Getting Started With Bow Hunting?

[Two Fister]

Hey ifish nation!
After wrapping up my 5 day first season rifle elk hunt I'm ready to pick up a bow to start getting ready for next years bow season. I'm tired of waiting 6 years to draw a Murders Creek tag and then having a few days to hunt. It makes for a frantic season with guys roaring all over the unit in trucks and ATVs trying to jump herds of spooked animals. I just don't find all that enjoyable or sporting any longer.

I shot recurves competitively as a teenager so I've got a good base and understanding of hold and release technique to start from. I could put 5 out of 6 in the yellow with a 40 pound r/c from 40 yards consistently enough to put some hardware on my shelf.

I want to start now so that I have a about a full year to practice before the season starts. I'm in Bend so I'll need to figure out shops to visit for sizing and selection. I am totally new to modern compound bows so I'll spend time running searches for feedback on different bows, releases, arrows etc. I figured that I'd check into joining Bend Bowmen to have a spot to shoot indoors during the dead of winter.

Can you guys help me with taking the first steps (as you see them) to becoming a stick flicker?

Thanks!
TF

[No Fences]

Hit multiple pro shops, shoot all the bows you can and see what fits you best. That's where I'd start. Make sure they measure your draw length and don't let them sell you the latest, greates if it doesn't fit your budget.

[chocolatelab]

why not stick with the recurve bow. thats how i'd like to hunt eventually thats a pretty awsome way to take an animal. especially since you are already familiar with em.

[divebumor]

Like said before check multiple shops and every bow you can test fire, do. I would go to the Sportsman Show and talk to the shops there also. I know that is a ways down the road but you do get most shops in one location.
After you find your bow start shooting it lots. When I started I had no idea that the compound bows do where on you over time. My father in-law and I joined a target league at the local bow shop and had a blast learning how to shoot and tune compound bows. If you want any recommendations for bow shops please PM me.
Best of luck in your new addiction
Divebumor

[bjorns4]

Its a good time to start looking usualy towards the end of the year the bows start to go on clearance for the next years models. Some good advice above, shoot lots of different types, get measured, and get the one that is the most comfortable not the most expensive. good luck I think you will like it.

[Bobberman]

I went through this last year, and was very happy with my experience at Bowtech. The advice to shoot a bunch of bows was one I got alot and I think it was great advice.

[hill shooter]

Archery Past in Bend owner is Dave Doran could get you started with a recurve again

[Kitsune]

Hey TF! I'm in the same boat. I have a bow in mind, just waiting for it to get here, but I think the hardest part (for me, anyway) will be keeping up practicing and getting solid consistency at all different ranges. I'm great at starting projects/hobbies/interests but sometimes have a hard time keeping up with them, so maybe we can keep each other consistently hitting the range?

Good luck!

[WSU]

I would head over to eugene/springfield if I were you. You can go to the bow rack, which has mathews/hoyt/pse, and go bowtech. I don't know about the service at bowtech, but the service at the bow rack is awesome. I went in there totally new (as in never really shot a bow before) and got a lot of attention and learned a lot. No pressure to buy, they were just happy to get me started and inform me. Coming from bend, you could look at and shoot a ton of bows and different brands by going to those two places.

[longbow]

I agree with hill shooter. Dave Doran would be a very good contact if you are interested in picking up traditional bows such as a recurve or longbow. There are some very good bowyers here in the state. There is also some pretty good off the shelf bows made by Martin and other large bow companies.

There is also a couple of Traditional web sites that has used bows for sale.

[Two Fister]

Originally Posted by longbow

I agree with hill shooter. Dave Doran would be a very good contact if you are interested in picking up traditional bows such as a recurve or longbow. There are some very good bowyers here in the state. There is also some pretty good off the shelf bows made by Martin and other large bow companies.

There is also a couple of Traditional web sites that has used bows for sale.

Thanks for all of the advice and PMs!

I would love to get in to shooting traditional bows, but I'm concerned that a problem disk in my neck would keep me from being able to hold a heavy bow at full draw for long enough without some kind of mechanical advantage. I've been following a strengthening and stretching program relatively diligently and it's starting to pay dividends, but I'm nowhere near 100% yet.

I'll make a point of shooting both traditional and compound bows to see how they feel, but for now I'm probably headed for a more modern bow.

Thanks again!
TF

[hobbsp]

Did you end up filling your tag out there?

[Two Fister]

Originally Posted by hobbsp

Did you end up filling your tag out there?

Nope. Got close early on, but couldn't close the deal ethically. After that we were always a half day ahead or a half day behind until the last two days. Then the elk were just spooked and scrambling. Several times we looped back through an area to find elk tracks on top of our footsteps from an hour or two earlier. The weather was also very unsettled so the wind was swirling the whole time we were out. Success rates seemed really low as I think we saw 3 or 4 hanging during the whole season and none were very large.

I also had to come home early as I was coaching my kids flag football teams and it was their last game of the season. I'll have more elk seasons, but my youngest will only have one final game of his first season and as coach I wanted to be there to talk with my teams after a great season.

By the end of the season the elk were sprinting everywhere they went. I went into every deep dark hole I could find, but I still found ATV tracks riding cross country...too short of a season which creates too much pressure to break the rules for some. Had one guy drive by our camp on the 31 road going about 100 MPH in his crewcab. We had to figure he had seen the herd move through and he was trying to get in front of them. There was a lot of that kind of stuff going on. It left a really bad taste in my mouth and I was kind of glad on the one hand to leave early. On the other hand I was really frustrated and felt like I wasted 6 years of points. ODFW is really starting to mess up rifle hunting for big game in a serious way.

Anyway, I went to Wholesale Sports after work as I couldn't get to any other shops before they closed for the evening. I handled some year or two old Bowtechs (Wholesale isn't carrying Bowtech any longer so they have them marked down about $50 with an extra 10% off), a couple of Diamond Packages, two different PSEs and a couple of Ross bows. Man do they feel different than my old recurve. They are a lot heavier than I expected. I'm not sure that I'll ever get used to the incredibly short length of some of them after so many years of handling an r/c. Scott at Wholesale was really helpful and spent more than an hour with me explaining different features, advantages, disadvantages, sights, releases, arrows, etc. He pointed out (and I could really notice) the difference in length in some of the "shelfs" for let off and how some of the bows still wanted to creep once they were at full draw. I thought it would be hard for me to get used to the releases after having shot finger tabs for so long, but a few cycles through with a release trainer and it felt pretty natural.

I understand that I want to pick out whatever is the most comfortable to shoot, but what does that mean really? When you think of what makes a bow comfortable to shoot what are you thinking? Can you define it or is it just a feeling that you get?

Also, is it worth trying to find a package or are they typically just a collection of substandard parts ment to appeal to a price point. Scott said that there were some new packages coming out from Bear that he thought were really nice, but it seems like the Bear brand has slipped a lot since I bought my first Bear recurve as a kid.

Thanks again for the advice!
TF

[bjorns4]

It may also be worth getting some instruction to help get you set up and teach you the proper form and technique. I don't know were you can find a coach, but after hurting my shoulder I was thinking of trying to track one down to help my form.

[Two Fister]

Originally Posted by bjorns4

It may also be worth getting some instruction to help get you set up and teach you the proper form and technique. I don't know were you can find a coach, but after hurting my shoulder I was thinking of trying to track one down to help my form.

I've heard that from a couple of folks now. It looks like I'll have to relearn some technique as some of what I was taught for recurves doesn't work as well with compound bows. I have to be super careful at first as I can tell that I am putting pressure on my C7 vertebrae and it doesn't like it all that much. I figure on getting a bow that I can tune down to at least 60 pounds (if not even lower) until I can get enough muscle mass to make up for my structural shortcomings.
TF

[slave4chrome]

i would burn a little gas, zip over the pass, and hit the bowrack.

didn't buy my bow there, but i will buy my next one there!

[Elk Hound]

You have a good shop there in Bend. I believe it is Del's Archery Den. My dad deals with them on his bows. Shoot a bunch of bows to find the one. Archery has come along way the last 10yrs. You're making a good choice by the way.

[Bert2o]

Once you get settled in with your bow and can hit a pie plate at 30 yds consistently a good thing to do is go out in the woods and judge your distance. Shoot'n at a target time & again is good but judging distance in the wild is part of honeing your archery skills.

[RiverMan]

Bowhunting is alot of fun but don't fool yourself into thinking you will escape the crowds by switching weapons. The murderer's ck. area is packed with bowhunters. The last time I was there we couldn't find a place to camp! Oregon needs to go to draw for archery.

RM

[Mikew]

Check out Dale Martin at Riley,OR
Riley Store and Archery Shop

He is well known for getting folks started correctly and accurately.
Mike

[SecondSeason]

2fister

i was in the same boat last year about this time. bought my first long bow a bear montana very nice bow but still wanted more after my elk hunt this season.

i stumbled into Raptor archery in hood river and well a guy could buy what ever type of traditional bow there used or new. my choice was to take a bow building class and walk out of there with my own bow. just last night i shot my first arrows off my new self bow only having the detail work left to do.

check out their website, HR isn't that far from bend plus you can pick up apples for targets on the way home.

let us all know how it turned out.

SS

[Tred73]

I like the Mathews bow, but the new bows seem to have very similar characteristics. Most shoot really fast, lighter, and really expensive. I would shoot some bows, but don't be pushed into any bow deal. You have to see what feels right. Man I did this a couple years back. I shot every brand of bow at that time and some were on top of my list, but you will know when you shoot the right bow.

[Two Fister]

Originally Posted by RiverMan

Bowhunting is alot of fun but don't fool yourself into thinking you will escape the crowds by switching weapons. The murderer's ck. area is packed with bowhunters. The last time I was there we couldn't find a place to camp! Oregon needs to go to draw for archery.

RM

RM,
I hear you. I have a lot of bow hunting friends that complain about how crowded Murders is during bow season. I'm not even thinking that I'd want to hunt there during bow season given what I've heard. But having a long enough season to be able to pick up/move or to hunt more than one area is really attractive to me. I know a lot of different spots to hunt elk that aren't really "popular" so I would love have time to be able to try a couple of different spots if one is getting too much pressure.

Thanks again for the advice! I'm going to try to hit a couple of pro shops today during business hours.
TF

[RiverMan]

It's great you are doing it right and trying to learn how to use your gear now.

Don't overlook used bows........there are some spectacular deals on two and three year old Hoyts, Bowtechs, Mathews, Martin on ebay and they will kill every bit as well as a $1000 new bow.

I would also suggest you not fall for "speed trap", speed isn't everything. Unless you are quite short, look for a slightly longer ATA bow and a bow that you can shoot well. Speed won't do you any good if you can't hit what you are aiming at. Any bow today will easily shoot all the way through a deer. Thirty years ago my partners and I were shooting all the way through deer and elk with bows that shot 190 FPS.......they were slow but deadly!

Finally, you might look for a bowhunting mentor, someone who has been bowhunting for many years and can talk to you about what works and what doesn't.

Good luck.

RM

[OR_Bo_Huntr]

Originally Posted by Two Fister

Hey ifish nation!
After wrapping up my 5 day first season rifle elk hunt I'm ready to pick up a bow to start getting ready for next years bow season. I'm tired of waiting 6 years to draw a Murders Creek tag and then having a few days to hunt. It makes for a frantic season with guys roaring all over the unit in trucks and ATVs trying to jump herds of spooked animals. I just don't find all that enjoyable or sporting any longer.

I shot recurves competitively as a teenager so I've got a good base and understanding of hold and release technique to start from. I could put 5 out of 6 in the yellow with a 40 pound r/c from 40 yards consistently enough to put some hardware on my shelf.

I want to start now so that I have a about a full year to practice before the season starts. I'm in Bend so I'll need to figure out shops to visit for sizing and selection. I am totally new to modern compound bows so I'll spend time running searches for feedback on different bows, releases, arrows etc. I figured that I'd check into joining Bend Bowmen to have a spot to shoot indoors during the dead of winter.

Can you guys help me with taking the first steps (as you see them) to becoming a stick flicker?

Thanks!
TF

Ill be in Bend again permanently start Dec 9th, Id be glad to get you rollin on some form once you get a bow, and also help you with any adjustments you might have questions with with your bow. Just shoot me a PM

[arlie]

I agree with you should go see Del. Also when you get your bow join the Bend Bowmen and shoot indoors this winter. There isn't any better way to nail down good form.

[Two Fister]

Originally Posted by OR_Bo_Huntr

Ill be in Bend again permanently start Dec 9th, Id be glad to get you rollin on some form once you get a bow, and also help you with any adjustments you might have questions with with your bow. Just shoot me a PM

I will definitely take you up on that offer!
Thanks,
TF

[Simple Man]

It makes for a frantic season with guys roaring all over the unit in trucks and ATVs trying to jump herds of spooked animals. I just don't find all that enjoyable or sporting any longer.

I hate saying this, but this is what bow season looks like in alot of areas.

[SlamminKokes]

TF, pm sent

[OR_Bo_Huntr]

Sounds good TF, just shoot me a PM
SlamminKokes, we are going to need to do some shooting this winter man!

[arlie]

Originally Posted by Simple Man

It makes for a frantic season with guys roaring all over the unit in trucks and ATVs trying to jump herds of spooked animals. I just don't find all that enjoyable or sporting any longer.

I hate saying this, but this is what bow season looks like in alot of areas.

If that is what the area you're hunting looks like then you are in the wrong place. I go for peacefully quiet areas where I can sneak around. I'm on foot though so it's not too hard for it to be quiet.

[Two Fister]

Originally Posted by Simple Man

I hate saying this, but this is what bow season looks like in alot of areas.

I hear you on this. I have no illusions that it's just going to be me walking around in the undisturbed woods. I know a lot of bow hunters that complain about how crowded the prime areas are. Murders Creek is a lot more crowded during bow season than it is during rifle season. Knowing what I know now (which is not all that much) I can honestly say that I wouldn't consider hunting it during bow season. I don't mind giving up the prime spots as I'm not a head hunter. I know plenty of spots where I've never seen another human footprint that hold deer and elk. I'm just really intrigued by the idea of being able to hunt for more than 5 days and in more than 1 area. I know that I can use a bow and use it well.

The thing that's kept me from bow hunting in the past is that I don't like hunting in hot weather. I grew up hunting in upstate NY and Penn where we never hunted before mid-November. My foundation concepts of big game hunting has a lot more to do with staying warm than it does with staying hydrated. I have a lot of really nice wool clothes that have never seen a hunting season in Oregon because it's simply not cold enough during even the second elk season. One thing that I know I'm going to have to learn is how to get an elk or deer field dressed or field butchered quickly to avoid any spoiling. I want to take every scrap possible.

How do you guys handle the post kill process during hot weather?

Thanks again for all of the advice and PMs. I'm really excited about making the switch.
TF

[dla]

Originally Posted by Two Fister

I hear you on this. I have no illusions that it's just going to be me walking around in the undisturbed woods. I know a lot of bow hunters that complain about how crowded the prime areas are. Murders Creek is a lot more crowded during bow season than it is during rifle season. Knowing what I know now (which is not all that much) I can honestly say that I wouldn't consider hunting it during bow season. I don't mind giving up the prime spots as I'm not a head hunter. I know plenty of spots where I've never seen another human footprint that hold deer and elk. I'm just really intrigued by the idea of being able to hunt for more than 5 days and in more than 1 area. I know that I can use a bow and use it well.

The thing that's kept me from bow hunting in the past is that I don't like hunting in hot weather. I grew up hunting in upstate NY and Penn where we never hunted before mid-November. My foundation concepts of big game hunting has a lot more to do with staying warm than it does with staying hydrated. I have a lot of really nice wool clothes that have never seen a hunting season in Oregon because it's simply not cold enough during even the second elk season. One thing that I know I'm going to have to learn is how to get an elk or deer field dressed or field butchered quickly to avoid any spoiling. I want to take every scrap possible.

How do you guys handle the post kill process during hot weather?

Thanks again for all of the advice and PMs. I'm really excited about making the switch.
TF

Yea, I'm no fan of the heat either, but you learn to hunt in it. Get yourself a 3 liter Camelback and learn how to manage hydration and sodium/potassium loss. Carry Katadyn micro-pure tablets to avoid beaver-fever when you recharge from a spring/creek.

I've found that an Elk quarter bagged (have to protect from flies), dry, and hung in the shade will keep for 3 days in 80* daytime temps. Maybe longer but that's as long as I've done.

Depending on where you hunt, you may have the area to yourself. I've found that you don't have to get more than a mile from the road. And there are a lot of areas managed by the BLM that are no motorized vehicles, so no motor-beavis driving up to you on his quad to ask if you've seen anything.

Unlike the 5-day slaughterfest hunts, bow season is pretty relaxed.

[Simple Man]

Originally Posted by arlie

If that is what the area you're hunting looks like then you are in the wrong place. I go for peacefully quiet areas where I can sneak around. I'm on foot though so it's not too hard for it to be quiet.

Like I said, ALOT of areas. I may or may not be referring to any particular area that I hunt. I like to think we all have this peaceful place we can walk to. Mine consists of a special area where there are unicorns and an occasional leprechaun that serves me beer when I'm taking a break. It's great!!

[Simple Man]

Sound good TF. Sounds like you got a plan together. I think you will enjoy yourself next year. I personally enjoy pounding the brush in September. Good luck!!

[Two Fister]

Originally Posted by Simple Man

Mine consists of a special area where there are unicorns and an occasional leprechaun that serves me beer when I'm taking a break. It's great!!

Ummm...sounds like there may be a few special mushrooms growing in your unit as well...

I got to fondle a Hoyt Alphamax tonight at Top Pin. Me likey and last years model are being dealt. Nice shop and really helpful folks. We may have a winner if I can dicker them down a bit more as it's quite a bit more than I planned on spending. Funny how that happens...

TF

[WapitiBob]

Top Pin is a great shop.

The Den (Dels) just doesn't have the inventory anymore. Great guys but the owner just doesn't have the funds to stock it up. Bought stuff there for 30 years but it's mostly online now.

You can get good used stuff on Archery Talk in their classifieds. Be careful but my last cpl bows have come from there.

Join the Bend club and we'll help any way we can.