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How to learn to hunt with a selfbow?
Bad juju:
--- Quote from: Fox on October 27, 2020, 10:09:24 am ---Okay thanks everyone... scouting does definitely seem very important... cause I don’t know where the deer are now, I haven’t seen any the last 4 times I’ve been out. So I go out in the evening, and I’ve been hunting in the valleys .. mostly, some on the ridges. There’s tones of acorns and squirrels up on the ridge, should I move up there ? Or find a trail going from valley to ridge? Sorry so many questions!! Thanks again .
--- End quote ---
To answer your questions honestly I have no clue what would be best without knowing the area and the deers habits. The basic plan out side of the rut is to target areas between the feeding and bedding areas. You are looking for main travel routes and ideally at intersections where multiple trails meet. Pay attention to the contour of the land and the path of least resistance. How thick the bush is or if there is heavy blow down can affect how they travel
The rut I still hurt these main travel routes but also scrape lines
This is where scouting comes in you need to understand where the deer are feeding, bedding, and scrape lines are made. These are all found by paying attention to sign. Don’t get caught up on seeing deer when scouting but focus on sign
Trail cams help but some guys are against them and the cost adds up. Another low tech cheap option to check how active trails are is string light thread across the trails. If the thread is broken an animal has past since you were there last. Do this for a while and you will start getting an idea of how often deer use these trails
You will find a lot of trails don’t see much traffic and others are used almost daily. Sometimes moving 50yards is all it takes to go from seeing deer often vs rarely
Hope this helps and don’t get frustrated if you don’t tag a deer just use your time to learn and adapt.
Allyn T:
If your gonna stalk ridges I would be on the leeward side
Bryce:
Idk much about whitetails but I like the advice given.
All points are great! Once you find deer activity and are out there it comes down to the shot. The last few seconds of your hunt.
For me, it took learning when all the right things were in place for me. In order for the situation to favor me and my effort.
You can see all the deer in the world (or whatever you’re hunting). But knowing when to take the shot and when not to shoot is SO important. And once you got that down clean kills will become consistent. There is always going to be some amount of risk. And mitigating those risks and putting odds in your favor is all part of it. Especially when it comes to setting up the scape of where you’re hunting. Where you are on the terrain should give you favor in your perspective shooting angles.
Make sure that if the deer come from which ever direction, that you have a clean lane to shoot down. Small branches and little leaves can really be a pain. One small twig can deflect an arrow enough to be ineffective.
When the deer enters the scene, that’s when the hunting starts.
Never look away. Focus. No sudden movement, eyes pick up on movement really easily. Keep your breathing even. Open your ears. Take mental notes of it’s behavior. BE patient. The deciding point of the hunt being successful is when you decide to enter the scene and intervene. When you say to yourself’ “this is it.” And you act upon this creatures life.
And knowing the right time, is everything.
You can’t be afraid to produce the shot because of doubt. Trust yourself and trust your instincts. We are predators. That killing-instinct is a part of the most primitive parts of our brains.
at the same time knowing when not to act and being okay with that, is just as important.
because patients will most likely grant you another venture.
HH~:
Hunt same trees a bunch. When you got 2-3/arce why not? Shot three out this small sycamore four or five years ago. Same tree last year double up and this year doubled up agian out of same tree. Again its a movement corridor, deer use it regular. Shoot one, wait an hour another prolly gonna move through if they are in the area.
Whitetail hunting when compared to Blacktail hunting is rather easy even with primitve gear. Whitetails are far more habitual than Blacktails. Hunted Blacktails and Muleys when I lived in the NW. Hunting Blacktails is great fun, they rut very late Mid Dec were I hunted. They like to stick to that scotch broom , fir and fern no doubt. I was lucky enough to hold the number #2 Blacktail ever taken. Just a huge headed buck. Buck was in a class of its own was taken in the 1950's and mount was getting a new cape. I happen to be in this guys shop when the family brought the thing in.
Whitetails can be patterned very easily once you figger what terrain/food sources in your area are influencing there habits and why. Not so easy in big woods of Maine or Minn per say but there too in some ways. Sometimes you've done your work and know the area and movement corridors or feeding areas but just cant get deer to get in good lethal range. This happens to Grand Slam Archery guys same as guys just starting out. Learn as you go, dont relearn mistakes from the set or stand. I've always said "you get one maybe tow chances at a good mature white you been on each season", Make the very most of those.
Next, you are not compromised by using a selfbow at all. If you can shoot well to 25-30yds a Glass bow is not going to get you any further to draggin that buck you been after all year. Most will drop the selfbow first miss at a good deer and grab the glass or wheels. Just keep getting yourself in good wind in a good spot. Figure out why you see these deer in the area you hunt. Watch them, are passing thru, going to water in heat, heading to a thicket in bad weather to browse or bed, where do doe go when it snows hard, when the predominate wind blows what spots are on the lee side of that wind. Just walkin around with bow all seasons , sitting down and watching them will answer the questions that will put you in the place to kill one under the conditions and wind for that day.
Its one thing to sit in a beanfild field corner and shoot a whitetail walking the edge early season. It's another to shoot whitetails at close range early, rut, and late season. Some places just to see a good whitetail close is tuff. Heck some places its hard to kill one with a rifle.
HH~
Fox:
Thanks for the advice HH, and others. I have another question ;D ... so I found a really great spot the other day, lots of scrapes, fresh Pooh and deep rutted trails intersecting at the top of a little ridge. The only problem is finding it I walked over the trail in 2 or 3 places... this was yesterday... so is my scent being there going to mess me up if I hunt there this weekend? Thanks again
-Fox
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