First steps were made this weekend

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saint1480
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First steps were made this weekend

Unread postby saint1480 » Wed Jun 26, 2019 5:19 am

In 2018 I harvested my first deer, a buck, on my second day of deer hunting ever. Am I lucky and do I know it? ABSOLUTLEY. What I also know is that it started a fire that lead me to find anything and everything I could find to educate myself on deer hunting. This site has been a wealth of knowledge, thank you to everyone involved! That buck was also out of state but I am fortunate to live in an area of MA where is a good amount of public land and my property abuts private forest land that I have access to.

So long story shortish, this past weekend I ventured into a very small pine grove on the edge of a marshy area of a pond on the suspicion of it being a great bedding spot. I have already located what I believe to be the major highways (they run north-south) running parallel to a 2 track path and on the edge of the 10 year old clear cut, roughly 10-25 yards in. After many trips up and down this path I couldn't help but think what a great spot those pines would be. Year around it is very well hidden and 40 yards off of the main trail, even in winter you cannot see the edge of the marsh. I walked down a path that T's (east-west) off of the main path to the water and stood looking around, looking into the marsh, looking and deciding how a deer would use the area I was in. After a few minutes I saw a faint trail coming off of the path and going directly into the pines. Sure enough, 10 yards or so off of the edge of the marsh was a flattened out bed, roughly 2' at the widest and 3' at the longest. The wind comes across the water and with the tree at its back, the wind would be coming from the same or from it's rear end. We have a rather typical NW wind in this area. I couldn't find a way to high five myself, but man was I (and still am) jacked up. I know this isn't a big bed and it is not a no-fail mature big buck bed but what a feeling to use what I have learned to at least find a spot like that. I don't see how I could get there in the morning for a hunt, the highway near it also shows what could be a J-hook path towards it. My plan would be to hunt it in the afternoon, 30-50yards south of the bed itself and use a WAY round about entry point. I am hoping the thermals from the lake would work in my favor but I will try and get an observation sit in one time before season opens.

So the real question is, do I have enough time to learn how to effectively shoot a bow or stick with my shotgun and black powder...

Sorry for the long post and read.

Nick


Chuck B
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Re: First steps were made this weekend

Unread postby Chuck B » Wed Jun 26, 2019 5:40 am

You absolutely have enough time to shoot a bow. These bows nowadays are very easy to shoot. Now, shooting a buck under intense hunting conditions is much different, and will take time and practice but you have to start somewhere. In terms of shooting at a target efficiently, that could be done in a day or two with good guidance. There is ONLY one way to get proficient at shooting at a live animal however, have to start doing it!
If you aren't green and growing, you are ripe and rotting
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Re: First steps were made this weekend

Unread postby Chuck B » Wed Jun 26, 2019 5:41 am

You absolutely have enough time to shoot a bow. These bows nowadays are very easy to shoot. Now, shooting a buck under intense hunting conditions is much different, and will take time and practice but you have to start somewhere. In terms of shooting at a target efficiently, that could be done in a day or two with good guidance. There is ONLY one way to get proficient at shooting at a live animal however, have to start doing it!
If you aren't green and growing, you are ripe and rotting
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Re: First steps were made this weekend

Unread postby jwangle13 » Wed Jun 26, 2019 10:54 am

More than enough time. Make sure the bow you get its setup for you. Go to a good bow shop and get measured and adjust the bow to fit your needs.
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Re: First steps were made this weekend

Unread postby Crazinamatese » Wed Jun 26, 2019 11:38 am

Yeah, if you can, get good with the bow this summer cuz he maybe dead or gone come mid-November, or whenever your gun season is...
The cave you fear hides the treasure you seek!!!
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Re: First steps were made this weekend

Unread postby saint1480 » Mon Jul 01, 2019 11:47 pm

I decided I am definitely going to get a bow and practice as much as possible. I got some great shots of a couple good buck moving through a narrow strip of land between my house and another so that may have been the motivation. I have a pretty good idea of where they are coming from and where they are going. Is it fall yet?

Nick
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Drenalin
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Re: First steps were made this weekend

Unread postby Drenalin » Tue Jul 02, 2019 2:25 am

Echoing what others have said, you certainly have enough time. But I'll add that you may need to consider limiting your range until you gain proficiency with the bow and maybe even until you get a few under your belt. I hunted for years not shooting farther than 20 yards with a bow. Not that you necessarily need to stick to that range, but you may want to shoot for a bit and determine your own max yardage for year one.
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Re: First steps were made this weekend

Unread postby saint1480 » Tue Jul 02, 2019 4:57 am

Drenalin,
I totally agree with that logic as it has been one of my biggest concerns. Having always shot shotguns and rifles growing up I have a certain level of comfort and know my abilities. I am sure getting into bow hunting will lead to me shortening my comfort distance but if nothing else it will allow me to become more proficient at stealth.
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Re: First steps were made this weekend

Unread postby Maverick1 » Wed Jul 03, 2019 9:37 am

Yes, you have enough time to be proficient with a bow and arrow for hunting purposes for this coming season. Congrats on your first deer!
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No sponsors. No camera crew. No team. Just me and my bow. And that’s the way I prefer it.
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Re: First steps were made this weekend

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Thu Jul 04, 2019 12:41 am

last year I had to use a compound for a while due to a bad shoulder. I went to a local archery shop, had them set it up, match some arrows and then we sighted it in. My bow was a Mathews Triax 60#. Anyway, after that initial sighting in at 20 yards, which took about 10 minutes, I went home and by the next day I was able to consistently keep a 6 inch group out to 40 yards. Shooting a modern compound, with a release, peep and sight, is pretty easy and really doesn't not take a lot of practice or skill to become proficient at hunting distances (30 yards and under for me). To me the distance judging will be the biggest challenge not the bow itself. Now to shoot 30 minute sessions and maintain accuracy, you will have to build up your muscles to hold the bow steady, draw it, etc.... Nothing replaces shooting at living deer once you are proficient, but you can indeed use visualization to help and it also can help with buck fever. So IME, as a newbie to compounds last year, you have plenty of time.

Now if you are talking stick bows I have seen some pick them up and be accurate to 20 with little effort - but the vast majority it will take year round shooting to keep a 6 inch group at 20 yards.
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saint1480
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Re: First steps were made this weekend

Unread postby saint1480 » Thu Jul 04, 2019 2:28 am

Thanks for all the feedback and recommendations. I am going with a Bear Species and hope to have it sometime next week. I got what I believe to be some great guidance on the setup so the only thing I need is a target. Once I have some time with it all, I will elaborate more on where I am getting it from.
Between that and my Stepps from WEI arriving today, there will be some serious practice happening in my near future. I put a camera near a marsh edge last weekend during the rain near the bed I found. It is killing me to let that one soak for a couple weeks before checking it. At least there are other areas I can check out and find a spot to hang from this fall. I also did more digital scouting of the state land near my house and found what look like a couple good funnels and pinch points that are 800-1000 yards off of the 2 parking areas, hopefully those are far enough away from where anyone else would care to venture to hunt.

It is shaping up to be a right fine summer.

Nick
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Re: First steps were made this weekend

Unread postby Drenalin » Thu Jul 04, 2019 3:42 am

Sound great Nick - I'm sure you'll love bowhunting. Keep us updated. I'd also be curious to hear how you like those Wild Edge Stepps after you've used them awhile.
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Re: First steps were made this weekend

Unread postby jwangle13 » Fri Jul 05, 2019 3:42 pm

Keep in mind there is a point of diminishing returns with shooting a bow. I try and shoot a couple times a day vs slinging 100 arrows as fast as possible. At 20 it's easy to stay on target. Once I push out and fatigue I lose arrows.
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Re: First steps were made this weekend

Unread postby saint1480 » Thu Aug 01, 2019 12:32 am

Couple updates now that I have had the bow, Stepps and saddle for a bit.
I am very happy with how comfortable I am shooting at 20 yards. So far I have only shot from the ground but I am able to keep the first 5-6 in 4"-5" group. The Stepps and saddle continue to get more user friendly and I am gaining confidence in being proficient and quiet. I did a night hang 2 weeks ago and it went well other than the massive blood loss from the skeeters. I hung a camera about 40yds from the suspected buck bed and let it soak for 4-5 weeks. I got just about 50 videos and 30 were a mix of 2 bucks, a black bear, a raccoon and a bobcat. The bucks may be the 2 I got on another camera closer to the house. 1 is a 10-11 point the other is a more typical 8. The bear seems to be almost 3' at the should and those videos were awesome to see. Given that patterns change I don't expect to see the same amount of activity and I am very inclined to pull the camera. It is less than 2 feet from a trail used by my neighbor and possibly a few others on UTV's or walking. It is by no means visible as there is a rise between the camera and trail but I don't want to give any indication of what I have found. Thoughts on pulling it or letting it soak for another 5+ weeks?

Nick
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milkweed-militia
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Re: First steps were made this weekend

Unread postby milkweed-militia » Thu Aug 01, 2019 1:26 am

Good luck this season. I was hooked on bowhunting before I ever killed my first deer with one. We have a LONG gun season here in TN, but I still end up carrying my bow during firearms season quite a bit.

Hope to see a hero pic of you this season!


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