bow hunting...

[J Darcy 5,871]

I will take some pics this afternoon.....

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

Sorry for my lack of legal knowledge .Some years ago ,I looked into the sport and was told by our local stockist that this would happen .I never pursued the sport on this advice .Just goes to show that you cant trust many peoples word .Might be interested again now .Sorry again.

[mackem 26,262]

Tuning a bow is easy Baldie..........But only if you know how Bows and arrows arent always compatible,the most basic component,the arrow shaft comes in an array of materials,lengths,straightness,weight,and diameter tolerances bewildering to the newbie,and thats before its fletched and tipped with a head of some sort.

My advice would always be join a club,theres loads around,and practice with a compound,recurve,takedown,or longbow.See if you enjoy the sport,its not everyones cuppa,before splashing the cash on the bow of your choice.Most club archery enthusiasts will help a neophyte paper-tune his weapon,and explain why his arrows are fishtailing or porpoising,something Robin of Sherwood would never have been able to do

[Guest Finn]

Bowhunting (big game) is a great way to hunt although it requires a lot of discipline to be a good one. Most shots are taken below 30 yrds and most are aimed at passing through both lungs. Some hunting in open countries are as much or more than twice that distance. I enjoy it a great deal. It also is a much longer season than for firearms. Here in the state of Ohio (USA) the bow season is 4 mnths. long compared to about 3 wks. for all firearms (deer hunting) of course small game firearm season is as long as bow season. Hunting with all legal weapons here is a big part of my life. I harvest enough to feed 7 people for a year.

 

The broadhead is not easy to shoot. Because of it's shape it catches the wind and will through an arrow way off the mark telling the archer that although he thought his bow and arrow were perfectly tuned, they were not and work needs to be done. After things are adjusted they can be put one after another in basically the same hole. The head I shoot seems to fly better than my points. I practise just about daily all year until the season starts and then backing off. It is also a sport more accepted than a firearm (for deer mostly) because it can be used in urban settings. A bowhunter here has many opportunities.

 

Sorry to hear about the state of bowhunting there for you guys that would like to do it.

[Mitch 0]

I have been bowhunting for a number of years now. I shoot a Darton Scout compound bow set at 55 lbs. I really enjoy bowhunting, being quiet and enjoy a stalk. However i often find the animals alot smarter than me and am often empty handed on a stalk. The closest i have gotten to a fox is 20 meters, the thing i find hard is knowing when to shoot.

 

He had know idea of my presence and i thought he would come closer however the wind changed and he was off. Alot of times this has happend to me, I have been 30 meters to wild goats but still have not had that oppertunity of a perfect shot.

 

So far i have managed to get 3 rabbits with my bow, definatly good fun but requires alot of patience.

[J Darcy 5,871]

HI Mitch, have you thought that you can be too close for the bow shot? animals jumping the string? I firmly beleive in getting close, but i would imagine the quarry would jump string more, the closer you get. I would equip the strings with dampeners to silence its vibration and practice out to thirty and forty yards. Try taking shots at that range and i bet it makes a difference,.....I should imagine a rabbit will be able to hop out of the way in the time it takes for the arrow to leave the bow and hits its mark. Even the fastest arrows/set-ups are slow.. only kicking out 280 -300fps....plenty of time for a nervy critter to move.

I used to practice with a 44" axle to axle hoyt oasis carbonite XL.. and that was one seriously quiet bow! But i should imagine, had i ever used it, then game would have heard the tang of the string.....even thoughn im a finger shooter and its about as quiet as you can get.......good luck..

[Ricky-N.p.p 0]

Its legal to hunt fish in the uk with a bow