First let me say that I have not been this jazzed up for anything in a long time! I have acquired my first compound bow and am excited at the opportunity to bow-hunt! That being said let me get to the reason for this post. I am curious to know if there is a special corner around here somewhere that those of us new to archery and new to hunting in general can go to seek advice and encouragement without getting in the way of the hardcore archers and seasoned hunters? I guess essentially what I am looking for is an area where I can ask questions that I have, that may be covered in other threads. I know that many responses will be “that was already answered in another thread…” or “use the search function…” but there are over 500 hundred pages with over 10,000 threads with who knows how many responses in the bow hunting talk forum alone, so doing a search for the keyword “bed” may not bring up the answer I am hoping for. And even though I don’t care about being ridiculed for my lack of knowledge, I don’t want to get in the way of others in the forum. For example I am curious about scouting—if I find and follow a deer trail this weekend will they stop using it or will they come back to it after a week or so, how likely am I to ‘spook’ deer now and will it affect Sept 15? Also I came across what appeared to be a bedding area last wed at about 9am after a night of rain, the ovals in the foliage were not as wet with dew (major humidity) as the rest of the area did I kick them up? Will they use this area again even though I was there? Some background on me-live in South Carolina, never shot a compound bow, but not so worried I think I can figure out how to get my arrows where I need them, I believe its called practice and I have been getting schooled at the local pro shop. I am hunting to stock the freezer and won’t take a shot unless I am confident. My concern is making sure the deer are where I need them to be LOL. Scouting is where I am most concerned; if I can split an M&M at 40 yards its no use if I can’t find deer! I have bumped deer and seen their pretty white butts bound away as I have hiked through the woods. I have never found a shed but never looked, have probably seen rubs and scrapes and not paid attention, have seen tracks and scat and followed deer trails so I have some idea about what to look for but don't know how to tell which way they go. And have been reading magazines and internet articles for quite awhile but nothing replaces real advice from real people! Oops, sorry I was looking for a place to ask these questions and did it instead. So is there a special corner for those of us new to the hunt?
welcome to the cult! haha I first would like to just say that this place is one of the most welcoming forums to new guys that you will find anywhere. The most knowledgeable and serious guys on here are not the super egotistical kind of guys that you might expect, they will put their 2 cents in on just about anything. Their response may get super technical and confusing but everyone here is willing to help. I've only been on here for about a year so I'm saying this from experience. As far as asking a specific question I would first recommend doing a search as you mentioned, if you cant find what you are looking for go ahead and post a thread most likely one of the regulars will either be able to answer your question quickly or point you in the direction of a previous discussion on the topic. over the last year I dont know if I have ever seen anyone tell someone to go use the search function like you see so often on other forums filled with stuck up pricks. again welcome, and good luck. edit: so to answer your question, this whole place is the newbie corner, start reading!
Welcome from another newbie, if you are anywhere close to Rock Hill, SC feel free to contact me, we could practice and learn together.
Welcome! I agree 100% with DriveTacks...everyone here is very supportive and many will post replies for 'elementary' questions. I've been readings posts for almost a year, and have found that many of my questions have been answered before. but feel free to ask one, especially if you think it will benefit other bowhunters who might have the same question. As far as "spooking" the local herds, I have often worried about how I am altering the environment by being there, but as a new hunter I've learned from the experts around here that experience is the key. So for now don't worry about spooking deer...go in a bedding area and observe as much as you can. Take some steps to limit your scent, wear gloves and don't linger. Deer can be forgiving (except maybe the mature bucks). Just get into the woods and observe! Hope this helps!
