brand new bowhunter. need beginner advice
 

i have rifle hunted for your years and have got the basics down, in fact im pretty good. i have decided its time to take on the challenge of bowhunting. problem is ive only shot (if thats the correct term) a bow once in my entire life. i was about 12 years old. so, where should i start? i ned a bow of course. compound or traditional? im 30yrs, i weigh about 200 lbs and im in good shape. here is my thought process. find a bow that fits me, go to an archery range, get the basics of shooting a bow down and practice practice practice. but is that it? is ther any advice the pros could give me?

RE: brand new bowhunter. need beginner advice
 

eastwood where do I begin????

#1 find a bow that feels comfortable to you!
#2 buy it from a bow shop, that way you will know you are getting a bow with the proper draw length and they will tune it for you.
#3 as you already said PRACTICE!!!!!
#4 take everything you have learned gun hunting and multiply it by 10 at least, this may allow you to have deer within range at least.
#5 learn the kill zone on a deer with a bow.
#6 you will learn more about deer and deer hunting than you ever dreamed possible, I gun hunted for about 35 years with great success before I picked up a bow and it took me 3 seasons before I got my first bowkill and I saw 100's of deer I could have easily taken with a gun, and 20-30 that were in range but never offered a clean shot.

#7 Be prepared for some of the most exciting, yet at times most frustrating hunting you have ever done.

The Tazman aka Martin Price
Founder and President of
Virginia Disabled Outdoorsmen Club

RE: brand new bowhunter. need beginner advice
 

Listen to Tazman. I did and it has paid off tremendously. My only other advice is ........ GO BACK TO GUN HUNTING! Because once you've started down this road, there's no turning back. I've bowhunted for 2 years now and still haven't taken a deer with a bow yet. Like you, I started off gun hunting, but I wish now that I would have started with a bow. It's absolutley the best rush in the world, including drugs. LOL It's addictive to the tenth degree. I'm thinking of starting a 12 step group on this forum. We all need it! Seriously though, you're going about it the right way. Find a GOOD pro shop and rely on them. Then come here and ask questions. I hope this helps. Good luck.

KEEP IT LEGAL. KEEP IT SAFE. OR WE MAY NOT GET TO KEEP IT AT ALL.

RE: brand new bowhunter. need beginner advice
 

Eastwood, welcome to bowhunting. You will love it. The only thing I would add to Taz's info would be to hang out here. Alot of bowhunting knowledge here. I've learned alot listening to these hunters.

Sorry bud, typing at the same time:)

Edited by - sitter on 12/20/2002 13:15:06

RE: brand new bowhunter. need beginner advice
 

outstanding outstanding outstanding... this is what i was hoping for. all positive feed back. i read a post in the big game forum where a beginner has asked a question about elk hunting. the responses were all attitude and higher than thou mentality. i dont agree with that. its rediculous. so, i could imagine the thrill i would get bowhunting. just thinking about the idea and the challenge is a rush. what kind of money should i put into a bow and assuming i have on in hand by mid march, practicing 2x a week, would i be ready for the next season, as far as shooting skills are concerned?

RE: brand new bowhunter. need beginner advice
 

Hold off on buying a bow until after xmas. The pro shops will be trying to dump off their old stock to get ready for the new 2003 models. Then shop around try different bows. Just BE CAREFUL! I was in a pro shop that has a rule, "IF YOU DRY FIRE A BOW, YOU BOUGHT IT". Dry fire means shooting a bow without an arrow notched. I accidently did it and now I'm making payments on a $400.00 bow. There are a lot of nice bows out there in the $300.00 to $500.00 range brand new. Cheaper once they go on sale. And after you find the bow you want, you could check the classified ads for one used or go on Ebay and find one. Personally, I'm buying mine through the pro shop. Not only because I dry fired it. I would have bought it there anyway because of the service after the sell. Getting it properly tuned with the right cams for poundage, letoff percentage, draw length set right, rigged with the right quiver, sight, arrow rest, limb savers, etc. etc. There's alot more technical stuff to do after you buy a bow. And with the right pro shop, if you ever have a problem or question, they are right there to answer it for you. You won't get all that on the internet. Anyway, that's what I'm doing. Practice as much as you can. You'll be sore for awhile until your shoulders get used to it. Invest in some Bengay! And have fun.

KEEP IT LEGAL. KEEP IT SAFE. OR WE MAY NOT GET TO KEEP IT AT ALL.

RE: brand new bowhunter. need beginner advice
 

Eastwood, if you have one by march and practice on a regular basis your skill levels should be to a point to allow you to hunt this year.

How much practice?

It varys from person to person, some people have to practice a lot more than others. How do you know when you are there? When it becomes second nature, when you bring the bow to full draw and you are right on target and you are on your anchor point, steady, release and can put 6 out of 6 in a pie plate.

I practice 1-2 times a week all year, the closer the season draws the more I practice, I practice every day for at least 2-3 weeks before the season starts.

You need to stay in practice otherwise the muscles used to draw your bow and hold it get out of tune! When you first start to practice start out every 3 days, you will find out depending on how many pounds your pulling all about muscle groups you did not know existed, depending on you, it could be in either arm or shoulder, maybe both or all.

Remember what ever distance you can put 6 out of 6 in a pie plate at target shooting, subtract 10 yards for your max hunting range!

The Tazman aka Martin Price
Founder and President of
Virginia Disabled Outdoorsmen Club

RE: brand new bowhunter. need beginner advice
 

Welcome to the frustrating sport we call bow hunting<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>
It will give you the rush as others have said plus it will also jump up and bite you on the A$$ when you least expect it<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

You will enjoy the highs as well as many lows but thats why we love it so much you dont know what is going to happen next<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

After you have you bow and have got the shooting down it will be time to try a few new things like shooting from a stand shoot sitting shoot kneeling shoot in all sorts of positions and weather.

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.

But most of all have FUN<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>


Aussie by birth Texan by choice

RE: brand new bowhunter. need beginner advice
 

Eastwood, welcome to the forum and to bowhunting. Lots of good advice has already come your way. I will pass on a couple of things that I had to learn the hardway. First, dont overdo the draw weight. I ended up shooting effectively at about 45 lbs, which fits my size and age nicely (small and old...lol). A bow that can be set from say 40 to 60 pounds would be a good thing to look at. Bowhunting requires practice, particularly during the conditioning phase. I practiced a little every day and still practice at least weekly. You need to be physically comfortable with pulling and holding a shot and doing it smoothly. This was one thing I worked hard at. I could draw the bow but it took practice to do it smoothly and quietly. There is both a simplicity and a complexity of bowhunting that makes it a real rush. I live in Alabama and the bow season runs several months, so it is a real plus to be a bowhunter. Hope this helps and encourages.

Keith

RE: brand new bowhunter. need beginner advice
 

Welcome to bowhunting eastwood. Like the others have said it can become highly addictive.<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>Seriously it is a whole different world than gunhunting. I started bowhunting 10 years ago and havent hunted with a gun since.
To be successful you are going to have to spend alot more time scouting and practicing with your bow.
It may be frustrating at first because it takes an uncommon amount of patience that is not required in other sports.
Like the others have said get familar with your equipment and practice, practice and then practice some more.
But just remember that learning to shoot a bow is the easy part.<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>


hc4runner
Mo. bowhunter