hunting wisdom

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stagpanther

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Being a member of many hunting, firearms and archery forums--I sometimes see some very to-the-point comments. Recently, on the Maine Bow Hunting forum a survey question was posed by an admin: "What's the best advice you can give to someone new to bow hunting?" The best response I've seen so far from a sage forum member: "get a rifle.":)
 
said with a smile

Since you smiled as you said that, I will agree, that is funny.

But in my own case, becoming an avid bowhunter for deer, made me a much better deer hunter. I had to learn a lot of stuff,..... the wind, travel patterns, food preferences, stages of the rut. I knew little if any of these things as a young gun hunter,and I'll add, I[m still learning. And, I had to set up shots within my effective range, which has never been much with a bow (my deer diary says 14 yd average over the years) . I was proud of all that, and I pretty much became an archery snob, and considered rifle hunting cheating.

There were guys in clubs I belonged to over the years, that despised me, and bowhunting/bowhunters, et al. They didn't like that we got in the woods earlier in the year, that in some locales, we got late season's too. They were especially upset over the deer that were shot and not recovered.

But my observations were that those same clubs lost as many or more deer to poor rifle shooting. There were more gun hunters, and if a deer exposed itself, it got shot (at), no matter the distance in a lot of cases. You see a lot of deer hunting on and around R.O.W's.

I'm rifle hunting again, I cannot climb trees, hump the stand in and out, and drag deer any distance from lightly hunted boonie areas like I used too. Age has humbled me down a good bit. But all those years studying deer and deer behavior, has made me a better hunter, I feel sure.
 
I agree--I bow hunt as well as firearms (though to be honest, I suck at both hahah) and it really forces you to become a better stalker. Even within the bow hunting community there are wide variations--some insist on keeping it "pure" with insticnctive primitive bows--while others compulsively buy the latest technical compound marvel out each years that costs over 1K. Sound familiar? ;) Where I disgree with you slightly is that on a per participant basis, I've noticed over the years that there seems to be a slightly higher rate of lost wounded deer in the bow hunting community than compared to firearms, at least among those of "average" experience. In other words, firearms definitely lowers the skill and practice barriers to newer, less experienced hunters IMO. I know what you're talking about when referring to "gun hunter discrimination of bow hunters" when it comes to the generally wider seasons. Up were I live the firearms community often has a prevailing attitude that the bow hunters actually threaten and destabilize the herd by being able to take bucks before the genral firearm season opens.
 
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stagpanther said:
"What's the best advice you can give to someone new to bow hunting?" The best response I've seen so far from a sage forum member: "get a rifle.":)
Click to expand...

I get that all the time when I tell folks I only hunt deer with a handgun. My response is, "Rifles are easy, when it's easy, anyone can do it".

Have hunted deer for over half a century, both with firearms, and with stick and string. Whole world of differences between the two. Kinda like riding motorcycle....." If I have to explain, you wouldn't understand!"

Folks always try and come up with cute little sayings or excuses to describe their own inadequacies. Must make them feel better about themselves, I guess. Personally, the chuckle they raise from me, ain't because of their cuteness.:D
 
Bow hunting makes you actually have to HUNT the animal. I started hunting when I lived out West. There were no food plots, tree stands (there weren't any trees!) so you spent pre-season scouting and during the season actually hunting, whether rifle or bow. After moving back East and seeing all of the aforementioned plots and stuff, it seems to be more like "deer waiting" than deer hunting.
 
Comedy

Bill Engvall has a really funny routine about taking his wife deer hunting with him. Him and his wife in a tree stand. He has claimed it is the only time he has ever shoved a woman out of a tree.
Yup those pesky deer are not much on keeping appointments.
 
Have patience with the process and yourself. ... ;)

The best response I've seen so far from a sage forum member: "get a rifle."
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If that's the best and I "think" it was said in jest, then I'd hate to see the worst response. ...... :cool:

My usual response is; Have patience with the equipment, process and yourself. ... ;)

My Bow hunting days made me a better hunter. ....... ;)

Be Safe !!!
 
Yes--I simply thought it was very funny--being on a bow hunting forum I figure it was a bow hunter that submitted it. Somewhere I'm sure there's a spear hunter and rock throwing hunters forum that think bows are an "unpure" way of hunting.:D
 
It's answers like that which seem to come out of all forums.
The #1 answer at anything you want to do is get out and do it. More deer, bear, birds, wild things are shot in the woods than on the couch.

For bow hunting I would say practice, practice and more practice. Never shoot beyond your comfort zone.

For example right now I have a turkey tag. This is my third season turkey hunting. I started knowing absolutely nothing about turkeys and although I have never killed one this past Friday I had 3 in range and one was at 8 feet on overhunted public land. All hens so no dice.

My grandpa use to say the best way to get to know animals is by watching them. Doesn't matter when. It's all useful information.
 
The question was "What's the best advice you can give to someone new to bow hunting?"
I would say do your scouting & watch deer, watch what they eat, what paths they use, how & where the cross water. That is on top of practice, practice, practice be sure you can hit every time at the distance you choose.
Don't practice with these foam deer shaped targets, the heart/lung location of these targets is too far back & too high, it is teaching you bad habits.:mad:
But the biggest thing is use your head when hunting put yourself in the deers place & ask yourself using your scouting experience what would I do if I was a deer.
 
wind

Yes. I think it was one of the bowhunting Wensel brothers that said "Whitetails are the wind."

Because a bow is a relatively short ranged weapon, to get a shot, you must play the wind and have the animal appear upwind. I hear accounts of deer bow killed downwind, and see a few downwind of my stands now and again, but not very often. THE big pivot point in whatever success I've had bowhunting occurred when I began to figure the wind into stand site selection. And not just once on stand, but in your approach, parking area, etc. Have multiple sites, and if the wind does not favor a hunt there, hunt somewhere else.
 
I used to hunt crossbows--but modern compounds are so good with so much let-off I don't anymore. Nonetheless--it's not an easy thing to remain at the draw, well concealed, and not get busted. I'm still working on getting good with a primitive wooden bow--I love shooting instinctive and yes I think it has a direct benefit to firearms shooting and hunting as well.
 
stagpanther said:
Somewhere I'm sure there's a spear hunter and rock throwing hunters forum that think bows are an "unpure" way of hunting.:D
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Thing is, I don't really care how others hunt, as long as it is responsibly, legally and humanely. So i it's sneakin' on your belly to get close enough to hit 'em on the head with a rock, or sitting in a heated/Air conditioned box stand waiting for the "guide" to let the high priced exotic outta the barn, to go to the feeder, a mere 20 yards away, I say if it trips your trigger, go for it. I just ask for the same and you don't tell me how to hunt, or try to belittle me because of how I choose to do it. While I do feel there is a difference between what I consider a "hunter" or a "shooter", there are both regardless of what platform is used. Still, as long as they are not a slob hunter or poaching, I don't have a problem.
 
Some good responses here...

Patience...

That is probably the best advice I can give.

Oh, and don't drop your bow out of the stand... Almost jumped off after it...:eek:
 
For big game: learn to judge distance. Or bring a laser range-finder on every hunt.

Can't count how many deer/elk/whatever I've seen people hit way too low (ankle hits?) for lack of being able to consistently judge what's 100 yards and what's 250 yards, or whatever. Then comes the "let's see how many rounds we can launch at that injured animal before it runs off never to be seen again so it can bleed to an agonizing death."

On a more positive note, learn to be quiet. Most new hunters fidget and make noise. Take some time before ever getting into the woods to learn how to be quiet for at least an hour at a time.
 
dropped bow

I know a guy who dropped his bow out of a tree. A Martin Cougar Magnum. ( I shot one of those too for a long time). Fella said he darn near could grab it when it bounced back up.
 
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