First year

[Bowguy 1]

Who's at it for the first time whatever the bow choice is this year. 

Getting close to sessin n I'm sure guys n gals are excited, tell us about it n don't be shy asking questions. 

 

[BowmanMike]

This is my 2nd year and I am having high hopes for it. There are only a few apples around this year ,but some trees on my property have a good amount. I think there will be quite a few deer visiting those, and I won't have to go far to sit and wait. My wife wants me to thin the herd some close to home, that means I will be able to put some more time in. That is always good,right?

There is also a ten point buck on a friend's property that survived last year's season, and I would love to see him in person...

 

I have a bear cruzer compound bow set at 55# and shoot muzzle broadheads.

Edited August 7, 2016 by BowmanMike

[Bowguy 1]

Ah that's awesome buddy! Wish you the best this season 

[OldNewbie]

This will be my first season bow hunting (I'm 61), and also for my 15 yr old daughter. I have a Bowtech Fuel 55# DW 27" DL and she has a Parker something or other set at 35# and 24DL. We are practicing at 10, 20, 30 yds from different angles and feeling pretty good about the shooting part. Biggest challenge is finding places to hunt. Plenty of state land around but trying to get something closer to home... that's hard.

We do have deer on our 3 acre residential lot. Back of lot is more than 150' from any house so within regulations to shoot there. Does anyone hunt that close to home? I'm tempted but a bit worried about wounded deer running into the street or neighbors yard. 

[Bowguy 1]

That's awesome! Good luck to you both!

My daughter's first deer was more memorable than my own, n I'm sure it'll be that way w you

Edited August 13, 2016 by Bowguy 1

[Core]

On 8/9/2016 at 4:04 PM, OldNewbie said:

Does anyone hunt that close to home? I'm tempted but a bit worried about wounded deer running into the street or neighbors yard. 

People definitely do, but your fear is very well founded. I think it can be done but only with extremely confident shots, and also depends on density of housing, because even a well hit deer can run a short distance.

[Bowguy 1]

I personally don't hunt house deer but I think NY changed the law to read only 50 ft w vertical bows so you're safe but what if it does run into a yard? Be careful

[Culvercreek hunt club]

9 minutes ago, Bowguy 1 said:

I personally don't hunt house deer but I think NY changed the law to read only 50 ft w vertical bows so you're safe but what if it does run into a yard? Be careful

50 yards, 150'

[Culvercreek hunt club]

On 8/9/2016 at 4:04 PM, OldNewbie said:

This will be my first season bow hunting (I'm 61), and also for my 15 yr old daughter. I have a Bowtech Fuel 55# DW 27" DL and she has a Parker something or other set at 35# and 24DL. We are practicing at 10, 20, 30 yds from different angles and feeling pretty good about the shooting part. Biggest challenge is finding places to hunt. Plenty of state land around but trying to get something closer to home... that's hard.

We do have deer on our 3 acre residential lot. Back of lot is more than 150' from any house so within regulations to shoot there. Does anyone hunt that close to home? I'm tempted but a bit worried about wounded deer running into the street or neighbors yard. 

I've done it successfully before. Many of those areas are the areas that they need population reduction. I would caution that you need to check the local regulations/laws about discharge of a weapon there. Many have their own regulations that go above what DEC mandates. Worth looking into. 

[grampy]

Best of luck to you new bowhunters this year! It would be so cool if you would post your progress, highs, lows and any questions that you have. We are here for ya! Enjoy the ride and take it slow.

[NFA-ADK]

Hosting a seminar on deer hunting this weekend on Sunday at Suffolk Archers.  Should be a great event for new hunters!  Come on down it's free!  I will be doing the deer calling.  We have tracking, shot placement, how to clean your game.  Tree stand safety.  Deer search at 8AM will do a presentation and tracking with there dog.  Scent control, trading post arrow fletching, arrow flight test and a 3D shoot after all is done! 

[grampy]

2 minutes ago, NFA-ADK said:

Hosting a seminar on deer hunting this weekend on Sunday at Suffolk Archers.  Should be a great event for new hunters!  Come on down it's free!  I will be doing the deer calling.  We have tracking, shot placement, how to clean your game.  Tree stand safety.  Deer search at 8AM will do a presentation and tracking with there dog.  Scent control, trading post arrow fletching, arrow flight test and a 3D shoot after all is done! 

Sure wish that there was something like this back when I got started! Sounds like a great opportunity for all hunters to stop by and learn something new, share information and enjoy the company of other hunters and archers! Best of luck on what I'm sure will be an awesome event!

[Core]

1 hour ago, grampy said:

Best of luck to you new bowhunters this year! It would be so cool if you would post your progress, highs, lows and any questions that you have. We are here for ya! Enjoy the ride and take it slow.

Last year was my first hunting of any kind and I went with a bow. I didn't have a mentor, but read quite a lot and questioned on forums. I did get a deer after going out more than a dozen times. I wasted a ton of time doing the wrong thing(s). Here are some of the main things I learned off the top of my head. This is from a person who's only hunted one year, so take it for what it's worth. Also, sadly, it's nothing I hadn't read before I started out. Sometimes we have to learn the hard way.

• Just because I can group well at 40 yards doesn't mean I can even hit a deer at 25 yards. It's easy to know distance when the target says what it is. This was a hard lesson and resulted in immediate purchase of a range finder after my first day out. Now when I am at a spot I constantly range different trees and things to try and get a feel of distances, which even to this day surprise me (I chronically overestimate range in the woods with my eyes).
• Hunting deer at any time other than early morning or late in the day is only worth doing if you don't value your time and/or have gobs of it. My greatest mistake was dropping time early afternoon or late morning hunting. Just burning up hours when the deer were all rested. Waste of time, waste of effort, won't do it again. This year I plan on bailing two hours after sunrise unless I have some sixth sense that deer are out or they keep trotting by. Won't waste time again like I did last year.
• Still-hunting with a bow is absurdly difficult. Insanely difficult, even. My very first day out I still-hunted and walked up on a deer and had a beautiful shot (missed; see first bullet). This was the worst thing that could have happened to me because it gave me over confidence that I could do it again. I tried on another dozen hunting trips to replicate it and the deer almost invariably hear you or see you coming. Worse, as the season goes on and the ground is crunchy, this is even harder. Still hunting can absolutely be done, but IMO no newbie should bother with it. It's hard as heck even for a veteran.
• Dragging a deer is hard freaking work. I'm fairly fit and strong and it took me two hours to drag a deer half a mile where I was, because of the hills. I'll try something else this year; cart, block & tackle, something hooked to my vest, I dunno
• Hunters are lazy. I hunt public land and although I didn't see a ton of cars, the ones I did see appeared to be driven by people unwilling to spend much time walking, so they'd stick close to the road pretty much where others go.
• Get a tree-stand. I know, you've already spent so much money on gear you feel sick about it and you're not even telling your wife about it all, but sitting on a stool at ground level waiting for deer to come to you not only makes your visibility much worse, but the odds of them seeing you are too darn high. Yes, it can be done, but it's hard. IMO either go with a stand that won't be moving (ladder or hang on that you leave there) or get a climber. Carting around climbing sticks is silly and a huge hassle. If you cannot or will not do a stand, use a ground blind, either store-bought or built out of branches and what not. Something to hide you drawing and moving if the deer goes by. Tree stands are still better, though.
• Your feet will get cold. Even in October, with insulated boots, and a tendency to have hot feet I found myself requiring the carbon foot wamers later in the bow season. Sitting in a stand sucks when you're cold, don't let it happen!

[Bowguy 1]

10 hours ago, Culvercreek hunt club said:

50 yards, 150'

That's what I meant. Thanks

[Bowguy 1]

10 hours ago, NFA-ADK said:

Hosting a seminar on deer hunting this weekend on Sunday at Suffolk Archers.  Should be a great event for new hunters!  Come on down it's free!  I will be doing the deer calling.  We have tracking, shot placement, how to clean your game.  Tree stand safety.  Deer search at 8AM will do a presentation and tracking with there dog.  Scent control, trading post arrow fletching, arrow flight test and a 3D shoot after all is done! 

Very cool!

[Culvercreek hunt club]

That's what I meant. Thanks

I knew you did. Just dos t want someone new to read it wrong.

[Doewhacker]

5 minutes ago, Culvercreek hunt club said:

I knew you did. Just dos t want someone new to read it wrong.

Too late I read 50 feet so that's what I'm going by. When I get pinched I'll pull open the site. No way I'll get a ticket. 

 

Its my my sons first full year, he turned 12 on 11/10 so he only had about two days to come along. I can't wait. 

[Bowguy 1]

Core welcome to the sport n congrats on the deer n relaying your experiences to the newer folks. Two things I wanna say. A rangefinder is a great idea but 40 yard shots for most guys especially new often are not. Too many variables we can't practice n it's hard to be perfect excited. The next thing is the all day sits or mid day. You can do it during the rut or pre rut. During the rut anything can happen, pre rut walking stage is a favorite of mine n a few extra hours very often pay off for either. Some of the bigger bucks are taken mid day during the rut. Keep it in mind

[Bowguy 1]

7 minutes ago, Doewhacker said:

Too late I read 50 feet so that's what I'm going by. When I get pinched I'll pull open the site. No way I'll get a ticket. 

 

Its my my sons first full year, he turned 12 on 11/10 so he only had about two days to come along. I can't wait. 

Best of luck to you both!

[NFA-ADK]

Hunting out of a tree is a much better option as a new hunter for a variety of reasons.  Always wear a safety harness and make a float plan if solo, VIP. 

1) Your scent is higher off the ground.  Good early but late that scent can come back down when it cools.

2) You can spot prey and let them pass without spooking them.

3) Your movement is slightly covered if done properly with cover allowing much more movement than ground hunting will allow.

4) All this allows you to observer and gain more knowledge about how deer interact with each other than you would as a new hunter on the ground.

If you are still interested in hunting on the ground I would try a blind or even better a ghost blind, they work awesome!  Just need to be a scent control wizard if you want to get good action.  And come to Suffolk Archers to learn how to call them in, lol. 

[DirtTime]

A few tips that often get over looked:

Proficiency with your bow. Practice as much as possible. If you hunt mainly from a tree stand then practice with the stand or get on something elevated. It teaches the proper form for shooting from a stand which is bend at the hip, not the shoulders. Practice in a sitting position as well.  If on the ground in a blind practice shooting from w/e you plan to sit on. If no blind or seat practice from a kneeling position.

If new, practice tracking a blood trail. You can make fake blood with corn syrup and red food coloring. Have someone leave a trail behind them and go locate the person. Have them leave gobs and just a few drops for different sceneries. Tracking blood isn't as easy as it seems.

When the weather permits, practice with your hunting clothes on. It does make a small difference from shorts and a tee shirt to 4 layers of cold weather clothes and gloves on.

 

[t_barb]

Hunting deer at any time other than early morning or late in the day is only worth doing if you don't value your time and/or have gobs of it. My greatest mistake was dropping time early afternoon or late morning hunting. Just burning up hours when the deer were all rested. Waste of time, waste of effort, won't do it again. This year I plan on bailing two hours after sunrise unless I have some sixth sense that deer are out or they keep trotting by. Won't waste time again like I did last year.

 

I would caution you on this (as I am sure many other will)...   This is heavily dependent on which part of the season you are hunting and the intensity of the rut...   Don't short change yourself by not hunting mid day, but instead, pick days that coincide with the peak of the rut/chasing..    you will sometimes be amazed at how much mid day activity there is.

[stoneam2006]

Always watch the weather...cold fronts drastic changes snow in a day or so all good times to sit for the day

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

[Core]

16 hours ago, t_barb said:

Hunting deer at any time other than early morning or late in the day is only worth doing if you don't value your time and/or have gobs of it. My greatest mistake was dropping time early afternoon or late morning hunting. Just burning up hours when the deer were all rested. Waste of time, waste of effort, won't do it again. This year I plan on bailing two hours after sunrise unless I have some sixth sense that deer are out or they keep trotting by. Won't waste time again like I did last year.

 

I would caution you on this (as I am sure many other will)...   This is heavily dependent on which part of the season you are hunting and the intensity of the rut...   Don't short change yourself by not hunting mid day, but instead, pick days that coincide with the peak of the rut/chasing..    you will sometimes be amazed at how much mid day activity there is.

True and bowguy 1 corrected me there as well. General consensus is that during the rut deer can move about whenever