Folks...

I have never been a bowhunter, although I've hunted all my life, and am just now seriously considering getting into it. I am starting to read up, buy videos, etc., and wondered what advice you would give a total (and I mean TOTAL) newbie who nonetheless has a fair amount of hunting experience.. Thanks a lot.

Cengel - I was FORCED into it one year during my college days by my bow hunting boss. He loaned me a little 50# Red Wing Hunter and taught me to shoot the thing. First thing I learned is that a GOOD BOW isn't as hard to shoot and hit as you might think.

Bottom line was it was one of the most fun and memorable hunts I ever went on...even if all we killed was a weekend. I learned a respect for the sport and suspect MOST of the guys who practice this form of hunting are some serious dudes...which can translate to a LOT of fun.

My advice is get to know some of the bow hunters in your area, make friends with a few who really appeal to you and you can click with and let them take you on as a project. They will enjoy teaching you and you will enjoy learning.

The new compound bows are double awesome. If the Indians had stuff like our modern bowhunters do, they would have run our pilgram asses off the continent and the Spanish in Mexico would just be some bleached bones in the jungle.

Cengel - Spend some time hanging out at the local archery shops and ask a lot of questions. Most any archer I know would be glad to give tons of helpful advice to a beginner. Like any thing else, there's a learning curve we all go through but it is well worth it. I gun hunt also, but archery is a great sport at a great time of the year. Go for it....

cengel, if you have a area where you can consistantly get to within 30 yds of your deer, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT start bowhunting. You will become totally obsessed. The saying "It's not a passion, it's an obsession" was made to describe bowhunters.
Seriously, like the others said, talk to local bowhunters and make a trip to your local pro-shop.
Getting a bow that "fits" you is a must if you want to become proficent with it.
If your pro-shop insists that you need the most expensive bow they have to be a good shooter, go find another shop. You should'nt have to take out a bank loan to get a decent set up.
When you first start shooting you will find muscles that you never knew you had. Start slow and you'll build these muscles as you progress in your shooting. I know of several people each year that hurt themselves trying to be macho and pull too much poundage. They usually have to sit out the first part of archery season nursing pulled muscles.
The best tip I can probably give is that deer have eyes in thier asses. When the moment of truth comes, you will need your bow set so you can draw it back without making a lot of movement. If you can get to full draw without being detected you've got it 99% whipped.
One more thing, find a good cardiologist and have your heart checked before you start hunting cause you'll think your hearts gonna explode when your at full draw and you have a big ol buck at 15 yds standing behind a brush and he doesn't even have a clue your there.
Welcome to the addiction.
Keep us posted and let us know how it goes.

Many people will want to recommend certain brands of bows to you. Quite frankly, there are a ton of good ones out there. What you need to do is go to a shop (or several, shop around) that will let you try out and shoot as many as you can to see how they feel to you. Like a puppy, the bow will pick you out. One will fit you just right, that is the one to get.

Like mentioned already, you will find bowhunting to be the most satisfying hunt you've ever been on. It's "in your face".

A good bow all outfitted with top quality accessories will run you about $1000.

Cengel,
You also have another decision to make. Do you want to shoot compound bows or traditional archery? I agree with everyone else, go to your local pro shops and check out all the equipment. At first it may be overwhelming, but you'll get the help you need. good luck and rember bowhunting is a addiction. You'll love it.
God speed, Mark

Cengel,

Nutoy has it right. I would echo his advice completely.
I would only add if you've gotten to the point in your rifle career where"if you can see it you can kill it"(not literally) then you are most certainly ready for the renewed adrenal rush of bowhunting.In this sport a 110 pound doe is just as thrilling as an 8 point with the rifle, except maybe moreso. Good hunting, Russ

Thanks all....

Russ..... With a rifle, if I can see it, I can miss it........

Nutoy..... two years ago I killed a meat doe at 19 feet during gun season...... we measured.. By the way, I heard it as "It's not a sport to him, it's an illness".. (My mother talking about me and duck hunting when I was a teenager).

Mark... I have considered going the recurve route. I'm just not sure yet, and probably need to snag some more friends bows and fling some arrows to figure out what's right for me.

What are your opinions on the pros and cons of recurve vs. compound??

[ 11-19-2002, 20:57: Message edited by: cengel ]

cengel,
Where in Ohio are you located?
I have both a compound and a recurve and depending on conditions I choose one over the other. If I am hunting standing corn or very thick brush I take the recurve. If I am hunting relatively open woods or open fields I will take the compound as it allows me (because of the sights) to take longer shots.
If I am going out west then the recurve is along for backup but the compound is primary.
I shoot fingers and full length shafts and have both set-up for the same arrow.

Let em know if you want to get together and shoot.

Nutoy is correct. I got into this sport late last summer because I didn't draw any tags and I can buy an archery deer tag over the counter in AZ. It's an obsession. $1,100.00 gone and I still need a rangefinder. The boys at the trap club think I died. Ditto for the rifle range. My German Shorthairs keep giving me sad looks like when are we going hunting. It's insane. All I do is work to earn money to buy more equipment and accessories and shoot my bow. What's worse is, now I've got both of my sons hooked on this stuff. I feel like a bad parent. It's a slippery slope. Just say no to bows.

Migra

HaHaHa ROTFLMAO!

Welcome to the addiction migra!

As for the raangefinder.... Take a target to a lined football field and practice out to what you consider your maximum range stepping off the range from where you shoot to the target when you retrieve the arrows. Then take the same target into the woods and again practice to the same distances using the distances you visualize and then step off the distances after your shots.

After a while this becomes second nature but it is hard work to get to that point!

How has your season gone so far this year? Any luck?

Greg-- I'm down in Waynesville in the Caesar Creek region.... Lots of good deer around here. I've got an old Jennings I got used for Christmas a long time ago and am taking it in this week to have it tuned up. For your safety you probably want to let me get a few off the rest with no one in the vicinity before we do that...



Drop me an e-mail ... Chris

Cengel
Recurve or compound? Very hard for me to answer that question. I shot both for years. For me there came a point to just stick with one, I chose the recurve. To me it is alot of fun. I have been involved in bowhunting for over 20 years. My wife and I owned a archery shop in PA.
I shot compound then and still do occasionally at 3-d shoots. I did that cuz I needed to keep up on all the new equipment. If I was selling it I wanted to know and have the info to promote it or not too.
the choice is yours, but have fun and shoot straight.
God speed, Mark

AMOSGREG

I hunted two days in the September season and saw a lot of deer but I had my eye on three huge mulies that I spotted earlier in the week while I was working. They finally showed up right before dark on the second day. I made the mistake of second guessing myself and changing my stand location that afternoon. ( A doe had winded me the day before and I thought I would get smart and move.) The three big boys and a little buck came in right where I should have been. My second season starts on Dec 13 and goes unil the end of the month. Then I buy a new tag and hunt from Jan 1 until the end of the month. My best guess is that I'll probably spend at least three years at this before I get to full draw. I never knew that not killing deer could be this much fun! I'm seriously considering putting in for an archery elk tag so I can not kill that species also.

cenegal,

I feel like I'm jumping into the post a bit late, but here goes.... A quick story about me: A couple years before I became old enough to hunt big game, it was made VERY clear that my parents (non-hunters) were NOT going to buy me a high-powered rifle and turn me loose in the woods with it. Furthermore, I could neither afford nor legally buy my own deer rifle. This was all very disappointing, but it wasn't gonna cause me (an over zelous pre-teen) to miss my first deer season!!! I found a 50# Ben Pearson recurve with a mess of arrows and broadheads at a yardsale for $15, and practiced with it a year or so. When the first day of bow season finally arrived, I hunted long and hard. Just before dark I stalked and arrowed my first muley buck.
Moral of the story: Practice and Determination are the essentials of successful bowhunting.

As a side note, all I've ever shot are recurves and I've never even owned a compound! I started rifle hunting several years later, mostly cause I wanted to give it a try. But I'm a bowhunter at heart and always will be. Honestly, I've never felt at a disadvantage for any task that can be reasonably expected of archey tackle. At my local archery club, traditional archers now out number the wheel bows by a slim margin. It's kind of an interesting renniassance to have watched over the years. What's more noteable, the type of equipment (recurve/compound/longbow) seems to have no bearing on success rate afield. The same guys (and gals) tend to be successful year after year shooting all types of bows. Hence, it boils down to practice and skill which leads to enjoyment.

Best advise I can give you: Find a mentor. Someone you like, can hunt with, and learn from.

Good luck!

I am thinking about getting into bowhunting as well. I just bought a complete outfit from a serious bowhunter who is retired. I spent $100 and got the compound bow with sights, releases, quiver, 50+ arrows, and yes, even a range finder.

While I have not shot a bow seriously for 30 years, I was able to put 4 arrows into a 3 inch bull at 50 feet with no problem. I know serious archers can do a lot better than that, but it gave me confidence that I can kill both big and small game with this gear.

I would give serious consideration to looking for some used gear. Bows don't seem to hold their value like guns do.

Now... to find time to use this equipment... hmmm. I do have lots of carp on the Colorado. Anyone have suggestions about fish arrows and reels?

D Rat a good accuratcy measure is one inch for evey ten yards IE 50 yards 5 inches. There are bow shooters out there that well top that. That is all you need for big game hunting. So you are getting there more time spent shooting well improve on that.

As a total newbie to Archery I would suggest that you go to a reputable Pro-Shop for advise on equipment. I would also suggest that you establish your price range for this equipment and do not purchase the equipment from the first place you go. Look at several brands of equipment and settle for the one you like the most. Any Pro-shop can then fit the bow to you and insure that your arrows etc. fit you and your sights etc can be selected buy what type shooting you plan to do. I'm a firm believer that with the equipment mfg today a new shooter can become an accomplished shooter in a fairly short period of time with some instruction from a good shooter. I would recommend that you locate a good shooter that can teach you correctly and teach you could form and hopefully not teach you any bad habits. The best advise that I could give you is Practice Practice Practice as Archery is a game of doing everthing the same way on every shot and practice will program your muscles, anchor point, grip to become second nature. I have tought several newbies to shoot and I believe that most bowhunters are more than willing to pass their knowledge on to some one just starting out. Remember the only dumb question is one that was not asked. Good Luck, You will find that bowhunting is more of a way of life than a sport and will become quite addictive. One last thing when you first start choose some good but inexpensive arrows instead of the high dollar ones as you will loose some and break a few. After your ability becomes better then purchase the carbons or ACC's.
Welcome to the Great Sport of Bowhunting.

migra,
And when you have one 20 yards away blowing, bugeling, snorting and just generally tearing up the surronding landscape and you have no shooting lane and are close to pissing your pants, you'll realize just how big and powerful they really are

Nothing like that time of the season.

Oh did I mention I LOVE Elk but have since found Africa!

Cengal
I got your e-mail and will give you a call!

[ 12-12-2002, 00:49: Message edited by: amosgreg ]

IF you dont go with Aspenhill adeventures advice you might buy something you will not like.

cengel
addicted no i 'm not addicted ,well not really ,just every time i see the pretty wood and touch the curves and grip it easily in my hand and talk to it .well maybe a little problem ,welcome to my world !!!----- herb