Your Bow And You

The type of bow you shoot, be it longbow, recurve or a compound and the style you prefer shooting, instinctive or with sights, is what will determine the guidelines you'll need to establish. I have hunted with both the recurve and the compound and have found that the secret of successful bowhunting with either type of bow, lies in one basic rule: KNOW YOUR EQUIPMENT, KNOW YOUR SHOOTING CAPABILITIES AND KNOW YOUR LIMITATIONS!

Time and time again I've seen hunters miss or wound animals because they don't establish a limitation on the distance they're capable of shooting. I have had individuals tell me that shooting instinctively, they're accurate out to 60 yards consistently with a recurve and shooting cedar shafts. I know of only one individual actually capable of shooting 50 and 60 yards effectively and consistently, with a recurve. He has been bowhunting since 1967 and has devoted his whole life to archery and bowhunting. Myself, with a recurve I try to limit my shooting to 30 yards. Any farther than 30 yards it becomes very difficult to pick a distinct spot on the animal, and the hunter has a tendancy to shoot at the whole animal. Successful hunting with the recurve or longbow requires extreme dedication and practice along with alot of patience.

The majority of the bowhunters I have spoken with and met in the field shoot compound bows. Some choose to shoot them instinctively while most prefer some type of bow sight, be it pins or crosshairs. The biggest mistake I've found hunters make when shooting with sights, is not being able to correctly judge the distance between them and the animal. Often the terrain you choose to hunt and the environment you're in, makes it extremely difficult to correctly judge distance. Pacing off various distances to rocks, stumps, trees etc. while out in the field is good practice and definately aids in learning to correctly judge distance. A range finder is another option you may decide on. With a range finder it makes judging distance much easier, usually with the click of a button. I own a range finder, but find often an individual doesn't have the time to look through it, find the correct distance, nock an arrow and get off a good clean shot, especially at distances less than 40 yards. I do find the range finder to be useful in determining various distances, when hunting Whitetails from a treestand.

What bow is best for you? That's a question you'll need to take into consideration, if you don't already own a bow. When you begin your search for the bow that best fits you, remember, the two most important factors are: correct draw length and draw weight. Another helpful hint is, try drawing the bow from a kneeling position. You shouldn't have to raise the bow above your head to draw the bow. If you do, you're probably "over bowing" yourself. Far to many people "over bow" themselves, thinking they can shoot with 80 pound bows. Maybe it's a "Macho-Man" thing, I don't know. I am 5 foot 11 inches tall and weigh 185 pounds. I am comfortable shooting my bow, set at 60 pounds. The first deer I killed, was with a 47 pound recurve. Believe me when I say: when hunting with good (sharp) broadheads, 50 to 60 pounds provides plenty of penetration for most North American Big Game animals! The reason individuals feel they need to shoot with high pound bows are speed and arrow trajectory. They feel that they need that "sizzling-hot" speed, so that they can send that arrow out there 100 yards. The sad reality is these individuals who call themselves bowhunters, wound more game than anything else, thinking that they can shoot at distances far beyond their capabilities.

Throughout the years I've taken alot of criticism on my equipment. My father and I used to be called "the $9.99 hunters." Although our equipment seemed primative, we were always able to fill the freezer with venison for the family to enjoy. For years I hunted with a compound bow that I bought from an individual for 30 dollars. He claimed he couldn't hit a thing with it. After properly tuning the bow, I began to practice with it and developed confidence in both myself and the bow and it wasn't long before I was consistently taking game with it. Unfortunately, after several years of hard usage I had to retire her do to wear and tear, and move on to a different bow. There's alot of expensive, Hi-tech bows out on the market today, but bare in mind the most expensive bow may not necessarily be the best suited bow for you. I'm not advocating going cheap on your equipment by any means, but take the time to do your homework when searching for the right bow for you! Forget trying to impress your friends and other hunters, they're not going to fill that deer-tag of yours, they probably won't be able to fill their own. Remember, correct draw length and draw weight are the two most important factors when selecting the bow that's right for you!

Everyone has their own personal preference when it comes to their method of release, when shooting. Some individuals prefer using "fingers" or a glove, a tab or a mechanical release aid. Again, you'll have to figure out what you're most comfortable with. This may take some experimentation and I wouldn't recommend exploring different methods of release, a month or so before the season opens. Keep in mind that they all have their advantages and disadvantages. The most important factor in any form of release, is establishing a good solid, consistent anchor point. Basically what it boils down to, is shoot what you feel comfortable with, but remember: CONSISTENCY, that's the key!

Proper arrow selection is very important. It seems as though everyone's an authority when it comes to proper arrow selection. You may receive any number of different recommendations as to the correct arrows for your bow, depending on where you go, who you talk to, or what you may read. Whether you prefer to shoot cedar, aluminum, or carbon arrows, most of the major arrow manufactures have charts available to aid in arrow selection. Keep in mind however, these charts are only a reference point and you may need to experiment to find the arrows that give you the best perfomance.

After you've found the bow and equipment that feels right for you, you need to properly tune the bow. This is much easier said than done. I would recommend, if you are not experienced in bow tuning, taking your equipment to an archery shop to have someone trained in bow tuning perform this operation. For those who are interested in learning to properly tune your own bow, I would highly recommend purchasing the book: "Tuning Your Compound Bow" by Larry Wise. After tuning your bow you should set up 3 days out of the week that you can practice. I prefer Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. You'll have to establish a schedule that's convenient for you. Don't make the mistake of waiting one or two months before the season to start practicing. If you feel that you're a pretty good shot and you feel like you really don't require much practicing, then that tells me something. That tells me that you're not really serious about your bowhunting and consistently bringing home game with your bow. When you eat, sleep and breath it, and you want it so bad you can taste it, you'll begin to understand the concept. Practice my friend, practice! Let me point out that practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect. It's very important that you pay close attention to all aspects of your shooting, from correct form to obtaining the cleanest, smoothest release possible and proper follow through after the shot. Once you begin to develope some confidence in your shooting, it's good to establish a few goals. Start at 10 yards, then 20 and so forth, shooting at different size targets, gradually increasing them in size. My general rule of thumb is as follows: a target the size of a golf ball at 20 yards, the size of a tennis ball at 30 yards, the size of a cantalope at 40 yards and the size of a pie plate at 50 yards. The majority of the animals that I have taken have been from 30 to 40 yards. I am quite capable of shooting 50, even 60 yards, but prefer to keep my shooting under 40 yards when hunting.

It's very easy to become extremely frustrated when shooting, whether on the range or in the field. You're going to have your good days and your bad days, but don't give up. The key is patience. Obviously, the more you're out there practicing, the better you'll be. It won't happen over night, it's going to take some time, but as I've stated, if you adopt a few of these easy to follow guidelines, you too can successfully harvest game consistently with your bow! Remember the most important rule being: KNOW YOUR EQUIPMENT, KNOW YOUR SHOOTING CAPABILITIES AND KNOW YOUR LIMITATIONS!