Rifle Hunter needs advice

[Jamie Black R/T]

So my goal is to be ready to hunt in one years time. Have never owned nor used a bow.

Not even sure at this point on a price range...but i dont mind paying for quality.

I will be taking elk with the bow.

Im giving myself a year to do my research and be ready to take an animal with confidence.

So any advice and info on equipment is welcome from you seasoned bow hunters.

Thanks in advance.

[russ]

1st - don't let yourself get caught in the "big draw weight" trap. Legally you only need 40 lbs and there's been plenty of large game successfully harvested with just that amount of poundage. Lower draw weights also allow me to be far more accurate and it's a lot easier to put 57 or 58 lbs on a cold day that 70 lbs. (been there done that)

That's just my thoughts so far.

[7 REM MAG]

bowtech makes very good hunting bows, there really isnt a bad bow company out there go shoot lots handle lots and buy what feels good in your hands and fits into your budget, im shooting 65 lbs right now and am about to crank it down to 55-60 so i can hold my draw longer. you really dont need to pull 70 lbs to kill a deeri had a complete pass thru with a bear shooting 50 pounds once the arrow is out of the animal it has expended all the energy it needs to and has no more work to do other than continue farther away from the animal making it harder to find your arrow thats going to cost 15 bucks+ with a broadhead

[Jamie Black R/T]

im already learning!!

thanks for the tips and keep em coming!! :)

[el sparko]

getting close to an elk isn't all that difficult but getting a shot off through thick cover can be a chore. learning how to use your equipment and knowing it's limitations are the key. shooting a bow is a lot like swinging a golf club; you need to stand correctly, aim correctly, and follow through the same every time.
as for which brand of bow to start with goes i suggest visiting numerious archery stores and talk with the bow tech, when you find someone that you are comfortable learning from heed their advise and the next thing you know you will be shooting.

[depopulator]

Go to a knowledgeable pro shop and ask questions. Don't discount the advice of the younger staff - those guys are keen, and many of them are pro staff for archery companies (the guys at Sherwood Park Archery Lanes anyways). Assuming you want a compound bow, try every bow that is in your price range, and while your at it, try different releases as well. Any reputable shop will set your draw length and get you shooting a properly set up bow within a few minutes. The more selection in brands and models, the better. Find and buy what personnally fits you the best and feels to most natural. And buy a good release - the money spent on a cheap one up front will just cost you later when you will replace it. Carbon arrows all the way.

[CNP]

Mistakes I made years ago:

Ditto what Russ said. Too much draw weight is too much. I now shoot 50-60# bows after having shot 60-70# (75# even) bows for years

Don't cheap out. Buy quality stuff.....the bow, sight, arrow rest, release, broadheads....you have more flex with arrows than anything else. Otherwise you will always be looking to upgrade....you will anyway....archery manufacturers prey upon us by advertising their new and better than ever stuff (repackaged and renamed) lol.

Everything else (competency) comes along with the effort you put into it...

Good luck...

[catnthehat]

Everything said here is spot on the money!
The big thing is to not let your choice be influenced by someone before you actually try the equipment!
For instance, if you asked me about traditional archery equipment, I could go on for hours, but if you went out and bought a custom made recurve or long bow, got a fletcher to do you up a dozen custom shafts with a set of resharpenable broadheads, I would bet that stuff would be on the trading forum next year or sooner if you had never actually shot one before the purchase !

FWIW, I have a friend who sill hunts with a 20 year old compound and Thunderheads, the same spec gear he first bought.
As long as it is tuned right, as was stated, there are no really BAD bows out there.
just make sure you get proper instruction on the use of your gear and you will be fine....
Cat

[Jamie Black R/T]

thanks again and keep all opinions and advice coming!!

im not afraid to drop coin on hunting equipment

and i wont rush into this thing.....im giving myself a year to learn about the equipment and to turn myself into robin hood :evilgrin:

rifle or bow i wont let myself go hunting un-prepared to kill clean and quick

[M70]

I respect the fact that you want to be competent with the equipment before you go out and hunt but time is a-wasting! Get out to one of the shops and get the process moving. Get your bow and start practicing! Since you live in Edmonton I would take advantage of the one or two non-winter months you guys get up there and practice, practice, practice. The only regret I have about bow hunting is that I didn't start sooner.

[Dark Wing]

The advice I got was go to a bow shop with shooting lanes and start shooting until you find something you like. Also do not buy the most expensive bow out there until you know your committed to bow hunting.

[Rifle]

Some advice for when you become a more competent shooter:

Once you start hitting tight groups at 20-40 yards, consider shooting without having measured the range (outdoors, probably). Walk away from the target a random number of paces, turn, and shoot. Walk a bit farther away, do it again. This will help you learn to estimate distances. Also, maybe only shoot 1 or two arrows at a time before retrieving them. Otherwise, you'll end up "robin-hooding" them. The first time you split an arrow with another, it's cool. After that, it's annoying and expensive.

[russ]

I wouldn't worry too much about robin hoods, I don't know of too many people that can do them on command. Shooting nocks off yeah, do it all the time. Just aim at different spots with each arrow it that sort of thing worries you. Getting to know what the sight picture is like on off yardages is a great idea though.

[Jamie Black R/T]

im ready to start shooting and buy a bow finally

Ive been considering heading to trophy book archery in spruce grove since i drive by it on a regular basis

i hear lots of good things about sherwood park lanes....but havent heard much about trophy book

anyone have experience with them?

[sleslie]

Trophy Book is a great place to do business in my opinion. I think they have one of the better stocked shops around if you are looking for lots of options, their shooting lanes leave a lot to be desired though. I picked up my Mathews DXT there last year and would recommend at least having a look at one of them.

[el sparko]

hey jamie! it's been a long time since you posted this note, did you buy a bow? and if so are you getting ready for sept?

[Jamie Black R/T]

no bow....but life is lookin like its gonna let me have some time to do so now

so im ready to buy and try to be ready for this fall

just wanted some feedback on trophy book

seems like they have a good repore so ill be shopping and shooting this weekend!!

but we wont tell the salesman that :lol:

[Jeromeo]

I have only had great experiences at trophy book. In my opinion they are the best archery shop in the Edmonton Area. The guys are always willing to set you up with a smile on their face regardless if you are buying or just looking for a bow. They'll help you out and give you tips. I wouldn't go anywhere else.

[Jamie Black R/T]

Well i bought a bow

I went to Trophy book and shot a few nice bows....ended up with a Mission Eliminator set at 60#

they helped me out and had me shootin bullseyes at 20 yards with ease before even making me pay....saw a guy bring in a massive black wolf he just killed while i was there too...was mutterin something about 230 lbs :ashamed:

great service and im happy with the bow....just gotta move that target out to the long stuff now so when i get a bull inside of 30 yards i can put the arrow where it needs to go

thanks all for the help and by all means keep firing pointers my way


Jamie

[Cowtown guy]

Stay at 20 yards for a while and work on form. Try and do everything EXACTLY THE SAME every single time. It is fine to stretch it out and set your pins but I would work on the close stuff for awhile. When you can hit a 2" circle every time stretch it out to 30 yards. When you can hit a 3" circle every time move out to 40 yards and so on.

The circle size is what is generally accepted as the rule of thumb for knowing your effective range. Keep in mind that before hunting season you should be hitting these circles with broadheads not field points.

One other tip is to try and shoot at a spot. I was shooting at the paper targets with the different colored rings on them for a while and I find that I shoot better if I just put a small 3/4" square up on the target butt. This gets you in the habit of picking a spot. "Aim small, miss small" sort of theory.

Hope this helps.