Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Planning to bowhunt this season, first time in almost 14 years...

I posted earlier about possibly selling my compound bow and switching to a crossbow due to constant shoulder problems. I bought a Bowtech Captain off the 'fire about a year and a half ago, re-fletched my arrows, shot a few and put it back in the case.

I decided to try shooting again a few weeks ago, I wanted to be sure before I put it up for sale and I didn't feel any pain, at least nothing more than a little soreness from using the muscles again.

The bow included a Copper John five pin sight and I added a QAD Ultra rest and Meta 1/4" peep after I bought it and recently, a kisser button. I resumed shooting with a hand me down mechanical release and my 5575 Gold Tip XT's. I ran multiple arrow calculators and my XT's seemed to be over-spined so I decided to get a new batch of arrows and start fresh. I bought a dozen Easton Bloodline 480's and fletched them with 2" Blazers hoping to pick up a few fps with the lighter shafts.

I could not get my anchor point set and this was complicated with my progressive lens glasses. I drew the bow with my eyes closed and my glasses off to the point that felt comfortable and natural, opened my eyes and the peep was way out of alignment. This was forcing me to anchor in an odd position to see the pins.

The peep, QAD and sight were installed by the local shop, the sight was installed incorrectly and the peep was definitely jacked up, so I decided I could do it better and started over. I got the sight reinstalled, fine tuned the peep and added the kisser button earlier this week.

I have been shooting 10-50 arrows almost every day for the last couple of weeks and I am quite pleased. The arrows are right at 15% FOC with 100gr target tips and 255 fps at 59 lbs. I am able to hit a normal size paper plate at 50 yards pretty consistently until I get tired. My goal is to be hitting a 5-6" plate at 50 yards with shots at game less than 20 yards. Most of my practice has been at 20-30 yards.

I would like a nicer release and possibly an HHA Optimizer 5019 but the current setup is working so I don't think I will make any changes this year.

I started shooting in 1982 with a PSE Nova, I was a broke college kid and could not afford the camo version so I bought the black and orange Halloween bow, Flipper II, finger tab and Gamegetter's. After I bent all the Gamegetter's I used some financial aid money and bought a dozen of the copper colored XX75's.

I think the Nova was the first cam bow or at least, one of the first. My second bow was a Hoyt MT/Sport that I bought in 2000 and was replaced by the current Bowtech. All I have shot is targets, squirrels, rabbits and a feral cat or two.

I still have an itch for an Excalibur Matrix 380 but I really do want to take a deer with my Bowtech.

I am pretty dang excited, more than ever really.

Nice...I started with a Browning 4-wheel Nomad II in 1985, moved up to a Golden Eagle Falcon.

Good luck on your hunt!

Thanks!

The owner of the archery shop and his family were bowhunting nuts. They would not touch a firearm, the entire family was involved with the owner, his wife and two sons all about hunting. Their daughter was not into hunting but she was a junior champion.

The owner shot a Golden Eagle, I don't know what model but it was cream of the crop at the time, black with natural wood high gloss limbs, round wheels if I remember correctly...a stunning bow for 1983.

Welcome back, glad you've got the fever again...

I started out with a Bear Whitetail in the early 80s. It was a boat anchor, slow, and loud. I managed to kill a few deer with it though.

Welcome back!

I bow hunted again last year for the first time in 21 years - excluding fish. I bought a new bow the previous fall and shot it damned near every day. All of those years away really didn't take that much away.

Bottom line, practiced for a year, shot one arrow at deer, killed first deer in 22 years with a bow. Just like riding a bike.

Very cool!

I hope I have similar luck, even to get close enough for a shot would be great.

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The 3-pack of Slick Trick Magnums and a spare set of blades arrived last week. Along with the static target practice, I am taking shots at rabbits, first ranging and then trying to get within 20-30 yards. I lost an arrow so I picked up one Lumenok and some small game heads.