Planning first hunt

[BowRunner]

I am brand new to hunting but not the outdoors. I have been an archer and hiker for many years and have decided to give the ethical and humane harvesting of an animal a try -- to help conservation objectives and bring home some meat that avoids the mass industrialization process.

OK, so now that I have my rationalization and justifications out of the way. I am hoping to bow hunt in the back country where there are no roads or motor vehicles, lots of hiking, with a good chance of success. I would plan on deboning my prey in the field and hiking out (not more than two days) with the harvest. I am talking up friends who like similar physical activities and could help as pack mules for me (realistically, one other). Prey? Undecided but probably something from GOS and not too large for the strenuous adventure I am planning.

Question: What is a good first prey? Am I setting my sights too high? Does this sound more like a fantasy than a realistic hunt?

[sparkes3]

i would go for deer ,not to big for your first animal easy to clean not to big to pack out .
not hard to spot and stalk.

[Liveforthehunt]

Not unrealistic at all... although with a bow it tends to take a lot more patience and your distance between game and you needs to be cut substantially depending on how comfortable you are in distances out to 60 yards. I have taken a couple animals with my bow but my friend starting hunting strictly with his bow and was discouraged the first 3 years no luck so we bought him a gun for his wedding present" the misses wasn't happy" but first year out he took a dear and the year after.

[dakoda62]

X2 on deer. Packing out a moose 2-3 miles on your back is no easy chore.lol

[BowRunner]

I have read that Mule Deer are up high above the trees during early season. And I have also read about vehicle restrictions in certain alpine areas. So if these two things hold true, they could meet my requirements of being away from the masses and having a good back country hunting experience. I should also mention another requirement... I am looking for a good meat (I understand clean and cool preparation is a factor) that would tend to make others supportive of this activity.

So to summarize my first hunt requirements:
1) Backcountry experience (i.e. 2-5 days hiking)
2) Few people, no vehicles (i.e. restricted access)
3) Bow hunt (i.e. < 50 yds distance with sufficient cover for spot and stalk)
4) Tasty meat (i.e. < people will enjoy the harvested game)

I hear a few votes for deer, any for sheep, caribou, etc...? It sounds obvious that moose is out of the question on size and packing distance.

[Wild one]

Your location helps a long with distance you are willing to travel. Along with time of year you plan on hunting

Mule deer are a good target early season. Early archery season hiking into the alpine you will find bucks if you spend the time glassing. Down side it is often open country and some find this difficult to get into bow range. Personally I like long stalk open country archery hunting and if you take your time and are willing to crawl it is not that hard. The trick is plan out your stalk before you start and target deer that are bedded or feeding. It is easier to hide in open country then many think contours of the land camo and timing your movements is the key.

This is a good option for back country archery to start with

There are many hunts you could do that do not involve hiking into the backcountry. Whitetail, black bear and moose are good examples of this.

[Wild one]

As a bowhunter my self some advice to remember what you can do for range on a target is not them same while hunting. Animals move and if going into the high country wind can shorten the distance you are accurate to.

Try only to draw when the animal is facing away or head down feeding and same goes for releasing your arrow.

Another thing to remember the longer the distance it increases an animals ability to move before your arrow reaches it. Also look up clips of deer jumping the string to see what they are capable of.

My self when I am bowhunting my goal is 20-30 yards with a compound but if conditions are right I will push 40yards +. I regularly shoot out to 60 yards on targets so this is not do to a lack of ability with my bow.

Remember bowhunting is about getting close and the closer you can get the odds of a clean shot increase.

[NorBC]

I think you should pop your cherry on a black bear. Incredibly easy to stalk, as long as you play the wind right (which you'll learn is rule number 1 of stalking game. Especially with a bow) if you find a bear in the country you're hoping to hunt he will guarantee taste good.

best of luck. Don't forget to post your story!

[BowRunner]

Your location helps a long with distance you are willing to travel. Along with time of year you plan on hunting

Mule deer are a good target early season. Early archery season hiking into the alpine you will find bucks if you spend the time glassing. Down side it is often open country and some find this difficult to get into bow range. Personally I like long stalk open country archery hunting and if you take your time and are willing to crawl it is not that hard. The trick is plan out your stalk before you start and target deer that are bedded or feeding. It is easier to hide in open country then many think contours of the land camo and timing your movements is the key.

This is a good option for back country archery to start with.

That sounds exciting...spot and stalk challenge in the alpine. Not sure if my skills are up for it but that is the kind of hunt I envision as being interesting.

[HarryToolips]

Do you have a rangefinder?? I myself find with a bow in the heat of the moment it is very important..

[monasheemountainman]

Ya you gotta have a range finder that's a no brainer. Good luck bow hunting is a lot easier said than done but it's super addicting!

[BowRunner]

Do you have a rangefinder?? I myself find with a bow in the heat of the moment it is very important..

I don't yet but I have thought about it. The gear list is getting pretty long and so I will have to budget some things out and save them for next year. I would probably get some 10x42 binos before a rangefinder. They both seem to be in the same price range.

[BowRunner]

As a bowhunter my self some advice to remember what you can do for range on a target is not them same while hunting. Animals move and if going into the high country wind can shorten the distance you are accurate to.

Try only to draw when the animal is facing away or head down feeding and same goes for releasing your arrow.

Another thing to remember the longer the distance it increases an animals ability to move before your arrow reaches it. Also look up clips of deer jumping the string to see what they are capable of.

My self when I am bowhunting my goal is 20-30 yards with a compound but if conditions are right I will push 40yards +. I regularly shoot out to 60 yards on targets so this is not do to a lack of ability with my bow.

Remember bowhunting is about getting close and the closer you can get the odds of a clean shot increase.

Ok. Great feedback. I will focus on the 20-30 yard sweet spot for this first hunt.

[HarryToolips]

I don't yet but I have thought about it. The gear list is getting pretty long and so I will have to budget some things out and save them for next year. I would probably get some 10x42 binos before a rangefinder. They both seem to be in the same price range.

I seriously from experience with a bow, recommend getting the rangefinder first if your doing strictly bowhunting, don't wound an animal...I know this because I shot one once without a rangefinder, never to be retrieved.. it was my biggest hunting mistake..

[BowRunner]

I seriously from experience with a bow, recommend getting the rangefinder first if your doing strictly bowhunting, don't wound an animal...I know this because I shot one once without a rangefinder, never to be retrieved.. it was my biggest hunting mistake..

Good advice. I suppose you can still do some marginal glassing with a 6x monocular (ie the rangefinder)...or I can bring along my old cheapo binos until I upgrade.

[HarryToolips]

you got it bud.....

[HoundDog]

IMHO the biggest bang for your buck equipment wise is a powder puff bottle for windage...they run about $5 and take the guess work out of the equation.
I would traget deer but have a bear tag as well.
You are on the right track!

[RomanianTHUNDER]

It's a great idea that you've ran the scenarios and thought about the variables but when you actually do it it will be different. Lots of people that bow hunt have no success because you have to be a very very good hunter for you to get within bow range. Go out try it when the season opens then you will know.

[Wild one]

Good advice. I suppose you can still do some marginal glassing with a 6x monocular (ie the rangefinder)...or I can bring along my old cheapo binos until I upgrade.

Good binos and spotter in open country will save you from spooking deer from just trying to get a better look. They will save unnecessary walking and blowing out a good spot.

A rangfinder is a good thing to have but knowing how to judge distance without it is a huge asset. For longer range shots I won't take them without using my rangfinder but I trust my ability to judge 30 or less. This takes time and practice I also started bowhunting before rangefinders were around so I had to learn this skill. If you get a unexpected encounter with an animal at close range often there is no time for a rangfinder or you will spook it attempting to range the distance.

Great too yes and I recommend them but also take the time to learn how to judge your shorter ranges. I do this by practising on target by shooting at un know distances and small game.

A puff bottle is nice talcum powder in a small squeeze bottle is all you need. No need to buy 1 made for hunting.

[Wild one]

It's a great idea that you've ran the scenarios and thought about the variables but when you actually do it it will be different. Lots of people that bow hunt have no success because you have to be a very very good hunter for you to get within bow range. Go out try it when the season opens then you will know.

I would not say you need to be a really good hunter to be successful with a bow but instead you need to hunt differently than many would with a rifle. The getting close is easier than many think in my opinion and the difficult part is the limited shot angles you can take do to the need to avoid bone along with the extra movement of drawing back to make a shot.

Even when I hunt with a firearm my shots are often less than 50 yards but that is more to do with the fact I do not look at optimizing my range and instead focus on where I think I will find game. If you focus on hunting clear cuts or other large openings yes you need to learn how to stalk closer. But hunting in tight quarters areas often you will not see the animal until they are close. This is common stillhunting or sitting on travel routs rather large feed areas

If you hunt with getting close in mind instead of just seeing animals it is not as hard as many think. Lots of successful bowhunters out there you will see even more of them in areas with a good amount of archery seasons.

[Edge]

Good advice. I suppose you can still do some marginal glassing with a 6x monocular (ie the rangefinder)...or I can bring along my old cheapo binos until I upgrade.

that's my plan...I have some older clunkier ones that I'll be using but got my rangefinder on it's way. my $.02

[hunter1947]

I would go for ether a whitetail deer or a mule deer hunt in an area that you can hunt deer,elk,moose you get tags for the four species you never know what will show up if you don't have all the tags that are open in GOS in this area your hunting if one of the four animal show up and you don't have a tag for the animal your SOL..

[Dre]

Starting out with a bow is not easy. I started out that way and it took a couple of seasons before I was successful. Now I just use a gun. I would suggest you go with someone experienced, it takes time to figure out what you are doing wrong. In the alpine, people do too much unnecessary moving about, pick a good vantage point and let the optics do the walking. Stalking will be challenging, especially in open country, wind, noise and slow movements. I would say that a moose during rut is the easiest animal to kill with a bow, you can call them in to a few yards, but not for back packing, then mule deer. Black bear is easier than deer, but if you are alone and muck up the shot, it could get dicey.