Bow hunting

[balibeemer]

I have decided to take up bow hunting - mainly for wild pig. Anyone out there with any tips, or advice?

[nhmaf]

I bow hunt, though not as much as I used to.  I've been at it off and on for about 33 years now.  I've got to get a bit of practice in now quickly, and head out on some of these nice days, provided that my accuracy is up to snuff.  It is whitetail deer season now in my area, for bow hunters only.   Once the orange army of firearm hunters begin later int he autumn the ability to see deer during legal daylight shooting hours goes down dramatically.

I've only hunted white tail deer, and turkeys with a bow, though I have helped a friend setup his bow for a moose hunt.   I've never hunted pigs or javelina.
I would suspect that these might be hunted from an elevated stand, especially if the pigs out your way can be as aggressive as wild pig/boar in our country.  How big/heavy are the pigs in your area?

There are (2) general categories of bows used for hunting - the traditional ("stick") bows and the mechanical ("compound" or  "wheel/cam" bows).   Some people are firmly entrenched in either one camp or the other - I do shoot both and have a couple of each type.   They each have their advantages and disadvantages, and while there is some basic overlap there are also a set of skills/techniques unique to each type.    Either type of suitable strength will take a pig/boar with the proper setup and type of broadhead.   You should check with your local wild game office to see what, if any, equipment requirements are.

I will not go hunting any animal with archery equipment unless I can put 5/5 shots into an 8" target with it, and limit my maximum range to a bit under what I can do this with while practicing.  With my compound bow (It is a Hoyt brand) I can do this at 40 yards.   With my simple "stick" bow (a Martin Savannah - beautiful piece of wood, and no sights/instinctively shot) I am down closer to 20-25 yards to achieve the same result.   However, with the simple Martin, it is more easy to get off a quick shot quickly shooting with fingers, or to hunt in heavy, dense forest on the ground, than with the heavier compound bow shot with a release.   They each have their place/use.

Shooting a bow involves some back/chest muscles that are not well exercised by many other means, including pushups, presses, or rowing, so it is common to have to work your way up while practicing and not overdo it with too many shots too soon - even if you can do 50 pushups or more at one go.

If you have any specific questions - feel free to ask!

[k_enn]

I don;t know what kind of boar you have there and where you are shooting from (ground or stand), but if they can be dangerous to humans you might want to think about about having a firearm back-up (either yourself or another person).  I have a friend who has gone bow hunting for boar and for bear, and one time having a firearmed person for back-up came in real handy.

k_enn

[Bob_Roller]

Are crossbows legal there ??

As has been mentioned, if the prey you are after are of a large size, being off of the ground could be an advantage .

A wounded pig can be quite dangerous !!!!!

[Lucky_Lou]

Here is a bit of UK law given to the police to interpret as they wish
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"Neither a bow, nor its arrows are offensive weapons under law unless an individual adapted them or intended to use them for the specific purpose of to causing harm to other persons." hello........... think about it.......................
"However, the arrows themselves (not the bow), when carried in a public place or on school premises, would fall under Pointed and Bladed Articles offences (Section 139, Criminal Justice Act, 1988)."another can of worms...........also anything other than a basic target point on an arrow will contravene the law.

There is something "pure" about hunting with a bow, skill and prowess are to be admired  you would think that in a country with an history of archery like ours would be a bit more accommodating.The offence carries a mandatory 6 month  jail term

I will keep my guns.... I have a licence for them and the rules are clear.
Lou
ps don't buy a crossbow in the UK.. you will enter a world of pain with contradictory laws which are designed line the pockets of advocates.

[nhmaf]

You *definitely* want to go to a reputable archery shop - preferably one that does specialize in archery and not a shop that covers everything from firearms to waterskiing equipment.   Getting the proper fitment and learning proper technique is critical, especially when you are just starting out.   Anticipate that you may not do any hunting until next year, as it takes some time and practice to do well, and people learn at different rates.  Being in good physical condition to start with is very helpful, but it doesn't end there.   You may appreciate the "zen" of developing good archery skills, and it does provide for reasonable exercise.   In our state, one has to take an additional archery hunting and survival course on top of the mandatory firearms safety & hunting course (or provide evidence from passing such a course offered in another state) to hunt with a bow and arrow.   It is much more challenging than using a firearm, and you do want anything you hunt to be taken quickly and with least suffering possible.   This means good shot placement, and proper placement for arrows means lungs (both) and/or heart.   Ideally, you want to set up your shooting lanes to maximize your chances for a broadside shot.   Learn the anatomy of your quarry, so that you know the placement of the lungs and heart in the chest cavity.   Double-lung/passthrough shots are ideal.   Our state regulations dictate a minimum of 40 pound draw weight for hunting any game, and a 60 pound draw weight minumum for hunting moose.   Your region may have some comparable restrictions.

I'd say as long as you are up in an elevated stand, you are safe without any backup weapon.   Just make sure that you have more than 1 arrow in your quiver and practice practice practice!

Some archery shops salespeople obsess over IBO ratings of arrow speed (the equivalent of bragging over whose bike has more HP or the quickest 1/4 mile drag time).   As one might imagine, within reason, these have nothing to do with one bow setup being better than another or for effectiveness at cleanly taking game.   The figures quoted usually involve shooting arrows that are so light and at maximum bow tension that it is on the hairy edge of damaging the bow or providing erratic accuracy.   So, if a salesman is pushing a bow on you to buy ONLY because it has a 320 FPS IBO rating over another bow that has a 300 or 310, know that it is the equivalent of arguing whether one motorcycle makes 105 HP versus 100 HP at 10,000 RPM when you are using the bike for riding on public streets in town.    Once loaded up with a good weight broadhead and sturdy arrow, both bows may likely be shooting at 280-290 anyway.

Compound bows with a peep sight/sight pin and string release can get pricey, but when well setup afford you the ability to startoff with a lower draw& hold weight (good for muscle training and lots of practice) and eventually adjusting the draw weight upward as needed to increase range/flatten trajectory and improve hunting effectiveness as your skills improve.    A traditional bow (though some modern traditional bows similar to what are used at the olympics games can accept different draw weight limbs) are more limited in this respect.  But, one can find options if you want to be more of a purist.

Crossbows are illegal for hunting in our state UNLESS one has a physical handicap (proven with doctors' letter) AND has also completed the archery hunter safety course.  Bow hunters do tend to look down upon crossbows, but if one is an avid hunter but physically handicapped from operating a bow then it is better than nothing.

[balibeemer]

Thanks for the tips everyone. A few points from the country where I live:
There are no archery shops

There are no gun shops

Crossbows are illegal

There aren't many trees where I will be hunting

I always did like a challenge!

[nhmaf]

No archery shops?!?

You have, as they say, chosen a hill for climbers!

[Bob_W]

Smaller boar or sow make for much better eating. Large boars have a strong smell and large animals of either sex are tough.
From experience working bow hunts, some hunters use either type of bow and some are see tradition as important.  One hunter said his ancestors made there own bows and arrows so he did too. He even used flint arrow heads. They can be almost as as obsessive as BMW riders.
The web is your friend with many opinions expressed. Take your choice and happy hunting.
Bob

[balibeemer]

"No archery shops?!?"

I have actually managed to find one and it's about 1000 km from home! I contacted them and.....
"Yes we have a full range of archery equipment
Yes, we do have a choice of bows - pink, or purple
No, we don't do left handed bows"
No, we don't tune or service equipment"
No, we don't have modules for a draw length longer that 27 inches"
No, we don't sell online"
No, we don't sell broad heads"
No, we don't do 'special' orders, even if you are going to going to order over $100 worth of kit
Yes, we do mark everything up by 400%"

I guess there is a lucky company in the USA that will be taking some of my dollars!

[nhmaf]

I'd recommend that you consider joining an archery related forum or hunting related forum to help with researching/learning about various bows and equipment options.  One that I find pretty good is www.archerytalk.com.  I also used to spend alot of time on a hunting forum with a fair amount of archery-related discussions called www.jesseshunting.com    You'll have to register on the forums to access alot of the areas.

If you haven't been an archer for a long time or just starting out - for a first bow, I'd recommend that you consider looking at the pre-configured "kits" from PSE or Bear Archery if you want a compound bow setup.  They may have some preconfigured recurve packages too, but those are less popular in the US and harder to find.   If a preconfigured package will cover your basic needs, they are often the most economical way to get started.    Afterward, you can go for the $1000 top line compound bows or a custom bow for $1500+

I'd look at some large sporting goods store websites to get a feel for what some of the popular setups and typical prices are - there are places where you can find some better deals, but at least do some window shopping at stores like www.cabelas.com

Not sure what your budget is, but you could probably set yourself up with a decent, not fancy but very workable recurve setup with arrows, bow quiver, string and some accessories for $300-400 US.  (I'm thinking of bows like the PSA Talon or PSE Stalker, or similar Bear bows.   The beauty of recurves is it forces one to work on the basics, and they are some of the more forgiving bows, and there aren't alot of things to go wrong with them, and anything that does is usually easily dealt with.  Bear and PSE also have compound bow packages available at larger online stores that can range in price from a little over $300 up to $1000 and more.   Problem with some of the preconfigured kits is it can be hard to find very many of them in left hand configurations if that is what you are.    Are you also left-eye dominant?   If you are right eye dominant, but left handed, you might be able to train yourself to shoot left or right, but often people find that they have their best results shotting based on their dominant eye, even if it means switching hands.

A mechanical bow will enable you to have more adjustment and shoot further, faster, and with more accuracy potential, but they can more easily experience failures/malfunctions and are more complex to service and may need specialized tools (like a bowpress) to work on safely.   If one goes out of time, it can be difficult for a newb to put right with no service shops around.   But, they are more adjustable for draw weight, and sometimes, draw length too.   Hanging out and chatting with the folks on the forums above may help you make an informed decision.

I am a big fan of carbon fiber arrows these days.  I started out with cedar traditional arrows and traditional bows, transitioned to aluminum alloy arrows, and now am fully converted to carbon.  The carbon arrows are strong, consistent and straight.   When they aren't, they are broken - there is generally no -in-between zone (bent, kinked, weakend) like the other types of arrows, which can result in bad/erratic flight.

[balibeemer]

OK, I have taken the plunge. Cabelas don't accept orders from Indonesia, so I contacted  Hunters friend. I ordered a fully set up Bear Encounter, 55 # and 29.5 inch draw. Spare sting, wax and lots of arrows - cant wait for it to get here!

[nhmaf]

Sounds like a pretty nice package you ordered - the Encounter bow is an excellent first compound bow, and you might not need another.   For the price, they are a good deal, too.

I am still shooting a Hoyt Magnatec that I bought ~7-8 years ago.   It is a good bow, but some of the features on the new bows are improvements, though it will still handily hold its own if I do my part.   I'm shooting 64 pounds at 30 inch draw lengh, with about 50% let off.    I do like the Whisker Biscuit arrow rest for hunting and I think/hope that your package includes it.   There are different sizes depending upon what size arrows you're shooting.   I especially like it because I don't have to worry about the arrow falling off the rest, no matter how the bow gets tilted or how steeply bent I am shooting downward from a tree stand.

I do hope that you can get some help from an experienced archer nearby who can help you adjust/tune your setup - they might come assembled to you in a package but won't be adjusted properly for you, as that generally requires you to actually hold the bow, etc. in person.   They can also teach you about arrow spine, cutting, maintaining and adjusting your own arrows for the types of uses you will have, developing proper technique/form etc.

Archery is even MORE critical of having good follow-through on the shot than with firearms, as you might expect.

I think you made a very good choice - congratulations! Now the fun (and also hard) part starts...

Mike

[balibeemer]

Well, the kit finally arrived - however, to my dismay, I can't draw it! After considering changing the draw weight, I opted, instead for shoulder and arm muscle exercises. I'm going to give it 2 months of exercising before I try again!

[nhmaf]

What did they set it up for?

IF you haven't shot bows before, you'd definitely want to start lower down on the draw weight - and presumably that model bow is more easily adjusted than models a few years old, such as mine.     If you can adjust it down to 40-45 pounds, I'd start with it there.  Do NOT under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES ever, ever dry fire the bow!    But, exercises to start off with are a very good idea, too. Even if you can find some inexpensive industrial strength elastic bands - or elastic bands that the medical physical therapy people use - that would be very good.   You want to build up your strength and GRADUALLY increase the number of arrows you shoot per day after you've gotten to the point where you can draw and comfortably hold @ draw, your bow without having to "cheat" on pulling it back.

The thing with bow hunting is, one may have to hold @ full draw for 30 seconds or so to line up the shot.   You wouldn't believe how long just 15 seconds can feel like!    I can certainly pull an 80-90 lb bow, but even with 50% let off I wouldn't want to try to hunt with one or hold it for that long.  For hunting purposes, it is much better to use a setup you can comfortably shoot in less than perfect situations, when you're already a bit tired, than something you can just barely pull when you're on the top of your game.   With modern technology components, a 45-50 bow, razor sharp broadhead and carbon arrow properly tuned will penetrate through the chest of a 200 pound animal, and that is what you ideally want - 2 holes for maximum blood loss and tracking ability (you'll be shooting for double-lung and/or heart shots)..

This link has a couple good exercise suggestions- you definitely want to work you way up gradually, as it can be tricky to isolate the various muscle groups and you don't want to do things improperly and tear a rotator cuff, as that can end an archer's career.
http://www.bowhunter.com/top-exercises-thatll-strengthen-your-back-and-shoulders-for-bowhunting.html

Good luck!!!   Post pics of your rig when you can!
-Mike