I have been hunting whitetails in the big woods of Northern New York for about half of my twenty eight years. I started bow hunting at fourteen. I was the first person of my large hunting family to pick up a bow and take advantage of our two week archery season that starts two weeks prior to our gun season. I originally took up bow hunting as a way to scout and spent some alone time in the woods without hearing gunshots off in the distance. It was a very relaxed time, I enjoyed observing whitetails without pressure in their natural environment. Most of all I enjoyed having the woods all to myself, I had the time to observe and decipher deer sign. Even though I still hunt with my rifle as well as with my bow, bow hunting is the foundation for the hunter I am today.

I think all serious bow hunters have an edge over guys that hunt only with firearms. It is not just because of the extra time in the woods, but because of the necessary skills to be a successful bow hunter. First of all, being an ethical bow hunter requires the archer to practice through out the year with their bow. I usually start shooting at least a couple times a week as soon as the snow leaves the ground. This not only makes me a better shot come fall, but it makes me feel like my archery gear is an extension of me. Also staring in spring with my shooting sparks my anticipation for the October first opening day, and this drives me to start scouting and studying my topo maps. All of which help put you on the path to success.

When you rely on getting within thirty yards of a buck to close the deal you have to pay extra attention to all the details. One wrong move and you are all through and all that hard work goes down the tubes. Good bow hunters know that they have to take every possible step to beat a whitetails nose. Every time I see deer from a stand I always take note of how they are traveling vs. wind direction. Deer will rarely take more than a few steps or bounds without the wind in their favor. Setting up with the wind in your favor can be difficult at times, and you might like the “good tree” but I believe that cover is less important than wind direction if you have to choose. A bow hunters extra attention to wind makes him a little sharper when he is out with his gun buddies.

Patience is one of the biggest differences I notice between gun only hunters and guys who bow hunt. Most of the guys I hunt with can only sit in their stand for a couple hours. It seems when deer are laying a little low they feel the need to get up and make something happen. This is one of the biggest mistakes I see on a regular basis. My hunting goals and style make deer drives almost impossible. My goal is for my group to take the largest deer in our area. We try to leave young bucks alone. With the chaos of deer drives it is too hard to judge size on a moving deer. It also may make your bigger bucks hole up in the impenetrable thicket. I think stand hunting gets you better shots at better bucks. Being a stubborn, patient, confident, hunter will pay off. No one knows this as well as the successful bow hunter.

Knowledge of your hunting area and quarry is necessary to be successful in the bow woods. Knowing the biology of a whitetail has helped me to close the deal on quite a few bucks. Not only vitals, but the digestive system of a deer. Knowing what deer feed on in my area throughout the different stages of the season has been very beneficial. Also knowing that the four chambered stomach of deer requires them to be on their feet every few hours has kept me in my stand on many days in less than desirable conditions. These are all things that I perhaps wouldn’t know if my love of bow hunting didn’t drive me to read every article and book on whitetails that crosses my path.

In conclusion the reason I typed these thoughts to share with all of you is to try to make you think about the hunter you are today. There are a lot of great hunters who have never touched a bow. I am sure many of them have a greater knowledge of whitetails than I do. I honestly do believe that bow hunting has made me the solid all around hunter that I am today. There was a time I was “shooting from the hip” in my early hunting career. If I crossed paths with a buck it was by chance. The wind just happened to be right that day, a hot doe dragged that buck out of his normal domain and past my stand, or I just happened into the right place at the right time. I think that my bow hunting experiences and overall passion for successes, have driven me to learn what is necessary to increase my odds of being in the right place at the right time. I think bow hunting has helped me to mature as a hunter a few years before my time.

Hope you enjoyed my thoughts- Chuck