Hunting Forum

For those who don't know me, my name is Jim Graham, and this year, I'm
just getting back to hunting since I was a kid (no place to hunt, didn't
know about the concept of public hunting land, etc.), and after two
cancers (first in 2006--7, the second in 2011).  Cancer #1 is by far
the most significant of the two---it's the one that left permanent
damage, specifically, reduced energy levels (which are improving every
time I go out with my rifle this year, and there's still the rut in
February left to go).  It also left me on Social Security Disability,
and therefore, with a limited budget.

Having said all of that, and after being advised to skip the bow hunting
for the rut this year and go with a muzzleloader instead, I'm back to
wanting to start working towards bow hunting in the early archery season
in November.

I should also point out that the last time I even touched a compound bow
was when I was about 12--14 years old, and it was my uncle's bow (a
double-compound bow), and I could barely draw back on it (no idea what
weight it was).  That's my experience so far.

What I need advice on first, though, is what I need to buy.  It may
take months (or one or two tech reviews for a publisher I do TRs for
when I get the offers).  I hunt on Eglin AFB public hunting land, and
their regs require a minimum draw weight of 35 lbs, but I wonder if
this is even enough to take a deer unless he's right next to me....

Basically, I would appreciate it if someone would list all of the stuff
I need to buy---I know it's not as simple as "just buy a bow and some
arrows and you're done" ... but I don't know the complete list of what
else is needed.  Brand sugggestions (this one is good, this is bad) are
also most definitely invited.  In other words, I'm looking for some
knowledge dumps here.  :-)

One thing I will be doing, when I eventually go to (probably Bass Pro
Shops, as that's all we have locally) to buy, or at least try out a
bow, I'll be hoping to try drawing back on several to see what's
comfortable as far as draw weight.  But as for brands, etc., for the
price (whatever that ends up being), I'm clueless.

Does any of that make sense?  My chemobrain[1] (one of those permanent
bits from cancer #1) is really going crazy today.

Thanks,
   --jim

[1] For those who don't know, "chemobrain" is a common term for cognitive
    and memory damage done to the brain by chemotherapy.  Harsher chemo
    drugs, higher dosages, and longer exposure times all add up to more
    (and often longer-lasting) damage.  I had extremely harsh chemo drugs
    (one of which was Cisplatin, one of the most notorious for
    chemobrain) at very high dosages for 24 hours out of a 25 hour day
    (24 on, 1 off) for a week, followed by two weeks off, for four
    cycles.  It destroyed cancer #1, but did its damage to me as well.

Posted By bpearce on 27 Jan 2013 05:08 PM
All of the major bow manufacturers are makng quality bows. I haven't heard of any bad reviews. I have 2 older PSE's (Inferno, & Baby G Force) and like both. If it is legal you might want to look at a cross bow if you might have trouble drawing a compound. since they became legal here last season I got a Bowtech Stryker 380

I'll try to make a list
1. I would suggest a ready to hunt compound bow. Has the sight, peep,stabilizer,quiver, and arrows.
2. A release aid. I like the wrist strap such as True Fire
3. A target. Bag types work great for field points and I feel they last longer than the layered styles but you can't shoot broadheads at them.
4. Broadheads I have used Rage 2 blade & Schwacker mechanicals. Muzzy is real popular for fixed blade.

That is about all that you should need. For options.
1. Limb Savers.
2. String silencers.
3. A range finder is really helpful.
4. Extra arrows. I buy a half dozen every season and only have a few left when season ends. The crossbow has been different, as IT have gone through the five that came with it plus another 15.
5. Lighted nocks help in seeing where you hit a deer and aid in locating after. 

6. I like a D loop on string for my release.

Hope this helps and have fun.

It definitely does help.  I have heard of some of this, on hunting shows
(before NBCSports took them all off the air, that is) during the parts
where they give pointers, tips, etc....

As for the crossbow, not legal for hunting here yet (at least not on the
Eglin range...don't know about State of Florida regs, because Eglin AFB
regs trump state regs).

Ok, going through the numbered list:

1) I'll look for the all-in-one kits.  I have seen some, but didn't know
   if what they had in them was literally all I'd need.  :-)

2) I remember seeing one of those.  Yes, I do want one.

3) What are "bag type" targets?  Something like a bean-bag?

4) Broadheads:  everyone seems to swear by Rage, so that's probably
   where I'd go, too.

Second list---options:

1) What's a limb saver?

2) Same question for string silencers (I mean, I get the idea of what it
   does, but what is it?)

3) I plan on getting a range finder if at all possible...I need one
   anyways for some of the areas I hunt out there....

4) Do arrows just break?  Or do they get lost?

5) Lighted nocks---that'd be the bit that Mellissa Bachmann likes so
   much to see where the arrow goes, right?  Yeah, great idea.  I 
   remember one episode where she said that the state she was hunting
   in outlawed them...I'll never figure out who did that (probably the
   same politician from some state who started a bill to modify the
   value of pi to 3 to keep things simple.....).

6) A D-loop is another of those that I've heard about.  Definitely one of
   the bits I'll want.  Is that something that you buy as part of the
   bow? Or is it somehow an add-on?  From what I've gathered, most of the
   releases (that is what you call it, right?) work with D-loops.

Thanks for the info---looks like I'd figured out more than I thought,
but definitely not all of that.

Now, a new question along the same lines (actually, two).  I like the
type of sights that MB uses, where you dial up the range.  Does that
just change the sights, or does it adjust the draw weight, too?  And
on the draw weight, how do different draw weights track with the shot
distance (and hoping for a very quick kill, so I don't have to kill
myself hiking all over whichever of the areas on the Eglin range I'm
hunting on that day, and so I can get out, preferably before dark,
because one of the roads that I need to get to my two favorite areas
has 6--10 inch deep pot holes which, in my Honda Civic Si (speed demon,
but not the idea hunting vehicle) are tire/wheel killers.  I have to
keep it at about 15 mph, constantly dodging big holes in the road, and
making sure I miss the ones where you have to thread the needle to get
between two, arranged such that dodging one leads you right into the
next....definitely easier in daylight than at night.  And I've been
advised not to even think about climbing any trees (cancer #1), so I'm
limited to afternoon hunts (unless the new popup ground blind I'm
buying this Friday (SSD payday) makes the air currents not matter) on
the ground.

Thanks,
   --jim

PS:  Sorry about the length on this one.  I do tend to ramble on
     sometimes.

Only allowed buck?  Yikes.  On the Eglin range (NOT FL in general) the limit for deer (bucks only except during the early archery season) is a daily limit of 2, and a season limit of "NO LIMIT".

Thanks for the info.  Btw, what does "refletch" mean?  (and did I spell that right?)

Thanks,

   --jim

Posted By bpearce on 28 Jan 2013 07:00 AM
To replace the vanes of the arrow or fletchings. You can buy vanes seperate then need fletching cement which will be dried up the next time you need it and you can also get a fletching jig so you will get proper alignment. Hence I use the quick fletch. If you have a drop away rest some guys like to use a fob instead of fletches. That is a circular ring with 3 spoke like vanes that slide on the end of the shaft, if it breaks you can slip it of and slip on a new one. You can find videos on youtube about all of this.

Thanks,

   --jim

Posted By MRD on 28 Jan 2013 05:45 PM
For a lower poundage bow use fixed blades only . Expandable blades loose some energy upon the deployment at impact , fixed do not . On the lower end of draw weight use it all for penetration .

Thanks for the warning.

Speaking of draw weights, I meant to ask this earlier, and I think I
forgot:  How does the draw weight relate to distance for the shot
(or does it)?

Thanks,
   --jim

Posted By GLW on 28 Jan 2013 08:32 PM
Don't worry about distance? If you are starting out, you aren't gonna shoot past 30 yards. Poundage at that yardage doesn't matter.The biggest part of archery hunting isn't the gear, it's the ability to get close to the game without being detected. Like MRD said, stay with fixed blade and you won't have to worry about penatraton issues. I shoot both mechanicals and fixed, but I have have hunted for over 30 years and have different bows for the job. I have frequented Eglin a few times in my Air Force military career and it's pretty close quarters. Big snakes and armidillo run the property. Keep it simple and change your tackle accordingly with gained experience.

Regarding the distance vs draw weight, I'm really just curious right
now.  I have no expectations of even thinking about anything beyond
about 25 yards for quite a while.

As for close quarters, it depends.  I have two favorite areas where,
before the season started in November, I saw lots of BIG deer tracks
and droppings; specifically, Live Oak Creek and the big open area
behind where range roads 234 and 685 meet.  But yeah, most of the
areas out there are pretty tight.  In fact, I've been advised not to
even attempt going into the areas marked on the topo maps as swamp,
as they aren't passable at all (too thick).  But the area on the
opposite side of the swamp area at Live Oak Creek was loaded with
sign.  Haven't seen anything there yet, but I was told to basially
expect that until the rut next month.  Every now and then, you here
a shot, but those days are few and far between.  I can't wait to see
what next month is like.....  I need at least one, preferably a lot
more deer to help my food budget for a long time by providing meat
I won't have to buy (I could use a few hogs, too!).

As for snakes and armadillos on Eglin, that'd be the Hill Country in
Texas, not Eglin...at least, not these days.  I still wear my snake
gaiters, but have yet to see a single snake (and was told by one of
the guys at the Jackson Guard office that even though he's in the
field daily, he's only seen two, and those were crossing the road).

Now, in the Texas Hill Country, there are diamondbacks everywhere,
and they won't always warn you before they strike.  Very bad-tempered
buggers.  And out there, most armadillos you see are road kill (and
on an old t-shirt I used to have when I was a kid, with the Texas
Scubadillo (imagine an armadillo with a Lone Star Beer[1] bottle as
its tank) on it...I got it at the dive shop where I was certified
back then.

The snake gaiters do at least protect my shins/calves from all of
the brier out there...it's really thick in some areas.

Thanks,
   --jim

[1] (back then, at least, known in Texas as the National Beer of Texas)

Wow...I never imagined an arrow going that far.....

Posted By MRD on 29 Jan 2013 05:52 PM
Don't get too excited , they will go far if the arc is high , heck ancient archers shot long bows in battle out to 100 plus . That is what you will experience in a subtle way with a compound bow lighter in draw weight . Lighter weight gives you more arc and pin gap on the sight and you can adjust the pins to 5 yds. to compensate if 10 is too much . 25 yds. expectation is perfect by the way . Shoot the bow for months prior to and never grab it , just lightly hold it is my best advice .

I was wondering, as I typed all of that, just how far they were able to
send arrows back then...really had no idea just from the history shows
I've seen.

Oh, something I've been wondering:  are bows generally able to be
adjusted for different draw weights (I've seen some that specifically
mention that, but don't know about others), or do you normally get the
draw weight for the bow you buy?

And depending on what you mean by lighter draw weights, remember, the
minimum on the Eglin range is 35 lbs.

And finally, what's the difference between grabbing it and lightly
holding it (both in terms of what you mean by those and the difference
for the bow itself)?

Thanks,
   --jim

Posted By bpearce on 30 Jan 2013 06:27 AM
With a tight grip it is possible to torque the bow or twist it out of alignment with the string causing poor accuracy or in extreme case cause the string to come off the cams and can cause damage. A light grip allows the bow to keep itself in allignment.

As MRD stated bows are made with a 10# adjustment range 40-50# 60-70# etc. They are adjusted buy how tight the limb bolts are turned down. The limb bolt is what fastens the limbs to the riser. I have seen one model that had an adjustment dial on it for this

Ok, that makes sense (light grip on the bow).  I'll have to remember
that.  As for the adjustment, I'm so inexperienced in the archery side,
I don't even know what the limbs and riser are...but then, at least I
KNOW I have a lot to learn.  :-)

Thanks,
   --jim

Posted By bpearce on 30 Jan 2013 07:13 AM
That is why I suggested going to youtube. You can find everything from broadhead tests, shooting tips, how to paper tune your bow, to how to measure your draw length. The latter is one I haven't mentioned that you need to have the bow to have the proper draw length. Basically that is how far the string can be pulled back when at full draw. Most bows have an adjustment range for that also.

Oh, I've already been watching some YouTube videos, but so far, they've
all been way over my head for the majority of the content.  Any pointers
to the more beginner level videos (search terms or links) would be
greatly appreciated.

And before I forget, what does "paper tune" mean?

Thanks,
   --jim