Compound Bow

By far, the most popular bow for hunting and target shooting.

Many styles are available, but they all work basically in the same manner: Wheels and cams attached to the limbs and bowstring efficiently store energy as the bow is drawn, with the initial draw weight being greater than the full draw. This makes make the bow easier to hold, and keep steady, at full draw. The resulting benefit of the bow’s design is that it can reduce draw weight by 50 percent or more.

Many expert bowmen contend that beginning with a long bow or recurve (see below) will sharpen skills, since these bows are not often equiped with the peeps, sights, and let-off characteristics of the compound bow. Additionally, the initial investment required to get started will give the novice a low-cost opportunity to determine whether archery is something they wish to pursue.

Choosing a Compound Bow and Arrow

Many compound bows are adjustable for both draw length and draw weight. A proper choice would be a bow that could be adjusted for more draw weight as you become stronger through practice. Younger shooters benefit from a bow that allows them to adjust the draw length and weight as their arms grow longer and stronger.

For hunting, you should look for a bow that delivers high speed and superior power. Look for a bow that will shoot your arrows at more than 240 feet per second. I recommend limb-forward positioning and an adjustable grip. I suggest a bow that allows you the option of different let-offs. I also want a lightweight, well-balanced bow.

Many say the broadhead is the most important component of the hunting archer's equipment. Because this object is the first thing that actually comes in contact with the deer, that idea may be well founded. Choosing a broadhead can be difficult. There are more hunting points out there than we have species to shoot them at.

Your broadhead should be chosen to fit your exact needs. Some things to consider first are: type of bow, composition of arrow, size of game and cost. There are some areas where I'll settle for average. Not so with my archery gear. I strive for the very best I can find. Carbon arrows have proven to me to be superior to aluminum. Not only does their decreased diameter increase speed, but they are much more resilient and forgiving than aluminum.

Propelling these high-performance projectiles is where your system will be completed. Finding the right bow to hunt deer with is as much fun as it is important. Keep one point foremost in your mind as you shop and decide on a bow. Buy a bow that's comfortable for you. Don't let public opinion, your buddy's advice or slick advertising affect your judgment.

Be sure to consult with a local archery or hunting supply store where knowledgeable bowmen are employed. They will help select the draw weight and length that are right for you. For more complex equipment, they can help set up your sights, peeps, let-off, balancers and dampers to get the best performance from your bow.

Your practice range may be a simple, single target fashioned from two stacked hay bales and a handmade bullseye. You may otherwise wish to select from a wide variety of targets that are commercially available as both bullseyes or mock-game.

Some folks I know have enough land that they've set up "walk through" ranges in which they shoot through trees and obstacles, and where they can practice stalking, stealth and soundless movement through representative terrain.

In any case, it's best to have targets, or shooting lines, that have varying known distances, so you can get used to the peeps and pins you'll use at range. Estimating the range to your target will play a big part in your success!

Examples of Archery Ranges

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Seven Tips for Successful Bow Hunting

BACK

There was no need to worry about the cold. It wasn't a bone-chilling cold, but rather the kind of cold that wraps itself around you. Smarter folks were still at home in warm beds. But not me. I was 30 feet up in an oak tree, facing the wind, sitting on a hard, cold metal tree stand.

Many people consider me a bit crazy for enduring the weather that accompanies fall and early winter. But my quest for large bucks is a driving force and if I wasn't having fun, I wouldn't be doing it. Bowhunting is a passion.

On this day, that buck was coming in parallel to the trail and about 30 yards downwind of it. I had positioned my stand for exactly this move. I knew the does and yearlings would use the trail. I had bet the buck wouldn't. His path would take him behind my tree. I slowly turned my back to the buck and methodically raised my bow. I listened as he made his way toward me. He passed my tree at about 15 yards. It had been very windy that morning, and I had been grunting loudly. I now used the grunt call to stop the buck. One short, soft grunt planted him like a block of granite.

Many things cross your mind as you anchor, aim and release an arrow at a mature buck. Many things must be right. A few more must be perfect. This split second culminates many months of preparation and planning. As the arrow left the bow string, all the time and effort that it took to get to that point paid off.

Bow hunters don’t get good deer consistently because they have a rabbit’s foot in their pocket. It is true sometimes deer hunters are lucky and a mature buck walks by, but those are isolated incidents. To kill deer consistently with a bow you need to practice and be using some sort of plan to outsmart the deer.

Let's look at some ways to help make your hunt successful.

1) Scouting:

Bowhunting for deer requires quite a bit of preparation time. Few are lucky enough to step into the timber for the first time and stick a big buck. Pre-season scouting is essential, and I don't mean in September. Walks in the woods in September can cause more harm than good. You'll probably alert the buck to your presence and make him nervous even before the season starts.

Scouting should begin during the previous season and be completed by midsummer. Your stand location should be chosen and your stand in place by July. Deer are creatures of habit. Seldom do I find new trails where I hunt. Rubs are often in the same locations and quite often on the same trees. Scrape lines are usually consistent year after year.

Bucks are much easier to pattern early in the season, before the rut begins. When scouting for buck sign, especially in the spring and early summer, don't look for lots of tracks. An area that has an abundance of tracks and droppings probably holds mature does and their offspring. This time of year, bucks are not likely to be with the females. Places with a high density of deer sign are not likely to include the sign of a mature buck. It is a good idea, however, to remember where those spots are located. According to noted white-tailed deer biologist C.J. Winand, "Areas of concentrated deer droppings indicate either a bedding or feeding area. Knowing where does live can come in handy."

As the rut begins, bucks alter their patterns to find does. If you plan to hunt the rut, move into an area that holds numerous female deer. The bucks will come.

Another good piece of scouting advice is to keep in mind the agricultural status of your hunting area. Deer movement will change markedly if an area that was standing corn last year is planted in soybeans this year. We all know the advantage that deer have in standing corn. Their routes and the level of their nocturnal behavior will change if this advantage is eliminated by the planting of a shorter crop. Be aware in the spring of what crops are present. This will help you predict how the deer might adapt to them.

Finally, keep in mind that scouting is never done. Every trip you make into the woods should give you more information about the deer. Physical traits of the land itself can change between seasons. Scouting gives you better awareness of your area. This is the deer's home, you should try to know it as well as he does. To be successful every year, you have to know every foot of the land you are hunting. This allows you to be able to change your plans quickly and to be to know where the most likely places the deer will be during a certain time. To do this you have to be able to observe deer and the signs throughout every season. Then once you file away that knowledge you will be able to be more consistent during the hunt in the coming season.

2) Stand Placement:

Every bowhunter knows the basics of how to choose a stand site. We all know that the prevailing wind is critical. But another tip about moving air involves the "thermals" associated with warm air movement up a hill. Conversely, as it cools it moves downhill. Your scent particles will be carried by this moving air. As you place your stand and determine if it will be a morning or an evening site, remember the thermals.

All too often hunters place their stands directly on trails or directly over scrapes. This is not always an advisable tactic. Many female and young deer will use the trail routinely. A buck however, will quite often parallel the trail from several yards downwind. As you search for a good stand site, check closely for secondary, paralleling trails. Such trails may be where the bucks travel.

Scrape hunting is not an exact science either. Putting your stand within easy bow range of an active or a mock scrape will sometimes be successful. More often than not, a mature buck will approach from downwind. He'll examine the area with his nose, from a distance. The best bet remains in placing your stand about 30 to 40 yards downwind of the scrape. This won't always work, but it certainly increases your odds.

The key word to keep in mind when placing your stand is edge.

"Where CRP or grain fields meet the timber is where 90 percent of deer activity will occur," says Winand. "Most hot trails will probably parallel the edge, about 20 to 30 yards inside the timber. That's where your stand should be for a chance at a buck."

Most frequently the females and young deer will enter a field first, to feed. The buck or bucks will lag behind, waiting for the cover of darkness before joining the other deer in the field. These "off-the-edge" trails are where they'll stop and wait. That's where you should have a stand.

The home-range of a deer is partially determined by edge. Deer will move to new areas for many reasons, but as a general rule, the more edge the smaller the home-range. If deer must travel long distances between edge areas, they will, thus increasing the area they call home.

Knowing a deer's preference for edge can help you locate your buck. "Compared to other deer, a quality buck is a totally different species from a behavior standpoint," Winand said. "They are difficult to pattern, and there are always environmental intangibles to consider."

The bottom line for stand placement is to find the area that deer use, and use the natural surroundings and conditions to your advantage.

3) Preparation:

You must be able to access your stand without spooking deer. This is one of the harder items to accomplish. One way to help accomplish this is to cut a path to your stand during the summer. You also will need at least two stands for different wind directions. Also, you will need a location where deer will pass within thirty yards of you stand during shooting hours.

Trimming shooting lanes and putting up stands several months before the season will help let deer settle down after you disturbed their peace. Also, while you are trimming and setting up stands don’t forget to make a path to your stand so you can get their quietly. I have seen times when a person does all the work for the season a week before and they don’t see anything because they have spooked all the deer.

Another tactic is packing light so you can do more stalking and still hunting. What you need for this set up is a light tree climber and the minimum of gear so you are not dragged down during your hunt. To be successful you need to hunt slowly and patiently so you do not spook or miss deer.

4) Calling

Much has been written in recent years about attracting deer with sound. Antler rattling and deer calling are not new tactics. They are, however, relatively new to the general public.

The grunt call is a universal, year-round sound that puts deer at ease and triggers their curiosity. Some grunts are merely contact calls. They are a form of vocal communication between deer. Other grunts may be in a more challenging form, like when two dominant bucks meet. Still other grunt sounds are made by deer who are in a breeding mood.

Grunting is, by far, the most effective method of calling deer into your archery shooting radius, but it is not the only audible tool the bowhunter has at his disposal.

Antler rattling has taken its place in the deer hunting history books. Native American paintings depict antler rattling long before the Europeans arrived. Antlers are not the only rattling devices that have been used to imitate a buck fight. Synthetic materials such as plastic and fiberglass have been made into antler rattles. Dowel rods in cloth bags are available and now small plastic "rattle boxes" are being produced.

The key to rattling is timing. Let's use some logic. If dominant bucks are with estrogen-laden females during the peak rut, will they lead those prime does to a fight between two other males? Probably not. On the other hand, would a buck seek out other fighting males during the pre-rut when the order of dominance is being established? Probably so. Bottom line: rattle during the pre-rut. During the actual rut, leave your rattling tools at home and depend on your grunt call.

5) Scent

Here's another important factor that deserves our attention. The only way you're going to fool deer consistently is to beat their nose. Their nose is their number one means of survival. With all the natural and manufactured fragrances you can buy, positioning is still the most critical factor. Your strongest cologne won't spook a buck if the wind prevents him from smelling it.

We should break the scents into two separate categories; attracting scents and cover scents.

Attracting scents are those aromas that, when picked up by a deer's olfactory glands, cause the deer to instinctively seek out the source of the odor. The two basic types of attracting scents are food and sex scents.

These types of deer attractants should be used sparingly. We've probably all seen videos where the hunter liberally applies the liquid "doe in heat" all over his body. This is something you should never do with an attracting scent. A deer's nose is like radar. He can pinpoint the source of a smell from quite some distance. If you're the source of that smell, he'll pinpoint you.

My advice for using attracting scents is to keep them light. An abnormal amount of a natural scent is just as damaging as an unnatural scent. Keep in mind that a deer's nose is super-sensitive, and go easy on these products. Use a few drops on a drag rag or around a mock scrape. Your worst mistake with attracting scents is over use.

When using a cover scent, you don't have to be quite so cautious. Cover scents come in a variety of "flavors." Red fox urine is good if there are lots of foxes in your area. Cedar is good if there are cedar trees around. Any natural scent will help cover your unnatural scent. The important thing is that it should be a scent the deer recognizes, but that doesn't alarm him.

The best aroma I've found for a cover scent is one that exists almost everywhere. Some call it "damp dirt." Others call it "fresh earth" or "natural ground." Regardless of its name, this scent effectively covers yours, without alarming the animal. But remember, no amount of cover scent or attracting scent will make up for consistent mistakes with the wind.

6) Attitude

The most important factor that will increase both your enjoyment of bowhunting and the satisfaction that you glean from the sport is the attitude that you carry with you into the woods. No one appreciates a blood-thirsty slob who ignores the law and turns his back on hunting ethics. Anti-hunting groups feed on this.

"Perseverance and patience must be top priorities for a bowhunter," said Quincy's Greg Nixon. "These priorities are also virtues that are to be admired. A bowhunter should be focused on the experience he has as he blends in with nature, not what he can put on the wall."

Finally, let's add that tradition is a big part of this sport. Even though you are out there alone, this is not an individual sport. Every time you set foot in the field with a bow in your hand, you take with you time, effort, money, sweat, tears and the mystique that hundreds of years of archery evolution has given us.

You represent what many consider to be the purest form of hunting.

7) The Little Things:

The little things all add up to be very important and can be the difference between a shot and staring at a bobbing white tail as the deer jumps away. First thing to do once up in a stand is check your safety harness (What do you mean you don’t have one!?) and your bow to make sure they are functioning properly and that you can make a complete draw and release without getting a twig caught. Also, double check your shooting lanes, even a small twig can move your arrow enough to be off target.

By late November, the rut is over in most parts of the country and many hunters are hanging up the gun or bow, but this isn't the time to sit around. Deer hunting in the post-rut is usually not done as frequently as during the rut, but post-rut is easier to pattern deer and to kill them with your skill and not your luck. Post-rut can be the best times to kill a monster buck, you just have to know how to do it.

Food Source: Bucks are tired after chasing does during the rut, and they need to rest and eat for the winter that is coming up ahead. Bucks will still be elusive until the hunting pressure calms down a little and you will need to locate food sources close to their bedding area. Later once the pressure has calmed down, the deer will move to a bedding area close to a prime food source (acorns, honeysuckle, corn, soybeans, winter crops, etc.). You can either set up over the food source or you can be more successful by setting up over a deer path that leads from the food source to the bedding area.

Young Does: Young does usually don't go in heat at the same time as older ones. They go in heat later in the year. If you want to do well with this strategy you have to know where the young does travel and eat. You then set up near that area with a feeding doe decoy, "in heat" scent, and some bleat calls or you can set up in the buck's area (as previously mentioned in the food source) with the same set up. Both ways will work if properly executed.

The Drive: I don't usually like doing drives (I feel it's for people who don't have the skill or don't put in the effort to be able to pick a spot and be successful with it.), but drives can be an engaging activity for late season hunting. One drive technique that is usually successful if you have about four or five people (it can be done with as many as twenty though) is just a normal drive through the bedding or feeding area of a buck. For this, have two people set up downwind from the chosen area. Then have the remaining people walk in a zigzag pattern though the bedding area with wind coming from their backs. Another technique is for a smaller group. If you know of a ravine or other funnel that deer frequently travel through this is the way to go for you. Have one hunter set up on the top of the ravine with his face to the wind. The other one or two people walk in a zigzag pattern towards the ravine. Both will be excellent ways to put deer in the freezer.

The Decoy: Hunting with a decoy is a promising strategy at almost any time of the year. The only requirements are that you choose and use the decoys properly. For late season deer hunting, using a feeding doe with a subdominant buck tends to work the best. A larger buck will usually get mad when he sees what looks like a smaller buck stealing his hot doe. He will come after the subdominant buck and that's when you need to be set up with a clear shot at him.

Bump and Hide: This can be done with one or two people. If you have two set up one person downwind of a buck's bedding area. The other person starts on the upwind side of bedding area and tries to push the deer up and locate where it was resting. The other person is sitting there to see if he can get lucky and have the buck walk past him when you bump the buck, but the first person is not necessary. You then leave for the day and come back the next day as early as possible and set up a stand over the site where you bumped him. The buck will usually return in one to three days.

Scout: This is usually not considered an idea anyone would consider during hunting season, but it can be successful in helping you later this year and early in the next season. What you need to do is try to locate the new routes bucks are using after the rut. These usually are the same ones they used early in the season, but they can still change in the short amount of time. Once you locate these you can hunt with many of the strategies already listed in this and my previous post.

Spot and Stalk: This is an excellent choice if there is snow on the ground or you are a proficient tracker. First you locate fresh deer tracks in the snow and decide if they are fresh or not (I plan to write my next post on this topic.). Then you follow the tracks as quietly as possible to not disturb other deer or to give the one being tracked any reason for him to believe he is being followed. You may have to follow the deer the entire day to get on shot at him, but it is usually less boring then sitting in a tree all day. You can also walk steadily through the woods looking for deer and glassing constantly in hopes of finding one without you spooking it. You then stalk it until in range and let loose your arrow.