Written by Jim Nabors, originally published in the 1994 edition of Mossy Oak Bowhunting Magazine
I should have paid more attention to details, I thought. The hunting area was unmatched, an island in the Mississippi River, Willow Point to be exact. This bowhunting Mecca is home to a great number of Pope and Young whitetails, and just minutes before one had slipped right through my grasp.
It had all started simple enough. I was quite honestly run ragged before hunting season and shot my bow far less than I should. Then I broke a cardinal rule and tried to change shooting styles from fingers to a mechanical release during the season. This led to my chance at a true trophy buck vanishing right before my eyes. The details? Let's just say that I blew the opportunity right from the start.
One of the most important aspects of bowhunting is intimate familiarity with your equipment. This begins well before the season. In truth, you should concentrate on all your gear--stands, bows, sights, releases. The bottom line? Tune up your equipment before hunting season.
Bow Maintenance
Start with your bow. Make sure that all of the screws are tight, that the string is okay and that the bow is in tune. If you are a country bowman like me, this will often involve a trip to the local pro shop. Many of the high-performance bows available today can often get slightly out of synch after several seasons. Making sure that the bow is properly tuned is one of the keys to getting off to a good start with shooting practice. This "tune-up" should include everything associated with the bow and your ability to shoot it accurately.
Be sure that your bow is equipped for silence. Small things like moleskin on the riser, around the rest and string silencers can mean the difference between one chance or two. Likewise, preseason is the time fo check your bow for creaks and pops. The bow should draw quietly and smoothly, with absolutely no noise. Check your arrow rest and cable guard. Small noises here can turn a simple chip shot at a buck beneath your stand into a risky shot at a spooked animal. One of the best things I have seen for bowhunters is a Teflon cable slide. This small slide replaces the standard wraparound slide and produces no noise, however dusty the conditions.
Again, the most important aspect to address at this time is whether or not your bow is quiet. This becomes critical when the bow is shot in a hunting situation. Why? The reaction of many animals, whitetails, mulies and elk, at the release of the arrow, is to drop instantly. This can cause a well-aimed arrow to pass harmlessly over the animal's back or to hit in a non-vital area. It is therefore imperative that your bow be as quiet as possible. Several things can affect the amount of noise that is produced when the bow is shot. The type of rest, the shaft size of the arrow, the design of the bow, type of sight and overdraws, each of which has the potential to produce noise upon release.
One of the best ways to detect vibration is by holding the bow and rapping it sharply with the heel of your hand. Many times you can pick up vibration by listening to the bow in this manner. Hunting partners can also help you track noise when shooting during practice sessions. It is amazing how a man standing to the side of a shooter can hear far more than the shooter. Remedies for many problems are quite simple. A set of Allen wrenches, Loc-tite, heat-shrink tubing and moleskin, along with a bit on ingenuity, can eliminate most bow noises.
It is unbelievable how animals react to bow noise, even at short yardages. A recent Wildventure hunt that we video taped at Willow Point illustrated this point vividly. In this situation, a 140-class buck ducked under an arrow flying 265 feet per second at less than 24 yards! That's a lot of numbers, but suffice it to say that the big buck ducked a quick arrow faster than seemed possible. Thus, for veteran bowhunters the silence of a particular bow-and-arrow combination is paramount. A footnote to the hunt above is that the bow was extremely quiet and the whitetail still reacted.
With this in mind, many of the major bow manufacturers are developing moderately fast bows that are extremely quiet. Golden Eagle's Craig Dougherty states simply that you cannot "out-quick" a whitetail. Therefore, his company has been extremely diligent in developing their new System bows, a combination of bows and accessories that are extremely quiet. Likewise, Tom McMillan III of McPherson Archery put silence foremost when developing the new Velvet Antler finish, a felt-like material available on both the bow risers as well as the overdraws. The result an extremely quiet and functional hunting combination.
Arrows and Quivers
Arrows should also be examined. Are fletchings torn? Vanes need replacing? Torn fletching or vanes can cause the arrow to produce quite a bit of noise en route to the target, once again causing an immediate reaction by the animal. Check all of the shafts for straightness, the inserts, everything. Preseason is the time for changing shaft sizes. Often you will find that your bow will shoot a different shaft far better than the one. you are currently shooting. Make sure that the inserts are properly aligned. The easiest way to do this is by spinning the shaft and noting any wobble or shake, especially where the insert and tip meet.
Next is the quiver, many hunters use a bow quiver, often a quick-release model. Should you hunt with the quiver on the bow or off? There are pros and cons to each. Most of the consistently successful bowhunters I have met in the past few years have shot with the quiver off the bow when actually hunting. Their reason is simple: the less on the bow, the less to make noise. Toxey Haas of Mossy Oak camouflage fame says that the main reason he prefers to shoot with the quiver off when hunting is to keep from flashing bright fletchings around when drawing the bow or when moving into shooting position. He, like other experience bowhunters, believes that a great deal of potential noise is eliminated by removing the quiver from the bow.
I agree. It is simply much easier to maneuver in tree stands with a bare bow. And a second arrow is close at hand when you hang the quiver right on the tree. But if you insist on a bow-mounted quiver, make sure the quiver attaches securely to the bow, holds the arrows firmly and quietly and covers the broad heads well.
Practice: Range Estimating
With your bow and arrows in good shape, shooting practice begins. By far, the main problem that most bowhunter's face is distance judgement. Changes in foliage and other conditions can cause game to appear closer or farther away than they actually are. Preston Gothard of the Wildventure staff suggests that actual field practice is invaluable for hunting. Preston practices with the same clothing, stand and everything else he uses when he is actually hunting. As for distance judgement, Preston relies on shooting 3-D targets at unmarked distances to sharpen his range-estimating ability.
Of course, hunting different game species in different terrain can cause a bowhunter quite a bit of trouble. On my first elk hunt I misjudged the yardage several times. Fortunately, I was able to take my first bull from a tree stand instead of from the ground. Their large body size coupled with the difficult terrain made it extremely difficult for me, an Eastern whitetail hunter, to judge any shot accurately. One thing that can help in this situation is to practice shooting at your hunting location, using a full-size 3-D target of the species you're hunting. I missed a nice pronghorn several seasons ago because I failed to practice in the open terrain. I shot him for 45 yards when he was in fact only 35.
Another item that can be helpful to the bowhunter on a first-time hunt for a big game species is a rangefinder. This small device actually determines the yardage and gives the hunter an accurate distance. They are perfect for the elk hunter on a wallow, a mule deer hunter at a water hole, or for an antelope hunter on a windmill. A couple of readings from the blind will help make any shot more accurate.
Many bowhunters believe that an increase in arrow speed via lighter arrows and/or heavier bows are an aid in hunting. Their reasoning is that t hey need only one sight pin to shoot their entire range of hunting shots. This is ideal, as long as the arrow retains the weight and length needed for good penetration. I watched two lightweight arrows fail to penetrate quartering-away animals this fall. In short, while speed is important, penetration is as well, something to consider when choosing broadhead weights and shaft sizes.
Randy Lunt of Oregon Bow Company prefers hunting with full-length, heavy arrows. The difference, Randy notes, is penetration. And for big game such as elk and mule deer, full-length arrows retain more energy downrange. Randy also prefers a quiet bow that is capable of shooting a moderately fast arrow. Like many, he says that fast bows put a premium on release and form and they're unforgiving. Hence, a slightly slower, quieter bow makes the best hunting bow.
For the tree-stand hunter, pendulum sights are one of the most helpful aids for accurate shooting. Most eliminate the need for yardage judgement within a set radius of the stand. Their only drawbacks might be the noise produced at the shot and their limited use in hilly country. As well, they are somewhat difficult to silence on most bows. But even with these minor inconveniences their performance is amazing. I have hunted whitetails extensively with pendulum sights and it is unbelievable how simple they are to sight in and use. Moreover, they allow you to shoot one. pin and hold dead on the animal. It's a sight I owe most of my bowhunting success to.
Gear Troubleshooting
Two things cost many bowhunters chances at animals each fall. The first is face masks and head nets, the second, bulky clothing. Be absolutely sure while tuning up and practicing that you shoot with and. wear the exact same gear that you use while hunting. It is amazing how a slight change in equipment or clothing can cause major shooting problems. And often the problems surface while hunting, which is too late. The problem? Face masks and head nets often make it difficult to finding a solid anchor point and they can obstruct vision. Changing tabs or wearing gloves with certain releases can cause great difficulty on the draw, as can bulky winter clothing, which can grab the bowstring or cause an improper release.
One of the best garments ever designed for the hunting archer--which solves the problem of bulky clothes--is Mossy Oak's new bow parka. Developed by the hunters at Haas Outdoors, the parka actually compresses clothing worn under it so that nothing comes in contact with your bowstring and you get a smooth release. This parka has an elastic gathering across the back, a compression sleeve for the right-handed bowyers and a flip-out bow rest. In Fall Foliage, it's now my favorite bowhunting garment. For early-season hunting, Mossy Oak also offers the bow vest. Like the turkey vest, it will become a staple among your hunting gear.
But again, whatever you wear for hunting togs, make sure you wear them while practicing.
For the whitetail bowhunter such practice should include plenty from tree stands. It is amazing how much effect elevation can have on an arrow's flight. I've seen shots missed at 10 to 15 yards or closer, primarily due to failing to practice from an elevation position. So preseason practice should include plenty of close shots, and every shot you think you might have at a whitetail. Practice should be with 3-D targets because of their likeness to a deer, which will help you understand how the arrow must be placed for a killing shot. Next to shooting practice, knowing the anatomy of the animal and arrow placement are the most important.
Getting your gear ready for a 10-yard encounter with a buster whitetail should also include a hard look at your tree stand. Tree stand "tune-ups" should include a check of all the straps and webbing, the seat and the platform. Make sure you can make any movement in your stand you might need to make as an animal approaches. Lubricate all the joints in the seat and check the entire stand for loose nuts or screws. generally, this is a good time to give the stand a light coat of camo paint as well. Lastly, make sure you have a pull-up cord for your bow attached to the stand.
Finally, check your camo and clothing. Faded camo loses its effectiveness. So replace all faded camo that you plan to wear as outer garments. When replacing faded camo, mix and match patterns that best suit the colors of the area you hunt. And make sure that all exposed surfaces are camouflaged, including the bow, quiver, fanny packs, or any item that may give your presence away with a flash or a noise. Yes, camouflage means silence as well. In short, make sure that none of your hunting gear will give your presence away.
When it works, it works well. Properly tuned equipment is the very foundation of making clean, effective shots, which, my friend, is the essence of bowhunting.
