New bow hunter need advise

[OneShotTony913]

New bow hunter need tips on pubic land

[grampy]

Practice with your bow. Practice more with your bow.

Go where other hunters don't. 

Keep the wind in your face.

Be observation, with deer sign and movement.  Adjust when necessary. 

Learn something with every outing.

Perseverance. You must have it to be successful. Stick with it. Hang in there.

Enjoy every minute you are out there. 

Welcome to the forum!  Go on over to introduction section and tell us a little about yourself.

 

Edited July 17, 2017 by grampy

[OneShotTony913]

Thanks Grampy

Do you recommend a hunting partner ? if so cant find one

[stoneam2006]

Get a climber. Rig it so you can carry easily (I rigged mine with rucksack frame).

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[grampy]

Hunting with a more experienced bowhunter will definitely help with the learning curve. Thats kind of why I was steering you to introduce yourself.  Where are you from, what areas are you looking to hunt? We have a bunch of really good hunters here, from all over the state. Sometimes, willing to help a new hunter.  Let us know more, to help you more.

[fasteddie]

It would be helpful if members know where you are located .

[OneShotTony913]

just got summit viper sd climber

Am from Queens N.Y. Looking at Dutchess County

[Buckmaster7600]

Where are you at? Good chance someone on here isn't far from you and most all of us are willing to lend a hand.

Eddie beat me to it, disregard.

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[OneShotTony913]

Or Columbia county

 

[stoneam2006]

Way far from me good luck. Lots of good info here.

Make sure you practice from height too shooting from treestands is different from ground level.

Also pick up a bleat can. I use mine more than I should but have had a lot of luck with it

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[OneShotTony913]

Thanks  stoneam2006

[grampy]

A rangefinder will be a valuable tool to carry. Range the trees, stumps and rocks, within your effective bow range.  Before the deer show up, and note the ranges. One less thing to do while preparing for the shot. 

If hunting a deer trail, back off 10 or 15 yards instead of hunting on top of it. Always keeping the prevailing wind in consideration. 

Consider a well placed natural ground blind, if the "perfect" tree is not available. 

Edited July 17, 2017 by grampy

[OneShotTony913]

Thanks grampy

Have all the tools just need the knowledge. 

[DirtTime]

#1 thing for public land is boots on the ground scouting!

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[nyslowhand]

Other than all the great advice already posted, know your equipment and your limitations are my only suggestions! Please, ignore those TV outdoors/hunting shows! You'll learn nothing from them.

Be prepared for a huge & lengthy learning curve! Like Grampy suggested, a mentor will help you to reduce this learning period! BTW - That learning experience is never ending, you'll hopefully learn something every outing!

Practice with your bow at different ranges until the proper form comes naturally and consistent arrow placement improves, then practice a lot more! Know your max confidence range and stick to that! Don't think limiting yourself to 25yrd shots is anything to be ashamed of, that's a lot of bow hunters' self imposed max range!! Make sure you shoot and fine tune your bow before hunting using whatever broadheads you choose! Most shoot differently than practice tips, some a lot!!!!

As suggested, practice at different heights, as in being up in your climber. Know whitetail anatomy and how an angled shot will penetrate the vital area a deer.

As a new hunter using a climber type of tree stand, safety should be your main concern. Practice a lot using your Viper climber, ascending and descending. Contrary to a lot of opinions, you don't need to climb 20-25' up a tree to hunt deer! A more reasonable height would be in the range of 15-18" above ground level, to the base of your climber. Easily judged by putting markers or knots or the length of your haul rope. Once you gain confidence using the climber, try using it in the dark, that's a sort of spooky experience, at least for me. Oh yeah, learn how to prepare yourself for an accident while using your climber. Lot of great videos on Youtube about this topic. A good safety harness is mandatory!!!!!

Final thing, which I could give tons of advice about, but you'll just have to gain through experience - remaining calm during that encounter or moment of truth!

[DirtTime]

There's a million things a new bow hunter should learn. But, seeing the question was about tips for hunting public land, #1 is scout, then scout more, and when you think you have it down, scout some more! Boots on the ground! Spend as much time in the woods learning how the deer travel. Where bedding areas are, food and water sources, and the best vantage point for a good shot and minimal tracking. 

 

[rachunter]

if you like to read shoot me an address and i'll send you a good book to help you get started.

 

[OneShotTony913]

Ok rachunter

 

 

[dbHunterNY]

some great advice given already.  scouting is a great idea.  remember with public land deer tend to go or "hole up" where hunters either won't go or can't go.  here in the southeastern area of the state it very well might be the latter.  make a donation to a local business or get an in with someone neighboring public land to gain access from somewhere other than a trail head to either get you in undetected or further than others are willing to go.

public land deer are schooled faster than less pressured deer.  setup with a plan and don't ignore all the basics of bowhunting like wind, scent control, etc.  just because deer hole up in places doesn't mean they aren't curious and venturing a little.  especially during the various stages of the rut which helps a lot. some of my best luck on public land has been with edges created by cover or terrain that allow bucks to scent check larger areas of high activity without exposing themselves or going there.  also another one is natural funnels created by cover or terrain that have the deer flocking to inaccessible sanctuaries off of public land or otherwise restricted zones of the public land off limits to hunting for whatever reason.  get in those spots early though and go in differently so you're not just pushing the deer passed your spots sooner before shooting light.  

 you might feel like you got burned if you don't see much, but know that vacation days during Tues through Thurs are far better than Friday through Monday to hunt public land.  Less people activity and deer feel less pressure to temporarily reduce their activity.  leave no trace that you were there to tip off other hunters who might pass through by chance.  even then you'll have run ins with hunters directly or indirectly.  have a plan B.

Good luck!  if I was closer i'd say we could try to meet up.

[Elmo]

First off....Why Dutchess and Columbia if you're going public land?  Tons of public land much closer to you.

 

Like everyone said.  Practice, practice, practice.  Normally, you practice shooting a bow at a stationary target on at ground with no wind.  Much different when you're in the woods shooting from uneven ground, you're freezing, and you've been holding the bow up for several minutes because the deer is hesitant to take the next step out into the open.  So besides practice, practice also in similar conditions to simulate what you'll encounter in a real hunting situation.

 

Scout.  There is no ifs-ands-or buts about it.  The one beauty of bow hunting is that you're forced to become much more intimate with the deer.  You need to know where they are bedding.  What and where they are eating.  Where they're getting their water from.  What time they're getting to do these things.  How weather effects their routine, etc.  That is what real hunting is about.  People can put you in front of a deer and you can shoot it but that's not hunting.  That's shooting.  You can read all these things in a book but every deer in each area behaves a little differently and you need to get to know the deer in the area you're hunting at.

[OneShotTony913]

6 hours ago, Elmo said:

First off....Why Dutchess and Columbia if you're going public land?  Tons of public land much closer to you.

 

Like everyone said.  Practice, practice, practice.  Normally, you practice shooting a bow at a stationary target on at ground with no wind.  Much different when you're in the woods shooting from uneven ground, you're freezing, and you've been holding the bow up for several minutes because the deer is hesitant to take the next step out into the open.  So besides practice, practice also in similar conditions to simulate what you'll encounter in a real hunting situation.

 

Scout.  There is no ifs-ands-or buts about it.  The one beauty of bow hunting is that you're forced to become much more intimate with the deer.  You need to know where they are bedding.  What and where they are eating.  Where they're getting their water from.  What time they're getting to do these things.  How weather effects their routine, etc.  That is what real hunting is about.  People can put you in front of a deer and you can shoot it but that's not hunting.  That's shooting.  You can read all these things in a book but every deer in each area behaves a little differently and you need to get to know the deer in the area you're hunting at.

 

[OneShotTony913]

What's up Elmo

you said there's public land closer than Dutchess and Columbia. do you know any that are closer ?

[Chef]

What's up Elmo
you said there's public land closer than Dutchess and Columbia. do you know any that are closer ?

Don't listen to Elmo there is no deer in westchester or Suffolk. Counties..


Look into a dep access permit in westchester county


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[OneShotTony913]

thanks chefhunter86

Edited July 17, 2017 by OneShotTony913

[tommyc50]

hey tony im in ozone park where in queens you from i have hunted alot on public land(Stewart, bear spring mt, niham mt in dutchess) bow season you have those places to yourself only thing Stewart is a little busy with pheasant hunters on the weekend it sounds like the tet offensive i kid you not . let me know maybe we could hook up i shoot @ proline on 101 ave