Posted: 9/5/2007 8:10:19 PM EDT
| Wanna take a whitetail with a deer. I have no bowhunting experience. I need ALOT of help. This impulse hit me today, and I'm not even sure if I can get my hands on a permit or not, but any and all help is appreciated. I'm looking forward to the challenge and rewards of hunting with a bow. |
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Well.....with no bowhunting behind you it may be tough to get ready for this year. Do you own or have you even shot a bow? Have you hunted deer or other critters with rifle, shotgun or muzzleloader? Do you have a good bud that can let you try out gear and help you get set up for bow hunting? |
I've shot a bow, and was planning on picking one up there's a bunch of places with sales around here now. I have a good hunting buddy with alot of bow experience, and have taken deer in the past with pretty much everything on the firearm horizon... shotguns, muzzle loaders and center fire. I'm just looking for a new challenge and don't know what to expect. I should have probably cleared this up in my first post... Worst case scenario would be muzzle loader on a friend's family's farm for which I'm already all geared out, but I would like to take a deer with a bow if possible this season as well. I guess my big question is what do you guys do in terms of tactics (Calling, stalking, stands, etc)? Also, how much of the clothing carries over? I have a very good parka and pants set up, but I'm wondering how much room I should look for in terms of freedom in the jacket in order to draw the bow without spooking the deer? Finally, any and all bow recommendations would be great. I'm not looking for the top of the line bow necessarily, but I would like something that can take some abuse and lasts me for seasons to come. Sorry about my first post not clarifying all of this, I got waaaaay too excited about the prospect of taking game with a bow, as it never occurred to me until now that its the one part of the outdoors lifestyle that I have not enjoyed. |
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<=== NO EXPERT. Okay. First rely on your buddy for fitting you with a bow if he's knowledgeable enough. Are you two about the same size? If so, shoot his gear and see if it fits you. Look to him for guidance in the proper form and techniques. If he is not up to the task I recommend getting fitted at an archery shop. It will cost more but your gear will perform as it should when tuned by a pro. You may save some money by picking up a used setup. There's nothing wrong with a well maintained 5 year old bow. A lot of people don't realize that a bow, especially a compound bow has to fit you. They are pretty adjustable but you'll want to by one that is set close to what you need. The most important 2 factors being draw length and draw weight. I'm 5'10'' and draw a 30 inch bow. I'm also pretty stout and have no problem drawing 80#s. But my bow is set at 68#s. Why? Because I'm more comfortable with a weight I can draw slowly, in an awkward position without a lot of noise and extraneous motion. This could come in handy drawing down on a deer while seated shooting behind the tree I'm in. Once you get your gear and have learned how to shoot it you need to try shooting in your actual hunting gear. Any fabric catching or deflecting your bowstring will usually be audible and throw off your point of impact. Around here most hunt from a tree stand over a well used trail or an entrance to a feeding ground. I've never had much luck with calling, YMMV. Stalking 'em is for hard core experts, it's fun but very challenging. I've had some success shooting deer from the ground but only in hilly country where I'm above the animal. I hunt with only 2 pins set on my sight. One is tuned in at 20 yards and one at 30 yards. I don't take (or often get) shots longer than that. The arrow's trajectory is fairly flat out to 20, is six inches lower at 30 and starts to really drop past 35 yards. Set up an appropriate target with a safe backstop in you back yard and practice a little everyday. Stop when your arms and shoulders get tired. You'll quickly build up a set of muscles that might not normally get used like that. Soon you'll be drawing much smoother and holding much steadier. Thanks for tolerating my disjointed ramblings but there is a world of advice to give. It's a lot of work to do it right but it is fun! |
| Joker1 has pretty much summed it up. You definitely NEED to get a bow that fits you personally. Don't be misled into thinking that you can just buy any old bow, like you would a firearm. You really need to go to an archery pro shop and have your correct draw length measured. Then you can sample different draw weights to find one that fits you. A good test of comfortable draw weight is to sit in a chair, lift your feet off the floor, and try to draw a bow. If you can't draw it easily in this manner, then the weight is too high. Don't get caught up in that macho 100# crap -- Ted Nugent shoots 53# and kills deer all the time. As for hunting tactics, I'd recommend a treestand or ground blind. |