I guess what you take with you is acquired through the years of hunting that experience has taught you that you may someday need. First I am going to tell you what I carry when I typically go bow hunting, either for an afternoon, or to another state, or country . I feel I have most everything that I would need. I guess we will start with the actual bow, arrow shooting combination, I currently use a Mathews Switchback, I draw 72 lbs, I shoot either 29” length, Carbon Force Dominator 200, or Beman Matrix Carbon Metal 400, or Carbon Express Stealth hunter 200 arrows with 3 Quick Spin 3” vanes, or 3” helical feathers. All shoot equally well for me. Arrow speed is between 315-322 FPS, and the arrows all fly like laser beams, as I make sure I paper tune the combination every month or so, just to be sure, and to check my set up and shooting form.
I shoot a Winn Free release, that I have set with virtually no creep in the trigger, and it probably only requires 2-3 lbs to trigger, clean and crisp as any rifle out there, I have tried many, most have a long, hard mushy, pull that after years of shooting shotguns and rifles, I just cannot shoot any good with any of them, and besides the Winn Free release, has a wrap around type glove that cannot fall off your hand , and can be clipped onto your bowstring without having to look at the string , which when that buck hasSeptember 25, 2009 clip the release onto the string. I do not use a string loop for the release , for that very reason ,as it would be too hard to do without looking at the string, I have a nock (Served in place so it cannot slide up ) above the arrow, I snap the arrow just below it and the release goes under the arrow , the force keeps the arrow tight against the nock point on the string (see photo) My arrow rest is a 2 prong Quick Tune Micro tuned rest, I also have a little device that attaches above the rest , and this little flipper type rubber piece ,keeps your arrow securely on your rest until you draw the arrow, then it silently flips up out of the way from the arrow. My broad heads over the years have varied, I currently use G-5 and Steelforce Broad heads, as I have found those to be some of the best penetrating broad heads there are, and I like many of you have tried numerous heads , most have worked well for me, as penetration has really never been a problem with any of my set ups( bow and arrow combinations), as I have always worked out , and have typically have had draw weights in excess of 80 lbs, I have backed it down in the last few years , as today’s bows , especially the Mathews Bows , are just incredibly fast compared to just a few years ago. But if I were a young person , or can only handle light draw weights ( under 50 lbs) ,I implore you to read my article under the “Broad head Testing”, in this website , it will be a real eye opener!!!!
I currently shoot a 3 pin vertical sight, made By Vital Gear, which is rock solid and can take the abuse I put it through. All the pins glow for perhaps 3 hours after dark, my top pin is set for 20 yards, 2nd 30 yards, 3rd 40 yards, which is the limit I have set for hunting, although I can shoot pretty accurately, at greater distances, targets are not the same as live game, and so many things can go wrong at longer ranges, unseen branches, wind, the animal can move, just too many variables. I would say probably 90% of the whitetails I have taken have been at less than 20 yards.
I use a Mathews quiver, which has a quick detachment knobs, which when I get into my tree stand I have always taken my quiver off my bow, and I hanSeptember 25, 2009bilizer that I use for shooting 3-D, it adds weight to the bow, which I feel makes it steadier, and more accurate..
The next important thing is a small back pack, which will hold all of your gear, I have a backpack/fanny pack combination. Inside you will find , my Tree stand video camera mount for filming, (See the “New Products” section on the Become a Better Hunter Home Page), video camera, which I try never to leave behind, as you can get some really good video, and it’s just plain fun to have with you , especially if you take your son or daughter hunting with you, also a safety harness, extra mittens for cold weather, a cold weather hood, extra release, rattling horns , grunt tube, 20 ft of light rope , tied to a 6 inch piece of broom handle for pulling up my bow or gun, which when I get under my tree , I un roll the string off the wooden handle , and I can throw the wooden handle up to the tree stand, clip on my gun or bow, climb into my stand and pull up the weapon, which has worked out very well over the years. In the fanny pack part ,I have a small folding tree saw , pruners, deer scent , in the little compartments on the sides I carry 5 of my custom tree steps which allow me to climb into any of my 20 plus tree stands ,a good sharp knife, a couple of zip lock bags ( for the heart and liver) ,a LED flashlight for tracking hit deer , a small Mag light that is attached to the chest strap of the back pack , where I can pull it in seconds if need be. Last but not least is a 30 foot piece of climber’s rope with a mountain climber type snap.
Which use more during gun season, than bow season, here’s how it works.
When I climb up into my stand, I drape the rope over a stout limb, and clip the end to the end with the loop on it , let’s say you see a huge buck walking up the side of a corn field too far to shoot , I can grab my gun which has a shoulder strap , throw it over my shoulder , grab both pieces of rope , and slide down out of my tree stand quickly and quietly , and be on the ground in under 10 seconds , heading out to cut off the deer , and get a shot , that a few years ago I would just watch helplessly from my stand , as I figured , by the time I lowered the gun to the ground , made my way down the tree , picked up my gun and then started after the deer , it would have disappeared, I have taken a nice 8 point because I used that rope , I saw him at 200 yards away, I slide down the tree , gun on my shoulder , hit the ground running , ran 200 yards to the far end of the cornfield , waited 2-3 minutes , the buck popped up at 40 yards offering my a perfect shot , at an unsuspecting buck. After that day when I climb into my stand the rope is the first thing I pull out from my pack. And lastly the most important tool other than my bow , is my Nikon 10 X binoculars , that are always around my neck when ever I go hunting. I have turned around after being 10 miles away from home, they are just invaluable, as I use them almost non stop the whole time I’m out there. You will not believe the added deer you will see, and the information that you can obtain with them, as far as where the deer enter a field, or when the light gets low at dusk the added vision that a good pair of binoculars give you is just incredible. I wonder how many deer over the years, that I did not see, spotted me and slipped away unseen. I bet a lot more than you care to know about, but now I can spot them at 70-100 yards away, that would be invisible to the human eye as the woods grow dark in the evening, believe me on this, get the best set you can afford, as they will last a lifetime.
As far as clothing I like the insulated one piece suits for cold weather hunting , as there are no drafts that can blow up your back ,like a pants and jacket setup, for warm weather, I use one of the light weight scent control suits.
That is my basic setup for whitetails for bow season, only a few things change for gun season, other than swapping the bow for the gun; I add my tree stand mono gun rest (see “New Products “section on Become a Better Hunter home page) Which gives me a rock solid gun rest out of any type of tree stand, and it is completely collapsible, so it fits nicely into my back pack. And that is pretty much it ,as I’m sure I will add an occasional item as I see fit .Take my advice and review your equipment , it will make you “Become a Better Hunter”, and make your days a field much more successful and enjoyable.
Bowhunting Equipment (Click on Picture for full size image)
Gun Hunting Equipment (Click on Picture for full size image)
www.becomeabetterhunter.com
Last Updated:September 25, 2009 |
