Cure for frigid nights approaching winter means bow hunting season. It takes practice, patience, and the ability to stay calm, cool, and collected in a dangerous environment to be successful at bow hunting. If you want to attain that natural advancement of using a silent stealth and arrow riffle, understanding these basic principles and applying them to your hunts is what will set you apart from the rest.
Perhaps the essential archery skills provide a great deal of pleasure, and being able to refine them to a smooth finish to harvest an animal is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
There are a lot of opportunities in getting the right people to teach and help you achieve your bow hunting greatness. You can also set to begin your journey using free apps or tutorial videos from YouTube. From there you can continue learning as you go. All you need is a little effort, motivation, and most of all your passion.
We compiled this beginner’s bowhunting guide to help you improve your accuracy and enjoy the bowhunting experience.
Table of Contents
Bow Hunting Tips for Beginners
1. Find a mentor
There’s always a natural way to learn by observation other than just following written manuals. Going out with an experienced archer does you well. You must also keep in mind that you will never get a first-hand feel of all the action going on when relying on written material alone. This is why it’s always better to have a mentor to guide you in the right direction and help you stay sharp.
2. Bow Selection
When choosing a bow, it all comes down to your personal preferences. You want a weapon that will be flexible enough to make the bowstring move realistically with any piece of equipment attached. Going for the crossbow is a good choice for a novice archer.
On the other hand, if you want to hone your hunting techniques further a recurve bow can be extremely satisfying. Generally, archers prefer longbows as this makes it possible to have better, and consistent archery shots. Remember, longbows have a high draw weight and they are not as easily portable as a shorter bow.
3. Arrows
Before you embark on getting your new arrow, keep in mind that there are factors you cannot overlook. These involve 4 major attributes. The first reason is the arrow point- which is the pointed head that is responsible for striking the object.
The shaft is the circular part of its body and the fletching, which are the plastic or feathered winged-types designs that help with flight techniques.
All of these elements can be customized to meet the needs of any hunter. In general, all hunting arrows must be weighted enough at their front end so that they don’t fall off the tips or come out of the bow when a “shot” is taken. The overall weight of the bow is a compromise between the hunter’s comfort with the bow and their ability to track and hit the target with precision.
4. Bow Sight
A good suggestion for the novice is a five-pin hunting technique that comes with minimal adjustment features. We suggest 10″ or 14″ for beginner bow-sight, with light arrows. The question to always ask first is: How do you plan to shoot? For many bowhunters the temptation to go all day or all night is common. Night hunting can present its challenges when using a small scope or high-power scope. You can reduce your mistakes by selecting the right bow sight for yourself with an adjustable axis level bow.
5. Be Discrete
The aim is to avoid startling the subject before taking your shot. Keep in mind that the outdoor camouflage of your body must be covered as much as possible to prevent the direct perception from the animal.
6. Find a Good Quiver
For new hunters, it’s advisable to start with lightweight quivers mounted to your bows. The number of arrows you plan to carry is another consideration to make when choosing a quiver. Most hunters carry 3-6 arrows depending on the size of the animal they are hunting though. The smaller the game such as squirrel, the smaller the quiver arrows while for the big gamers like elk the heavier and bulkier the quiver will be.
7. Select a Release Style
In selecting the best archery release style, two methods are involved. The index finger/traditional release and the thumb/mechanical release. The index finger release as its name implies it’s a hunting style that’s incorporated when your index finger causes your bow to trigger. If you want to take charge of shooting and control this is a good choice for you.
Thumb release, on the other hand, is initiated via thumb to activate the release, unlike your index finger. The traditional style is a more user-friendly option. The disadvantage is that a slight bump may activate the release, while the disadvantage of the mechanical style is that it may malfunction in unpredictable ways.
8. Bow Components
Bow components are simple items that an archer may prefer to add to his existing bow for the sake of getting more control. These products may differ as they are according to someone’s preferences, such things as top up-fits, bindings, and inserters.
Top-upfits are used to raise your bow by adding items. It can be used to adjust your bow height, give you a new release or put an object on your arrow and give you more control over your bow.
With bindings, you can increase the chances of attaching your bow to other components within your bow. They usually ensure that your bow components are held firm and positioned properly throughout.
9. Retain All of Your licenses
It’s a simple rule that has been overlooked by many, but that doesn’t mean it is less important.
Sometimes while you’re in the hunting process, you may be requested to submit your archery licenses, permits, or even stamps by the present officials. Though rules may differ from different nations it’s still advisable to keep up with the laws of your state.
Lessons about Bow Hunting Fundamentals You Need To Learn Before You Hit 40
After you’ve learned and perfected the basics of bow hunting workouts there are important to-do considerations that should be taken care of.
1. Stance
Stance when hunting with a rifle is essentially the same, only a matter of right standing and holding your arrow release rather than the bolt release. Point your bow at the target and bring your arms down to position the bow properly. Archers will generally start their arm movement when their foot is well planted on the ground.
2. Grip
It is better to aim with a loose grip. With a firm grip, you’ll likely pull the bow off your hand. As a beginner, you may have to fidget and rearrange your grip a few times to get used to it. Always remember to not hit the string with your thumbs or palms, it’ll cause excessive friction and will tear the bowstring. If your grip is too tight, you’ll likely drop the bow out of frustration.
3. Draw
Make a full and smooth draw, by pulling the string back to the nock, where it almost stops before the bullet comes out. The reason is to eliminate the “hanging back” sensation that can sometimes happen when pulling the string back too quickly.
When you have the string fully drawn back, let the string go slack and lightly squeeze the brake. Pull the string back further until you feel the tension in the brake again. As with any shot, it takes practice. After you draw, hold your bow with your left hand and release it.
4. Select the Right Hunting Grounds
Don’t walk through the woods blindly when you are hunting. Know your area so you don’t get lost and you can tell the different species apart. The woods are not large and a beginner should avoid open fields, wetlands, and heavily wooded areas. There will be no reason to “settle in” to a spot and there is a good chance you will walk right into a poacher’s waiting game. Remember, chances are good that your destination is where they are as well. Stay alert!
5· Have a Back-Up Plan
A killer mugging victim did not have any luck when he wandered into an alley in broad daylight only to be attacked. He didn’t have his cell phone or wallet on him. Therefore, he was left at the mercy of the predator. A hunter should also have a backup plan in place if they are incapacitated by an animal.
Conclusion
Bowhunting is a thrilling and rewarding aspect of sports, but mastery does not happen overnight. After learning the basics, shooting a single arrow at a game can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience for improving your accuracy. Even though the weight and design of modern bows might seem complicated, bow hunting is not as tough as people think. You just have to master the basics and then practice a lot.
