Bowhunting As An Alternative To Rifles

Bowhunting As An Alternative To Rifles by Garnett Johnston

If you have ever thought about broadening your hunting skills you may want to consider an alternative to the standard rifle hunting method. Bowhunting can be a great option for hunters who perhaps have mastered the skill of rifle hunting and wish to try something new.

Bowhunting requires good archery skills and for most new starts finding an archery club to take a beginners course is a good place to start on your way to becoming a skilled bowhunter. It will also let you see if you enjoy the sport before buying new equipment and heading into the field.

Once you are happy that this is a sport you want to participate in at a hunting level then you need to choose a suitable type of bow for hunting. There are a large range and variety of bows available and if you go to any good archery shop they will have a specific range of bows available for hunting. You should however consider the following features in choosing a bow for hunting.

Noise.
It should seem obvious enough but you will want a bow that is quiet so that the animal does not jump at the sound of the bow. This applies both to drawing the string and releasing it.

Speed.
The bow also needs to be fast enough to deliver an arrow or bolt with enough power to cleanly kill the animal you are hunting. If you are hunting deer consider the power required to penetrate the chest on such an animal.

Ease of Use.
Bow hunting is more difficult than standard archery as you won't always be able to take aim with a vertical bow. You may need to tilt and angle the bow to take aim on a target through trees and so on, thus your bow must not be a complicated model more suited to indoor targets.

Maintenance.
As with any mechanical instrument with moving parts, maintenance is required to keep the hunting bow in good condition. The more often you use it the more wear and tear it will experience. Equally, when storing the bow ensure you use correct procedure and keep the bow in a dry and well protected case. Choose a low maintenance model so it does not become a burden to hunt with over the seasons.

Out of season or when you don't have time to make it to a hunt, improve and hone your skills at your local archery club and get some tips and pointers from other bow hunting members. Consider what type of shots you have had to take in the field and where you have had difficulty and try to recreate it in the indoor environment so you can perfect your game.

As with any hunting dicipline, time is required to become skillful at the sport so try to have fun in your approach to bow hunting and before long you will find yourself having to take some time to decide whether to pack your bow or your rifle on your next hunting trip.

If you found these deer hunting tips useful then maybe you would benefit from a visit to our website where we cover several hunting tips and techniques in detail. Good preparation is essential for any hunting trip and doing the research in advance will help you get the best experience

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