Arrow Archery

Time spent in the woods is a key component to gaining experience and the knowledge that comes with it. Experience results in increased success.
I've been an avid hunter for many years. I can recall the days when I totally 'wet behind the ears', and consumed all the information that was available to me that could assist in gaining the knowledge necessary to become a successful hunter. My very first season was a bust, as I got my start with only a couple of weeks left in the Kentucky bow season. I was fortunate enough to have friends that were experienced hunters. They 'showed me the ropes' and I owe the measurable success that I have seen in each successive season to their teachings.

I attended a function today, where I had the opportunity to talk to a first-year bow hunter. He described the three hunts that he has been on so far this year. Each of these hunts resulted in encounters with deer, and one resulted in a shot and a miss. He told me that he was blind hunting, because he didn't own a tree stand yet. As we continued our conversation about the way the deer acted as they approached, he stated that they seemed nervous. Some deer stomped and blew. Others seemed nervous and changed their course. He stated that he didn't think there was any way that they could have spotted him, and that is when I informed him that they didn't need to see him; they probably smelled him. My suggestion to him ... come borrow a tree stand from me before his next hunt.
A deer's nose is one of the toughest obstacles that a hunter has to overcome. I've never been a fan of blinds for bow hunting. I understand it has its place, but hunting from a tree stand gives a hunter a notable edge over a blind hunter.
If you can beat a deer's nose, you've won half the battle.  There are many scent elimination or covering sprays and articles of clothing that can help, and I use them.  Getting in a tree stand can help to make scent less of a factor, and tilt the scales back in your favor.  Most tree stand hunters tend to hunt 20+ feet off the ground.  I tend to hunt a bit higher, depending upon the amount of foliage I'm dealing with and what type of shooting lanes I have.  If you hunt on the ground, the breeze will tend to carry your scent near ground level, straight into the nose of that shooter buck heading in your direction.  Hunting from an elevated position results in the breeze carrying your scent off higher in the air, so that it is often undetected by approaching deer.  Beating a deer's nose is one of the main reasons that I'm a tree stand hunter.

A tree stand gives you a better vantage point that will allow you to see approaching deer at a farther distance.  Knowing when not to move means less spooked deer and more close quarters action.  Having that good vantage point is also essential to knowing when to pass on a deer in favor of picking up a better, trailing deer.

You will find a lot better and longer shooting lanes from an elevated position.  You will be presented with more and better shooting opportunities from a tree stand as opposed to shooting from a blind.  Ground clutter when shooting from a blind can limit the number of shooting lanes, and especially the distance of your shot.

After the shot, tree stand hunters will often have better recovery of downed game.  This is due to the fact that you have the ability to see for longer distances and study the path of your game as it runs off.  You may even see the deer go down in a thicket or other areas where your view may be normally obstructed from the ground.

Having reviewed the benefits of hunting from a tree stand, I must mention the dangers associated with it as well.  Tree stand safety is an important concern, and no tree stand hunter should ever hunt without a safety harness.  Accidents happen, and a slip and fall could result in grave physical injury.  A safety harness that will leave you hanging in an upright position is the most desirable.  Many hunters will also carry a screw-in tree step on their person to assist them in getting a foot-up and back into their stand after a fall.  Always inspect your tree stand and any of its components for signs of wear or damage, and observe the weight restrictions assigned to your brand and model of tree stand.  Realize that you need to account for your own weight, plus the weight of any gear on your person, when observing the maximum weight restrictions.

Hunt safely, and hunt successfully.

The 2009 - 1010 Kentucky bow season opened on September 5 for statewide bow hunting. With Labor Day falling as late as it possibly could on the calendar this year, we had a three day weekend to work with. While I was eager for the season to start, I wasn't eager to get out in the forcast 80 degree weather.
After some Sunday night rains, the temperatures were much more bearable for Monday - Labor Day. Unfortunately, torrential downpours hit the area. While I'm a die-hard hunter, I also realize the it is a long bow season, and I opted to stay bag today's hunt. Activity on the Kentucky hunting chat boards was light, so I don't think I was alone in my decision.
The temperatures can make these early September hunts tough. Mosquitos and other 'pests' still have the run of the woods, and I look forward to those first frosts to start cutting down on their activity. The deer movement is typically light this time of year, with your best opportunities being just after sun up and right before sunset. The cooler weather that will come with help to start dropping the foliage, which will open up some more shooting lanes. Until then, I'll play it by ear, and hunt when the conditions are right.

I purchased a new home that sits right on the edge of a section of woods. My property actually extends into the woods a fair distance. This home is part of a subdivision, and I have neighbors that live in close proximity to my home. Over the past 8 months since I have been in this house, I have been seeing a lot of good quality deer in these woods. I've set up some game cameras, and found that I am really sitting on a nice 'honey hole'.
So I have decided that I will be bow hunting behind my home some this season. I've been very excited about harvesting a deer off of my own property. I recently had a discussion with another neighbor, and found out that one of my next door neighbors is opposed to hunting. They related a conversation with this neighbor, where he told them that he had found a treestand and an arrow in another section of woods behind his home last season. He was appearently very upset, and contacted the Fish and Wildlife Department in an effort to get them to send someone out and stop the hunting in the area.
I has happy when I found out that the Fish and Wildlife Department had told him that there was nothing against the law with bow hunting near a populated area, and that unless he owned the property, he had no recourse to stop the hunting on that property, especially if the individuals had permission.
So I have decided to continue my plans of hunting behind my home, but realize that I could be setting myself up for a conflict if my neighbor finds out. I don't want any bad neighbor relations, but also feel that one person with opposing views shouldn't have the right to impose their objections towards hunting on me. So I will do my best to not draw attention to my hunting, and make every effort to be as stealthy as possible. But why should I have to feel like I need to go through the trouble to hide my activities?
Ever found yourself in a similar situation?
How do you deal with opposition to hunting?

I've always been drawn to bow hunting because of the challenge. No offense to you gun hunters, but I just don't get a rush from shooting a deer with my Remington .270. Even if it is a nice buck. There was a time when I did, but as I've taken more and more deer through the years, gun hunting just doesn't turn me on.
My bow is another story though. It is definitely more of a challenge for me. I like the primitive aspects of harvesting a deer with an arrow. The close quarters action adds to that rush.
When the gun season comes around in Kentucky, I still grab my bow when I head to the stand. I'll bow hunt while my buddies gun hunt. I tend to get razzed by them a bit, but it is what I prefer for the reasons that I have already stated. Yes, I have seen some nice bucks during the gun season that were out of range of my bow. I really doesn't bother me that I wasn't able to harvest those deer, although I'd love to have the confidence to take a 50 or 60 yard shot, but I don't see that happening.
In a recent conversation with one of my hunting buddies, he told me that I should consider getting a crossbow to use for the upcoming gun season. The idea had never really crossed my mind, so I took a closer look at some this past week. I have to admit that there are some pretty impressive crossbows on the market today. Some of these things have 225 - 300 lb draw weights, and blaze their bolts at 300 - 350 feet per second. With the scopes that come of some of these crossbow packages, my buddy was saying that 60 yard shots were no problem.
While a crossbow is definitely more primitive than a rifle, the definitely seem much more advanced than a bow. I'm finding my interest is peaking in these new crossbows, and it has me conflicted. The primitive nature of bow hunting is what has really compelled me to become an avid bow hunter. If I drop $600+ on one of these hot new crossbows, am I going to still find that same rush that I get from harvesting a deer with a bow? Or will I feel the same, well no rush, that I get from harvesting a deer with a rifle.
What do you think about crossbow hunting from the perspective of a bow hunter?

I just placed an order for the Moultrie I45 digital game camera. Of course, it is on back order, so there is no telling when I will get it. I have read so much about this new game camera from Moultrie, that I am very excited to get it. I feel like a kid waiting on Christmas to get here.
Hopefully, I will have some new pics and videos to share soon.

If you own a Moultrie I45, I'd love to hear from you. I'm very interested in seeing some pics and videos, and hearing what you like and don't like about this game camera.

I have to say that I am very excited for the Kentucky bow season to start. It seems like it has been a long time since I was in a stand, even though it was only this past January. What I'm not excited about though, is hunting in warm weather.
I look forward to that first cold snap of the fall. The deer start moving so much better, and you tend to have longer periods of movement after dawn and before dusk. As your hunting opportunities increase with cooler weather, so does your comfort level.
With the cooler weather, working up a sweat (and your scent) heading in and out of the woods becomes less of an issue. With the proper attire, cool weather hunting is definitely the way to go for me.
One thing that I have learned through the years though, is that as you add layers of clothing or more bulky clothing to compensate for the cooler weather, you run the risk of throwing your shot off. So as the cool weather comes in, it is a good idea to throw on your bibs and your heavy jacket, and spend a little time in front of your target again. You may find that your shot is thrown off a bit. This is often due to the fact that your anchor point or stance may be altered to compensate for the bulk of the heavier clothing.
Shoot a lot of practice arrows and make a mental note of where your arrows are consistently hitting the target. Don't alter any of your pins until you see consistency in where your shots are landing.

Archery targets can get expensive. That wouldn't be such a problem if they didn't wear out so quickly from the punishment that me and my buddies put them through. So I turned to making some archery targets to sling some arrows at.
Now don't get me wrong... I'm not going to debate the benefits of shooting at 3D targets. I agree that that the realism of shooting at life sized deer targets can give you the edge when the real shooting opportunities arise. But I get a little tired of replacing cores. So I keep my 3D archery target set aside for special occasions.
The one thing that I learned is that experimentation is a good thing when trying to build your own target. The results can vary, based on the speed you shoot at.
What worked for me was some burlap sacks and some spray foam insulation. I'm lucky enough to have a friend that is an insulation contractor, so it was easy for me to get my hands on the foam for free. After doubling up some burlap sacks, my buddy filled them with foam, and I just tied the sacks closed with some zip-ties. The burlap can then be painted with a target or vitals. I was able to have several of these made, and place them at different distances, which made a nice shooting range. Now if you don't have an insulation contractor for a friend like I do, you can always give one a call or catch one at a local building site.
Some other options you may want to try though are:

• Layers of carpet on a bail of hay.
  Stops field points surprisingly well.
• Layers of cardboard, plastic grocery bags, and a rubbermaid container.
  You can cut the center out of the lid, to expose your shooting surface..  Leave just a couple of inches around the edges.  Then just start layering inside of the rubbermaid container.  Place layers of carpet in the bottom, because nothing is getting through those.  Then jam it full of plastic grocery bags, and top it off with a layer of carpet or cardboard.  This top layer is what is exposed through the hole you cut, and is a replaceable layer that you can shoot at.
• Layers of insulation in a box.
  Layers of R-19 compressed in a cardboard box can make a quick target that is easily replaceable.
• Layers of Cylotex wrapped in duct tape.
• Cylotex insulation is a compressed foam used for setting concrete forms.  You can probably find this at the local hardware stores.  Or, if any houses or being build near you, typically you will find a bunch that is discarded.

You have lots of options, and with a little creativity, you can easily come up with something of your own.  I guarantee that if you spend a half hour in one of the big do-it-yourself hardware stores, you will easily come up with several ideas for homemade archery targets.

Let us know what you come up with.  We'd love to hear from you.  Feel free to leave a tip in the  comments section below.

I must be the only bow hunter in Kentucky that doesn't have a Bowhunter Decal on the back of my truck. I say that, because I have been seeing these things everywhere lately.
My favorite by far has been the Treestand Bowhunter Decal. It shows an image of a bowhunter in a treestand at full draw that is taking aim at a nice buck. I did some checking on these and found that they are manufactured by Gregory's Graphics. The hunter and the buck are two separate decals, so they can be positioned in the perfect location on your vehicle. They come in 13 different colors, but I like the white best. For the lady bowhunter, they even come in pink. If I can hurry up and pull the trigger on buying that new Honda Ridgeline, I'll have this decal on my new truck this season. There are many other variations of decals for bowhunters, depicting archers at full draw. I have attempted to display several of them below.
My number two choice is a simple 1" x 12" decal of an arrow with the word "BOWHUNTER" stretched across it. It is simple, and would look very nice centered across the back window of a vehicle.

So if you are an avid bow hunter, then you can show your pride in your sport with one of these vehicle decals. They are simple to install, but you should make sure the window or surface that you will be applying it to is clean and dry.

I am kicking myself. Well, I would be if I could kick my own rear.
I had ordered the Stealth Cam Epic the other day with plans of filming some of my bow hunts this year. I've experienced so many great hunts over the years, that I figured it's about time I start documenting them with video to share with others. It is something I have wanted to do for some time now.
Well, I'm flipping through new Cabelas Fall catalog tonight, and I saw the Roscoby Riser Cam. At first, I thought is was just another torque stabilizer, but then I realized that it was a combination camera/stabilizer.
It screws into the stabilizer receptacle, and acts as a stabilizer.
The camera accepts standard SD memory cards, and has control buttons and an LCD display built into the stabilizer. At 30 frames per second, it records fast enough to catch your arrow in flight, and the impact. The integrated microphone will capture the sounds of your surroundings and your shot. It leaves you with a realistic view of your hunt.
After the hunt, you can hook the Riser Cam up directly to your TV or computer for playback. You can also remove the SD card and read the videos through a card reader.
OK, so how does this compare with the Epic by Stealth Cam that I ordered?  They both shoot at 30 frames per second, but how does the quality match up.  See for yourself below:

Here is video from the Stealth Cam Epic.

Here is video from a hunt using a Roscoby Riser Cam.

I personally think the Roscoby Riser Cam has a better look. The video is more clear, the colors more vivid, the sound is more sharp, and the overall quality looks better. Now the Roscoby Riser Cam is limited to just being used with your bow, where the Epic comes with additional mounts and can be used for other activities like fishing, biking, etc. So they both have their pluses and minuses. And the Roscoby is more expensive than the Epic. But if it is quality video from the hunt you are after, my Epic Stealth Cam was probably the wrong choice. You be the judge.

Whitetail deer hunting is typically perceived as a relaxation sport for many. Think about it. You sit up in a tree for potentially hours. You take in the sounds of nature. You watch the wildlife in its natural habitat, unbeknown to them. Heck, you might even take in a couple of cat naps.
Experienced hunters are well aware of the dangers of the outdoors though. When hunting from tree stands, there is always the risk of falling. Not to mention the risk of stray bullets. In some areas, you may even have to watch out for dangerous animals such as bears, or for poisonous reptiles.
None of these are the biggest danger that a hunter faces in the woods though. Per a CNN health minute article, the biggest danger to a hunter is heart attack. The article states that heart attack is three times more likely to result in the death of a hunter, than an accidental gunshot injury. Those who already have known risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or have experienced a previous heart-related incident need to take special precautions.
As we all get ready to head back to the woods for the start of a new season, it is worth taking the time to become prepared for the worst. Dr Eric Good was quoted in the article as urging hunters to see a doctor for a checkup prior to the hunting season. He also suggests that hunters take measures to stay in shape by taking part in cardiovascular training during the off season.
Let's face it, while hunting in the outdoors can be very relaxing, it can also be a sport that requires a lot of physical exertion. Think about the potentially long hikes into the woods, carrying all of your necessary gear. Once you get to your stand, you still have the ascent up the tree. If you harvest an animal, there is a lot of physical exertion to dress your game in the field, and haul it out. These are a few of the activities mentioned in the article that could be heart attack-inducing factors.
Aside from never hunting alone, and always carrying a cell phone on your hunts, you should also consider keeping aspirin in your field pack. Taking aspirin at the first sign of heart attack symptoms could be a life-saver. You may also consider carrying two-way radios if you are buddy hunting in areas with poor cell phone reception
It is good to be armed with the knowledge that may save your life in the woods. So I urge you to review the following CNN article. Enjoy your hunt, and be safe this season.

Biggest danger for hunters? Heart attack, not stray bullet