Tips from an Ol' Timer...

[Don Stokes]

Don't fall for the hype, whatever the current hype is. Archery is older than any of us, and the basics still work just fine. A bow you can handle, arrows perfectly matched to you and the bow, and truly sharp broadheads. Nothing else is needed. NOTHING.

Practice, practice, practice.

Hunt where the deer are, not where they were.

Stay downwind. Nothing works better than that to keep the deer from noticing you. NOTHING.

Hunt with good friends. As you get older, you learn that that is at least as important as the hunting.

Be safe, always.

Enjoy!

[Old York]

The wisest thing I've ever heard was to
"always let the deer stop your arrow".

[Firstarrow]

Don't pack out the bones, unless the law says you have to. Gutless is the only way to go!!!

Stump shoot as often as possible!!!

[joe skipp]

Scout and know the area your hunting thoroughly. Walk the perimeter, find out where the deer are leaving and entering.

Know where the dominant wind is morning and evenings. Setup up your tree stands or ground blinds accordingly.

Learn about scrape hunting, understand the differences between territorial and primary scrapes.

Look for funnels and escape routes. If your a ground hunter like myself...plan your shots at an animal slightly quartering away. Keep your movements to a minimum, stay crosswind or downwind and stay as scent free as possible.

Too many things to cover here, especially from bowhunting on the ground but its a start....   :cool:

[mnbwhtr]

Get out there whenever you can! To many people worry about the moon or rain or wind etc. Just get out there and enjoy unless you have a good trail thru your living room.

[44charlie]

if i'm in the woods i figure there's a deer somewhere close. helps me slow down.

anything can and will happen, stay in the woods!

shoot all year!

[Steve H.]

Successful on small game and you'll be successful with big game.

[Don Stokes]

If you bump a deer while stalking that hasn't smelled you or gotten a good look, stop and be still and quiet. Young deer will frequently sneak back to investigate, and can give you a shot. Most deer are young.

Shoot low on close deer. They drop at the shot.

If you get snorted at, don't assume the game is over. Frequently other deer will either ignore it or check it out.

Don't be afraid to shoot! That's how you learn to hit them. If you make a mistake, it's not the end of the world. Most arrow-shot deer that don't die quickly, survive, unlike gun-shot deer. They don't have human emotions, and don't suffer like some humans imagine. A pig is a deer is NOT a boy. Been wanting to say that!      

There's no such thing as 100%. Nature sides with the hidden flaw.

[champ38]

"Shoot as heavy a bow as you can shoot accurately"

[hvyhitter]

The first tip.....LEARN ABOUT ARCHERY! learn how to tune a bow with nock point,strike plate,brace height and string type...play with it till you see the results of one change at a time......learn how to tune arrows with spine,lenght,point weight and nocks to get perfect arrow flight with broadheads. If your broadheads fly true your feild points will.....dont just take a bunch of everyone elses tuning tips and hope for the best.

And second ...THERE ARE NO MAGIC BOWS!!! Just because Kens,Toms,Pauls,Johns,Petes,Bobs and Earls bows are the bestist,fastist, coolist bows out there doesnt mean they will shoot well for you! Find the one that fits your hand and shooting style. Try many bows to find the right one, dont just take someones word for it that it will shoot perfect for you. The classifieds are full of "perfect" bows.

Third is just HAVE FUN!!! To many people take this stuff way too serious.

[dan ferguson]

Go early, stay late. Alot of critters shot from 11:00 to 1:00.

[RaybowTx]

I'm another whom feels that my advice is not the best.  But since you asked.........

I live in Texas.  In Texas everything is big.  Including the pride and the need for success.  Here in Texas, success is measured by size and or quantity.  Size matters more I do believe.  In Texas most dream about the success by what is taken.  Me?  I rebell from their perception of 'success' as being a measure of my enjoyment or passion if you will.  I do enjoy telling family members when they ask if I got anything or did I see anything and I tell them about this elephant size buck that grunted so loud that I nearly fell out of the tree and he had so many points that it would probably bust any BC record.  They then think in their deep thinking not saying out loud about how I wasted such an oportunity sitting in that tree with a longbow when success would have happened had I had another weapon because by their standards a longbow is a play toy.
So, If you read this story then you know that my measure of success is not measured by sucess.

I hope this helps.......enjoy....

Ray........

[adeeden]

I don't consider myself an old timer by any means but I have hunted deer for a bit so here goes my advice!

Slow Down! It pays to take your time and sneak into your stand! Plus you will not work up a sweat which cause odors and chills later. I see/hear people every year either heading to stands in the pre-light or leaving them in the evening that sound like bulldozers coming through the woods! They let every deer, coyote, racoon, rabit, chipmunk and person within 200 yards know exactly where there going! It's not a race SLOW DOWN!

[frassettor]

THIS IS GREAT!!! Keep them comming fellas      

[ron w]

If deer hunting,hunt where theres deer, If bear hunting, hunt where theres bears, If elk hunting, well you can see where this is going....

[BDann]

Great thread!  I was getting discouraged in my attempt to hunt traditional this season, and just about decided to buy a climbing tree stand and get out the compound.  Instead, I'll stick with the longbow, use my newly made Torges seat, and just enjoy the whole process.  Thanks, guys.

[joevan125]

You cant kill anything if you are sitting around camp.

Hunt hard and hunt often.

Practice, practice, practice.

Great thread.

[longarrow]

Be in the woods as much as possible!!! You can't put game on the table if your not in the WOODS! Remember...the animal your hunting dosen't look at the CLOCK!      

[jsweka]

The best advice I've seen came from Glen St. Charles's book "Bows on the Little Delta".

"Be a trophy hunter until something else comes along."

Take pride in how you kill an animal, not it's size.

[Earl E. Nov...mber]

Buy the cheapest bow that will work for you and the best arrows you can afford.

The best axiom on deer hunting is only true 60% of the time, and that includes this one.

Don't plan on shooting through a shoulder blade, and if the arrows is "A little far back"  Automatic eight.. Eight hours before tracking.

Keep you nose in the wind and don't hunt in the rain.

Got a really nice deer spotted? Don't even tell your wife.

To shoot thru a fence, align the lower wire on your intended point of impact and shoot, The trajectory will clear the lower wire without hitting the upper one. Don't center your target between them, you will almost always hit the upper wire, deflecting the shot.