Petersen's Hunting April/May 2022

SUCH A SIMPLE statement, but one that carries a lot of weight in just a few words. I can’t take credit it for it. It popped up on my social media feed and stuck in my head. The more I thought about it, the more I agreed. It really is okay if the bird (or bear or other game animal) wins. In fact, sometimes it’s even better that way. We all understand the endgame when going afield with a gun in hand is to kill something. But is that really the ultimate goal? Or is there something else—another motivation for hunting or a different measure of success we should subscribe to? I should probably back up. The statement relating to getting beat by a bird—a turkey, in this case—comes from a guy…

From ballot box biology, to No-Net-Loss, to international trophy bans, hunters are facing increasing attacks on every front. Here are just a few we are fighting in 2022: • Ballot Box Biology: These initiatives leave wildlife decisions to the public and remove management from experts and wildlife professionals. • Trophy Bans: Last year, several state legislatures introduced international trophy bans. • No-Net-Loss: This policy means maintaining the current level of hunting and fishing access on federal public lands across the country. • Legal, Regulated Wildlife Trade: Animal rights groups have petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to stop all imports, exports, and interstate shipping of wild mammals and birds, whether alive or dead. • Big Tech: Big Tech Censorship is nothing new to the hunting community, and social media companies are perpetuating stigmas against…

The laughs echoed through camp as I readied myself for a day of turkey hunting in solid-color clothing. “You can’t hunt turkeys without camo,” everyone said. I’ve never been big on turkey hunting. Maybe it’s due to the constant comparison between the feathered mongrels and the majestic Rocky Mountain elk I dream of on a daily basis. But I digress. Somehow, year after year, I find myself ending my high-mountain pursuit of black bears to spend time chasing gobbles with my turkey-crazed friends. I usually try to play the part: full camo and face coverings, and I practice my soft yelps and purrs relentlessly in my truck so as not to embarrass myself at camp. This past season, though, I took a less traditional approach. A set of solid-colored clothing was all…

PREDATOR MANAGEMENT has become the focal point of the animal-rights movement, and for every anti-predator-hunting legislative or regulatory attack won, your deer and elk hunting is one step closer to extinction. This isn’t hyperbole. Spring bear hunting in Washington state was nixed when the Fish and Wildlife Commission failed to pass the yearly regulation on a tie vote. Likewise, the animal-friendly government of California was petitioned to end all bear hunting. Mountain lion and bobcat hunting faced legislative and regulatory blow-back in Colorado and Arizona this spring. It’s not a coincidence these Western states were all flooded with anti-hunting rhetoric at the same time. It’s a coordinated effort by the Humane Society of the United States, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Mountain Lion Foundation, and numerous other organizations. The attacks on…

I just saw this knife under glass in the Museum of the Fur Trade outside Chadron, Nebraska. Or one very, very much like it. Not surprising, considering knifesmith Mike Mann combines historical research and outdoor know-how to come up with his designs, which run from mountain-man and Old West eras to modern hunting, fishing, and camp knives. Mann’s Hudson Bay Camp Knife is one of three styles he made for The Revenant starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy. The movie’s prop master came calling after seeing Mann’s work mentioned in internet chatrooms. John Fitzgerald (played by Hardy) carries the Hudson Bay, which is prominent in the final fight scene with Hugh Glass (DiCaprio)—if impaling Glass’s hand can be called prominent. Hardy wanted two slight modifications: a more rounded belly, so the…

BULLET BASICS A unique bullet made in the Czech Republic (same home country as CZ Firearms), the Soft Point Cutting Edge (SPCE) bullet features a step crimped into the jacket at the juncture where the parallel sides begin to taper toward the nose. Termed a “cutting edge,” this step locks the lead core into the jacket and also cuts a crisp, round entry wound that maximizes blood trails. Designed for use on medium-size game such as wild boar and red stag, it’s suitable for our American deer species as large as caribou and elk. In the States, it’s available online and in retail shops that carry a broad selection of S&B ammo. TESTING GROUND Hunting from a “High Seat” box blind in the Czech Republic, I used a 180-grain version of the SPCE…