Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Aldeer Bow Talk Secrets On killing a deer with a bow

hey guys how are yall killing deer with bows. ive been bowhunting a couple of years now and have yet ta kill one. any secrets our tips our advice would be very appreciated.

Trail cameras. Lots and lots of trail cameras. you will learn more about a deer in one year with a set of unsleeping eyes than you would in 10 by only observing for yourself.

Watch the wind forecast like a hawk. If the wind is not right for the stand you want to hunt go somewhere else. You can not beat a deers nose.

Take a book to the stand to help you stay still while you wait on a deer. Books don't make noise and you might learn something while you are there.

Time. Because you can't force it to happen.

Practice, Scout, Patience, Experience & the Wind. Theres no substitute. Good luck.

Pretty good advise listed above. Bow hunting will test you no doubt. Good luck with it, You will get one

Just hang in there. Its like anything else, the first one is tough. After that it gets alot easyer. You got to focus on the spot you think a deer will be & not an area like with a rifle. Deer normally feed on the up-wind side of large greenfields so if you hunt them get on the side 30 yards or so down & find the acorn trees with deer crap under them. If theres still acorns on the ground they will most likely be there in the afternoon. Good luck

The one primary thing that has helped me with success bowhunting is many years of deer observation. Not deer killing, but observation.

When you can start to sit in an area and explain why, where, and how deer do what they do, then you can begin to understand bowhunting.

Ex.) Sit in an area where you can see a long way one day and just watch the deer. Maybe a powerline, large food plot, cutover, etc. Somewhere you could sit and kill a deer with a gun. I don't know what property you have access to. While watching the deer start asking yourself questions. Where did they come from? When did they arrive? Why did they come from there? How can I cut them off before they get there? Can I do that without spooking deer? What wind do I need for them approaching that way? Are they going back to bed, or are they coming out to feed?

TONS of variables come into play when bowhunting. When you sit in the woods with an open mind and an eagerness to learn about deer behavior, then you will start killing deer with a bow. Once you begin to start answering all the questions, you will get even better.

Before you even get this far.....scent is HUGE while bowhunting. Hunt the wind and try not to touch anything entering and exiting your stand. The other important variable is pressure. High pressure areas are not going to be high success areas with a bow. Keep pressure down and ONLY hunt when the weather is in your favor. You'd be far better off trying to hunt a stand twice a year with the right conditions than hunting it 10 times with the wrong conditions.

Hope some of this gets your wheels to spinning a bit.

Could you explain it to me? Cause I been bow hunting for 30 years and I still can't explain why, where, when or how the deer do anything they do.

If I could explain deer and women, I'd either be a millionaire or a pegan god.

Spend time in the woods and leave that damn gun at home and never pick it up again.

Patience Grasshopper, Patience.

PATIENCE and leave the gun in the safe..

This is going to sound like a smart-aleck response - but, here's how I've had the most success.

1. Hunt where there are a lot of deer (most important) - it sounds obvious, but I swear I've know people that bow hunt like crazy on property that's just doesn't have a large deer population and get frustrated during bow season when they only see a couple of deer that are out of range. Then when gun season starts, they still only see a couple of deer - but, the deer are in range, so they feel better about it.
2. Hunt where there is a lot of sign of where deer travel.
3. Hunt where there is a lot of natural forage for the deer to eat (skip the food plot hunting).
4. I'm going to disagree with Matt Brock, I hunt where the longest shot possible is the longest shot you would take with a bow. I never bow hunt where I have longer rifle shots - it's just one of those things. I do rifle hunt where I bow hunt, though.
5. Stay awake and standing/leaning the entire time you are hunting - if you follow #4 you won't be startled by a deer sneaking through the woods.
6. Keep the bow in your hand with the arrow nocked and the release attached. Makes for some tired hands - but, reduces movements.
7. Hunt out of a climber as high as you can stand to climb and wear your safety harness.

I would have to stongly disagree with some of the points made here. I have been bowhunting for over 30 years and have taken several deer with my bow.

The higher you climb, the more you lower your area of a kill shot on vitals. Granted, it might conceal you more but you limit yourself.

As for food plots, I have killed some really good deer off of food plots, particularily during bow season before the pressure of the gun hunters arrive. Yes, acorns and natural vegetation are good but without knowing your area, that one is tough to address.

Always hunt the wind, always. It also isn't necessary to hold your bow in your hand and have it hooked to your release while in the stand. Get you a good bow holder and practice grabbing it so you limit your movement. Always focus on being in the stealth mode. Never move quick, slow and steady is best.

As I stated before, patience again. Don't rush a shot. I know you want to shoot one badly but try just sitting still and watch the deer and how they behave. Maybe even let one walk just to get your confidence level up.

corn, corn, corn, and more corn

I agree wiyh what Matt said about scent. But I go one further and trim myself out a walking path to my hunting areas so to not leave and scent trail as I am entering an area.

I disagree with most of the advice given with the exception of hunting where there are good numbers of deer.We complicate this game way to much.Sometimes it may seem as if it were impossible to kill one with a bow other times the deer make it all to easy.1st one I killed this yr I had 3 walk right under my tree Iwas sitting smoking a cigarette with the wind in my face.Had to stand up and draw with 1 3 steps from my tree and 2 more right behind dead deer.Number 2 came about the same way 3 does feeding on acorns 10 yds broadside I remember thinking yall making it way too easy this yr.Dead deer There is no telling how many ive killed with a bow.Ive run them out from under acorn trees climb right there and have them come right back dead deer more than once ive killed them off the ground with a bow.Not bragging just saying id rather be lucky than good cause I aint that good.And the 2 this yr were on public land lot of work but fun as all get out

That's the great thing about hunting - everyone has a way of doing it that works best for them. If we REALLY knew the secrets - we'd all be on TV.

Bow hunting does have it's challenges but, in all honesty, there ain't no secret.

There are three keys to successful bow hunting.

(1) Frequency ... the more often you get in the woods, the more deer you see.

(2) Experience ... as Matt Brock said, watch the deer behavior and learn their patterns. Pay attention to where they came from, where they are going, when they got there and how they got there.
The "when" may often seem random but the "how" is usually an important clue. Deer use the same trails and terrain features and they don't alter much. Hunting pressure will influence the "when" more than the "how".

(3) Define your personal idea of "Success" ... My idea of successful hunting is not centered on killing a deer. I always expect to put two or three in the freezer, but I'm happy with seeing deer (especially an impressive buck once in a while) and having the opportunity to make a shoot/don't shoot decision. If I can leave the woods knowing that I could have killed one and I chose not to, that was a successful hunt.

And, for the record, I also disagree with climbing as high as you can. I will only climb high enough to find adequate concealment. That may only be 8 or 10 feet sometimes. In fact, I may even sit on the ground, on a small knoll or rock outcropping that offers me a 30 or 40 yard shot down into a valley.
Occasionally, I'll need to get farther down into a valley. That's when I try to climb as high as possible.

One thing I try and do is always position my stand so it allows me to shoot where I think the deer will be, (for me on my left side.) I don't want to be facing directly where I think the deer will be(to much movement turning)like with a gun. Another thing I did/do is learn to shoot sitting down. I have killed most (not all) of my deer sitting. to me standing up is just one more way to get busted. If I can see them coming from far enough away then yes I will stand. During bow season I prefer to be in the 15-20ft height range if possible, easier angles. Be sure that where you get offers plenty of cover around you to help hide any movement. If you can see the deers eyes and have to move then make it VERY slow. finally, take your time and don't hurry your shot. Be the arrow
As for finding them, I have gone in blind many times and just walk till I find fresh sign (droppings) and go up right then and sit till something happens. Many times your best shot is going to be the first sit. every time you go in and out your leaving scent.

If we could condition ourselves to that every time we would probably see more deer.
On properties that I familiar with, I tend to overthink my strategy, trying to put the deer where I want them to be moreso than putting myself where they are.

When I'm not familiar with a place, I will walk into the wind, along some defining terrain feature, until I find good sign ... and there I hunt.

I had a fellow tell me to do that yrs ago and killed a deer that afternoon. I have done it about everytime since then. I know somewhat where I want to head and with the wind right head out. I have had better success with that strategy Outback than any of my long thinking sessions
It may be just pure luck, but I usually don't have problems getting on deer early doing this, now come december when everything is shut down tighter than dicks hat band I have found the opposite to be true and then seem to have to out smart them. Which is also why I took up duck hunting during that time until the rut kicks in