First Year Shooting Thru The Mesh. Any tips?

[2Blade]

Shot my bow the other day through the screens of my Predator Den and it didnt effect my flight at all I was on. Is there any tips for hunting with the screens up? Do you still need dark clothing and facemask? From what ive seen I could get away with it but I know a turkeys eyes are better then mine. I realize screens arent a must but do they increase the odds of you reaching full draw undetected?

[tradhunter]

Yup dark still matters...also, try to set up with the sun at your back or off angle or els it will be a bit of a booger to see through.
Good luck!

[OBXarcher]

I only notice the screens when I set it up and am waiting for game. Once a critter shows up you'll never know they are there.

[Bill Carlsen]

Be sure your fletching doesn't have any sharp  pointy outcroppings that could get caught in the mesh...could cause some deflection. I wear black including face mask and gloves. The tip on shooting into the sun (don't do it) is a good one.

[CaptainJ]

Bill has a good point. You also need to make sure you are shooting only the mesh. My son was shooting through the mesh and nicked one of the support cords sending the arrow high left. What would have been an excellent shot turned into a gut shot. Fortunately the arrow hit high enough to sever the doe's spinal artery and she went down very quickly. (I've never seen blood come faster out of an animal!) We've seen many great shots through the mesh on youth hunts and that was the only one that didn't fly as expected.

[The Hawk]

Back in olden times, before I change my lowly ways (shooting a "wheelie bow"), I had some terrible experiences shooting through mesh and I tried many different broadheads with no luck. After going trad, I noticed that I could shoot through mesh just fine. I finally realized that it was not the broadhead that was the problem, it was the vane (I was a little slow, back in olden time) Feathers work great through mesh, sun at your back. Good luck.

[Bill Carlsen]

The reason wheelie guys have difficulty is that they most often do not use COC broadheads.

[fnshtr]

I missed a jake this morning shooting through the mesh. The bird was closer than I had anticipated shooting and I nicked the bottom of the window (edge). Make sure you have clearance. When focusing on an animal, it is easy to forget the edges.

Today was opening morning here in WV. Called in two trophy toms later in the morning, but they skirted around my blind... I don't think they liked the little inflatable decoy I had up.

Good luck!!

[Orion]

Keep the screening relatively tight.  Setting up so the most likely shot will have the sun at your back is a good idea, as much for improving your view as obscuring the turkey's view, but turkeys approach from where ever they want to.  

I don't wear black or a camo mask (my blind inside walls aren't black either). It is important to sit back into the blind so your face isn't near the screen and move slowly when turkeys are close though.  They may catch a fast hand movement through the screen, particularly if it's close to the screen.  

And, of course, only open screens on one side of the blind.  The birds (and you) can see quite clearly into and through the blind from one open screen to another, so don't ever let any part of your body get between two open screens on opposite sides of the blind.

Good luck.

[2Blade]

Will do guys. Ive had turkeys close and drawn on them without the screens and no problems. I guess the situation will decide if I shoot screens that day. However with my Florescent Yellow feathers the screens might help cut down on their "Glow"