Help!!! Just getting into bow hunting lots of ?'s
 

Ok so here it goes. I decided this year to get into bow hunting, i will mainly be going for deer/turkey's but probably not turkeys for a while.
I just bought a Bowtech Assassin in camo and am still waiting for it from the factory! It has been 7 weeks!

I have been on a few of the forums and i think that this one is the best so far. But I have never hunted deer and am starting to get overwhelmed/anxious about being able to do it. I know that i can but there are so many ins and outs to all of this that it is hard to find a place to start. I don't have anyone in my family that hunts so i have taught myself everything i know about hunting and fishing. (Last year was the first year i hunted turkey and i got one)

So i guess what i'm looking for here is maybe if someone can suggest a couple good books/dvds that really give you what you need to know about hunting deer. I also am confused about some of the terminology of archery and i can't seem to find a good book that i can reference and learn from about archery. There just seems to be so many different things to master and it is getting tough to guide myself in the right direction to learn things the right way.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, I think once i get over this hump the obsession will kick in and it's all down hill from there. I just need a good starting point.

Thanks Very Much For Your Time

1st thing is first..get yer bow, take it to a bow shop, let them help you tune yer bow. you will learn a great deal in that in itself. then you will have some good questions. just remember to have fun but be safe. make sure you tell the bow shop you havnt a clue.

BT - First welcome to the world of archery and bowhunting. Although archery is fun but to the novice it can be almost overwhelming. I would suggest that you go to a reputable archery shop near you and get yourself fitted for proper draw length, draw weight (start with a comfortable weight as you will be using muscles you hardly ever used before), correct arrows, sights, rests, etc. They will also teach you proper form for your best consistancy/accuracy. Archery is 95% technique. Without the proper form you will become frustrated really fast.
As for hunting deer with the bow. Wow, that's a whole different ball game. With archery equipment you will have to know your ability and not go beyond that. In other words, if you can keep all your arrows in a saucer sized group at 20 that is all you want to shoot. But with proper practice you will do much better than that and at a much greater distance. You can do an internet search for books/dvds on the subject but the best thing is OJT and learning from your mistakes.
What I can tell you that every hunter should know is always try to hunt downwind of where you expect the animals to appear. And even then use a scent killer spray. A good blending camo pattern is useful but not necessary. Deer however will pick up movement, shilouttes, and glint. So reduce these and your chance of sucess will improve dramatically. Remember, if you can see a deer's eye, there is a good chance he will catch you moving. If you must move, do so slowly. Forget it if the animal is looking directly at you. A deer's nose is its primary defense. One whiff of human scent and he/she will either go on red alert or get out of the area. An analogy I've heard is that we smell vegtable soup, a deer smells the peas, corn, tomatoes, etc. How true that is I don't know. But I do know that they can detect odors from a long way off. Good luck.

BT, Bronko gave you some good advice. As you get going and start shooting, practice from longer yardages but like Bronko said you need to place the majority of your arrows in an eight in pie plate area to be effective at that yardage. The practice from longer yardages will make the shorter shots seem easier because you have to train yourself to hold the bow steadier the farther away you are. Also, there are a whole barrel full of bells and whistle accessories you can add to your bow but a lot are not needed or are just plain junk. Archery equipment is not cheap so do your research or ask on this site about opinions before dropping hard earned money on extra stuff. Also, keep in mind that any of the videos you watch will promote their own products as being the greatest thing since sliced bread so keep an open mind.

i totally disagree..8 inches is way to big to be hunting with. try 3.5 or 4 inches at biggest..telescoping em would be ideal.

Sorry, posting recommendations on elk size game we have out here. Six inch group on deer size game and believe me, I see guys that can't do that past 20 yards but talk about taking a hale Mary shot if the animal is a monster. It's a shame that people won't even think about shooting a small animal outside their accurate distance but will lob a long shot at a trophy hoping to get lucky.and yes with practice you will get to the point where you will not be able to shoot 2 arrows at the same target dot for fear of ruining the 1st arrow by hitting it.

That is why I said "saucer size" which is about 4-5 inches.

I congratulate you on having the dedication of wanting to get started early. You would not believe the number of people who come into the shop 2 or 3 days before archery season starts and want to buy and learn how to shoot a bow so they can hunt with it a few days later. Fortunately Montana requires you to pass an archery training course or produce a previous bow license to be able to purchase archery tags.

Thanks everyone for all of the response it really helps to talk to people who get it with how fun the outdoors are and what hunting really is. The things that confuse me most are arrow dynamics, trajectories ,distances, arrow weights totally confuses me. That's kind of why I wanted some sort of "Archery Bible" that could piece it all out for me. Or is it more just wait until I go to the range; the place I bought it at has an indoor range and you get 4 mos free range time if you buy a bow there.

Shoot every chance you get. Also your muscles will build up quickly allowing you to increase poundage and hold bow steadier for longer periods.

Ya I hope so because I am stronger with my right arm. But I am left eye dominant so they suggested a lefty bow was best so it should be interesting

BT I am exactly like you. I am left eye dominant. But I shoot a bow right handed. Its just the way I've always done it. I shoot a gun lefty, throw righty, lefty. I've shot bows left handed but it just doesn't seem natural to me.

Well I figure that since I have never done any archery before and I'm a bit ambidextrous like you bronko. That I should go with the suggested left hand model and train my self to become proficient in it. My old lady is a physical therapist so we have been doing sme shoulder and back strengthening to get on track. And since I've had almost an 8 week wait from bowtech and still counting hopefully the extra effort will be worth it

-- on a side note I'm surprised no one has responded with a great book for archery. Seems like a gap in the market.

Most books I have seen lately were written years ago and while the concept is the same, the technology of the new bows have changed. PSE has put out a few dvds that do have decent how to explanations. Not sure if they are for sale or only provided to the bow shops.

BT - That's what reputable archery shops are for. Don't worry yourself about all the technical aspects. A good acrchery shop will set you up with proper arrows for your draw length/weight, give you advice on rests, sights, releases and other essentials. They should even assist you with your shooting form if you ask. Archery is a passion where you can continually improve. I often go down in my basement and let a couple arrows fly into my bag target just to keep my form and muscles in tune.

or dont!!!!
a beginner hittin the bow all the time can snap ligaments and tear muscles. take it slow. few shots every other day at 1st, then ease into a lil more after a month er so.

OK, assuming the bow is set at the proper poundage for you to start out at and you can point it straight ahead and draw it back comfortably (not pointing at sky or ceiling to draw it) you will not tear any ligaments or muscles. You also do not want to shoot so much that you start getting to tired and the bow starts waving around while holding at full draw. This will cause bad habits and poor groups that will discourage you. Do start slow, shoot every few days if possible but don't overdo it to where you get to tired and you will start building up muscles. Also if you hold bow to long at full draw and it starts moving around to much then let it down and rest for a minute and start over rather than forcing the shot. I have been helping people and working at archery shops for close to 20 years and have never had a customer injure themselves or pull ligaments or muscles. I'm sorry I was not specific enough in my previous post on practicing with bow. It is hard to give detailed advice on line and I agree that you need to find a good archery shop so that they can help you one on one and answer any questions you have. And yes if the bow is set at to high of a poundage at first and you shoot it, you do risk the possibility of doing muscle damage which could affect you future with archery.