Successful Hunter May/June 2018

While recently mounting a Leupold VX-3i 4.5-14x 40mm CDS scope with Duplex reticle to a Model 700 .223 Remington varmint rig in a Stocky’s Stocks M50 AccuBlock stock, it occurred to me that very little space in hunting magazines has recently been devoted to mounting scopes on sporting rifles. I suppose the installation process, which is simple enough on most modern rifles, is taken for granted these days. If that’s true, perhaps a new generation of up-and-coming hunters are also being overlooked. ...Read More >

When the .223 Remington came on the scene in the late 1950s, it wasn’t long before it became apparent that this nifty little cartridge was destined for predator hunting hall-of-fame status – if there was such a thing, of course. Its potential accuracy, mild recoil and the availability of a wide array of factory ammunition, reloading components and once-fired military surplus brass contributed to its popularity, and it became a favorite among fur hunters from coast to coast. ...Read More >

The contemporary American hunter’s attachment to technology has given rise to numerous “essentials” that were unknown to sportsmen in my boyhood. A kit is incomplete these days, in the minds of most, without devices such as cell phones, GPS units, laser rangefinders and some form of battery backup to keep them charged and ready for action. But just as 1960s-era hunters could absentmindedly leave their binoculars in camp or car (if they had them), technologically advanced hunting tools are only as good as the user’s ability to ferry them into the field. ...Read More >

For centuries, the term “winter war” has struck fear into the hearts of soldiers. From Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow in 1812, to the Carpathians in 1915 and to Stalingrad in 1943, arctic conditions have meant agony for any army rash enough to challenge them. As with military campaigns, so it is with hunting. Winter adds an element that must be considered if you plan to come back from a hunting trip with anything more than frostbitten toes. ...Read More >

Primarily a bowhunter during my teenage years, long before handheld laser rangefinders were common (and affordable), and those old, “split-lens,” dial-in-the-yardage rangefinders were too cumbersome for my taste, a great deal was learned about missing deer. Most important was the fact that knowing the exact distance to a buck was critical; back then aluminum arrows traveled much slower. An improper distance guesstimate, off by 7 or 8 yards, could lead to a miss – known from having gathered up my share of arrows with nothing on them but dulled broadheads sent sailing over or under any antlered deer to which I could get “reasonably” close. ...Read More >

John Uhorchak and John Hordines were best friends that set out to book an elk hunting adventure in Colorado. They ventured to the Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where they met Jordan Cook of Colorado Mountain Adventures. Both hunters were from Upstate New York and felt it would be best to use the service of a knowledgeable person with all the right gear for everything from accommodations to where to start looking for a bull elk. ...Read More >

As a kid, before I could even hunt, I can remember reading every outdoor magazine I could get my hands on, scouring the glossy pages from cover to cover looking for the stories about the grand, white sheep of the far north. I had often read them five or six times, absorbing every detail. To say I’ve been dreaming of a Dall sheep hunt my whole life would be an understatement, and making plans to set foot on the mountain was like a dream come true. ...Read More >

While walking along a riverbank one sunny afternoon in late summer, I came to a trail that cut through tall grass. Thinking this was the way back to where my truck was parked, I took the path that led away from the cool waters and across a small meadow lined with Douglas fir and pine trees. Nearing the grove of trees, some huckleberry bushes caught my attention. ...Read More >

The buck revealed itself as had many of its kind before. A modest herd of mule deer browsed and lounged in an expanse of sagebrush near the edge of an eroded coulee. A half mile from my position on the leeward side of a conical obelisk of sandstone, one of the deer was far more active than the others, buffering a trio of gray-sided animals on the perimeter from those toward the center. Even before retrieving a binocular from the pack resting at my side on the pale, dusty soil, I recognized the players in this age-old drama. The deliberately moving form confronting those on the outskirts was surely an older buck keeping a number of youngsters at bay. ...Read More >

Sam Pyke hissed, “Its ears are up.” It was the 3x3 that had spotted us. Now the 4x4 had its chin on the ground, tense, hiding its antlers in the tall grass and thistle. We were close, within 300 yards, and I could take a shot if the buck on the right would stand and turn broadside. Instead, it whirled out of its bed and trotted to the top of the ridge. In another moment the deer was over it, and the 3x3 with it. ...Read More >

Sixty-seven degrees Fahrenheit, slight west wind and hiking. Opening day wasn’t following the script that was written by 21 years of dreaming about holding a once-in-a-lifetime Shiras moose tag in my home state of Utah. ...Read More >

Three of Hunter Safety System’s most popular safety harnesses now offer ElimiShield Scent Control Technology, a unique approach to controlling human odor at the source before it forms. By pretreating the Elite, Contour and Hybrid Flex harnesses with ElimiShield during the manufacturing process, a bond is formed that controls more than 90 percent of human odor, even after 50 commercial washes. ...Read More >