New to bowhunting

[hempland]

I agree couse deer very hard to harvest even with a Rifle, now getting close with a bow I'm expecting To be very tough. The reason I am bowhunting is for the deg of difficulty involved in getting closer than 100 yards! I would never take a shot if I was past my comfortable range.

[mroctober5]

Unless your pulling back 75 lbs or more it's dumb to take a shot over 60 yards. PRACTICE, and use your range finder AFTER a mental guesstimate in order to get more accurate at determining yardage, because you don't always have the time to range your deer.

 

Making blanket statements on the internet based on your opinions rather than facts is dumb. I shoot 68lbs. & get great penentration out to 80 yards. Probably wouldn't shoot that far at a big animal like an elk that has thick hide & heavy bones, but on small deer, like coues, there's no reason not to except for the obvious reason: you simply can't hit the mark.

 

The topic of long archery shots is probably one of the more highly debated on the internet. Bottom line, in my opinion, is if you can hit the target at 100 yards, then your arrow will do the job once it gets there. Ethical/ unethical, smart/dumb, all depends on the situation (wind, animals' level of alertness, visibility, etc.), skill level of the shooter & the confidence level the shooter has at that moment. If you're sure you can make the shot, then I say take it & live with the results, good or bad. If you think you'll probably miss, but take it anyway just so you can say you had a shot, that's probably a poor decision.

Yeah, I'm sorry, I did'nt mean to blanket my opinion to all the marksman out there, I directed my semi conservative opinion to someone who had already stated that he was "new to bowhuntig" [not you!]

[CouesPursuit]

I agree couse deer very hard to harvest even with a Rifle, now getting close with a bow I'm expecting To be very tough. The reason I am bowhunting is for the deg of difficulty involved in getting closer than 100 yards! I would never take a shot if I was past my comfortable range.

 

Keep that attitude. Don't listen to anyone taking a 78 yard shot on a coues whitetail in the superstitions.. Good luck PM me for some details on 24B spots and experiences in the last couple years..

Take youngbuck's advise and be persistent you sound like you know what you're getting yourself into.

[mattys281]

Yeah, I'm sorry, I did'nt mean to blanket my opinion to all the marksman out there, I directed my semi conservative opinion to someone who had already stated that he was "new to bowhuntig" [not you!]

 

I hear ya & see your point w/ a newbie. If you'd of talked to me about 6-7 years ago, you'd not even think you were speaking to the same person now, in regard to bowhunting. I wouldn't even use a sight w/ more than 3 pins, because after all, if you're shooting more than 40 yards, you might as well be rifle hunting. Use a laser rangefinder or electronic scouting camera?! Are we hunting or waging international espionage against those animals!

 

I had a lot of ethics & high standards, but what I didn't have were any kills with my bow. At some point I got smart & realized that we all work, have families, etc. Our time is limited & it's worth while to buy some gadgets & try some new tricks to get the most out of that limited time in the field. Needless to say, I put a lot more arrows in animals the last few years than I ever did back then.

 

Anyhow, I would never suggest for anyone to take a shot outside of their confidence zone, but I would encourage everyone to try to extend that zone. Killing deer in Az w/ a bow & arrow is tough, especially in the desert. We've got the lowest success rate for do-it-yourselfers in the country. You guys work hard at your scouting, work smart at the practice range & make the most out of every opportunity you get, because most people don't get that many in a season. Good luck!

 

[mroctober5]

Yeah, I'm sorry, I did'nt mean to blanket my opinion to all the marksman out there, I directed my semi conservative opinion to someone who had already stated that he was "new to bowhuntig" [not you!]

 

I hear ya & see your point w/ a newbie. If you'd of talked to me about 6-7 years ago, you'd not even think you were speaking to the same person now, in regard to bowhunting. I wouldn't even use a sight w/ more than 3 pins, because after all, if you're shooting more than 40 yards, you might as well be rifle hunting. Use a laser rangefinder or electronic scouting camera?! Are we hunting or waging international espionage against those animals!

 

I had a lot of ethics & high standards, but what I didn't have were any kills with my bow. At some point I got smart & realized that we all work, have families, etc. Our time is limited & it's worth while to buy some gadgets & try some new tricks to get the most out of that limited time in the field. Needless to say, I put a lot more arrows in animals the last few years than I ever did back then.

 

Anyhow, I would never suggest for anyone to take a shot outside of their confidence zone, but I would encourage everyone to try to extend that zone. Killing deer in Az w/ a bow & arrow is tough, especially in the desert. We've got the lowest success rate for do-it-yourselfers in the country. You guys work hard at your scouting, work smart at the practice range & make the most out of every opportunity you get, because most people don't get that many in a season. Good luck!

Thanks for sharing that info! Bowhunting is a very precise, technical skill, and can be absorbed at alot faster rate when someone with some experience helps us. The variables you spoke of in your earlier post take a long time to apply, especially when you have to learn them on your own. I have taken 4 deer with my bow, but I still consider myself "new" compared to the people I've learned from.

[mattys281]

Thanks for sharing that info! Bowhunting is a very precise, technical skill, and can be absorbed at alot faster rate when someone with some experience helps us. The variables you spoke of in your earlier post take a long time to apply, especially when you have to learn them on your own. I have taken 4 deer with my bow, but I still consider myself "new" compared to the people I've learned from.

 

My bowhunting resume is very modest myself. I've only nailed a couple deer, a couple javis & a couple dozen rabbits. I'm very, very far from expert on anything related to hunting, but I'm more than willing to share the mistakes I made & learned from. I missed a lot of deer early on due to poor distance judging when all I had to do was practice at some longer ranges & use a dang range finder... STUPID! & as for trailcams, well aside from scouting benefits, they're just a great hobby all in their own right. I've got 9 or 10 out right now, all of which are currently on dead batteries, but I know I'll have some great shots whenever I make it out to refresh them.