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Bow season is close! #2198621
08/18/17 07:49 AM
08/18/17 07:49 AM
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 31,681
Slidell, La
perchjerker Offline OP
Freak of Nature
perchjerker  Offline OP
Freak of Nature
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 31,681
Slidell, La
Every year I read about guys that are just starting and it takes them several years to make their first bow kill. each of us has something se can share to help the novices get that first kill. Of course practice, practice, then practice till it's second nature. Then there is making sure you don't rush the shot and if hunting elevated practice that way so bending at the waist is second nature too. I'm talking about woodscraft more than technique. Something you feel will help them put a deer in range. For me it would be scouting, finding a crop they are using and setting up there. It may be a hot acorn tree or an ag crop. Make sure you set up to when the prevalent wind isn't blowing your scent over the area where you think the deer will present a shot. Get in early and sit till legal hours are over. Too many young hunters come out too early when they haven't seen anything. What advise do you experienced killers have to suggest?


Thomas Jefferson. The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.

Life is too short to only hunt and fish on weekends!

If being a dumbass was fatal some of you would be on your death bed!

Re: Bow season is close! [Re: perchjerker] #2198660
08/18/17 08:24 AM
08/18/17 08:24 AM
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 8,032
Huntsville
jono23 Offline
14 point
jono23  Offline
14 point
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Posts: 8,032
Huntsville
For me it was really understand the basics of wind. That, plus finding a great tree with lots of acorns that was right in the middle of a funnel, and remembering to bend at the freaking waist. I'm not an experienced killer, but remembering all that got me my first and second last season. I missed one because I didn't bend at the waist, but got another chance a week later.

Re: Bow season is close! [Re: perchjerker] #2198669
08/18/17 08:31 AM
08/18/17 08:31 AM
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,634
Wetumpka, AL
ColeT Offline
10 point
ColeT  Offline
10 point
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Posts: 2,634
Wetumpka, AL
Perch, I remember you saying you used to hunt around Troy. Did it ever happen to be anywhere from banks to brundige?

Re: Bow season is close! [Re: perchjerker] #2198681
08/18/17 08:39 AM
08/18/17 08:39 AM
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 2,644
Arab/Stevenson AL
Recurve Offline
10 point
Recurve  Offline
10 point
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 2,644
Arab/Stevenson AL
- Sit there as long as you can.
- Don't drop your bow arm. Watch the arrow connect with the animal before you move off target.
- As soon as you see the deer, stand up (when its safe obviously). I can't tell you how many guys I know waited to stand and even when they managed to stand, they were so nervous the shot high. Go ahead and stand as soon as you can and get ready to make the shot. Getting a deer that close does something to a man and if you wait to the point where you're afraid to stand up where he'll see you, the shot will be much much harder.
- Keep your shots close. Someone may need to correct me on this but, your shot in a stand at a deer will be about 50% as good as it is in practice.
- Ignore the rack when you draw.
- Put in your hours in the field. I sat for 160 hours last year and only got 1 opportunity. It happened to be a ~150. He came up the ridge 100 yards or so to my left and I gave him a couple grunts. He circled back and I made a rookie mistake. I wasn't ready and he came out 8 yards from me. Going back to point 3, I was standing but didn't have my bow in my hand.
- Shoot at any legal deer that makes you happy. It ain't all about the rack and shooting a bow at a deer from 15-20 yards is a lot more personal than shooting at one from 100 yards+. It helps manage your adrenaline to shoot at smaller deer/does.
- Never take advice from magazines or books. New bowhunters don't have enough experience to know what is good and bad advice.


I hope we have once again reminded people that man is not free unless government is limited. There�s a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: as government expands, liberty contracts. � Ronald Reagan
Re: Bow season is close! [Re: perchjerker] #2198682
08/18/17 08:39 AM
08/18/17 08:39 AM
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 3,286
Hartselle, AL
N
NWALJM Offline
10 point
NWALJM  Offline
10 point
N
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 3,286
Hartselle, AL
Perch the part about sitting all day is what I'm still trying to master and would help me most. I'm still waiting on my first bow kill. I've had a couple of opportunities, and made a couple of bad shots on deer. That's made me at least not want to rush a shot and made me much more careful about shot selection since then. I hope to close the deal this year.

Re: Bow season is close! [Re: perchjerker] #2198735
08/18/17 09:19 AM
08/18/17 09:19 AM
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 169
United States
Papagator Offline
3 point
Papagator  Offline
3 point
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 169
United States
CLOSE!!!!!!!!!!


"It is not the violence that sets a man apart. It's the distance he's prepared to go."
-Forrest Bondurant-
Re: Bow season is close! [Re: Papagator] #2198736
08/18/17 09:25 AM
08/18/17 09:25 AM
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 41,955
UR 6
top cat Offline
Freak of Nature
top cat  Offline
Freak of Nature
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 41,955
UR 6
Learning to get to full draw with deer standing around is one of the hardest parts of learning to be a good hunter.

Last edited by top cat; 08/18/17 10:22 AM.

LUCK:::; When presistence, dedication, perspiration and preparation meet up with opportunity!!!
- - - - - - - -A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take everything you have. Thomas Jeferson - - - - - - - -
Re: Bow season is close! [Re: perchjerker] #2198745
08/18/17 09:36 AM
08/18/17 09:36 AM
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 31,681
Slidell, La
perchjerker Offline OP
Freak of Nature
perchjerker  Offline OP
Freak of Nature
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 31,681
Slidell, La
TC is right. A lot of new guys have their bow maxed out. They have to point their bow skyward to come to full draw. Back that bow down at the first of the season. You can increase the poundage the closer we get to the season. Let those muscles get used to drawing. It's funny to see big guys grab a 70lb bow and not be able to draw it when a smaller experienced bowhunter can with no strain.
PaPa is dead on too. Close is what bowhunting is all about. anyone can sling lead 100 yds. It's much harder to get a live animal close(within 25 yds) , stand, draw and fire.


Thomas Jefferson. The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.

Life is too short to only hunt and fish on weekends!

If being a dumbass was fatal some of you would be on your death bed!

Re: Bow season is close! [Re: perchjerker] #2198747
08/18/17 09:38 AM
08/18/17 09:38 AM
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 3,286
Hartselle, AL
N
NWALJM Offline
10 point
NWALJM  Offline
10 point
N
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 3,286
Hartselle, AL
I backed my weight down to 60 lbs about 2 years ago so that I can point the bow toward what I'm shooting at and pull straight back with not much effort. No need for me to look like I'm drawing an English longbow while in the stand.

Last edited by NWALJM; 08/18/17 09:39 AM.
Re: Bow season is close! [Re: perchjerker] #2198757
08/18/17 09:46 AM
08/18/17 09:46 AM
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 31,681
Slidell, La
perchjerker Offline OP
Freak of Nature
perchjerker  Offline OP
Freak of Nature
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 31,681
Slidell, La
Jono , you sound like you are making it hard on yourself. First find the food source they are using. Second decide where the wind comes from most in that area. Then it's just a matter of finding the tree. Then deciding if you can climb or you need a loc on. We are lucky in the South. In most places there are plenty of climbable trees. It may be hard to understand, but in the mid west they are very few. they fork or are limbed out at a low height. Something I failed to mention is safety. Get a harness and use it. wear it during practice and get used to it. It is not a good feeling to be hanging upside down 20 ' up before daylight. I can assure you of that. Don't get me wrong, if there is a mistake. I've made it. HUNT SAFE


Thomas Jefferson. The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.

Life is too short to only hunt and fish on weekends!

If being a dumbass was fatal some of you would be on your death bed!

Re: Bow season is close! [Re: perchjerker] #2198760
08/18/17 09:51 AM
08/18/17 09:51 AM
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 8,032
Huntsville
jono23 Offline
14 point
jono23  Offline
14 point
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 8,032
Huntsville

Originally Posted By: perchjerker
Jono , you sound like you are making it hard on yourself. First find the food source they are using. Second decide where the wind comes from most in that area. Then it's just a matter of finding the tree. Then deciding if you can climb or you need a loc on. We are lucky in the South. In most places there are plenty of climbable trees. It may be hard to understand, but in the mid west they are very few. they fork or are limbed out at a low height. Something I failed to mention is safety. Get a harness and use it. wear it during practice and get used to it. It is not a good feeling to be hanging upside down 20 ' up before daylight. I can assure you of that. Don't get me wrong, if there is a mistake. I've made it. HUNT SAFE


That's what I was saying. I was making it TOO hard on myself, but stopped and just realized the basics of it all. Then I started seeing plenty of deer.

Re: Bow season is close! [Re: perchjerker] #2198762
08/18/17 09:53 AM
08/18/17 09:53 AM
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 3,286
Hartselle, AL
N
NWALJM Offline
10 point
NWALJM  Offline
10 point
N
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 3,286
Hartselle, AL
From all I've seen and heard we might be in for another good acorn crop this year as well.

Re: Bow season is close! [Re: perchjerker] #2199024
08/18/17 02:55 PM
08/18/17 02:55 PM
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 2,153
Leeds
S
Smells Offline
8 point
Smells  Offline
8 point
S
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 2,153
Leeds
Originally Posted By: perchjerker
Jono , you sound like you are making it hard on yourself. First find the food source they are using. Second decide where the wind comes from most in that area. Then it's just a matter of finding the tree. Then deciding if you can climb or you need a loc on. We are lucky in the South. In most places there are plenty of climbable trees. It may be hard to understand, but in the mid west they are very few. they fork or are limbed out at a low height. Something I failed to mention is safety. Get a harness and use it. wear it during practice and get used to it. It is not a good feeling to be hanging upside down 20 ' up before daylight. I can assure you of that. Don't get me wrong, if there is a mistake. I've made it. HUNT SAFE


Sounds simple except that the woods, at least early season, are absolutely covered up with food. Seems like acorns are the ticket as long as they are available, and then clear cuts. I hunt public land and they plant a bunch of fields every year but for the most part, I don't think the deer could be bothered. I never hunt the plots. It's pretty tricky to try and predict which hardwood finger they will want on a given day. I will start off this year on white oaks or sawtooths as close to known bedding areas as I dare go and after that I think I will be focused on trails and concentrations of oaks, and of course places where I've seen deer in the past. I've seen the most deer though on trails leading into clear cuts (I think I'm going to save those spots until the rut). Still learning, but I'm a lot more confident. Of course last year I was pretty confident too and wound up killing 1 deer ... with a rifle.

Re: Bow season is close! [Re: perchjerker] #2199067
08/18/17 03:32 PM
08/18/17 03:32 PM
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 15,167
Ourtown, AL
BCLC Online IMG_0051.GIF
Old Mossy Horns
BCLC  Online IMG_0051.GIF
Old Mossy Horns
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 15,167
Ourtown, AL
One of my keys each year is hunting my go to spots from the outside-in. In other words don't go barging into the middle of your property on early season hunts. Work the edges and easier access points and as season progresses post up deeper and deeper. You'd be surprised how effective this can be especially on smaller tracts.


We’re not dead. We just smell that way. Dayum. - AC870

Yessir! I’m always gonna shoot what makes me happy and I want everyone else to do the same! If you shoot one be proud of it and don’t worry what anyone else thinks. - SJ22
Re: Bow season is close! [Re: perchjerker] #2199100
08/18/17 03:58 PM
08/18/17 03:58 PM
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 2,644
Arab/Stevenson AL
Recurve Offline
10 point
Recurve  Offline
10 point
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 2,644
Arab/Stevenson AL
- Sounds silly but, don't make eye contact with the deer when he is in bow range. Bastages have a sixth sense about him and will know. Probably a predator/prey relationship thousands of years old
- Again, any legal deer is a good deer for your first bow kill. Don't get caught up with its rack.
- put down the rifle. After your first bow kill that's all you'll need to hunt. There is nothing like bow hunting. Hey, maybe one day you'll graduate to a bow without training wheels grin

Last edited by Recurve; 08/18/17 03:58 PM.

I hope we have once again reminded people that man is not free unless government is limited. There�s a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: as government expands, liberty contracts. � Ronald Reagan
Re: Bow season is close! [Re: perchjerker] #2199112
08/18/17 04:04 PM
08/18/17 04:04 PM
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 28,954
Fosters, Alabama, USA
Shaw Offline
Administrator
Shaw  Offline
Administrator
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Posts: 28,954
Fosters, Alabama, USA
When I got my first compound, an old guy that worked with my dad told him to tell me the following.....

If you can't sit with you feet flat on the ground, point the bow at the target and draw it straight back without pointing it up..... you're pulling too much weight. It took me a few years to figure out that old dude was right.

You need to be able to shoot sitting down because you never know when you'll get caught in situation where you won't have a choice. I shot my biggest buck sitting down because that joker slipped in behind me and suddenly appeared 15 yards to my left.

Don't get too hung up on you bow speed. Stealth and accuracy is where it's at. I don't even chrono my hunting rigs. I hunt with a single pin sight with a yardage scale that is calibrated to my bow speed. So the actual speed of my bow is irrelevant.

Always always always make the angle with your waist. If you don't, you will shoot high from an elevated position. Always aim for a heart shot in case the deer jumps the string. 99.99999999% of the time an Alabama doe will jump the string. Most of the time a buck will not. Study some anatomy pictures of deer. Learn exactly where the vitals are. Don't aim at a live deer like you would a 3D target. Aim lower. The 10 ring on a 3D target is too high. Trust me on this. I struggled with it for several years.

If you don't have one, get a rangefinder. Skimp, save and do whatever you have to, but get one. Get a Thermocell also. Don't worry about the smell it puts off. If a deer smells it, it's already smelled your stinking butt anyway.

When setting up a stand, pay close attention to your background cover. Without it, those smart old does will skyline you. Don't climb too high. Over 25' is too high for bowhunting. Don't over scout your areas. I know too many guys that burn areas out by constantly stomping around looking for the lastest and greatest sign or checking cameras. Do your homework. Study the topo maps and aerial photos. Look for pinch points and funnels. Pick a spot and slip into the area with a climber on your back. Based on your homework, you should be able to pinpoint a spot to set up without stomping all over creation. Your best opportunity will be that first time you hunt it.


"I hate rude behavior in a man. I won't tolerate it." Captain Woodrow F. Call

ShawBuilt Custom Bowstrings
Re: Bow season is close! [Re: perchjerker] #2199123
08/18/17 04:09 PM
08/18/17 04:09 PM
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 2,644
Arab/Stevenson AL
Recurve Offline
10 point
Recurve  Offline
10 point
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Posts: 2,644
Arab/Stevenson AL
Shaw, good point about draw weight. I used a bow up until 2006 that drew 45# @ 27".


I hope we have once again reminded people that man is not free unless government is limited. There�s a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: as government expands, liberty contracts. � Ronald Reagan
Re: Bow season is close! [Re: perchjerker] #2199134
08/18/17 04:16 PM
08/18/17 04:16 PM
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 31,681
Slidell, La
perchjerker Offline OP
Freak of Nature
perchjerker  Offline OP
Freak of Nature
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 31,681
Slidell, La
Not really Smells. Read the first line again. All acorn trees are not created equal.
"First find the food source they are using" It's easy to spot broken shells and crap. In ag fields you can see half eaten leaves, tracks and crap. It's woodsmanship.


Thomas Jefferson. The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.

Life is too short to only hunt and fish on weekends!

If being a dumbass was fatal some of you would be on your death bed!

Re: Bow season is close! [Re: perchjerker] #2199210
08/18/17 05:14 PM
08/18/17 05:14 PM
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 2,153
Leeds
S
Smells Offline
8 point
Smells  Offline
8 point
S
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 2,153
Leeds
Originally Posted By: perchjerker
Not really Smells. Read the first line again. All acorn trees are not created equal.
"First find the food source they are using" It's easy to spot broken shells and crap. In ag fields you can see half eaten leaves, tracks and crap. It's woodsmanship.


Yes I understand but you may have to cover so much ground to find a spot they are hammering so as to make it counter productive by leaving evidence of your presence all over the woods. Also, lets say you find a honeysuckle patch that's half eaten, that still doesn't mean they will be at that patch in the afternoon. There is literally food in every direction.

Here's an example, last year in my preseason scouting I found an area I decided I was going to hunt. There was good sign and I was hopeful. I might not should have done it but I just couldn't stand it and 3 days before opening day I went back to check the place I thought I would sit on opening morning. Sure enough I found a white oak that had dumped hundreds of big green acorns. I thought this was weird because they were green. Opening morning I get there and climb in the dark. Saw nothing and got down around 10 or 11 or so. Walked over to the oak and there was not a single acorn on the ground, not even a shell. I don't even know if it was deer that ate them and it could easily have been turkeys I suppose or even something else. The point is, to find a "hot" tree you have to go looking for it and once you find it you better be ready to hunt it the next day or even that day. How long does it take a doe group of 4-8 does to clean out an oak tree's offerings? It'll produce more but they may not come back for a week or more just because it's too easy to find higher concentrations under other trees and they're everywhere. Things change fast. I think to some degree deer are like people. Maybe some people eat lunch at the same restaurant every day but most people don't want the same view or taste two days in a row.

I don't claim to know much though so I could be full of it. I may target specific trees very early but after that I'll be looking to intercept them on travel routes.

Re: Bow season is close! [Re: perchjerker] #2199270
08/18/17 06:05 PM
08/18/17 06:05 PM
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 864
Alabama
TGbow Offline
6 point
TGbow  Offline
6 point
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 864
Alabama
I just hope its below 80 degrees.

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