Bowhunting is a sport rich in heritage and tradition. However despite it's roots in American history, this challenging sport continues to grow and evolve year after year. With a seemingly endless supply of newer and better equipment available to archers often times the basics of bowhunting can be overlooked. This article will help both beginners and seasoned veterans get back to the principles of bowhunting.
Basic equipment considerations:
Start by determining your dominant eye. This is easy. Casually point at something across the room with both eyes open. Without moving your finger, close your left eye. Is the finger still pointing at the target? Now open your left eye and close your right eye. Has the finger shifted? Your dominant eye is the one for which the finger is pointing at the target when the other is closed. Most right-handed people are right eye dominant, but not all.
If your dominant eye and dominant hand are the same you don't have any decision to make - go with equipment that matches. For example: right-handed and right eye dominant should shoot right-handed equipment. Left-handed and left eye dominant should shoot left-handed equipment. It gets trickier if you are cross dominant (right hand, left eye or left hand right eye).
If you find that you are right-handed but left eye dominant you have two choices. You can either learn to shoot left handed or you can shoot right handed but always close your right eye. The availability of right-handed products is much better, so if you are comfortable closing your left eye while aiming we recommend choosing right-handed equipment. However, if you are not comfortable closing your left eye while aiming we recommend left-handed equipment. Of course, if you are left-handed and right eye dominant we recommend learning to shoot right-handed with right-handed equipment.
Draw Weight:
Stick with a light draw weight bow until you become comfortable with shooting. A bow that pulls 50 to 55 pounds is a good starting point for adult males, 25 to 35 pounds for adult females and 15 to 35 pounds for children (depending upon age and development). A compound bow is a fine place to begin and there are many on the market that cost $250 or less for a complete starter kit. Youth starter kits will cost from $50 to $150. If you are not sure that your family will stay interested in the sport, you should get them started inexpensively.
If you don't have a friend or family member who can help you select, set up and use the equipment, then take a trip to your local archery shop. The attendant is a professional and has helped many archers get started over the years. Most shops will have a few used starter bows around that you can purchase in an effort to save even more money. The staff at your local pro shop will also be able to help you outfit your bow with the proper arrows and accessories to get you shooting great in no time.
Release aids:
Next you'll need to decide on whether you'll use a mechanical release aid or release the string with only your fingers. A release aid will allow you to reach your potential faster and has become a staple accessory for the majority of archers today. They are very consistent and don't require years of practice to master. If you want to save a few dollars starting out, release the string with your fingers and then purchase a simple release aid once you learn the basics of archery. Releases are available from any archery shop or mail order hunting catalog for $30 and up. Wrist strap caliper-style releases seem to be most popular among today's bowhunters.
Sights, Peeps, Rests, and Stabilizers:
If you feel you are going to stick with the sport for some time then it is definitely worth investing in high quality accessories. A good sight and a durable arrow rest are the minimum commitment. You may also choose to have a peep sight installed in the string for better accuracy and add a stabilizer for better balance.
If you choose a peep sight get one of the full-view models that permit visibility no matter how the string rotates when you draw it. A very basic three-pin sight is good enough for most shooting and hunting situations, but choose one that offers good pin visibility. Today's fiber optic sight pins are extremely bright and make aiming under low light conditions much easier.
There are a wide array of rests on the market today but full capture rests such as NAP's QuikTune 360 seem to be the easiest to set up and the most practical for bowhunting purposes. Although scores of archers are using drop-away arrowrests that provide maximum fletching clearance for increased accuracy. Whichever rest you decide on, just make sure it is installed properly in order to maximize your accuracy.
Stabilizers traditionally only served one purpose in archery - to act as a counterweight on the front of your bow in order to increase stability while aiming. However, with the invention of powder and liquid-filled stabilzers, and the addition of vibration dampening materials stabilizers how do more than just balance your bow. Most bowhunters choose stabilizers in the 4 to 6 inch range in order to minimize the weight of their setup with in the field, yet still take advantage of moder stabilizer's ability to dampen vibration and shot noise. If at all possible, shoot with several different size stabilzers on your bow to determine which works best for you.
Arrows:
You're going to run through a few arrows getting started, so there's no sense buying anything too expensive until you've mastered the bow. Inexpensive arrows (aluminum or carbon) will shoot just as well at all moderate ranges as the expensive styles. You can save some money here without impacting your performance. When choosing arrows make sure you utilize the help a professional to get you set up with the proper length and size.
Conclusion:
When buying gear it is important to keep in mind that you don't need to spend a lot of money to get quality merchandise that works great in the field. However, it is also important to realize that simply buying something because it is cheap is not the answer either. As with any new purchase it is important to shop around for price, quality, and service before making any decisions. The addage "You get what you pay for" holds true for archery equipment just as it does for anything else.
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Topic: Bowhunting Basics (Read 6123 times)
