As the title says this will be my first ever deer season hunting with a bow and arrow. we have a deer lease out in jacksboro that has a few feeder with a tripod stand about 25 yards away. I was looking to see if i could get some advice from yall on, what calls i should carry with me, any items you think would be necessary for bow hunting or just any bow hunting tips in general.

Congrats welcome to Archery hunting. Here are just a few thoughts in no real order

If the tripod is not hidden well do that. '
If the wind is wrong for the setup do not hunt it. No need to educate the deer to that spot.
A light variable wind is worse than no wind or a constant wind.Spreads your scent around the wghole area. '
get a range finder and know the ranges to places around your stand before the deer come in.
Be patient and move slowly when the time comes.
Take broad side or quartering away shots through the lungs, slice through both lungs nd they will not go far.
Only take a shot you have great confidence in your ability to make. Should go with anything but I see it from time to time. Do not rush your shot.
Go through your steps for shooting form. Grip, draw/anchor, sight picture, target animal in the right position and sights aligned correctly. Make your shot when ready and the animal is in a good shooting position. FOLLOW THROUGH on the shot.

Pay attention to the animal after the shot, where it was and where it went. Depending on the conditions you can often hear the deer go down from an archery shot.
Kick back in the stand for a good 30 minutes on a good shot scenario, longer if uncertain.

On calls I almost always have a grunt call with me wether I use it or not. Later in bow season I have called in several bucks, most of which I just watched but it is fun and can pay off. Use it sparingly though and it is easier to call in deer that is headed kinda you direction anyway than to get it to turn around after it has past you.

Bow hunting is a blast and a lot of fun.

You will learn more about deer bow hunting than most will learn about when gun hunting.

If deer is going to your feeder... I wouldnt take any calls.

Slow movements...

Have you practiced drawing and shooting while seated on that tripod? Most people will shoot high while shooting down.

I put netting around my tripod area and built a back with netting so I dont get silhouetted.

the best bow hunter is the one that can let down when the shot goes away or doesn’t present itself. The guy that talks about having to “thread the needle” isn’t some one you need to listen to, that’s nothing more then forcing a shot.
I’ve “threaded the needle” before, cost me a lot of heart break, 8 miles back deep in backcourts as snow is starting to fall and you should have your hands on a mule deer of a lifetime that you know is dead, but you are still searching as the snow accumulation grows, ain’t fun.


Don’t set up on the feeder. Set up next to the feeder. Hand corn 20 yards from you in proximity to the feeder seems to grant a little more animal ease

Unless you see the deer down give it more time than you think it needs. I made a mistake last year on a doe that I hit in the liver. I waited an hour before starting my track only to see her jump up about a 100 yards from the hit and never found her again. You have to see all the clues on your arrow and the start of the blood trail. Had I given her 3 hours I probably would have recovered her. Blood tracking is a skill that you have to master to be a great archer. Really pay attention to the reaction after the hit and where the deer goes. Nothing worse than losing one. Oh, and good luck.

So did you find the deer?

No, got 18”’of snow that night. Got nasty weather system for next three days and weren’t prepared for teens. Getting to deep and being to light can be overly uncomfortable

Hindsite shot deflected and ended up with what looked like high lung. This was few years back , I had just passed on decent bull same trip. Shot may of went above vitals but I still say lungs just to remind myself things probably been different with two steps to my left.

Practice from your tripod before the hunt if possible. The arrow will go high. Don't ask me how I know.

Pick a spot. Aim for that spot. When the adrenaline kicks in, people tend to shoot 'at the deer' and not 'at the spot'. The shot usually goes over the back of the deer.

The above advice about small movements is very important. Don't turn your head at every sound, use your eyes; practice drawing your bow slowly; etc. I used to get a lot of entertainment value out of watching family members who had hunted from deer blinds their entire life try and hunt from the ground with me: constantly spinning around at every noise, tossing back drinks, screwing around with their pack, etc; it was like trying to hunt with a small child.

That's the worst thing about bow hunting, lost one and will never forget it.

This is very important. When shooting from an elevated position archers frequently lower their bow support arm to align their sights on their target. When you drop your support arm you’re arm, back and shoulders are no longer in the T that is required for consistently accurate shooting. This is what causes them to shoot over their target. The way to avoid this is to bend at the waist keeping your support arm, back and shoulders a solid T.

OR,
Just aim lower. This is what I do. I try to make all my shots sitting down. I don't worry about or try to think about bending at the waist. I just lower my arm. With that, I already know I need to aim lower.
But, this is still something that needs to be practice. The biggest mistake archers make, they practice every day shooting flat footed. Then, on opening day, they climb up to hunt.
Then, we see threads like "I need a dog" or "Do you think it will survive"!!!

All of the above. Most important, enjoy every moment of the privilege we have to be able to hunt.
Embrace it all, the sights, sounds, nature, and all of it. There is not a thrill better than sitting in the woods in a tree stand in the darkness right before daybreak. Let your mind have fun with the sounds, and don’t be disappointed when that buck of a lifetime turns out to be a squirrel. Ha. That weird smell very well could be Bigfoot!
Enjoy the moment, it’s all that truly exists.

Good luck. Bow hunting can be addictive.

I'm a big fan of lighted nocks, especially if you hunt in the evening. Helps to see where you hit, and might make tracking the animal down easier. I learned that by shooting the rabbits as last light and then once on a friends deer.