Bow Hunting and Archery | A Beginner’s Guide to Bow hunting in 2019
Bow hunting and archery is among the most challenging games you can ever experience. That is why people still prefer bows over guns when it comes to spending their hunting time into the woods. This article is a starter pack of the things you’ll need to become a pro archer. Know about the necessary equipment, practice ranges and bow seasons before getting started.
Bow hunting is a traditional sport admired and played by millions of Americans. From hunting a whitetail deer to taking part in an archery competition, they can’t get enough of it. According to a survey done in 2015, about 23.8% Americans have tried archery. It might be due to the reason that it offers a more challenging environment as compared to rifle hunting. Also, success is never assured, and you never know when a wind shift will cause your arrow to go wrong. But one thing for sure, the bow hunters and archers have endless interesting stories to tell about their bow hunting experiences.
A famous Bowhunter Fred Bear once said: “Nothing clears a troubled mind better than shooting a bow”. Because the crisp release of an arrow leading to a straight flight is good enough to be excited for. Also, it’s a year-round sport while the gun hunters get shorter time to practice the game.
Do you also want to connect to nature more deeply? And to extend your hunting season? Then you’ll never run out of reasons why to experience this amazing game. In fact, it’s so easy to pursue this passion that you can start practicing right away. But before that, you might want to know about the archery equipment needed along with suitable seasons and practice ranges. So, here is your bow hunting and archery checklist for getting started.
Bow Hunting Tools
Bow: Of course, a bow is one of the basic equipment that you need to start bow hunting. There are three famous types of bows that you can consider. First one is Traditional Bow which has been in use for so long and is also affordable. But these traditional recurves need more practice to master the art of archery. The second one is Compound Bow which is easier to shoot and needs less practice as compared to the former. While the third is Cross Bow which is easiest to handle among all. Also, it is a good option for those having little to no archery experience.
The price of cross and compound bow is relatively higher than traditional one, but each comes with its own benefits. So, it’s really important to ask for recommendations from an expert during your visit to the archery shop. Because only a good fit can help you to enhance your bow hunting experience.
The Ravin Crossbow is the Cadillac of crossbows.
Arrow: After choosing a bow, the next step is to select an arrow. Arrows also come in different sizes and are made of different type of materials. But you need to find the one that matches your bow’s draw length and draw weight.
Broadheads: Broadheads are also an important component of bow hunting. Three major categories of broadheads include removable blades, fixed blades and mechanical blades. Again, you need to make sure that the arrow and broadheads match your requirements. And Schminter can guide you through the purchase.
Bow accessories: It’s a wide topic having lots of choices to consider. But it all depends on your budget and reason for which you need them. For example, you need to have a bow stringer if you’re using recurve bow. Also, a quiver is necessary for carrying broadhead-tipped arrows. Additionally, arrow-rests will prevent the arrows from falling off the bow shelf. Some other accessories that can improve your shooting accuracy include targets, shooting gloves, release-aids, bow-sights, arm guard and stabilizers.
Practice Range
The practice range differs for different hunting games and also depend on the hunter’s own style and ethics. Generally, it ranges between 30-60 yards for hunting animals. Every hunter has his own effective shooting range, i.e. the range that is lethal and brings the meat home.
In order to find yours, practice is the key. So, make it your routine to practice shooting an arrow every day. Even experienced hunters do that. It will definitely help to improve your capabilities and to determine your own shooting comfort zone. You can utilize public land for practicing bow hunting. Or talking to a private property owner for getting permission is also a good idea if it suits your budget.
Bow Hunting and Archery Targets
You can also set up your own practice range using targets. Just make sure you have a large enough practice area.
Bow Hunting Seasons
Archery is a type of sport that you can enjoy year-long and in every kind of weather. In winter, the archers go indoors for archery games with a limited shooting distance ranging from 0-20 yards. However, if you want to practice the big hunting games of deer, elks, pronghorn, and moose. You can do it in outdoors during the summer hunting seasons that start from August and ends in December. For more information regarding the hunting season, you can also visit Colorado Parks and Wildlife website.