The advice you wish you would've received

[bucknut]

Don't over bow yourself is without a doubt the best advice so far.  It creates all kinds of bad habits that are hard to break later on. It even tore up my shoulder. The male ego is a terrible thing. Find a cheap 40# bow, learn to shoot it and work your way up.  This is just my opinion, but it is exactly what happened to me. We didn't have a Trad gang then, It was just the school of hard nocks.

[damascusdave]

Pretty simple really...hunting the first year you start shooting is probably not very ethical

DDave

[last arrow]

As everyone has said, have fun, that is most important.  That is easiest if you are doing what you want to do and not what others think you should do.  

Adding to this, remember that opinions (1. a belief or judgment that rests on grounds insufficient to produce complete certainty. 2. a personal view, attitude, or appraisal.) are the authors only used to support what they are doing.  It may be factually wrong (whether verifiable or not).  

So if you choose to incorporate someones opinion into your shooting/hunting process, make sure it fits your desires, believe system, objectives, etc. and you will have a much more rewarding experience.

[Dave Lay]

A lot of great advise , I started bow hunting alone before the Internet or hunting/ shooting videos and made alot of mistakes , I'd say like others have, get a bow you are comfortable with, get it tuned with hunting weight arrows, learn to sharpen heads razor sharp, shoot at milk jugs out in the yard ,or something in addition to your standard target, and stump shoot as much as possible ,Like Dan said earlier, get some kills and gain confidence! Take the first GOOD shot presented and avoid shooting alerted deer/critters . Don't get discouraged and pick up the wheels , stick with it and you will be glad you did

[last arrow]

I didn't know any bowhunters when I started in the early 70's. But I'd like to add a few opinions I've developed  that I believe are helpful:

1.  The arrow is the most important thing in the accuracy equation.  If its not strait, well tuned to the bow and matched to your other arrows you will not shoot to your abilities.
2.  Set your trophy goals on what you want and where you hunt - not on what you see in the magazines or what others tell you is a trophy.
3. Time in the woods is more important to your success than the equipment you have.
4. Don't be afraid to do it yourself on an out of state hunt.  Guides/outfitters are not required if you can't afford or don't want one.
5.  A  properly sharpened $4 zwickey (or several other brand) broad head is just as effective as the multitude of $20 heads available. (This applies to a lot but not all of your equipment choices so under stand what you are paying for when deciding.)
6. If you do not have the skill or time to properly sharpen the $4 head, buy the expensive pre-sharpened head, i.e., spend money to save time if you want.
7.  finally, I would like to repeat an earlier comment - generally everything is a trade off - to gain in one area be aware of the cost in other areas.

[Producer]

Practice shooting extensively with the broadheads you will hunt with prior to hunting season.