All this is what makes trail cameras such an important component in the bowhunter’s toolbox. They’re your eyes in the woods when you’re not there. They tell you where game animals are not, where they are, and when they were there.

It’s no surprise then why they’ve become so popular. That ever-increasing consumer demand has generated some remarkably innovative technology, and what follows is a rundown of the latest, greatest offerings from today’s top trail camera manufacturers.

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Big Game Treestands

Big Game Treestands enters the trail camera category with three all-new Eyecon trail cameras — Storm ($219), Black Widow ($170), and QuikShot ($119). All feature a low-profile molded ABS housing with a non-reflective finish, a molded channel for a security cable, and a large backlit LED screen. Each has video and photo modes (including programmable photo-burst settings) with a long detection range and produce full color in daytime and monochrome at night, with time, date and moon-phase imprinted. The Storm and the Black Widow feature an undetectable Invisiflash. These cameras run on six C-cell batteries or the Eyecon Extenda-Life battery pack (sold separately) and will record up to 40,000 images on one charge.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have many special moments starting with the day I killed my first deer, a whitetail doe, with a Jennings T-Star. My first bull elk, taken in the third year of trying, was a very special moment. Then there was a Minnesota deer I called “The Ridge Buck.” He wasn’t especially large but was a buck I committed to hunting exclusively one season. When I finally arrowed that buck on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the sensation of success was very sweet.

There have been many other special bowhunting moments involving a monster caribou, an 80” pronghorn, an Alberta muley buck, and a gargantuan 400-class bull elk in Arizona that I was unable to get drawn on. It was an unsuccessful moment but a special one, nonetheless.

Not one of those special moments were any more satisfying than the one I experienced just a couple weeks ago. I was sitting in a ground blind with my youngest son, Jared. Despite some terrible wind and rain we were trying to lure in a North Dakota gobbler. Just sixty yards away was another blind. Inside was my oldest son, Jason, and his 10-year-old son, my grandson, Carson.

The action was almost nonexistent but then, as if by some Divine Intervention, a lone gobbler ambled over the hill and walked right up to the decoy in front of Carson’s blind and popped into strut. While watching through binoculars, my mind flashed back over the previous five years that Carson has been learning to shoot a bow. He camped out with gramps at 3-D shoots in the summers and over the past two years he and I learned to bowfish together. But this was different. This would be the first time he would draw his Bear Apprentice on a game animal. And make no mistake, turkeys are game animals. They are tough and can stop an arrow that would easily zip through an 800-pound bull elk.

As the turkey strutted, gramps was tore up inside with anxiety. I knew Carson was even more nervous because the evening before he talked about how he couldn’t get the gobbling out of his head from that morning’s hunt.

When the bird turned to face the blind an arrow flashed from the open window. The two-bladed broadhead split the tip of the longbeard’s breastbone and after a couple flips Carson had his first official bowkill with a perfect shot. And I was there to watch it all happen!

I smiled deep inside.

With an unforgettable congratulatory hug, tears welled up in my eyes.

It was a very satisfying, very special moment indeed.

Here’s hoping you experience many special bowhunting moments of your own.

Those of you who subscribe to Bowhunter Magazine, or buy it on the newsstand, will see something in our June “Gear Special” issue that may seem out-of-place. You will discover a full-page ad on page 27 that shows a crossbow.

I wanted to jump right out front, before this issue gets to our subscribers, and assure everyone that this was a miscommunication and an oversight. We screwed up. How does that happen? Well, in this digital world things happen quickly and often with a simple click. The ad features a Trijicon ACOG bowsight that was designed for crossbows – not the compound bow AccuPin sight, which we covered on page __ of the issue – and which had launched in this magazine a year ago.  Trijicon’s new ACOG crossbow sight ad ran recently in our sister publication, Petersen’s Bowhunting. Late in the production process, after most of us had turned our attention to the July issue, Production loaded up the ad and we didn’t pick it up in digital proofing. When we saw advanced copies, we started looking for the defibrillators.

Why is this a big deal? Because, at Bowhunter Magazine we do not cover crossbows and we don’t run hunting stories that include the use of crossbows. Why? Well, put simply, for the exact same reason we don’t run ads or stories about fly fishing, kayaking, or home decorating. We only do what we do — cover bowhunters and bowhunting.

We have nothing against crossbows. If you want to hunt with a crossbow and they are legal, have at it and have fun. Trijicon’s new crossbow sight is top of the line. But, if you want to read about crossbows you’ll have to go elsewhere, such as Petersen’s Bowhunting and other publications.

This certainly has nothing to do with Trijicon. They make outstanding products, including precision targeting systems that help save the lives of our troops. We simply had a misstep that went unnoticed before the magazine was printed. I’m still not clear how this happened but as editor, it’s on me.

The most important thing for all of you to know is that this doesn’t signal any change in our editorial policy at Bowhunter Magazine. We are a bowhunting-only publication that covers hunting with compound and traditional bows.  I wanted to make that clear before the deer droppings hit the fan.

Thank you for understanding.

Donald Trump Jr., left, and Eric Trump pose with a dead leopard shot during a 2010 hunt in Zimbabwe.

By now, you’ve probably heard all the hoopla over Donald Trump’s sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, and the photos of their 2010 African safari, which showed the brothers posing next to a dead leopard, cape buffalo, crocodile, elephant and others.

What you might not know is how The Junior Donald contacted our friends over at Petersen’s Hunting, who relayed a report from The Associated Press, which made allusions to a Zimbabwe task force launching an investigation into the hunt, citing allegations that it was conducted illegally.

Donald Trump Jr. forwarded over a letter from the director-general of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, Vitallis Chadenga, which in a nutshell said there was no “official investigation,” that protocol was followed on the hunt and that no part of the hunt was illegal.

“The only investigation which should occur is that of the “anti-hunting” organizations who are peddling untruths falsely represented as facts,” Chadenga wrote, adding that hunting is an integral part of the Zimbabwe economy, and a good chunk of the money goes toward wildlife preservation in Zimbabwe.

For more on this story, visit our friends at Petersen’s Hunting!

Is your deer population where you want it or has your state been putting too much pressure on antlerless deer?

Over the past several years, as I’ve traveled to hunt deer across the heart of whitetail country, I’ve noticed two trends. One, hunters are complaining about too few deer in their state. And two, it seems some states have been intoxicated by the sale of antlerless tags.

In my opinion, the latter is the primary reason for the former. Yes, there were other factors like some winterkill in the Northern Plains and outbreaks of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD), but the primary reason for reduced deer numbers is the widespread issuance of too many antlerless tags for too many years.

In my home state of North Dakota, deer hunter success rates (for rifle hunters) have plummeted from the customary 70 to 80 percent to around 50 percent. Less than a decade ago, when deer numbers were high, the Game and Fish Department started handing out doe tags like they were giving candy to kids during a parade. And they kept doing it. Finding a deer in my area is now a major challenge and winterkill had little to do with it.

North Dakota wasn’t alone. Not long ago, Minnesota deer hunters could shoot up to five does apiece. Now deer numbers are so low that parties of gun hunters that typically fill out are going two-for-ten. I bowhunt in Minnesota and never saw anything that would even remotely justify five doe tags per hunter.

During a hunt in Missouri several years ago discovered I could buy unlimited doe tags for $7 each! I thought, Great, there must be so many deer I’ll get trampled! I hunted the entire week and never had a shot opportunity at a doe. Maybe I’m a poor hunter but I certainly saw no evidence of an overpopulation of deer. Not even close.

When the biology warrants, every hunter needs to do their part in managing deer herds by taking a doe. But have we gone too far for too long?

In recent years, Iowa has forced nonresidents to purchase a doe tag along with their license. Hunters with no intention of taking a doe were forced to spend money (oops, there’s that word) on an antlerless tag. Must be too many deer, right? Not really. Now Iowa hunters are complaining there aren’t enough deer. You can hear similar stories in Kansas, Illinois, Nebraska and even Indiana where hunters can take up to 8 does in some counties!

In defense of state wildlife agencies, they have a difficult job. Deer population surveys are educated estimates and trends can be slow to present themselves. Wildlife managers also have to consider the carrying capacity of the land, the tolerance level of landowners, and other interests such as insurance companies concerned about deer/vehicle collisions, and even timber companies worried about too many deer damaging young trees.

Some say it’s all about the revenue generated by the sale of antlerless licenses. I suppose that could be true in some states. But where I have a problem is in the setting of population goals. Who says we have too many deer? Do insurance companies really have the influence that some allege? If they do, no one will admit it. Should they have influence? No.

State wildlife agencies need to remember where their wages come from. Without hunters and anglers there are no game and fish departments. No stakeholders. If deer numbers crash, deer hunter numbers will follow. Once a hunter quits, he’s likely gone forever.

Obviously, every region is different. Are there really too many deer in your area or has the doe population been over-hunted in recent years? What’s happening with the deer herd in your neck of the woods?

Just imagine the thrill of tracking down a big bull moose, getting within bow distance of the hulking behemoth before letting the arrow fly and praying to God the beast doesn’t charge you and make you its newest antler ornament. Your heart is pounding and your legs are trembling, adrenaline is pumping through your system as you come down from the high of bringing down the big boy.

Sounds plenty exciting, we know, and you could have the chance to live it. Courtesy of the folks over at Wasp Archery, the 2012 Hunt-of-a-Lifetime giveaway will send one grand prize winner to the wilds of British Columbia on moose hunt valued over $9,500. To enter, check out Wasp’s contest page. In the meantime, check out this video compilation of moose kill shots!

This massive Illinois buck, taken by Mel Johnson, scores 204 4/8 and has held the number one spot for typical bowkills for 46 years. Does it validate the scoring system?

I have lots of pet peeves when it comes to the outdoor television industry and one that drives me crazy is the use of the term “gross Booner.”

For the uninformed, a gross Booner is a relatively new term loosely used to describe a big game animal with a Boone and Crockett score that exceeds the minimum before deductions. It’s coined by those who like to fool themselves into thinking the animal is a Boone and Crockett specimen when it is not. The same philosophy applies to an animal that qualifies for the Pope and Young record book before deductions. I suppose that could be called a gross Poper.

Truth is, there really is no such thing as a gross score, at least not in a final sense of the word. The score in either the Boone and Crockett or Pope and Young system is not final until deductions for asymmetry are tabulated. The gross score is simply a preliminary subtotal.

To qualify as a “Booner” a typical whitetail buck must have antlers that score at least 170 after deductions, known as the “net” score. Anything less is not a Booner. Not a gross Booner, a semi-Booner or any other kind of a Booner.

If you know anything about measuring antlers you know that a buck with a gross score of 175, for example, could score as low as 140 or less after deductions. Such a buck is not in the same universe as a legitimate Boone and Crockett buck.

Now, I’ve heard all the arguments. Nets are for fish; a buck should get credit for every inch of antler it grows; deductions are for CPAs; and on and on. Outfitters are notorious for quoting gross scores because the higher number sounds better. Everyone loves the bigger numbers and there’s nothing wrong with that as long as everyone understands that gross and net are two very different things.

Fact is, B&C and P&Y are two long established scoring systems. Both include categories for non-typical animals and you could make some arguments against the non-typical scoring rules. I never understood the deductions for asymmetry in non-typical bucks, but these systems have been in use so long it’s not practical to make wholesale changes.

Using the term gross Booner is really a slap across the furry muzzle of all the bucks, bulls and boars that actually were Boone and Crockett specimens. I liken it to calling someone a Navy SEAL when they didn’t quite make it through SEAL training. It disrespects those who did attain such high standing.

I understand the arguments against deductions. Why shouldn’t a buck get credit for all the bone he grows? It all comes down to the symmetry that is “typical” of the species in question. Whitetails are supposed to have a main beam with upright tines. If those beams are long, heavy, widespread and equal in length, and the opposing tines are long and equal, the buck scores better than one with an abnormal antler configuration. That’s logical for a “typical” buck, isn’t it?

Think of it this way. Back in 1965, Illinois bowhunter Mel Johnson knelt down in a beanfield and arrowed a typical buck that scored 204 4/8. In the 46 deer hunting seasons since, no one has arrowed a buck with the same spectacular combination of length, spread, mass and symmetry as the Johnson buck. Millions of bowhunters have dreamt of taking a better buck. A couple bucks have come close. None have succeeded. Yet.

In my mind, that fact alone validates the scoring system.

What do you think?

Campfire At Washout Creek

Well, here we go — my first entry into the outdoor blogosphere. Yeah, I know that’s not a real word but that kind of thing is legal here on the web, isn’t it?

In this space will run a somewhat inconsistent helping of rants, philosophical soapbox sermons, updates on timely issues pertinent to the bowhunting community, and — occasionally — some superfluous foolishness. After all, bowhunting is supposed to be fun isn’t it?

One thing this digital format affords me is the opportunity to instantaneously comment on newsworthy, spur-of-the-moment items of interest. Or, if I think of something ill-suited for space in Bowhunter Magazine, I can quickly get it off my chest right here. Or, if I feel the need to clarify or defend something that appeared in our publication or on our television show, this is one place I can respond quickly.

The inconsistency will occur during those times when I’m off bowhunting somewhere, otherwise known as “business trips” as far as my wife is concerned. I’ll send in blogs from the field whenever possible but from time-to-time I find myself in remote places where I can escape…er, I mean…where the necessary technology isn’t available.

What do I need from you? You have the easy part. Just stop in often to see what’s happening. Then respond. Certainly, there will be times when you’ll think my quiver’s only half full. Maybe you’ll vehemently disagree with me and feel the need to respond. Fine. Draw and take your best shot. See if I jump the string.

On the other hand, if you agree or have something to add, please do so. The dissidents among us are always most vocal but we love all feedback, negative as well as positive, so don’t be shy, whatever you think. All we ask is that you show some class and keep it civilized. We need a little more class in the bowhunting community, don’t you think?

I’m not sure when my first “real” blog will pop in here. Probably soon. I’m a busy guy and I’m also old enough to resist change without fear of retribution. But, like that well-used elk wallow that’s always in the same meadow every September, I’ll be here either reading your comments or stirring up the mud. Hope you can join me — and spread the word.

Portability is not impossible when bowhunting turkeys, but it’s a pain. And I know there are those diehard types who forgo blinds, don ghillie suits and kill birds, but I’m not writing about those five guys. The rest of us are better off surrounded by four walls and a roof during our spring forays.

So how do you maximize success while bowhunting turkeys? For me, it starts with scouting. Although they seem to wander like crazy in search of amorous encounters, longbeards can also be easy to pattern. Erecting your blind in the right spot is a must, and a few mornings spent listening to gobbling along with afternoon glassing expeditions can help you nail down a high-odds spot.

Whether bowhunting turkeys is one of your passions or perhaps a way to scratch the bowhunting itch in the spring (or fall), these products will help make your experience much more enjoyable.

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Primos Double Bull Double-Wide Door Blind

Of course, you’ll need a blind to set up. This category has blown up ever since the Double Bull boys took their idea to fruition and changed the way we think of turkey hunting in general. Their company ended up in the hands of Primos Hunting, and the new Primos Double Bull Double-Wide Door Blind ($399) is a great option. This blind allows for easy entry through its oversized, zipper-less door and measures 60" X 60" X 67" tall. A Silent Slide Window Adjustment System, Power Hub Framework, and Cotton/Poly canvas framework culminate in a durable blind that will last for years, and if it doesn’t, don’t fret -- Primos Double Bull Blinds also feature a lifetime warranty that covers quality and service.