Bowhunting question

[Zymer]

Originally Posted by gcberry

Kracer said,
"Glad to hear you are making a distinction between bowhunting and archery!"

Meaning, someone who hunts game with a bow/arrow is a bowhunter, and someone who uses bow/arrow with targets is an archer?

One is a subset of the other. Hunters and target shooters are both archers, but an archer is not necessarily a hunter.

[Kracer]

Yep major distinction between archery and bowhunting, Zymer got it!

I have seen videos of deer geting ready for take off from a standing start with an arrow flying over their back, but I opine that not all close range misses are due to the sound of a bowstring. That deer may have been reacting to movement or scent or the sctratching arrow across the rest.

Toughest shot is on the ground nose to haunch with a deer. The deer has to be totally unsuspecting or don't take the shot. Think about it. If someone was standing 10 steps from you with a bow, ready to shoot, do you think you might see or hear them especuially if your senses were exponentially greater than human capability?

When you are close to a deer, 5- 15 paces on the ground, or less than 20 paces in a tree stand, sometimes you are overcome with what the deer is doing as you are about to shoot. Target rapture? You may be watching for signs of alarm, you just may be awed that a deer is in your 'hand' and at that moment you forget the golden rule...pick a spot.....the tiniest hair or tuft of hair you can see is critical to the shot. Can't be overemphasized. This is Zen archery.

What happens in that case is your eyes open wide and instead of picking a spot you look at the entire deer at the moment of release. When that happens, it is a golden guarantee the arrow will fly dead center just over the back of a deer. It appears to be an optical event similar to the eye centering alignment when using a peep sight on a rifle. So when someone tells you the 'deer jumped the string' you really know what happened....most of the time. Hey, that target rapture happens to rifle hunters as well. Sometimes misdiagnoised as 'buck fever', an ailment to which every hunter is susceptible no matter their years afield.

My average shot distance on deer kills is 13 paces. Never had a deer jump a string and I'm hunting with a recurve bow. Spooked a lot of deer at close range. At very close range, a deer alarmed by movement, will sprint away and stop about 20 paces paces out..be ready for a 2nd shot.

A deer alarmed by scent is goooone!

When the arrow passes completely through, sometimes the deer will react only to the sound of the arrow burying itself in the grass and earth. They will jump sideways, stand there and look in the direction of where the arrow hit the ground after passing completely through them. As they try to solve that mystery, they get wobbly and fall or more often, take off on a "dead run" and fall within 50 paces or closer. Typical to watch a running deer fall over dead when shot well with an arrow. But I digress.

The archery-bowhunting marriage fosters a sentimentality toward your equipment vs setting aside the arrow release you shot the big buck with last year when you hunted with your son, for the newest release offered this year.

A type A-B, will see their gear as an old dependable friend and appreciate the patina on the leather arm guard, fingers, quiver and knife sheath or that favorite arrow that took 5 deer and never got bent. Worn out gear or functional gear that has been replaced will never be tossed. You shared too many memories to just thow it away.

Some fish and game regs require or used to require a legal bow cast an arrow at least 125 yards. Find a safe open palce and let fly. See how far your arrow will go. That is how archery feels.

[Maine Writer]

Kracer, thank you for your very helpful post. I've never been bow hunting and have a lot to learn. I was sick last week so didn't pick up my bow. I'll get it tomorrow and have my first lesson.

[gcberry]

Thanks for the informative and interesting response(s).