Hunting

>>668916
Bowhunting is very demanding, and many people who try it aren't skilled enough marksmen to consistently make clean kills. If you're not confident you can kill cleanly, don't shoot. I assume you're in the states, so I have to ask why you don't hunt with a firearm of some sort to start out. Basic shotguns and muzzleloaders can be had for less than $200 and aren't hard to shoot accurately within their effective ranges.

The best advice I can offer is to scout hard before the season opens and have places you plan to hunt depending on the wind. If you can't set up permanent ladder stands, use a climbing stand.

Set up on heavily used deer trails away from roads.

Don't be afraid to use decoys, calls and scents to bring deer into range. You need them quite close. If you're hunting during the rut and don't have a quality estrus urine wick deployed, you're cheating yourself. Adjust your setup by the time of year. Before the rut, just use confidence decoys and plain urine. Try using a fawn bleat to bring in doe, if you're allowed to shoot them. During the rut, bring out the expensive estrus pee and adjust your setup to try and draw in rutting bucks.

More important than the setup, though, is scouting. You absolutely have to scout your spots when bow hunting.

What kind of terrain are we talking about?

>>671158
btw I killed a massive ten-point with one side broken off this afternoon. It's a crying shame he wasn't intact but I guess the antlers will have what they call character.

My best hunting story is the time my father shot a hog through the lungs with a .270 and it ran a half mile from where he shot it and died right in front of me. Crazy coincidence and he might not have found it otherwise because the blood trail was so spotty.

I've mostly hunted the American south and Namibia, so come at me with questions or requests related to that.

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Dont shoot a deer with a .30-378.

I like deer stalking best. I'm in Aus and where I am there is no season or bag limit for Sambar. I only kill what me and my dogs eat ( the missus doesn't eat venison). Hoping this year to go after pigs too, and rabbits are always good. I use a Remington 783 .30-06, my first rifle. Going to get a .22 soon though just for small stuff like rabbits and plinking.

Hunting is one of the best things I've ever done. Not to go all hippy but it taught me a lot about respect and appreciation for the environment and the animals, and got me into hiking.

I have a bow as well but haven't used it for hunting yet because I'm afraid of not being able to make a clean kill, whereas I've never maimed an animal with a rifle. I admire the skill involved though, wouldn't mind gittin gud and then giving it a go