Bow hunting/Archery resource

[cwitherow]

Hello everyone,

Being somewhat versed in the technology and terminology of firearms, I find myself being absolutely clueless when it comes to the world of archery. I do not own a bow (yet) nor have I done any bow hunting, but am looking at getting into it in the future. Can anyone recommend either books or websites that I can use to become more familiar with the whole archery world? I've been trying to read as much as I can, but it seems each article sends me down a rabbit hole of something new (most recently what FOC meant). I do not have a pro shop within a reasonable driving distance, just big box stores.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[daltrix99]

Highly recommend John Dudley's youtube channel and podcast, both under the name 'nockon'. If you search back through both you will find all of the technical, instructional, conceptual, tutorial type content you could ever want.

 

[Indianajoe]

Where do you live? Is rhere no one around into archery? I agree on dudley as well, but someone around that can teach you a bit is better imo.

 

[cwitherow]

Where do you live? Is rhere no one around into archery? I agree on dudley as well, but someone around that can teach you a bit is better imo.

Southwest Minnesota. Small-ish town with a fairly small social circle, none of who have any archery experience. I’m somewhat of a lone wolf in this.

 

[blueridge]

As a beginner I’ve found Sean’s Outdoor Adventures Youtube very helpful and informative. He has a book as well.

 

[Indianajoe]

One thing you may look at is 4h. It is for kids, but i am an archery instructor for my county. When i have spare tine i also help adults. Im not an expert by any means but i enjoy helping people with archery. Another possibility is call your local game agency. Sometimes they can get you in tough with someone. I agree with seans outdoor adventures as well. I also like bow life with levi morgan and chris bee.

 

[TheBenHoyle]

I also learned a lot from Sean's Outdoor Adventures as well as Average Jack Archery on you tube. I would warn against getting too deep in the weeds. Get a bow you enjoy shooting and practice practice practice. You can spend a lot or you can spend a little. I bought my first bow for $80 - it was 20 years old. I could hit the target just as well with it as I hit the target with my $1600 Bowtech. I have never even considered my FOC, not that it isn't a fine thing to consider. Good luck! Bow hunting is a lot of fun.

 

[Indianajoe]

Ben makes a great point on not getting ro deep and not spending to much. My hunting rig is a 2003 model hoyt i paid about 150 for. I can accurately shoot it farther than i would ever shoot at an animal. There is no teplacement for practice. Shooting with an experienced person rhat can look at toyr foem is important if possible.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

+1 on Ben’s comment. Also take a look at your local 3D range if there’s one around. Look to become a member (again if applicable) and then just be active. Chat up folks. I’m willing to bet someone will be willing to help you out.

Where in SW MN? I’m in the cities and always looking for a new partner.

 

[cwitherow]

+1 on Ben’s comment. Also take a look at your local 3D range if there’s one around. Look to become a member (again if applicable) and then just be active. Chat up folks. I’m willing to bet someone will be willing to help you out.

Where in SW MN? I’m in the cities and always looking for a new partner.

Marshall

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Right on. I've never ventured out that way but looks like you've got a fair amount of public parcels to check out. If you're ever in my neck of the woods give me a shout. I shoot 3D in the summer at south forty archers and their shoots are open to the public for $10 per shoot. Makes for good practice.

 

[SAJ-99]

Southwest Minnesota. Small-ish town with a fairly small social circle, none of who have any archery experience. I’m somewhat of a lone wolf in this.

Sioux falls, SD has a Scheels that probably can measure you for a bow and I would think an archery shop. You need to make sure whatever you get fits you in terms of draw length. I'm sure there are youtube videos to show you how to do that if you want to try to order online. Starting from scratch, I would recommend taking a Saturday and making the drive to the closest pro.

 

[cwitherow]

Sioux falls, SD has a Scheels that probably can measure you for a bow and I would think an archery shop. You need to make sure whatever you get fits you in terms of draw length. I'm sure there are youtube videos to show you how to do that if you want to try to order online. Starting from scratch, I would recommend taking a Saturday and making the drive to the closest pro.

That's what I was thinking. Do most pro shops help with technique, or is that something I'd have to sign up for lessons or something?

 

[LuketheDog]

Bowsite.com

 

[SAJ-99]

Steps
1) buy a bow, arrows, quiver, sight, and stabilizer (this is a substantial $ investment so make sure you like what you buy)
2) choose a release (trigger, thumb, back pressure)
3) Find a place to Practice. This will be a substantial investment in time that dwarfs the $ spent, but there is no way around it.
I may have missed something?

Technique can vary slightly from person to person. You will find a comfortable anchor point and set the sight pins accordingly. The practice will be used to make sure you execute the same technique every time in various conditions, like hopefully a big buck walking in front of you. A pro shop will help you if you buy it there.

 

[FLS]

Don’t get too wrapped around the axel on all the technical stuff. I had probably killed 15-20 deer before I even new what FOC was. The internet and social media is full of “ experts” that love to make relatively simple tasks hard.
Get a bow that fits you and arrows that match your setup and shoot.

 

[SAJ-99]

Make sure take all specific advice with a grain of salt. For example, there are some people who are adamant that you should shoot with you dominant eye. So if you are left-eye dominate you should shoot left handed. I am left-eye dominate and shoot right handed. I can't fathom shooting left handed. I would probably kill someone at the range if I tried. But if I was starting from scratch, maybe I would try it. Do what feels comfortable. I am also nearsighted so it took quite a few contact prescriptions to get me to be able to see the target and the pin clearly. Even now "clearly" is a relative term and less fuzzy is more accurate.
After you get a bow and shoot it 1000 times you will find out what you like and what you don't. It is a bow industry conspiracy to get us to always feel like we need to upgrade.

 

[ntodwild]

Find a local archery shop with a range. Almost every one of them will set you up with multiple bows to try out, walk you through the basics of shooting and allow you to try out bows (this can be a time consuming process so set aside several if no 3-4 hours). Unless you can find a very knowledgeable friend with years of experience willing to show you the ropes, explain all the nuances, why's, maintenance (working on your own equipment) and ins and outs of archery it's always something you will have to plod through with many voices, opinions and reasons. There is always the local shop willing to take your hard earned money to do bow maintenance and you can rely on that but you're much better off learning it yourself and your wallet will thank you. The good thing is that you have tons of resources these days from forums like this to YouTube and the internet so learning is merely a matter of taking the time to really dive into it. Given some basic knowledge, reasoning along with sticking to some of the better known manufacturers you should be able to purchase a bow and be hitting a target at 40 yards within minutes. Todays technology can have almost anyone looking like a bow hunter pretty quick. Don't get me wrong....Bow hunting, bow knowledge, maintenance, setup, equipment is gonna require some work but it's not as daunting as you think. The entire Archery scene can be addicting once you start to indulge. It's a great sport. My .02

 

[Ajax2744]

I second john dudley and his YouTube page. Especially for beginners he has a series called "school of nock" that basically helps you build your form from the ground up and will help someone who is green at archery. And after you get your form down then just start pounding targets and you will surprisingly learn a lot about what you like and don't like as far as equipment and stuff.