Hi there, I am a fiction writer with absolutely no experience with bows or bow hunting whatsoever. I am writing a character that is well accustomed to hunting with a bow. I'm sure you can see my dilemma. I was wondering if anyone could help me look slightly less ignorant than I am by answering a few questions. Also, if you can think of anything I've not addressed, please, for the love of all that is sacred and holy - tell me. Any information you might have will be appreciated. First, a little background of the situation so you know what I need - the character lives alone, off the 'grid' and has done so all his adult life. The story takes place in sometime past - it's a fantasy (think medieval Europe). So the equipment/techniques he uses have to be somewhat archaic. He will know how to make a bow, make the arrows, and has recently acquired a new fangled crossbow. He has a dog that usually accompanies him on hunting forays (IF that is a viable addition for deer hunting - suggestions about that appreciated). I need to know things like tracking procedures - he is currently hunting deer in a forested area. I need to know what kind of bow would be best for this, (if you can point me in the direction of a youtube video or an image gallery of the suitable equipment, that would be awesome). I need to know what to do after a deer is caught - what do you do in the field, what do you do when you get back? If it's at all feasible, I'd like to have the character able to use the hides too, so what is the most simple procedure for that. What do you do if your string breaks in the field - how would you replace it, what would you make a new one out of if you needed to in a pinch? It doesn't have to be super detailed, I just need it to be correct enough that anyone reading with actual bowhunting experience will be satisfied that I did my homework. In all honesty, I don't even know what to ask. Anything that would make the story sound convincing. Thank you so much in advance. Any and all answers are appreciated!
Okay, just remember you're receiving free advice. First, the dog is great for tracking, but not likely to be of value during the hunt. Several dogs might do the trick with riders on horseback or posted on stand, but our hero is a lone wolf, so the dog is out. A good hunter (naturally, your guy is a superlative hunter) looks for tattle tail signs of deer movement including; tracks, beds, chewed vegetation, trails, broken branches and seasonal rut signs. The deer in Europe are different than the whitetail or mule deer we have in North America. I believe the most common species is the red deer, but do a fact check. Males are called bucks here, but they are known as stags throughout Europe. If the hunter is from medieval England, he would use an long bow made of yew wood and some type of animal hyde for string. I'm not certain about arrow construction, but iron tips were common. Google English long bow, red deer, medieval forests and hunting for more info.
They would also sniff and sometimes taste the fecal matter of their prey to determine what the animals were consuming for sustenance. ...yeah....put that in your book.
Ha! Oh, I'll definitely be putting the sniffing and tasting bit in. You can count on it. Thank you very much, Treestandsniper. You are doing me a great favour - I've researched as best I can in books, but the information is not as good as what one would get from someone who has actually done the thing, so I appreciate the free advice. I wonder if the bowstring would be made of gut, like in an old school violin string? Also, do deer tend to stick to the same trails - migration paths, that sort of thing as the seasons change? Would it be possible that the hunter would know where to wait, where the deer tend to travel? Sorry if I'm way off there. Thanks so much for your time and knowledge, and I shall do the google searches you suggest. I've already done a couple of them, actually.
