David Siegfried

It's hard to believe, but this December issue marks the completion of my first year as BOWHUNTING editor. It seems like only a couple weeks ago that Publisher Jeff Waring was introducing me on this very page. As the old saying goes, time flies when you're having fun.

It's certainly been an exciting year. After arrowing my first Rio Grande gobbler down in South Texas in April, I spent the summer shooting the heck out of my Bowtech Admiral and PSE X-Force in preparation for fall whitetail hunts in Missouri, Illinois and Pennsylvania, not to mention an October caribou quest on the tundra of northern Quebec.

I look forward to sharing details of these adventures with you in upcoming issues. Of course, the year hasn't been all fun and games. In fact, it's been a lot of hard work.

Despite that, I've really enjoyed the day-to-day responsibilities of putting together the world's largest -- and best -- bowhunting magazine. It's also been great building relationships with legendary BOWHUNTING personalities such as Bill Winke, Jim Dougherty, Patrick Meitin, Randy Ulmer, Kathy Etling and Eddie Claypool. Now that I've settled in and gotten my feet on the ground, it's a good time to take a quick look back and let you know where we're headed from here.

Back when I started, I noted that BOWHUNTING has an editorial team that is among the best in the business. That belief has only been strengthened with time. Since its debut in 1988, this magazine has clawed its way to the top with an unmatched mix of compelling feature articles, top-notch hunting advice and the most up-to-date reports on new bowhunting products and technologies. And as I promised when I arrived, those things aren't going to change under my watch.

At the same time, the past year has given me an opportunity to gather input from readers, archery industry figures and fellow BOWHUNTING staffers about things in the magazine that aren't as good as they can be. Some changes -- such as increased use of custom illustrations for feature articles and new "real world" testing methods for our High Grade bow reviews -- have already been implemented. And we're planning a number of additional changes for 2010 that will make BOWHUNTING better than ever.

One change I am pleased to announce -- effective immediately -- is a major expansion of our online presence. We recently launched Stuck In The Rut, the official BOWHUNTING blog, and revived Petersen's BOWHUNTING Radio as an all-new podcast format available through iTunes.

As the name implies, Stuck In The Rut is an interactive forum designed to keep your bowhunting passion burning all year long! Members of the BOWHUNTING team will use text, photos and video to post field reports from across North America, share expert shooting and tuning tips, discuss the latest bowhunting trends and keep you informed about new archery gear. Check it out today at www.bowhuntingmag.com/blog. Those on Twitter also can follow us at www.twitter.com/bowhuntingmag.