***Archery Tip of the Week 2007***

[DonBo]

Because of the opener, and Cooter stealing my topic a couple weeks ago, I will hopefully have my tip on Monday. I should have several hours on stand this weekend to think about it...unless those darn deer keep buggin me!

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!

[Bassboy1645]

Hey Ill take the 23rd if no ones got that tip...

[Deitz Dittrich]

Bassboy.. its yours.. thank you!

[DonBo]

Tip Of The Week for Sept. 16th. Hunting large tracts of public land.

[b/Cooter hit on this a couple weeks ago. In-season scouting. In larger tracts of wooded areas, it is so important to continuously scout. Many of these areas don't have the agriculture fields nearby that can make bow hunting so much easier. Deer can move anywhere without fear of being in the open. Bedding and feeding areas are not as obvious as they are in farm lands. Changes in the woods can make deer move to new areas almost daily. Leaves thinning, white oak acorns gone, red oak just starting to drop, hunting pressure, etc.

I like to walk as many areas as I can during the midday when deer are not as active. Any type of edge is the place to start. These can be clear cut areas bordering mature oaks, pine bordering poplars, swampy edges, etc. Some of these edges can be quite large, others much smaller. I look for maybe not the most sign, but the freshest. Once I find the fresh sign I have been searching for, I will put up a stand as soon as possible and hunt it right away if conditions are right. When I find the spot I wish to hunt, I will put my stand on the downwind side of the AREA. Often in big woods situations there may not be well defined trails to help you pick the perfect stand location. As always, you should be as scent free and as quiet as possible while putting up your stand. You also need to find the best way to get in and out of this new area, take into account the wind direction and scent you may leave. I use a hand pruner to help clear trails. They allow you to move quicker and quiter through the woods while leaving as little scent as possible.

As you hunt a new area it may become obvious that you will have to fine tune your stand placement. It may also take awhile to figure if this spot is good only in the mornings or evenings. Few spots will be good for both.

One advantage to hunting big woods is I don't have to be stuck in a 40 acre woodlot. If deer are not there, I can move miles down the road. If I spook deer at my stand, I can go elswhere for awhile to let things settle down. I usually have several sites picked out over a large area so my stands rarely get burned out. Most mornings after stand, I will walk around my area, or through a place I have not been to see if there may be a better spot near me.

If you cover enough ground through the course of a season you should come up with several spots that produce year after year. You should also know what sites are best with which winds.

I also keep a journal of all my hunting. Simple input as to what stands produce during years of many acorns (like this year) or where to look when the acorns are scarce. Also where my best spots have been at different times during the season and with different winds.

By following a few of these tips and breaking down a piece of large woods into smaller areas that produce, you don't need to fear the big woods, just bring a compass...

[Bassboy1645]

ARCHERY TIP OF THE WEEK SEPT 23RD

In my mind and many others like me, access is half the battle in bowhunting for white tailed deer. Im no pro but I feel the only way to determine the best access is from experience hunting in that area.

Case in point: I hunt a strip of oaks about 20 yards wide and 200 yards long. Its bordered on the north by Crp grass and cattails and to the south by cattais and water. It hooks to another point of woods and then corn and soybeans in effect making it a classic funnel stand. However being on a WMA, it has a trail and a parking on the far side of it. Becasue of the extremely light pressure even during gun season, it remains a good spot despite being close to the road. Time and time again the few people I see hunt it wrong park at the end of the strip, walk down, and hunt. The first year I hunted it I was just as guilty. I also noticed how many deer I bumped everytime I walked to the spot in the predawn darkness. After a frusterating season, some hardcore spring scouting, and an hour or two of map reading I was able to figure out the route. Rather than walk the strip Id have to park half mile or so away. Then Id walk past the strip on a south wind and hit the field edge 100 yards to the north. From there I looped down to the marsh and into the strip via the west. Any deer in the strip werent bumped, and the veichle didnt prevent them from walking into the strip from the marsh. I THINK IT MATTERS WHERE YOU PARK!!!

If you dont have the luxury of experience in a particular hunting area, it can still be a great producer for you. With the arials in hand, and what you know from scouting (speed scouted midday or a full presason combing)look for areas you can remain undetected while keeping scent away from the area the deer are coming from or going to. Edges, ditches, big hills, head high trees or crops like corn can keep you hidden provided the noise is kept to a minimum( dont walk through corn unless its windy). Creeks and lakes are fantastic scent free access points. Creeks can cover noise and scent often allowing you to slip past bedded deer for the ultimate stealthy ambush. paddling is fog quiet and you can use a duck boat or a canoe to glide into unpressured and remote areas where the monsters lurk. In a perfect world deer will never bust you as you sneak or glide to your spot allowing for the ultimate suprise. But the reality is at least one or more deer will know whats up or at least hint at a problem with any human beings in the woods. After all, you know or figure out quick if someones in your house or bedroom. Your hunting in the deer's house. Think of it in that sense, and the best you can do is to suprise the deer with a deadly arrow as its too late for him do to anything.

[delmuts]

ok! so this isn't so much of a tip as it is of a whine???

when will the manufacturers of archery products come to realize , that things for a HUNTING BOW ! shouldn't be shiny!! ( i.e ; the hardware on rest,sights, and such!) i was preping my bow,( our season starts oct. !)with a black magic marker.on the rest; the screws,the bar,are shiny , and the prongs are white( i shoot a n.a.p. two prong fallaway!)?? gees! why can't they make this stuff in a powder gray or black?

my tip is take a good look at your bow. see anything shiny? a black magic marker well cover it well! del

[harvey lee]

Thanks Bassboy.

[UMDSportsman]

There hasn't been any action on here in a while. I have something to add. Most of you guys probably know this and maybe it was already covered, but i found it out the hard way.

Mark everything that could move or is adjustable on your bow. I don't know what the best medium for marking is, maybe a pencil, or liquid whiteout. When i first got my new bow this summer they marked the location of the peep with liquid whiteout, a small line on both the peep and the string, this gives you a reference so you know if it moved and if so how much and where to return it to. Lately my rest moved on me. The screw that adjusts the 'windage' of the rest is tight, but not tight enough. Since i did not mark the location on the slide where you can adjust it, I will be spending some time at the pro shop tuning it again when i could be in the stand.

Once again mark the location of everything that can move or be adjusted on your bow (rest, peep, sights, etc.).

[harvey lee]

Thanks for the post UMD. Sometimes we forget about the little things that can really help if we take the time to do it.

To anyone else, if you would like to post a few tips for all of the viewers, please feel free to do so. Many times one thinks what they know is not important but we do all learn from each other.

Thanks to all who took the time to write up a post of tips and I wish you all a safe and successfull season.

[snapcrackpop]

I like the tip someone mentioned about tying your antlers to your long rope then "rattling" by pulling the rope.

I tried this a week ago and pulled in a little 8-point to 25 yards. The sound of the antlers hitting the ground is good, and best of all you can do it one handed.

[huntnfish]

This isn't much of a tip but it might save some tracking. This isn't something I came up with but I have done it and it works a lot of the time.

Immediately after you shoot a buck, grab your grunt tube and grunt a few times. I have done this 5 or 6 times and most of the time the buck will stop and take a look back. I shot my first deer with a bow last night, a small 8 point, and I did this. After I shot he took off running but when I grunted a few times he stopped about 50 yards away to take a look and fell over in that spot about 15 seconds later. I have done this with a rifle, muzzleloader and now a bow. I'm not sure how far he would have went with only one lung but there wasn't much of a blood trail so it sure helped to see where he fell.

[Meat-Run]

Huntnfish,

thats a really good tip. Never have thought of that and in some cases it might really make or break a search and rescue effort on a possible bad shot. To add to your tip one should have his grunt call handy or ready to go and not get in the way of your bow string when you release. This is something that I'm very aware of because one could "hang" himself or get hurt if your grunt call is around your neck.

mr

[sticknstring]

Great tip... Often after a shot they'll run out 50 yds and turn around looking back wondering what just happened... it's during this key time that one should remain motionless on stand as to not spook the animal - a few added grunts could further help calm him/her down.

If you're looking for a great grunt call that doesn't hang around the neck and is always hands-free give the A-way Bowgrunter Plus a try... pin it on near your collar and again under your armpit. It's an inhale model so it won't freeze up. Great sound too.

[so haaad]

Add "pre-hunt" practice rounds to your hunting gear list

I think we all know that bow shooting skills will diminish by the mid-season without practice. It is the same as lifting weights, jogging or any other physical or endurance activity. Shooting during the season will help maintain shooting form, work out those shooting muscles and boost your confidence.

For bowhunters who don't practice much during the actual season, most use the excuse that they would rather be hunting instead of practice shooting. So combine the two. I carry a "block" style portable target in my vehicle. At least once or twice a week, shoot a few quick, "pre-hunt" practice rounds. I usually shoot practice rounds in the field right before heading into the stand. Pre-hunt practice rounds should take just a few minutes and should be short enough so they do not wear out your arm or cut into your hunting time. Mine consist of a round or two at 30-yards (or more) and end with one round at short yardage shots near 20 yards. I end with short yard shots for two reasons: 1) It's a huge confidence boost shooting a round at short yardage right after shooting longer yardage rounds. 2) It doesn't matter how good of a shot a person is, most "smoked him" shots for bowhunters are usually 20 yards or less.

[harvey lee]

I think the biggest tip I can offer is for all of us to go out and enjoy the opportunity we have to do the hunting we do. If we could all be that little extra safe with our guns and bows and know whats behind the deer we are shooting at, just maybe no family will have to recieve the bad news that a family member was shot.

Lets all really try to make this year a year where no bads news is in the newspapers or any type press.

Good luck to all.

[DonBo]

Well, it's that time of the year that most of us are puting our archery gear away for the season. For some of us the fun of a new season is just about to start. You remember all those new gadgets you heard about last summer that you thought would be interesting to try? How about those fancy new arrows? Different release? With Christmas coming quick, how about a new bow?

Most every archery club and pro shop has indoor leagues that are the perfect way to get a jump on practicing for next years hunting seasons. You can shoot spots, a perfect way to get your shooting form in shape, or you can shoot animal targets from different positions you may face during the fall hunt. It is also a great way to get yourself out of the house one night of the week during our long winter months. Everyone standing in line with you has the same interests hopes and dreams as you when it comes to next years hunting.

Most leagues start around the first of January, so start looking now to decide where you want to shoot and what type of shooting you would like do. Just get out there and do it! Your shooting will definately benifit from year round practice and you may meet new friends, get access to new hunting grounds, etc. who knows?

[cpinkert]

Hey everyone,

I was going through this forum for the first time today and saw this thread, great idea. A lot of good ideas/tips have been posted, and I just wanted to share a few I've discovered over the 10 years of bowhunting I've done.

The first couple have to do with practicing. I preach the value of practicing to everyone I know because I don't want them to endure what I have in the past - missed shots on two really nice bucks my first two seasons bowhunting. Additionally, for those of us fortunate enough to have access to private land it is not fun at all telling the landowner that you wounded a deer and can't find it. Out where I hunt, a number of landowners don't let bowhunters on their land anymore for that exact reason.

So, I have become a bit of a practice fanatic.

I think there have been some good tips thus far, particularly the focus on the first shot tip, but there are a couple things I do now that I feel help me be more succesful when it really counts.

#1 Practice at varied distances.

The first few years I owned a bow I only practiced at an indoor range because I didn't own a target. This meant that my practice was pretty much done exclusively at 20 yards. Great, I was an ace at 20 yards. However, how often have you had a deer walk past at exactly 20 yards? Almost never. More likely, the deer is going to pass by at 18 or 27 or 35 yards, etc. You get the point.

So, once you have all your pins dialed in for 10 yard increments, or however your sights are set up, practice between the pins. That is, practice at 24, 28, 17, and on and on. This will give you a much better feel for where the arrow is going to be at those in between distances.

#2 Practice at Greater Distances:

Take yourself out of your comfort zone and practice out at 40, 50, even 60 yards if your bow will allow. I promise that short shots will become much easier after practicing at greater distances for a while. Does that mean that you should feel free to sling arrows at deer at these longer distnces? Maybe and maybe not. But at the very least, practicing out at these distances will make those 30 yard shots feel like chip shots.

Personally, I began shooting out past 40 yards two years ago and my accuracy within 40 yards has gone up enormously. This year I really focused on practicing out to 60 and beyond with the thought that I wanted to shoot a deer at 50 yards. As it turned out, I was able to get to the point that I shot a doe at 62 yards this September - she tipped over 30 yards from where I shot her. Anyway, the point is that after practicing out at those distances, the second doe I shot this fall at 27 yards was automatic.

The third tip I have deals with scent control, specifically, activated carbon suits.

#3 Have a procedure for scent control...and follow it.

I know a lot of people who have spent a good chunk of money on carbon suits (scent lock, scent blocker, etc.) and have no idea on how to use it properly. I don't claim to be an expert, but here is the procedure I follow along with some things to remember. I have a Scent Blocker suit that is a few years old. It has a removable carbon liner. You may need to adjust this procedure to your suit, but this has worked for me for a few years now.

First, wash everything (including your undergarments, but minus your boots) you plan on wearing out into the field in some form of scent killer detergent. I personally wash my scent blocker suit separate from my other stuff, but whatever.

Second, dry your clothes. Obvious I know, but I wanted to include the tips below.

Tip #1: when pulling your clothes out of the washer make sure to use rubber gloves...no need to contaminate your stuff right away.

Tip #2: make sure the lint trap is emptied prior to drying.

Tip #3: I like to dry my underlayers first so that the dryer is "clean" - meaning scent free - by the time my outer layers are put in.

Third, your suit needs to be activated! This is a separate step from drying! I am not sure on the exact details of how this works, but basically you need to put your carbon suit into the dryer for an extended period of time on high heat in order for it to work properly. Every suit I've seen comes with a different recommendation, but putting the dryer on high for an hour seems work for me.

Tip: Make sure that your dryer is on high for an hour, if it has a cool down period that is not high heat.

Tip: If you are putting clothing into a dryer that has cooled down, run a couple of "clean" towels in there for 10 minutes to get the dryer up to proper heat.

Fourth, wearing rubber gloves again, pull clothing out of dryer and insert into some form of airtight container. Nothing is perfect, but do your best to ensure that no air is getting in. Personally, I use a large "dry bag" that I bought at walmart for $10.

Fifth, don't get dressed in your hunting clothes until you are where you are going to park. At that point, a whole separate procedure begins.

i) change into undergarments

ii) put on rubber gloves, spray with scent killer

iii) remove carbon suit from airtight container and spray down exterior liberally and entirely with scent killer spray.

iv) spray rubber boots, or whatever boots you wear, down with scent killer and put them on.

v) being careful not to touch exterior of clothing to skin, put on carbon suit.

Tip: if you have just bought rubber boots and think they are scent free, you are wrong, you need to air them out for days prior to using them in order for them to be scent free.

Tip: Make sure that if you buy a carbon suit you buy everything for it, including gloves and a hood/mask. I see so many people on t.v. who don't have the mask and I don't get it. Most of the smell your body exudes comes out of your mouth. If you aren't wearing an activated carbon mask, you might as well not wear a carbon suit at all!

Tip: don't forget to spray down your release, backpack, and even your bow if you have cloth on it - such as on the grip.

I realize that I probably come off as a bit anal, but I have learned a lot of lessons the hard way and I am just trying to spare other people the heartache. Hope this helps.

-Chris

[Meat-Run]

AWESOME, AWESOME, tips cpinkert. After getting preached at by my coworker on scent contral (he's a little particular too) and getting busted most of last year and the opener of this archery season I had to do something and something fast.

1. expect that I can't get away with ho-hum washing and throwing my clothes in the truck "good enough".

2. So before I even bring clothes into the house I make sure that the candles, perfume, and yes diaper can is emptied or not burning.

3. Turn on air circulator in the house a minimum of 24 hours prior to washing my clothes.

4. do a "sterile" wash prior to my hunting clothes, more or less just an already clean towel.

5. Wash my clothes and then dry partially till they are just a little damp.

6. then hang dry ONLY late at night or during the day during weekdays when the neighbors are not barbecueing smelling up the hood.

7. then bag in a ziploc 11 gallon bag and put outer layers in one bag and under layers such as socks, long-johns, etc in another.

Then I do get dressed "afield" to keep the contamination to a minimum. I'm still on the fence regarding scent killer sprays or cover scents like acorn or dirt. Since this procedure I have only had maybe one alarmed doe since the second weekend of archery opening. I do play just as close attention to wind direction then ever before and that helps put me in a better setting for a successful hunt.

mr

[Deitz Dittrich]

Cpin- Welcome to FM and HotSpotOutdoors... great to have you with us!... 2 posts and this one is a doozy!... Thanks for joining us, and I look forward to reading more of your posts!

[Nate McVey]

Good post cpin...thanks for sharing and there's nothing wrong with being a little anal about scent control. I went out this morning and it was a little chilly strippin down and getting dressed at 0 but I did it. I will add that scent wafers have proven (to me) to be very valuable. I use dirt in the fall and pine in the winter and when I'm elk hunting, I can't get enough cow elk urine wafers on. Thanks again for the great post.