Archery

[The Bullhead]

Hey guys!

Great to see the new addition to WC! Thanks for your efforts scott and all those involved!

Archery season here in South Dakota gets underway in 10 days! Hard to believe. Hoping for a good year, happens to start the same day as the waterfowl season here in eastern South Dakota. Tree stands have been up for about two months now, and my arrows are flying true!

Hope for a cool weekend, and a little wind to keep the bugs down. Any other archers on the new board?

[Sportdog]

I put my stands up last Friday and am now nursing my yearly dose of poison ivy! Where I live in Michigan it seems like all the good trees are loaded with that nasty vine. Our season for bow & arrow opens on October first. Today it was 83 degrees and 80 per cent humidity, with no appreciable rain for the last two weeks. Looks like we will be swatting bugs for the opener. Good luck to you Bullhead and I also want to thank Scott for this site.

[Fshngyd]

Put stands up in July and looked forward to TODAY-opening day archery but can't go because I bought a new house and are moving, with that and taking time off for moving I blew the next 2 weeks away. Dissapointing but I will have to get after em' in a few weeks when things calm down.

[Box]

I rifle hunt, but want to start bow hunting next season. I have friends who are waaaay into bow hunting, but they think I need a setup that is going to cost me what I think is too much ($880 and up...). I know you get what you pay for, but I also think that a $300-$400 bow and accessories should be good and most likely better than even some of the best stuff 10 years ago or so. And there were plenty of deer shot with older less fancy stuff.

Anyway, I was looking at some of the combo packs in Cabelas, Gander, Bass Pro and wondering if anybody here has recommendation for a "starter set". I want ease of use and accuracy, and I know that my next one could/might be a better one, but I want to be sure I like bowhunting first.

Anyway, now that we have a hunting forum, I am sure this type question will be asked often. Thanks in advance!

-Box

http://www.walleyecentral.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=103808

[Sportdog]

Two years ago I updated my bow and bow accessories for under 400 bucks. I went to a top notch sporting goods store with a top notch archery staff. I would advise you to do the same or go to a quality archery shop so they can help you with fitting your equipment to you. I was up front with them that I did not have a ton of money to spend but wanted good equipment. They had no problem with that and got me into a real sweet outfit for a price that I could live with. The two bucks that I shot with this rig did not seem to mind that I didn't have a high price set-up. Good luck with your shopping.

[The Bullhead]

Box:

You most certainly do not need to start with an $800 bow. I would suggest heading into a local archery shop, and let em know your looking at getting into archery. They should be able to set you up with a PSE, Browning, Fred Bear, or similar bow at a very reasonable cost. If you go used, you could get a pretty good setup for under $200.

An archery shop should be able to get you going with a bow that fits you, and most are more than willing to answer any questions.

Any questions just holler. I'm no expert, but have been in and out of archery most of my 24 years. :)

ryanstac@itctel.com

[Iowa Farm Boy]

I saw an article that compared all of the new bows for 2004. The Bow Tech Liberty had the highest rating followed by the Mathews Outback, then the Hoyt Xtec. All of these bows will run $800-$1000 loaded. They rated the Reflex Grizzly as the "Best buy for the money". The Grizzly is made by Hoyt and looks very similar to the Xtec, but I believe the risers are made out of a differant material.
It runs $299 bare bones and $399 with site, quiver and rest. It is available at Cabelas or Bass Pro.

[Ohio fisherman]

Ryan and others: Glad to see that there are other hunters here. Good luck with the new season.

Box: Check out ebay for a great deal on archery gear. Although this time of year the deals will not be as good. Used archery gear usually does not hold its value very well. An alternative is to check out trade in bows at a local archery shop. Another idea is the package deals from Cabelas. They look like a great value. My nephew bought a package deal and really liked it. Another idea is to talk to local friends and other archers who may have an old rig to loan or sell. You CAN hunt with something other than a high end super shooter. Try archery to make sure that you like it before getting into the high end stuff. I got the archery bug at about age 5 and have kept with it for only about 40 years. You will love the woods in archery season. Last year a hi-lite for me was watching a momma bear and two cubs and we don't even have bears in this area! It is great fun. Good luck and enjoy the new passion.

O F

[Trophy]

One thing to remember about archery equipment is if you have plans to travel that you will want to go with a brand of bow that most dealers service. I personally prefere Bear/Jennings products and currently shoot a Buckmaster Bow. The reason for this is if you are out of town, and something breaks you need to be able to find parts, and service. Nothing will ruin a hunt/vacation quicker than to break a bow and not be able to hunt. It is very easy to get "dubed" into things like carbon arrows, mechanical broadheads, etc. etc. Keep it simple.As an example a carbon arrow may come out of your bow at 280f.p.s. as opposed to 265 f.p.s. with aluminum, but at 30 yards it won't matter. the Deer ain't gonna react in time to either. Also being a first time user go with a high let-off bow. I would be more than happy to help get you set up at an economical price with quality stuff. I don't run a store, or anything like that. I've just paid my dues, and know what works.

[Smitty]

Also check out the online bargain bin at cabelas. They usually have quite a few bows in there and a few that are decent deals.

I shoot a Parker Hunter Mag and I'm pretty sure it was right around $400 in a combo form. You're right, compared to my old bow (which had rarely failed to run an arrow completely thru a deer) this thing hits like a ton of bricks. Leave those expensive bows to the target/tournament shooters!!!

[shadowalker]

Sounds like all great advice.If your going to go with used equipment go to a good archery pro shop and have your draw length measured as well as proper arrow selection for bow weight your going to shoot. Arrows are spined according to bow weight as well as draw length. When you go to a pro shop you will pay a little more however the bow will fit you better and will be far easier to learn and enjoy if the bow is set up properly.shadowalker

[Box]

Thanks all - I have a good shop here (Bwana in Maplewood/Vadnais Hts, MN) and also three Ganders and Joes Sporting Goods very near by. I have thought about the used route and that sounds good, as long as I do it from a shop who will make sure its set up right.

I also do plan to go high let off, and make things as "comfy" as possible, to make sure I enjoy it, so I continue ;)

I also have shot the Buckmaster bows and found it GREAT compared to when I used to shot with a buddy as teenagers - boy was that the old days - I had hard time hitting the target then. I picked up the buckmaster and put 10 arrows into a paper plate at about 15-20 yards. Ok, not far, but I was surprised at how nice it was to shoot. That is what made we want to get started next year.

Anyway, thanks for the advice, and I will be here with questions right after this season, when the prices start to drop ;) But I am picking my preferences now!

Thanks,
-Box

http://www.walleyecentral.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=103808

[Robin Hood]

Hello guys.

I'm pretty new into archery, and am hoping you guys can clear a few things up for me.


1. All of the Carbon/Scent Free clothing.... is this necessary? How many of you guys where the stuff. I really dont think I can afford it!

2. The masking scents, and rut scents, and blah blah blah. How many of you use em? ARe there some that are better than others? Do they work, or is money better spent elsewhere?

Any help would be apprieciated. So easy to get caught up in all of this seemingly extra stuff. I'm just a simple man, and dont really think I need the extra hassle.

Sid

[Ohio fisherman]

RH - you are on the right track, keep it simple. wash your clothes in baking soda, wash out a plastic tote box from walmart with baking soda water, put clothes in tote box with some dry leaves and some green pine needles inside a pillow case. watch the wind and shoot a deer. some attraction scents are ok, but not necessary. hunt where the deer want to be and watch the wind. remember to watch the wind too.

have fun, o f

[Sportdog]

I put masking scent on my rubber boots and avoid rubbing against the brush as best I can. Unless it's too hot I wear scent lock undergarments and keep my outer clothing clean with a scent free soap and keep them in a container with woods type smelling material. This is all good but the most important thing to do is plan your stand approach and stand location downwind from the deer you are after. Good luck this hunting season.

[Trophy]

Use some common sense and think about what your question was about scents. What do you do when you smell something you like.....you start LOOKING for the source. Deer do the same thing. The problem is they will usually find you long before you ever find them. If you do get lucky enough to see him first you have already put him on alert. No smell is the key to succesfully putting deer on the ground, and it starts with you first. It doesn't matter if you have all the new scent free clothes, and all the cover scents in world, if he smells you the game is over. Keep you, your clothes, your equipment all scent free. I have several sets of cami's and I only wear each set 1 time, before recleaning them, and that includes sox and underwear. I keep everything away from the household smells by keeping everything in clean containers, in the garage. I hope this helps you. If you have any questions drop me an e-mail, and I will try to help you. Just as a last thing on "dupping a deer" if you have never tried decoy's give them a shot once if you want to see some neat stuff.

[Airwave(OH)]

I totally agree the best scent is NO scent. I've harvested many deer before all the new scent free stuff came on the market. It just takes preparation. Like others mentioned wash your close in scent free soaps and store them in washed out plastic containers. I even put mine in garbage bags in a plastic container. You can add leaves or dirt if you wish but don't add something that is no where to be found in your hunting area. I still like nothing at all best. Make sure your boots,gloves,hats,socks,shirts,pants,jackets,backp ack and anything your taking to the woods in in this container. Not as hard as it seems. Take a shower with scent elimators before going out. Also be careful what you eat while your there. I like to munch on sunflower seeds. I've literally spit the shells down on top of deer before. As far as the new carbon clothing, I think they work fine. BUT are not an easy way out of doing these other preps. Everything you can do is better than doing nothing.

[keep it simple]

Hunt high and play the wind. That's it in a nut shell. You don't need all the fancy crap. Fred Bear never did!!

[Sid]

Thank you for the answers guys. I'm going to be trying it this weekend. Pretty excited. Gettin up at 5am to be in the tree by 6:15.

Thanks for the tips.

I saved my money,...going without the fancy stuff.

[sib]

Took a 6 point last night with the bow. 25 yard shot through both lungs. He ran 40 yards then expired. Nice buck and above all a nice clean, kill. Tenderloin is on the menu tonight.:9

[O F unregistered]

Sib - congratulations on the bowkill!

O F

[Rob Stratton]

I went all out with the best scent lockers, scent free soaps etc... Spent a ton on bait, took a few deer but nothing great. This year I've kinda been lazy, no bait, never pay attention to scent (but I pay EXTRA attention to the wind) and I have seen more deer this year than ever before.
I really beleive that baiting can hurt your chance to see bucks. I have witnessed many bucks change their route to avoid a group of does at a bait pile.

My advice, first scout an area and find the main travel routes. Plan at least three stand locations tht will work with different wind directions. Be aware, most hunters don't see a large portion of the deer that pass, or by the time they notice them it's too late, thry're busted.

Enjoy the experience. There is NOTHING more enjoyable than sitting in a tree and watching the wonderment of mother nature unfold around you.

[Ivy]

I was out over the weekend for the first time this year. I did not see many scrapes as it has been warm in upper Illinois.

As far as scents go....Keeping your scent down to a minimum is a must. Do what ever you can to do that. I use Scent Blocker undergarments and wash all the clothes I will wear out in the field with a scent free soap.

I shower with a scent free shampoo and dry off with a towel that washed in scent free soap. I keep my clothes in a carbon bag and do not bring anything back in the house unless it is to wash it again.

I always put on a cover scent or Carbon blaster.

Saturday I watched 3 bucks under my stand on and off for about 1 hour. The wind was still. They never knew I was there. One actually was curious to my ladder and licked it. I thought about jumping on his back and going for a ride. :D

If you watch your scent you can get away with a little more but even all the scent free prep is nothing like being down wind of your deer.

[Rob Stratton]

Got lucky last night, shot a 5 point, hit him in the shoulder. Thankfully the shot penetrated the shoulder deep enough to hit the heart. I still believe that all the scent control in the world won't take the place of good scouting and planning

[Ivy not logged in]

Very true.

When I am in my stand for hours at a time I go over a mental check list. All the time. And I play one thought in my head over and over and over.

"Chance favors the prepared."

Scent control is one part of the plan. Wind is another. Scouting is another. And so on.

Ivy