Question:
This is a section of the FAQ for alt.archery. It is maintained by me at the
following e-mail address: bbl...@hpbs1686.boi.hp.com
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Answer:
Enclosed are the following helpful hints that I have picked up along the trail
of the Bowhunting world. Use this information as you see fit. Keep in mind
that some if not all that follows is personal preference type stuff and
therefore eligible for dispute by any number of people!
1. When tree stand hunting cut and attach branches of the local greenery to
the lower areas of your stand. This serves two purposes: (a) it provides
natural Camouflage and (b) it provides some natural scent to use as cover.
Be sure to attach in such a way as to not hinder your firing lanes.
2. The preferred shot placement is a heart/lung shot with the animal
quartering *away* from you. This area will be behind the shoulder blade and
down midway of the body.
3. If the animal seems extremely cautious then it may have picked up scent or
movement coming from the hunter. In this case it may be wise to aim a
little lower than normal to counteract the effect of the deer jumping the
string.
Whitetail deer *almost* always crouch prior to springing away from any
sudden noise, and many hunters have watched as the perfectly placed arrow
flies straight over the animal's back!
4. If time is not a critical factor then wait to release the shot until the
animal is taking a step and one of the front legs is in the air. This will
lessen its ability to crouch and jump before the arrow hits.
5. Always pull to full draw with the bow sighted above your target because it
takes less energy to lower the sight to the target than it does to bring
it up to the target. This translates into a smoother more powerful pattern
with a better ability to hold the pull for long periods of time.
6. Noise and scent are by far the two worst enemies that a Bowhunter can have.
Removing human scent from your clothing and body is much more effective
than a cover scent will ever be. This does not imply that cover scents are
useless but if you are sweaty or spilled gas on your boots filling up the
truck then all the doe pee in the world won't fool that Big Buck! Be sure
to bathe thouroughly in a non-scent type soap each time you plan to hit the
woods. Other common mistakes are cooking/standing near a the fire/coming
into contact with anything that has a strong odor while wearing the gear
that you plan to hunt in. Noise is also a bigger factor in Bowhunting than
other methods simply because of the effective range. While many people will
boast that they have accurate ranges comparable to that of Robin Hood lore,
the fact is that most successful kills with a bow are taken with 5-30 yard
shots. Take each piece of equipment that you have and do everything possible
to eliminate any noise that it makes. Moleskin placed anywhere that may come
into contact with an arrow works wonders. String silencers, rubber grommets
at accessory mounting points, and loctite on all threads are good noise
reducing methods. Don't forget your tree stand or clothing either, imagine
that monster buck hightailing it out of sight after you stood up and the
stand creaked or your jacket makes a scraping noise against the tree.
A good rule of thumb is that if you can hear your fingernail scraping
against the clothing then it is too noisy.
7. Above all else....Practice, Practice, Practice. Know your target, know your
abilities and ranges. When preparing for the season the first project is
to work on form. Make sure that you are smooth on the draw and that the
anchor point and release are consistent. Get your patterns down to as small
as possible ( if you can't get consistent patterns under 4" at a certain
range then you have no business taking the shot at that range). Others may
dispute the 4" size up and down but the bottom line is that any animal that
you wound and do not recover is wasted and as such it becomes fuel for the
anti-hunting fires! Once you are comfortable at the distances you plan to
to hunt then start shooting out of the your stand from the height you plan
on being opening morning. Practice with as much realism as possible. If you
can, simulate real situations with foam targets partially hidden or in tight
quarters. Simulate the terrain where you hunt, whether it is wide open
plains or thick cover. Last but certianly not least, practice in full gear.
It will be very frustrating going for that shot of a lifetime only to find
out that the headnet you just bought has a wire that covers your sight line
at full draw, or the jacket has buttons that catch the string on release!
Judging range also seems to be one of the biggest problems that Bowhunters
have in the field. Practice range estimation in terrain like that which
you intend to hunt. A good tidbit to consider is to set your sights and
learn your ranges based on your personal stride ie set a pin for 10 strides
(full leg extension when walking should be ~ 1 yard depending on your body
dimensions) this will eliminate the worry of forgetting the old tape measure
on scouting trips, etc. because your measuring device will always be your
stride.
