bow hunting during rifle season

bassfisherman711 · 11-26-2008, 05:54 AM

Do any of yall have some tactics that would help as I am going to bow hunt all of rifle season. I missed all of bow season because I was out of the state, but now am home and really hoping to harvest some deer with my bow. Any advice would help!

Rob/PA Bowyer · 11-26-2008, 05:56 AM

Funnels and travel corridors. Do you know where your deer go when pressured?

TEmbry · 11-26-2008, 05:58 AM

Hunt the same you would as with a rifle, only position stands to be right on top of action instead of just in sight of it.

I finally committed to it thisyear, and killed my archery buck on the last day of a 16 day rifle season.

SouthDakotaHunter · 11-26-2008, 07:10 AM

I like to setup next to the best cover I can find. That might be next to a big nasty slough or some CRP or just a tree grove - just depends on your area....

ron3775 · 11-26-2008, 07:27 AM

My advise is to not hunt public land. I did it last year, shot a buck. As he was standing there about 50 yards out losing blood, another hunter came and finished it off with a rifle shot. He got to take it because "he finished off". All I can say is best of luck.

brucelanthier · 11-26-2008, 07:38 AM

My plan is to get usin deep pretty early and let the gun hunters push them to us. In MD there is the "first blood" rule. Basically whoever draws first blood, that will cause death, gets the deer.

burniegoeasily · 11-26-2008, 07:41 AM

Nope. Only tactic I have is to keep on hunting. Actually there is one tactic I subscribe to. Get in thicker cover where the deer will start hanging in when the guns start to poppen.

MichaelHunsucker · 11-26-2008, 07:59 AM

Quote:

ORIGINAL: SouthDakotaHunter

I like to setup next to the best cover I can find. That might be next to a big nasty slough or some CRP or just a tree grove - just depends on your area....

Exactly. Get in the woods in tight to those bedding areas where the bucks will be hiding out with the does. They will be fleeing from the fields and looking for thick cover. This year was the first year that i didnt shoot a buck with my bow during rifle season in three years...

bowmanaj · 11-26-2008, 08:14 AM

Since gun season opened up in Indiana, Ive seen less deer while hunting from the (bow) stands that I had previously been seeing a ton of action from. I changed up tactics and hunted the edge of a really, really, thick drainage area where I know they go when pressured, and I've been seeing deer, but mostly right before sunset or right at daybreak. My guess would we try to find the thick stuff. Good luck man, it seems a lot harder after gun season opens

rybohunter · 11-26-2008, 10:05 AM

A lot depends on the pressure your gun season puts on your hunting area. I know guys who can bowhunt as if in thier own little world because they hunt places where there is near zero pressure. Then there are some places that if you shot a deer and it made it over 50-60 yds before going down, someone else would shoot it. Find the best cover you can as far away from others as you can & hope for the best.