don't you guys feel like your wasting your time
12-12-2005, 10:45 AM
#31
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Northern Idaho's Panhandle
Posts: 4,436
RE: don't you guys feel like your wasting your time
"You can have the hottest, coolest, bestest bow and arrows and be the best shot in the world but the one thing you didn't list is..........scouting. You have to know the deer...where they bed, where they feed and when that changes, as it does throughout the season. The gun hunting mentality is out the window.....good luck."
Ditto
12-12-2005, 11:26 AM
#32
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Ohio
Posts: 262
RE: don't you guys feel like your wasting your time
To answer your original question…. No I have never felt like I was "wasting my time" while bowhunting. Seeing a deer just out of bow range and well within gun range is part of the experience. I hate to say it but I guess this is possible - If seeing a deer out of bow range only makes you wish you had a gun then maybe bowhunting is not for you. This may sound strange to you but many of us bowhunters have deer within bow range all the time and we choose to NOT to shoot.
I love the challenge of trying to get close enough for a bow kill and like others said I enjoy the entire experience, not just the kill. You may be missing one of the most enjoyable things about bowhunting and that’s experiencing the deer behavior in their natural movements. Since you can't shoot at anything past 30 yards you get the opportunity to experience nature WITH the whitetail. Studying the deer's behaviors, movements, socialization, etc… is something you will come to cherish and it will help to make you a better hunter as well. Becoming one with the deer is not only part of bowhunting but it can come to consume you after you realize there is more than zipping an arrow through the vitals……..
Others have given some good advice on HOW to get those deer closer. I thought I would offer some insight on WHY to get them closer. If, on the other hand, you or anyone reading this just wants to kill something for the freezer and could care less how or why it happens then there is nothing wrong with that approach. I just think you may be missing out on some of the intangibles that can make deer hunting much more than just a hobby……..
12-12-2005, 11:54 AM
#33
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location:
Posts: 51
RE: don't you guys feel like your wasting your time
ORIGINAL: HAZCON7
The best advice I can give you utmstudent is this:
Find a bowhunting buddy. Go to a local bowshop or ask your family/friends/peers if anyone bowhunts. You will learn so much more with a buddy and you will feed off of each others experiences.
The best advice I can give you utmstudent is this:
Find a bowhunting buddy. Go to a local bowshop or ask your family/friends/peers if anyone bowhunts. You will learn so much more with a buddy and you will feed off of each others experiences.
mark
12-12-2005, 12:09 PM
#34
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: land of the Lilliputians, In the state of insanity
Posts: 26,274
RE: don't you guys feel like your wasting your time
I feel your pain. Im in the same situation, 45 min drive and about a 30 min walk. I have been bow hunting for over 25 years. That is just the way the ball bounces sometimes. Last year I did not tag one deer with my bow. I got frustrated and pulled out the rifle near the end of the season to put meat in the freezer. This year I have put down 4 and havent even pulled out a gun yet. When its good, its good; when its bad, it gets real boreing. All I can say is keep your head up, play your odds in your favor and let the chips fall where they may.,
12-14-2005, 05:04 PM
#35
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location:
Posts: 369
RE: don't you guys feel like your wasting your time
There are huge differences when setting up to bow hunt vs gun hunt, closeness is the key with a bow.
Couple of points:
- Max distance of a bow vs max distance of the bow IN YOUR HANDS! The bow will happilly kill deer out to 100 yards+, assuming you do your part. This is a BAD idea! You need to find your maximum effective range. Start at 10 yards, from your stand, can you hold all your shots in a 6 inch circle? If so, back up to 15, then 20 and so on until you can no longer putall your shots in a 6 inch circle. That is basically your max yardage. 20 yards is more than enough to take a deer. Most whitetails are shot under 20 yards with a bow.
- When you set your stand, look for a common run or funnel the deer are using to get into the field. Now back up from the field 50 yards or so, or as close to that as you can without loosing the trail. Look for a tree here.
- For the tree, you don't want to be sticking out on the tree, look for a tree that has surround limbs, especially above and behind you so you can blend in a bit. Pine trees are nice for this, lots of limbs to hide in. Oak/maple standing along are bad.
- When trying to draw, you need to get to your feet and get your bow in your hand as soon as you can. When you first see the deer, even 100+ yards away, stand up and hold the bow (if you aren't already), clip on the release etc.
- You need to pick your time for drawing, draw to early and you will have to let down, draw to late and you will be caught. I always try to draw while the deer is walking or with its head down feeding or lookign the other way. Remember, if you can see the deers eyes, he can see you.
Stick with it, took me 5 tries to actually get a shot off with a bow, others all caught me drawing!
there are also some shot selection changes:
- only broadside or slight quartering away is acceptable, no neck shots, no front shots, no shoulder shots. all of these will not work so well with an arrow. Shot placement is the key, you have to hit both lungs without hitting any bones (other than ribs).
After the shot things are different as well. The deer will NOT fall down when you shoot. It will probably run like the devil is chasing it, WATCH WHERE IT GOES, look for things like tail up/down (down is better), did it "bounce" off trees or go around them? Listen, did you hear it crash? A well hit deer, with a double lung/heart shot will run anywhere from 20-200 yards, you might see or hear it fall, but you will have to blood trail it. After the shot SIT DOWN!!!! Stop shaking, calm down and wait at least 15-30 minutes in the tree. Now go find the arrow, hopefully its all red and has bubbles on it!!! Start tracking, find a friend who's done this before. If at all in doubt, back off and give the deer more time. You don't want to come up on it still alive.
Couple of points:
- Max distance of a bow vs max distance of the bow IN YOUR HANDS! The bow will happilly kill deer out to 100 yards+, assuming you do your part. This is a BAD idea! You need to find your maximum effective range. Start at 10 yards, from your stand, can you hold all your shots in a 6 inch circle? If so, back up to 15, then 20 and so on until you can no longer putall your shots in a 6 inch circle. That is basically your max yardage. 20 yards is more than enough to take a deer. Most whitetails are shot under 20 yards with a bow.
- When you set your stand, look for a common run or funnel the deer are using to get into the field. Now back up from the field 50 yards or so, or as close to that as you can without loosing the trail. Look for a tree here.
- For the tree, you don't want to be sticking out on the tree, look for a tree that has surround limbs, especially above and behind you so you can blend in a bit. Pine trees are nice for this, lots of limbs to hide in. Oak/maple standing along are bad.
- When trying to draw, you need to get to your feet and get your bow in your hand as soon as you can. When you first see the deer, even 100+ yards away, stand up and hold the bow (if you aren't already), clip on the release etc.
- You need to pick your time for drawing, draw to early and you will have to let down, draw to late and you will be caught. I always try to draw while the deer is walking or with its head down feeding or lookign the other way. Remember, if you can see the deers eyes, he can see you.
Stick with it, took me 5 tries to actually get a shot off with a bow, others all caught me drawing!
there are also some shot selection changes:
- only broadside or slight quartering away is acceptable, no neck shots, no front shots, no shoulder shots. all of these will not work so well with an arrow. Shot placement is the key, you have to hit both lungs without hitting any bones (other than ribs).
After the shot things are different as well. The deer will NOT fall down when you shoot. It will probably run like the devil is chasing it, WATCH WHERE IT GOES, look for things like tail up/down (down is better), did it "bounce" off trees or go around them? Listen, did you hear it crash? A well hit deer, with a double lung/heart shot will run anywhere from 20-200 yards, you might see or hear it fall, but you will have to blood trail it. After the shot SIT DOWN!!!! Stop shaking, calm down and wait at least 15-30 minutes in the tree. Now go find the arrow, hopefully its all red and has bubbles on it!!! Start tracking, find a friend who's done this before. If at all in doubt, back off and give the deer more time. You don't want to come up on it still alive.
12-14-2005, 05:19 PM
#36
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location:
Posts: 13,082
RE: don't you guys feel like your wasting your time
I would like to recommend to you a couple of good books. Mapping Trophy Bucks by Brad Herndon and Bowhunting Pressured Whitetails by...........uh....................shoot. His name escapes me, but these are both excellent books.
The off season is rapidly approaching. [&o] Before next season read what you can get your hands on and talk to as many people as you can. Keep involved here at the forums and you will be amazed at how much more you know next season.
2 other magazines that are good.....Peterson's Bowhunting and Deer and Deer Hunting. You can literally read and study your entire life and just only be scratching the surface of deer behavior knowledge.
Oh, and one other thing. This, more than anything else, is suppose to be fun. Don't overpressure yourself.
The off season is rapidly approaching. [&o] Before next season read what you can get your hands on and talk to as many people as you can. Keep involved here at the forums and you will be amazed at how much more you know next season.
2 other magazines that are good.....Peterson's Bowhunting and Deer and Deer Hunting. You can literally read and study your entire life and just only be scratching the surface of deer behavior knowledge.
Oh, and one other thing. This, more than anything else, is suppose to be fun. Don't overpressure yourself.
12-15-2005, 04:33 AM
#37
Typical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Nanjemoy, MD
Posts: 998
RE: don't you guys feel like your wasting your time
Never to the question of wasting time.The satisfaction of accomplishmentisrelated to thequality of effort expended.Smell the oaks, listen to the whispers on the wind, look up at the leaden skiesat the floor of the heavens... and let the young ones walk. If it was easy, everyone could do it.
- fsh
- fsh
12-15-2005, 05:22 AM
#38
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: the woods of NJ.
Posts: 5,643
RE: don't you guys feel like your wasting your time
Welcome to our world. It's not about the kill, but the hunt. It's a passion.
That being said,
Take note of the trail they were using and m,ove your stand next time, it's all about stand placement. I have about 18 different trees picked out, some for gun, some for bow, some work for both. Different times of the year call for different strategies. With enough time put in you will either suceed or find out it's not for you. Good Luck with your excursions and remember,"time spent in the woods is better than time spent elsewhere".
That being said,
seeing deer but they were too far away
12-15-2005, 03:17 PM
#39
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Miami, Florida
Posts: 160
RE: don't you guys feel like your wasting your time
You are trying to kill a very cagey animal in its own habitat with a sharp stick. It's hard. If you want it to be easier, maybe you should use a gun. There is no whining in bowhunting.
On the other hand, if you have the patience for it, and listen to people who know what they are talking about (like the folks who have responded to you so far)and you pay attention to what's going on when you are in the woods, then it can be a special experience.
And no, I don't feel like I am wasting my time. I feel like I am spending it. As you get older, you will come to appreciate the difference.
On the other hand, if you have the patience for it, and listen to people who know what they are talking about (like the folks who have responded to you so far)and you pay attention to what's going on when you are in the woods, then it can be a special experience.
And no, I don't feel like I am wasting my time. I feel like I am spending it. As you get older, you will come to appreciate the difference.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
bigtim6656
Bowhunting
76
09-23-2008 07:44 AM
