Pine Ridge Archery — News
Bowhunting the Whitetail Rut: Why Close-Range Encounters Make This Season Unforgettable
For most deer hunters, the whitetail rut is the most anticipated time of the entire season. Bucks begin cruising for does, chasing happens without warning, and that “buck of a lifetime” could step into view at any moment. Whether you hunt with a firearm or a bow, the rut brings unmatched action—but bowhunting makes the experience even more special because every opportunity requires close-range encounters that you simply don’t get with a rifle.
If you’re preparing for rut hunts this season, make sure your setup is tuned and reliable. Stabilizers, vanes, arrow wraps, and bow accessories from Pine Ridge Archery can help you stay ready when the moment happens.
A Morning That Defined the Rut
In early November, I had a hunt that reminded me why bowhunting during the rut keeps me coming back year after year. The morning was perfect: temperatures in the low 30s, a slight frost sparkling on the ground, and barely a whisper of wind. By daybreak, I could hear deer already moving nearby.
Not long after, a young eight-pointer cruised past at about thirty yards. It was the first sign that the woods would be alive—and I didn’t have to wait long.
Deer Everywhere—Classic Rut Chaos
Before I knew it, deer were moving in every direction. Does, yearlings, young bucks, and several mature bucks filtered in and out of view. Some were within fifty yards, and others passed directly beneath my stand. Several bucks grunted, pushed does, and chased throughout the morning. The rut was at full throttle.
My bow was ready, and with so much activity, I expected a shot opportunity at any moment. Having gear prepared—like a sturdy Kwik Stand from Pine Ridge Archery—keeps your bow upright and instantly accessible during times like this.
The Encounter I’ll Never Forget
A little after nine, I spotted movement in an overgrown field to my left. A big set of antlers swayed just above the cover. I grabbed my bow and softly grunted, hoping to pull him into range. He answered with a loud snort-wheeze but didn’t budge.
I grunted again. Same response—another aggressive snort-wheeze. He shredded a nearby tree with his antlers, but still wouldn’t commit. One more grunt, one more snort-wheeze—and then he vanished in the opposite direction.
I never released an arrow, but that close, raw interaction made the hunt unforgettable. These are the encounters that only bowhunters truly experience.
For moments like these, accuracy matters. Vanes, wraps, peeps, and arrow components from Pine Ridge Archery help ensure your setup performs when a buck hangs up just out of range.
Why the Rut Is Magical for Bowhunters
Bowhunting the rut offers something unique—you’re up close, listening to grunts, hearing hooves crunch leaves, and watching bucks posture and chase. It’s an intimate, thrilling experience that makes you appreciate these animals even more.
And when everything finally comes together—your scouting, practice, patience, and setup—harvesting a mature whitetail becomes even more meaningful.
To prepare for your rut adventures, build confidence with reliable gear from Pine Ridge Archery.
Written By: Tate Carter
Top 3 Archery Christmas Gifts for 2022: Gear Every Bowhunter Will Love
Christmas is almost here, and you may be looking for that gift for your archer to find under the tree for that next time they head out to the woods or range. Most Bowhunters have the latest & greatest gear as it gets released throughout the year. However there are a few items we offer here at Pine Ridge Archery that may be missing from their arsenal of gear to help them be a little more efficient the next time they hit the field.Antelope on a Budget: Why This Affordable Bowhunt Offers Big Rewards
When most bowhunters dream about an out-of-state hunt, their minds go straight to chasing whitetails. Whitetails are the most popular big-game animal in North America, and it’s no surprise that many hunters want a shot at a trophy buck. But what most people don’t realize is that bowhunting whitetails with an outfitter only has about a 30% success rate. If you want an adventure that offers a higher chance of success and doesn’t drain your wallet, hunting antelope should be at the top of your list.
Before your next hunt, it’s always smart to fine-tune your setup with quality gear from Pine Ridge Archery.
Why Antelope Are a Budget-Friendly Bowhunt
Antelope hunts are surprisingly affordable compared to other guided hunts. Many outfitters out west offer opportunities that cost $2,000 or less, making them accessible for most bowhunters who want a big adventure without breaking the bank.
Success rates are also much higher. Most bowhunters who book an antelope hunt—especially one sitting over a waterhole—will get a shot opportunity. That alone makes an antelope trip more exciting and rewarding than many traditional guided hunts.
To prepare your bow for longer shots, explore tuning accessories such as peep sights and stabilizers at Pine Ridge Archery.
My Colorado Antelope Experience
This past fall, I hunted with Trujillo Creek Outfitters in Southern Colorado. They offer a “trespass hunt,” which means you hunt private land each day but do so without a full guide. You’re dropped off, set up in a ground blind near a waterhole, and hunt comfortably on your own. It’s simple, effective, and the success rate is extremely high.
The best part? I brought my family along. While I hunted, they explored small mountain towns, enjoyed the hotel pool, and soaked in the western scenery. It turned the hunt into a family vacation—something that’s much harder to do on a whitetail hunt unless everyone participates.
And when you bring home antelope meat, you’ll discover that it makes fantastic ground burger and table fare. Affordable, fun, and delicious—hard to beat.
If you want to personalize your bow for your next hunt, check out color-matched accessories from Pine Ridge Archery.
Long-Range Practice Is Essential
Antelope are small, fast, and alert animals. Their vitals are smaller than a whitetail’s, and long shots are common if the waterhole setup doesn’t pan out. In preparation for my hunt, I practiced regularly at 60 and 70 yards. Shooting this far requires a well-tuned bow.
For my setup, I used a Pine Ridge Archery NITRO Peep and a NITRO Stabilizer—both of which helped keep my groups tight at long range. You can find these accessories and more at Pine Ridge Archery.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a bowhunting adventure that’s affordable, family-friendly, and full of opportunity, an antelope hunt is a fantastic choice. The landscape is breathtaking, the animals are beautiful, and the success rates make the experience even more enjoyable.
Give antelope hunting a try next fall—and make sure your setup is dialed in with high-quality gear from Pine Ridge Archery.
BY TRACY BREEN
About the author: Tracy Breen is a full time outdoor writer, consultant and game dinner speaker who often discuss how he overcomes cerebral palsy. Learn more about him at www.tracybreen.com
Just Relax: How Loosening Your Grip Can Improve Accuracy and Tighten Groups
Whether you’re brand new to archery or a seasoned bowhunter, one thing many shooters struggle with is learning how to relax—before, during, and after the shot. It’s natural to want to hold the bow tightly. Many archers believe that gripping the bow harder will help keep it steady. Unfortunately, the opposite is true. A tight, tense grip often leads to poor shots. For high-quality accessories that support proper form, visit Pine Ridge Archery.
Why a Tight Grip Hurts Your Accuracy
When you choke the bow handle with a firm grip, your bow tends to react the moment the arrow is released. This movement—especially in the bow arm—throws off your shot. Even a slight flinch can cause the arrow to miss the target entirely. Poor follow-through is one of the biggest causes of inaccuracy.
A relaxed grip, on the other hand, allows the bow to move naturally. The shot breaks cleanly, the bow stays in line, and your arrows hit much closer to the center. Professional archers always shoot with a soft, relaxed bow hand for this exact reason. To help achieve that relaxed hold, many hunters rely on support accessories from Pine Ridge Archery.
The Wrist Sling: A Simple Tool That Makes a Big Difference
If you want to shoot with a loose bow hand, you need a wrist sling. A wrist sling keeps the bow secure in your hand without requiring pressure or tension. It allows you to hold the bow lightly while still keeping full control.
Pine Ridge Archery offers several great options, including the Nitro Wrist Sling and the Kwik Sling. Both are designed to keep your hand in the proper position so the bow can settle naturally during the shot. When adjusting your sling, make sure it fits snugly around your wrist to support your bow during the release.
Adding a wrist sling to your setup is a simple upgrade that can shrink your groups at both close and long ranges. You can browse sling options at Pine Ridge Archery.
Relaxing Your Trigger Hand Matters Too
Your bow hand isn’t the only part of your form that needs to relax—your trigger hand does too. Many bowhunters, especially in high-pressure situations, tend to rush the shot and punch the trigger. This jerking motion sends arrows off target.
Instead, you want a smooth, steady trigger pull. Snipers and top-level archers all rely on the same rule: squeeze—don’t punch. The best shot breaks almost by surprise.
Choosing a release with an adjustable trigger helps you dial in the perfect feel. With a softer, smoother trigger, you can train yourself to squeeze slowly until the arrow launches. Practicing this technique consistently will tighten your groups dramatically.
To complement your form improvements, explore precision accessories like stabilizers, peep sights, and loops at Pine Ridge Archery.
Final Thoughts
Good shooting starts with good form, and good form starts with a relaxed body. By learning to soften your bow grip, trust your wrist sling, and squeeze the trigger gently, you’ll see tighter groups and more consistent accuracy.
If you want to upgrade your setup with accessories that support better shooting techniques, check out Pine Ridge Archery today.
BY TRACY BREEN
About the author: Tracy Breen is a full time outdoor writer, consultant and game dinner speaker who often discuss how he overcomes cerebral palsy. Learn more about him at www.tracybreen.com
BIG THINGS COME IN SMALL PACKAGES
If you are into long range shooting one way to ensure you can split hairs at 60 yards and beyond is to shoot an arrow equipped with Nitro Vanes and a compact broadhead. A small broadhead coupled with a Nitro Vane is a deadly combination that can put more meat in the freezer and antlers on the wall. below are a few of the compact broadheads on the market that fly great and bring down bucks quickly.FALL TURKEY HUNTING WITH STICK AND STRING
When people think about hunting turkeys, most people think about hunting them in the spring. If you are a hardcore bowhunter, you should also think about hunting them in the fall. There are a many reasons to hunt them in the fall. For starters, very few hunters hunt deer all day.SUBURBIA MONSTERS - A BOWHUNTER'S DREAM
When most bowhunters dream of big bucks, they think of hunting on some large track of land in Illinois, Kansas or Iowa. Those places produce monster bucks every year but they are not the only place to find a big buck. In fact, more and more large bucks are being found on small parcels of woods tucked in behind a subdivision or next to a shopping mall than ever before. Finding big bucks on a small parcel of land isn’t rocket science but the truth is it requires a lot of hard work, just like killing big bucks on large parcels is a lot of work. Suburbia bucks beat to a different drum than big woods bucks. One guy who knows more about suburbia bucks than most is Steve Esker from Ohio. Esker has been featured in many magazines because he killed a 216-inch buck on a small parcel back in 2009. Since he killed that buck, he has tagged several big bucks... one with a higher score than the 2009 buck. Esker has killed over a dozen bucks that score more that 150 and most of them have been killed in suburbia, not on a large farm somewhere. “Killing big bucks on small parcels of land can be done, but it requires a lot of work,” Esker said. “What I have discovered over the years is just because a buck lived near a housing development does not mean that he is trapped. I have scouting camera pictures of a monster buck one night on a small parcel of land and a picture of the same buck a few days later several miles away. Suburbia bucks can cover a lot of ground just like big woods bucks.” One of the differences between the two bucks is many of the suburbia bucks live to a ripe old age so they sport large racks.
Killing suburbia bucks starts with having permission to hunt private land. “I recently killed a buck on 2-1/2 acres that scored over 170,” Esker said. “I get permission to hunt these small pieces of land by knocking on a lot of doors and asking for permission. Many people say no at first,but over time say yes. I always look professional when I ask for permission and am very polite. I have asked permission on the same piece of land three times before getting permission but eventually many people eventually say yes because I am always polite and never look like I just crawled out from under a car.”
Esker has dozens of small parcels that he hunts on; many of them are ten or twenty acres. Some are larger; some smaller. His key to finding the needle in the hay stack on those pieces of land is scouting cameras. “I hang many scouting cameras to try to pattern suburbia bucks. Most suburbia bucks spend the daylight hours bedded down and spend the few of daylight hours they are up and moving transitioning between feeding areas and bedding areas. I try to locate these transition areas where they travel. I try to find where bucks live and bed,” Esker explained. In 2010, Esker found a 217-7/8” buck living in a 30-acre tree nursery that had been abandoned. The buck would rarely leave the overgrown nursery during daylight hours. Esker had scouting camera pics that showed the buck repeatedly in the same area. “Because this buck never left the overgrown trees during daylight, I had to figure out a way to kill him in the nursery. It was really tough because there weren’t many big trees to hang a stand. The trees were all overgrown so I had to crawl in to hunt the area. I ended up putting my treestand in a young oak 15 feet off the ground. I eventually killed that buck.” The buck spent most of his life in the nursery that had housing developments around it.
Another thing Esker has noticed when hunting suburbia deer is that they can tell the difference between a person mowing the grass and a hunter. “These bucks are acclimated to hearing, seeing and smelling people but they get edgy, just like any other deer when they feel hunting pressure.” Esker said. “Deer will be bedded down and watch a person blowing leaves or mowing the lawn a short distance away and not have a problem with it but the moment a guy in camo comes walking into the woods, they leave. I have entered the woods with a leaf blower in my hand just to outsmart deer before. Suburbia bucks are smart; just like bucks that live in large sections of woods.”
You might think that suburbia bucks don’t care about human odor because they smell it all the time, but that is not the case at all. “I always hunt the wind. The deer really get spooky when they come in to a setup and smell human odor.” Just like when hunting big woods, Esker says the more hunting locations you have, the better so you have several backup plans. When looking for a new hunting location, Esker leaves no stone unturned and has learned over the years a monster buck can live almost anywhere. “There is one spot my brother and I hunt that the land owner has a gazebo that the deer are comfortable with. We actually put a popup blind right in the middle of the gazebo and hunt. We have killed a lot of deer out of that blind.”
The best time to kill a suburbia buck is between the middle of October to the first week of November. “I have the best of luck around the middle of October through the beginning of November because that is when the bucks are starting to move around during daylight.” Esker has also killed bucks early in the season. “Early in the season can be good as well because the bucks still have a pattern but many of these bucks only move first thing in the morning and just before dark in the evening. I like to hunt when the bucks start thinking about the does. To be successful, I must do everything right from worry about scent to hanging my stand in the right location. Every little detail must be thought out.”
One thing is certain: getting permission to hunt farms and large parcels of ground is getting extremely difficult. If you want to tag a big buck but don’t have deep pockets, consider hunting in suburbia. Like Esker says, it isn’t a cake walk but with a little hard work, you might kill a monster right behind the sand box.
BY TRACY BREEN
About the author: Tracy Breen is a full time outdoor writer, consultant and game dinner speaker who often discuss how he overcomes cerebral palsy. Learn more about him at www.tracybreen.com
BUILDING AN EDGE - FOOD PLOT SECRETS
Food Plots are more popular than ever before. Almost every serious land owner in America who hunts deer plants food plots. There are a variety of reasons hunters love planting food plots. For starters, food plots provide deer with a quality food source. Providing a quality food source on a piece of property keeps the deer on a piece of property and gives them the nutrition they need in the spring and summer when bucks are growing antlers and the does are lactating. Some food plots provide food into the fall and winter. As fall turns to winter, it is especially important to give deer a quality food source like a food plot because during the winter, finding food can be difficult for deer. If built right, food plots can provide more than just food for wildlife like deer. They can also provide cover. I recently interviewed Jason Lupardus, the NWTF Field Supervisor for the Midwest. He says research shows that food plots that offer field borders are even more attractive to deer and other wildlife than fields that go from a food source to hardwoods. “Food plots that have a transition that goes from food to cover to hardwoods is extremely attractive to wildlife and easy to create,” said Lupardus. “Instead of planting a crop all the way to the edge of a field, you stop a few rows shy of the woods. When this small area around a field or food plot doesn’t get planted with crops, it will return to native grasses. These grasses will often grow fairly tall which will provide cover for wildlife including deer, turkeys and other upland birds.” This buffer zone around a food plot gives does a place to have their fawns that is close to a food source yet gives the doe enough cover to hide her newborn. It is also a place for turkeys to nest and raise their poults. “Turkeys love to nest in the high borders around the edges of fields because they can nest without being seen by predators. When the eggs hatch, the high grasses offer security cover for the small poults. As spring turns to summer, this cover will be full of grasshoppers and other insects which provide the small turkeys with a high protein meal,” Lupardus noted. According to Lupardus, the first year that a field border is allowed to grow, wildlife, will quickly find it and use it. The second and third year the edge is provided becomes extremely beneficial to wildlife. “The second year, the border is often taller and thicker, providing even more cover for deer, turkeys and other game animals, giving them more security and in some cases, more food. For instance, ragweed often takes root and provides turkeys and other birds with plenty of food in the late summer and early fall.” Best of all, building a field border is free. Most food plot projects require time and money. Creating a field border doesn’t take much of either. You lose a few rows of crops which is the only drawback. Leave an edge this year and see what happens this fall.
BY TRACY BREEN www.tracybreen.com
Why Practicing at Long Distances Makes You a Better Bowhunter
Fall is almost here, and many bowhunters are already shooting their bows every day to get ready for the season. Most of us practice at 20, 30, or maybe 40 yards. That may seem like enough, especially if you never plan to take long-range shots in the woods. However, shooting at 60, 70, or even 80 yards can dramatically improve your accuracy at shorter distances. It’s one of the best ways to build confidence and discover weaknesses in your form or equipment. For tools that help you tune your setup, visit Pine Ridge Archery.
Long-Range Practice Sharpens Your Form
If you can consistently hit a pie plate at 60 or 70 yards, you have strong, repeatable shooting form. At close distances, it’s easy to hide mistakes. For example, a slight amount of bow torque at 20 yards may not affect your group much. But at 70 yards, even a tiny twist can send your arrow way off target.
This is why long-range practice is so valuable. It magnifies your mistakes, helping you fix them. Once your form is clean enough to hit at long distances, a 20–40 yard shot becomes incredibly easy. Improving your technique also builds confidence — something every bowhunter needs in the field.
To help make your form more consistent, consider stabilizers, string loops, and other tuning accessories from Pine Ridge Archery.
Long-Range Shooting Reveals Equipment Problems
Shooting farther doesn’t just help your form — it also exposes issues with your arrows and gear. Not all arrows in a dozen fly exactly the same. At close range you may never notice a flawed nock, an uneven vane, or a slightly off-weight broadhead. But at 60 or 70 yards, these problems stand out immediately.
To sort your arrows, try marking each shaft and shooting them one by one. If the same arrow misses consistently, it likely has a defect. Remove it from your hunting setup and keep only the best performers.
For even more accuracy, many bowhunters use tools like the Pine Ridge Archery Arrow Inspector (spin tester) to check for straightness. You can find this tool and more at Pine Ridge Archery.
Fine-Tune Your Broadheads and Setup
Consistent arrow weight is essential for tight groups. Before the season begins, weigh every broadhead to ensure they match. Mechanical broadhead shooters should always practice with the supplied practice head. Fixed-blade shooters should practice with the same blades they plan to hunt with, or at least identical extras.
Using high-quality components — such as vanes, glue, and string accessories from Pine Ridge Archery — helps ensure reliable performance.
The Confidence You Need in the Field
Long-range practice takes effort, but it pays off. When you’re accurate at 60 yards or more, a 20-yard shot feels effortless. You know your form is solid. You know your arrows are tuned. And you trust your gear.
To make your setup even more consistent, check out tuning tools and accessories at Pine Ridge Archery today.
