Bow Seasons Coming Up!

piercfh · August 2, 2007, 06:04 PM

We are just a little over two months away from bow season here in Alabama. The fever should be coming on pretty strong for allot of people with fall just around the corner.

So what is everyone going to improve on this year?

What do you feel would make you have a better season?

What about your goals for the upcoming season? Do you have any?

I tried to make predictions last year about myself and my two roommates, but none of them really turned out. I wanted to kill at least 5 with my bow. After the first week I had killed three, but after that I didn't get another one with the bow for the rest of the season. Also both of my roommates have yet to get a bow kill, and didn't do much good with a rifle.

Who's gettin ready? Who's got the fever?

FirstFreedom · August 2, 2007, 06:17 PM

My goal is to get two deer with my bow, either 2 does or 1 buck & 1 doe, having tallied 0, 0, and 1 the last 3 years. My goal overall for deer season, is to NOT shoot a small buck, and NOT shoot a medium or even medium-large buck. It's gonna be a monster or does only. Except during bow season, and then I'd go for a medium-large.

Huntzalittle · August 2, 2007, 06:33 PM

Well, I put in two turnip patches a while ago and they are up and doing well. Still need to put in some rye at the end of this month. Also got a couple trees cut out of the way that I have been meaning to do the last two years.
This year I am finally going to try a whisker bisket rest. I bought a couple last fall on ebay for about 1/2 price, so trying them out is gonna be differnt.
Last year I got a buck and a doe during early season-I just hope I can do as well this year

davlandrum · August 2, 2007, 06:42 PM

Your thread makes me wish I was back east again - well, almost

We get 1 deer and 1 elk tag/year (sometime one extra deer on a doe tag, but I haven't got drawn for one in a few years).

This is the year I am finally physically ready to get an elk with my bow. I lost 50 pounds in the last year and feel great. No more looking at the bottom of the deep dark hole, then going off to find something easier...

Shortened my draw length this year down to 28.5 and it really improved my shooting form.

Got drawn for East side mule deer rifle tags, so I don't have to worry about getting meat at least.

Personal opinion - the whisker biskit is the best thing ever invented!

Doyle · August 2, 2007, 07:12 PM

Last year was my first year bowhunting. In fact, I hadn't even shot a bow until about 2 months before season started. I got a small buck and missed 2 pigs. One of the misses was due to misjudging distance. The other should have been a very easy broadside shot but the arrow when behind her butt. The only reason I can think of is that I must have been nervous and torqured my wrist.

This year, I hope to redeem myself with the piggies.

piercfh · August 3, 2007, 09:43 AM

The biscuit is a great product for a serious hunter. It will slow your arrow speed down some, but it's worth that to never have to worry about your arrow coming off the rest. The less you have to wory about the easier it will be to make that shot on a nice buck.

Improvements I have come up with so far:

Im thinking about trying blazer veins because I shoot a biscuit myself, and I hear they make a good combo. I figure that the smaller veins will hang on arrow better, and be a little more reusable after a pass through than the regular veins I have allways shot.

Im also going to buy another summit climbing stand this year. The one I hunt with now is steel, and its very heavy compared to the aluminum. Being a little less fatigued and sweaty when I get to the tree will be nice. Also I wont be clanking around into brush near as bad from being worn out due to carrying the heavy stand.

Some notable things that really helped last year:

Allways wearing rubber boots to controll scent.
Keeping my cloths in a plastic bin in the truck w/ a scent wafer.
Allways climbing or hunting from a lock on.
Ranging the area around my stand and taking a mental note of trees, bushes, ect.

I hope to keep a log book this year of all the deer I see, and when they really move also noting the weather and moon. This may help to better choose the days I hunt on when I cant make it 3 or 4 days a week in the future.

If several people did keep a log at the end of the season we could have a very interesting/usefull follow up thread.

FirstFreedom · August 3, 2007, 10:08 AM

Yeah, the Blazer vanes, being a stiffer plastic material work much better with the biscuits and other pass-through rests - regular plastic vanes will warp after a few passes through the biscuit. I want to say that turkey feather vanes work fine with the biscuits, as well.

Instead of another summit stand, you might want to seriously consider getting a Tropy Line Tree Saddle.

Hmm, hope they're not out of business - their website is down:

http://www.trophylineusa.com/

davlandrum · August 3, 2007, 10:38 AM

+1 on the blazers. I made the switch last year and coulldn't be happier with them.

Doyle - another thing to consider about that miss is if you were cheating your face away from the bow to see the impact. If you were shooting a peep sight, you probably did not - but it does happen...

I was elk hunting with my recurve several years ago, got in to a great situation with 3 cows angling down the hill at a slow walk. Trail they were on was less than 15 yards from where I was. I came to draw and tracked the lead cow and missed her clean. As I analyzed the whole thing for the next 2 hours, all I could figure is that while I was tracking them right to left, I was actually tracking them with my head and left my bow just hanging out in space...

Doyle · August 3, 2007, 12:14 PM

I shoot a peep sight, so I doubt if I moved my face. I'm thinking it was just poor form holding the bow. All three of my shots were made from a tree stand and I had not done any practicing at all from above ground. This year, I'm going to practice sitting on the roof.

As far as rests go, I'm also a WB fan. My bow came with the old style (no cutout and all black bristles). I'm going to change it out this year for one of the new styles. I switched to blazer vanes and notice an improvement in their longevity. One thing I should pass onto anybody who wants to try a whisker biscuit is that the biscuit will tend to separate the very front tip of the vane from the arrow. You can prolong your vane life by putting an extra drop of glue at the very tip of the vane.

davlandrum · August 3, 2007, 12:29 PM

You are probably right about not cheating. I was shooting instinctive, so was not looking through a peep or even at a sight pin, so it was apparently pretty easy to shift my head without moving the bow. I might have even kept my same anchor point, just turned my head...

I had the old style biskit and then changed to the newer one with drop in and the "dual density" whiskers. At the same time, I switched to the blazers on the advice of my pro-shop owner (happened to go to high school with him a long time ago). Not sure which made more impact, but I do not even have to use the old "extra drop of glue" trick anymore.

One thing I have heard about, but not tried, is to shave the whiskers from the string side of the biskit. Just reduces how much the fletch pushes through.

August 2, 2007, 06:04 PM	#1
piercfh Senior Member Join Date: July 27, 2006 Location: Central Alabama Posts: 183	Bow Seasons Coming Up! We are just a little over two months away from bow season here in Alabama. The fever should be coming on pretty strong for allot of people with fall just around the corner. So what is everyone going to improve on this year? What do you feel would make you have a better season? What about your goals for the upcoming season? Do you have any? I tried to make predictions last year about myself and my two roommates, but none of them really turned out. I wanted to kill at least 5 with my bow. After the first week I had killed three, but after that I didn't get another one with the bow for the rest of the season. Also both of my roommates have yet to get a bow kill, and didn't do much good with a rifle. Who's gettin ready? Who's got the fever?

August 2, 2007, 06:17 PM	#2
FirstFreedom Junior member Join Date: May 31, 2004 Location: The Toll Road State, U.S.A. Posts: 12,451	My goal is to get two deer with my bow, either 2 does or 1 buck & 1 doe, having tallied 0, 0, and 1 the last 3 years. My goal overall for deer season, is to NOT shoot a small buck, and NOT shoot a medium or even medium-large buck. It's gonna be a monster or does only. Except during bow season, and then I'd go for a medium-large.

August 2, 2007, 06:33 PM	#3
Huntzalittle Member Join Date: January 10, 2007 Location: Michigan Posts: 99	Well, I put in two turnip patches a while ago and they are up and doing well. Still need to put in some rye at the end of this month. Also got a couple trees cut out of the way that I have been meaning to do the last two years. This year I am finally going to try a whisker bisket rest. I bought a couple last fall on ebay for about 1/2 price, so trying them out is gonna be differnt. Last year I got a buck and a doe during early season-I just hope I can do as well this year

August 2, 2007, 06:42 PM	#4
davlandrum Senior Member Join Date: February 27, 2006 Location: Lane County Oregon Posts: 2,547	Your thread makes me wish I was back east again - well, almost We get 1 deer and 1 elk tag/year (sometime one extra deer on a doe tag, but I haven't got drawn for one in a few years). This is the year I am finally physically ready to get an elk with my bow. I lost 50 pounds in the last year and feel great. No more looking at the bottom of the deep dark hole, then going off to find something easier... Shortened my draw length this year down to 28.5 and it really improved my shooting form. Got drawn for East side mule deer rifle tags, so I don't have to worry about getting meat at least. Personal opinion - the whisker biskit is the best thing ever invented!

August 2, 2007, 07:12 PM	#5
Doyle Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2007 Location: Rainbow City, Alabama Posts: 7,167	Last year was my first year bowhunting. In fact, I hadn't even shot a bow until about 2 months before season started. I got a small buck and missed 2 pigs. One of the misses was due to misjudging distance. The other should have been a very easy broadside shot but the arrow when behind her butt. The only reason I can think of is that I must have been nervous and torqured my wrist. This year, I hope to redeem myself with the piggies.

August 3, 2007, 09:43 AM	#6
piercfh Senior Member Join Date: July 27, 2006 Location: Central Alabama Posts: 183	The biscuit is a great product for a serious hunter. It will slow your arrow speed down some, but it's worth that to never have to worry about your arrow coming off the rest. The less you have to wory about the easier it will be to make that shot on a nice buck. Improvements I have come up with so far: Im thinking about trying blazer veins because I shoot a biscuit myself, and I hear they make a good combo. I figure that the smaller veins will hang on arrow better, and be a little more reusable after a pass through than the regular veins I have allways shot. Im also going to buy another summit climbing stand this year. The one I hunt with now is steel, and its very heavy compared to the aluminum. Being a little less fatigued and sweaty when I get to the tree will be nice. Also I wont be clanking around into brush near as bad from being worn out due to carrying the heavy stand. Some notable things that really helped last year: Allways wearing rubber boots to controll scent. Keeping my cloths in a plastic bin in the truck w/ a scent wafer. Allways climbing or hunting from a lock on. Ranging the area around my stand and taking a mental note of trees, bushes, ect. I hope to keep a log book this year of all the deer I see, and when they really move also noting the weather and moon. This may help to better choose the days I hunt on when I cant make it 3 or 4 days a week in the future. If several people did keep a log at the end of the season we could have a very interesting/usefull follow up thread.

August 3, 2007, 10:08 AM	#7
FirstFreedom Junior member Join Date: May 31, 2004 Location: The Toll Road State, U.S.A. Posts: 12,451	Yeah, the Blazer vanes, being a stiffer plastic material work much better with the biscuits and other pass-through rests - regular plastic vanes will warp after a few passes through the biscuit. I want to say that turkey feather vanes work fine with the biscuits, as well. Instead of another summit stand, you might want to seriously consider getting a Tropy Line Tree Saddle. Hmm, hope they're not out of business - their website is down: http://www.trophylineusa.com/

August 3, 2007, 10:38 AM	#8
davlandrum Senior Member Join Date: February 27, 2006 Location: Lane County Oregon Posts: 2,547	+1 on the blazers. I made the switch last year and coulldn't be happier with them. Doyle - another thing to consider about that miss is if you were cheating your face away from the bow to see the impact. If you were shooting a peep sight, you probably did not - but it does happen... I was elk hunting with my recurve several years ago, got in to a great situation with 3 cows angling down the hill at a slow walk. Trail they were on was less than 15 yards from where I was. I came to draw and tracked the lead cow and missed her clean. As I analyzed the whole thing for the next 2 hours, all I could figure is that while I was tracking them right to left, I was actually tracking them with my head and left my bow just hanging out in space...

August 3, 2007, 12:14 PM	#9
Doyle Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2007 Location: Rainbow City, Alabama Posts: 7,167	I shoot a peep sight, so I doubt if I moved my face. I'm thinking it was just poor form holding the bow. All three of my shots were made from a tree stand and I had not done any practicing at all from above ground. This year, I'm going to practice sitting on the roof. As far as rests go, I'm also a WB fan. My bow came with the old style (no cutout and all black bristles). I'm going to change it out this year for one of the new styles. I switched to blazer vanes and notice an improvement in their longevity. One thing I should pass onto anybody who wants to try a whisker biscuit is that the biscuit will tend to separate the very front tip of the vane from the arrow. You can prolong your vane life by putting an extra drop of glue at the very tip of the vane.

August 3, 2007, 12:29 PM	#10
davlandrum Senior Member Join Date: February 27, 2006 Location: Lane County Oregon Posts: 2,547	You are probably right about not cheating. I was shooting instinctive, so was not looking through a peep or even at a sight pin, so it was apparently pretty easy to shift my head without moving the bow. I might have even kept my same anchor point, just turned my head... I had the old style biskit and then changed to the newer one with drop in and the "dual density" whiskers. At the same time, I switched to the blazers on the advice of my pro-shop owner (happened to go to high school with him a long time ago). Not sure which made more impact, but I do not even have to use the old "extra drop of glue" trick anymore. One thing I have heard about, but not tried, is to shave the whiskers from the string side of the biskit. Just reduces how much the fletch pushes through.