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 with you. And it is safer if you plan on using a tree stand or a ladder stand where you could potentially fall and be injured.
Before you go on that bow hunt, be sure you’ve practiced enough that you feel confident in hitting a target that you choose. But remember that putting a target on a bale of hay and hitting it in the bull’s-eye every time is nothing like hunting a live animal. The animal will move and will often sense you just before you shoot. This is in part because of your stand and because of the slight sound you make when drawing the bow. If you use a very light weight arrow, you may even alert the animal when the arrow releases from the bow as lighter arrows make more noise than medium or heavy weight arrows. Practice with the arrows and point weight you’ll be using to hunt with until you’re comfortable and confident that you can make the arrow go where you want it to.
Don’t forget to try to camouflage your scent before you bow hunt. Don’t use heavily scented soap, cologne or aftershave before you hunt. Make sure your clothes are washed in detergent or fabric softener that doesn’t leave a heavy scent. And avoid things like campfires or cooking fires in your hunting clothes because they’ll absorb the smell of the smoke and alert the animals to your presence.
If you’ll be hunting with a stand, you’ll want to camouflage it with branches and greenery from around your area both to keep the deer from seeing it and to help mask the scent with the natural scent of the greenery. If you’re using a tree stand that requires climbing, be sure you understand how to operate the stand and how to set it up properly. Anytime you’re uncertain, you should have someone with you.
Remember to be quiet and move as little as possible when you bow hunt. When you spot your quarry, pull a full draw on your bow with the arrow tip aimed above the animal. Then slowly lower it until you’re at your target and ready to release the string. If the deer or other animal has suddenly frozen as if it senses you, aim slightly lower than you normally would in case the moment your bow releases the animal hears it and starts to bolt. They tend to crouch before they run so that would put the animal slightly lower.
If that happens, the ideal place to hit for a quick kill is actually with the animal moving away from you. About half way down the body behind the shoulder blades is the ideal spot to hit either the heart or lung when you bow hunt.
Photo Credits: Justin_D_Miller
Originally posted 2010-04-04 09:47:17. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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