I appreciate the danger involved, especially with a broadhead, but is it basically "poor form" or just too unsafe to chance? When stalking/still hunting you're going very slowly and carefully anyway.
For me it depends on the situation. If I'm actually still hunting and the terrain allows me to see the animals well in advance (like south Texas), or the animal will probably let me know it's there (like pigs) I don't put an arrow on the string until I see something and actual go into "stalk" mode. If I was hunting really heavy cover where the animal could be hiding I will be in stalk mode pretty much the whole time and will have an arrow knocked. The exception would be in places with really poor footing where there is a higher likelihood of tripping/falling (like when climbing or the whiterock or west areas of Texas) in which case I won't put an arrow on the string until the last possible minute without giving myself away.
Just my personal measure, your mileage may vary.
JC
In my view it is too dangerous.. If you fall on a broad head that broad head will what broad heads do IN YOU. :scared:
I used to have an arrow knocked, thinking it would save me from being busted when the time to prepare came.
Authors of books/magazines convinced me that it was too unsafe and that only fools do it. So...out of shame, I quit doing it. I've found that I almost always have time to get an arrow out and nock it without spooking a deer.
Is it really that unsafe? Probably not - you are going slow, but there are some trip hazards and such. (Remember that I hunt fairly flat ground and not treacherous slopes.) The real chances of cutting or impaling yourself are slim - but since it is fairly easy to nock without detection, why take the chance?
Also, the chances of dulling your broadhead on honeysuckle or brush/leaves/dirt, as well as the noise made when it catches on limbs or when it falls off the shelf are higher. You also have to make unnecessary motion to navigate the long arrow through brush, which increases the chances of being seen.
That's my opinion for what it's worth :)
If I am setting in my tree stand I nock and arrow if I am stalking I don't and arrow until I am under 50 yards.
You don't run with scissors but it's accepted as perfectly safe to walk with 'em. If my stalking should involve running I'll start worrying about it....
A bowhunter was found dead in a small creek near ST. Louis in the mid 90's. It was surmised the solo hunter had fallen on an arrow he had nocked while walking.
I don't even like the TV footage of nimrods slipping up on supposed dead animals with an arrow nocked.
Falling on your arrow is always a possibility. Even the nock end could puncture you.
For what its worth, unless animals come charging in or past, there will always be time to nock an arrow after the final approach.
Walking through brush is a P.I.A. with arrows nocked and as b.o.b. mentioned will cause more noise and movement trying to navigate woods and not get hung up.
this also causes a secondary issue, I spend too much time looking at the arrow instead of for game.
Unless I am stalking across an open field for a wood chuck it stays in the quiver.
Walking up or down hill, I put the arrow back in my back quiver, otherwise I always sneak around with my arrow nocked.
i admit that i used to do this until i tripped and almost landed on my arrow. :scared: granted i was using blunts/field points for small game but it was enough of a wake up call for me. also the noise that it makes while stalking is about the same as shouting 'HERE I AM!!!' at the top of your lungs...i know this from experience where i have had several deer bust me because of the arrow catching on a limb. :banghead: to me its just not worth it unless i am within my shooting zone and am just moving closer for a better shot opportunity or in my stand. just my $.02 worth.
I stalk with an arrow nocked, whenever possible.
Be carefull & good luck.
I love this thread. It reminds me of the day when about 4 of us would go out about a half an hour before day light. All of us walking down a two track with arrows knocked. We were just full of hope. Not a bad thing.
Just a thought. Would you go rabbit hunting with your bow without an arrow knocked.
I do, but it doesn't have a broadhead.
If I am closing in on an animal, or if the hairs on the back of my neck tell me something is close, it is time to nock an arrow. Sometimes you can hear them and smell them and I nock then too.
If there is steep lousy footing I will either stand in place or put the arrow back in my quiver.
Lotsa' risks and dangers out there, the most dangerous by far is driving to your hunting spot. :campfire:
Strict fundamentalisms really don't apply to all things, common sense does. On the other hand, some have no common sense, so they perhaps are better off with strict fundamentalisms. If you say it is alright to walk with an arrow, you just know that sooner or later someone doing a death march down a steep snowy hill is going to fall on a broadhead.
Hugh
QuoteOriginally posted by pavan:
Strict fundamentalisms really don't apply to all things, common sense does. On the other hand, some have no common sense, so they perhaps are better off with strict fundamentalisms. If you say it is alright to walk with an arrow, you just know that sooner or later someone doing a death march down a steep snowy hill is going to fall on a broadhead.
Well said.
There have been several articles over the years in Traditional Bowhunter magazine where someone has badly injured themselves, or someone else walking with an arrow nocked.
QuoteOriginally posted by pavan:
Strict fundamentalisms really don't apply to all things, common sense does. On the other hand, some have no common sense, so they perhaps are better off with strict fundamentalisms. If you say it is alright to walk with an arrow, you just know that sooner or later someone doing a death march down a steep snowy hill is going to fall on a broadhead.
Good obvservation on human behaviour.
I have never thought this was a good idea, stalking or still hunting with an arrow nocked until I was really close to the point of shooting.
A year or two ago there was an archer in Washington State that was killed when his partner, who had an arrow nocked, ran into him and arrowed him in the behind or back of the leg.
QuoteOriginally posted by kill shot:
I love this thread. It reminds me of the day when about 4 of us would go out about a half an hour before day light. All of us walking down a two track with arrows knocked. We were just full of hope. Not a bad thing.
Guess we as bowhunters are perpetually full of hope and optimism! :)
Four people walking together in the dark with arrows nocked :scared:
This is just me, but since I messed my leg up a couple years ago I'm a terrible bumbler in the woods. Fell down four times while hunting this past year! :eek:
I am switching over to the single arrow carry option on the bow so as not to be removing an arrow from the quiver. Tried it out on a small game hunt last week and liked it.
To me, if I am still hunting I need to be totally focused on seeing game before it sees me. Its a 100 % effort.
Trying to deal with the arrow on the string at the same time destroys my concentration.
Its so easy to get sloppy.
Bob
I like Charlie's comment about paying too much attention to the arrow. I'd do that I think.
I'm thinking about that single arrow bow quiver as well, although I can be pretty "cool" when slipping one out of my Arrowmaster.
I think this is a very bad idea. The last few yards of a stalk, yes.
Stillhunting before game is spotted, NO.
I know of 2 guys who died doing this.
I used to stalk ducks along creeks, always had an arrow nocked, but then again, I was moving really slowly and carefully. Never had a problem. I was also 15 yrs old and it was 30 years ago.
im another one who thinks its a bad idea... to many bad things can happen.. if its a matter of excessive movement getting a arrow on the string, then get a different quiver. I know with a cat quiver or most bow quivers the movement is quiet and with little movement..
I normally do not walk around with the arrow on the string. But I have done it stalking a very few times on favorable terrain. However I advise against it.
The post does raise other questions. We all know even with field points we do not want to fall on an arrow so: Do you hand carry your arrows walking back from you target butts? Do you hand carry your arrow while shooting 3d?
I know I do all the time while practice shooting. I have done it while shooting 3d a few times. Especially if the next target is close and I am up to shoot first. I never thought of it much but there must be a quiver design that is safer for traversing uneven ground.
Anytime we handle an arrow it can be dangerous. The safest way would be to always use a quiver of some sort.
Not so many years ago we took 60+ yard shots, we sat in a tree with no safety belt (or stand for that matter), we didn't sharpen our broadheads very well, we smoked Camels, we didn't have fire extinguishers or smoke detectors, we turned our backs to drunk driving and any number of things that are not considered the best choices today. This is one of them.
Not only can you slip and hurt yourself, but you can hurt the guy that is in front of you on the trail.
ChuckC
If I think a potential shot is imminent, I will nock up.
I cruise field edges for groundhogs with an arrow nocked. When hunting larger game I'll nock if I'm still hunting through an especially deery or hoggy spot.
I will always put the arrow away when crossing streams, ditches, or fences.
Someone above stated what I was thinking, but couldn't explain. Too much to think about if there's a razor-sharp arrow out front. I need to concentrate on the hunt, not the arrow (whether it's for safety or for snagging).
With field points? I don't use them (only use judos and blunts), but I wouldn't worry one bit about them. Someone above also said that you usually walk back from the hay bale with them in your hand. If we try to remove every iota of danger, then we may as well live in a jail cell and have a food taster for us also. And don't play football or anything fun either :)
Just goes to show "Common Sense AIN'T COMMON.!!" If you're stalking without an arra on the string, you ain't stalking --- your Traveling.. If you move so fast- you don't KNOW where your feet will be Planted, your Bow will come through , your Broadhead will pass by, you're not stalking your TRAVELING !! Like the old sayin" White man walk Lot See little- Indian Walk Little SEE LOT"
I'm 72 and if I remember correctly when I took my hunter safety course back in the fifties you were told never walk with an arrow on the string,I guess it sunk in to this day I don't.
Sorry to do this, but like I said I stalk with an arrow knocked, but just like everyone shouldn't have a driver's license, this apparently trruely applies here, meaning some archers shouldn't stalk with an arrow knocked and it would seem that they know who they are !
I would add that, I wouldn't walk with anyone else that had an arrow knocked, especially in the dark.
With a longbow and arrow in hand with good footing and going slow, it really is not that big of a deal. On the rare case that something is about to happen, you can toss both longbow and arrow away. Making a habit out of marching around with your hunting buddy with broadheads flashing all over, bigger deal. What is just as dangerous, is holding the bow in one hand and the broadhead arrow in the other when you come to difficult terrain and brush. At least the arrow is not on the bow, so they think they are okay, but it is in a better position for you to fall on or stab your face. I have seen people do this, thinking it was a safety maneuver, it is not, that is what quivers are for.
I do under circumstances of my own choosing. At the same time, I forbid my sons to do it.
I love the little one arrow ace stick on quiver that Black Widow makes almost as good as having one nocked on the string.
I haven't done it with a broadhead, but have with a field point. I like the "under circumstances of my choosing." Also, I agree about teaching it as "not done."
As above, it's a personal choice, done very carefully...
Lots of good comments, thanks for the input.
A few years ago one of the guys I worked with nephew was sharpening a broad head and someone rang the doorbell. He got up carrying the arrow and tripped over a child toy ran the broad head through his stomach.
He came real close to death. Doctors could not stop the bleeding. He had to have a bunch of units of blood.
There is a lot more things in the woods to trip over.
I do when stillhuning oak stands for squirrels or fencerows for groundhogs. I will also carry bow in one hand, arrow in another when stalking bedded deer and nock the arrow behind the last bit of good cover before closing the last 20 yds or so..............YMMV
QuoteOriginally posted by Bjorn:
If I am closing in on an animal, or if the hairs on the back of my neck tell me something is close, it is time to nock an arrow. Sometimes you can hear them and smell them and I nock then too.
If there is steep lousy footing I will either stand in place or put the arrow back in my quiver.
Lotsa' risks and dangers out there, the most dangerous by far is driving to your hunting spot. :campfire:
My feelings exactly. Be prudent and use common sense.When your numbers up............you'll be in a far better place!
I wanted to add that most accidents happen from carelessness and or a lost duty to safe handling whether it be an arrow, a gun, knife, chainsaw or what have you. The sub conscious mind should continuously be flashing caution as a habitual entrainment when ever dangerous items are used or handled!
I like to use the solo on my bow that is held with my bow hand. It is just a broadhead cover that ties to my bow and will come into play real fast if needed, not much motion and not much chance of getting hurt if I get two left feet and trip :) .
Denny
On stand, will nock. If moving, no. If closing on game, nocked.
Blunts for rabbit and quail, knocked. Situation dictates
QuoteOriginally posted by GANDGOLF:
Just goes to show "Common Sense AIN'T COMMON.!!" If you're stalking without an arra on the string, you ain't stalking --- your Traveling.. If you move so fast- you don't KNOW where your feet will be Planted, your Bow will come through , your Broadhead will pass by, you're not stalking your TRAVELING !! Like the old sayin" White man walk Lot See little- Indian Walk Little SEE LOT"
I like this guy..... Use common sense... if you are a clutz and fall down a lot, you obviously aren't watching where your feet are being placed.
I always have an arrow nocked when i'm stalking. But....it typically takes me 30 minutes to cover a 100 yards. If you are spending more time moving, than standing still & using your senses. Then you aren't doing it right.... you aren't hunting... you are traveling. Might as well keep the dad burn arrow in your quiver.
Thank's for the Flowers KIRK !! :notworthy:
Not any more. Several years ago was slipping through the jungle here on Guam and tripped, tip of the broadhead stuck me just above the eye. Bled a bit but it could have been a whole lot worse, now I do not do it, ever. Wait until I am almost in position to shoot.
I suppose carrying a nocked broadhead could be considered dangerous but so is climbing trees or for that matter driving a car. A lot of things we do in life could hurt us if we're not careful. I've bow hunted with sharp arrows for 60 years and have yet to stab myself with an arrow...and yes at times I walk with a broadhead on the string when the occasion calls for it. I always make sure the arrow is pointed down and sometimes I hold the bow flat with my thumb pressing down on the shaft of the arrow holding it against the bow, while the arrow is pointed out and away from me.
There are times when you would never have time to nock an arrow before the shot is lost. I recall an incident many years ago. I was walking out of the woods heading back to my truck after a morning of sitting in my tree stand. I had to cross a big grass field where the grass was above the knees. I knew from the many deer beds that deer sometimes bedded in the field. I nocked an arrow on my 70# 68" longbow. About half way across the field TWO bucks, twin 6 pointers jumped up less that 20yds in front of me. One of the bucks went straight away from me and the other one ran horizontally from right to left. My bow which was locked and loaded came up and I swung with the buck. He almost looked like he was running in slow motion as I concentrated on a spot behind his shoulder. The arrow left the bow automatically without a conscious effort from me. I saw the yellow feathers blossom low behind the shoulder. The broadhead centered the heart and the buck never made it out of the field. Today his heart with a big 2 blade slit in the center sits on a shelf in my shop in a big jar of formaldehyde.
Had I not had an arrow on the string I never could have made one of the luckiest shots of my hunting career.
That is a great shoot!, and your absolutely correct, had your arrow not been on the string and ready, it would have been a lot harder if at all possible.
I keep an arrow on the string unless I'm moving through thick stuff and hang-ups get to be a hassle. On a related note (forgive me any-one who has heard this story from me I seem to remember posting it a while back) a few years ago a friend and I were coming off of one of the steep courses at Denton Hill and were walking parallel to and about 30 yards from a guy wearing a side quiver on his right side his feet slipped out from under him straight down the hill and he landed flat on his butt, the quiver hit the ground and angled perfectly to insert a nock in the guys' nostril at a good rate of speed, enough to get some blood going and shake the guy up some, accidents happen, is walking with a broad-head "loaded" more dangerous? It definitely adds a degree of danger. I think if you're not comfortable doing it then you shouldn't, be careful so you can enjoy what you do for longer.
My point exactly Ron...
Ron, A jar with a heart in it sitting on a shelf in your shop. DR Frankenstien I presume.
Depends. I always try to keep it in the quiver, but when I'm close and on the stalk it's knocked because a shot is impending. I am moving super slow so it's like I'm standing still anyway.
When actually Stalking or Still hunting, absolutely! Because that's what I'm focused on doing!
Just walking along with no particular purpose in mind, nope, not practical.
LD
QuoteOriginally posted by Kirkll:
QuoteOriginally posted by GANDGOLF:
Just goes to show "Common Sense AIN'T COMMON.!!" If you're stalking without an arra on the string, you ain't stalking --- your Traveling.. If you move so fast- you don't KNOW where your feet will be Planted, your Bow will come through , your Broadhead will pass by, you're not stalking your TRAVELING !! Like the old sayin" White man walk Lot See little- Indian Walk Little SEE LOT"
I like this guy..... Use common sense... if you are a clutz and fall down a lot, you obviously aren't watching where your feet are being placed.
I always have an arrow nocked when i'm stalking. But....it typically takes me 30 minutes to cover a 100 yards. If you are spending more time moving, than standing still & using your senses. Then you aren't doing it right.... you aren't hunting... you are traveling. Might as well keep the dad burn arrow in your quiver. [/b]
+1.
Here in FL I don't really need to worry about ice/snow or real crazy elevation changes. The woods/swamp here can be ultra thick, it will most likely be I see them a split second before they see me or its at the same time and I will use my judgement to fit the situation/ feel more confident knowing I will just need to draw and shoot as soon as I'm in range.
If I am on the stalk with someone else like my brother he will be at least 10 ft in front or behind and we use hand signals.
And in the dark? That's just crazy.
If I think a shot is possible in a situation like still hunting whitetail, I nock an arrow. I am going to re-consider this after reading this thread. But I know that as Ron said, shot opportunity will be missed at some point.
That being said, I don't knock an arrow when any terrain is unsafe or even somewhat challenging.
I have 2 friends that have been stuck doing this back in their younger dumber years!
One on his own and the other by his buddy behind him. :scared: :scared:
Last year I was still hunting with an arrow on the string. I got to a steeper part of the slope and gently tossed my arrow into my back quiver and missed. I cut most of my B50 string in half about 12 inches from the lower tip of my longbow. Safety first.
here in eastern n.c. the ground I hunt is flat, cant say how I would feel in hilly terrain, but here I most always have an arrow nocked. there are two beautiful bucks I KNOW would be dead if only I had an arrow nocked. that was many years ago. since then, always have an arrow ready.
What's that old saying "AN ACCIDENT LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO HAPPEN" :readit:
QuoteOriginally posted by Caddo:
When actually Stalking or Still hunting, absolutely! Because that's what I'm focused on doing!
Just walking along with no particular purpose in mind, nope, not practical.
LD
That's well stated. If you're intent and concentrating, have it ready. If you're traveling, put the thing in your quiver.
That said, Ron L is correct. Life is full of dangers and if our goal were to be 100% safe, we'd be like that one political cartoon showed recently. A family in a jail cell having dinner and commenting on how safe they felt as the NSA guard stood outside.
The do-gooders will deny us all fun if we let them scare us about every danger, whether it is a food that causes cancer in all of the mice that are fed the equivalent of 100 lbs per day or a BB gun that might put yer eye out. Or a nocked arrow when you're sneaking to within 20 yards of a bedded buck...
When in a stand, nocked. When going to and from the stand, quiver. When I'm Elk hunting, 90% of the time my arrow is in the quiver. I nock an arrow when coming up on an area where elk bed frequently and it reaks of elk and when I'm set up working a bull. If I make a move, I quiver my arrow and nock it when I set back up, unless I'm moving just a little ways. Whenever an arrow is on the string, it's slow going (hunting) and careful.
As mentioned, COMMON SENSE applies.
Why do they call it common sense when it's so hard to find?
Never unless making a final stalk. Way too easy to bleed out before getting a deep wound taken care of.
God bless, Steve
I used to think it was good to have an arrow nocked when sneaking along so I could take advantage of sudden opportunities. I never shot a thing that way, but I do have a scar on my leg. Was stalking with a friend, and he walked into me with a nocked arrow.
Over the course of the last 35 years, I've found that I virtually always have time to nock an arrow at the last moment if I'm moving slowly and paying attention. If I'm not, I have no business walking around with an arrow on my string.
QuoteOriginally posted by Kirkll:
QuoteOriginally posted by GANDGOLF:
Just goes to show "Common Sense AIN'T COMMON.!!" If you're stalking without an arra on the string, you ain't stalking --- your Traveling.. If you move so fast- you don't KNOW where your feet will be Planted, your Bow will come through , your Broadhead will pass by, you're not stalking your TRAVELING !! Like the old sayin" White man walk Lot See little- Indian Walk Little SEE LOT"
I like this guy..... Use common sense... if you are a clutz and fall down a lot, you obviously aren't watching where your feet are being placed.
I always have an arrow nocked when i'm stalking. But....it typically takes me 30 minutes to cover a 100 yards. If you are spending more time moving, than standing still & using your senses. Then you aren't doing it right.... you aren't hunting... you are traveling. Might as well keep the dad burn arrow in your quiver. [/b]
Same here.
Some people are afraid to put their feet on the floor in the mornings, and want everyone else to live in fear with them.