To hunt a huge buck, you need to think like one

by Mar 14, 2016Whitetail Deer

To hunt a huge buck, you need to think like one

That is our mentality as we drag that target outside each weekend and measure out distance in the snow.

For three years, I have been after this huge buckand he has stayed nocturnal.  After this past rifle season ended and Dad stayed in the woods with his muzzle loader, he saw the deer pattern back to their pre-rifle ways. They were back to traveling the paths that we assumed they used and they were coming out earlier and earlier. Dad didn’t shoot a deer but he saw the small buck that we had around and a few does.

For the first time, it was blatantly obvious that rifle hunters were moving these deer around.  While we had been toying with it, it was clear that we needed to get into archery to try and get the upper hand on those deer.

My first grouping of the day

Hubby is WAY better than I am right now and he can pretty much call his shot and hit it.  He is working on his distance now. I am back at the start, trying to figure out how to get my sights just right and work on arm strength.  That is my biggest hurdle; being able to hold the bow steady before, during and after the release like I do with my rifle.

I still have not found my arrow but Hubby lost two of his (I recovered one for him) so now we are both down to 5 arrows and hoping that the snow melt will reveal our missing arrows.

Practice, Practice, Practice!

2 Comments

  1. nice group! looks like the craze is treating you well. I'm helping my friend get into this whole bowhunting thing too. I tunred the bow down to 50lbs for him just to gain that muscle memory, its more in the band than in the arms I think. And I always tell people, when you get a little tired, put the bow down. When I practice in the shop before we open and get pooped after 20 shots, i put it down…start the coffee, fire up the computer and then go back to it. If you feel some target panic and can't control that pin floating, just let the string up and breath in for 5 seconds, hold your breath for 5 seconds and breath out for 5 seconds, it totally resets your brain and muscles! oh, here i am rambling!

  2. Tom, you can ramble anytime!! Thank you for cheerin me on and reading these post 🙂

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Erin Merrill, author of And a Strong Cup of Coffee, is president of Women of the Maine Outdoors, a senior writer for Drury Outdoors, a contributor to the Northwoods Sporting Journal and passionate all things Maine, Hunting, and the Outdoors.

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