eastwood,

Back in 1991, about this time of year after the gun season, I realized that there had to be more to deer hunting than what I experienced. I shot 3 deer that season with a gun and the last one was at 30 yds in a tree stand. When the deer breathed air for the last time, I felt terrible. I don't know why, but it just seemed "cheap" (I guess is the term). A friend said try bowhunting. After some discussion on what it was about, I was excited to get started and bought me a bow in Jan. I decided to get a good one so I wouldn't half-ask it. Not knowing much, I bought a 60-80 lb'er and it was set at 70 and was really too much based on what I know now. Between shooting as much as possible and drawing the bow while watching TV at home, 70 lbs became easy. I don't recommend this avenue now. Now is where the best info I know has been already said by Ausie: "Then go and join a club and shoot some 3d that will teach how to judge distance as well as to where to place the arrow". Join a club and get involved with fellow archers. It will speed up the shooting, bow knowledge, and shooting process by leaps and bounds. Now take what you know about deer and try to be as close as possible to deer routes. You'll need it to bag a deer. Thinking like a gun hunter (where can I see the most territory from one stand) is over. You need to think like a deer when it comes to traveling. Oh, and I did like I said. I shot 3d all spring/summer and arrowed 3 deer my 1st year of bowhunting. Needless to say, I haven't picked up a gun since for deer. I've some very nice bucks that wasn't close enough for a shot. But I've never wished I had a gun, just so I could kill him. If I can't get within bow range, let him walk. It's the hunt and getting close that is the most fun. Hundreds of acres are available, but you come within yards of a deer. That is what it is all about. Sorry so long winded..........Good luck and I hope you are hooked. "The hardest tasks are more gratifying"

Eastwood , your going about it the right way! Knowlege gained beforehand is far better than knwolege gained by trial and error. The only thing that I will add is something that I believe has made me a better bowhunter. When I first started archery I was 12 years old. I didn't even think about deerhunting with a bow. I was just fascinated by archery , so I set out to be the best archer I could be. By focusing on that , when the time came to try bowhunting , the only thing I had to learn was how many times a year a deer could humble me<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

<---Doug---<<<

[Deleted by Admins]

Eastwood,

You'll love it. And you'll also like the ethics, the additional responsbilities.

I would suggest using arrows on the heavy end of what people use. I suggest 9 grains for each pound of draw such that if you choose a 70# bow, that you would shoot arrows with total weight of about 630 grains. (A side effect of this is that fixed, non-mechanical, broadheads will fly fine and you won't have to worry about mechanicals blowing up or not opening.)

The reason for the &quot;heavy&quot; arrows is physics. Bow hunters usually talk about the kinetic energy of the arrows they shoot when they should be talking about momentum and arrow drop. It turns out that when one goes to lighter arrows, that one loses momentum much faster than one picks up a smaller arrow drop.

For example, for the 70# bow that I am looking at, the difference between shooting a 630 grain arrow and a 350 grain arrow is 35% percent in momentum (at 30 yards) for a gain in effective range of only about 5 yards. I.e., with the heavier arrow the elevation error from shooting at 35 yards thinking it was 40 was 7 inches. With the light arrow, this same error was caused by shooting at 40 yards thinking it was 45.

Momentum translates directly into penetration, all other things being equal (e.g., sharp broadheads). On bad hits, the extra 35% penetration will often be the difference between a clean kill with a good blood trail and a wounded, unrecovered deer.

It is also harder to tune a bow to shoot light arrows. Bows are more efficient with heavier arrows. Bows last longer with heavier arrows, etc., but the big thing is the improved chance of a clean kill when that broadside or quartering away shot suddenly changes when the arrow is half way to its target.

Eastwood, please don't get the super high performance bow, keep the equipment simple. Be sure the pro shop knows that you want a stable and forgiving bow! I've seen people come into tournament archery with the hottest bow on the market and by lunch time leave the shoot like a dog with its tail between its leggs, all because thy didn't have the nessesary expiriance. It didn't need to be that way. Before you get set up with all the cool accesories get a good understanding of shooting form, and the flight of an arrow. God bless.

&quot;The archer hunts not for meat, not for the trophey alone, but for the sheer pure joy of matching wits and endurance with that clever animal, the white-tailed buck.&quot; Larry Koller.

Eastwood,
Getting lots of great info here. I can only add that once the practice is over and you are getting ready for the actual hunt give me a call, It will be hard work and it may take more than a few times but I will come out and help with the &quot;fine tuneing which can only be did during the hunt. LOL What are friends for!
Rick<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

Lifes not about knowing the answers, its about asking the questions.

Get Easton's tuning guide (http://www.eastonarchery.com/). It's a tremendous resource for just a few bucks.

Don't get overbowed or overdrawn.

Go to a pro shop to get set up right (your first bow is not something to buy from a catalog unless you like learning the VERY hard way!).

Use a wrist strap so you don't grip the bow. That caused me a LOT of grief and a few missed elk!

Join a local archery club. As long as you avoid the blowhard know-it-all with a bunch of ignorant biases (there's one in every club), you'll find some good folks who can watch you shoot, critique your form, give you hunting and tuning tips, etc.

Never trust a bow under 40 (inches).

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
.... i have decided its time to take on the challenge of bowhunting. ...
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>

&quot;A turning point in Fred's thinking about deer hunting came in the winter of 1933, when he shot a monster buck - dressing out at 285 pounds - with his rifle in upper Michigan. That year Michigan hunters harvested 25,500 bucks, but few in that weight category. 'It was so easy that there was no challenge, no thrill,' Bear recalls, 'I decided that from then on I would do it with the bow.' &quot;

This from &quot;Deer and Deer Hunting, the Serious Hunters's Guide&quot; which I got from amazon.com's used books for about $5.00!

And - 9 grains per pound of draw weight - every grain per pound decrease in arrow weight is a loss of 8% in penetration for a gain of 1 yard in effective distance. ( IMHO, I'm going to start a thread to get some discussion going.)

I agree with Sitter and Tazman. If you hang out in here you will learn what you need to be successfull. This was my first year. I printed out a lot of these threads and then grouped them according to basic topics. I took the last three weeks before season to read them one group at a time. I also put them in a binder for future reference. Then I practiced every concievable shot I was going to take every day. I shot three deer this year with on P&Y. I took the used bow I bought ( a 12 year old Proline) to a pro shop and had it fitted for me. I was lucky that it fit my draw length because mine is 27&quot; most start at 28&quot;. Anyway I got to where I felt comfortable and then scouted according to what I learned here and had a great 2002 year. Good Luck and welcome to the board

THWACK!