Plan a Safe Archery Hunt

An archery hunt makes a hunter feel like part of the natural world. Archery is an ancient practice and hunting with a bow and arrow can make man feel more connected with his natural environment. Whether someone is an experienced archer or about to go on their first archery hunt, probably the most important consideration is safety. Archery hunting is far safer than hunting with ammunition. But that doesn’t mean accidents can happen. Be aware of yourself and your surrounding environment to keep your archery hunt safe at all times.

One of the most important safety considerations is that your bow is in good shape. A compound bow that is fired improperly such as being pulled back and released without an arrow, will sustain damage over time. The pulleys can loosen from having to absorb the shock repeatedly. If the compound bow wasn’t stored properly, it can be warped or have other problems that can cause it to release an arrow improperly and send it in the direction you don’t expect. When hunting season is out, you should store your compound bow in a temperature controlled area and treat with care.

In fact, if you love to archery hunt then there’s no reason your bow should be stored for a long period of time at all. The best way to get a trophy kill during hunting season is to practice when hunting season is out. Regular target practice is one of the best ways to improve your hunting. It will also keep your bow from suffering from neglect and the problems it causes. If you haven’t used your bow in some time, you may want to go ahead and change the string just as a precaution. On the other hand, if you’ve been practicing heavily, putting a fresh string on before hunting season may also be a good idea.

Accidents can happen when you’re not even using your compound bow. Just carrying the arrows and accidentally falling can be disastrous. That’s why you need a quiver that holds them firmly and shields the tips. It needs to be a sealed quiver that completely covers those tips to avoid accidental pokes. You’ll also want to make sure the quiver has cushioning in the bottom or you put cushioning in to keep the arrows from rubbing together and chipping or wearing down the tips.

In archery hunting there are few mistakes where the hunter actually thinks they’re aiming at an animal but it’s another person. Because 20 to 25 yards is about the average distance between you and the animal, that doesn’t leave much room for mistaking people as the game. But that doesn’t mean it can’t happen. You can’t assume that everyone takes the precautions you do as far as making themselves known to other hunters. Never loose the arrow unless you’re absolutely sure of what you’re shooting at.

Also, a first aid kit, extra water and a compass to help you in case you get turned around in the woods are good safety precautions whether you’re on an archery hunt or you have ammunition.

Photo Credits: erix!

Originally posted 2010-04-14 03:20:39. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Blog Traffic Exchange Related Posts
  • caribouCaribou Hunting For experienced hunters or new hunters alike, caribou hunting is an adventure. Those who are experienced hunting other game animals like deer or elk will find a lot familiar about caribou hunting and yet it will be unlike anything they've done. People new to hunting will find caribou hunting an......
  • marksmanship School and State at Ends over Gun Decision The decision was made less than a day before the East Wake High School (North Carolina) marksmanship team was set to face off in a statewide shooting competition. At the behest of one of the principals of East Wake, along with the superintendent, the school team was barred from competing......
  • bowhuntstandBow Hunt Tips If you're ready to bow hunt and you're new to hunting, take someone with you. As long as you're comfortable in the woods and can find your way well, there's no danger in actually going alone. But your first bow hunt will be better if you have an experienced hunter......
  • huntersMake Your Mule Deer Hunts Successful Mule deer hunts are less well known than things like deer hunts and elk hunts. Mule deer seem less desirable to some people who hunt but they're a challenging animal to hunt and many people enjoy the meet as much as venison or elk. Mule deer aren't as plentiful as......
  • huntingChoosing a Spot to Hunt Continued from part 1... The more that you know and understand about the preferences and the behavior characteristics of the animal that you are hunting, the easier it is going to be for you to choose the proper hunting spot. The ideal hunting spot is going to be one that......
Online Stores

Proper Deer Shooting

Anyone who thinks that deer hunting is just about finding a deer in the woods and doing some deer shooting is missing some important points. Presumably if you’re deer shooting you’re trying to kill the deer so that you can eat it. That makes it important that the deer is killed in a certain way. Improper shooting and haphazard shooting can result in meat not being usable.

If the deer is shot in the wrong area of the body, the meat in that area may not be edible. And if you’re going to kill a deer, there’s no point in having any of it go to waste. It’s a matter of respect of yourself, the animal and the environment to eat what you kill. If an accident happens and some of the meat is wasted then it is simply an accident. You need to do what you can to get the animal in the right area to try to prevent those types of accidents.

It’s important to learn proper deer shooting so that you kill the animal as quickly as possible. Not only is that more merciful because the animal won’t suffer, it also is better for the meat. If the animal is just wounded enough to die slowly, then it becomes ill and that affects the quality of the meat. The worst case scenario for this is if you wound the deer and it gets away from you and you have to follow the trail of blood to find it hours later. This will happen from time to time no matter how experienced someone is but working hard to prevent it is a good goal for deer shooting.

The brain, heart and lungs are the fastest way to kill the animal. Few people try for brain shots because the head is a smaller target. But those shots are the fastest way to kill a deer and probably the most merciful. A shot in the lung will also kill the animal but not quitas quickly. Hitting a deer in the side and stomach area is probably going to kill it much more slowly and much of the meat in that area will be wasted especially if the animal suffers for long time.

Deer shooting in the heart will kill a deer faster than a shot to a lung in most cases. The problem with a heart shot is its location and how hard it is to get it. Shooting from the back of the shoulders can often destroy a lot of that meat, depending on how the bullet goes in. The goal is to rupture as little meat as possible and keep the flesh intact as much as possible. Field dressing is also important to preserve the meat. The blood needs to be drained from the animal quickly as well.

Field dressing a deer involves removing the organs to make the deer lighter and easier to drag. Then when you reach your destination the deer should be hung so that the blood can run out of the body cavities and keep from spoiling the meat.

Photo Credits: James Jordan

Originally posted 2010-04-02 09:03:09. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Blog Traffic Exchange Related Posts
  • poachers trailWhy You Should Obey Hunting Laws The hunting laws in your area are necessary reading before you go on a hunt. While some people think it's fun or a bit of a joke to hunt and fish without licenses or permits and basically do what they want, hunting laws should be taken seriously. They're very often......
  • huntersMake Your Mule Deer Hunts Successful Mule deer hunts are less well known than things like deer hunts and elk hunts. Mule deer seem less desirable to some people who hunt but they're a challenging animal to hunt and many people enjoy the meet as much as venison or elk. Mule deer aren't as plentiful as......
  • huntingdeerEight Tips for Deer Hunting Success When it comes to hunting deer, it is vitally important for you to pay attention to the smallest details. Here are a few unique tips that many hunters miss when it comes to bagging their dream trophy out in the woods. 1 - Use a Painted Stand - Paint both......
  • birdshotUnderstanding what Birdshot Is Birdshot can be described as a type of metal shot that was designed to be packed into shotgun shells. Birdshot consists of a number of metal spheres that are milled so that they are all the same size, and so that they can be easily packed together into a shotgun......
  • whitetailWhitetail Deer Hunting Tips Whitetail deer hunting tips are available everywhere from hunting DVDs to websites to television programs. The best tips that you can find, however, are tips from local hunters. Because every area is slightly different, the people who hunt in your local area are familiar with the way the deer move......
Online Stores
ammunition animals antlers arrow arrows best time big game Binoculars Birds bow hunting camouflage compound bow Decoys deer deer hunters deer hunting deer season duck hunter duck hunting ducks going hunting guided hunts horns Hunting hunting deer hunting dog hunting equipment hunting gear hunting knife Hunting Season little bit local area predators prey quail risk Shotgun target trees trophy vegetation weapons weather what this means white tailed deer