Experience Rifle Elk hunter looking to get into Archery

[CAElkhunter]

I have 25 yrs of Rifle Elk experience. I have incredible success with my rifle hunts but am looking to experience the "rut hunting" side of Elk
hunting.

I am 6'2", work out so I am strong. I don't want to go through buying a bunch of different bows. I am curious what Bow people would recommend
I start with that isn't too complicated to get set up and I won't grow out of quickly. I am not overly concerned about price. I am looking for a Bow that I can learn to shoot and take Elk hunting without wanting to upgrade in 1 year.

I admit I don't know what I don't even know.......

 

[Aaronpaul14]

Very hard to say which bow. Everyone is different and every model/brand has a different feel. Some people stick to one brand and it’s the similar Ford vs Chevy type of debate.

The best advice I can give you is go to a shop and shoot as many as possible! You will be able to tell the difference in balance vs smoothness between bows pretty easy. You want to find the combo that feels best for you.

I started out with a few Mathews, then had a Bear bow and now I shoot a Gearhead.

Try to stay simple or your head will spin with all of the different models and accessories you can add.

Another thing if you have never shot archery before is to make sure you shoot your dominate eye, not dominate hand if they are opposite.

Good luck on the rabbit hole!

 

[Beendare]

Good advice^

A couple things to know going in....its not a strength contest...
its an accuracy contest.

You will be shocked how fast you can stack arrows in a tight group right off the bat with a compound. But keep in mind the tenants of good shooting form are critical as bad habits can come back to bite you HARD later on.

An Example; Everyone I know that is an experienced bowhunter has had a bout with Target Panic.... three of those guys had to switch to shooting left-handed it got so bad. Learn to shoot correctly and you can prevent much of these problems.

——

 

[CAElkhunter]

So since I am also an avid/experienced golfer and understand Target Panic you are saying I should buy a couple of bows like my putters so I can put one in the garage penalty box when it doesn't perform well ? It can never be my fault.....

 

[nphunter]

I would suggest going to the nock on web page and watch a bunch of John Dudleys videos on archery. He goes through a lot of information on there and IMO that is a great resource for people just getting into archery. You will want a bow with an adjustable draw length since you've never shot you will want to be able to make adjustments to best suit you.
There are several ways to figure draw length but unless your built really weird with super short or long arms you will fall between 29-31" for draw length. I personally like Hoyt bows and you would want one with a #3 cam in an Ultra model. The PSE bows get a lot of great reviews as well and are adjustable, you will also want a bow with over a 33" ATA IMO at your height.
I would find a pro shop, not just a bow shop, A lot will not have a bow that will go over 30" draw length, you want to make sure they set one up to fit you and that your not just shooting one already set up. Most on the shelf at the shops are 28 or 29" that I've seen since those are the most common draw lengths.

 

[nphunter]

So since I am also an avid/experienced golfer and understand Target Panic you are saying I should buy a couple of bows like my putters so I can put one in the garage penalty box when it doesn't perform well ? It can never be my fault.....

When Bruce is talking about target panic he's referring to your mind wanting to punch the trigger and execute the shot prematurely. A shot should be executed in a slow follow-through motion while focusing on the target and constantly aiming for the center point. Your mind is constantly putting your pin on the target and if the shot breaks naturally the odds of your pin being on point are much higher when shooting this way. With target panic you see the pin cross the target and punch the trigger, by the time your mind tells your finger to shoot the pin is already off of the target and you miss.
The way I demonstrated this to my kids is to take a piece of paper and to close your eyes and take a pencil and draw lines back and forth across the paper without lifting the pencil, try to hit every corner of the paper but using a back and forth/up and down motion. After you do this and feel like you've covered all of the paper open your eyes and look, the center of the paper will have a lot of lead and the outsides will be barely covered, the same principle as shooting. As long as your minds constantly moving the pin back and forth toward and across the center of the target you have a very high likely hood of a surprise release hitting the center compared to any other point on the target.
There are a lot of tools archers use to minimize target panic, blank bale shooting with their eyes closed, using tension releases, shooting hinges, etc. Personally, I use multiple different releases every time I go out and shoot so I don't get used to one and start anticipating the shot.
As mentioned above, archery is a rabbit hole, how deep you want to get is up to you.

 

[Topo_trekker]

Fit is a important factor. Since you’re a fairly tall guy, I’m sure your draw length will be fairly long as well. This means you’re going to want a comfortable string angle for the most consistent anchors. I’d look at bows in the 32-35” axel-to-axel range in 60-70# range. A longer bow most the time will pull and hold a bit better than a shorter bow, although there are a few exceptions.

Like mentioned I would focus on what feels the most comfortable to pull back, hold, and balance. Good form and accuracy will follow. Accessories is a whole other subject but IQ bow sights seem to help people out with keeping and developing consistent form with their retina lock thingy.


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[5MilesBack]

Find a good shop with lots of brands of bows and shoot several of them. By the time you're done you should have a good feel for what felt best to you. I rifle hunted for 25 years with great success, then switched to archery and it's been one of the best decisions I've made in my lifetime. It really was life-changing. My wife thought I was obsessed with elk hunting before that, now she just thinks I'm crazy.

 

[CAElkhunter]

Finding a good "shop" in California will take some doing.....They have done their best to eliminate most of the good rifle shops. Hunting is not PC here. I am in Northern Ca. My son lives in Denver. Maybe next time I go visit him I will find a shop there.

 

[nphunter]

I'm sure there are some good shops in CA, they have some of the biggest shoots in CA. Lots of people on here are from CA as well and I'm sure they will recommend something.

I agree with 5MB, I grew up rifle hunting and killed well over a dozen elk in that time. I switched to archery in 2011 and wouldn't even consider going back for elk.

 

[Beendare]

Find a good shop with lots of brands of bows and shoot several of them. By the time you're done you should have a good feel for what felt best to you. I rifle hunted for 25 years with great success, then switched to archery and it's been one of the best decisions I've made in my lifetime. It really was life-changing. My wife thought I was obsessed with elk hunting before that, now she just thinks I'm crazy.

Yeah but when you and I started bowhunting....there were only a few other bowhunters in the woods in Colorado over the counter units and you could call in an Elk daily.

 

[Hoot]

Great advice above, I'll add that when you shoot all those bows, and are ready to buy one, if you buy a flagship model from one of the top 5 or so brands, you will not need to upgrade it.

Can't promise that you wont want to, but you won't need to....

 

[5MilesBack]

Yeah but when you and I started bowhunting....there were only a few other bowhunters in the woods in Colorado over the counter units and you could call in an Elk daily.

I guarantee you I can call in bulls in most every unit west of I-25. They may not come in screaming, but they absolutely come in. Heck, I bugled at an elk herd in Yellowstone in June a couple years ago for kicks and giggles, and got a bugle response from a bull. Then he showed up and stood there bugling back and forth with me while the family watched. You would have thought it was September.

 

[grndslam]

Where in Nor Cal? I hear good things about West Coast Archery in Petaluma, they helped my brother with his set up for our Elk hunt this year. I think there is another in Sacramento, but can't remember.

As a single digit handicap I definitely see similarities between shooting a bow and the golf swing. As has been mentioned find a shop with a bunch of bows and shoot them. The grip and feel of one of bows will likely make one of them stand out for you.

 

[CAElkhunter]

I am in the Bay Area. I think there is only one decent shop near me. I am going to see if they are open due to Covid. You probably don't know but our Moron governor has everything shut down since early Dec.

I am a single as well and I have 3 different putters that I blame for my poor putting. I will make room for
an extra bow to put in the dog house from time to time also.

 

[orionsbrother]

Like other guys have suggested, talk to some bow hunters and find a good shop. Get measured correctly. Shoot several different bows and take a couple of lessons. Develop good form from the beginning. Find the bow that feels and shoots best for you.

At a reputable and capable shop, you should be able to explain that you don’t want to just burn the bank account, but that you don’t want to save $25-$50 to only regret it later.

Have them set you up with correctly spined arrows. Have them help you tune your bow properly.

You might be able to save some money by shopping around for your sight, release etc. , but the learning curve might include some replacements and improvements that more than negate those potential savings.

Make the time to shoot frequent, shorter sessions. It’s better in my opinion to shoot a few arrows a couple hundred times than to shoot a couple hundred arrows in a few sessions.

Don’t shoot a draw weight that causes you to struggle.

Concentrate on form to begin with. You’ll dial in accuracy later. Get your muscle memory down with good form and rhythm and find your “Zen” shot sequence with a little faith and you’ll avoid target panic. I liken it to walking a log or balance beam. Too fast and reckless and you’ll face plant. Too hesitant and you’ll face plant. Smooth and easy.

There are incredible archers here with immense knowledge. You’ll be able to figure out who they are. Pay attention to them and learn what you can from them.

I am a decent shot and have decent form. I kill my share of animals, but I have not worked in a shop, built my own bows or won tournaments. My suggestions are basic stuff to help you get started. I am not a self described guru.

Though my wife often refers to me as “God’s gift to women and bow hunting”... she often snorts when she makes that statement.