Since then, the magazine has covered everything: products and innovations, industry developments, legislative concerns, profiles of experts and leaders, and technique. At the same time, the magazine remained true to the joys and traditions of one of the world’s oldest pursuits.
For February, we celebrate all the above with a look back over an eventful 60 years.
Former editors Glenn Helgeland and Rick Sapp reminisce about their tenures, share a few stories, and provide their thoughts on the future of the sport.
Whitetail Science columnist Brian Murphy discusses the last 60 Years Of Deer Hunting And Management. We have come a long way since near whitetail extinction around the turn of the 20th century through the generous seasons of today. How has equipment, like Holless Allen’s compound bow in 1969 or the Baker climbing treestand introduced in the early 1970s, affected how bowhunters pursue meat for their freezers?
“Bowhunters have never had it so good,” states Chuck Adams in Hunting Bow Accuracy. And, he says, younger generations might not even realize just how good. Adams backs up his argument with a look at the evolution of today’s phenomenal bow-shooting equipment.
But that’s not all…. To begin the next 60 years, we’re making a few changes. Most notably, the magazine bids Director of Bow Testing Norb Mullaney farewell as he retires after an incredible 38 years. Rick Combs, our Home Bow Mechanic columnist for many years, is taking over Norb’s role on Bow Report. Rick will take a somewhat different approach, but offer the same caliber of information that readers have come to value. He begins his analysis with the BowTech Invasion CPX.
In Rick’s former slot, we welcome Brad Strandlund, a bow mechanic at Mike’s Archery Center in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. If the name sounds familiar, let’s just say that he has grown up around bowhunting all his life at his father’s side. He sets the stage here for Becoming Your Own Bow Mechanic to maximize gear performance.
This big issue doesn’t stop! We also announce our annual Readers’ Choice Awards for 2012. What favorites are becoming classics? What innovations have grabbed Bowhunting World readers’ attention? Find out as we review the results in 50 categories. The bow season is never over! Just because we’re past the rut doesn’t mean that deer have disappeared.
Once January hits, it’s all about the food, and hungry late-season bucks will slip out to feed earlier in the evening than they did prior to the bow season. What else should you know? Mark Hicks tells you all about Winter Deer.
Sure, a good portion of the legal bucks has already been tagged and the wintry weather is nasty, but you will have the woods and fields to yourself. Bill Vaznis talks to three of the country’s top experts about how they plan to take their late-season bucks in February’s Secrets Of The Masters.
Backcountry columnist Bob Robb reflects on the allure of Alaska hunting, despite its more physical demands. Though he intends to throttle back, what is it that rejuvenates him and tempts him to return? Will the Siren’s song bring him Back To Alaska…?
So, as Mike Strandlund urges in From The Editor, read, have fun, and give some thought to what a fun journey the evolution of modern bowhunting has been—and where it may lead from here.
