New to Bowhunting - Need Advice

[Solid Snake]

I just bought my first bow. Didn't want to spend a lot of money so I got a used Bear Lights Out for $200 ready to hunt....almost. I need to buy arrows, a release, and a target.

Anyone have any advice for a beginner??

[drenalinld]

 You want to be sure your arrows are spined correctly and the proper length as well as the rest positioned correctly for fletching/vane clearance. Too many things to go wrong to try and work out on your own getting started. Just shooting a different arrow than the bow was originally set up for may cause you enough problems to be very discouraging. Go to a local bow shop and get them to set it up and get you close on being sighted in. If you buy arrows from them, they might do it for free, but even if you have to pay them $20-$30, it will be worth it to get you started right.

If you have opportunity, shoot with someone who has experience to make sure you get started with good fundamentals with regard to shooting form. Don't worry about shooting farther than 20 yards until you have arrows grouped very tightly at that distance.

[dirt road ninja]

I agree with drenalinld. Starting out with a pro shop to get fitted and the correct arrows is very important. Your learning curve will be much shorter if the equipment is set up correctly from the start. Shooting is not that difficult, with a little practice you will be able to shoot tennis ball size groups @ 20 yards faster then you think. If you have a pro shop near your home or work go there and pay the few bucks to practice at their range. You will learn more in a week doing that then months on your own. Most guys that hang around archery shops are more then willing to help out a new comer. Just sit back watch a few of them shoot their rigs and you will see from whom to take advise from.

As far as pratice goes. If you get tired stop, it does no good to practice when your form is bad. Plus you will progress with the mental side of it quicker if stop on a good note. Try to stay away from tracking the arrow in flight. Most folks that I've seen starting out will drop their arm to watch the arrow hit the target. This is a hard habit to break. Keep in mind that the bow is a machine and will repeat the same thing over and over again. The difference in accuracy and consistency will be you. I would recommend that you limit yourself to 5 rounds of 5 arrows per round shooting at a 5 dot target until the last round is as good as the first. Then step it up. Shooting the 5 dots will also help you with another fundamental "picking a spot".

Once you get good @ 20 yards. Move back. Way back. I practice @ 60 yards (never hunt with that pin on my bow, just practice). For the following two reasons:

1. When deer hunting it makes the 30 yard shot feel like a chip shot. Most folks that practice all year @ 20 tend to panic a little when a animal is outside of there normal practice range, even though they are spot on @ 30 yards.

2. Bad form WILL show itself at long range. You can have horrible form and shoot alright @ 20 yards.

BUY  A RANGE FINDER - this is a must have IMHO.

There is so much more then what I type, but thats a solid start.

If you live around the New Orleans area I would be happy to shoot with you and help out any time. I love my bows. There is no better sight in hunting then watching your well placed arrow sink into the side of a critter. No worse sight then watching the same arrow go thru the guts. The difference is inches.

[savduck]

Agree with everything said above. i think the most important thing right now is teaching yourself good form, muscle memory, and the quirks of your equipment. You achieve that by repeatative shooting. hundreds of arrows. Start out at 10 to 15 yards at a lower lb draw weight. you are going to use muscles you didnt know you had. If you start to get tired and lose form, pack it up. Dont teach yourself bad habits. I grew up 5 minutes from a bow range. in the summer I used to shoot 3 or 4 hours a day. i would get out of work at 3:30 and go to the range. In summer its not dark here until 9.

Shoot and shoot and shoot. After about a week or so set out a marked 20 yard target....shoot, shoot, and shoot for a few weeks. Next with 30 and 40. Get 500 to 1000 shots under your belt. Go up on the draw weight 5 lbs at a time if you feel corfortable...you'll have to make some adjustments. By this time you will feel comfortable shooting. If you have them set out targets at random distances and shot angles.....practice taking one shot only at a target. Your trying to teaching your self angles and distance. Use the range finder after you shoot....try to guess first. Get yourself a few buddies to shoot with and turn it into a team event, just for fun we used to try to shoot the eyes balls out of tree stands ( always shooting down from the tree) on our deer targets. Shoot out of a tree stand or at low light situations. The main thing is to Shoot, shoot, and shoot until it becomes second nature. When an animal steps out, nothing to it.

Just remember you dont have to shoot 70lb draw and 50 dollar broad heads. I had a bow that I hunted at 70, but I also mowed them down out of an old double cam PSE set at 55. 

[Solid Snake]

Great info! This is very helpful for a beginner like myself. I have a very small archery shop close to my house that I need to visit and have him setup my bow. What about a release? Went and looked the other day and there were about 15 different ones to choose from ranging from $90 to $30.

[dirt road ninja]

The Scott makes plenty of nice releases. I shoot a mini mongoose. The only opinion I have is buy one with a buckle not velcro. The buckle's will hold up better and they make zero noise in the stand. When you are finished shooting always strap the release to the riser of your bow. I have trained myself and my son to do the same. I forgot it in the case or truck more then once when I first started bowhunting and it sucks to realize you have no realease 25 foot up in a tree. But I would rather forget the release then the range finder.

[drenalinld]

The Scott makes plenty of nice releases. I shoot a mini mongoose. The only opinion I have is buy one with a buckle not velcro. The buckle's will hold up better and they make zero noise in the stand. When you are finished shooting always strap the release to the riser of your bow. I have trained myself and my son to do the same. I forgot it in the case or truck more then once when I first started bowhunting and it sucks to realize you have no realease 25 foot up in a tree. But I would rather forget the release then the range finder.

I shoot the Scott lil' bitty goose. All Scott releases are good, but you can buy cheaper releases and still shoot very consistently. I learned the hard way about keeping my release on my bow riser. I shot the biggest buck I have had in bow range without a release in 2000'. I hit him high and back at 15 yards. I later learned shooting with fingers will make you shoot high and right if you normally shoot a release. Did not recover the deer.

I now have a backup release in my back pack.

[fallhnt]

Make sure your bow is set up for your draw length.You will shoot better and have more fun.A real pro shop can help get you set up.

[Kylongspur88]

Have fun! Shooting a bow is fun and bow hunting is fun. Its not a chore, just have a good time. As others said visit a pro shop. Also don't get caught up in having the most expensive/ newest gear. When I got into bow hunting at 13 an old timer told me something that I feel is 100 percent true, a good bow hunter makes for an excellent gun hunter.
Also plenty of good bows out there that wont break the bank. Don't be afraid to buy a used bow that's in good condition.

[Solid Snake]

Have fun! Shooting a bow is fun and bow hunting is fun. Its not a chore, just have a good time. As others said visit a pro shop. Also don't get caught up in having the most expensive/ newest gear. When I got into bow hunting at 13 an old timer told me something that I feel is 100 percent true, a good bow hunter makes for an excellent gun hunter.
Also plenty of good bows out there that wont break the bank. Don't be afraid to buy a used bow that's in good condition.

Thanks man. I bought a used Bear Lights Out for $200 and it's perfect for me. I didn't want to spend much money (I've found that pretty hard when getting into archery and buying equipment  ) Shot for the first time yesterday and had a blast!! I was in the backyard after dark with my outdoor light on slinging some arrows! Trying to get sighted in but ran out of time. Thanks for all the advice it really helped me.

[drenalinld]

Shaw24, how are you liking the bow?

[Shoregobbler]

Those Bear LightsOut bows are smooth shooters!

[Solid Snake]

Shaw24, how are you liking the bow?

I'm really liking it! Been shooting quite a bit but not as much as I would like. I took the bow to a proshop and had them set it up for me. I feel very comfortable at 20 yards but when I move back to 30 yards my accuracy goes down quite a bit. I have a feeling it has a lot to do with my form or how I'm aiming the bow. I have a hard time keeping the pin steady on the bullseye when I'm at full draw - I mean it's not wondering all over the place but it's harder than I thought to keep it steady on my bullseye at 30. I really appreciate your guys advice, it has helped quite a bit. I probably really need to shoot with someone that has a lot of knowledge though. Any advice is welcome especially when it comes to form/aiming/finishing the shot.

[drenalinld]

One thing you may try is a little flex in your left elbow at full draw. For a lot of shooters this will stabilize those pins quite a bit. It will only work if your draw length is set up a little on the short side. Another thing that will help you stabilize those pins is dropping your draw weight. You might be surprised how much your accuracy will improve from a five or six pound drop in your draw weight. It is much more important to hit where you want than have a little more velocity. Just a couple ideas, glad you enjoy shooting.

[Solid Snake]

Thanks for the advice - I will definitely try that. I probably need to drop the draw weight some...he measured it at 73 lbs so you think I should drop it down 5 or so lbs?