Hunting Advice to a Newbie

[kennym]

Right on the money Dean!!

[Bill Carlsen]

There is no law that says that you have to shoot when animal presents itself. He should hunt and if he gets an opportunity then that is when he can decide if he will let the arrow fly.

[Desert Rat]

Dean,
I think Maurice Thompson would agree with you.  You need to practice, but you need to get out and enjoy the woods.  Great thread!

Brad

[Shawn Leonard]

Yup, great advice. Go hunt, take close shots and kill animals. I have watched very many guys shoot at 3-Ds and everywhere else and a lot of these guys hunt, if ya get my drift. Trust Dean you will do as well as most. Shawn

[Orion]

Well said Dean.  Common sense is so refreshing.

[Tom Mussatto]

Dean who?

[Roger Norris]

Good answer.

[George D. Stout]

Tom....Dean is at his best when he's cantankerous 8^).  Come to think of it...he's always at his best.

[TSP]

In the spirit of debate and blunt honesty, Dean...had you left off the first sentence of your quoted response I'd have thought, 'well said!".  But frankly, and with due respect, I'd have expected a better lead-in than that opening statement, particularly from a seasoned and well- respected carrier of the traditional torch.  

I can't count how many times I've heard the 'ethics police' term used, in condescending ways and with malicious intent here and on other sites, to either belittle a differing viewpoint or cast aspersions towards those who offer those viewpoints.  That recurring event confuses and confounds me.  With due respect to the right of everyone to have confidence in their own convictions and to voice them freely and convincingly, I would still ask by what right do we take liberties in defending those convictions with ridicule, sarcasm and mudslinging at the expense and reputation of others?  

I mean no ill-will towards your intent, you were clearly trying to help the lad.  But in re-reading your brief comments from the anonymous bulletin boarders I truly fail to see what response on their part stirred your ire.  That the newcomer be accountable for his actions with his newfound weapon?  That he achieve adequate knowledge of how to use it effectively before trying to kill for sport or challenge?  That a period of practice, testing and self-review might actually be beneficial in achieving his objectives?

Perhaps in the big picture the central message in your response...to hunt for the experience and to gain and grow from that experience...overrides the negative aspects that I take exception to.  Clearly, the part about discipline being the heart of the sport is point-on and well said.  Still, I have to question whether the young archer went away thinking that its just as important to respect the ideas of his fellow archers as it is to pursue his own desires and objectives.  Agreement and support...not always.  Respect and tolerance...never questioned.  

What we take from and give back to the sport is often what we are taught about the sport by our mentors and fellow archers, both in action AND in word...wouldn't you agree?  As such, the impressions we paint of ourselves and those we share the sport with do matter.  To the newby I would simply say that not all advice is good advice, but all advice is worth considering.  

I can't end without saying I very much enjoy your writings and admire your exceptional skill in crafting selfbows.  I hope you can accept this message with the good will by which it was intended...sincere and constructive.

[Juniper Bow]

Being a newbie myself this is how I look at it.

A person should be familiar with their equipment (I think that safety alone dictates this). Also, every hunter has a responsibility to the animal that they pursue.
So, it is well within both of those rules to go shooting a lot (small game, stumping, 3d, whatever is helpful and enjoyable). Then, when the person knows their abilities, limitations and understands the safety concerns involved in big game hunting, go for it. Like others said, if your effective range is 5 yards just keep your shots inside of 5 yards.  
Small game has helped me a lot. Good practice for spotting game, stalking and a person learns to know what it is like to decide to take a shot that will take a life. I find that my effective range is less on an animal than at a target, not because my accuracy is less, but the additional responsibility presses me to be extra sure of my shot.
Not sure if that really makes sense, but I guess what I am trying to say is that going into the field as a new shooter is only unethical when you are irresponsible. Which is no different from a very skilled shooter that is irresponsible.
Neat discussion, with some input from neat people.

[Dean Torges]

Please remember, TSP, that my comment was a conversational one addressed to a private party. Only afterwards did I decide to share the response. As such, I felt some obligation to quote the response precisely because I spent a paragraph defining its context. Please take it in that context and not as a metaphysical reflection by Ortega y Gasset.

That said, I intended the term "ethics police" in a condescending way. If you know anyone who admits to actually being one, I'll apologize for any slight or injury I caused by treating him like the straw man I assumed him to be. My intention was to remove solemnity from the sport. Not reverence. Solemnity. The kind that immobilizes us, creates a fearful and apologetic approach to hunting. In its place, by swiping at a straw man that exists precisely for the purpose, I hoped to introduce a relaxed enjoyment. Look at it this way: the ethics police took a spill for the sport. I don't think they mind. Matter of fact, since it defines their place and fulfilled their function, they may have felt a sense of accomplishment.  

[Hogtamer]

I thought that's why God made pigs.  And hickory, come to think of it.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

quote:Originally posted by Charlie Lamb:
Many's the child that's stood before a target piling arrows deep and tight in the very center only to fall apart in the presence of game.

Nothing prepares you for shooting at game as does shooting at game.... any game!

The will to win... will win.          

[ChuckC]

Dean.  I hafta agree with you.  Get out there and experience the hunt.  DOn't shoot till you have a shot.  But for sure get out there and gain some experience.
ChuckC

[BobW]

Agree 100% with what you have written.  Although I am new this year to a trad bow, the same thought process was what I did with that other kind of equipment.  I hadn't planned on hunting that fall (purchased the bow in June), but was encouraged by a mentor to shoot it and if I put self imposed limitations in place, things would be fine.  Needless to say, I did a lot of shooting all summer, and in my first season I killed my first deer (a buck too) at 10 feet.

The experiences of being in the woods outside of gun season were alone a magnificent thing, and a successful harvest was icing on the cake.

I hope to re-live this again this year as I take to the woods with a "simple stick and string".

BobW

[Madpigslayer]

I have a burning desire to kill something, and eat it.  

[GingivitisKahn]

Originally posted by Dean Torges:
I had a fella newly arrived to the sport write to me and ask about hunting with a self bow. He was all excitement until he got on a bulletin board and had everyone caution him about his responsibilities to the animals and how he needed to acquaint himself with his weapon thoroughly before going afield. He was deflated thinking of maybe having to spend a year or two in practice before hunting game. Here is my response to him. Provided here for your debate.

"BS, Fred. Don't let the ethics police stand in the way of your excitement. There's no joy found standing in front of MacKenzies for a year, making yourself a wreck of anticipation and doubt, measuring groups and wondering if they are good enough, so that you can't make a shot when the time comes.

"Practice, yes, but get some sharp broadheads and go hunting. Do it as soon as you can legally. Get some bleeder blunts and go small game hunting. Do it as soon as you can. Let the arrows fly on the small game. Rabbits and squirrels are easier to hit than deer, moose and elk. When you are hunting something larger, just wait until you get close enough so you know you can't miss. Work to get that close.

"Your first moment of truth may require an animal with a death wish, one that wants to impale itself on a nocked arrow, but such animals exist (perhaps not for long, but they do exist). As you grow in confidence, extend your range. Exercise discipline, not abstinence. That's the bedrock of this sport."

Lots of kids reading these, so lets keep the language clean please. VM13

You're darn right, sir!  If your buddy can get out after some rabbits or something soonish I'd say he's a lot less likely to get bored and switch to something less interesting.

Great advice, I'd say!

[Dano]

Calvin, you are just crude!!  

[Chris Lantz]

Great advice on small game hunting, there’s still an element of pressure and excitement there when taking shots at small game that can’t be reproduced when practicing on targets. That experience will help later when hunting big game. Plus small game hunting is fun, some of my fondest hunting memories from my teenage years were chasing rabbits with my father and a group of bowhunters.

[Terry Green]

Dean....I read you little funny remark before another mod pulled it...no worries, and knew exactly what you mean and what you were doing.

I had a laugh over it....and the mod knows as well now.

Carry on my friend!