Bow Hunting Advice

AWESOME! I should have my bow in another week and then ill get my form and everything else down and we shall have a day full of shooting! what range do you go to or do you have land you able to utilize?

 

congrats bud. have fun and practice practice practice.

 

Never draw your bow back unless you have an arrow loaded. No dry fire! Newbies always risk a dry fire. Don't let your buddies dry fire it either.

 

I always told my friends that if they dry fired my now they were buying me a new one.

 

Ya I don't get outta school till June 8th so it'll have to be after then... I've been to Oak Tree in Newhall before, but finding places to shoot is usually kind of hard. That's one of the qualities that is attracting me towards bow hunting. But usually I can figure some place to shoot, when I do I will definitely post up in here! And my couple of my buddies shoot bows too so they could bring theirs and do some practicing.

 

there shall be a lot of practice! cannot wait to get it though, I keep going back and shooting the "demo" strother that the shop has

Definitely dont plan on it!

I will probably make the same deal with my friends. I would be pissed if one of them wrecked it!

Sounds good to me man! just let me know when you go shooting! what are you going to school for?

Once I get shooting, I will need some advice on hunting, I have never gone and hope to get some good pointers and make some new buddies that wouldnt mind showing me the ropes! thanks guys

 

nobody ever plans on it. ever. i dont know how many bows ive seen dry fired. maybe 5. it is always someone pulling it back without an arrow. mostly a friend seeing how difficult it is to draw.

i also saw in a bow shop some guy pull back a bow with bare hands wrapped around the string. no release. he de-railed that bow by torqueing it. it was awesome and loud.

 

True true! ok, then I guess I will have to say that none of my friends will be drawing without an arrow fully knocked in. Dont feel like have my new small fortune of a toy being trashed from ignorance lol

I saw a few videos of dry-fires and they would be crazy to see!

 

Now now... Better solution for avoiding dry fires... You never draw your bow without an arrow in it. For your friends dont let them draw your bow period. I will never let someone shoot or draw my bow no matter how long they have been shooting. Its too expensive and to risky. Kind of like letting someone that doesnt know how to drive take your truck for a spin in rush hour traffic. Bad idea. For the idea that if you friend blows it up that he will replace it, wait for it to happen and see if they pony up few will.

 

You have a good point here! new ruling! WHAT HE SAID ^^^^

 

Ok man, for sure! I'm at Cal Poly majoring in Agricultural Systems Management. Pretty much ag engineering/business ha. Ya we all love to talk about hunting and would be happy to exchange tips or whatnot, especially since it sounds like you're getting swamped in bow knowledge haha. Sounds like a good summer in the making!

 

Right on, I had a bunch of friends that have graduated from there.

I will share my knowledge if its not already known haha and I cannot wait to get going and hanging out and going hunting! just let me know when and where and I will be there!

 

Ok sounds good man! I'll check in here every once in a while till I get out of school and then we can figure something out!

 

Got my Hunter safety coarse taken care of! was super easy and got some good knowledge from the 2 veterans that were teaching it.

Can you guys give me some tips and things to work on while bowhunting? never been hunting and I am going to go with some people that have been going for a while.

Teach me your ways Gentleman!

 

Play the wind. be quiet. I dont know, hard to say how my hunting style is, i just do it. Spot and stock FTW.

 

haha alright then! I will just have to get my own technique going once I get out there.

any tips for prepping?

 

nice! where did you take it?

 

Check out archerytargets.com they make some very durable targets and have comparison videos on their site and youtube. When they are new they're a little bit of a pain in the A## to get the arrows out of. But once they've been shot a bit it gets much easier. The original Cube is what I'm shooting.
And as mentioned previously don't ever let anyone shoot your gear. Recently I allowed my nieces boyfriend to shoot mine and he broke 2 arrows and shot everything but the actual target. I am shooting the Easton Axis 400 but looking to switch to Victory Armour Piercing (VAP).

 

Took it out in Oxnard, teachers were two older vets named Bill and Jack. Had some good stories and thing to know about weapons and hunting!

And I was stoked on the price, was only $10

 

Congrats on passing your safety course! Personally, I love bowhunting. I shot my first deer when I was thirteen and have been hooked ever since. I'm gonna take some time to give you some tips that I have picked up over the years.

Practicing: When you're practicing with your bow, take the time to accurately measure out different yardages and spend an equal amount of time shooting from each one. I found myself spending way too much time shooting from twenty yards, only to miss a 5x5 elk on opening morning. It was at 40 yards... If you plan to hunt from a treestand, set one up in your yard and practice from that too. When shooting broadheads, shoot them one at a time. It's always a bummer when you cut a fletching or ruin a broadhead. Lastly, don't over do it! I usually shoot 20 to 30 shots a day. If you shoot too much, you'll be all over the target the next day.

Hunting: There are many different styles of bowhunting. My favorite is spot and stalk. It's the most fun in my opinion. Another popular one is hunting out of a treestand. This is the easiest, but also the most boring. Some people enjoy calling in animals as well.

Decisions: When faced with a decision, say if you have a chance to shoot a cow, but its opening morning, weigh the other possibitities. If you haven't hunted very much, or you don't have very much time to hunt the rest of the season, shoot it. Maybe you hunt hard and blow an opportunity, or the wind shifts and the animal runs away, do you chase it? Depends on what you're capable of and what you're willing to go through, and how badly you want that animal. Personal experience says that if you chase a herd of elk long enough, they will eventually wear out and you'll catch up to them. When chasing animals, don't rush. Make sure you know where you're at at all times. There is nothing worse than being lost in the woods after dark.

Taking the shot: When you about to make your shot, make sure the animal is broadside or cornering away. This will give you a clear shot of the lungs and the heart. Make sure you have a clear shooting lane as well. Take your time, and keep a level head. Don't rush. That's when you miss. Lastly, know your yardage!

Hope this helps. Good luck!

- Sam