Five Bow Hunting Tips

Bow hunters don’t kill good deer consistently because they have a rabbit’s foot in their pocket. It is true sometimes deer hunters are lucky and a monster walks by, but those are isolated incidents. To kill deer consistently with a bow you need to practice and be using some sort of plan to outsmart the deer.

Location:
When picking a hunting location, you want to make sure your stand has some of the several necessities. First you need to be able to access your stand without spooking deer. This is one of the harder items to accomplish. One way to help accomplish this is to cut a path to you stand during the summer. You also will need at least two stands for different wind directions. Also, you will need a location where deer will pass within thirty yards of you stand during shooting hours.

Pack it Light:
Another tactic is packing light so you can do more stalking and still hunting. What you need for this set up is a light tree climber and the minimum of gear so you are not dragged down during you hunt. To be successful you need to hunt slowly and patiently so you do not spook or miss deer.

The Little Things:
The little things all add up to be very important and can be the difference between a shot and staring at a bobbing white tail as the deer jumps away. First thing to do once up in a stand is check you safety harness (What do you mean you don’t have one!?) and your bow to make sure they are functioning properly and that you can make a complete draw and release without getting a twig caught. Also, double check you shooting lanes, even a small twig can move your arrow enough to be off target.

Know the Land:
To be successful every year, you have to know every foot of the land you are hunting. This allows you to be able to change your plans quickly and to be to know where the most likely places the deer will be during a certain time. To do this you have to be able to observe deer and the signs throughout every season. Then once you file away that knowledge you will be able to be more consistent during the hunt in the coming season.

Start Early:
Trimming shooting lanes and putting up stands several months before the season will help let deer settle down after you disturbed their peace. Also, while you are trimming and setting up stands don’t forget to make a path to your stand so you can get their quietly. I have seen times when a person does all the work for the season a week before and they don’t see anything because they have spooked all the deer.

Being a successful hunter isn’t all about luck (though it certainly helps), it is about the preparation and practice you put in before the season. So, practice, be smart, and kill a deer this season.

For more deer hunting tips check out:
Post-Rut Deer Hunting Tips I
Post-Rut Deer Hunting Tips II