Idiots guide to bow hunting

[grandpawrichard]

Back to the task at hand...helping a newbie.

Here is a link to a great article:

http://www.bowhunting.net/artman/publish/Management_Advantage/Let_Them_Walk.shtml

Dick

[grandpawrichard]

Here is a great article to help you age a deer by his looks:

1 1/2-Year-Olds
As you can see, 1 1/2-year-old bucks appear dainty with baby faces and thin necks. Their legs appear long and slender, and their torso is slim like a doe’s. In a photo of a 1 1/2-year-old buck, cover the antlers with your thumb and you will see that the body resembles a doe. Yearling buck antler development is highly variable, ranging from tiny spikes to 10 or more points. But, even super 1 1/2-year-old bucks with multiple points will have small, thin antlers. Likewise, regardless of the number of points, the length of their main beams will be short compared to older bucks. Their tarsal area will be small and lightly colored.

2 1/2-Year-Olds
The best way to describe the bodies of 2 1/2-year-old bucks is gangly and awkward. Their legs appear to be growing too fast for their body. Their bodies, while thicker than those of 1 1/2-year-olds, still have legs and necks that appear stretched in proportion. Their back and stomach area will appear very taut, and their face appears larger than their thin neck from a frontal view. The head will appear long from the side. For the first time, their antlers will begin to catch your eye, which is probably why 2 1/2 is the average age of whitetail bucks harvested in many areas. The truth is their antlers are just starting to grow. During the rut their tarsal glands may be dark, but the very darkest area is usually very small and round in appearance.

3 1/2-Year-Olds
A fuller neck and deeper chest are characteristics of a 3 1/2-year-old. Their neck muscles are expanding from increased hormones and use during the rut but are still not as large or thick as a fully-mature buck. Their chest is beginning to appear larger than their rump, but their back and stomach are still straight and taut. Also, their neck is still distinct by four or five inches from their brisket. Their tarsals will be dark during the rut but usually will appear small, and the dark staining from urine usually does not extend down the leg to the hoof.

4 1/2-Year-Olds
When bucks reach 4 1/2 they attain skeletal maturity and begin exhibiting many characteristics of full maturity. Their rump will appear full and rounded. Their neck will be more muscular and their body thicker and fuller but still trim. Their stomach and back will not appear to sag, and their jaw skin will be tight. This is the first time their legs do not appear longer than they should for their body. Their legs may even appear slightly short for the thickened body. During the rut, their tarsals will be noticeably large and dark due to repeated urinating and rubbing. In many respects, 4 1/2-year-old bucks are similar to young athletes in their early 20s. Their bodies have reached full size but are muscular and lean. Bucks at this age can grow very respectable antlers making them difficult for hunters to pass. Focus your attention on the body and face when aging, especially if the buck has very good antlers.

5 1/2-Year-Olds
At 5 1/2 years old, most bucks will be carrying the largest set of antlers they have ever grown. Their bodies also exhibit some noticeable changes. Typically, their stomach and back have a noticeable sag. Their neck will swell considerably during the rut, making the neck and brisket appear to be one continuous muscle. Also, their neck, while being very big, will appear muscular and firm and not flabby. The tarsals will be noticeably large and very dark with many bucks having staining down the inside of the leg to the hoof. Late in the rut their legs may even appear slightly white under the tarsals where the urine has scalded their hide. Also at 5 1/2, the forehead gland appears noticeably thicker and darker because of increased secretions from the glands underneath. Finally, 5 1/2-year-old bucks’ legs will appear short almost to an exaggerated extent due to fuller and fatter bodies.


Dick

[SpokaneSlayer]

Wow that's alot of info.  I may have to back and read it again to absorb it all.  I am also new to bowhunting.  Thanks for the insight.

[grandpawrichard]

You are Quite Welcome my Friend! I love to help others out!

Dick

[E-Town Hunter]

Thanks for all the information. My methods of hunting with a bow I feel pretty confident about. I am more interested in any info regarding proper form so that I make sure I don't pick up any bad habits that will be harder to break the longer I shoot and to improve my groupings at 30 yards and beyond. I'm sure I can get lots of advice on here as well, but everyone has their own idea of how it should be done. I'm not knocking anybody's methods, but I would prefer to stay with a book.

[skynyr]

A book i recently read was "Timeless Bowhunting-the art,the science, & the spirit", by Roy S. Marlow. It was a good book for a newby or an experienced archer in my opinion.

[Todd_ID]

The best thing to do is to find someone through one of the local clubs that will take you under thier wing to teach you the ropes of what archery is all about.  Tuning and form will seem like witchcraft until someone explains it in a way you can understand.  In the event of not being able to find a "mentor", then keep asking questions in separate threads on here, and you'll get some great advice.  There are thousands of collective years of mistakes and lessons to be tapped on here, and you'll save yourself many problems by asking pointed and specific questions.