Archery Talk

I hear you on the heat thing, pretty much the same way here and Ohio. The big question for all people here that practice for Hunting, is do you practice with the clothing that you will have on when you are hunting, gloves, hat binoculars, body harness etc.

 

It has always been a problem for cold weather both hunters. We have to dress lightly because things get in the way too easy like facemask hats gloves and jacket. Thank God for under armor

 

This is just me personally, but I have never understood why someone who is bowhunting needs binoculars. They are great for long range spot and stalk, but that is not what we do. The last thing you want when you draw back is something attached to your chest that is going to grab your bow string. That is a disaster waiting to happen. A grunt call around your neck has the same effect. I had a good friend chastise me years ago for not carrying binoculars, and I told him that if you can't identify a good buck/bull at 40 yards, then you should stick to a rifle with scope. We bow hunt because it is hard, challenging, and extremely rewarding in the end. I'm also a firm believer in practicing how you hunt. If you sit in a stand, you should practice sitting down, and so forth. Good luck out there guys and gals! Seven more days until my season begins!

 

I carry my binoculars on me very low like at my nut sack, and apparently your buddy that was so quick to chastised you, has never called a buck in from a quarter-mile away. (now I'm going to tell you, thats rewarding) But at the end of the day, it just gives you something to do for fun to pass the time away

 

Bowhunter checking in here. I shoot a BTX-31.

 

All good smugly. I have called in many bucks too, but I keep calls in pants pockets, not around my neck. I have been called a minimalist hunter before, I don't even carry a knife with me. No backpack either. All that stuff stays in the truck, or camp, and out of my way. If I kill something, I have to go back and get a frame pack, so I don't bother with carrying too much that I consider to be unnecessary. Ignorance is bliss on my part.

 

No disrespect to your friend but do what feels right to you. I'll open up a huge can of worms by telling everyone that I use a Carter qickie 2 pro release with a 2 ounce spring and have for years.(FYI, it's the lightest spring they sell, and I lock my thumb on the back of my neck also) I never understood these boat anchors they call mechanical releases, with that said, I also shoot extreme long distance and I am very accustomed to extremely light triggers. I would certainly not suggest this for everything.

 

As far as the thumb on the back of the neck style I use, I have sat at full draw for up to approximately seven minutes on dead still waiting for the perfect opportunity to release. It's something that I have tried to explain to Cross bow users, that we do the most amount of movement at the most inopportunic time, so I try to minimize that my drawing early and setting
I would like to invite any of you both hunters to at least give the thumb style a try, it also makes for one hell of a repeatable anchor point .

 

As the season progresses on into the winter, I will begin to practice while wearing my heavy coat. It is a different feeling having all those layers on you.

Do you all hunt mostly from a stand or a ground blind? I am almost exclusively a climber, at least when it comes to bow, as I like to be able to change my set up from one hunt to the next, and also a lot of the properties I hunt don't want stands on their properties.

 

Tree stands on public lands around here are open to any who stumble across them, meaning if you set a stand and I see it empty, I can claim it ( I wouldn't though). Crappy law if you ask me.
So, I stalk through the forest hoping I don't spook too much away. Or I sit in the tall grass near a game trail or near a water source.

I have a ground blind, but the tree stand law applies to it too, so it stays home most seasons.

 

I'm a bowhunter as well... (that's my tree stand loaded into the receiver of my truck in my avatar). I started off as a youngin' with bowfishing, but over the last several years I've taken to spot-and-stalk hog hunting or taking to the trees for deer. Currently I shoot a Mathews No Cam HTR. Archery is definitely an underrated sport/hobby.

 

That's for sure!

 

X2 on "Archery is definitely an underrated sport/hobby." I grew up in S.E. Alaska rifle hunting blacktail deer, and now live in MI bowhunting whitetail. Moving here I thought bowhunting was piece of cake, boy was I wrong. I'm addicted to archery, more than rifle.

 

My rifles never get a workout anymore! I hope they know I still love them

I've always hunted public land, and have little success to show for it, but I've had soooooooo many close encounters and the challenge of bowhunting is absolutely addicting.

 

One more thing about binoculars, and then I will put it to rest. It is amazing what a good set of binocular's can cut through in the woods to let you see things that you would normally never be able to make out, it definitely gives you an earlier heads up on deer coming

 

I definitely use binoculars, but I don't have them hanging from my neck. I keep them in my pack which I have hanging from the tree next to me. I can easily reach back and grab them if I need them, and put them back up once I am done. Same with my grunt tube.

Archery is incredibly addicting. It's amazing the things you can observe about animals when you are right on top of them, and they don't know that you are there. I still rifle hunt, but I will not shoot bucks with my rifle. I only take does to fill the freezer (of course I will always take does with my bow as well). I am not saying that bucks aren't used for meat as well, but since I began archery hunting, I feel there isn't a whole lot of "sport" or challenge to rifle hunting. For that reason I don't take "trophies" with my rifle. I know I have missed out on some nice deer because of this philosophy, but at the end of the day it is what I feel is right. A lot of people disagree with me, and I am ok with that.

 

If I'm in a ground blind then I'll have a ton of stuff with me...I dont hang stuff from my neck typically unless Im just scouting. With bow hunting stuff gets in the way if you are shooting. Rifle isnt as bad bu still I carry stuff in a pack. When Im in a climber I really dont want anything hanging me up so I'll leave my pack at the bottom of the tree Im in, pull my bow up after Im in the stand and hang my quiver on the stand next to me or on a hook. I do have an extra arrow out but typically you only get one shot on an animal and they are gone anyhow but some instances you can get a second shot if they dont know whats going on.

I like rifle hunting but bow hunting still amps me up more...I shot the buck in my profile pic last year and it wasnt the same as with a bow, even a doe gives me an adrenaline rush with a bow.

 

What are some cool things that you all have seen while in the stand/blind?

One morning I had climbed up into my tree about 30 minutes before day light. As the sun was coming up I had a barn owl swoop in and last in the tree next to me! I watched him for awhile, but the first time I shifted my weight, he looked over at me with as puzzled a look as I imagine an owl can have, and took off a split second later.

 

I had a barred owl land about 5 feet away from me and bobble its head trying to figure out what I was. When I was in MD I saw a pitch black squirrel run around the woods, I thought of shooting it but passed then I checked and they arent as rare as I thought in MD so I should have shot it. Also in MD I saw a couple otter or something similar come up the creekbed and scamper out of sight. Saw numerous piebalds in MD one had some construction barrier fencing around its neck running through the woods, It took me a second or two to figure out what it was but it was out of bow range.

 

I've seen all sorts of critters from a tree. Had squirrels throw acorn caps at me and bark at me once they figured out I was there, had a crow land next to my head (and they have good vision to boot), saw a 1x2 buck with the spike going straight up about 18" he was pretty crazy looking. One time I was hunting public land in an area where there are hogs and deer, and I hear a ton of brush breaking down the trail. I thought a monster was coming my way. This sucker was breaking anything near the trail and the footsteps were heavier than any pig or deer I've ever heard in the woods. I was a bit nervous to say the least. Well, it gets closer through the thicket and I get my bow ready to draw when out from the trail comes a big ass horse. A freaking feral horse. It walked right below my stand. I could have jumped on its back and rode off into the sunset haha