land for optimum hunting experiences, this column will become a must read each

month. Darren does a great job of explaining the little things that most will not think of while not

getting too technical. If you missed last month‘s first installment of Habitat Management, be sure to

read it and print it, and do the same with this issue and future issues.

Speaking of printing it, you can download the magazine into a pdf file and print the articles you

want to save and refer back to at anytime. Of course, our past issues will remain online as well at

BowAmerica.com. There will be a short description of what is in each issue for you to refer back to.

Now, go out there, set the goals, and make those dreams a reality! BA

The e-Magazine for Bowhunters

BowAmerica Association and Business Program

BowAmerica can help keep your members and customers involved each month with our

Association and Business Program. We produce our national online magazine and then format the front for your group. You

can use up to 8 pages for ads, messages, calendar of events, and/or member/customer photo gallery. Then on the 5th of each month, the magazine can either be sent to your group by BowAmerica or we can email the link to you for you to forward to your email list. If we send out the magazine for you, your email list will remain secure and not be shared, sold, or ‘rented’ to any other company or individual. We will also include a banner at the bottom of the cover displaying your association or business. BowAmerica will also place links on your facebook, Google+, or twitter pages as well.

If you produce your own quarterly newsletter or magazine, we can incorporate it into

BowAmerica so you will have an online version as well as any print versions you produce yourself AT NO ADDITIONAL COST.

For less than the cost of a small advertisement in a local newspaper, BowAmerica offers

you a chance to sell ad space for your association for additional income each month, or if you are a business, a chance to showcase specials and events and have the opportunity for any co-op monies offered by various manufacturers and vendors.

Contact Bill Howard today to sign up so you can start right away at 252-205-7681 or by

email atBillHowardOutdoors@gmail.com . We are happy to answer any questions you may have as well.

The polar bear is the largest carnivore on the

planet. A lot of bears have a bad reputation, and

certainly all of them could kill you and eat you;

though cases of such are rare. This is not the case

with the polar bear, however. More people have

been killed and eaten by polar bears than any

other bear. This monstrous bear, commonly

weighing over half a ton, spends its life roaming

the vast wastelands of the north and the frozen

sea ice looking for food. And anything that

moves, it sees as food. That includes people. A

lot of big game animals have a reputation for

being dangerous. The polar bear has the goods.

So what would cause a woman to want to go

out onto the frozen sea ice near the North Pole

and try to shoot one with a bow and arrow? ―It‘s

all about the adventure,‖ says Michele Leqve.

The whole thing is so dramatic, she says; so

difficult, and so surrounded by amazing sights

and amazing people. She fell in love with the

Inuit people, and gained a lot of respect for their

everyday lives. But before we get too far into

this, let‘s begin at the beginning.

Michele is a very accomplished archer and has

taken more than a dozen species of big game

animals with her Mathews bow. She has bagged

several remarkable specimens that qualify for the

Pope & Young record book. This flight attendant

became hooked on archery when her husband

introduced her to it. To say she fell and fell hard

would be an understatement… she‘s got it bad.

She loves her bear hunting, and has taken several

with a bow, so it was not a big leap to start

thinking about the largest and most dangerous

bear of all. When she discovered that there was

no record of a woman ever killing a polar bear

with a bow, the seed was planted. Over the next

few months and years, it would take root and

grow until it would not be denied.

Michele and Jim Leqve are not wealthy

people. They work hard and prioritize their

hunting; and they are comfortable, but a polar

bear hunt can cost between $30,000 and $50,000.

They had to figure out a way to pull it off, and

they did. They booked the hunt through

Bowhunting Safari Consultants. Jim would go

along to film the adventure and shoot photos and

Michele would release her arrow, when the time

came.

But the trip almost didn‘t happen. Michele

was a flight attendant at the time for Northwest

Airlines. About the time the trip was going to

take place, Northwest filed for bankruptcy and

Michele‘s future became very uncertain. They

considered bagging the whole grand thing, but in

the end they decided life was too short to live in

fear of the future, and they stayed the course.

A hunt like this is not a one-on-one deal. In all

about a dozen people from the small town of

Pond Inlet contributed to the hunt and most of

them were along for the entire trip. This included

a family of Inuit that guided them, along with

other camp help.

Pond Inlet is in Nunavut Territory in North

central Canada, but its name is not a fitting

description of the area. It is a small town covered

in ice almost the entire year, a jumping off point

for the northern peoples who spend much of their

time out on the sea ice trying to scratch out a

living from a very harsh land. From there,

Michele and Jim ventured farther north into the

barren white. It was mid-April, yet the

temperatures were still averaging -30 to -40

during the day.

The hardships encountered on such an

adventure have to be experienced in order to fully

realize how difficult of a task this is. Imagine, as

a female, having to go to the bathroom when you

are in a flat barren land of white, it is 40 below

zero, and you have seven heavy layers of clothing

on. And that is just the beginning. Just staying

alive and avoiding frostbite is tough enough

under these conditions. Plus you eat what they

eat, which includes raw fish. Interestingly,

Michele claims it isn‘t that bad… if you are

hungry enough.

According to the law, you cannot pursue a

polar bear with a motorized vehicle. So Michele

rode in a large, partially-enclosed dogsled called

a ―Kamotik.‖ The dogs pulled it at a pretty good

pace, but the support crews rode snowmobiles

and they often had to wait for the sled to catch up.

They ventured north for a day to where they came

to a cabin to spend the night before going out on

the sea ice. That‘s when the first storm hit. They

were all jammed into that cabin for that day and

most of the next. This was a 14-day hunt and time

was wasting. Michele and Jim enjoyed talking to

the people about their lives, playing games, and

watching one of the boys do his school work. One

of the guide‘s helpers, Titus, admired Michele‘s

Mathews bow. He said he had been looking at

one similar to it on eBay! She gave the bow to

him before she left and he was thrilled.

When the weather broke they were heading

out to the north once again. After some long

hours banging along in the sled, they stopped to

make camp about 5:00 pm. They were about half

way through the laborious task of setting up a

camp when a friend of the family pulled up on a

snowmobile and greeted them. When he

discovered that they were polar bear hunting, he

offered some great news. He had cut a big bear

track not too far back. Suddenly, camp was being

broken down in a frenzy, and Michele was

amazed that they were going to go after the bear

right then, instead of camping for the night.

Michele, her guide Omik, and the dogsled

took off right away while the rest of the crew

would follow with the camp on snow machines as

soon as they could get everything together. If she

got the bear, the plan was to camp right there

where she shot it.

Things were about to get a little hairy.

They caught up with the bear after about three

hours and the sun was getting low in the sky. It

was a big male; a definite shooter. Days are long

that far north in April, but no one wants to be on

the ice with the world‘s largest predator after

dark, with no camping gear. The rest of the crew

was nowhere in sight.

Despite the fact that this was a legal hunt,

Michele cannot bring her polar bear hide back

into the United States. The US has made it

illegal to bring even legally taken bear hides

across the border, in part due to politicized

global warming hype.

Michele has had to endure some criticism

from people who do not understand sound

wildlife management and have yielded to the

fear that the bears are dying off. Nothing

could be further from the truth, she says, the

bears are abundant as ever and in fact, the

natives are harvesting more of them to keep

the population in check as pressure from the

states is reduced by stricter regulations.

Michele‘s bear is mounted and on display

in a large sporting goods store in Saskatoon,

Saskatchewan. She is not sure if she will ever

be able to bring her bear home, but she

doesn‘t dwell on this seeming injustice. She

has the memories, the photos, and some

amazing video footage to remember it by.

Michele and Jim produced an excellent

video of the hunt, and included four bonus

hunts of Michele shooting a black bear, a

caribou, a whitetail and an elk. It is available

at their website: www.bowrusoutdoors.com

The technique they use to slow the bear down

for a shot is to let one of the dogs loose. You

could never catch a polar bear on foot, but a dog

that knows what he is doing will bring the bear to

a standstill by harassing him. By the time the dog

had the bear bayed, Omik was expecting Michele

to shoot, and indicated so with a sense of

urgency. But Michele did not come all this way to

shoot a bear without her husband present and

filming it! Omik could not understand why she

wouldn‘t shoot; there was a communication gap

for some very tense moments before the

snowmobiles appeared on the horizon. By that

time, Omik had turned more dogs loose and they

were surrounding the bear, making a shot

difficult. It was mass chaos, and this normally

nerves-of-steel extreme huntress began to feel

like she was going to panic! She got her bow

drawn and tried to settle the pin on the churning

mass of dogs and bear.

Her shot was a clean miss.

Flight attendants are trained to remain calm

when emergencies arise. But this was an extreme

situation. The bear was moving around, Jim was

getting into a position to film the shot, dogs were

yammering, the guide was urging her to shoot,

and her heart was pounding. Michele forced

herself to settle down, and took a deep breath.

She calmly sent the second arrow right through

the bear‘s heart at 40 yards. Within seconds the

bear was lying in a heap. Jim got it all on film;

and Michele Leqve was the first female on record

to kill the world‘s largest land carnivore with a

bow and arrow. No one else can ever make that

claim.

There was quite a celebration and lots of

photo shooting as camp was set up and the bear

was dressed. The Inuits use every scrap of the

bear including the guts.

She has mixed feelings about shooting the

bear on the third day of a 14-day hunt. On one

hand the hardships were so extreme that it was a

blessing. On the other hand, shared hardships

create close bonds between people, and the

feelings she has for the natives who accompanied

her are strong. She would have liked to have

more time with them. What other things might

she have seen and done if she was out there

longer? She may never know. When asked if she

would do it again, she was quite adamant. ―Once

is enough,‖ she replied. ―I wouldn‘t do it again. It

was a once-in a lifetime experience.‖

The income from the polar bear hunts has a

remarkable affect on the native people. There are

32 bear tags issued for that large area in most

years, and without it, the people would not be

able to have the comforts that they have today.

And they love the byproducts of a bear hunt too.

The day Michele and her crew arrived back in

town, there was an announcement on the radio

that a bear had been shot, and the location where

people could go to get a share of the bear meat

was announced over the air.

The natives also know how important the hunt

is to the health of the species as a whole. They

understand that it is important to keep the

numbers of male bears in check because the

males kill bear cubs and often eat the females too.

Plus, a population of too many bears takes a toll

on the seals and other animals that the people

depend on for food. There‘s an important balance

to be maintained and hunters are a vital part of

that balance.

Michele is grateful for the opportunity to do

this and remains humble about it, despite the fact

that she made hunting history. The hardships, and

the triumphs, will be etched in her memory

forever and no one can take them away from her.

She says the one thing that sticks with her most is

the constant unknown attached to the adventure.

―I just never knew what to expect or what was

going to happen next! It is not like a whitetail

hunt where you kind of know what things to look

for. This was all new, all the time.‖ BA

Editor’s note: You can purchase the DVD ‘Hunting Nanuq with Xtreme Bowhuntress Michele Leqve’ at www.bowsrusoutdoors.com featuring Michele’s Polar Bear hunt as well as four other trophy hunts.

I knew in the

moment, that what I was

experiencing was

special, but I didn‘t

realize at the time just

how life changing it

would prove to be. We

were sitting on the shore

of his pond, lazily

fishing, but more

importantly talking. My

Grandpa didn‘t really

open up much,

especially after my

Grandma passed away

in a tragic accident

years prior. On the

exterior he was a hard

man, but anyone that

knew him well could

see that he had a heart

of gold. On that day, he talked about the years

after her accident and how his life had changed.

He realized for the first time just how short life

can be; he decided to start living life and pursuing

what he had always wanted to do.

One of his dreams had always been to hunt elk

out west, which was a dream that we had in

common. Unfortunately it was too late for him.

Years of manual labor, arthritis, and ultimately

cancer, kept him from pursuing that dream. Me

on the other hand, I was fully capable of making

that dream a reality. He told me earnestly and

directly to not just dream about that hunt, he told

me to make it happen.

I can think of dozens of obstacles,

circumstances, and situations that could keep my

dream hunt from becoming a reality. It is easy to

convince myself that I don‘t have enough time,

money, or knowledge to pull off this hunt

anytime soon. It is easy to dream. It is easy to say

―one day I will make that happen.‖

What if that “one

day” never comes?

Every hunter has a

hunt that they dream of

taking one day. Most of

us have several. You

may dream, as I do, of

chasing the mighty bull

elk through the Rockies.

Maybe you dream of

that 30‖ high country

mule deer or a record

book Midwestern

whitetail. Or, maybe

you dream of pursuing

big game in Alaska,

Africa, or even New

Zealand.

I want you to think

long and hard about that

dream and ask yourself

one question...Do you really want it?

I think you can make that dream come true. It

may cost you a lot of money, a lot of time, and a

lot of effort, but if you want it bad enough, you

can embark on your dream hunt.

As I recall my conversations with Grandpa,

and think about making our dream a reality, I

have realized four things which are helping me

make that dream come true. I‘ll call them the

―Four S‘s…

Study, Schedule, Save, and Sweat

Study – Turning your dream hunt into a

reality starts with studying. Many don‘t actually

know what it will take to pull off the hunt of our

dreams. Studying involves getting a concrete

grasp of what will be involved on making our

dream hunt come true. How much will it cost?

How can I draw the tag? When is the best time to

go? What equipment will I need?

There are a lot of questions, but thankfully we

live in a day and age in which the answers are

accessible. The internet contains a vast amount

of information in blogs, forums, magazines

(ahem), and even state wildlife department

websites. In addition to searching online, don‘t

overlook picking up the phone. Helpful game

officers and conservation agents are usually just a

call away.

There are a lot of things you probably don‘t

know about your dream hunt, but you have no

excuse to stay that way. The information is

available, but you must study!

Schedule – Now that you have studied your

hunt, you should have a good idea of what it will

take to pull it off. The most important thing you

can do next is schedule your hunt. No, I don‘t

mean booking a guide, buying plane tickets, or

locking yourself into a specific day. What I mean

is setting an honest timeframe of when you can

make the hunt happen. Your goal may be one

year, or it may be in twenty. The point is,

schedule the hunt so you know what you need

and how much time you have to get it done.

Don‘t keep saying ―one day‖. Instead say, ―In the

Fall of 20xx, I will go on this hunt.‖

I decided last fall that I would be hunting elk

in the Rockies in two years. I had been studying,

and now I set my date. I am well on my way to

making my dream hunt a reality. Now I just need

to…

Save (and Spend!) – I think the biggest

excuse that most hunters make for not pursuing

their dream hunts is the lack of funds. And, quite

honestly, that is a legitimate hurdle for the

majority of us. I am a young guy with young kids.

I get that money is tight. Saving, just like

scheduling, is something that will remain an

excuse, unless we choose to do something about

it. If I don‘t start saving today, then I will never

just have the money for my hunt. That is, unless I

win the lottery.

In addition to chasing elk in the Rockies,

another one of my dream hunts is to pursue

Bighorn Sheep with my bow in British Columbia.

That will not be a cheap trip by any means. I can

keep dreaming, or I can start saving. A little bit

here, and a little bit there, will

certainly add up to

something. It

may take me

10, 15, or even

20 years, but I

will get there.

In addition to

saving, one of the

best things we can

do to make our

dream hunts possible

is to spend wisely. If

you are like me then

some of the gear you

use now may work

for your dream hunt,

but some of it may

have to be replaced or

upgraded. I am filtering every hunting-related

purchase I make through the long-term goal of

my dream hunt(s). Maybe product X will be fine

for my hunting now, but if I would go with

product Y I will be much better off in the long

run. I don‘t hunt elk yet, but I bought my new

bow with backcountry elk hunting in mind. The

same can be said of my sight, arrows, backpack,

tent, etc.

Don‘t just save smart. Spend smart. It is better

to buy once.

Sweat – It is going to take a lot of hard work

to make your dream hunt come true. It may mean

extra hours of work to save the money, or it may

mean extra time spent researching and planning.

It will also often mean literal buckets of sweat.

Most of us dream of chasing elusive game in

terrain that we are not adapted to or physically

prepared for. If we want to be successful and hunt

our quarry in their home turf, then we are

going to need to prepare

for that physically. We

must condition our

bodies and raise our

hunting and shooting

skills to the next level.

There isn‘t

enough hours in the

day, I can agree

with you on that

one. But, if you

really want to

make your dream hunt

come true then you are

going to need to find the

time – maybe even skip

some sleep. I am

squeezing every extra

minute I can to train

myself physically,

prepare myself mentally, and learn as much as I

can about the animals I am after, and the terrain

in which they reside – all while working hard and

loving my family well. It is difficult, but it can be

done.

Stop dreaming and start hunting! It will take

some studying, you will need to schedule it out,

you will need to make some financial sacrifice,

and you must be willing to put in the work.

You can get there, if you really want it. Do

you? BA

My ears ring from the bellowing screams.

They are getting closer. I have hiked mile after

mile and gained elevation with each step. The air

is so thin that I have trouble breathing, but I am

determined. My heart is now racing. Suddenly,

the mountain comes to life as he majestically

appears in an opening in the forest. I draw my

compound bow, settle the pin, focus...and then I

wake up! It was just a dream. An incredible,

exciting, adrenaline-fueled dream!

Bowhunting the Wapiti in the high country of

Colorado has been a dream hunt of mine since I

was young. Actually, it was more of a

pipedream. When I lived in New York State, I

had an abundance of whitetails to hunt and was

living paycheck-to-paycheck, so I stuck with

bowhunting what I knew – whitetail deer. I

figured bowhunting elk was out of the realm of

possibility. As I have grown as a man, as a

bowhunter, I know that hard work, a little

research, and focused determination can get you

that dream.

The first order of business was devising a

game plan; a ‗How-to-attain-my-goal‘ list, if you

will. When I sat down and put pencil to paper, I

sat there in a hazy stupor. Where was I going to

start? The task was powerfully overwhelming. I

put the pencil down and jumped on bowhunting

forums like DIYbowhunter.com and posed a

question about elk hunting and where to begin. It

turns out there are many hunters out there willing

to share information; you just have to ask the

questions!

The assistance I was offered by my fellow

bowhunters was incredible. It was rather

humbling to find people willing to share this

priceless information. In no time, I had

information on where to start and everyone

insisted I take my time with planning. It wasn‘t

going to happen overnight, so I listened and

absorbed all of the information.

I burned a few lunch hours researching the

tags and areas to hunt as I was so focused on

reading the material offered by the Colorado Fish

and Game Dept. I had no idea that you could get

an over-the-counter elk tag in Colorado! Not

only was it over-the-counter, but you can choose

between an OTC archery cow or either-sex tag

(the latter cost a little more).

I then decided I needed more information. By

joining the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation I

was rewarded with great information like

“Secrets to Better Elk Hunting”. Talk about

abundant information! This is packed with it! If

you are looking to hunt elk and are not a member,

join and you‘ll be rewarded with invaluable

wisdom.

Mental and physical training are two key

elements I needed to work on to have an

enjoyable, successful OTC DIY Colorado elk

hunt. When I lived back East, my training was

limited to rugby practice. I didn‘t have a need to

train hard for hunting out of a tree stand 100

yards from the road. Hunting an elk isn‘t going

to be easy and having them walk right under a

tree stand is not very likely, so I will have to train

my body for this hunt. Sure, I could probably

wing it. I could show up with my gear and go

hunting. Then the altitude would strangle me, the

hiking would drag me down, and I wouldn‘t

enjoy the hunt. Then, if and when I am

successful, the downed elk isn‘t going to walk

itself out of the forest. Physical training is a

must!

My physical training began with cardio in the

gym. I exercised, ate better, and I dropped some

weight. Then I got to thinking. If I kill an elk, I

am going to have to pack out a hundred pounds of

meat at a time over rough country and quite

possibly have to do it many times. I needed to

replicate that feat. So, I broke out the Badlands

2200 and loaded it with sandbags. I am hiking 3-

4 miles with a combined weight of 70 lbs right

now. By the time September rolls around I aim

to be lugging 100+

pounds on my back and

hiking more than 5

miles at a time.

Living just above sea

level is going to be a

major challenge as the

altitude is going to be

my enemy. Even still, I

will be taking it slow. I

don‘t want any

headaches or

lightheaded hikes.

Training in the Southern

California foothills will

help some. I‘ll be able

to gain some elevation

and to run some hills, but the true test will come

when I am climbing that first Colorado mountain

in search of elk.

Mentally, I am focusing on shot placement.

Consistent archery practice is also going to be

essential to my success. Not only will I have to

hit the archery range more often, I will also have

to practice out further. My goal was to regularly

practice out to 80 yards so that my 40-50 yard

shots are chip shots. With the addition of a 7-pin

sight, I have begun practicing out to 80 yards. I

am now becoming

accustomed to that

distance and when I

creep in to 50 yards it

almost seems too close.

Another major item is

hitting the target right

where I want to.

Practicing out to 80

yards is all well and

good, but I have to do it

AND hit the sweet spot

on the target. Once I

feel comfortable on a

level surface I plan on

practicing on hill sides.

Shooting up, down,

sideways, out of breath, crouched, and I could go

on, but you get the picture. I want to be ready for

any situation.

Another form of practice is sharpening my

cow calls. A great way to learn has been to

practice in my car on my way to work in the

morning. I figure if I have to be stuck in traffic,

but it doesn‘t mean I can‘t accomplish

something! I listen to proper calling,

practice, listen some more and practice

again. If you record what you are doing it

really helps you fine tune your calling.

My work is cut out for me, but with my

dream in sight, 2012 will be the year I

make it to Colorado for a DIY elk hunt

with an OTC tag. I will be ready. My

body will be fit, my skills honed, and the

air clean. My dream hunt WILL happen in

2012. What about yours? BA

Randy R. Mabe (336)908-0699 HuntRMabe@aol.com

www.BroadheadKennels.com

Right out of the gate, I‘m going to apologize.

I‘m sorry if I offend anyone with this story, but as

a guy that feels he has earned the right to say

what I‘m about to say, I feel you should know up

front what you‘re getting into. No miscon-

ceptions, no confusion, no soft selling, I‘m

talking full disclosure. As your writer, I feel it is

my duty to be upfront and honest and tell you

what I have told anyone else that has asked me,

including my dad. If you have a dream to head

west in pursuit of the mighty Wapiti, then I feel it

my obligation to warn you elk hunting with a

bow and arrow on your own is hard. Downright

brutal with the potential to chew you up and spit

you out. Do It Yourself (DIY) backcountry elk

hunting takes no prisoners and it doesn‘t give one

iota how much time and effort you‘ve put in.

Nothing is given and success is earned one inch

at a time.

So if we know DIY elk hunting is hard, then

that must mean DIY elk hunting when you‘re

from the east is somewhere close to impossible.

If you answered yes, then you are correct. DIY

Elk hunting when you‘re from the east is a hard

that‘s harder than the first hard. Please don‘t take

this the wrong way, but if you‘re soft, lazy, or

just in general don‘t seem to have ―toughness‖

about you, then I suggest you stop reading right

now and move on to something different. I won‘t

be offended, I will not judge, and what is good

for one is not always good for another.

If however you‘re still with me, then I invite

you to saddle up as we embark on discussing

what I feel are the first steps in becoming a DIY

Elk hunter from the east.

----

Getting Started

Keeping in mind this is a magazine article not

a book, there are a few basic topics that I feel

need to be answered when considering a first

timer hunting the west.

Step 1: Setting the Tone.

Step 2: Who are you going with?

Step 3: Where are you going?

Step 4: Devise a plan.

Step 1: Setting the Tone.

I‘m a quote guy. I love them. I have a quote

on my phone screen, “He who suffers,

remembers”, I have a quote on my bow limb,

“Failure is Not an Option‖. These quotes,

strategically placed, remind me to not only stay

focused day in and day out, but also help

motivate me. When thinking about Step 1:

Setting the Tone, the quote that says it all to me is

from Bryan Tracy, a renowned author and

motivational speaker, when he says…

“Between you and every goal you wish to

achieve there is a series of obstacles, and the

bigger the goal, the bigger the obstacles. Your

decision to be, and have and do something out of

the ordinary entails facing difficulties and

challenges that are out of the ordinary as well.

Sometimes your greatest asset is simply your

ability to stay with it longer than anyone else.”

For me it doesn‘t get much simpler than that.

If I want something, then I need to do something.

It‘s that simple. I don‘t mean to sound all Johnny

hardcore with this, but if your dream is to go elk

hunting, then go elk hunting. Stand up, look

yourself in the mirror, and tell yourself you‘re

going elk hunting. The biggest obstacle in this

entire process is not where to go, what equipment

you‘ll need, or what tag you need to draw, the

biggest obstacle in the entire process is you.

Make the commitment. Be bold and give your

heart and soul to the journey.

Step 2: Who are you going with?

Once you decide you‘re going, the next move

is to decide who you‘re going with. Please be

forewarned this is a step not be taken lightly.

Whoever you

are considering

asking, my

advice is to

really think it

through before

you actually

make the

decision. Just

because a friend

is fun to hang

out with at a 3D

shoot doesn‘t

mean they‘ll be

fun to hang out with when

the going gets tough in

the backcountry.

I once had a good

friend tell me (when

talking about running a

100 mile ultramarathon)

“If you have a weakness, a 100 miler will find it.”

Trust me when I tell you the mountains are no

different. They will find your weakness and

exploit it. The last situation you want to be in is

to find yourself 6 miles deep into the backcountry

with the wrong person in the wrong situation.

Whether you pick 1, 2, 3, or 6 people, I

encourage you to choose wisely and make sure

that your goals are aligned with those in your

party.

Step 3: Where are you going?

This is one that is going to take some serious

time and energy. When deciding where to go

there are a number of variables to consider with

the most important in my opinion being tag

availability vs. quality of animal. Your best bet is

to start reading and researching through magazine

publications such as Western Hunter, Eastman’s

Hunting & Bowhunting Journal, and Elk Hunter

Magazine, just to name a few. There is also a

wealth of books available on this topic.

The second option when considering where

to go is the internet. There literally has not

been an easier time in history to find and

access information on hunting in other states.

Take for example the access we have to

individual state Division and Department of

Wildlife web sites. Hunting regulations, tag

information, drawing

odds, hunt planners,

harvest information,

biologists and ranger

phone numbers, can all

be found by a click of

the mouse. This,

along with other

resources such as

Google searches,

hunting forums, blogs,

and mapping software

like Google Earth and DeLorme Topo make it

pretty darn simple to obtain some serious

hardcore information about a hunting area if you

want it. Start digging, stay diligent, and ask a lot

of questions. Eventually through all of your

research, a spot will emerge.

Step 4: Devise a plan.

I‘m not going to lie; devising a plan

encompasses a lot. From logistics of getting

from your house to camp, to equipment including

archery gear, camping gear, clothing, food, etc.,

to breaking down an animal and getting it out, to

putting yourself into mountain conquering, elk

killing shape, step 4 of devising a plan is all about

the details, and lots of them.

Cutting my teeth I‘ve missed details that

directly cost me shots at filling my tag and I

found out the hard way how important the little

things are. My best advice for step 4 is to look at

things through the eyes of the Nth

degree. Always

err on the side of caution and over-prepare for

what you expect.

In future issues of BowAmerica I will do my

best to break down subject areas in this step such

as logistics, equipment, backcountry nutrition,

physical preparation, etc., and share with you

what I feel has worked for me. By no means do I

claim to be the expert, I‘m just a simple guy that

wanted to go elk hunting so bad he found a way

to make it happen while living and growing up in

the east. BA

We all have been caught day dreaming at

work of far off places in which we fulfill our

childhood dreams of taking a trophy animal on a

species not native or our normal hunting grounds.

Wildebeest on the African plains, a 7x7 Rocky

Mountain Elk in Montana, Dall Sheep in Alaska

or a Big Mature Whitetail in South Texas, but for

me it is the fastest land mammal in North

America, the North American Pronghorn or

Speed Goats as I'd like to call them.

I have spent countless hours scouring videos,

articles, blogs, BLM maps, Google Earth and

hunting stories of others taking their trophies on

the plains of North American. A lot of people

take them with a rifle and sit 200+ yards away

while the goat stares at them, but my dreams are a

little closer than that. I want to be able to see my

reflection in their eyes as I lift my range finder up

to verify the yardage of my then equal. Game

and hunter facing each other at 30 paces, lime old

west gun slingers, me the drifter and he the salty

country folk locked in a battle of wits and wills.

The drawing of his last breath and the exhale of

mine, a symphony of power and grace, that

results in a well placed arrow just behind his

shoulder at the intersection of white and brown.

A short yet vigorous run from the goat results in

the most monumental event in my hunting career

up to this point, my first Speed Goat. The crowd

stands in applause as the curtain falls and I win an

Emmy for my film on hunting in Idaho. Well at

least that is how it plays out within my mind, or

something like that.

Fast forward a few years and insert an

opportunity hunt public land in the great state of

Idaho and more specifically South East

Idaho. Top that off with a friend who is a local

who has endless connections and the ability to

give much needed support on the ground, and I

am poised to embark an adventure that will for

me at least, be forever remembered.

So now that I have the pie in the sky plans laid

out in front of me where do I go from here? To

start, my hunt is all public land and though from

what I have heard from others and what I have

seen from pictures there are big goats out there, it

is really still just hear-say and promises. But, I

do believe I can do a lot of scouting from my

office in California of the land and topography in

South East Idaho. Here is a basic rundown of my

normal routine.

A simple Google search can do wonders

for providing information on an area.

Articles, a guides notes, and details from

past hunters on a general area. You will

find restaurants, archery shops, motels and

endless information and possible contacts

on an area that you have never even see. It

is a daunting task at this point, but you

need to start somewhere.

During the search, click on the Images tab

and start the endless hours of looking at

pictures that have been posted by people

and websites. It is amazing what pride

will do to a hunter, with all the

advancements in technology our bar room

boasting has only moved to the computer

for everyone to see. People tend to give

way to much information on who, what,

when, where and why's of the hunt,

especially when they harvest something.

Also take note of key geographical

features in the background to help you get

your bearings when in the field.

In my case with Pronghorn, water during

August and September is the best way to

hunt them. Find water on public land and

you most likely find antelope smacking

their lips for a refreshing drink. So I

looked up pictures of windmills, watering

holes, hay fields and photo blogs.

Photographers may not pursue game in the

sense that you or I, but they hunt game

with a lens and share it freely. You'd be

amazed of the quality of information you

can get from hikers, geocachers and

wildlife photographers.

Now that the basic information has been

found it is time to get specific and look at maps

and more specifically aerial photographs of

watering holes and hopefully game trails. Last

year I hunted a new area and by only searching

Google Earth and my other best friend, Cabelas

Recon, I set myself up on a spot that had a 250+

pound pig trotting right at me within 15 minutes

of being set up.

Look for programs and information on the

web to help you set up what you can from your

home. Lastly don‘t be afraid to call up shops for

information on the area you are targeting, search

content and ask questions on regionally specific

forums. The worst they can say is nothing or no,

at the least they may give you some info and

maybe, just maybe, they will invite you over for a

drink and tell you to bring your map when you

get to town. BA

Submitting for out of state tags can sometimes

be a daunting task. After years of hunting your

own state and becoming familiar with all of the

local application processes, fees, deadlines, etc.,

if you decide to venture outside of your state

lines, the application process quickly becomes an

adventure of its own.

Living in Colorado, I‘m pretty familiar with

how things work in my state, but as soon as Troy

and I decided to start submitting for big game

tags in other Western states, we quickly realized

that it is necessary to do your homework and plan

ahead. It is not as simple as buying your tag a

month before your hunt. You must plan ahead

and submit for your tag well in advance. Each

state has their own application process, and most

get started around the first of the year. The

deadline to submit for 2012 big game tags has

already past for several of the western states;

however, if you are still wanting to plan a trip out

west this fall for big game, there is still time. But

you will need to act fast!

The best recommendation I have if you are

planning on hunting out west in the near future, is

to start doing your research now! Changes to the

application process often occur from year to year,

but the more familiar you are with how a state

works, the better off you will be.

Something else to consider, even if you are

not planning on hunting a western state this year

or even next year, is the option to begin building

your preference points. By having additional

points, when you submit for a tag in an area that

limits the tags or ―permits‖ allowed for a unit, the

greater chance you have on drawing a tag in a

preferred unit. Many states will even allow you

to purchase these points even if you are not

planning on hunting that year. Keep in mind that

some states will only allow you to be considered

for the draw after accumulating a certain amount

of points. You can receive your points by either

being unsuccessful in the draw, or by simply

purchasing a bonus point for that species as

mentioned previously.

The below sections, separated out by state,

give a high-level glance at the some of the more

popular big game tags, along with the 2012 non-

resident pricing structure. The application

deadlines and hunting regulations were obtained

through each state‘s Division of Wildlife (DOW)

site. Your best bet is to access each DOW

directly for the most accurate information. Most

of these states now have Big Game Application

Guidebooks that can be downloaded directly from

their websites. Another great feature that proves

very helpful when trying to determine where to

hunt is the Drawing Odds. E.g., Wyoming has

the 2011 Drawing Odds listed for each species

drawn.

All prices listed below are for nonresident and

male species animals. Refer to individual DOW

hunting regulations for other pricing options,

resident, youth, antlerless, etc.

Once you select a state for your next DIY big

game adventure, begin planning well in advance

and make sure you read through and be familiar

with all the hunting regulations prior to your

hunt. Remember that each state is different and it

is your responsibility to ensure that you follow

and respect their laws.

COLORADO

In Colorado, if you are unsuccessful in the

draw process, there are still opportunities to

purchase a left over draw tag or over-the-counter

(OTC) unit tag for some species, e.g., elk and

antelope. The big game regulations brochure

details all of the draw and over-the-counter units.

The only down side to hunting in an OTC area is

potential hunting pressure and lower animal populations.

Another thing to consider if coming to CO is the bow regulations. Scopes, electronic or

battery-powered devices cannot be incorporated into or attached to bow or arrow. Yes, that includes

lighted nocks. In addition, there are regulations on the broadheads allowed, e.g., a minimum of 7/8-

inch outside diameter or width and minimum two steel cutting edges. Each edge must be in the same

plane for the entire length of the cutting surface. Many broadheads now days have a helical design,

which is not allowed in CO.

I‘ve said it several times already, but this is another great example of why it is important to read

through the regulations for each state.

Preference Points Available? Yes. CO offers the opportunity to acquire / buy preference points.

Application Process: Online / Mail

*Nonresidents must use paper applications if applying for moose hunts.

Additional Fees? Yes. A $10.00 Habitat Stamp is required when purchasing a license.

Proclamations: Sheep & Goat; Elk, Deer, Pronghorn, Moose, Bear

COLORADO www.wildlife.state.co.us

APPLICATION DEADLINE COST

ANTELOPE Apr 3, 2012 $349 - adult $103.75 - youth

BIG HORN SHEEP Apr 3, 2012 $1,919

DEER Apr 3, 2012 $349 - adult $103.75 - youth

ELK Apr 3, 2012 $579 - adult $103.75 - youth

*MOOSE Apr 3, 2012 $1,919

MOUNTAIN GOAT Apr 3, 2012 $1,919

UTAH

The big change for Utah this year is the general season deer hunt now takes place in 30 units instead

of five regions. Due to this change, the buck / bull combo hunt is being discontinued in the Northern

Region.

Preference / Bonus Points Available? Yes. UT offers the opportunity to buy bonus points for

$10.00; however, a license must be purchased first in order to qualify.

Another thing to keep in mind, is that if you are building bonus points, you must apply at least once in

a consecutive three-year period in order to not lose points accrued. Deadline this year is March 8, 2012

Application Process: Online / Mail

Additional Fees? Yes. Before applying for a hunting tag in UT, a hunting license must be

purchased first. A nonresident basic hunting license costs $65.00.

Proclamations: 2012 Application Guidebook; Regulations

*Once-in-a-lifetime species

UTAH www.wildlife.utah.gov

APPLICATION DEADLINE COST

ANTELOPE Mar 1, 2012 $288 (limited-entry)

*BIG HORN SHEEP Mar 1, 2012 $1,513

DEER Mar 1, 2012 $263 (general) $463 (limited-entry)

ELK Mar 1, 2012 $388 (general) $795 (limited-entry)

*MOOSE Mar 1, 2012 $1,513

*MOUNTAIN GOAT Mar 1, 2012 $1,513

WYOMING

Wyoming also offers the opportunity to purchase leftover licenses if you are unsuccessful in a draw.

They are available to purchase this year on July 10, 2012 and it is a first come, first serve basis.

Keep in mind; if you acquire a tag in WY and will be hunting within a game management unit that

has a wilderness boundary, it is mandatory that you have a guide with you at all times. This is a state

law. There are several areas that are not wilderness within a game management unit, but it is still up to

you to be familiar with the area you are hunting. Know your maps!

Preference Points Available? Yes. Preference points can be purchased online July 1 - Sept 30 for

deer, elk, antelope, moose, or Bighorn sheep

Application Process: Online / Mail

Additional Fees? Yes. Wyoming has a $14.00 nonrefundable application fee for each tag

submitted.

Proclamations: 2012 Big Game Regulations

WYOMING www.gf.state.wy.us

APPLICATION DEADLINE COST

ANTELOPE Mar 15, 2012 $272

BIG HORN SHEEP Feb 29, 2012 $2,252

DEER Mar 15, 2012 $312

ELK Jan 31, 2012 $577

MOOSE Feb 29, 2012 $1,402

MOUNTAIN GOAT Feb 29, 2012 $2,152

MONTANA

Montana offers combination licenses which include a fishing license, bird license, conservation

license and hunting access enhancement fee. This seems to be a good option considering all of the

additional fees required when purchasing a license in MT.

New this year for nonresident applications is the option to purchase your additional elk / deer

permit at the same time as your license. The deadline for both permit and license is now March 15th.

In the past, the permit deadline was June 1st. By changing the deadline to the same date, the draw

results will be available by the end of April for both, which provides additional time to plan your hunt.

In order to purchase a MT bow and arrow license, it is necessary to provide a National Bowhunter

Education Foundation certificate.

Preference / Bonus Points Available? Yes. Preference points can be purchased for a $50 fee.

Bonus points can also be purchased for a $20 fee. Both preference and bonus points are lost if not used

for two consecutive years. More detailed explanation of Preference vs. Bonus points can be found

here.

Application Process: Online / Mail

Additional Fees? Yes. There are several. A $10.00 conservation license is a prerequisite for all

licenses. A $10.00 Hunting Access Enhancement Fee assessed at the time of license purchase. And, for

bowhunters a $10.00 Archery license must be purchased after obtaining a hunting license.

Permits may also be purchased for each license which allows the hunter to expand the area they are

hunting in.

Proclamations: 2012 Deer and Elk

MONTANA www.fwp.mt.gov/hunting

APPLICATION DEADLINE COST

ANTELOPE Jun 1, 2012 $205

BIG HORN SHEEP May 1, 2012 $755

DEER Mar 15, 2012 $561

ELK Mar 15, 2012 $794

MOOSE May 1, 2012 $755

MOUNTAIN GOAT May 1, 2012 $755

IDAHO

Idaho offers great big game hunting opportunities, and licenses can be purchased for either general

or controlled hunts. Their controlled hunt permits are issued by a random drawing, and if you are

fortunate to draw a tag, you will want to take advantage of the Idaho Hunt Planner which is a great

resource for planning a DIY hunt. Maps and information on Idaho‘s rules, dates, harvest information,

drawing odds, etc. are available through this online resource.

Preference / Bonus Points Available? No

Application Process: Online, Mail (Nonresident Application), or phone (1-800-554 - 8685)

Additional Fees? Yes. The state of Idaho requires a hunting license of $154.75 to be purchased in

order to qualify for a tag or permit. If applying for a controlled (limited) hunt, an additional $14.75 fee

is added for each application.

Proclamations: 2011 - 2012 Bighorn Sheep & Mountain Goat; 2011 Big Game

NOTE: As of Feb 2012, ID does not have updated proclamations available. Be sure to check the ID

website for the most current information for the 2012 - 2013 season.

IDAHO www.fishandgame.idaho.gov

APPLICATION DEADLINE COST

ANTELOPE Jun 5, 2012 $311.75

BIGHORN SHEEP Apr 30, 2012 $2,101.75

DEER Jun 5, 2012 $301.75

ELK Jun 5, 2012 $416.75

MOOSE Apr 30, 2012 $2,101.75

MOUNTAIN GOAT Apr 30, 2012 $2,101.75

So, there you have it - a brief, high-level comparison on prices and applications for hunting big

game species in a few of the Western states. And, if you aren‘t up for the challenge of navigating

through the application process, there is always the option of going through a full service licensing

program, e.g., Cabela‘s T.A.G.S. BA

All hunters and outdoorsman have some sort

of dream hunt they would like to do.

In making this hunt happen you need to have

access to public or private land. Some hunters

just don‘t have that luxury, leaving them to rely

on guides and outfitters. Prior to bookingvthe

hunt there are some questions hunters may want

to ask to ensure that they are getting their

money‘s worth while talking to guides and

outfitters. Are licenses and tags included in the

price or do they have to be bought separately and

does the price include lodging and meals, for

instance. With most guides and outfitters lodging

and meals are included, but be sure before

booking your hunt. If there is a need to fly, will

there be transport from the airport? What about

processing of the harvest and preparation of the

meat for transport? Processing of the harvest and

preparation for transport can be expensive and

different states have laws and regulations

concerning transport or the harvest. Many states

do not allow deer and other cervid carcasses to

cross the state line due to the threat of CWD.

How will you get to where you are going to

hunt? Some outfitters use horseback and not

atv‘s. If you are going to ride a horse and have

never ridden one, well you better go to a riding

stable for practice. If atv‘s are to be used, find

out if the outfitter and guide provide them, or if

you must bring your own.

What is the success rate for kills with the

outfitter? If the answer to this question is ―I don‘t

know for sure‖ or ―Pretty good,‖ be alert to this

question.

What constitutes a kill? For example, does

that mean if an animal is wounded and not

retrieved are you charged for that? This is an

important question to ask, especially if you are

Guide and Outfitter Checklist

Licensing and Tag Requirements Lottery Draws Priority Points Areas to Apply For Guide/Outfitter/Landowner Tags Non-Resident Costs Additional Permits Needed WMA Permits Habitat Permits Archery Permits Game Specific Permits 3-day / 5-day Permits Education Requirements Hunter Safety Bowhunter Education Over The Counter Permits Places to Purchase Outfitter Transportation State Agency Website

Hunting Success Rates Kill Success Rates Archery Kill Success Rates What is Considered a Kill Blood Hair Actual Recovery Shot Opportunity Rates What is Considered Shot Opportunity

Lodging / Meals Type of Lodging Campsite Resort Style Hotel How Far From Hunting Area Special Rates Type of Meals Brown Bag Style Lunches Full Breakfast / Supper Make Your Own Special Meal Accomodations

Transportation From / To Airport To / From Hunting Area To / From Game Processors Outfitter Supplied ATV / APV Bring Your Own ATV -next page-

hunting exotic animals on a preserve. The

outfitter pays for these animals since they are not

native. Does the outfitter only accept payment

once the animal is harvested? Some outfitters

provide wild boar hunts guarantee a kill or you

don‘t have to pay.

I have seen outfitters that charge different

prices for whitetail deer that score 130-140 class

and the price increases as the score of the buck

increases. Several outfitters I have talked to

charge a flat fee for the hunt. The same is true for

upland bird hunting on a shooting preserve. The

hunt may be sold all inclusive or you may be

charged by the bird.

It is very important not to choose the first

outfitter you talk. Do your research and ask

questions. Check references by talking to

previous hunters that have hunted with the

outfitter. Guides and outfitters love positive

feedback and most want to ensure your hunt is a

memorable experience. They also want return

business, so a negative response will most likely

show up if you ask the right questions.

I chose Silver Creek Outfitters in Cadiz, KY

this past deer season. I was a little reserved prior

to scheduling my hunt mainly because I didn‘t

know what to expect. I was greeted with a smile

and given full run of the farms. Scouting

opportunities were made available to me for both

morning and evening hunts. Stand locations were

wide open with the choice of using my own stand

or pre-hung stands. I had game camera pictures

along with scouting opportunities to help me

decide where I was going to hunt while there.

After my hunt was over I knew I had gotten

my money‘s worth and was well pleased with my

hunt making my experience a memorable one.

Asking questions and learning from previous

hunters experiences helped to make my hunt a

success and the memories great. BA

Guide / Outfitter Checklist continued

Hunting Habitat and Climate Typical Weather Habitat River Bottom Swamp Desert Forest / Hard Woods Mountains Field / Pasture Terrain Grassy Rocky Wet Special Clothing / Equipment Layered Bug / Tick / Snake Gear GPS or Google Earth / Maps Location

Hunt Areas Food Plots Baited Areas Natural Funnels / Corridors Trail Camera Locations Tracking Use of Dogs

Shooting Facilities Target / Sighting in Equipment

Guided Fully Guided Semi-Guided Self-Guided Game Tracking / Recovery Assistance Quartering / Skinning Assistance Typical Opportunity Average Shot Distance Guide with Firearm Backup

Before / After Come Early to Scout? Early Success-What About Remainder of Time? Last Hour Success-Does Guide Continue Recovery/Tracking of Downed Game?

Trophy Fees / Other Fees Trophy Class Fee if Large Animal? Size Requirements-Fee for smaller size?

Add-Ons Small Game Opportunity Other In-Season Big Game Combo Hunts

Other Services Game Processing Taxidermy Services

Last month in part one of this segment, we got

a quick and basic understanding of the major

anatomy of the shoulder and a very general

understanding of how the shoulder works. As

you recall, one of the main things to remember is

that the rotator cuff plays a significant role in

stabilizing the shoulder for virtually every

movement. Also, keep in mind that while it is a

ball in socket joint the socket made by the

glenoid fossa is shallow and the Labrum (ring of

cartilage) makes it a little deeper but is still

relatively unstable. Now you can imagine the

two most commonly injured areas, in my

experience, are first the rotator

cuff, and secondly the labrum.

While there is some pathology

specific to archers those

conditions are somewhat rare

and most of you reading this

aren‘t injuring your shoulder

with archery but are aggrav-

ating injuries sustained in other

manners. I will focus on the

injuries you are most likely to

encounter that will give you

trouble when shooting.

By far the most common

shoulder injury is some sort of

trauma or overuse injury of the

Rotator Cuff. The Rotator Cuff

is made up of the tendons from four relatively

small muscles that originate on the scapula and

attach to the head of the humerus. Such an

important structure is prone to overuse. One

condition is called Impingement Syndrome which

is caused by a narrowing of the space between the

Humeral head and the Acromion Process of the

Scapula (See Illustration; red circle). It can often

be treated with rest and physical therapy.

Otherwise the main injury is a sprain or tear of

the muscle or tendon. This is caused by trauma,

poor form, or various other mechanisms. Minor

sprains can be treated conservatively while major

tears are usually treated surgically. Keeping your

shoulder healthy (which we will cover shortly)

can be key in preventing most of these injuries.

Labral injuries are a little trickier and can be

caused by trauma, dislocation or subluxation.

Dislocation is when the head of the humerus is

moved out of the socket and

get stuck there. The labrum

can be injured during the

dislocation or during the

reduction (putting it back in

place). A Subluxation is a

dislocation that spontaneously

reduces itself. In other words

it pops out and then pops right

back in on its own. Because

several ligaments attach to the

labrum it can also be torn by

some forceful movements of

the shoulder in various

directions without the humeral

head leaving the joint socket.

Lastly, I‘m sure some of you

have heard of a SLAP tear. It is one of the most

common injuries to the labrum. I‘ve heard all

kinds of crazy ideas people come up with as to

why it‘s called a SLAP tear but what it really

means is Superior Labral tear Anterior to

Posterior. So basically the top part of the

cartilage is torn from front to back usually be

falling on an outstretched arm, bracing yourself

or repetitive overhead movements. Unfortunately

most of the time SLAP requires surgery, and is

somewhat difficult to prevent as it‘s usually

caused by trauma.

Now that we know the most common injuries

we‘ll review how we can prevent them, by simply

keeping your shoulder healthy. I will start of by

saying if you currently have shoulder pain see a

physcian! This article is not intended to treat or

diagnose any injuries. While some injuries can

be treated with the exercises we use to prevent

them, if done improperly they can make an injury

worse. Alright, now that we covered that we can

move on to prevention. The main thing that

prevents injury is strengthening which if done

properly also increases stability. We can promote

shoulder strength by targeting those small rotator

cuff muscles as well as larger stabilizer muscles.

A couple of simple exercises you can do are

Internal and External Rotation. If you put your

elbow at your side then put your hand on your

belly button and swing your hand out away from

your stomach by rotating your upper arm that is

external rotation and internal is just the opposite.

By using some sort of resistance in each direction

like a resistance band or cable machine you can

strengthen those rotator cuff muscles. You can

also use resistance with your elbow out at a 45 or

90 degree angle from your body. The key with

this exercise is to start with embarrassingly light

weight and slowly work your way up paying

close attention to muscle fatigue. Only move out

to 45 and 90 degrees once you have developed

strength at your side. Also, when doing the

motion with resistance with your arm at your

side, don‘t keep your elbow tucked against your

body. You should have a small gap. If you need

help maintaining that gap role up a small towel

and put it between your ribs and your upper arm

to create and maintain that small gap.

The next motions that can really help with

functional shoulder stability are called D1 and D2

Flexion and Extension which are really 4 total

motions. They are diagonal patterns of

movement that build on a technique therapists use

called Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation.

We won‘t dive into that concept but this is taking

a manual physical therapy technique and turning

it into a resistance exercise. The D1 movement is

somewhat like throwing a Frisbee, but more of a

direct downward movement. You start with your

hand on the opposite shoulder and move your

hand down and across your body to your hip.

That is called D1 extension and D1flexion is just

the exact opposite. Starting at your hip and

moving your hand up and across your body to the

opposite shoulder. D2 is a little different and is

like drawing a sword. Extension starts with your

hand on the opposite hip, move your hand up and

across your body in a diagonal motion until your

arm is outstretched above your head. Again D2

flexion is just the opposite starting with your arm

outstretched above your head like the statue of

liberty, move your hand and down across your

body to the opposite hip. Again, free motion

cable cross over machines or resistance bands can

add resistance to these motions for great

functional shoulder stability.

Lastly you can use a resistance band and

pull it back just to like you would your bow string

to help condition the muscles used in your draw

cycle but that will only keep one plane of

movement strong and stable. Before you go out

and try any of these exercises do your research

online and consider each source. Try to stick

with sports medicine university programs for

advice on the Internet or consult a fitness

professional. I can‘t caution you enough to start

with incredibly little weight or resistance and stop

at any sign of pain or discomfort outside of minor

muscle fatigue. BA

All the signs of spring are starting; the trees

are beginning to bud, the waterfowl have all left

for their northern homes, and the antlers are

dropping. Bowfishing season and the carp spawn

are just around the corner. That means it‘s time to

get your equipment that has sat idle all winter and

get it ready to roll. It‘s time to stash the equip-

ment in the car, have it at the ready, and even

pack along when shed hunting for those first

rough fish coming out of the winter depths.

My bows have hung quietly on their racks in

the bedroom for several months now, and I can

see that perhaps, just perhaps, I was so ready for

waterfowl hunting that I just sort of pulled them

from their stash in the truck and threw them up

there, minus any winterization or preventative

maintenance. Yikes! Is there really mud and

blood still on the recurve? Lordy, do they need

some attention before heading out to the

backwaters!

Getting your bowfishing equipment ready

isn‘t a tough or time consuming task, and these

last few gray, ugly, damp, cold days of winter

that are hanging on are the perfect opportunity to

spend a little time inside preparing for the spring

spawn and rush that‘s ever so close.

I feel obligated to interject here that one really

should retire their equipment properly at the end

of the season; it will not only save your bow, but

it will save you time come spring when you hear

that first fish flop and go racing to water‘s edge!

However, if you are like me and segue quickly

from bowfishing season to other cold weather

pursuits and just swapped out your bowfishing

tote in the truck for your deer hunting tote, here

are few guidelines for getting that equipment in

top operating shape for the season ahead.

First I do an overall visual inspection, and

quick clean up, so that any problems can be noted

and listed. If I‘m going to have to make a trip to

my local archery shop, I might as well have a list

ready and not traipse over there forty seven

different times.

After I do the initial once over, I start in

earnest. First check the strings for any frays or

damage that would require them to be replaced. If

you note that the string has stretched; traipse over

to your favorite bow shop and have them add

twists to tighten the string back up. Stop to

consider the huge number of fibers that make up a

bow string, factor in the added twist that they

endure and this leads us to the next step in my

spring clean up – those strings need lubricated!

Water proof wax, in my opinion, is still the best

material for this. The wax also protects the string

from the abuse bowfishing puts bows through.

For those new to bowfishing, it‘s a dirty, messy,

wet faced, fast-paced, shoot, shoot, and shoot

again business. Not at all like a quiet autumn sit

in a tree stand. Water, sand, mud, blood, and the

occasional submersion will eventually ruin your

string if not enough wax is present. Use a good

soft wax and apply it to the string, rub it in with

your fingers, and wipe off any excess. Whatever

you do, DO NOT heat the wax or strings; that‘s

instant recipe for disaster.

Next on the list; check your cams, idler

bushing, and limbs. Also inspect the outer edge of

your cams for any sign of damage, dings, bends,

or snags. Any of these could

cause the string to slip off or

cause damage to the string

itself. If the cam is damaged;

add that to list of items to be

addressed when you visit your

local archery shop.

Visually inspect the limbs,

look for cracks, finish damage,

unusual bends/twists, and

anything that seems out of the

ordinary. During the rush of

carp spawn is no time to have

limb explode or crack. If

there‘s an issue with a limb,

correct it now. Once again, put it on that list for

the archery shop.

One of the most important parts of your

bowfishing set up is your retriever and line. I

recommend using a little hot soapy water clean

up your retriever, get out all the tiny bits and

pieces of dirt, grit, and carp scales that always

seem to wind up in them. Add a bit of fresh

grease to the gears, and your retriever will be set

for that giant grassy hanging out in the weeds

waiting for you.

It‘s crucial to inspect your line for fraying, and

length of line in the bottle. Over the course of a

busy bowfishing season you can cut off a lot of

line; lots more than you probably realize. If you

have a standard retriever bottle check the

manufactures recommendations for the correct

amount of line. A general rule of thumb is 25

yards in a regular sized bottle and 50 yards in a

larger bottle retriever. A quick and easy way to

check this is by pulling all the line out of the reel

and cranking it back in. As rough guide, one

rotation on the handle equals ½ yard of line. So,

if you have 50 rotations on the handle that equals

25 yards of line. If you pull all the line out of

your bottle and you retrieve 45 rotations or less,

you should put new line in the reel. Suppose you

use a large bottle style retriever;

in that case 50 yards of line is

more acceptable. Using the one

crank-½ yard trick... the larger

bottle retrievers need 100

cranks. This formula works for

both 200lb Braided Dacron and

400lb Fast Flight line. Trust me,

there's nothing worse than

falling just short of that big gar

because you forgot to check the

length of line in your retriever.

Once I‘m satisfied that the

bows are in good working order

and set to go, I turn to my arrow

stash. A quick and inexpensive way to store

bowfishing arrows is to use a length of PVC pipe

with a secure cap on one end. I drill a couple of

holes in the end cap to help with water drainage,

and they are at the ready and easy to transport or

strap to the boat. Inspect all your arrows and

points. Is the arrow cracked? Warped? Does it

just plain look out of whack? Toss it. Toss it now.

Use it to stake up your tomato plant if you want,

but do not fling it at a fish.

Take a look at the tips. Are they rusty, bent,

and dull? Replace any that look past their prime

or look as if they aren‘t salvageable. Grab a can

of WD40 or similar lubricant and give the tip

threads a little squirt. This will make for faster

easier fish removal when the action is hot and

you are shooting what seems like a fish a minute.

Now that your bow and arrows are ready to

roll, don‘t forget all your accessories. Are your

sunglasses holding up okay? No scratches? Still

fitting well? Did your bowfishing partner step on

them late in the season? If they aren‘t in excellent

…these last few gray,

ugly, damp, cold days

of winter that are

hanging on are the

perfect opportunity to

spend a little time

inside preparing for the

spring spawn…

condition then add them to list of items to pick

up. A good set of polarized sunglasses is vital to

your success in daytime bowfishing. So much

that I sometimes am of the opinion that they play

a bigger part in bowfishing success than your

bow and arrows. Check your lights if you have

them attached to your bow or in your tote full of

equipment. Make sure you don‘t need to replace

the batteries and clean the contacts, if necessary.

Do it now, not in fit of frustration during the dark

on a riverbank.

If you primarily use a boat for your

bowfishing excursions, now is a good time to

give it a once over as well. Have a gander at the

welds on the shooting deck and rail. Safety first!

Repair or replace anything that could result in an

accident. Is the matting on the floor of boat

intact? We don‘t want loose edges to catch a

slimy foot and send someone into the water.

Visually inspect the wiring and use a tester to

check for any loose connections or bare spots

from pesky mice snacking or transport vibrations

that you may have encountered at the end of the

season. Double check the batteries and generator.

Give the batteries a fresh charge.

It won‘t be long and the carp will be moving

into the warm back waters, the days will be long

and the nights longer, as us bowfishers do our

part in taking out the exotic invasive carp and

other rough fish.

Follow these simple guidelines and you‘ll be

ready to rock and roll when you get that longed

for spring phone call saying, ―Holy Moly! …

There‘s carp everywhere! You have to get here

fast!‖

Think big, aim low, and see you in the

backwater! BA

Wild Game Recipes presented by Papa Scott’s Camp Dog

Catfish Courtbouillon Ingredients:

4 to 5 lbs. of Catfish, cleaned & cut into steaks 2 tbl spoons of vegetable oil to coat bottom of pot (I like

to use cast iron black pot) 1 large or 2 medium onions, chopped ½ cup of green onion chopped 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, chopped ¼ cup of parsley flakes 1 8oz. can tomato sauce 2 tbl spoons of flour Cajun Seasoning to taste (I use Camp Dog Cajun

Seasoning) original blend 1/2 cup of water to mix with flour to use as a thickener.

How to cook:

Season fish with Cajun Seasonings only Pour oil into pot and heat on medium setting Once oil is hot stir in cut onions and sauté for a few minutes then add green onions and

cook slow for about 15 minutes, once onions get transparent add tomato sauce, garlic and parsley and cook slow for about another 30 minutes stirring often, add just a little water to keep from sticking.

Now you are ready to lay your fish steaks in, try not to double steak if possible. Reduce heat cover and let cook very slow, do not stir but shake the pot often to keep from

sticking. If the fish is fresh it should produce its own water (you may add just a little if needed).

Cook for about 30 minutes then mix the flour and water and pour over the fish. Shake, cover and continue to cook for another 20 to 30 minutes until fish is cooked and sauce is just covering the fish.

Serve over a bed of hot rice with sides: ENJOY!

Emily Anderson Colorado

My hunting journey began shortly

after I got married. That fall as

opening season for deer was drawing

near, my sweet husband asked if it was

okay if he went hunting over the

weekend. I quickly responded with,

"Sure! As long as I can come

with." Ever since then, we have been

enjoying our passion for the outdoors /

hunting / fishing, and all that comes

with that... together as a husband and

wife team. I enjoy sharing our stories

of the times spent in the woods. They

can be quite interesting at times. As a

female hunter, I've learned a few

lessons of how to keep up with the guys

in camp. Because when you are hunting,

it is not about looking good and

smelling pretty for those elk. Instead

you learn to not be seen or smelt at

all. I also write the blog Scent Free

Lip Gloss.

Bernie Barringer Minnesota

Bernie began bowhunting in 1973 as a

14-year-old. This became a lifelong

addiction. For more than 35 years, he

has pursued small game, whitetails and

bears across the Midwest, but he is

expanding his experiences to include

other species in other parts of North

America.

After a few years in the 1980‟s as a

professional fur trapper, Bernie has

worked as an outdoor writer in fishing

and hunting, plus in promotions and

marketing in the fishing business for

more than 20 years. He has written more

than 300 magazine feature articles and

nine books. The Bowhunting Road web log

is a response to the request of people

who are fascinated by his passion for

bowhunting and his ability to tell a

story in a compelling way. Bernie is

“living the dream” as he chases game

with stick and string each year.

Tony Catalde California

I am a California born country boy

that grew up with a gun in one hand and

a fishing pole in the other. I have

been able to turn my passions of

bowhunting and fishing into my day job

where I am the Southwest Sale rep for

Elite Outdoor Sport. Western big game

is my passion, but I am not opposed to

bow fishing for carp either.

Bill Howard North Carolina

Bill is a hunter education (IHEA)

and bowhunter education (IBEP)

instructor, lifetime member of North

Carolina Bowhunters Association,

associate member of Pope and Young, and

official measurer for both. He writes

a weekly outdoors column for several

newspapers in North Carolina, is a

regular contributor to North Carolina

Bowhunter magazine, and writes the blog

BillHowardOutdoors and is publisher of

this magazine.

Mark Huelsing Missouri

Mark Huelsing is a regular guy with

an irregular passion for bowhunting and

the outdoors. In addition to writing

for BowAmerica, Mark runs the

bowhunting blog Sole Adventure, and is

also a contributor to several other

outdoor outlets such as Filson Life and

Bowcast. Connect with Mark at

SoleAdventure.com, or say hello on

twitter @SoleAdventure.

Will Jenkins Virginia

Will Jenkins runs TheWilltoHunt.com

Hunting Blog where he recently started

the „Harnesses for Hunters‟ Program. He

also writes for Maryland Whitetail

Magazine.

Darren Johnson Indiana

Darren Johnson is the author of

Taking a Walk on the Wild Side, a blog

born out of his personal love of nature

and his desire to help youth and adults

improve their lives through higher

self-esteem, good decision making and

strengthening family bonds by building

a relationship with nature. He lives

in central Indiana and spends as much

time as possible in nature activities

such as hiking, photography, archery,

hunting, fishing, food plot and habitat

development, as well as other

conservation projects.

Amanda MacDonald New York

Amanda MacDonald is a competitive

target archer and writes the blog Bow

Meets Girl. Amanda lives in Upstate NY

with her husband, two naughty cats and

a lazy dog. When she is not shooting

she is making stuff in her studio,

taking the dog for a hike with Matt,

baking something carb-tastic, or making

excuses to ditch the gym and go shoot.

Albert Quackenbush California

Al writes the bow-hunting blog site

SoCalBowhunter. He is a graphic

designer, photographer, life member of

the North American Hunting Club, and a

pro staffer and primary gear reviewer

for DIYBowhunter.com.

Ryan Shoemaker Ohio

Ryan Shoemaker maintains

Bowhuntquest.com and is a Solo DIY

backcountry hunter, ultra-marathoner,

and pro-staffer for Badlands, Bowtech

Archery, Trophy Taker, Victory Archery,

and Wilderness Athlete.

Britney Starr Michigan

Britney Starr is a native of

Michigan's Upper Peninsula. She is

currently part owner, client services

representative, and social media

manager of Starr & Bodill African

Safaris. Britney enjoys working side by

side with her father and licensed

Professional Hunter, Dwaine Starr, to

provide their clients a worry-free

safari. She also writes gear reviews

for The Women's Outdoor News, an online

resource for news, reviews, and stories

about women in the outdoors.

Gretchen Steele Illinois

Wild Woman, Medicine Mama, Dancin

Arrow Diva - Proud member of the The

Outdoor Sisterhood...just spending my

days walking the woods and waters, the

forests and the fields...Gretchen

writes the blog Walking with the Wild

Woman.

Nick Viau Michigan

Nick Viau authors the traditional

archery blog longbowblogger.com and is

a frequent contributor to the

stickandstring.com website and

publication. He is also a member of the

Michigan Traditional Bowhunters (MTB)

and Michigan Longbow Association (MLA).

Tony West Kentucky

Tony is 39 years old and married to

his best friend and biggest supporter.

He is a father of 2 amazing children.

Tony has been bow hunting since he was

10 and has never looked back. He is a

trial and error hunter who just loves

the challenge. He is the founder of

Hunters for Christ, pro-staff with

Whitefield Outdoors and Field Staff

with Following Ghost. He really enjoys

the outdoors and sharing his exper-

iences with others.

Thanks to ALL of our contributors

and writers and be sure to check out

their blogs and websites between

issues!

Ryan Shoemaker with Badlands

previews Badlands 2012 Clothing

Editor’s Note: Ryan serves as pro-staff for

Badlands

Seventeen years after producing their first

backpack, the folks at Badlands have pushed the

envelope to chart a new course for 2012 with the

release of their new Performance Apparel

System.

The system uses new concepts and in-house

technology to design a three part Performance

Apparel System. A Base layer for optimal in

core body temperature regulation, a Mid layer

designed to hold on to the body‘s heat, and an

Outer layer that completes the system by

keeping out wind, rain, and cold while still

allowing moisture to vapor out through high

performance microporus membranes. Each layer

was designed to work with the other and is

highlighted by seven main technology

features:

Scent Reduction System™ - The ultimate

antimicrobial treatment impregnated deep

into the fabric allowing it to kill odor

causing microbes.

Hex-Lite™ Fleece – A honeycomb

proprietary fleece design that increases

heat retention by trapping warm air into a

multitude of interlocking channels leading

to an increase in heat retention while at the

same time reducing bulk.

Bio-Shell™ - A proprietary composite

fabric designed with a custom treated

fleece. In a nut shell, it keeps the core

warm and dry.

DuPont Teflon DWR® - DuPont Teflon

is simply the highest quality water

repellent money can buy.

Mammoth Fleece™ - Performance fibers

that have been blended together to create

the optimal in heat retention.

Dry-Vent™ - A high performance, highly

efficient, Hydro-folic coated membrane

that draws moisture to the surface.

Variable Motion Seams – Designed to

enhance the body‘s natural range of

motion, each seam is tailored and

articulated to perfection insuring comfort

at all levels.

The Base

The core of the Badlands apparel system starts

with the Bio-Thermic™ Base layer. The base

layer pulls moisture away from the body helping

to regulate core temperature while at the same

time eliminating your scent through the anti-

microbial Scent Reduction System™. The

Element Top and Element Bottom headline the

base layer and are made of multi-stretch polyester

allowing for a full range of motion, and non-

chafing multi panel flat lock stitch construction.

Sizes range from M-XXL and are available in

Realtree AP™. (See Below)

The Mid

The Spectre Top and Spectre Bottom, Ion

Pants, Kinetic Vest, Impact Jacket, and

Inferno Jacket all make up the Badlands Mid

layer system and provide for a variety of layering

options. Each piece features Badlands Bio-

Thermic™ technology, articulated shoulders,

knees, and elbows, and range in size from M-

XXL are available in Realtree AP.

Getting into specifics, the Spectre Top and

Spectre Bottom is a heavier weight base layer

when compared to that of its close counterpart the

Element. The Spectre Top features a laser

welded shoulder pocket, articulated elbows, and

an integrated thumb hole for easily layering.

Both top and bottom also incorporate

antimicrobial SRS™ and DuPont Teflon DWR®.

(See Below)

At the corner stone

of any clothing system

is a solid, tough as nails

six pocket pant and the

Ion Pants are

committed to filling

that roll. Featuring six

pockets, welded water

proof zips, non-wear

Hypalon cuffs for

increased durability,

articulated knees, nylon

re-enforced belt loops,

antimicrobial SRS™

and Hex-Lite™

technology the Ion

Pants have arrived and

are prone to seize their

throne at the top. Sizes

range from M-XXL

and are available in

Realtree AP. (Right)

Taking advantage of the incredible

opportunity to improve on current fleece jackets,

the Impact Jacket and Kinetic Vest feature

Fusion Fleece at the core of their design. Joining

multiple layers and densities of materials and

placing them strategically around the body,

allows for a new way to build a light weight

while at the same time maximizing insulation.

The Impact Jacket and Kinetic Vest also

incorporate Bio-Map™ construction, DuPont

Teflon DWR®, antimicrobial SRS™, articulated

shoulders and elbows, urethane base tape, and

fusion fleece technology in their design. Sizes

range from M-XXL and are available in Realtree

AP. (See Below)

The Inferno Jacket is all about sustainability

using less materials to do more. The jacket

features a super lightweight design and is

composed of advanced materials making it great

for packability while at the same time keeping

you as warm as its insulating layer weighing

twice much. The Inferno jacket also incorporates

antimicrobial SRS™, insulation filled heat

channels, a Hex-Lite™

Fleece liner, waterproof

zippers, DuPont Teflon

DWR®, and articulated

shoulders and elbows.

Sizes range from M-XXL

and is available in

Realtree AP. (Left)

The Outer

The Momentum

Pants were designed

with tough in mind

allowing them to

withstand what could

be ten years of use in

a single weekend.

The pants feature

Hypalon cuffs for

increased durability,

articulated knees for a

wide range of motion,

nylon reinforced belt

loops, antimicrobial

SRS™, a built in

removable gator, Bio-

Shell™ construction,

a Hex-Lite™ Fleece liner, and DuPont Teflon

DWR®. The Momentum Pants range in size

from M-XXL and can be found in Realtree AP.

(Above Right)

The benefits and performance of soft shell

materials are no secret when it comes to the

outdoors. Soft, durable, quiet...how do you

improve on that? Well, the folks at Badlands

made an attempt with the Velocity Jacket. The

jacket features Hex-Lite™ Fleece, antimicrobial

SRS™, adjustable sleeve cuff, articulated elbows,

Bio-Shell™

construction, urethane

base tape, and zipper

garages. Sizes range

from M-XXL and can

be found in Realtree

AP. (Right)

Whether you‘re

sitting on stand for

hours on end, or humping your way through

extreme conditions and two feet of snow,

Badlands designed the

Convection Bibs with a

goal of not wasting a

single unit of heat that

your body produces.

The bibs feature

insulated filled heat

channels, Hex-Lite™

fleece, antimicrobial

SRS™, articulated knees

for a wide range of

motion, DuPont Teflon

DWR®, high lift side

zippers, and an

integrated waist belt. Sizes range from M-XXL

and is available in RealtreeAP. (Upper Left)

The Badlands Alpha Jacket is designed with

one thought in mind, keeping you dry no matter

what the conditions. The proprietary Bio-Shell™

material has been

laminated to a three

layer breathable

membrane that

features 100% water

proof construction.

The Alpha Jacket

also features all

seams sealed and

taped, Dry-Vent™

high performance membrane, DuPont Teflon

DWR®, magnetically closed zipper guards, water

proof zippers, adjustable cuffs, articulated

elbows, and a removable hood. Sizes range from

M-XXL and is available in Realtree AP. (Upper

Right)

For more information on Badlands Performance

Apparel and Back Packs, please visit

www.badlandspacks.com. BA

Company: Rasher Quivers

Model: Canyon Quiver

Type: Tubular sling (side) quiver

Price: $174 (special introductory offer)+

shipping

Where to buy: www.rasherquivers.com

The Company

Rasher Quivers is a family-owned business

specializing in custom, hand-tooled leather

archery equipment.

Owned and operated by Jason Albert and his

son Gabriel, Rasher is the most creative and

innovative quiver company I‘ve encountered to

date. They make a quiver for every application,

whether it is hunting, competitive target archery,

or Tolkien-esque medieval roleplaying.

My introduction to Rasher was pure

coincidence. We are all members of the Stick and

String traditional archery forum and Jason is one

our most active members. After checking out his

site and admiring his work for several months, I

approached him with a conundrum and asked him

and Gabriel to solve it.

The Problem

Any quiver can handle field points. Most

quivers can handle broadheads. Yet, only a

handful of quivers can handle small game points.

This is primarily due to their design, which

utilizes spring-loaded arms, blades, or a large

contact surface to stop the arrow from digging

into trees and stumps, or burrowing into the

ground. It is this same design that makes

transporting them securely and drawing them

from the nock a nightmare.

I knew that a tube-style quiver with an

opening on the side allowingpoint-first drawing

would be the most functional solution. Several

companies were making similar quivers, but none

of them had the vibe I was looking for. I wanted

something made out of leather with buckles, and

rivets, and attitude — something straight out of

the dark ages.

The Product

Rasher was happy to comply, and the

―Canyon‖ model was born. The Canyon is a tube-

style sling (side) quiver with a twist — the

opening from which you draw your arrows is

actually located on your draw-hand side near the

oblique.

I was surprised to see this alteration but the

functionality won me over. My lasting complaint

with tube quivers is the awkward way in which

they are shifted from a vertical position along the

back to a horizontal position beneath the armpit

in order to draw. The Canyon is designed to wear

like a back quiver and draw the arrow out and

away from the body with little adjustment; a

concept any hunter will appreciate.

The Canyon‘s leather construction is expertly

cut, stitched, and finished with a mahogany grain

akin to an antique wooden desk. Rashers are also

available in black, brown, and saddle tan, but I‘m

glad to have chosen the mahogany. It has a

natural camouflage quality I find immensely

appealing.

At 3‖ across, the diameter of the quiver is

perfect, holding eight of my 23/64‖ woods, or

twelve of my 5/16‖ aluminums securely. At 35‖

in length, it is plenty long enough to conceal my

31‖ arrows from point to nock with room to spare

(though I would order a shorter version if you

shoot a shorter arrow).

Other features include a reinforced bottom

with a foam pad and fur lining to protect your

points and limit noise, a utility pocket for a

stringer or folding knife, and a pigskin flap with

drawstring to protect your fletching from the

elements.All of which make useful additions in

the field.

The Bottom Line

At an introductory rate of $174 the Canyon

isn‘t cheap, but it isn‘t cheaply built either.

Leather archery quivers are a commodity these

days, and you‘ll be hard pressed to find anything

below $200, let alone something customized to

your unique measurements and vision.

The truly remarkable part of the Canyon‘s

inception is that it wasn‘t a part of the Rasher

catalog until I asked the Alberts to create it.

Through their Custom Corner program Rasher

was able to make my dream a reality, and the

experience was worth every penny. I even had

Jason tool an armguard with my blog logo to

match.

The traditional archery community is blessed

with a plethora of craftsmen building exceptional

handmade products in their own backyard. The

folks at Rasher quivers are a fine example and a

pleasure to work with.

You can purchase your own Canyon Quiver

or custom armguard on the Rasher website

www.rasherquivers.com. If you would like to

customize your own quiver or armguard, contact

them at (702) 501-1680. BA

with Darren Johnson

In last month‘s column, I discussed the

concept of wildlife habitat management and laid

out the six-step foundation of a successful plan.

To help you visualize how this plan can work on

your property, I will recap how some friends and

I started a wildlife habitat management plan on

some land in central Indiana.

The first step of the plan is to determine what

you want out of the property. Wildlife habitat

management is often thought of as a tool for

whitetail deer only, but it can be used for any

single species or group of species. In this case,

our plan had two components. First, the property

had an excess of whitetail deer. We felt the

population was currently above the carrying

capacity of the land and as a result, the deer were

individually not very healthy. While we enjoyed

seeing them virtually every day, we felt that we

might be one harsh winter away from a massive

starve-off. Also, the deer weren‘t staying on our

property. Due to a shortage of food at times, they

were travelling to other properties as the food

sources changed throughout the year. We wanted

a healthy, sustainable population to remain on the

property throughout the year.

Secondly, we wanted to increase the wild

turkey population. We had seen turkey nearby

and very occasionally on the property, but like

deer, we wanted a permanent healthy population.

We even were considering reintroduction efforts

in order to boost the population quickly. Lucky

for us, the habitat needs of turkey and deer are

similar and so much of our efforts would help

both species.

Our plan consisted of educating the hunters

about what we were doing, and how it would

benefit them. This discussion led to the

commitment from all that they would focus on

harvesting does until the deer population returned

to sustainable levels. Harvesting a buck was still

allowed, but the emphasis was placed on killing a

doe instead of an immature buck. An exception

was made for youth or new hunters, who were

encouraged to take the first deer that presented an

ethical shot opportunity. As a result, the doe to

buck kill ratio was approximately four to one, and

the population was reduced quickly over the first

couple of years. As a side note, the next fawning

season we began to see more twins and triplets

being born, which was probably due to better

nutrition for the mother. This emphasis on

killing does over immature bucks continues to

this day, and we are seeing more and larger bucks

as a result. In addition, the deer are much

healthier and we are killing more deer on the

property each year.

We also required all hunters to report all

turkey sightings, but none are allowed to be killed

until the population reaches target levels.

Part two of the foundation is to complete a

species inventory on the property. Ours showed

far too many coyotes, raccoons, skunks, and

opossums. The coyote kill a lot of fawns and

small game each year so we increased our

predator hunting on the property. We have taken

numerous coyote, but they are proficient breeders

and therefore, a perpetual focus is necessary.

Many of us see this as just another opportunity to

go hunting.

Raccoons, skunks, and opossums are

voracious egg eaters, especially those of ground

Continued on page 50

nesting birds such as the turkey. We increased

our hunting of these species but also implemented

a trapping program to reduce the populations.

While we have taken many raccoons and an

unbelievable amount of skunk, we must continue

to focus on this so that the turkey population has

a chance to grow. We are considering opening

the property to professional trappers who are

much better at it than we are.

Taking soil

samples on

the areas

where you

intend to plant

food sources

is the third

part of the

plan. This

was

completed and

the proper

nutrients and soil amendments

were purchased. Additionally, we

talked to experts about what food

sources would be best for our plan.

We had many plant options to

choose from, so as a result, we

chose many and created a ―mix‖ to

plant. In hindsight, this

overcomplicated the process

greatly in our first year. Not only

did it make planting more difficult,

but some of the plants were not

―Round Up‖ ready, meaning they

couldn‘t be sprayed with herbicides to control

weeds. As luck would have it, we had an

invasive weed take over in many sections of our

food plots so the weed killer had to be applied by

hand, a very laborious task.

Additionally, many of the shorter plants were

crowded out by those plant species that grew

taller. We learned from our rookie year and in

year two, we planted forage soy beans only in our

biggest plots. These plants produce larger leaves

and fewer beans that the standard commercial

varieties of soy beans. They are not harvested in

the fall but remain all year long to provide food

for the deer and turkey. Also, they are Round Up

ready so we could spray every couple of months

to control weeds. An additional benefit is that

due to their short height, we could see the animals

using the plot very easily, yet

animals still felt safe enough in

them to bed down.

Part four of the plan was to

learn all we could about our target

animals. We had quite a bit of

collective knowledge about

whitetail deer but found out that

we didn‘t know as much about

turkeys as we thought we did. To

combat this, we talked to our local

chapter officer of the Wild Turkey

Federation.

As a result of

our

discussions,

we dropped

the idea of

reintroducing

turkeys and

just focused

on the

turkeys‘

nutritional

and shelter

requirements. Almost immediately, we began

seeing more turkey on the property.

Aerial photography was the keynote of the

plan‘s fifth part. Knowing the property well

enough that we could intelligently pick the areas

to plant, mow or build habitat was the key. We

spent hours looking at the maps, selecting areas,

and then walking them to make sure that we were

Food Plot: End of First Season

Food Plot: Now

working in the areas that made sense. These

generally were areas that weren‘t in the animals‘

bedding areas but close enough so that the

animals could find these food sources and shelter

areas. The result was almost immediate increases

in sighting of deer and turkey. We also designed

these areas so that animals could travel to them

by ways other than crossing roads so that our

efforts didn‘t result in higher road kill. We also

picked areas for food plots and trails that allowed

the hunters the easiest access to and from the

areas. A major water source, such as a creek or

pond, was nearby each selected site so that the

animals‘ food and water requirements could be

easily met.

The final component of the plan was to

inventory equipment and labor so that we would

understand what we had to work with and what

we needed to obtain from somewhere else.

Several of us mowed and sprayed areas. Then, a

local Pheasants Forever

chapter loaned us a

seed drill and then we

hired a local farmer to

disc the ground and

plant the seed.

Collectively, we called

in enough friends and

family members to cut

trees, pull fences, and

do other manual labor

as needed. All told, it

cost us very little and

was a good way to

build camaraderie and

commitment to what

we were doing.

In next month‘s

column, we will

discuss plants and food

options for each

region/species, along

with more details about

what went well and not

so well with my first

wildlife habitat

management plant.

Until then, go enjoy the

great outdoors! BA

What do you get when you put all the current

major archers in the world, archery

manufacturers, gambling, prime rib, and beer

under one roof for a week in Vegas? A great time,

that‘s what! Held back-to-back with the World

Archery Indoor Championships, the NFAA

Vegas Shoot offered the opportunity to watch and

compete against almost 2,000 archers from the

USA, Mexico, and Europe and shoot next to

people with accents from as far away as South

Africa and Australia. Most of the teams stayed on

to compete at the NFAA shoot and mixed up the

action in both the Championship and non-

championship flights.

Bows, bows, and more bows. It was a bit

unreal to see bows moving through the casino, on

the elevator, escalator, arena, and generally

everywhere except maybe in the pool. The folks

that were not there for the shoot had lots of wide

eyed questions when riding up on the elevator

along with strung bows with monster stabilizers

attached. The elevator was the place to be. We

ran into almost every ―name‖ and their spouses,

parents, coaches, and kids on the elevator. I did

my share of elbowing Matt while mouthing,

―OMG, do you know who that is?!‖ Yeah, I‘m

secretly still ten. My favorite elevator moment

however, was when a west coast guy sporting

cigarette jeans, seriously pointy shoes, and giant

Elvis pompadour along with his equally stylish

gal stepped on after a camo‘d midwestern

teenager and his mom. I so wish I could have

whipped out my camera to capture the expression

on that kid‘s face. Classic!

On the floor, it was a fantastic culture clash,

with the typical American traditional barebow

guy sharing a bale next to a Russian Olympic

recurve archer. Ladies and men competed against

each other, no separation in the flights. There

were no points for style given, but maybe there

should have been. Texas sized bling with head-to-

toe pink accessories were spotted along with 3

inch heels on the ladies compound line. Hey,

when you look good, you shoot good, right?

Shooting styles varied tremendously. Everything

from flamboyant French releases with the

continental double kiss for good arrows, to the

quiet, ultra-controlled USA team machine style

that continued to win medals. I spent an

unforgettable hour watching Miranda Leek, Holly

Stover, and Jennifer Nichols before going to

shoot my final day. Having those correct mental

impressions actually helped my release later on.

Para archers were out in numbers, including

an exceptional blind woman whose guide dog

napped patiently off the line between ends. Yes, I

said blind. To see these guys and gals shoot and

shoot well mind you, is amazing to watch. Plus,

they were lumped in with everyone else for

scores, no special treatment there.

Impressive final shootouts beginning the night

we arrived under spotlights, rock music, and live

online coverage set the tone for the week. I have

no idea how you prepare for shooting under those

crazy conditions. It‘s critical to have nerves of

steel to have the announcer holler, ―NINE!‖ and

keep it together for the next shot for a ten. I tend

to turn fire engine red while shooting

anonymously in a crowd without the benefit of an

announcer when I hit a bad shot. Most of the guys

and gals at that level are

used to it, but getting to

that point is pretty

extraordinary. YouTube

posted the shoots live all

day and a great

overview of the venue

and all the team and

individual finals can be

found here.

We had a great time

and would definitely go

back again. If you

haven‘t been yet, I

would highly

recommend it. BA

http://www.thewilltohunt.com

Anticipating the next issue of BowAmerica already? Make sure you subscribe either by logging in with your facebook account on ISSUU.com or by entering your email at BowAmerica.com! Our April issue carries us straight into Gobbler Season! Our feature story will cover the Wild Turkey Grand Slam with Randy Mabe. And of course, as always, we will have articles on traditional, compound, bowfishing, women bowhunters, habitat management, life and exercise, gear reviews, how-to, and more.

Also, feel free to drop questions or comments to our contributors anytime by clicking one of the social media buttons on our contributors’ page. See you next month!