Bob Robb - Field & Stream Bowhunting Handbook, New and Revised

NEW AND REVISED

Hunting

The Field & Stream Bowhunting Handbook, by Bob Robb

The Field & Stream Deer Hunting Handbook, by Jerome B. Robinson

The Field & Stream Firearms Safety Handbook, by Doug Painter

The Field & Stream Shooting Sports Handbook, by Thomas McIntyre

The Field & Stream Turkey Hunting Handbook, by Philip Bourjaily

The Field & Stream Upland Bird Hunting Handbook, by Bill Tarrant

Fishing

The Field & Stream Baits and Rigs Handbook, by C. Boyd Pfeiffer

The Field & Stream Bass Fishing Handbook, by Mark Sosin and Bill Dance

The Field & Stream Fishing Knots Handbook, by Peter Owen

The Field & Stream Fly Fishing Handbook, by Leonard M. Wright, Jr.

The Field & Stream Tackle Care and Repair Handbook, by C. Boyd Pfeiffer

Copyright 1999, 2007 by Bob Robb

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to The Lyons Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, P.O. Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437

Neither The Lyons Press, The Globe Pequot Press, nor any of their employees or shareholders, nor any persons associated with the publication of this book, can guarantee the accuracy of any of the information contained within this book. All readers are strongly advised to confirm the reliability of any information contained herein with reliable, professional personnel before acting on it. Neither The Lyons Press, The Globe Pequot Press, nor any of their employees or shareholders, nor any persons associated with the publication of this book can accept responsibility for any damages, injuries, or any other events that may occur as a result of any hunting trips or preparations thereto in which any reader may engage.

The Lyons Press is an imprint of The Globe Pequot Press.

Printed in The United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5

Design by Mimi LaPoint

ISBN 978-1-59921-089-6

The Library of Congress previously cataloged an earlier (paperback) edition as follows:

Robb, Bob

The Field & stream bowhunting handbook / Robert Robb. cm.(Field & stream fishing and hunting library)

Includes index.

ISBN 1-55821-914-5

1. Bowhunting. I. Title. II. Title: Field & stream bowhunting handbook. III. Title: Field and stream bowhunting handbook.

IV. Series.

SK36.R63 1999

799.20285dc21

99-10281

CIP

If, when hunting, your need to kill an animal supersedes all other reasons for being afield, bowhunting is not for you. If you have time to read only the condensed version of a great novel, and not the entire novel itself, bowhunting is not for you. If you feel right at home in todays go-go world, where life rushes by at light speed and you cant take time to smell the roses, bowhunting is not for you. If being alone makes you uncomfortable or if having the success or failure of a project resting solely on your shoulders is discomforting, bowhunting is not for you.

If, on the other hand, you love a challenge, bowhunting just might be for you. If you treasure things that require commitment and dedication, bowhunting just might be for you. If you like going it alone, with no one else to blame should something go wrong, bowhunting just might be for you. If you enjoy being in the woods, feeling it, smelling it, living and breathing it, bowhunting might be for you. If the most important thing about hunting to you is not to kill an animal every time out but instead the joy of the hunt itself, the chance to get close to animals and learn as much about them as you can, then bowhunting might be for you.

Bowhunting has been called the ultimate hunting challenge. Theres good reason for that. By its very nature, bowhunting is a close-range, smell-their-breath discipline. To consistently get close enough to any game animal for a quality bow shot requires a high degree of woodsmanship, the type not often needed by firearms hunters, who regularly fill their tags with shots well over a football field in length. Theres an old saying in bowhunting that goes something like this: When the hunts over with a rifle its just beginning with a bow. As a rifle hunter, I know that if I can just see the animal I want hes probably mine, no matter how far away he is. But with a bow, finding him is just the beginning. So many things can go wrong between sighting the animal and finally loosing an arrow that it is never, ever a sure thing.

It is this challenge that has stimulated the recent explosion in bowhunters across America, who today number close to 3 million. Bowhunting success can never be measured with a stack of punched tags, a freezer full of venison, or a wall full of antlers. Instead, it is measured as much in attitude as ability. Successful bowhunters must be committed to the sport, because there are no shortcuts. It takes time to hone shooting skills, pare down hunting equipment, and comprehend that, most times out, there will be no shooting. It takes time to learn the habits and haunts of the magnificent game animals we hunt, so getting that close-range opportunity is not simply a matter of luck, but one of skill.

This book is designed to help you get started bowhunting. The foundation for success in the field is based upon two large building blocks. Oneyour own attitude, desire, and commitmentcannot be learned from any book. Its up to you. The otherthe selection of the right bowhunting equipment, and the basics of how to use ityou can learn about in these pages. Here well help you make wise equipment choices designed to make you the most effective bow shot you can be in the field, under hunting conditions. Well also give you some basic hunting advice, from how to dress to how to get into position for a shot, and then how to make that shot when the chips are down.

Perhaps the best piece of advice the beginner could take from these pages is this: Spend some time at your local archery pro shop. There youll find friendly, skilled people who can help you select the right equipment for the challenges of local bowhunting, provide instruction on how to use it, and offer service when your gear needs it. Just as important, youll meet area bowhunters who come to the shop as much to chew the fat and hang around with others cut from the same cloth as to shoot a few arrows. These men and women are, by and large, the finest people Ive ever met. Most are free with advice and willing to help a beginner get started. If youre not careful, youll find yourself enrolled in a shooting league, spending weekends at local tournaments and fun shoots, and, when youre not shooting, spending more of your free time raising money for, and investing sweat equity in, wildlife habitat improvements and the health of game herds.

Soon youll be trading bowhunting stories with friends. Unlike hunting tales told by firearms hunters, which usually center around game taken, 9 times out of 10 bowhunting stories begin with phrases like, Man, if he would have only taken