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View Full Version : New to bow hunting and need some advice..



joeD2J
09-22-2005, 04:13 AM
I want to get into bow hunting, but first I need some advice on which type of
bows, arrows and heads are of good quality and of which are recomended for mid sized game such as mule deer black bear etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

sealevel
09-22-2005, 04:50 AM
Tell us where you live and someone will recommend a bowshop try as many as you can most bows now are good just not sets like you get from cambodian tire. arrows get a cheeper carbon like easton epics and start shooting and shoot and you will be ready for hunting next year.

greybark
09-22-2005, 09:35 AM
;-) Hey Joe, Your first big desision is "Traditional or Modern " archery. There are pro and cons to eash. I recomend you go to several local 3-d shoots and walk through with a squad of each and weigh in your options .
Check out TBBC website at www.kics.bc.ca/tbbc (http://www.kics.bc.ca/tbbc)
Good luck on your archery ventures.

REMEMBER -- Keep Your Fingertab On --

joeD2J
09-22-2005, 11:45 AM
Thx a lot guys. Well I'm thinkin about modern archery, I like the compound bow concept. And I live in Maple Ridge, so if u recommend any shops around this area please let me know.

Kirby
09-22-2005, 11:57 AM
JoeD2j, check out Specialty shooting sports in Langley,
http://www.specialtyshootingsportsoutdoors.com/ContactUs.html

Mike will likely be able to help you out.

Boormans archery in New West was a good shop too, haven't been there for a couple of years though.

Kirby

bsa30-06
09-22-2005, 05:08 PM
Boormans in new west offers lessons you get to use there equipment that way you can try different bows and then decide what would be best for you.I believe the lessons are $95 for 5 lessons 2 hours long each.

Bow Walker
09-22-2005, 05:25 PM
Boorman's lessons have gone up in the last few years - but what hasn't? The lessons were $75 when I took the course. Well worth it by the way. When we got done the lessons Boormans gave a 10% - 15% discount if you bought your bow there.

Nothing against Boormans........but - at the time I believe they were more interested in target archery (Chuck is a world class coach) than they were in hunting or 3D.

For my money - especially since you are out that way, you cannot go wrong at Mike & Rhonda's place. Specialty Shooting Sports. Mike is an avid bow hunter and really knows his stuff. I don't believe he would steer you wrong. Just take your time and ask a lot of questions.

Remember - there is no such thing as a dumb question, there are only dumb answers.

:wink: Good luck and try out as many bows as you can before you buy.

Walksalot
09-27-2005, 06:03 AM
If you attend a 3D archery shoot check the score board and see where the majority of the higher scores are.
Traditional equipment , while being simplistic , is not as easy as it sounds. To be a good instictive shooter requires constant practice while with a compound, once you get your form down, you can lay it down for months and after flinging a few arrows be back in the groove.
In my opinion the majority of traditional shooters do not do the practice required to be a good instictive shooter.
Don't get me wrong, there are some incredible traditional shooters but the are are dedicated archers who do the practice required to be a good instinctive shooter.

greybark
09-27-2005, 10:49 AM
;-) Hey Walksalot , I certainly disagree with most of your post. First of all checking the scores of various archery classes only tells you which class had easier pin placment. Your scenario of the higher scores in the compound classes could easily be reversed , Further to this i notice a steady increase in the number of Traditional archers at these events. At the Abbotsford indoor event the largest class is Longbow and the third largest is Recurve, In fairness it must be pointed out that part of this is due to the number of Compound classes. A lot of the Traditional archers are rather new and a lot do not hunt. Respectively i suggest that your class score assumption is not accurate.

:???: The traditional archers who do hunt are as dedicated or more then their Compound brothers and just as effective in harvesting game.

270WIN
09-27-2005, 11:56 AM
joe i like specialty shooting sport never steered me wrong. price is always very conpetitive and you can look at used stuff too i know i have my old bow in there tring to sell on consiment.

Walksalot
09-27-2005, 12:17 PM
;-) Hey Walksalot , I certainly disagree with most of your post. First of all checking the scores of various archery classes only tells you which class had easier pin placment. Your scenario of the higher scores in the compound classes could easily be reversed , Further to this i notice a steady increase in the number of Traditional archers at these events. At the Abbotsford indoor event the largest class is Longbow and the third largest is Recurve, In fairness it must be pointed out that part of this is due to the number of Compound classes. A lot of the Traditional archers are rather new and a lot do not hunt. Respectively i suggest that your class score assumption is not accurate.

:???: The traditional archers who do hunt are as dedicated or more then their Compound brothers and just as effective in harvesting game.

Greybark, I knew that post would raise you hackles but to many archers choose that type of equipment and are not prepared or even aware of how much time it takes to learn how to shoot with fingers and the practice required to be a good instinctive shooter. We owe it to the animals we hunt to be able to handle the taclke we use.
Greybark, if proficiency testing was manditory what pecentage of traditional shooters would use traditional equipment to challange the test.
While we all are comrads in arms I think people thinking of partaking of the short should know what they are getting themselves into before they spend a bunch of money on equipment.

greybark
09-27-2005, 02:17 PM
:grin: Hey Walksalot , You are right on all accounts . I realize that you give considerable thought to your posts and appreciate them . Hunting is indeed a right and with that privilage comes the responsibility of ethics and personal limitations.

:? There is no way anyone can answer your question on Traditional proficiency because according to logic(and a perfect world) the test target would have to be set with-in each of our personal limitations which in my case the yardage gets smaller with age , cold weather and medical problems .


REMEMBER -- Keep Your Fingertab On --

greybark
09-27-2005, 02:30 PM
8) Hey Walksalot , It would be interesting to get the sales figures for Crossbows during the previous three weeks prior to the new any Elk , any WT deer Bowhunting seasons in Region 4 this year.

8) Also the question of how many times did the average Crossbow Hunter practise during the past YEAR would address your posted concerns .

REMEMBER -- Keep Your Fingertab On --

Onesock
09-27-2005, 05:32 PM
Traditional bowhunters are every bit as accurate as their compound brothers if shots are kept within their effective ranges. As many compound shooters miss or wound deer at 50 meters as traditional shooters do at 25 meters. I watched a hunting show on Sunday morning where the host was shooting a compound bow at Caribou. He missed by 6 feet on one and he didn't even know if he was high or low on his second shot. Lets not say compounds are any more accurate than traditional gear, but put the emphasis on the guy pulling back the string and hope each one know's their own limitations.

ex bc guide
09-27-2005, 05:40 PM
Specialty is where I get all my rifle and bow needs,Mike or Ronda will be able to put you into a good set up.
Mike

Walksalot
09-27-2005, 06:05 PM
Traditional bowhunters are every bit as accurate as their compound brothers if shots are kept within their effective ranges. As many compound shooters miss or wound deer at 50 meters as traditional shooters do at 25 meters. I watched a hunting show on Sunday morning where the host was shooting a compound bow at Caribou. He missed by 6 feet on one and he didn't even know if he was high or low on his second shot. Lets not say compounds are any more accurate than traditional gear, but put the emphasis on the guy pulling back the string and hope each one know's their own limitations.

If wishes were horses then beggars would ride.;-)

Walksalot
09-27-2005, 06:15 PM
8) Hey Walksalot , It would be interesting to get the sales figures for Crossbows during the previous three weeks prior to the new any Elk , any WT deer Bowhunting seasons in Region 4 this year.

8) Also the question of how many times did the average Crossbow Hunter practise during the past YEAR would address your posted concerns .

REMEMBER -- Keep Your Fingertab On --

Greybark, I have never even held a crossbow but if the traditional shooter is not prepaed to do the practice required to obtain proficient accuracy then I say use the crossbow.
If the shooter is not prepared to do the practice required to establish good shooting form with a compound then I say use a crossbow because it is the animals in the end which suffer.

mistx
09-27-2005, 06:46 PM
Sorry to go off topic a bit here, but felt I needed to respond to this post by Onesock --"Traditional bowhunters are every bit as accurate as their compound brothers if shots are kept within their effective ranges. As many compound shooters miss or wound deer at 50 meters as traditional shooters do at 25 meters. I watched a hunting show on Sunday morning where the host was shooting a compound bow at Caribou. He missed by 6 feet on one and he didn't even know if he was high or low on his second shot. Lets not say compounds are any more accurate than traditional gear, but put the emphasis on the guy pulling back the string and hope each one know's their own limitations."
I saw this show on the weekend also, and was disgusted that it was aired--with hearing the 'hunter' state that he had little or no experience with a bow for hunting and with the guide for allowing such an inexperienced person use a bow for hunting! I have been doing archery for about a year and half, and manage pretty well in competitions, but still do not feel confident enough in my skill level to go bow hunting! I have been hunting for about 30 years, am just new to using a bow and probably will not watch 'that show' again. I'm disgusted with it. Long bow, compound bow, or rifle--it is always the person behind who chooses the shots, and lets hope all of us choose the good shot rather than the first one that comes up!

greybark
09-27-2005, 07:12 PM
;-) Hey Walksalot , I agree with a slight diference . Not willing to practise with Traditional or Compound does not give you a license to buy a crossbow a week before the season and proceed to hunt with it.

REMEMBER -- Keep Your Fingertab On --

Bow Walker
09-27-2005, 07:37 PM
I saw this show on the weekend also, and was disgusted that it was aired--with hearing the 'hunter' state that he had little or no experience with a bow for hunting and with the guide for allowing such an inexperienced person use a bow for hunting! I have been doing archery for about a year and half, and manage pretty well in competitions, but still do not feel confident enough in my skill level to go bow hunting! I have been hunting for about 30 years, am just new to using a bow and probably will not watch 'that show' again. I'm disgusted with it. Long bow, compound bow, or rifle--it is always the person behind who chooses the shots, and lets hope all of us choose the good shot rather than the first one that comes up!

Hey Mistx - short of hijacking this thread I have to state that I agree with what you have stated, namely that it is the Nut pulling on the string, or squeezing the trigger that is the problem. As it has been said many times - Guns don't kill people, people kill people. How true is that.:!:

:???: Back to the subject at hand. The original thread poster was looking for some advice. A number of people have endorsed Specialty Shooting Sports (including me) and I hope that the message has reached the thread starter.

They are the people to see in that neck of the woods. IMHO.:smile:

brotherjack
09-27-2005, 07:40 PM
Greybark, I have never even held a crossbow but if the traditional shooter is not prepaed to do the practice required to obtain proficient accuracy then I say use the crossbow.
If the shooter is not prepared to do the practice required to establish good shooting form with a compound then I say use a crossbow because it is the animals in the end which suffer.

Just for the record, as a crossbow shooter/hunter myself - I don't care who you are, you can NOT just pickup a crossbow and hit anything with it any better than any other kind of bow. All the same issues u-pull-it bows have, crossbows have: trajectory arc, yardage judgements, draw (in)consistency, sight adjustments, wind and angles, etc. Putting a bow on the end of a stick with a trigger on it, does not change the fact that it's a bow, nor remove any of the normal limitations of a bow.

All that said - I would say that the stick with a trigger makes it is possible to get handy with a crossbow with significantly less practice than it takes a traditional or compound bow shooter. But if the crossbow shooter doesn't spend at least a week or two shooting a couple dozen arrows per night at varying yardages, and take the time to get good at estimating yardage in the field, the critters are pretty safe. ;)

greybark
09-27-2005, 07:58 PM
:???: Hey Brotherjack , We agree on everything except the "Mastering of Judging Distances in Two Weeks Concept" Heck 99.9% of compound and Traditional Archers take years to be proficient in judging distance .In Compound 3-D archery 90% is judging distance and 10% making the shot.
:???: Use of a rangefinder would certainly help in this case but i have seen them being used.

REMEMBER -- Keep Your Fingertab On --

brotherjack
09-27-2005, 09:15 PM
:???: Hey Brotherjack , We agree on everything except the "Mastering of Judging Distances in Two Weeks Concept"


I don't know if one can "master judging distances" in two weeks, but you can learn to tell the difference between 10, 20, and 30 yards in two weeks if you give it some effort. For me, 0-10 yards is "wow, that deer is close!", 20 is "hey, I can make that shot easy", and 30 is "that's getting a little far for my taste, but I still think I can do it". Personally, 30 yards is my limit for shooting at a critter with an arrow, so that all works out for me. Anything over 30 yards gets into territory that yeah, I think you'd need a lot of practice to judge effectively.

Walksalot
09-28-2005, 05:17 AM
;-) Hey Walksalot , I agree with a slight diference . Not willing to practise with Traditional or Compound does not give you a license to buy a crossbow a week before the season and proceed to hunt with it.

REMEMBER -- Keep Your Fingertab On --

Greybark, it in fact does, the rules state they can.
I would far sooner see crossbows in the archery season than animals cut up and suffering.
To many times I hear the same hunter talk about the animal which was wounded and got away. I often wonder if they even give even a little thought to what the animal is going through. I don't know about the rest of the hunters but I have wounded a couple of animals in my thirty some years of hunting and let me tell you I have forgotten many of the animals I have harvested but there are a couple which haunt me to this day.
I realize that everytime a hunter goes on a hunt there is a risk of wounding an animal as there are so many things which can go wrong. Lack of proficiency with ones chosen weapon is one which should not have to be factored into the equation.
I appologize for the semi hijack of this thread but as you can tell I feel for the animals we hunt and it seems to get worse as I get older.
I know I have said this before but I too was caught up in the "keep it simple" line of thinking. I purchased a recurve and shot it for a year which included the 3D shoots. At the end of that year I set up a McKenzie deer at twenty yards and took thirty shots at it. Ten were good kill shots. I deemed this totally unacceptable, sold the bow and went back to my compound.

greybark
09-28-2005, 05:11 PM
;-) Hey Walksalot , I too am getting along with age and know exactly how you feel. However nobody regardless of what weapon they use and have not become proficient with it has the right (no matter if legal) to hunt with it for the very reasons you point out in your post .:neutral: I too apologize for semi-highjacking this thread.


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