Bowhunting Tips

I agree with practice a lot... When you get shooting decently try and set up targets without ranging them with a rangefinder or pacing them off. If you get used to having to judge range it will help you BIG time in the woods. Misjudging range is probably the most common cause of misses. I have been bowhunting for 10 years and as far as equipment goes its for each his own. Try each and every bow out untill you are holding one that feels like an extension of your own arm! I shoot a 400 dollar bow and harvest more deer than my buddies with 1000 bows. A bow has to fit you right for you to be able to shoot it comfortably, make sure your draw length and weight feel comfortable and pay attention to the brace height (length between string and riser) a short brace height will recoil more. Ill have to say that the rage broad heads are pretty sweet but for a beginner I would go with a fixed head like a Muzzy (my favorite). Good luck and here in Virginia you have the entire month of October for bowhunting!

 

Gotcha... I won't be out there until I get proficient with it and can make consistent groupings... Thanks for the info.

 

with regards to broad heads - rage heads are deadly but probably not a good idea until you feel the way a broad head shoots compared to a field tip. Muzzy heads seem to be the preferred choice. i have shot them and recommend them, i have shot montec heads with success but are less popular.

with bow hunting: your kill range is significantly shorter than a gun. Patience is a virtue you will learn while waiting an animal out and calling them in. A good bow hunter can range up to 50 or so yards ethically but it is good to stay within 30 ( IN MY OPINION). remember, when you release that arrow, the deer hears the snap and immediately reacts usually by lowering itself down then springing into a run all within a fraction of a second. The arrow still has to make its flight so it may impact the animal out of the kill zone because of its reaction to the shot. the closer you can get - the better chance you have to hit it in the kill zone.

it is a challenging sport ( much harder than firearm hunting) but rewarding and fun. get in with a club near you and there will be lots of good guys that will teach you everything you need to know. my experience with bow hunting is it is populated by good guys that actually enjoy helping others out- especially new guys. as i said - if you lived up here we would take you out for a shoot.

enjoy.

 

my broadhead. slicktrick magnums, 100gr. my bow was set right smack in the middle of all the specs. shoot goldtip 5575, also middle in the specs. my arrows hit with my fieldtips. i want to try the montecs, so i can do a COC head. i did not recover a big 8pt whitetail a few months ago, and it broke my heart.

my advice. practice the long shots. alot. it makes the short shots seem soooo easy. i have a couse deer hunt in AZ coming up, and believe it or not, i was hitting a medium sized paper plate at 80 yards. i would never shoot at a tiny deer at that range, but it made the 40 yards look like a chip shot.

as a bow hunter, invest some money in good hunting clothing. all my rifle camo is too loud. we dont have the luxury of the long shots anymore. any noise can send an animal scrambling for safety.