I can't wait to see this. I am new to hunting period. Last year was my first hunting season ever. I am now bow hunting only.
1-get a bow you are comfortable with. trust me you will know. you will pull it back and shoot it.it will just feel right. 2- practice,practice,practice. 3- scout, scout scout. 4- get as much info from bowhunting.com as you can, wether it be from forums or whatever. 5- dont be afraid to ask questions. wether you think it is dumb or not. just ask, it never hurts to learn from the experience of others.
Well, I'm a new bowhunter. But, what I've heard is. 1. Practice, Practice, Practice 2. Do real world situations like get adrenaline pumping then shoot, shoot from treestands etc... 3. Keep your equipment tuned. 4. Stay confident 5. I'm not sure Mine prolly aren't that good. But oh well it's what I do and have heard Oh ya and ask questions and learn from others.
last year was my first year bowhunting. and i can tell you what. it has made me such a better hunter. i have learned so much in this past year it is just unreal. between this site and 3 magazine subscriptions, i never miss a beat on anything about bowhunting!
1. Limit your shots to 25 yards. 2. Make sure your setups help you achieve #1. 3. Stand up as soon as you see the deer. It only gets harder as they get closer. 4. Wait for a good shot, but take the first one that you get. 5. Pay attention to everything after the shot.
1. Don't force a shot. Taking a bad one is worse than not getting one at all. 2. No matter how well you shoot in practice, you aren't going to be that good with a deer in front of you, so keep your shots close. 3. Watch everything that happens after the shot and do everything possible to remember & mentally mark the last place u saw the deer run. 4. Unless you see the deer laying on the ground, wait 30 minutes before you even think about getting down from your tree. 5. Try to plan ahead as best as possible to handle for situations where things go bad and you may have to come back the next day to look for a deer. Will you be able to get off work or school?
1. Scout your hunting area and find the animal you are hunting. Find out how that animal moves and what it's motivations are for moving to and from where it beds to where it feeds, and lastly to where it breeds. 2. Talk to experienced no non-sense bowhunters. Listen to what they tell you. Ask guys that hunt in your type of environment how/why they do certain things. 3. Dump your ego at the truck. 4. Practice with your equipment prior to the season. Make sure you have the confidence in your equipment and more importantly in yourself to make the shot count when the pressure rises. 5. Never give up.
I harvested 2 deer. I didn't know jack at the beginning of the season. Our season started in September. I didn't decide to hunt until the end of August. I had to throw everything together and just go for it. I learned a whole lot of what not to do and a couple things to do. Since last September I have totally engulfed myself in the deer hunting world. I have done ever thing from mineral stations, food plots (spring and now fall), scouting my butt off, digging watering holes with a backhoe, studying topo maps and learning how to read them and just learning all year. Read as much as you can. Magazines, Internet articles, bowhunting.com articles and books. While you are doing research the questions will come. As they come ask people. If you don't know successfully hunters (I don't know any) ask the guys on here. I have learned more in the past 3 months of this forum than I did all of last season and on my own than I probably would have in two years. These guys are passionate about hunting and serious hunters. They know their stuff. You just have to listen and throw most everything you have heard about hunting out the window and learn by researching and doing it. Whatever you do, don't forget to enjoy the hunt and enjoy what God has put out there for us to enjoy and love. Respect the animals you are trying to harvest and enjoy their beauty and be ethical in every decision you make.
1. Like others, shoot a bow that you are comfortable with.. don't buy one just cause others you see on TV shoot it. Get the one that feels right to YOU. 2. Practice from a tree stand, 90% of your shots will be from a tree and not from a straight on ground shot. 3. Remember, it's not like it is on TV. You have to remember the deer won't always come as planned.. standing up right away and getting yourself ready will help you get that shot off. 4. ALWAYS take an ethical shot. No matter if it's a 200" inch deer if you don't have an ethical clean shot, don't take it. Not fair to others, the animal, or yourself. 5. When you realize it's a big enough deer to shoot, make sure you ignore the rack when drawn back on the deer. People miss a lot because they are so concerned with the rack and not where the placement of the shot is. It's hard to just narrow it down to 5 tips for new bowhunters but it will come with time. Just be determined and everything will be fine, welcome!
1. Be proficient with your weapon. 2. Hunt only the right wind. 3. Spend as much time as you can with an experienced hunter. (learn as much as you can about deer and how to hunt them) 4. Be safe. 5. Have fun.
One thing I learned last season I didn't mentioned and Virginiashadow's reply reminded me. Don't get discouraged. If you go out 10 hunts and see nothing, go out 10 more. The more you are in the woods the more you know but, don't burn out an area if you can help it and control your scent at all cost. I got discouraged about a two months into last season. It was an awfull feeling. I quickly realized that I needed to just enjoy it. So the next time out, I wanted to not see anything and just relax in the in the stand and watch nature. it was the first day of rifle season and I took my first deer that morning.
1. Don't let your season slip by hunting nocturnal sign. 2. Go the extra mile when entering and exiting your stand. 3. Pay close attention to the details but never loss sight of the big picture. 4. Always watch the wind....Not only where your scent is going....but keep in mind that the wind and thermals effect what the deer are doing as well. 5. Find and know the food sources for your area...know when each one becomes available, drys up and how the deer transition from one to the other. Wait this for a new bow hunter....... 1. Practice shooting every chance you get. 2. Shot any legal deer that makes you happy. 3. Throw all the hunting Mag's and books out the window.....95% of it is BS and you haven't been hunting long enough to separate the good info from the bad. 4. Never take advice from someone who has Pro Staff in there signature. 5. Find a mentor who lives in your area.
1. Don't let your season slip by hunting nocturnal sign. 2. Go the extra mile when entering and exiting your stand. 3. Pay close attention to the details but never loss sight of the big picture. 4. Always watch the wind....Not only where your scent is going....but keep in mind that the wind and thermals effect what the deer are doing as well. 5. Find and know the food sources for your area...know when each one becomes available, drys up and how the deer transition from one to the other. Wait...this is for a new bowhunter..... 1. Practice shooting every chance you get. 2. Shoot any legal deer that makes you happy. 3. Throw all the hunting mag's and books in the trash....95% of it is BS and you haven't been hunting long enough to separate the good info from the bad. 4. Never take advice from someone who has "Pro Staff" in there signature. 5. Find a mentor that lives in you area.
1. buy a bow that fits you, feels right & shoot well for you. invest in good equipment and support your local archery shop. 2. ask questions, read articles. lot of people here that are very experienced and can help anyone. read different magazines, blogs, etc. get educated. 3. develop form and consistency. most important. with out it, practicing will just lead to arrows flying all over the place. 4. practice, practice, practice form & consistency. 5. don't expect to shoot the 30 pt. buck your first time out, be thankful for what you shoot & respect the animals, & other hunters.
X2!!!! i was the exact same way and have learned soooo much stuff since i first began bowhunting last fall.
These are all great comments. This upcoming season will be my second in the woods and let me tell you, I can't wait! Many things written above are extremely accurate. I had almost 250 arrows through my bow before I even set foot in the woods. I hunted on average 2-3 days a week the entire season and didn't have any shots. I kept practicing when I wasn't hunting and tried to remain confident. On one of the last days of bow season (Jan 23rd in MD) I harvested my first deer at 35 yds. She only ran about 15 yds and was done. Practice, Practice, Practice...try to remain calm in your stand, and once you find the right bow, you'll know.
Well fellas I appreciate all the tips...I hope I can get out there and bring home some meat this year...One more question... How many of you guys only bow hunt, even in general gun season?
