Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: TheYak on November 10, 2014, 12:13:00 AM
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Hi Gang!
I have a question about bow-appearance with respect to hunting and I figured I'd ask the experts:
Have you found that the colour/design/appearance of your bow has had a positive/negative/negligible effect on your hunts?
I'm mainly thinking along the lines of - would the increased camouflage of a camo, brown, or blackout bow have any different effect on your game than say, a red, yellow, white, or blue bow ( assuming you were hunting in a mainly green backdrop ). Or is most game not particularly sensitive to color ( mainly curious about whitetails )?
Many thanks in advance for your thoughts!
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I'm far from an expert, but have shot a few critters over the last few decades. My experiences are with whitetails, hogs, black bear, and turkey. My limbs have always been some sort of natural wood, snake skins, or a dark brown or black.
I'd say that as long as you don't have something that has a shiny finish, which might cause a glare, or a color that a deer can see (blues and violets), you're far more likely to spook an animal with odors, movement, or noise, in that order. I don't ever recall spooking an animal solely with movement from a bow.
Most of the time, if a whitetail sees a slight movement or something out of place, they'll usually start bobbing their head around to get a better look. They'll stomp their feet to try and get whatever it is they saw to move, and if they're not satisfied, they'll maneuver themselves downwind.
That being said, I would say that hunting with a light colored bow would increase your odds of being noticed. It might not outright scare a deer, but it certainly might cause one to focus on you, which is something you definitely don't want. It's about impossible to draw on a deer that's looking at you without spooking it.
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really truly, a lot depends on "things".
Depends on where, when and how you hunt, for sure.
If you are in a tree, and the tree is a dark spruce tree, white limbs might show up more easily, especially movement of the light against the dark.
If you are in a deciduous tree that has lost its leaves and the autumn / winter sky is the backdrop, a light colored bow likely has no affect at all.
If on the ground, it may be worse dark / light. Not so much the color, but the dark light contrast.
But, lots of deer were killed with light colored bows in the past. Then again, on the other hand, back when I started, many, maybe even most of the folks around me painted their bows.
On the other hand. . . I am running out of hands.
I still have a tendency to order / build plain bows and then paint the limbs. Just me.
ChuckC
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For deer at least I don't think color will make a difference other than as Chuck pointed out with light versus dark background or vice versa.
The bigger concern is glare in the sunlight from the finish. Even a dull finish will shine like a signal mirror if the sunlight catches it right. This past September I had a friend pick me out on a mountainside from a half mile away. The thing that tipped him off first was my bow shining in the sun, and my bow has a matte finish.
Since that day I have added a pair of limb socks to my bow. There are other methods of dulling them down, but I think it is wise to do something. In that case, it won't matter at all what color the limbs are!
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I hear the "natural camo" about certain wood choices all the time. I think guys like to blame anything but themselves on being busted or missing a shot, etc.
That critter is going to see you move long before he picks out the color of your equipment.
I never hunt without a bow quiver and I always have either all white or all pink feathers.
But I always seem to get caught moving when I do get caught.
If I knew how to post a picture, I would show you that you could blur out everything in the "hero" picture yet still see the bouquet of feathers in my quiver.
my .02,
BigJim
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I have had bright curly maple bows and dark bows. Never noticed a difference. A lot of it is in how well hid are you when you set up!
Bisch
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I know guys that take game with longbows that are white glass. I have also had a doe notice a slight movement with a glossy finish bow that glinted in the sun. I like flat finish and earth tones. Maybe overkill, but I like to think that is one thing I do not have to worry about. Also there is a psychological factor to if you like the way your bow looks you will shoot it better. No jokin! :thumbsup:
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Nock of the shine and you should be good to go. That is all I think would matter.
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I have always thought that Schafer's with camo under clear glass was the epitome of the hunting recurve look! Functional coolness.
(http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n559/jeffbschulz/images_zps262f05c1.jpg) (http://s1139.photobucket.com/user/jeffbschulz/media/images_zps262f05c1.jpg.html)
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Big Jim,
Here are your photos.
(http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n559/jeffbschulz/c4c1262b-1c33-42c6-a5b3-64097b200427_zpsd856d41d.jpg) (http://s1139.photobucket.com/user/jeffbschulz/media/c4c1262b-1c33-42c6-a5b3-64097b200427_zpsd856d41d.jpg.html)
(http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n559/jeffbschulz/BJ1_zps0116599c.jpg) (http://s1139.photobucket.com/user/jeffbschulz/media/BJ1_zps0116599c.jpg.html)
(http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n559/jeffbschulz/BJ3_zps419c8438.jpg) (http://s1139.photobucket.com/user/jeffbschulz/media/BJ3_zps419c8438.jpg.html)
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Thanks, Gang! Lots of great info here! I hadn't considered the "shine" factor, but can see how that would be a major tell. I will also consider where I plan to hunt when choosing my colors and keep contrast in mind.
dragonheart - that bow looks amazing.
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Yak,
I wish it was mine, but it is not. Just a dream of mine to someday own a Schafer...
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I agree that shine is the killer. Having said that, I have more confidence in something along the lines of medium brown with darker lines in the limbs. A good example is the last picture on Dragonheart's post for Big Jim above