Archery is a CLOSE RANGE pursuit!!

archer66 · January 02, 2013, 01:48:00 PM

And traditional archery is an EVEN CLOSER RANGE pursuit. As some of you might remember I'm getting back into traditional archery after 20 years of shooting a wheelie bow. I'll admit that I'm having a little trouble letting go of my training wheels....I just need to get that first kill with trad gear under my belt and I think I'll be able to jump in with both feet and my eyes wide open. My hangup is effective range. I have no idea how many deer I've killed over the years but I do know how many I've shot at over 20 yards....ONE. My average shot distance is somewhere around 12-15 yards with the closest being 4 yards (from a natural ground blind). Those facts alone ought to be enough to get me over the hump but for some reason every time I think I have a line on a nice buck I get worried that I'll have to pass on a shot at him because he'll be outside my self imposed 20 yard recurve limit. Matter of fact it already happened once this year. I had a very nice ten point broadside at 25 yards and passed him in hopes for a closer shot. My self imposed limit with my wheelie bow is 40 yards. Yeah I know....I'll have bucks get by me outside of that range too....had a gigantic ten walk by a few years back at 46 yards. I did everything I could to try to talk myself into that shot and couldn't do it. Then I tried every call in my backpack to try to lure him in close...that didn't work either.

So here I sit getting ready to go the woods with two bows in my hands....figuratively. My wheelie in one and my 66 Bear Kodiak Mag in the other. I've been hunting this picked soybean field all winter and the deer are hitting it hard. I've had a north wind on each of my last four sits and on those sits I saw 27 deer, 24 deer 16 deer and 30 deer respectively including two really nice bucks. The bucks entered the field from the south all four times but with the North wind I had to sit the north side of the field. I have been able to pinpoint where the bucks are entering the field within about 50-60 yards. Why not closer? Well...they haven't come up the same trail each time. Twice on one trail and once each on two other trails. So today the wind is out of the south finally. My plan is to get in there at 130 and hang a stand right in the middle of those 3 trails. Problem is...yup you guessed it...no matter what I do one or two of those trails is going to be out of my range.

I know, I know....traditional archery is a CLOSER RANGE game!!!

Well....wish me luck...here goes nothing....

Nathan Killen · January 02, 2013, 02:14:00 PM

Been there ! Lol. You can do it ! You will find yourself fine tuning stand sights more than ever before, and it will make you a better hunter !

ALDO · January 02, 2013, 02:28:00 PM

Best of Luck. Good on you for sticking to your self imposed limit on shot distance. Archery is also a game of Patience, hang in there it will happen.

Jerry Jeffer · January 02, 2013, 02:30:00 PM

Why do you need to "get one" in order to let go? I hear that a lot. Just asking because traditional archery is so much more than that for me. If you need to get one, then it sounds like that is all you really want and guns work great for that.

DamselflyFarm · January 02, 2013, 02:39:00 PM

I have a lot of respect for you for sticking to your shot distance limit, especially when teased with deer just outside it. Keep at it--they'll come in close.

mcgroundstalker · January 02, 2013, 02:45:00 PM

Hey Chris! This trad stuff is a whole other ball game... It's not just for hunting! Have fun with it at shoots and get togethers. Build your own wooden arrows. Sneak-up on a buck and drill 'em at five yards! Don't pressure yourself... Enjoy the (simple) way of trad. I mean, you can always hit the supermarket for meat. :rolleyes:

Maybe I'm guilty of reading into your post too deep. I've been hunting with trad gear for ten seasons and have yet to bring home the bacon.

I Just Love It, That's All!

... mike ...

ron w · January 02, 2013, 03:07:00 PM

I had one shot in 41 years.....and that was in 1971. If it was all about getting one [as much as would like to] I would have stayed with firearms and compounds or what ever. I saw more deer this year that I have in a long ,long time.....still did not get a shot, but I went out every chance I could and continue my quest. And with this gear it doesn't have to be a buck.....at least for me!

Roadkill · January 02, 2013, 03:14:00 PM

it IS the journey, not the destination

Orion · January 02, 2013, 04:54:00 PM

I've said this a few times before to others, but I think it applies in your case as well. When how you do it becomes more important to you than how big or how many, the choice will be clear. Good luck.

daveycrockett · January 02, 2013, 05:27:00 PM

QuoteOriginally posted by Orion:
I've said this a few times before to others, but I think it applies in your case as well. When how you do it becomes more important to you than how big or how many, the choice will be clear. Good luck.

Exactly!!

Matty · January 02, 2013, 05:38:00 PM

Your missing the biggest most important part. I used to do the same thing. But it's not about "the kill" but the hunt. I haven't put an arrow in an animal in 4 years but that doesn't stop me from attempting to. And yes a few times a year something wanders into (compound bow) range. But that's the game. That's what makes it exciting and fun. And brings us back each and every time. The chance. If every time we set afield, we shot our quarry. It would probably lose its luster. And we wouldn't do it.. Trust us. Sell your compound bow. And put your faith in your trad gear. It will come together.

MCNSC · January 02, 2013, 05:39:00 PM

For me, part of the attraction of traditional archery is that every deer is a trophy.

Izzy · January 02, 2013, 06:56:00 PM

I think that 1st kill IS all important and I wish you luck in getting it done. There surely is a lot more to this game than killing but to realize that yes, this glued up pile of wood and glass can get the job done gives you a big leap forward into this into the game. Hunting without killing is usually a result of poor hunting in my experience. If Im not hunting well Im not killing anything. If youve hunted for 20 years you know this already. Good luck and savor it all.

dtarbell · January 02, 2013, 07:32:00 PM

Just jump in with both feet and it will happen,a 20 yrd shot limit is plenty,you dont need to cover two trails just the best trail.

Altiman94 · January 02, 2013, 08:01:00 PM

Knowing your range and sticking to it is important with any weapon.

I was all trad in 2010 and had several shots I would have taken with other weapons, but passed. I went back to the dark side for 2011 and part of 2012 and still stuck to what I knew was my range.

For 2013 my resolution is to go all traditional and expand my range to at least 20y. The areas that I hunt are pretty thick, so most shots are 20y and less.

joe ashton · January 02, 2013, 08:13:00 PM

good for you. stick to your distance and you will be rewarded.... doing the right thing is always, well, the right thing... makes you feel good about yourself.

SteveB · January 02, 2013, 08:36:00 PM

Close is a relative term that can only be defined by the individual.

Gen273 · January 02, 2013, 08:38:00 PM

While I know that Trad is more than just killing things; make no mistake when I hunt, I do it with the intention of killing my intended prey. I do not understand why some act like we should not expect to kill many animals with a trad bow.

So, I understand what he ment by looking for his first trad kill. I know that my first with a stick was very special. Stick with it and it will come.

January 02, 2013, 08:50:00 PM

a bowhunter expects to kill something, GOODLUCK!

The Night Stalker · January 02, 2013, 09:01:00 PM

Ron, 41 yrs, what? I get plenty of opportunity but opt not to take it. You must get the prize for patience. I would funnel them with dead brush piled in lines or what ever it took, maybe hinge cut trees. The more work you put in during the off season, the better my season will be. Experiment ,