any tips for first time bowhunter
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: Bassmaster9960
14-Sep-18
NExt week is opening day and im going to be hunting for the first time with a compound... any tips I've harvested deer with rifle and crossbow but any thing i need to know for opening day
From: Straight —» Arrow
14-Sep-18
Bend at the waist when shooting from a treestand. Once I learned that little trick I haven't missed.
From: M.Pauls
14-Sep-18
Draw slow and only when the animals body language tells you to. Preferably when they are looking the other direction. Be stealth
From: Charlie Rehor
14-Sep-18
Consider a handle change? Buckmaster9960! Good luck!
PS: I used to Fish and hunt small game until I started bow hunting 37 years ago. Now I do nothing but bow hunt.
From: HorbachJ
14-Sep-18
Don’t shoot the first deer you see
From: APauls
14-Sep-18
Hunt only when the wind is in your favour. I remember when I first started hunting hearing people say the only hunt when the wind is right and my buddy and I just rolling on the floor laughing at these idiots. Ya, well, safe to say I've learned.
From: Shawn
14-Sep-18
Hunt the wind and shoot every deer you can legally. The first one that gives you a good clean shot, kill. Nothing like experience, it will teach you when to draw, where to aim and so much more. Once you kill a bunch than you can be selective. Most important is too have fun!! Shawn
From: Franklin
14-Sep-18
I agree with Shawn....you must gain as much experience you can killing target animals (not squirrels, cats, raccoons etc.) with your bow. I will go against the grain a bit and say.... learn how to shoot quickly and accurately. Train yourself to be able to get your bow on an animal...pick a spot and let er rip. Things happen very quickly in the woods and this has allowed me to kill many animals because of this training. It`s like traditional archery with a compound.
From: bowhunter24
14-Sep-18
I hope you get as hooked as the rest of us!
From: Will tell
15-Sep-18
Sit still.
From: Ct-z7
15-Sep-18
Try to aim for the offside front leg regardless of where your entry point into the deer is. It will place your arrow in the right spot that way. Also...it's very easy to hit a bit too far back and get the liver. Study a skeletal diagram of the front leg/shoulder bone structure and tuck the arrow up as close to the shoulder as you can. It will be an easy blood trail that way. One lung hits with liver require a long wait to track. If you rush those hits they will go and go.
From: woodguy65
15-Sep-18
The deer obviously are going to be much closer than with your rifle, look at your stand from the ground (where a deer would be). Is the tree big enough to block your silhouette so you are not skylighted. If not you need to add some foliage to your stand/tree to cover/blend your body so you can draw. Just get some zip ties, try and find some oak branches those leaves seem to stay on the entire season. Additionally you can use a cordless drill and screws to add to the tree if needed. Good luck - great tips above.
From: LBshooter
15-Sep-18
Shoot straight, practice a lot, always wear a safety harness, don't get wrapped up in the horn porn game, shoot the first deer that give you a good shot, focus on one spot and not the whole deer, try and bathe daily, never use a rage lol, and like Charlie said, bowhunting seems to take over your life, be careful.
From: standswittaknife
15-Sep-18
Wear a safety harness
From: lv2bohunt
15-Sep-18
Bass master Let the terrain dictate how you hunt. In a tree or on the ground. Both effective and fun ways to hunt.
From: HorbachJ
15-Sep-18
Scent block everything!
From: Shawn
15-Sep-18
When I first started bow hunting I did just what I said. I shot everything I could and it taught me a lot. I gained access to a bow only area and the farmer wanted me to kill as many deer as possible. i killed 17, 15 and 15 the first three years I hunted the property. I had kill maybe 25 deer with a bow before that. The experience that I gained those first three years in the bow only area made me a much better hunter. It taught me when to draw, when to call and when to just sit and watch. I still like shooting deer to this day and only recently after 35 years have I become selective in what I shoot. Enjoy the journey as bow hunting has provided me with some of the best experiences in my life!! Shawn
From: Shawn
15-Sep-18
When I first started bow hunting I did just what I said. I shot everything I could and it taught me a lot. I gained access to a bow only area and the farmer wanted me to kill as many deer as possible. i killed 17, 15 and 15 the first three years I hunted the property. I had kill maybe 25 deer with a bow before that. The experience that I gained those first three years in the bow only area made me a much better hunter. It taught me when to draw, when to call and when to just sit and watch. I still like shooting deer to this day and only recently after 35 years have I become selective in what I shoot. Enjoy the journey as bow hunting has provided me with some of the best experiences in my life!! Shawn
From: drycreek
15-Sep-18
Stop it now ! The addiction is real and it only consumes more of your time and money......
Seriously, welcome to the community. There is nothing quite as satisfying as taking an animal with a bow. I'm not the one to give advice, others here are much more capable than me, but good luck. Your grin will be bigger and last much longer when you take 'em with a stick, even one with wheels on it !
From: CO_Bowhunter
15-Sep-18
Spend at least two months before the season stump shooting. Practicing at the range does not simulate a hunting situation where EVERY shot is new. Stump shooting provides that opportunity. Also, limit your range to where you can stump shoot 5/5 arrows within a 4 inch circle. The rest of the advice is great.
From: Buffalo1
15-Sep-18
Sharp BH's
Aim/envision (arrow target path) for the vital zone.
Wait 30 min. after shot before tracking, unless you see the animal fall.
Don't rush the shot.
Shoot animals and get some experience & confidence with you bow and equipment
Use a rangefinder
From: RJ Hunt
15-Sep-18
Stop.... get out now while you still have the chance. Once you arrow your fist critter you are done for. My wife and kids know when September gets here I am MIA til mid December. I have missed birthdays, weddings and even got married in early August so would not interrupt my hunts. You will get dark circles under your eyes and lose sleep a week or two before elk season. Your garage will look like an archery pro shop before you know it. Anyhow for the real advise. WIND. Learn the wind and use it to your advantage and get to be the best archer you can. Welcome. You will never look back.
From: Bassmaster9960
15-Sep-18
Thanks for all the tips... could you describe stump shooting
From: Bassmaster9960
15-Sep-18
Thanks for all the tips... could you describe stump shooting
From: Glunt@work
15-Sep-18
Try and get as much satisfaction as you can from the process. Bowhunting is 99% process and 1% killing stuff. Like fishing.
From: RJ Hunt
16-Sep-18
Stump shooting. Going out in the woods and shooting stumps as if they were animals. Picking a small spot on it and shooting it. All doing from real hunting situations. Also fet your mechanics for shooting proper from the start.
From: RJ Hunt
16-Sep-18
Stump shooting. Going out in the woods and shooting stumps as if they were animals. Picking a small spot on it and shooting it. All doing from real hunting situations. Also fet your mechanics for shooting proper from the start.
From: 1boonr
16-Sep-18
Find somebody that gets the results you want and do exactly what they do to achieve those results. Don’t take any advice from people who have little or no success. There is more of the latter
From: bad karma
16-Sep-18
Shoot the first legal animal that gives you a broadside.
From: Bassmaster9960
16-Sep-18
Should I hold right on the crease of the shoulder blade or a couple inches back.. I'm shooting low fps and I don't think a shoulder shot would penetrate
From: Shawn
16-Sep-18
The crease is fine, try and see the hit and watch the animals reaction. Mark real well in your head the last spot you saw it. Everything looks different from the ground if you were in a tree when you shot the animal. Shawn
From: TREESTANDWOLF
16-Sep-18
Don’t buy into the antler hype and learn to kill the animal. Any deer is a great start, and by all means, enjoy yourself!
From: lv2bohunt
16-Sep-18
Aim for the spot that gives you the proper EXIT.
From: daleheth
16-Sep-18
Have fun. This is not a chore
From: deerslayer
16-Sep-18
Watch your angles for shot placement. Study deer anatomy and learn what angles opens or closes what organs. Practice, practice, practice. Be a lethal shot and your chances go up exponentially. If you make a poor shot (like guts) don’t look right away, give the animal time to die. Organ shot deer rarely survive. Finding them is the key.
Also 1boobr’s advice is dead on. It will take years off your learning curve. And, as already stated, kill stuff. Every doe you take is another real life experience that applies the same to a buck.
From: Metalman
16-Sep-18
Just enjoy the outdoors I don’t have to kill I just enjoy getting to watch and learn for the deer when you think you have them figured out they show you different. Aim low
From: r-man
18-Sep-18
use a 6/0 circle hook in the corn pile , and some 50 lb Berkeley power pro , let him run a bit before you set the hook. Sorry , fishing joke
From: Hh76
18-Sep-18
Once your in your stand, draw and aim a few times. Pick several "targets" that make you stretch a bit. Better to find out then what may limit your range of motion. Even if you're not going to shoot every deer that comes in, draw and aim as if you were. Bring an extra arrow, and take a shot at the end of every sit. Practice in an actual stand is huge. When it's really cold, make sure your heavy coat or cold muscles won't keep you from drawing your bow.
From: Bou'bound
18-Sep-18
don't climb into any stand that is not yours it could be fatal.
From: ctbowhunter
18-Sep-18
welcome to the journey.there will be highs and lows.practice.practice and practice.if u can hook up with someone with experience the lessons will be quicker and easier.30 years many deer,see so many unbelievable things observed.think safety first.if bowhunting dont get your heart pounding your allready dead.enjoy every minute.scout find deer,set up stand then have the pacients to stay put.the ones that cant make it to 9am before getting up will chase the deer to you if u have the ability to stay the course.good luck.u wont believe the things that will happen being that close to them .good luck
From: Russell
19-Sep-18
"Should I hold right on the crease of the shoulder blade or a couple inches back?"
Suggest focusing on a spot about 6" back from the crease. If you try to hit the crease and are a bit forward, you risk missing the lungs or nailing the shoulder. (both are not good).
Study where the arrow exits too. Aim so the arrow will exit a few inches behind the far leg.
Once you decide the deer you want to kill, making sure other deer around don't see you move, focus on the patch of hair you want the arrow to hit. Keep this focus until the arrow impacts that spot.
Peaking during arrow flight is a very bad thing, and we are all guilty of it from time to time.
Also suggest don't shoot at an alert, semi-spooked whitetail unless the shot is less than 15 yards. A deer can drop a full body width within a spit-second.
Best of luck this hunting season. Keep us posted on your adventures!
From: Ollie
19-Sep-18
You will learn through experience. Get out there and hunt!
From: HorbachJ
22-Sep-18
Buy all of Donnie Vincent’s videos and watch them over and over
From: drycreek
22-Sep-18
You have had much good advice, so much it may have your head spinning. In the heat of the moment, much of it may not be remembered. IMO, confidence in your shooting ability and knowing the various spots to target on an animal (that may not present a perfect angle) are the most important things to concentrate on. The rest will come with time.
From: Guardian hunter
21-Nov-22
Hunt too much
From: timex
21-Nov-22
Knee high rubber boots,hunt into the wind,aim for where you want your arrow to exit the animal. Bow hunting is about being a good hunter and getting close. There's way to much emphasis on equipment these days.
From: thedude
21-Nov-22
Shoot until you find the max distance you can put 10 arrows in a row into a kill zone then cut 10 from that distance for hunting.
Do some stress shooting.
Pick a spot when you shoot
From: Huntiam
22-Nov-22
Have fun buddy kill 10 does this yr ..and make sure number 1 you got to have some Sitka
From: ahunter76
23-Nov-22
It's a 2018 thread, IS he (Bassmaster) still bowhunting or even around?
From: P&Y400
25-Nov-22
Make sure your equipment is well tuned, make sure you can hit where you aim constantly, make sure you are using a well built sharp as hell broad head, study anatomy charts of the critters you will be hunting and make sure when the moment of truth happens you make good decisions with regard to shot angles. Good luck as it is the most fun kind of hunting I have ever experienced.
From: Ambush
25-Nov-22
No, Bassmaster took up Walleye tournament fishing. He did take all the EFOC comments to heart and wins many contests.
From: Bigdog 21
25-Nov-22
Get close.
From: ROUGHCOUNTRY
25-Nov-22
Find a bowhunting mentor…….the learning curve will be much much easier
From: sitO
25-Nov-22
Bag of corn?
