We asked to hear your bowhunting questions on Instagram. We’ll answer them in detail in this video. Some of you asked how much draw weight you need to hunt, how far can you shoot at whitetails, and what are some good tips for first-time treestand hunting?
But you didn’t stop there. We couldn’t answer every question in the video, so we answered some other questions below. If you have more questions, check out Bowhunting 360’s articles and videos, which go in-depth on all things bowhunting.
Like bows, arrows come in many varieties. Quality arrows match your bow, and are made of top-notch materials. Improperly matched arrows fly inaccurately. Even if your shooting form is excellent, poorly matched arrows can make you miss or – far worse – wound animals.
To select the right hunting arrows, you must match their spine, weight, length, material and fletching. Those factors all matter. By choosing the right ingredients, you’ll create reliable, accurate arrows that never let you down.
In this video, we review the variables you must consider when selecting hunting arrows.
Studying animals you hunt is a vital part of bowhunting. The more you know about their habits and favorite foods, the better your odds of success. Read about their biology, learn the habitats they prefer, and find the signs they leave. Once you start understanding a deer’s daily and seasonal life, the more reliably you’ll choose treestand sites.
All animals need food, water and shelter. Those three essentials provide vital information for bowhunters. If you can find where deer eat, drink and rest, you hold the key puzzle pieces.
Favored food sources include crop fields, acorns (especially from white oaks), young plant shoots, apples and berries, and nuts like pecans, chestnuts and hickory. During droughts or hot weather, water sources can become hotspots. Ponds, streams, swamps and livestock tanks provide water for thirsty deer. Shelter cover typically means places that hide deer from predators, and shield them from cold, heat and wind. Good deer cover features thick brush, tall vegetation, and dense, low-hanging boughs of cedars, spruce and other conifers.
Deer and other animals love edge cover, which means places where two habitat types meet. This could be an edge where woods meet a field, or where thick brush meets open hardwoods. Deer like these edges because it’s where cover and food “collide.” Edges also provide deer several options for food, and who doesn’t like options?
Once you know where deer bed and feed, you can ambush them in between those destinations.
First, do the test in this video to confirm your eye dominance.
If you’re cross-dominant, you can shoot with your non-dominant hand and dominant eye, or your non-dominant eye and dominant hand.
Your choice is personal preference. However, Guy Krueger, USA Archery’s training and education manager, recommends beginners try shooting with their dominant hand and non-dominant eye first because it’s easier to learn that technique than shooting with the non-dominant hand. He discusses his recommendations in this video, along with some other excellent ideas.
Do you still have more bowhunting questions? Send us a message on Facebook and Instagram, and we’ll happily answer. Experts at archery shops are also excellent resources for archery and bowhunting information. You can find a nearby shop here.
