i just started bow hunting last season, mostly just to get in the woods a few weeks earlier. i havnt had a deer in my sights yet but hope to this season. i traded in my mcpherson bow on a browning and will be picking it up this weekend. i really want to stick a deer this year but need some sound advice on the differences between gun and bow like maybe"where to put my stand to get close enough and shooting lanes and angles."and stuff like that,if theres adifference and im sure there is.any advise is welcome. thanks yall.
First off cromer, best of luck. Nothing real specific from me other than.."hunt thicker cover" and "hunt where cover transitions".....compared to gun hunting, you need to be closer obviously, and a way to narrow down a deer's movement is by hunting where the deer actually are, and that tends to be tighter/heavier cover.
Another part of getting closer is hunting where cover transitions such as a large pine bedding area and the open woods, or the big woods and a swampy area. Along those inside edges so to speak lie areas that deer like to skirt around in, making the easiest, yet most concealed movement patterns.
I like to set up in funnels or narrow spots that bring the deer thru a small area. I have had good luck doing this. Or if you hunt any fields, try to pattern them by watching a night or two and see where they enter and exit a feeding area. Works good for me during the early season when they are feeding early. Good Luck.
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If you really are concerned with popping your cherry with a bow this season you could consider setting up a feeder. I got one last year at BassPro for $80, once i fill it with four bags of corn it i good to go for a few months. Your guaranteed to get a deer in your sights with that approach considering you play the wind and practice scent free hunting.
Some folks may disagree, but dstubb advice's on the feeder will allow you to build experience humanely killing deer with a bow. It is also a great way to kill does from the herd with goofing up your best buck hunting stands.
You might also consider some good books:
Mapping Trophy Whitetails by Herndon
Bowhunt Pressured Whitetails by Eberhart
The best advice i can give you is to learn your yardages and the limits of your bow. Bowhunting is all about guessing yardage....it is a skill you can never be too good at.
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If you really are concerned with popping your cherry with a bow this season you could consider setting up a feeder. I got one last year at BassPro for $80, once i fill it with four bags of corn it i good to go for a few months. Your guaranteed to get a deer in your sights with that approach considering you play the wind and practice scent free hunting.
JUST MAKE SURE IT IS LEGAL
But,if you are sitting on 1000's of acres of corn and sybean fields,the feeder probably won't yield as much luck as funnels and pinch points like stated above.
thanks fellers, all the advice helps. but i cant hunt directly over a feeder in the great state of alabama. but there might be one about 100 feet down the trail from my stand after this weekend.
Good point, i think that by living here in Ohio i tend to assume that all states are like mine. Be sure to check with your DNR before setting up a feeder.
There are many good points here.
My suggestion is probably going to allow you to sleep at night (1st hand - the hard way)...
Clear your shooting lanes as far out as you comfortably shoot and stick to them.
Here's my example, once I've selected a tree to put my stand in (taking wind and deer travel into consideration), I set my stand approximately 14-18 feet high.
I believe that you can still make a good downward shot @ around 8 yards, if needed, and not effect the angle going through the deer/organs too much.
Get in your stand and pick the trails you want to shoot towards, and prune all necessary branches on the trees / bushes, etc. out to 30+ yards
(which is my maximum "comfortable" shooting distance) about 12-24" wide. Note: When you select the trails you want to shoot towards, try and select shooting lanes that will allow the least amount of cutting as possible.
Typically I'm in trail junctions or around food sources, so I might have 3-5 shooting lanes.
Also if you have a choice, try to pick trees that lean back 5-15 degrees, like a chair for comfort, if possible.
I like thick cover and in NH we have lot's of trees and I try to pick a Spruce if possible as it gives better cover along with natural scent protection.
Then either mark those distances with tape (I prefer not too), mentally or by natural features, like a rock or something.
Now you need to stick to those shooting lanes, because when the "magical" time comes together it will either be in a low light situation or adrenaline will kick in and you won't see those TINY branches that deflect an arrow easily!
Just remember ~ Arrows are not bullets!
In case you haven't read this it's worth reading! http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=2987754
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advice needed
