What game are you hunting, and what is your setup for this season?

[Mike Bolin]

With so much negativity going on around us, I feel like it's time to get a fun topic started, so let's talk about our choice of hunting gear and what type of game for the upcoming season(s). Bows, arrows, broadheads, ground blinds or treestands, Deer, Elk, Moose, small game, hogs.  Anything to get our minds on getting back to the woods!

Primary bow for this Whitetail/Turkey season in Indiana will be my 60" Widow PTF, 46#@28", 29" Beman ICS Bowhunter shafts with a standard insets and a VPA 3 blade up front. Total arrow weight is right at 500 grains. Using mostly 15' ladderstands this season. Hunted higher in the past but I've been working on brushing them in and setting up lower for better shot angles.

As a backup bow I had my Widow PLII, 62" and 45#@28". Shoots the same arrow/broadhead setup to the same spot as the PTF out to about 25 yards and I try to keep my shots under 20 yards with 10-15 being my sweet spot! I have always preferred close shots, even more now since having to drop in bow weight. Been hot here for a good bit so most of my practice has been early morning or after 8:30 in the evening. There have been a few local shoots and I've managed to make a few of them.
SO, what game are you hunting and what bow and arrow setup are you planning to use...?

[buckeyebowhunter]

Getting ready for fall whitetails here. I feel like I'm always tinkering but I'm going with a homemade recurve 57# @ 28 and 400 spine Easton fmj with 50 grain brass and a 250 grain cutthroat single bevel. Total arrow will be somewhere between 620 and 650 i'm guessing after I finally finish tuning. I have yet to shoot the single bevel at a deer so I'm pretty pumped to try them this fall.

[old_goat2]

I drew a Bighorn Ewe tag and a Plains Deer tag here in Colorado. Shooting my Toelke Whistler.

[The Vanilla Gorilla]

Not planning on any out of state hunts this year unless I can get in on a group hunt in Texas for pigs and javelina after the first of the year. 

Ill be hunting here in southeast OK for pigs, deer, and bear,  with my Great Plains 55# recurve.  Ill be shooting Easton arrows tipped with Ace broadheads for a total weight of 540gr. 

[hybridbow hunter]

I received a Sasquatch special SS from Kirk lavender (yes he is making bows again!)
64 inches /19 inches riser 57#@32
That thing is at the very top of all the bows I ever had.

Will hunt locally and northern Spain and Namibia in August 2021

[TIM B]

Deer and turkeys.....will start the season w the 59 Kodiak and some dark timber’s and tree sharks.
Tim B

[9 Shocks]

Primaltech 58” longbow 51@28. I draw 26.75 inches.  Shooting gt trad .600s cut to 29”, standard insert, 200 grain vpa 3 blade. Three 5” shields. 3 under!

The bow in this pic!

[smokin joe]

For deer season here in NC, my bow is a 62" Centaur triple carbon takedown hybrid. It is 45 pounds at my 29" draw. The bow quiver is a Selway mini that holds 4 arrows. This bow is very fast, quiet, and accurate if I do my part properly.

Arrows are 3-Rivers Traditional Only 500 spine cut to 29.5"
I will be using Wensel Woodsman broad heads, with 125 grain brass inserts and 5 grain collars. There will be a two-inch reflective wrap on the arrow shaft behind the broad head. The tail end has a Glory Nock light-up nock in green, plus a 6" custom wrap and three 4-inch feathers. This weighs in at 12 grains per pound. The FOC is very favorable.

I have also tuned an eleven-grains-per-pound arrow using a Gold Tip Velocity 500 shaft, with 75 grain inserts and 160 grain 3-blade VPA heads. Again, great FOC.

Both arrows fly like a laser beam.

I will use this same set up for for javelinas, hogs and bears.

[Sam McMichael]

I hunt primarily with my yew Northern Mist Shelton. It is 68" 53# at 28" and is very smooth. I use cedar arrows with 125 grain broadheads. I hunt deer almost exclusively, so this is a great rig for that. Also, my backup bow is a bamboo Shelton with the same specs .

[BAK]

It would be fun to plan and do out of state hunts but finances will never allow that anymore.  I satisfy my self with local white tails, and will be starting out the season with a 47# Toelke Chinook.   

[Wudstix]

Bow of choice is Big River D/R 21st Century clone 60” 65#@27” so @66.5# for me.  Tapered wood arrows @700 grains for Cedars and 860 grains for hardwood.  190 grain VPA terminator or Grizzly Instinct heads.  Paracord String Silencers.  Hogs are what’s for dinner, unless I get lucky and Government land opens up, plus I am drawn for Whitetail.  If no deer then making the 2 1/2 hour drive to Granger, kayaking a couple miles down the San Gabriel and hammock camping to chase Granger hogs.  Wing shooting for pigs PhD level hog hunting cause the pressure is pretty constant and they sleep at a trot!!!  Maybe a 3D or two with some light 630 grain 2315 Easton arrows.


Mike B - those VPA3 wouldn’t be 250 grains would they?
 

[Will Telluteyrd]

I'll be using my Osage self bow with stone points for Squirrel and using a Great Plains longbow with old Bear heads for deer and Turkey. I use my self bow deer hunting early and switch to the longbow later in the season.

[IndianaBowman]

Plans are up in the air. Canada border closing cancelled spring hunt and fall isn't looking good. Looking at a hunt in Portugal, but they may not let us dirty Americans in.  Leave in a few weeks to bowfish for alligators in Florida. Buddies and I drew tags for 8 gators. I'll be shooting a TimberHawk longbow at 66# at 29" and Muzzy Gator Getter Arrows.  Whitetails here in IN with a Stalker Coyote at 61#s.

[evgb127]

I’ll be using my Sunset Hill this year with a mix of cedar arrows and gold tip traditional classics.  I haven’t figured out which broadhead I want to use yet, but I’m leaning towards grizzlies. 

I’ve also “booked” a three-day “stay-cation” this year to go hunt a remote area of one of PA’s state game lands.  Although deer and bear will be my primary targets, I really want to try to get a lot of small game hunting in as well.  My goal is to get enough “ingredients” to make a nice game pie. 

[caleb7mm]

North GA whitetail and bear
Hoyt Dorado 50# @28” 53# at my draw
Full length GT traditional 340 with 50gr insert
Full length wrap w/4-4” Trad vanes
200GR day six XL Broadhead
Mountain muffler string X99 with dynema puffs
Springy rest

My favorite tree stand is the millennium lock on. Very comfy and I have no issue sitting all day.

[dnovo]

I’ll be hitting the woods at my house with my new Condor longbow from Wild Horse Creek. 48# at my 28” draw with cedar arrows tipped with Zwickey deltas or Magnus I  broadheads. I won’t be doing any out of state hunts this fall but hoping for a javelina hunt in March.

[ron w]

One of my Chad Holm bows will be with me in the Georgia woods and another will be backup !! Deer mostly but if I see a pig at the right time it will be a target for sure. Wood or carbon arrows with Ace, Rib tech, or Deltas up front for a 585 gr arrow. My Georgia experience is limited but I’m still giving it a go. Can’t go like I used to in the woods but not ready to throw in the towel yet. At 68 I’m ready to give it a go......

[Cool Springer]

2020 Java Man Elkheart
51# @ 30"
31 1/4", 500 spine Gold Tip Trads with 125 gr. heads.  I haven't decided what broadhead because I haven't used a 125 grain head in many years.  I tried using a 400 spine with lots of weight up front, but I can't get perfect flight like I do with the lighter spine arrows.  Total arrow weight is a tad under 500 grains, but since I'll be primarily hunting whitetails, a lighter arrow will not be a problem.

[jds44]

Middle Tennessee whitetails and turkeys

Stalker Stickbows 58'' Wolverine SL, 52 lbs @ 28'' (50 lbs at my draw)
Gold Tip Traditional 400s cut to 31'' with 100 grain brass inserts and 150 grain Magnus Stinger broadheads
- Total arrow weight ~ 559 grains
- 160 fps



Backup bow will be my 60'' Martin Dream Catcher shooting the same arrow setup

[Gdpolk]

By bow: black bear, whitetail, feral pig, squirrel, rabbit, coyote
By gun: whitetail (2-day permit hunt), squirrel, rabbit, dove, quail, duck, goose
By muzzleloader: whitetail (one weekend only IF I draw a muzzleloader permit for a certain area) with the option for incidental feral pig

70% of my time will be spent with a bow in hand.  15% with a rimfire for small game in hills country.  10% with a scattergun for birds.  Maybe 5% with a rifle/muzzleloader for permit hunts for whitetail.

My bow of choice is my custom Sarrels Sierra 2-piece with antler tips from one of my deer shot with my 1-piece Sierra.  I made it into a grab and go travel case which is pretty darn handy for trucking all over the state and occasionally out of state.  No out of state options are on the books for this go around.