Are you planning to go for your first-ever hunt? You must be feeling very overwhelmed and intimidated. The feelings are more confusing as you don’t have any idea where to start! It’s very much natural to feel that way. But don’t worry anymore; here, you will get a complete step-by-step guide, essential tips, and tricks about bowhunting 101!
Don’t take advice from people who claim to be experts in bow hunting yet do not possess any practical field knowledge. The false adviser could be the seller who hands you your first bow or the technician who helped you tune your gadgets because the wrong start of any procedure can end up destroying the whole learning process.
This write-up is for the people who have never bow hunted and have just started but are still a little confused about certain things. Read along, and you will get a basic and overall knowledge of Bowhunting.
Contents
The Bowhunting Essentials & Checklist
Learning some new set of skills is always fun! It helps us to grow more as human beings. But before we start doing it we should know all the basic acquaintances about it. And if you are planning to start your journey as a bowhunter, these twelve basic rules will help you get started.
Get the Right Bow for You
This is the most crucial step towards the journey of Bowhunting. Most people see or hear about some other successful hunter using a particular bow, and they buy that one without any further thought.
More than a couple of facts play an important role in shooting successfully from a bow. Your height, weight, and other physical structure cast a shadow on the right bow for you. So before setting up your mind, you should get a practical calculation of what bow you should get for yourself.
So many things can impact a hunter’s success, and selecting the right hunting bow is the most important one of them all.
Relax! Your Bow Set-up can be Readjusted
If you don’t like or are not comfortable with your bow’s specific setup, you can readjust them as per your need! A lot of components on a bow are customizable. By the word customizable, we mean you can interchange them with a different type of component. Some of the features that you can switch out with the distinct style are:-
- Your sight ( like you can switch a single pin to multi-pin and vice versa)
- Arrow rest. (drop away rest to stable rest)
- Stabilizer. ( centered or off-centered)
- Quiver. (classic or mounted)
If you are having issues with a particular type of component on your bow, don’t worry. You might be able to interchange or switch it with something you are more comfortable with.
Get Your Bow Tuned
I know your seller might have told you that everything in your bow is perfectly auto-tuned, but trust us it isn’t! Tuning is the adjustments that need to be made to your bow to make sure that your arrows are going to fly correctly. And if you are not a bow technician, don’t try to do this on your own.
Wherever you buy your bow from, they should tune it for you if there is a decent retail store in archery. They will shoot your arrow through a paper from six inches back and make sure that your arrows fly straight through the piece of paper. This is called paper tuning.
Practice A Lot!
When you bring the bow home, don’t just put it in a storage room; whenever you get a chance, shoot with it. This is the little tip that will have a huge impact on your performance. Shooting from your bow randomly will not just make you perform better. You will get to know your bow better too.
You will get to know all the components of the bow better. Your hand will get easy with the weight, and it will help you yield your bow better. When you shoot arrows from your bow, your strings get relaxed and accessible over time. So, you will be prepared for the action in the field.
Switching from Field Point to Broadhead
A field point is something of an arrow that has a tip made of rubber or plastic. These are used when you practice in your home yard. It’s used for safety reasons. On the other hand, Broadheads are real hunting gadgets that are super sharp and made of metal. They are used while hunting for real.
You will do all your practice with the field points, and the problem will be when you use broadhead on hunting days, you will feel the difference while shooting your arrows. It happens because of the different aerodynamics of field points and broadheads. But don’t freak out. You will get used to it after several shots.
So, what you can do is practice a lot with your field point before you intend to go for the hunting practice with your broadhead. But don’t forget to take all the safety measures. If you shoot wrong or end up hitting any human or pet, it will cause serious injuries!
Wear Safety Gear
You know why they call the animal you will go for hunting wild? Because they live in a ‘Wild’ environment, and it might be pretty harsh for you. There can be a wet forest full of bugs and snakes. The wetness itself is rather harmful to your feet too.
There will be rough terrain and the Rocky Mountains. So, it won’t be very reasonable to go there without proper safety gear as this little foolishness can end up taking your life!
Blend In
Most of the wild animals you most likely hunt will have very sensitive nostrils and super strong hearing capacity. Furthermore, they also have tremendous vision power. It’s because you are not the only person they get to hunt. In the wild, they need to stay alert twenty-four hours from the prey.
Using camouflage is the best option for you. Go with bows that are blackish and not much bright in color. Wear camouflage gear and carry a camouflage backpack. Choose shoes for hunting that will make minimal noise and keep you discreet.
The aim is not to startle the hunt. And as much as you go silently, the most likely your chance of success will increase.
Don’t Switch Your Broadhead More Often
When you go for the first hunt, it’s natural to miss a lot of shots. A lot of successful hunters didn’t get any hunt for more than a couple of attempts. So many novice hunters keep changing their broadhead as they assume it will make their arrow land in the right place, which is a totally wrong decision.
Pick a broadhead consciously and stick with it for at least one season. Consistency is always the key to success. If you keep changing your gears, you will keep changing them without any visible progress in your performance.
Practice With the Gear You Will Use in Hunting
Practice is the key to success. There is no argument left about it. But if you practice something and go hunting with a completely new setup, it will mess up your performance. So, start practicing with simple things but develop your skill with the gears you will be using in real-life hunting.
If you are planning to go on a hunting trip in summer, practice in summer gear. Similarly, if you plan to go on a hunting trip in winter, train yourself with winter gears. On the other hand, you should wear rain hunting gear for the rainy season. This little technique will help you a lot and bring you more success.
Choose Your Hunting Ground Smartly
Many people make this mistake; They don’t choose the hunting ground consciously. They go hunting for the first time and randomly pick a spot where the animal population is low. Most likely, the trip ends up being a failure, and they get unprovoked!
So, before you jump to a conclusion, check out your odds. Choose a hunting ground that is high in the animal population you are planning to hunt. Also, check out the season when they are most available in open lands where it’s easier to knock them off.
Practice Shooting from Different Angles
When you will be out in the wild and chasing a wild animal, you will be struggling to get a perfect shot. There will be trees and bushes on your way, and you won’t have enough space to stand up in an ideal posture and shoot right away.
So, practice shooting at different angles. Practice hitting the arrows sitting on your butt. Practice shooting on your knee or even totally laying down on the ground. Trust me; it will help you a lot in the wild.
Don’t Forget to Take Your Hunting License
Whether you are going to hunt in your own state or another new one, do not forget to carry your hunting license. Every state of the United States and even in a foreign country has its own law and rule of hunting. You will have to pass through the procedure and collect the license.
If you are caught hunting any wildlife without any hunting license, you will give a high amount of fine money or be held in jail. And sometimes both of the horrible punishment. So, never take chances and always carry your hunting license with you.
Final Words
Bowhunting is so much fun if you are well prepared and ready to snug in the rules. There are so many experienced hunters out there, and many more enthusiasts are lining up every season. If you are planning to join them, our best advice is to look before you leap. Staying prepared and knowing your odds are always the best thing to do! Happy hunting!