Who on here does any wingshooting with their bow? I was thinking about trying for snows/specks next year.
Went on my first pheasant hunt in January, it was a blast even though it was freezing cold with pretty hard wind. Only pulled feather once or twice. We have a late snow goose season going on here right now and I'm seriously considering trying to get out and give them a try.
I enjoy it much more than with a scattergun. I have hunted Canadian geese, ducks, pheasants and partridge. Only one of those I have yet to kill is a partridge. Hit one with a judo, and it just made it fly faster. Use broadheads and flu flu arrows when hunting alone, and especially WITHOUT a dog present. Ace hex heads are my choice when a dog is present. ALWAYS got to think of safety. Stabbing a dog with broadheads or field points just are not worth the risk of bagging a bird.
If you are hunting pheasants, there is a point where they stop in mid liftoff to advance forward. That is when you want to shoot. Think of it like this and try it at home...Have someone throw up a football in the air, and as the ball is rising, throw a golfball at it. See how close you can get. Now do it again, but wait till the football reaches about 15 feet, and gravity overcomes the upward momentum. The football will hang there for a second before making it's decent. What do you think is easier to hit, a moving target or a stationary one? But you have got to be quick.
As for geese, you will have to design your own way, but I like kneeling down hunched over covered in camo (to match what is there), right in the middle of where you have planned on the geese landing (according to your decoy setup). Yes it is uncomfortable, but when their landing gear is set, and you have a football sized target at 15 yards or less coming right at you, the reward is worth the discomfort.
I love shooting aerials and hunting birds with a bow. By far one of the best things you can do with a bow.
My advice for goose is:
#1 - Have a good dependable guy backing you up with a shotgun. Geese are tough.
#2 - Use the largest broadhead you can shoot accurately - see #1
#3 - Get them as close as you can. I do most of my chasing body booting and have the geese try land almost on top of you.
I winged this one on my fist attempt at them and the shotgun backup finished it off but one day I will get one without the help.
(http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr180/two4hooking/goosebow_1.jpg)
(http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr180/two4hooking/100_0005.jpg)
(http://tradgang.com/tg/images7/bird4.jpg)
(http://tradgang.com/tg/images7/bird3.jpg)
(http://tradgang.com/tg/images7/bird1.jpg)
Bagged a quail also on one of the hunts....
(http://tradgang.com/tg/images7/bird5.jpg)
Not sure if these count.....
A bunch of boring bubble bees out of the air waiting on the propane man around my granddad's tractor barn....with a Clark's Broadhead creation... Here's a few pics of the ones, or pieces I could find....believe it or not, its easier to hit them than to FIND them!!!
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/beez3a.jpg)
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/beez4a.jpg)
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/beez6a.jpg)
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/beez7a.jpg)
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/beez1a.jpg)
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/beez8a.jpg)
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/beez10a.jpg)
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/beez2a.jpg)
When hunting wild pheasants with a dog in the midwest with a bow, it helps to have a dog that works very gently and close, so your shots come under 20 yards. My best pheasant hunting dog was a cocker that stayed close and pointed. When I missed he thought that he needed to find and retrieve my arrow, but he insisted on ripping all of the feathers off of the arrow first. I used rather heavy bows and blunts on regular cedar arrows. With flu-flus I would only use broadheads and no dog. It is possible to still get close shots after opening weekend, but you have to hunt alone and go into a stalking mode pace. The grand march across the field method that is common in South Dakota, will move a lot a pheasants, but will not produce the kind of shots a bowhunter wants. Back in my waterfowl hunting days with a bow, my favorite migratory birds were woodcock. I have one mounted that I shot with a 89 pound Big 5, just to commemorate the fun that I had hunting them. I still love to see woodcocks, but more from a bird watchers perspective.
At least I know I ain't crazy bees are lots of.fun lol
do you guys get pass throughs?
http://youtu.be/rkuwwc-bz74
Great video Bruce. I hope to go grouse hunting this fall and your tips will come in handy.
Thanks
Terry, you look soooo FUNNY without the ghillie hat! LOL
Tim
QuoteOriginally posted by blakeschack5466:
do you guys get pass throughs?
Not on geese in my experience. Picture a pillow in front of a turkey breast......