first year bowhunting any advice
 

this is my first year bowhunting and i have a diamond razor edge can anybody give me some advice

X2...Always practice before going after live game

Practice, Practice. Then go have fun.

Use good scent control.....shower with scent-free soap,wash Your clothes in scent-free detergent,spray down with scent-killer spray!Learn each time You go Hunting....enjoy the time out,make good ethical shots and stay after the Deer!Some times it takes a long time to harvest a Deer depending on how many are in Your area so don't get discouraged....ask plenty of questions,try new things and learn what works for others that Hunt!

All is good advice. Practice a lot, use good scent control strategies, and don't be afraid to try new and different tactics. Another very important factor that I always remind new bowhunters is NEVER GIVE UP!!! over the next several years (if you stick with it) you are going to make a lot of mistakes. We all did whether we want to admit it or not. Bow hunting is an art that takes a few years and a lot of let downs to refine. Best advice I can give you is learn from your mistakes afield and NEVER GIVE UP!! Tv shows make it look a lot easier than it is. Best of luck this season.

Thanks that helps a lot

Any tips on what and when I should use a deer call or antlers that's troubled me and none of my friends have much luck with them

The buck in my avatar was grunted in on December 3rd of last year. I have had a little luck rattling but it has been hit and miss. I have tried the doe bleat but cant say it has worked for me. Grunt calls are probably my favorite and I have had my best luck using the "tending grunt" late in the season during the post rut period. My theory is that bucks are more receptive to calling during the post rut since most of the does are bred and the bucks are desperately looking for their last doe lol. If calling does work for you, get ready because you are in for one hell of a adrenaline rush!!

go back to rifle hunting, we don't need any more bow hunters. get ready to kick yourself in the ass for not starting sooner. sell all your big game guns because you won't pick another one up after you get your first rush with a whitetail and a bow in your hand. Good Luck

Always, always , always watch the wind, be patient and don't try to shoot farther than you ethically can. And of course have fun! Good luck.

lol...I know you are talking to the OP but I like rifle hunting but bow is much more challenging/fun

Make it so that your stand setups limit your shooting distance so that you won't be tempted. The first few deer I ever shot were within 10-15 yards - takes the pressure off if it's a "chip shot".

Practice drawing your bow as smoothly as possible, holding, making a little bleat sound, and letting your shot go within 2 seconds of the sound. Sounds goofy, but you'll be ready to do it in the woods when you've got to stop your deer for the shot.

If at all unsure of your shot placement, stay as quiet as possible and back out for a couple of hours. The only deer I have lost were ones that I pushed too soon or spooked out of their nearby bed post-liver shot. I've only lost two deer in 25 years, but both were heartbreaking.

Practice in low-light. Be sure your peep lets in enough light to be able to shoot. I've gone to an Anchor sight instead of a peep since I've always had a hard time shooting low light with peeps.

Wear a safety harness - always! The nice added benefit is you can tighten up the strap and turn it into a giant baby bjorn for a little snooze. Hehe.

Enjoy your time in the stand!

Right on MNDan. Wear your safety harness, and don't get discouraged. It takes work, patience, and determination to be a successful bow hunter. Be grateful of the little things. Being able to watch the sun rise, and set. The fresh air, the changing colors of the woods. You'll learn that just being out there in the woods is the real treat, and being able to harvest a deer is a bonus.

I've found over the last few years I've been so excited to get to my stand just to be out in the woods. Good luck it will all come together and when it does it is sweet.

My wife is learning this...tonight she got tripped up by a moose hanging out by the deer stand...she finally had to scare it off to get out of there by dark lol I wished I had an encounter like that...its a story to tell!!

Shooting one with a bow is a lot more special to me than killing one with a rifle.

I used to hunt with a rifle only...now I prefer the bow first then rifle as a last resort lol

I have a saying. I use my bow for hunting and my rifle for filling my tags. I do like both though, but prefer bow.

BassDeer was right on point. It's addictive. Once you get that 1st pass through you won't be able to wait to unleash the next Arrow. Ps my avitar is just that, my 1st pass through with arrow sticking in the ground

I started bowhunting 7 years ago and those first two years were rough. I didn't have any family or friends that hunted so i had to learn from trial and error and spending hours upon hours on here and other hunting message boards. The biggest mistake i made when i started was over scouting and putting way to much pressure on the property i was hunting. Get out early and scout during the summer, don't wait until a week before the season starts to go stomping around the property. The biggest mistake i regret was gut shooting a buck that i jumped while walking to my stand. I had been skunked the previous year and was desperate to put some meat in my freezer and took a risky long shot which resulted in me searching for that poor buck for 3 days with no success. Gut shooting that deer was actually a blessing because it really put things into perspective and i became a much more responsible and patient hunter which has resulted in me easily tagging out each and every season since.

:happy0001:least Im not the only one...I got skunked my first year as well...I gut shot a doe though...I was trespassing and I was actually worried I would get shot so I let it go...with work it was tough...the next year I got out more and learned a lot more...I got 4 deer that season....and the following...and last season I got my one doe as I did this season. 09-11 was MD where I could get more...2012 and 2013 season is one deer per season here in Idaho..

Practice,practice,practice and buy the best equipment you can afford. Make sure your bow is very well tuned and practice with Broadheads instead of fieldpoints. Make sure you watch the wind,wear scentlock suit if got one and please for the sake of God wear your safety harness if hunting a treestand.
Think we all together on that one.

Yes....practice, practice..practice. But remember practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. If you have someone to teach you how to correctly shoot a bow great. If not go to an archery shop with a range and ask them. They'll likely love to help you out with your form. Practice at 20-30 yards and when you feel comfortable move out to as far as you can shoot safely. I regularly practice out to 70 yards. I won't shoot at game at that range but at that distance minor flaws in my shooting are magnified.
Make sure your bow is perfectly tuned. And shoot your broadheads before you hunt to be sure they are hitting the same POI.
If you're going to be hunting from a treestand practice shooting from an elevated position. (always bend at the hips when shooting up or down)
When you finally get the chance to shoot a deer, aim for the lower 1/3 of the body straight up from behind the back leg on a broadside shot. Back slightly farther on a quartering away shot.
NEVER take a quartering to shot.
After the shot wait a minimum of 45 mins before you start to blood trail your deer. If it was a good shot he won't get any deader. If it was a not so good shot he will have time to expire. If you think you hit too far back - back out of the woods quietly and give the animal at least 4-6 hours before trailing. Once you jump a poorly hit animal the chances of finding him are slim because external bleeding has usually stopped.

I have a diamond razor blade and this is the first year I've started bow hunting.

Get a good mentor to help you learn the basics.
Practice your shooting regularly, both in the backyard and in the woods.
Be patient and don't get discouraged. It takes time to become a good bowhunter.
Most importantly, have fun! Bowhunting is a great way to enjoy the outdoors and connect with nature.

Make sure you check your broached placement against your target points. This is crucial because very often, even with mechanicals, they will fly and hit differently. There are some great tutorials on how to tune your bow\move your rest to get them grouping together, but make sure they are before you hunt. I would also recommend verifying them throughout the season as well.

A lot of great tips. So I will just say have fun with it and don't get down when hunting gets tough.