Everything a rookie needs to know about bow hunting
 

Please everybody that can out there tell me everything that a rookie bow hunter needs to know to hunt deer. From the arrows to everything I need to do before Hunting Season comes in.

RE: Everything a rookie needs to know about bow hunting
 

Welcome to the board and bowhunting. You have mail.:D

RE: Everything a rookie needs to know about bow hunting
 

First , get books on deer hunting, learn the trade, the signs, the how to's. Information on the topic is very important , read and learn and experiment. Get online and ask questions,nobody here will lead you astray. Above all hunting is not about all the gear and toys one can have, it's about brothership, family, tradition, memories, and much more. My friend your entering the world that many of us love and cherish, welcome aboard and glad to have you as a fellow hunter.

RE: Everything a rookie needs to know about bow hunting
 

I think my website offers some help as far as tuning and broadheads. www.broadheadtests.com This board is an excellent place to learn as well. The best thing to do is pick up a book on the subject , I think wallmart sells one by chuck Adams that is pretty good. Then after reading it over come here and ask specific questions. That way you will be able to cover all your base's and better understand some of the answers you get.

RE: Everything a rookie needs to know about bow hunting
 

Leave the camera at home, we don't want pictures. Carry a knife. Hunt the wind.

RE: Everything a rookie needs to know about bow hunting
 

Practice in the same clothing you will be hunting in.Don't be over bowed(too hard to draw back from any hunting position after sitting for hours getting stiff and cold)--if you have to point your bow to the sky to draw it back you're overbowed!Learn how to judge distance and don't shoot past your effective bow range even if it's 15 yards.Practice,practice,practice.

RE: Everything a rookie needs to know about bow hunting
 

That can't be stated enough.... The first year I got my bow (tail end of the summer - a few summers ago), I didn't even hunt with it. I wasn't that confident to take it into the woods, and would probably end up hurting myself! [&:][:-]

I read books, watched videos, and learned the basics with a buddy in a big backyard with haybales and a cheap target. I watched him shoot and stood behind him watching his form, and figured it out with his help.

One simple word that can't be stressed enough.....

PRACTICE!!!!

Butch A.

RE: Everything a rookie needs to know about bow hunting
 

Boy there is so much to teach you young grasshoppa!!:) I always say there are 4 things a hunter must accomplish to become a true hunter.
1-you must learn how to hunt your prey.
2-you must learn how to cut up you prey for table fare
3-you must learn how to cook the animal you harvested
and when you know you have a true hunter is the fourth reason,
4- they find there own places to hunt there prey, instead of depending on you to take them hunting.
You must practice over and over and get use to your own gear and get comfortable, you also have to learn when and where to hunt I.E. hunt high in the morning and hunt low in the evening. Learn how to hunt during the rut, and what scents to use. All this takes time in the woods, so good luck on your journey to becoming a DEER HUNTER.

RE: Everything a rookie needs to know about bow hunting
 

Welcome to the board and the most addicting yet frustrating type of hunting known. You received good advise so far, as others have stated I will state it once again, practice, practice at all distances, practice from the ground, practice from different elevations. How will you know when you have practiced enough? When you bring your bow up and as you draw the pin falls right where you want it to with out you thinking about. You can never practice to much, one word of warning though, the second you feel your arm getting sore discontinue the practice for that day. The reason behind this is when you are tired your form will change and this can lead to bad shooting form habits which are hard to break.

As others have said, read all you can on your quarry and about bow hunting, any questions you have come here and ask.

RE: Everything a rookie needs to know about bow hunting
 

Practice, Practice Practice...Also, buy a 3D deer target and shoot at all angles that you can think of. Shoot form the stand you will hunt from if possible and in the clothes you will hunt in.
Scent control is vital, buy a pair of rubber boots. scent-lok clothing is great but it can be hot. Wildlife Research makesd some great soaps, anti-perspirants and scent killers. Always try to match your cover scent to the area you plan on hunting. Read as much as you can about setups etc.

It is a never ending learning experience.

RE: Everything a rookie needs to know about bow hunting
 

My advice to you would be to find someone who is an experienced bow hunter who can take you under his wing and show you various things about hunting. It can be frustrating sometimes to learn by yourself. Reading about it helps, but getting first hand experience from someome that is knowledgeable about bow hunting would be a great learning tool.

RE: Everything a rookie needs to know about bow hunting
 

Deer Slayer 16

Welcome to Bowhunting. You are getting all good replies here, as you can see there’s a lot at goes into bowhunting. My advice if there’s an Archery Club around you join it, get to know the people who run the Pro shop near you. Once they see you are willing to listen and learn you will pick up a lot of info. The most important thing in bowhunting is you have to put your TIME in and learn from your mistakes(we all make mistakes). By doing it this way when you have success you’ll have the true enjoyment of bowhunting. I’ve been at it for 25 years now and I’m still learning and loving every minute.

RE: Everything a rookie needs to know about bow hunting
 

Eveyone here has really good advise, one thing everyone is forgetting is thanking the creator for this great animal that has been put before you. And after you harvest this beast always leave a tobacco offering to the lands you hunt. In that way you will always be welcome in the wild. To all my relations!

RE: Everything a rookie needs to know about bow hunting
 

And when you feel you have practiced enough , go practice some more !

RE: Everything a rookie needs to know about bow hunting
 

Oh yea , learn you most effective shooting range and please don't risk wounding an animal just to say " i shot at one today but made a bad shot " let it walk there will be another day .

RE: Everything a rookie needs to know about bow hunting
 

Good grief, now that's funny!

RE: Everything a rookie needs to know about bow hunting
 

You came to the right place, everyone here knows something about bow hunting, you will get alot of infomation, one thing you will deffently want to work on is shot placement, know where the killzone is on all game you will hunt, and what I think is most important NEVER shoot at anything if you aren't sure what you are shooting at. The last thing you want to say to someone is I thought it was a deer. Good luck and good huntin!

RE: Everything a rookie needs to know about bow hunting
 

twisted arrow has a great point. just dont shoot for the sake of shooting, know your limitations and hunt within them. most hunters will admit to having a bad shot on an animal once or twice......dont make it a habit. even if you dont get a shot, fooling them is fun too:)

RE: Everything a rookie needs to know about bow hunting
 

I will just list the things that I think will benefit you the most when it comes to getting the job done in the woods........from a stand.

Everyone else has given you great advice..........and none of us can tell you exactly what to do to put a deer in front of you. If it were that easy it wouldn't be a challenge. Assuming you can get yourself up a tree with a safety harness on and settled in where you have a chance at seeing some deer.......here is what I think will prepare you to seal the deal.


PRACTICE from an elevated position........and shoot at a 3D deer target. Wear your hunting shirt or jacket to be as close to real as possible. Shoot from a few different angles and if you are not gonna use a rangefinder then move the target around and get used to estimating yardages. When you go pull your arrows don't just look where they hit.........look where they would have come out the other side on a pass through shot........this should help you with visualizing a good shot path.

Perhaps most importantly (judging from personal experience) is not waiting too long to practice with your broadheads. Trust me ;) You have to be sure that your broadheads are flying just as well as your fieldpoints do..........an entire summer of confident arrow stacking can be erased in 10 minutes if you strap on some broadheads and they start flying every which way but straight. Don't wait until the last minute to see if your broadheads will fly straight..........if they do great........if not you will not have time to fix it and be unable to hit what you see or panic and go by some mechanicals which may or may not solve your problems.


You can shoot fieldpoints at a bag target in a T-Shirt at 20 yards all day every day for a year and while it's certainly better then nothing it really doesn't prepare you well for a breezy cold morning.....25 feet up a tree......heavy jacket on........broadheads and a pumping heart when a nice deer steps out and you have to figure out how far he is and get a clean shot at him...........all in under 5 seconds!!


Practice a lot.........like everyone has said.........just don't forget to practice for real hunting situations.


One last thing. There are PLENTY of old threads here that will tell you what you should and should not do AFTER you shoot/hit a deer in the woods. This is just as important as what you do BEFORE the shot because they don't always just fall over in front of you. Tracking can make or break your hunt.........when in doubt wait, when you've waited as long as you can stand, wait a little longer ;)

RE: Everything a rookie needs to know about bow hunting
 

Shhhhhhhhhhh.... the deer may hear you. Remember when you practice that if your in the woods and you let out a grunt or fart or anynoise it might cost you a rack. So when you practice do it in the same manner as a hunt.