Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Shooting and Hunting => Topic started by: Deerhunter21 on August 18, 2019, 03:10:12 pm
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so im planning on going deer hunting with the HHB bow I made at the Marshalls event. I have never gone bow hunting so i got some questions
1) how do you get close (deer stand, how to stalk, how to know where to go, how to know where to be)
2) what arrow weight plus a 125grain tip, my bow is 45# at 26
3) how to draw the bow without them seeing it
4) where to aim
5) how sharp should it be. (i dont have the best sharpening stone so how to do it with a file)
6) what angle to sharpen at
Thanks- Deerhunter
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A lot will depend on where you hunt. Will it be woods or near agricultural fields? Look for trails and hunt from the down wind side. You can use a climbing tree stand, fixed tree stand with steps, commercial ground blind or one made from local natural materials. Watch the deer closely. When it has it's head behind a tree or bush or lowers it's head to eat you can possibly get a shot. Don't shoot unless you are sure of the shot. I think you should limit your shots to begin with to about 15 yards. If you can see the deer's eyes he can see you. If he smell you, it's over! A deer can look right at you and not see you unless you move so be still and never look into their eyes. Concentrate where the arrow will go into his chest and not at the deer. You'll probably want at least 10 grains per pound of draw weight for your hunting arrows so 450gr or more with the 125gr head.
You will want to put the arrow into the heart/lung area. If you hit either the heart or lungs the deer will die in seconds but it can run 100 yards or more before expiring. Either a perpendicular shot through the lungs or a quartering away(probably the best) shot aim towards the off side shoulder. That will usually put it in the boiler room.
You will want your points to be very sharp, at least shaving sharp.
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I dont know, Nebraska is a very agricultural place so most of the land is corn and soybean. but i dont know alot of private property land. i have a friend who has land but their dad has doubts about traditional bows. he has a great deer stand that has alot of activity so i think ill ask. Probably a mix of both
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now that i think about it it will always be near agricultural.
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Make time to take a bowhunter education class. There should be some available to you in Nebraska. Check the Nebraska Game and Fish site. Should be info there on a class. Look for the class online if you can't find one to take personally. Go to your local archery club and find an archery hunter that uses traditional equipment and DOESN'T brag about all of his conquests! That person should be willing to share hunting info with you. Do NOT ask them where they hunt. That will immediately turn them off. Ask questions and listen, listen, listen. Check out the Traditional Bowhunters of Nebraska site and their next get together. Good place to learn about all of the things you have asked about. Hope that helps.
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Thanks guys! the next meet is saturday and its a warmup for deer season so its perfect!
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My best advice find well worn paths and sit down wind with the intention of not moving have an itch? deal with it, achy? To bad suffer dont move I usually will sit for an hour to 4 without moving a smidge. Last year had deer walk passed me at about 4 to 10 yards away.
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ok, thats what ill probably do or climb a tree by it. any advise for asking people to hunt on their land or hunting on public land?
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Russell alway remember it's not where the arrow hits the deer it's where it goes after that. Where to aim changes with different angles. I always just imagine where the arrow is going to pass through.
Also shooting from elevated stand is different than shooting from the ground. I find I need to bend at my waist and square my upper body to my target. If I don't do this I shoot a foot high. If I do I can shoot like I do from the ground. I'm still working on this trying to make it automatic.
I like a quartering away shoot. It opens up the kill zone and gets the front shoulder out of the way. It also usually gives you a better chance of get a shot off without being seen.
Use as sharp as you can get them points. If you have arrows that fly good from your bow that have glue on points, get glue on broadheads the same weight. It is important to get good arrow flight. You want your arrow to straighten out quick to get good penetration.
Practice and practice. I personally would rather shoot one arrow several times through the day then several arrows once a day. Try shooting from different positions. To your right, straight forward and to your left. Right handed its easier to shoot to the left. Remember what shoots you like best when sitting up you hunting spot.
Hunting from a tree stand has the advantages of easier to see animals coming and getting a shot off without being seen. Disadvantage of not being able to move to a different location as easily. Also angles of shots can get more difficult. I'm still not use to hunting from a tree. I have found a stand I do like better now. I feel more comfortable and it's platform is big enough for me to maneuver around a bit. I do really enjoy watching everything from a tree stand.
Hunting from ground is more portable. You really don't need a blind. You need something to break up your silhouette. I have many times been very close to deer. Five yards even and they were looking all around. Looking right through me like I was totally invisible. Make the slightest move or make eye contact and they are gone. Ryan Gills once wrote that he believes deer notice someone sitting more than standing. I tend to agree with him. Getting close is the easy part, getting a shot off without being seen when your that close is the hard part. Especially on the ground.
It is possible to stalk or still hunt. Some people do it regularly. There's a difference between the two. Stalking you know where a deer is. I've had some luck stalking. Still hunting you know a area where deer are. Either way you need to see the deer before they see you. It's more difficult when you don't know exactly where the deer are.
It's nice to see lots of deer, but it's much easier to get a good shot off without being seen when you only have one deer to worry about. Honestly I think old does with a couple yearling fawns have a sixth sense. Some of these does are just plain skittish.
Remember hunting is different than shooting at a target. It's normally hours of distractions and seconds of pure adrenaline. How a person handles those seconds makes all the difference. You need everything to just be automatic. You don't want to have to think about anything.
The more you understand the animals your after the better situation you can put yourself in. Try to learn as much as you can about them. I sometimes like to sit somewhere I can see a large area but don't have to worry about being seen. I'm not trying to get a shot, just trying to see where I can sit up for a good shot.
Remember hunting is hunting. Don't expect to get a shot every time you go out. Try to enjoy it. Many of my favorite Hunts I never even drew my bow. If you just want to take a animal and don't enjoy the rest of the hunt, you'll probably become discouraged.
Good Luck and Happy Hunting
Bjrogg
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The Bowhunter class is very good advise! As far as getting permission, find the land you ant to hunt and knock on the door! It helps a lot if you do this ahead of time. Volunteer some time to the landowner if possible and if you do score, get some meat to them! If you are a bit shy, suck it up and ask anyway! Most of Nebraska is private ground, but there are a lot of state wildlife areas open to hunting. You might try to locate the wildlife agent for the area you want to hunt and pump hum/her for information. Also depends on whether you want to hunt whitetail or mule deer. The Trad Bow guys will probably be a big help, and you might even get an invite to hunt. Keep us posted! I'd like a few contacts down there, too. We may be moving in the next few years. Or just hunting western NE!
Hawkdancer
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Before anything else matters you need to become proficient with your bow and figure out what YOUR range is. My guess would be 10-12 yards max. When you can hit a 6" circle with 5 out of 6 shots, that's your range. This is just one reason your buddy's dad questions you hunting on his place. Get proficient and take him out in the yard to prove it. His greatest fear is wounded deer, I don't blame him. Its a crappy, nasty feeling that takes a long time to dissolve when you're the one who let the string go. And whatever you do, don't let yourself talk yourself into taking a shot out of your range. That's the hardest trick to pull off in hunting. Imagine this scenario: You have hunted 8 times for a total of 30 hours and haven't seen a dang thing except turkeys. Then one evening a deer steps into clear view at 26 yards. Fight the urge and let the sun go down, walk home and be thankful you saw a deer.
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Amen Pearly....Its more about the "hunt" than the kill. The kill will become easier the more you know the hunt.
DBar
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Yup agree totally with Pearl.
Not that it can't still happen, but the more you know your capabilities the better off for everyone. You will feel much better watching that animal walk away unharmed ready to meet up another day than to watch it run away wounded and knowing you caused its suffering. It could even stop you from hunting again. It can happen but if it does, you want to know you did all you could to prevent it from happening.
Bjrogg
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ok before i think about anything else im going to tighten my grouping and figure out my range. then ill worry about broadheads and arrows and places to hunt later. once i set my limits and have a consistant 6" plate ill start planning.
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Ask your friend's Dad if you can sit in his stand without a weapon so you can get used to becoming part of the surroundings. Watch a morning come in or an evening go to night and see and hear the creatures that become active at those times each day. It will help you to be ready when you do feel comfortable taking your bow in pursuit of game.
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All the above! The vital area on a whitetail deer is about 10 inches, but you want to be Sure your shot is going in, so 6" or grapefruit size is a good indicator on plain brown paper! The kill is the culmination of all your efforts and the variables of the hunt coming together! Sometimes the odds favor the game! Spend as much time as you can in the field, looking, scouting, and learning the game's habits! Also try to learn how to track the game. You may want to set some range markers when you do start hunting. Keeps you from making a poor shot. Good luck! Hopefully, you get a good shot!
Hawkdancer
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ok before i think about anything else im going to tighten my grouping and figure out my range. then ill worry about broadheads and arrows and places to hunt later. once i set my limits and have a consistant 6" plate ill start planning.
Back in about 1994'ish I bought my first glass long bow because I read a book in which the guy hunted with a recurve. I was hooked. I went right out and blindly bought gear and went hunting not having a clue what I bought or how it worked. I couldn't hit a 20" circle 3 times at 12 yards. I wounded/missed a few deer and thought this whole idea of bowhunting this way was stupid and wasteful and went right back to my PSE compound. Come to find out I was just ignorant and rushed straight into it. There was no internet to lean on, so I learned as I went and every once in a few years Id meet a fella who shot traditional archery. Eventually (2-3 years later) I felt confident with my shot and sold my compound bow. The rest is history. Moral of the story: Don't rush it, ask for help and be honest with yourself. It will pay off in the end and you may just stick with this hobby. Prepare yourself knowing it may be a season or two before you actually get out. You are very young and have MANY decades of hunting ahead of you.
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ok before i think about anything else im going to tighten my grouping and figure out my range. then ill worry about broadheads and arrows and places to hunt later. once i set my limits and have a consistant 6" plate ill start planning.
Back in about 1994'ish I bought my first glass long bow because I read a book in which the guy hunted with a recurve. I was hooked. I went right out and blindly bought gear and went hunting not having a clue what I bought or how it worked. I couldn't hit a 20" circle 3 times at 12 yards. I wounded/missed a few deer and thought this whole idea of bowhunting this way was stupid and wasteful and went right back to my PSE compound. Come to find out I was just ignorant and rushed straight into it. There was no internet to lean on, so I learned as I went and every once in a few years Id meet a fella who shot traditional archery. Eventually (2-3 years later) I felt confident with my shot and sold my compound bow. The rest is history. Moral of the story: Don't rush it, ask for help and be honest with yourself. It will pay off in the end and you may just stick with this hobby. Prepare yourself knowing it may be a season or two before you actually get out. You are very young and have MANY decades of hunting ahead of you.
Yeah your right. i should slow down right now. rushing right now would be disrespectful to me, the animal, and the people i hunt with. how should i know when im ready? i still want to go hunt and if i find that i am ready (and i hope i will be) i might try, but it might not be this season.
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First thing is getting that bow to feel like part of your arm and become proficient with it. Next, practice sharpening your heads until they mostly shave hair. I had a few poor experiences with heads I thought were sharp enough. The bow I thought had massive power wouldn't poke an arrow 3" into a deer at 10 yards. Its a miserable feeling watching a deer run away with 26" of arrow flopping around. Its a great feeling watching an arrow zip right through a deer chest and know its all yours. KME makes a sharpening system that virtually takes the guess work out of it. Id suggest getting one for now. Eventually you can learn to use a bastard file and stone.
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Russell. I don't know if you have ever hunted before. This is just a suggestion. Hunting is a lot about understanding how animals behave. What and when is a good shot.
Like Pearl said, you need to become proficient with your bow. You need it to be automatic when it's time for that shot. You also need to learn to hunt.
Maybe you could talk your friends dad into letting you hunt with a camera this year. You'll learn a lot and it will give you a pretty good idea of what you need to endure for a hunting season. Believe me. It's not all constant excitement.
You might get some awesome pictures to share with us to
Bjrogg
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I'm not a hunter but I've often noticed that when I go out to the backyard to shoot that it takes a couple or three shots to settle in. That wouldn't work for hunting. Maybe practice taking one arrow out to your range. When that first arrow plunks into the 5" circle every time you'll be ready. Maybe take a book out to the range and sit in a really awkward position for an hour and then take your one shot ;D ;D
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I'm not a hunter but I've often noticed that when I go out to the backyard to shoot that it takes a couple or three shots to settle in. That wouldn't work for hunting. Maybe practice taking one arrow out to your range. When that first arrow plunks into the 5" circle every time you'll be ready. Maybe take a book out to the range and sit in a really awkward position for an hour and then take your one shot ;D ;D
I also experienced this problem before. I started shooting less arrows. I'm pretty blessed that I can set up my target in my work shop. I try to string my bow and shoot one arrow at least three times a day. That really made my first shot a lot better.
Bjrogg
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Russell. I don't know if you have ever hunted before. This is just a suggestion. Hunting is a lot about understanding how animals behave. What and when is a good shot.
Like Pearl said, you need to become proficient with your bow. You need it to be automatic when it's time for that shot. You also need to learn to hunt.
Maybe you could talk your friends dad into letting you hunt with a camera this year. You'll learn a lot and it will give you a pretty good idea of what you need to endure for a hunting season. Believe me. It's not all constant excitement.
You might get some awesome pictures to share with us to
Bjrogg
Yea i have been hunting before bj. i go turkey hunting every spring and i have to say just sitting there with you and nature is more fun than people give it credit for. i think that is a good idea with the camera. My friends dad used to go deer hunting alot. he always seemed to get more than one. The problem is though is this past two his daughters dont want to go hunting as much so the only time he goes hunting now is when he takes me hunting and when he gets his one deer. but i could always just get permission to go in his blind and sit there. but no matter what i will get some good pics. that i can promise you.
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ok i think i know what im going to do. Probably no hunting this year with my bow. going to take some time to prepare with my bow and learn more about the deer and area. Im also going (As Bj suggested) to take pictures and post those instead of cursing pa with all my comments ;). im going to get my shooting down as perfect as i can. im still going to go hunting with my freinds dad probably with a rifle like last year. and im going to learn as much as i can in this next year. and most of all I wont rush. thankyou guys for you comments and if you have anymore please still post them as i still need to learn some more!