what exactly do you need to bow hunt?
 

for the past 2 years i've been battling.. "well i'll get a browning a-bolt" "no i'll get a bow" "no i'll get a new shotgun barrell and a new .22 caliber rifle" "i'll just buy a guitar"

right now im in my bow mood. now if i bought the reflex bighorn package what else would i need????

i see these things u strap on your arm so the arrow doesn't cut your clothing or something like that do i need that? i guess i'll get a release but how good of a release will i NEED? basically everyone i know rifle hunts or is a novice bow hunter. if i could get any help here i'd be really happy. maybe someone could grab a calculator and give me like an idea of how much i'll have to spend in total. thanks

jjoel



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RE: what exactly do you need to bow hunt?
 

I don't know what all comes with the package you just named, but you will definitely need an armguard. It does a little more than protect your clothing. It stops that string from filleting flesh from your arm.<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

If the reflex bighorn is a compound kit, I am supposing that it comes with a rest, sight, peep and quiver. In addition you will need something to release the string with like a trigger (sounds like you hunt with guns) release aid. You will also need a pro shop to get you measured up so that the bow you pick out fits you properly. They can also set you up with some arrows that should be properly spined for the bow you buy from them. Then all you need is time to practice so you can get good with that bow before heading afield with it for the hunt.

RE: what exactly do you need to bow hunt?
 

jjoel, With archery you can spend as much or as little as you want. The package you mentioned on Cabelas is $199.99 plus a release let's say $35 I would add another half dozen arrows approx. $45 for some gold tips from High Mountain Archery. An arm guard you can pick up anywhere for about $6. So for less than $300 you would be all set. I would recommend the pro-shop for proper measurement though. If the bow doesn't fit you properly your form will be off from the start seriously affecting your accuracy.

RE: what exactly do you need to bow hunt?
 

Without getting out of hand I would say you need:
Arrows
rest
sight
quiver
peep sight
stabilizer
broadheads
release
limb savers
and a bow.
these items, some of which my not be a must, will get you ready to shoot, make you more accuracte, and your bow more quiet. I would also Strongly recomend you go to a proshop and have them set you up. The price will be more, but the service you get will be priceless. Check out several shops and see wich one you like the best, then choose a bow from him that feels good in your hands. For the most part for 400 bucks you should be able to get some decent equipment and be ready to hunt, after a lot of practice that is.

TAKE YOUR KIDS HUNTING AND YOU WON'T BE HUNTING FOR YOUR KIDS

RE: what exactly do you need to bow hunt?
 

If you were thinking about getting a Browning A-bolt with decent optics, then you were planning on spending some cash. For that kind of money you could get just about any bow on the market today. While you can get a cheaper bow, and they will work, I suggest getting the best you can afford. The best does not mean most expensive, it means what feels like the best for you.

There is so much involved in bowhunting and archery that I won't begin to get into here. All I can say is that it is well worth it in the long run. It requires skill, dedication, and patience that is second to none. Once you get a succesfull kill with a bow you will never go back.

Please E-mail me and we can talk at length about your new endevor. You can ask me the stupidest most basic questions and I will give you some honest answeres. In a few days or so we will have you up to speed on the basics of archery and you will understand better what we are discussing on this board. For a beginner some of these threads can be very cotradicting and confusing. Archery has a lot to do with opinions and personal tastes which are very different from person to person.

I am not working right now, so I am bored and have plenty of time to help you, that is why I suggested it. Plus I just started in archery about a year and a half ago, so I remember the questions you want to know, be forewarned, it is an addictive sport.

Hope to hear from you, Paul

My e-mail [email protected]

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RE: what exactly do you need to bow hunt?
 

I agree with the other on what to purchase for the bow. If you are going to hunt than you also need to purchase some scent masking equipment, be it clothing or a spray to mask the clothing you already own.
On to the things that you can't buy. You will need lots of patience, along with a lot of time in the field scouting and hunting. You will need to learn all the mistakes that you need to avoid. The arrow falling of the rest while staring down a deer(clink). Trying to draw while an animal is looking at you (good luck). Battling the inner person who wants to take the shot at the animal which is beyond the distance you feel safe shooting(don't do it). Climbing up into your treestrand before attaching the pull up string to the bow (doh!). Not having a sound barrier coating on your arrowrest (scrrreeeeeech... boing, boing, boing goes the deer ). The list goes on and on.
Most bowhunters would probably agree that bowhunting is more of a lifestyle/passion rather than a one weekend event.

RE: what exactly do you need to bow hunt?
 

bow, arrow, broadheads......I mean you could get by with that! a lot of traditional shooters do!

RE: what exactly do you need to bow hunt?
 

jjoel...I'm going backwards. Before I looked like Wal-Mart going through the woods. Now I have a stand...Shakespeare 60# recurve, shooting tab, quiver, 8 cedar arrows, knife, rope and safety belt. That's it!

RE: what exactly do you need to bow hunt?
 

Bow
Bow string
Arrows
Broadheads
The want and dedication to do it all correctly.
Many states require an additional archery license.

Anything aditional is purely optional and will begin to put a dent in your wallet.

RE: what exactly do you need to bow hunt?
 

hey mo bow isn't there a new bass pro shop in kansas city now???? im returning june 10th. as for setup i know i can pull #65 easily but i don't know my drawlength for sure im guessing 30 or 31 i have longer arms. ummmm.. well im buying a truck this summer so a-bolt money will most likely go into a ranger. so a bow would be easier (cheaper) to get than a a-bolt with a LEUPOLD scope. plus i'll just borrow one of my grandpa's rifles and with a bow i have a good excuse to buy a treestand and get to deer hunt longer meaning a better chance for my deer!
the reflex bighorn comes with peep, quiver, 3 arrows, wrist sling, tru glow sites and some other stuff i think and its saling for about $180 at basspro.com i think it would be a good starters bow for me and from what i've heard its a GREAT deal for a beginner archer and i heard its very forgiving on shots too. anywayz thanks for the tips spending $300 sounds good to me but i have to get a job too hahaha!

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Remember &quot;The 4 G's&quot;
God
Guns
Guitars
Girls

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RE: what exactly do you need to bow hunt?
 

I have never hit my arm yet and I shoot from 1 to 8 hours a day. Proper form and draw length will save you some pain. I will admit if I wear a lot of clothes my string may hit my coat, but a sock with the toes cut out of it and pulled over your arm will work just as well. If you hit your arm and it hurts you are doing something very wrong and should have someone watch you shoot.

I could list at least a hundred things you should get if you want to bow hunt, but I won't. I would suggest if you are a beginner not to buy a package from a large retailer or over the net. You will gain much more from a pro shop, especially if you don't know anyone that is into archery. When you do get a bow, I would not hunt the first year you get it. Take a year off to get very comfortable with it and learn to shoot it as well as you can.

I assume if you gun hunt, you already now the basics of hunting whitetails. Probably more than I do. What I will tell you is bow hunting is not like shooting a gun. You have to have as much control over yourself and the surroundings as you can. You have to really know your epuipment and trust it. Shooting a deer at a 100 yards or so is not the same thing as shooting one at 20 yards and in. With a gun if you hit the deer relatively well it usually goes down. With a bow you have to be very critical about where your arrow hits the animal and what vitals it will contact on the way thru. Don't picture the arrow hitting the deer, picture it exiting the deer. Visualize the line it will cut thru the body and what is in it's path.

We may seem like a buch of hicks to some people, but most of the successful bowhunters I have met are very intelligent and patient. Once you do it I am sure you will love it and be hooked. Good luck.

Paul

RE: what exactly do you need to bow hunt?
 

well.. i figured it would give me a bigger chance of getting a deer... i really don't care if i miss. and i need to go this next year (deer hunt 2002) i guess it is there year..hmm.. anywayz... next school year i'll be a senior and need a deer. i havent been able to get one due to being stuck over seas with 14,000,000 people. plus i have to make up for lost hours in the stand from the past 2 years... thanks for ya'll helps.
do u have any bows you reccomend?

_ _ _ _ _
Remember &quot;The 4 G's&quot;
God
Guns
Guitars
Girls

RE: what exactly do you need to bow hunt?
 

Ya need a bow and arrows and some good camo.

RE: what exactly do you need to bow hunt?
 

I feel my eye twitching, I think I am going to snap. I am usually a fairly cordial and easy going guy. But I don't agree with your statement. You don't CARE if you miss, and you HAVE to go this year? I care if you miss! I am sure a lot of other hunters care to. That is the kind of attitude that makes us look like hicks. Bow hunting is not about taking the deer, it is about the hunt. It is a challenge to see how close we can get and how well we have mastered the skills of archery. a lot of people go quite some time before they get their first bowkill.

I would not expect to go out your first season and nail a deer with a bow, not that it won't happen, I just would not expect it. Espescially with no one that bow hunts to give you hand. If you are good with a rifle, I suggest getting an inline muzzle loader instead. It is much closer to what you are used to and the odds are much better that you will harvest game with it.

Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to discourage you from bowhunting, I just don't think it is the best method to achieve your current goal. Maybe if you get a bow soon, from a good pro shop that will set you up right and hopefully show you how to shoot. Then practice all summer and try to hook up with someone that knows what they are doing you might have a chance. And like the other guy said, luck won't hurt either. I have seen to many people that just buy a bow and some arrows, shoot it a few times and walk out to the woods to get their trophy. Then they get discuraged or upset because they didn't see anything or missed or wounded a deer. When the only thing they really did wrong was to be unprepared and in a hurry.

I know I must sound like a dick, but I am just trying to help. I am sort of giving you worst case scenarios, but that is usually the norm for a beginner with no one to help them. You may go out and get one right off the bat, but I would not expect it to happen.

Paul

RE: what exactly do you need to bow hunt?
 

a stick, a string, some arras and some way to get them sharp!

RE: what exactly do you need to bow hunt?
 

If traditional bows interest you, then just the bow, arrows, broadheads, quiver, shooting glove or tab, and an armguard.

RE: what exactly do you need to bow hunt?
 

glove, tab, armguard, quiver? Why make it any more complicated <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>! Last I saw those bushmen from Africa were carrying there arras in there mouths. Not to mention fire harned tips <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>!

RE: what exactly do you need to bow hunt?
 

Thirty one years ago I started bowhunting with
A bare recurve bow with a string
3 wooden arrows with broadheads
A Hunting season(I think it was 4 weeks)

Yesterday I went bowhunting with

A $600 compound with $250 in other add ons
$10 arrows with $7 broadheads
Quiver
Climbing treestand with all kinds of accessories
$85 backpack
$250 rangefinder
$900 binoculars
2 knives
flashlight
limb saw
4 1/2 month season
4 or 5 screw in bowholders
and about 50 other little gadgets I don't need.

The plan you pick is yours. I got to lighten the load somehow.:(

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RE: what exactly do you need to bow hunt?
 

You need a better reason and attitude before you step foot into the woods with a bow. You can't (shouldn't) go about it half-assed. These other guys are right for jumping you. You will be in for a rude awakening if you think that just sitting in the woods with a bow will increase your chances of getting a deer. All the time in the woods don't mean squat if you can't shoot, AND are disciplned enough to only take high percentage shots. It's good you are asking questions, but if you don't approach this with a better attitude then please, save your money for the Browning.