wimp

I want to see what everyone's opinion is.
What is the closest to the season that you feel a person could buy a bow and still have enough time to be proficient with it? (rookie or experienced archer)

How early before the season do you buy your bow?

Some things are true whether you believe them or not.

HuntingBry

Technically, with today's modern equipment, you could buy a bow and have it paper tuned and sighted in out to 30 yards within a day or two. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone because I believe you need to be familiar with your gear before taking it into the woods. However, in a pinch if your limb broke or something it is possible.

amosgreg

The question is in two parts,
Experenced Archer - Depending on how much different from the curent set-up - Nearly teh same -only as long as it took to get it tuned and set-up correctly
Completely different - Again time to get it set-up correctly, Correct arrows chosen and time to practice and get used to the arrow flight and how that affects the sight picture when under hunting conditions. For me I shoot with pins and also instinctive with my recurve so most of what I look for is the flight of the arrow in relation to what I am accustomed to.
Novice Archer(talking about Big Game -Antelope/Deer or larger) - Very simple At least 3 to 4 months of practice. You must learn proper form in order to be a sucessful and consistant shooter. You must be a consistant shooter before going into the woods hunting - We owe the game this much! And when you have the opportunity to take a shot, you must make the best of it. Spending the money for a bow (even an inexpensive kit) plus a small amount of accessories and arrows is not cheap. Take the time to invest in practicing can be the best time/money spent. Next year will be here soon enough and there are always small game and varmits to test your skill between now and then.


My 2 cents worth!


Greg

"Getting close to the game is the joy of Bowhunting for me, the harvest is a bonus."

Live 15 ft Python after eating a small Antelope!

jamaltwy

kudos to amosgreg .!!!!! I think and agree whole heartedly to his thoughts on this... you MUST know your eqipment its and your limits and must be proficent enough for the ethical/ humane taking of animal spirt.... if you have an old bow that you used , use it save new bow for next year!!! just my 2 cents

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Caliper

I also have to agree with Greg on this one. I recently bought a new bow and sure i can put 3 arrows in a 4 inch group at 15 or 20 yards. Now thats all fine on the target im shooting at. But in the field i Know for a fact that I will be most nervous . Ive had the bow for about 10 days and Im sure ive shot 300 + arrows. But I was totally atuned to my old bow. My old bow and my hands were like one piece and I dont have that feel yet with my new bow. I never thougt of where that arrow may go I just pulled back and shot. Take your time and get totally familiar with your new bow.

pdq 5oh

I think, standing in front of a target, most good archers can be proficient in a day. As Greg said, getting used to the new setup in hunting conditions is a different story. I like to have plenty of time to practice shooting from a crouch, kneeling, sitting, and any other position I might find myself in. If I found myself in the position of needing to shoot a new bow, I'd be more aware of taking higher percentage shots, until I was completely comfortable.

Phil.