Not too late to start with a bow. If the bow you have is hard to get consistent shots, get a decent more modern bow and in a few weeks you can be hitting bullseyes. Then start with an inexpensive ground blind near where you have to shoo away the deer. Make a blind from burlap or get a cheap popup and brush it in good. A good place to get a bow is http://www.huntersfriend.com/ - they will site it in for you to shoot bullseyes and provide the proper arrows, release, etc. Or, a crossbow, if legal and you don't need much practice at all since it is much like a gun - on my 3rd, 4th, and 5th shots with my cross bow I hit a target the size of an apple at 30 yds. Get one or two of those "easy" deer this year - kind of like that first fish on the stringer it will get you going on hunting. With respect to gun safety, it all depends on how much wood is behind your shot - hard to answer here. And take a good shot - see http://www.deerhuntingbasics.com/shot-placement.php