New to Bowhunting

[Bonz78]

So Ive never hunted before but decided to take up bow hunting. Im hoping I can connect with some experienced hunters on here so that I can learn the ins and outs of hunting and how to be successful.

I currently have an entry level Bear cruzer and Im searching for a good hunting arrow to use. I also bought some camo along with a hunting pack and some decent nikon binoculars.

 

 

All advice is welcome for gear needed and wheres the best area to go to thats close to Tucson. Im thinking unit 33, tucson mountains and tortolitas.

 

Advice?

[mattys281]

Lots of deer in 33, good area to get your feet wet.

 

As for gear and what not, if I had to start all over again I think clothing would be the number one place to invest. If you can’t stay warm and dry, then you end up going home and it’s hard to kill one from your couch. Staying in the field and not freezing to death should be the top priority to me.

 

Number two for me would be a range finder. When i was a kid and first getting into it I couldn’t afford one and I was terrible at visually judging ranges. Probably shot over half a dozen deer before ever connecting on anything. Now I think it’s the best money I ever spent as far as hunting goes. Used ones can be picked up pretty reasonably on eBay and archerytalk.

 

At the end of the day, you can kill a deer with just about any bow and arrow combo, so as long as you can shoot broadheads well out to 30 or 40 yards you’re fit to go. I wouldn’t spend a ton of money on that stuff until you’ve hunted a season or two and are sure you’re into it for good.

 

Good luck to you and welcome to the site.

[Bonz78]

Lots of deer in 33, good area to get your feet wet.

 

As for gear and what not, if I had to start all over again I think clothing would be the number one place to invest. If you can’t stay warm and dry, then you end up going home and it’s hard to kill one from your couch. Staying in the field and not freezing to death should be the top priority to me.

 

Number two for me would be a range finder. When i was a kid and first getting into it I couldn’t afford one and I was terrible at visually judging ranges. Probably shot over half a dozen deer before ever connecting on anything. Now I think it’s the best money I ever spent as far as hunting goes. Used ones can be picked up pretty reasonably on eBay and archerytalk.

 

At the end of the day, you can kill a deer with just about any bow and arrow combo, so as long as you can shoot broadheads well out to 30 or 40 yards you’re fit to go. I wouldn’t spend a ton of money on that stuff until you’ve hunted a season or two and are sure you’re into it for good.

 

Good luck to you and welcome to the site.

 

Thanks Mattys. I forgot to mention I do have a rangefinder because I suck at gauging distances as well.

 

Thanks for the tip on the clothing. I'll be sure to invest in some sort of rain gear and warm gear.

[Bonz78]

Taking-up a challenge ehh??? gear will only get you so far, understanding the animal you are Hunting, skills with the weapon you are using, persistance/patience/ willingness to be humbled and learn from your mistakes can bring either un-told joy or heartbreaking defeat, YOU make the Hunt...

Enjoy the process, commit and Hunt for yourself...

Good Luck...

 

Thanks OneShot. I've been doing my homework on learning the habits of the deer and I plan to get out and glass, I guess you call it, to look for deer activity. I figure if I can spend enough time out there now it'll save me the time in looking around. I don't expect to get the biggest buck, if any at all, but I do plan to enjoy the experience and being out there in nature. I look forward to the spot and stalk and hopefully enjoy the experience of a harvest. One thing I do enjoy is learning new skills. I go to the range about everyday and shoot. I'm fairly lethal at 40 yards with aluminum arrows, but I plan on getting some carbon arrows soon. I do want too much expensive gear, I just want what I need to get the job done.

[mattys281]

 

Taking-up a challenge ehh??? gear will only get you so far, understanding the animal you are Hunting, skills with the weapon you are using, persistance/patience/ willingness to be humbled and learn from your mistakes can bring either un-told joy or heartbreaking defeat, YOU make the Hunt...

Enjoy the process, commit and Hunt for yourself...

Good Luck...

 

Thanks OneShot. I've been doing my homework on learning the habits of the deer and I plan to get out and glass, I guess you call it, to look for deer activity. I figure if I can spend enough time out there now it'll save me the time in looking around. I don't expect to get the biggest buck, if any at all, but I do plan to enjoy the experience and being out there in nature. I look forward to the spot and stalk and hopefully enjoy the experience of a harvest. One thing I do enjoy is learning new skills. I go to the range about everyday and shoot. I'm fairly lethal at 40 yards with aluminum arrows, but I plan on getting some carbon arrows soon. I do want too much expensive gear, I just want what I need to get the job done.

 

 

 

Like Oneshot, I've also pretty much converted exclusively to ambush hunting. I'll still spot in stalk mulies i the late season sometimes, but use treestands in the early season and sit ground blinds or just good brushy/rocky hiding spots during the late season. If you're just looking for a legal deer, coues deer are pretty easy to kill sitting ambushes. Take the same critter and try to stalk him and you've just taken on what may be the hardest bowhunt there is.

 

That having been said, it is certainly not impossible and some guys are very good at it and consistently successful. Based on my experience though, the last two spot & stalk deer I got took 14 days & 9 days respectively. I've never had to sit an ambush more than two days without having an opportunity to shoot a buck. This last early season I let two walk by on the first morning, missed one on the 2nd day and filled my tag on the 4th day.

 

Either method you choose, patience & persistence will be your most dangerous weapons.

[DeadEye2327]

Welcome Bonz,

 

I've hunted all kinds of animals and deer hunting is by far my favorite and I'd love to share some knowledge:

 

I agree with Matty on the clothes, you must be able to stay afield and be comfortable enough to have more patience than you can imagine. Besides clothes as long as you have a basic bow, arrows, and range finger (like you said you do) then my biggest focus is binoculars. Now I know they can be expensive but trust me they are worth it and that doesn't mean you have to buy the most expensive pair but I wouldn't go with the bare minimum in this category. You will hear many people use this phrase time and time again and it's something every spot and stalk hunter should live by, "Let your eyes do the walking" that means glass and glass and glass instead of walking around trying to find deer, remember these deer have the advantage by a longshot so walking around is just not gonna happen with a bow, get to a high point where you can see tons of ground and glass until you find something. Now, this is where quality binos pay off if you get a crappy pair and can't see very far then they won't be much help. Also, buy yourself a tripod, it makes a world of difference when you can remove all movement in your binos because you can see the tiniest bits of movement from far away and it also allows you to glass for very long periods of time. you don't need an amazingly expensive tripod, I use a very good and sturdy tripod and it was only $45 bucks. You're on the right path with scouting and it's the best thing you can do to improve your chances, don't be afraid to stalk a deer you find just for practice cause you'll find it's far harder than it seems. While stalking always remember to check the wind, they can smell you and even see you from farther then you'd expect, take your time and be patient, if you can master patience by glassing hours on end and taking hours to stalk a deer then you will be successful more times than not.

[CatfishKev]

Don't forget thermal currents, and don't count on scent free gear and soap. Before sun up your scent will go downhill. As the sun comes up and warms the hillside it will carry your scent uphill, then when the sun goes down scent will go back downhill. Keep this in mind when traveling in. Offer to help on some other hunts. Good hunters are always happy to teach others who want to learn.

[MrBojangles]

If you are spot and stalking dont get frustrated with blown stalks it takes a lot of time and patience. theres a lot more than just making a shot if spot and stalking.... the wind, your approach, the terrain, the animal, the animals around it. animals are always in ideal stalkable positions but when they are you have to take advantage. ambush hunting with brush blinds and tree stands can be excellent if you have a solid area, but excruciating if you go for a long time without seeing game. thats why i prefer spot n stalk. one thing ive learned that you cant try and cheat the wind. scent lok scent blocker or whatever to me are gimmicks. carry a wind checker to help with this. also dont be afraid to take your boots off to stalk when the ground is crunchy and put on a second pair of wool socks for stealthiness (just remember where you took them off lol). if you are hunting canyons and draws you may want to get a rangefinder with an altimeter or angle compensation to help with steep shots. I have a Redfield Raider 600A thats made by leupold that does pretty well for under 200 bucks. also theres a ton of info on bowhunting on you tube so the more you get to know your equipment and how it works and tunes, it will help you proficiency. John Dudley from Nock On specifically has put out a lot of useful content. something like a beman bowhunter or gold tip hunter arrows would be a good place to start for arrows that wont break the bank. good luck

[Bonz78]

Thanks for all of the input.

 

MrBojangles, I think I agree with you on the scent locking stuff. Granted I dont want to be out there smelling like a snuggle teddy bear, so Ill just use a scent free laundry detergent. I plan on using the wind. As far as windchecked goes, is the bottles smoke stuff worth it or can I just crumble some leaves and see which direction they blow?

 

Im looking forward to this challenge. On a side note, when hunting unit 33, does anyone camp out in a pup tent then pack up the next morning to get at it again? Or do people normally go home then come back out?

[mattys281]

I think it depends on the drive and/or hiking distance, and of course personal preference. I usually backpack in to my winter areas and stay for a few days at a time. Summertime spots are close enough that I hike in and out each day. To me it really depends on how easy it is to get in without stirring things up. When I bivy out I stay within a pretty close distance of my hunting spot. I haven’t found that it bothers things, in fact I’ve had curious deer wander in to camp to check me out a couple times. I think the camp fire smoke makes them curious.

[Bonz78]

Do people normally hunt alone? Or is it better to hunt with a buddy?

[mattys281]

Again it depends on your comfort level and personal preference. I am by far more successful on solo hunts, but there is a big advantage to having a spotter if you’re trying your hand at stalking. We will have the spotter sit and watch and keep up a visual signal either orange backpack rain cover or the yellow side of a sleeping pad, etc that tells the stalker they are good to go. If the marker is gone, the stalker knows so are the deer. Some people use radios and or cell phones/txt messages to communicate between stalker and spotter. I’m not sure if that’s legal or not, but I’ve seen people doing it.

 

When ambush hunting I always sit alone, but sometimes share a camp with my hunting partner and/or my daughter. I don’t like sitting with other people because it is twice the noise, scent, movement and there’s a tendency to be chatty sometimes.

 

If you don’t have any other plans by then get in touch with me before the December hunt starts and we’ll take you out to scare some mule deer away. We’ll be out trying to fill my daughters tag a couple weekends.

[Bonz78]

thanks Mattys. Ill definitley let you know. I do have an otc deer tag and plan on hunting december to january.

[Bonz78]

Another question, what kind of gear is recommended for hauling the deer back to camp? Specific freighter pack size?

 

Thx

[CatfishKev]

Depends how far from your vehicle you're hunting. I would watch several videos on gutless field dressing. Then debone the meat right there and bring the meat back. This way you won't need a pricey pack. Also field dressing can be intimidating the first few times. I would highly recommend you get a leftover pig tag. List should be out soon. Making your first stalk and field dressing attempt on a pig would be a good way to get your feet wet.