New to archery

Hey guys,

I have been wanting to get a bow and start learning to bowhunt. When I went on an axis hunt in May I talked to a couple other guys from the forum about bowhunting. Well, I finally got some equipment and got all set up at Leading Edge Archery in Boerne. I also bought some tickets to the Full Draw Film Festival on Saturday. Are any of you guys going to be there? It sounds like quite the party.

Congrats and welcome to the addiction. Details on the bow?

It is a Hoyt Defiant. I bought it as a new unused bow but is a 2016 model. I got an option archery 4s sight and quivalizer. I also got a ripcord code red rest and a Scott talon release. The arrows are Easton aftermath model. I don’t know a lot about this stuff yet but I like what I have so far.

You have a very nie setup. Hope they did a good basic shooting a compound bow with you when fitting. Usually with a new shooter you have to in order to get it setup correctly.

You'll like it. Congrats.

Welcome, leading edge archery is a great location and you have a good looking set up!

Thanks guys. I did get a really basic overview. I’m sure there’s a ton I still don’t know though.

Congrats, lucky3! You will enjoy it. I enjoy rifle hunting, but bow hunting is a whole new thrill and adrenaline rush for me. A couple tips for you. Practice and practice. Arrows are free to shoot over and over. At my old office, I had a spot in back we would quickly set up a bow target and fling a few arrows, almost daily before season. My boss and I would shoot about 7-10 arrows each, and go back inside. We shot out to 50-60 yards. If you practice at 30 and 40 yards often, the 20 yard shots become easy. I set my closest pin up at 30 yards, and 20 yards was an easy hold low at the top of the pin. Work on drawing and holding the bow to the rear for 10-20 seconds, then shooting an accurate shot. Often times you have to draw on an animal and wait a bit before getting a good shot angle.

If you have a bow stand location, try to have 2 set ups at each feeder/location to hunt multiple wind directions. Or have multiple stands to hunt different winds. Try to have the afternoon stand in the shade, otherwise you'll cook on those 75+ degree days (ask me how I know!).

You will have a blast. Try to find a friend or another deer lease member to go bow hunt with you to make it more fun. I always had my bow hunting buddy that went with me and we killed A LOT of pigs and critters with bows. It's awesome.

nice setup.

Practice with that Quivalizer on and off. I have one and really like it, but it does catch ALOT of wind. If the wind is gusting and I'm out in the open, I'm more accurate with it off.

Once you let an arrow fly (at a critter) you'll be hooked for life. It's WAY more fun than using a rifle.