# bow hunting help



## valazybeachbum (Jul 24, 2007)

hay yall...i been bow hunting for the past 3 years and anit never gotta kill with the bow...its driving me nuts...yall got any tips for me ....i been thinking of baiting them but i dont know


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## AbuMike (Sep 3, 2007)

Can't bait deer in VA. Are you getting shots and missing or just not seeing any deer?


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## drhnter (Jan 14, 2007)

*Best tip*

spend as much time in your stand as you can, actually 3 years is not a long time when you are talking bow hunting, just keep yourself sent free and movement to a minium and eyes and ears open.


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## Duke of Fluke (May 22, 2002)

No substitute for seat time..........

How are you setting up? Are you seeing deer?


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## RuddeDogg (Mar 20, 2004)

*Yep*



drhnter said:


> spend as much time in your stand as you can, actually 3 years is not a long time when you are talking bow hunting, just keep yourself sent free and movement to a minium and eyes and ears open.


This is the best tip.


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## valazybeachbum (Jul 24, 2007)

i use a climber stand ..i go up about 20-25 feet...i only seen one deer ...while bow hunting ......this is why i always told myself ..i am a better fisherman then a hunter


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## saltandsand (Nov 29, 2007)

For me its three last year and two so far this year. BTW: Haven't got one yet out of my stand.

Are you missing? Are you hitting but not bagging? Are you not even getting a shot? Are you not confident enough to take the shots you've had available?


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## F I LetsGoFishin (Apr 24, 2007)

Things to keep in mind when it comes to seeing deer, which is by the way much differant than taking deer. 

Location . you have to be in area that they do move through. not neccarily where there is food but rather trails that they use on a regular basis. The more trails that are close togeather the better. Also do not restrict yourself to one constant tree move around.Deer can be rather noisy If you hear sounds in a area you can not see on a regular basis then next time move to were you can see the area you heard them from

Timing. you will not see them if you are not there when they are. I do not about others but I see and take most of my deer between 8:30 and 
10:am 9.30 seems to be the magic moment.

Concealment. your chances of seeing a deer are greatly reduced if they see you first. Their eyesight is far better than yours and they pick up movement quite quickly

Learn to recognise what you see. I have hunted close enough to a lot of peaple who say they do not see deer but I can see deer very close to them. My guess is they are looking for the whole animal. Most deer I see are detected by sound then I can pick out a part of it. sometimes it may take a few minutes to get enough movement to see the whole animal.


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## Finger_Mullet (Aug 19, 2005)

Where is VA are you from??

Darin


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## saltandsand (Nov 29, 2007)

Being color blind I hunt by sound more than sight, but I think I also have an advantage of being able to pick up on the shape of an animal, this I can't really say as I can only see through my eyes and talk with other hunters as to what they see.

Scent is very important. Be sure to wash your hunting clothes without soap as detergent has a strong odor that deer can pick up on. There are products to wash with that claim to eliminate odor or otherwise mask human odor. I have not used them but someday I may. Don't put on strong deodarant, I can say for sure that Old Spice chases deer away.

Check local regs closedly. I'm not sure but baiting may be prohibited but this may not include using scents (buck lures) as well as minerals in the soil. Read carefully, post links if you have questions about a particular reg and maybe someone here can help.

Limiting your motion is important. Always wear camo and this includes hiding your head/face. Breaking up your outline is critical. When I am on the ground I use bushes, branches, tree features or other natural objects such as a rocky background with varying heights to break up the outline of my body.

Here's a good one, avoid looking them in the eye. When they are on an approach they seem to sense when you are looking them directly in the eye. I can't substantiate this as a definate fact but I will tell you that many a deer had walked away just after I inadvertently made eye contact. I don't make eye contact anymore.

Bow hunting, in particular, is all about routine and discipline. Doing the exact course of events as required. Don't forget to refresh yourself on the pull and set up for your shot, refresh yourself on what are good shots and where the kill zone is located (i.e., double lung is best.) Know your shots based on set up of the deer, I can say I've sat and had a deer in range and waited for a set up and never got a responsible shot. Responsible shots are those that will bring the best results, irresponible shots only wound an animal that get lost in the woods to die a slow death or lives with disability. One deer I took years ago had a piece of broadhead that was lodged into its shoulder and had healed around, the deer survived the shot with the metal.

Ask more specific questions if you need more help. 

Have you prepared for how to field dress your game? If you need info let me know.


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## F I LetsGoFishin (Apr 24, 2007)

saltandsand said:


> Being color blind I hunt by sound more than sight, but I think I also have an advantage of being able to pick up on the shape of an animal, this I can't really say as I can only see through my eyes and talk with other hunters as to what they see.QUOTE]
> 
> I know that this is off topic but I can't help but ask. How do you see the blaze orange that is required in many states during gun seasons? does it still stand out and get your attention?


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## TreednNC (Jul 1, 2005)

Sometimes less is more. Ive hunted less the past few years than normally, and probably seen as many deer in the past two as I had all the others before. Hunt often, but switch it up. You arent the only one doing the patterning in the woods. While Im not as much of a believer in getting into the woods WAY early....I do like it to be just light enough to get in without a flash light. I dont spook as many deer that way. It is also proven that right at the twighlight hours of dawn (10-15min window), just light enough to see, deer dont move as much as JUST b4 light and JUST after, although it is a killer time to be there. HUNT LATE. When you think it's too dark to see, stay a little longer, you'll be surprised how late you can see. Most of the time it's close enough to the '30 min after sunset' law that wardens wont say anything. Most I know give 10min le-way anyway.


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## saltandsand (Nov 29, 2007)

F I LetsGoFishin said:


> saltandsand said:
> 
> 
> > Being color blind I hunt by sound more than sight, but I think I also have an advantage of being able to pick up on the shape of an animal, this I can't really say as I can only see through my eyes and talk with other hunters as to what they see.QUOTE]
> ...


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## saltandsand (Nov 29, 2007)

Weather has alot to do with it. A changing barometer often triggers eating when adverse weather is coming. Likewise a very constant barometer with a slight breeze is advantageous for letting scent travel. Knowing how to use scent is a big advantage, or knowing how to not be detected. A good article on barometer is http://www.kellscraft.com/ReadingWeather/readingweather06.html. I read and re-read it to refine my skills. I've generally come to know the weather by the feel of it and can tell if it's going to be good or poor, but there's always that stray chance so if I have the time I'll go even when my better sense says its not worth much.

Very windy nights scare the deer and keep them down. If it is a real calm morning after a windy night then this is usually very good. Windy days can be variable and it depends on the direction of the wind, the amount of wind, whether the wind is constant or bursting. Usually very windy days are not too good, but look for the calm afterward. A slight wind is not of any particular advantage unless the direction is in your favor by the lay of the land, but even with that a slight wind is good to cover up any noise you may make (unless of course it's bunking you over because your scent is being dispersed well in front of any minor noise that may occur.)

I haven't talked about other strategies yet. Those include grunts and rattling antlers. These other strategies work, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. But they work only if they are done properly.


Alot of the same thinking goes along with fishing. Like just before a storm has been some of the best fishing I've experienced, but those occassions are not too common since I'm not into getting all the gear together and going down the shore for a couple hours of fishing and then head back in the storm. Last spring was an exception because the way some of the storms set up. This fall I skipped most trips because the storms made it not worth the effort.


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## valazybeachbum (Jul 24, 2007)

Finger_Mullet said:


> Where is VA are you from??
> 
> Darin


vabeach, oceanfront


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## red_fish (Jul 22, 2007)

dude you gotta leave pungo to get a real deer
dude you know it took me almost 10 years to get my wall hanger and remember the wise words of the deer whisper JOE you dont need any scent camo or calls just nooooo scent is better then any scent like joe always says davey crockett didnt have any of that s*i*


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## saltandsand (Nov 29, 2007)

No scent is better than skanky stuff that don't work. Use the wind and weather to your advantage, like old Davy Crockett (or the native americans that taught him) did.

BTW: There are studies that say there are now more deer in the 13 colonies than there were at the time Mr. Columbus was said to have set foot on the land. This is because there is more grazing land and more timber line, which is what is needed for the species to thrive.


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## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

You wanna see deer?? 

Learn to look for ears and tails. White, and constantly twitchin'....

It's an old trick, but a damn good one.


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## TreednNC (Jul 1, 2005)

horizontal lines.....they dont occur much in nature....the top line of a deers back


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## F I LetsGoFishin (Apr 24, 2007)

Railroader said:


> You wanna see deer??
> 
> Learn to look for ears and tails. White, and constantly twitchin'....
> 
> It's an old trick, but a damn good one.



Yep you got it. kinda like T\A , once you see em ya never forget and always want more 


And forget the scents as the last thing you want is for the deer to be looking for YOU. But if you must use something try turpantine that way you only smell like a pine tree.


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## F I LetsGoFishin (Apr 24, 2007)

TreednNC said:


> horizontal lines.....they dont occur much in nature....the top line of a deers back


 I wish that we could say that down here in Florida. Since those huracanes a couple years ago we have more horizontal lines in the woods than you can count and looks like they will be there for a while


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## saltandsand (Nov 29, 2007)

Just snowed, looking like its going to be a good Saturday. Now all I have to do is shake this nasty cold and fever and get out there.


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## TreednNC (Jul 1, 2005)

F I LetsGoFishin said:


> I wish that we could say that down here in Florida. Since those huracanes a couple years ago we have more horizontal lines in the woods than you can count and looks like they will be there for a while



Horizontal lines with white at each end?


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## Jimmy (Sep 23, 2002)

I just started hunting this year after moving from Hampton to Roanoke, where I live in an area that I can hunt on my property at my house. I have never hunted before, so I'm pretty much learning as I go. I started learning how to shoot my bow in the fall of 2006, and did not try to hunt until this past fall when I felt confident in my shooting. I killed my first and only doe so far with the bow in October at my house. My best advice to you would be to heavily scout whatever area you will be hunting in the off season and know where the deer move. I have oak trees on my property where I know they feed in October when the acorns fall, which was where I set up in my tree stand. This year was a short acorn season at my place, and the deer were pretty much gone after the acorns were through. At that point I began hunting with a muzzleloader on National Forest land and some other private land. I had never been to any of these places, and was pretty much just guessing where to set up. And I never had another deer come in range, even for the gun. I feel certian that had I been more familiar with the places I hunted I could have had better results. So I know now what I'll be doing this summer- scouting these areas. With a bow its vital to be able to get close, so you have to know where to be ahead of time.


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## Finger_Mullet (Aug 19, 2005)

*Scouting*

I am scouting now for next year. I know things can and will change but if they were using an area heavily this year they should use heavily next year unless something changes dramatically. Example: cutting the timber, extremely dry or extremely wet weather, more hunting pressure from one year to the next. 

This time of year I always take a look at how things went the past season at a given stand. If they were not productive I will move it. If they were very productive I will leave things alone and scout again closer to season.

This year I had a box stand on an old logging road. I killed a doe and Danny killed a scrubby 5 point. I saw a young 4 point and another doe that I did not shoot. The next three times that stand was hunted nothing was seen. I moved it in the middle of season to a better place that was proven in past years. The dry weather made it possible to hunt it again. The following week I killed a nice 8 point. Several other deer were taken at this location as well. I am gambling on the weather this coming season. If it turns off wet next season and the beavers move back into the area, I will not be able to hunt it again in 2008. But if they do not I will have another productive stand.

I prefer not to do much scouting during deer season. If you lay too much scent in the area the deer will move to another area or use it at night. Most people will lay a bunch of scent in the area and wonder why they see no deer.

I use satellite photos of the tracts I hunt to help start things out. After that the footwork starts. I have a good idea of the trails, bedding area and feeding areas the deer use on each place that I hunt. 

The area I hunt the most is mostly pine thickets. Very few trees to hang stands on. The adjoining land is farmland or cow pastures. The deer bed on my area and move over to the farm land to feed. I have had good luck hunting road beds where I can see long distances.

It works for me.

Darin


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## Al Kai (Jan 8, 2007)

Have you tried scouting the deer year round.
Get the deer movement down, track the deer year round.
Go out and find sheds during the winter months.
If you can know where the deer will be all year you will know the best location to put your stand.
I have to be above the deer in a stand and just wait for them to come.
Good luck.


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## red_fish (Jul 22, 2007)

i have always been told that when a big buck gets killed go back and hunt that same spot because what ever was attractive to him to wanna hang out in that spot will be just as atractive for the next in line big buck


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