Bowhunting 101

Bowhunting 101

By Ryan Graden

So you’re wanting to give this a try? That’s great! You won’t regret it. However, I will issue the warning now. Be ready for a rollercoaster of emotions. Not to mention a commitment of time, money, and energy. Will it be worth it? YES! I’ve never met a person who started in this sport and regretted it. It’s very different than hunting with a “bang stick”. It will take you to a “new level” as a hunter for sure.

In this article, I’d like to give you the basics of items that you’ll need and information that you’ll need to know to get going in this niche of hunting. I’ll touch on important equipment you’ll need, ideal places to hunt, and tactics that you need to know to be successful. Like any sport, it takes practice. It will take success and failure to shape you into a good bowhunter. Like any wiseman would say, you’ll continue to learn the sport for the rest of your life.

I stepped into bowhunting about 15 years ago. In that time, I’ve logged countless hours in the timber pursuing animals with a stick and string. Why? Because I liked the increased level of challenge. Growing up a shotgun hunter, I reached a point in my practice of hunting that I needed something harder. The natural progression for me was to give this a try. Lucky for me, there were guys that I knew who mentored me into the sport.

I have felled whitetails, turkeys, feral hogs, predators, and small game with my bow over the last 15 years. Each adventure has taught me a little more about pursuing game in one of the oldest fashions of hunting. I will share a few of my stories as we progress through the things you need to know to get into the sport.

Getting Started
Obviously, you need a bow. Right? When looking for a bow, you will find out that you could quickly spend thousands of dollars. However, let me advise you. Don’t! There are constant advancements in bow building that are leading to more reliable weapons each year. But you don’t need to worry about that right now. You need to work on the basics and that has more to do with you than your equipment.

I’d find a good bow shop. Somebody personal that’s going to help you find a bow that fits you. That’s right! It’s like trying on clothes. The bow you choose has to cater to your physical capabilities. You might get lucky by looking on social media sales sites too. Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Craigslist, etc. But I’d still go with a good local bow shop as you get started.

I would suggest finding a good used bow to begin with. Let the pros at the shop measure your draw length. They will figure out a good pull weight for you. Along with all that, they can adjust your peep site as well as your bow sites to get you comfortable shooting the bow at targets. Tuning your bow to your physical capabilities is going to be HUGE when you actually go out and hunt.

A few other items that will be important for hunting would be a range finder to accurately know the distance you are shooting at your target. A good wind checker would be wise too. There are a few different kinds out on the market, but you’ll need something to accurately show you the direction the wind is blowing. A good release would be suggested too. Again, there are many different kinds, but something that will take the error from the use of fingers would be advised. Finally, some carbon arrows. Make sure they are accurately cut to the draw length of your bow. Carbon arrows will cost a little more than aluminum, but they are MUCH more forgiving. It will save you from buying more arrows as you practice shooting.

Depending on what your hunting, calls, blinds, chairs, stands, camo and much more can be added to your list of things you “need”. However, in my opinion, if you had these basics in your possession, you should be ready to begin.

Start Your Practice
I cannot stress this enough! Practice! Practice! Practice! Now that you have a bow, arrows, and range finder, get out and shoot that bow. I would suggest finding a 30 to 60 minute time slot on a regular basis. Start at 10 yards. When you’re comfortable and your aim is grouping your arrows well, move back another 10 yards. My suggestion, for an “average joe” bow hunter, practice out to 40 yards. Be comfortable at those distances.

As you shoot, you will be training your muscles, ligaments, breathing, and mind. You will notice, after a shooting session, things will be worn out. Muscles in your shoulders, back, and supporting arm will be tired. That’s good! When shooting you are looking for one major thing, consistent form. Find your “points of memory” or “anchor points”. For me, I always make sure that my release is touching the same point on my cheek. That my bow string is touching the same point on my nose. That my supporting arm is at the same angle. That my back is straight and my chest is out. These things on my body have to be in the same position for every shot I take in order for me to have consistent shooting. Your accuracy will get better and better as your body and mind adjust to this practice. Spend the time doing this! Create “memory” for your body.

Continue to practice until you can shoot a good six-inch or less pattern at all those distances. A proud moment in this stage of practice is pulling a “robin hood” shot. When you have an arrow shoot into the back end of another arrow, it’s a proud moment! It’s also an expensive accomplishment. I personally have all of my robin hood arrows on my wall. Good practice makes perfect shots!

Details of the Hunt
As you are preparing for a bow season, there are two things that you should think about before you ever enter into the woods. There’s even some actual preparations that you need to do in order to have a successful hunt.

First, know the area that you plan to hunt. Take time in the late summer and early fall to understand the movement of your quarry. Whatever you may be hunting, it’s important to know what you are looking for is actually present.

Go into the timber and look for the signs of deer, turkey, and other things that you’re targeting. If you don’t see any sign of the presence of your animal, don’t waste your time preparing to hunt there.

If you do see some promising signs, look at obvious travel patterns. Maybe areas that narrow down between ravines or fences. Notice which direction the wind is usually coming from. Do what you can to make sure that you’re going to hunt in a productive area.
A second consideration happens when you are actually arriving for your sit. When you get into your stand or blind, make sure you know your distances. Take your range finder and choose some “markers” to use as distance ques. Make a guess where you think the animal might pass by and range some of those distances so you are mentally prepared to shoot if they do come.

Use your wind checker to know the direction the wind is blowing. With most species this is vital to a good hunt. If the wind is blowing towards where your quarry is coming from, don’t waste your time. They won’t come. Wait for the correct wind to hunt your area. This will also help you prepare for your shot. By knowing the direction of the wind, you will know when something will smell you. Thus, you know when it will be too late to shoot.

Another suggestion when on the hunt, wear the appropriate camouflage. Look at your surroundings. If it’s early in the fall, you might need more greens in your pattern. Later in the fall, more browns. Winter seasons might suggest a white camo. A good cheaper option is purchasing some “cover up” camo. Some brands will make them to cover whatever clothes you choose to wear. Instead of spending hundreds, you can spend $25-50 for something that will work.

Be Confident
Now that you have the basic equipment needed and you’ve done the required practice it’s time to hunt. At this point, you have to be mentally confident in yourself. Bow hunting is a sport of emotions. Joy, excitement, anger, and depression are all results of shots made and shots missed. If you’ve practiced enough, then half of this mental battle should be complete. The other half is making the right choices while in the field allowing your animal to get close enough for the shot.

My suggestion, don’t aim too big for your first bow hunt. You need to accomplish success. You do not need to accomplish a world record trophy.

I can remember my first time in the tree on a bow hunt. Frankly, it was one of the shortest hunts that I’ve ever had. I had already told myself that my goal was to just shoot a deer with my bow. Buck or doe, it didn’t matter. I just wanted “brown on the ground”.

I remember climbing into a treestand in the early evening. We had a dusting of snow that day and the air was cold. After I got into the stand and anchored myself to the tree with my harness, I pulled my bow up, knocked an arrow, and hung my bow on the bow hanger that was above me in the stand. I turned to brush the snow off the seat and turned back around to sit down. To my surprise, a deer was coming down the trail. It was a small buck.

I reached for my bow, and quickly went through all my anchor points mentally. As the deer approached, I slowly pulled back verifying all that I had practiced was in place. I made a small grunt to stop the buck and gently pulled my release. I watched as if it was in slow motion, the arrow pass into the chest high on the near side of the deer and barely protruded on the opposite lower side.

The forky took off like a lightning bolt and went crashing into the timber. I was shaking uncontrollably! You would have thought I just shot the largest buck walking the earth. The excitement was incredible. I did it! I killed a deer!

Had I not been confident in what I had practiced and prepared for that shot mentally, I doubt that arrow would have ever met that deer.

Play your shot over in your head. Practice your shooting until you are confident that you can make a shot at any of your practiced distances. Take time to control your nerves (nearly impossible!) before you take a shot. Make sure everything “feels” right. You owe that much to whatever you’re hunting.

The Best is yet to Come
When you get into this sport, it will take you places you’ve never been before. And the most thrilling element of this sport is the intimacy you have with what you’re chasing. Being so close, in most cases, to your animal that you can see it blink, breathe, shake, and shudder. It’s incredible.

One of my most challenging hunts was a feral hog hunt in Oklahoma. Three other guys in my family and I booked a three day hunt with an outfitter. Bow only.

The first evening, a large black boar came to the stand that I was in. Unlike domestic hogs, these things were skittish! With a swirling wind, he busted me twice, but ended up coming back in with other hogs.

He finally gave me the shot that I was waiting for. As a drizzling rain continued to fall, I pulled back, anchored all my points, and slowly pulled the trigger on my release. I watched as my lighted knock buried itself deep into the side of this hog and reappear in the red Oklahoma clay behind him.

With a shrill squeal, he spun and took off into the dark timber.

It was advised by the outfitter to not leave my stand after I had shot an animal, but I must be honest. I did ignore that advice. I wanted to see this hog! As I followed his blood trail, the rain began to wash it out. I saw less and less blood leading to an eventual stop of all sign. However, I soon found out why he advised me to stay in the stand.

As I pivoted around to return to my stand and contact the outfitter, I saw two boar hogs coming down the trail towards me, nose to the ground, apparently following the blood trail of the hog I had shot. In the dark, I could see their ivory colored tusks showing bright. I carefully hugged a tree as they passed by and waited to make a break for my stand.

The next morning we were able to find my boar. He was not far from where I left the trail.

In the End
Remember, this sport is a challenge and it will take practice to have some success. If you take a step into it, be ready for a wild ride! Everything about it will grow you as a person and a hunter. You will have a great understanding of the sport and the heritage of hunting.
You will go through a multitude of emotions. It will be one of the greatest things you could experience. My message to you is…..what are you waiting for?