The advice you wish you would've received

[achigan]

Hunt the wind!

[COMPOUNDLESS IN CONCRETE]

When I was new to traditional archery, I wish someone would've told me to:

Buy a lightweight bow, like 20-30 lbs and master proper form before moving up to hunting bow weight.  

Give up trying to be an instinctive shooter once you realize you're not any good at it, there's no shame in being a gap shooter or using any other type of aiming method.  

Bareshaft tune right off the bat.  Don't spend a year shooting arrows that aren't the right length or spined correctly.  

Get a Bitzenburger fletching jig and make an arrow cutoff saw.  It will pay for itself and start saving money faster than you think.  

These are just a few off the top of my head.

[Mryan2176]

This goes along with practice how u hunt, but practice in your hunting clothes. Also, shoot some 3d, shooting a dot is different then picking a hair on a deer. Good luck !

[Fattony77]

Practice good form now, so that it is 2nd nature in the moment of truth. Read the "Shooter's Form Forum" here on Tradgang A LOT! And when the moment of truth arrives, remember to PICK A SPOT!

BTW, welcome to the 'gang, from one Okie to another.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Slow down! Enjoy yourself.

It seems I gain a lot more and see more deer when I dont try so hard. Hunting smarter, not more will gain most sightings. This is because when I try to hard, I miss the small important stuff.

Its kind of like Chinese finger cuffs.

[Stickbow]

I wish I had someone to teach me about arrow spine and what good arrow flight was.

Enjoy the journey

[Yewbender]

Im on my 3rd year in traditional archery and i wish someone would have told me its hazardous to my health to sleep in the woods with my longbow. No kills yet and the deer i see are far away but man do i get some of my best sleep!!!, thats when im on the ground.

[Jock Whisky]

Get professional coaching, even if it's only one hour. Money well spent.

We practice blank bale shooting, form etc. But archery is largely a mental game once you have your basic form down.. Keep that in mind and practice the mental part as much as the physical.

[Car54]

Don't stare down the deer..if he's looking at you cut your eyes either left,  right or even close them slowly. Some deer don't like to be stared at,  especially if your close to them.
Don't worry,  you will make mistakes, learn from them.  Only time afield you will discover this.
Have fun with this stick bow stuff.
Good luck.

[Hummer3T]

Take what you learnt as a rifle or compound hunter and magnify it 10 times, scent awareness (not scent control), concealment, compression of movement, etc....  most important enjoy the woods/plains and admire the animals your hunting success will come. Biggest successes seem to come when hunting becomes secondary to everything else.

[Msturm]

"watch the arrow all the way until it hits the target."

[dbd870]

Originally posted by 4runr:
If you hunt from an elevated stand, practice, practice, practice from an elevated stand. You will still probably shoot over the deer's back. Then practice , practice, practice from an elevated stand. Then, you'll probably shoot over the deer's back. Then, practice, practice, practice, etc, etc, etc. I know I'm not the only one this has happened to.

Focus on a hair, not the deer.

You aren't!   :D  I came in to say pretty much the same thing.

[Tajue17]

advice for a new Traditional Bowhunter,,

just have fun and don't get caught up in the whole "Mine is Prettier than yours" or "this is better than that".

some heads gets so big they forgot how to be successful in the field, it more about the gear and look than it is about the actual hunt, avoid thinking like this its not good for the concentration.

Make sure your gear is ready, broadheads sharp, good flight, string is new.

Make sure you know your accuracy distance and respect it.

Practice from the the tree if you intend on hunting from one.

enjoy the sport.

[Eric Krewson]

Best advice I could have been given; "Don't marry that Ebers girl she will turn out to be a tramp".

OOPS! wrong advice topic.

As for your question; Don't buy into anything commercially marketed as the latest and greatest, camo, scents, calls, treestands or overpriced trendy bows. It is all just like buying fishing lures, made to snag the buyer instead of the fish.

[Dorado]

Secure all ladders.
I've missed out on 2 hunting seasons and looking at missing a third all because I didn't secure a ladder. Almost lost my leg, still might.

A quick climb isn't worth the pain of a long fall.

[Tall Paul]

Well, I got the good advice, but followed the bad advice instead.

Don't overbow yourself.  It's much, much better to start at 45 lbs than 55 lbs.

Being overbowed will cause all sorts of problems that may take a long time to fix.

[Zbone]

"A quick climb isn't worth the pain of a long fall."

Stuart - Feel for you, wish you the best...

Do you mind it I use that quote?

I fell last November 5th and got busted up pretty good, ended up in hospital and left shoulder still isn't right... Happened during peak rut here and missed the rest of bowseason, and as said still ain't right and likely be bother with my shoulder the rest of my life...

Again, best wishes and good luck...

[John McCreary]

It has been mentioned before but can not be over emphasized. You don't need 80 ponds to kill a deer! Another and perhaps most important to me, "its about the journey and not the destination..." particularly with traditional archery the little victories along the way should be appreciated. Shooting and hunting with a longbow is an never ending process of learning and growing. I first picked up a traditional bow 45 years ago and every year I learn something about shooting, and hunting and myself.

[Yellow Dog]

Don't overbow yourself and shoot a good two blade broadhead you can get razor sharp. Good arrow/broadhead tuning is a must, not something to be taken lightly. Be very picky with your shot selection, if it's not right don't shoot. Shoot as much as you can and stick with one bow while you get your form down. If they ever have one near you, a weekend at one of Rod Jenkins clinics is well worth the time and money.

Here is one from a frustrated father, said to his son while looking for a lost arrow in long weeds at a 3d shoot.  "If you don't try to hit an exact something, most of the time, you will miss everything."  We did help him, and found that arrow.