Using a bow when deer hunting has long been practiced by our early ancestors since the beginning of time; lacking the technology that graces us today, our ancestors had to utilize skill, terrain and luck to bring down their prey.
Today, hunting enthusiast have revived the ancient practice of bow hunting as opposed to rifles and shotguns. Though it might take a while to get used to it, this is definitely challenging and fun.
Knowing Your Equipment
Before going deer hunting, it is imperative that you are familiar with various equipments used in bow hunting. Unlike using shotguns and rifles which utilize power and range, bow hunting utilizes terrain, accuracy and skill of the hunter to adapt to his surroundings. And the proper tools of the trade will definitely bring out the hunter in you.
There are 3 bows that a hunter can utilize when bow hunting: we have the stick bows, recurves and the compound bow. The stick bows and recurves were used by ancient bow hunters and are made of wood yet they differ in design.
Compound bows are the new development in bow hunting. This type of bow utilizes cams and pulleys to draw the limbs back. The stiffness of the limbs gives the compound bow its power, much more significant than the old-fashioned stick and recurve bows. Also, weight is a crucial factor in handling a bow, since your power and accuracy depends on how you keep the bow steady before firing.
Arrows are also important for a successful hunting. Arrows also comes in 3 types: cedar, carbon and aluminum shafts. Cedar shafts are best used with the old-fashioned bows like the stick bow and recurves; while carbon and aluminum arrows are for the more powerful compound bows.
Bring Down The Prey
Different prey requires different arrows, especially when you are using a compound bow. When going out for a moose or an elk, then the heavy aluminum arrow would be perfect since the weight will give the arrow its extra power. For lighter prey like deer, a lighter shaft like the carbon arrow would be perfect since you will need the extra range that is more common for lightweight shafts.
Also take note that the carbon and aluminum arrows not only vary in weight and power, but also in price. Carbon arrows are lighter and much sturdier, that's why they're more expensive than the heavy aluminum shafts.
The Perfect Hunter
When utilizing a bow in hunting a deer, it is best to utilize the terrain rather than brute force. Since you are at a slight disadvantage when it comes to power, you have to use strategy in bringing down the buck.
One method used by bow hunters is shooting on top of a tree. This will give you the additional power and the range that your bow lacks. You can lure the buck out with a deer call or a rattle and wait for them to come into range.
Once you see movement and the buck is coming your way, you have to cock your arrow and pull back on the drawstrings and wait for it to come in your line of sight. This is necessary since you want to be ready when the buck comes into range, and getting the right tension on your bow will definitely take some time.
Waiting for the right moment might take a while to get used to since the compound bow is heavy, plus the force that applied while pulling back will definitely wear you out fast. If you miss the first shot, the buck may not bolt since the bow hardly makes a sound once shot, so you can cock another arrow and take a second shot if the buck is still in firing range.
Bow hunting is definitely a challenge, but the skill and experience that you get out of it is something that you should be proud of.
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