HollidaySlim

OK I just got in from shooting about 150 arrows and I think Ive got it sighted in.....I think I can keep them in a pie plate group. I did have a weird thing happening though my fletching was hitting my sight. it was only when I shot it though, when i had the arrow stationary there was more than enough clearance.

KodiakArcher

Oooo... not good! Something is not set up right. Try moving the sight frame up and moving the pins down within the sight frame. You don't want those arrows hitting anything as they leave the bow. If you look at a nocked arrow on the rest from the side of the bow is the arrow at the same height as the rest mount hole or is the shaft sitting above that hole. Your rest may be set too high up. (If you move it down you'll have to adjust the nock point on the string down equally.)

"it was only when I shot it though, when i had the arrow stationary there was more than enough clearance." This leads me to believe that the arrow is kicking nock high as it leaves the string. If you're shooting a release, try moving the nock point down the string until the arrow is nearly level (perpendicular to the string).

gzg38b

This is the part about your situation that scares me most. It's really too late for you in my opinion to hunt this year unless you area really quick student. The best advice I can give is to practice as much as possible until the season opener with your broadheads and hunting clothes on. And I wouldn't shoot at any deer past 20 yards this first year.With bowhunting it's all about getting close.

HollidaySlim

Kodiak - I took the bow to the shop this afternoon and got the arrown hitting the sight figured out. You were actually dead on about the knocking point. and qzq I have been shooting both the instinct and the highlander ( i was using shop demos) for about 3 days a week for 2 months. So I have had some practice, but not alot.

nodog

I think you'll enjoy bow hunting and the reflex is a good piece of equipment. It's a little different than an ML but both often only afford you one shot. A lot of guys blow their first shot so the best advise I can give is be physically and mentally prepared to not only take a shot but make it count. Get yourself into as much of a routine as you can so when it's time you will be able to execute the shot calmly and focused on the job at hand.

The kill zone is different also with a bow. Piercing both lungs is best with a broadside shot being the best approach. The ML will drop them like a rock with a hit to the shoulder, an arrow will do little there and should not be taken. Best thing is just to wait for a broadside. Get to know the kill zone for an arrow.

It's also a good Idea to keep an extra release in your pack just in case you forget yours. Many guys have. It's also good to go out with all your gear before hunting starts so you can see how best to carry things, quivers fall off, pins break, things happen, noise is a kill joy. As with a ML pulling things up to a stand is best and it is different with a bow.

There's no 100-150 yrd pokes here, requires a much greater discipline all the way around, be prepared to move to a better location, maybe only 20-30 yrds but It maybe the difference between sight seeing and success. Even not getting a shotcan be good if something is learned.

A bow hunter is able to hunt many more places than a firearm shooter.

ron3775

I am not sure I am doing it right, but I was hitting my sight pins also, and my neighbor said to make sure that the different colored fleching (in my case green as supposed to orange) was down. When I did that, it made all the difference in the world. Practice, Practice, Practice is all that I can say.

HollidaySlim

I want to thank everyone for their replies thus far, all the info has been great. I am going this morning to get the glendel full rut target today and take it out to an elevated platform I built to shoot from. Think is should also shoot from my stand in the woods too? I really didnt want to go out there since I like to give two months (give or take a few weeks) with no heavy activity before any opening days.

nodog

I wouldn't go out to your stand, simulate it some other way.

atlasman

I would focus on a couple main things since you are rapidly approaching the season. First and foremost you absolutely have to figure out what range you are lethal at...........that means 99% you hit where you are aiming (no one's perfect) What range will that be?? Only you will know soon enough but just be honest with yourself and you will avoid heartache in the woods. You will see that once you step back to a certain range you will start to spray a little bit. Being new I would say with reasonable practice and some helping hints from someone who knows what to look for........I would say you will probably be pretty comfortable at around 20-25 yards by the time the season hits. Here comes the hard part. 25 yards on the ground in a T-shirt at a piece of paper is a joke compared to 25 yards at a live animal that is moving and on alert and not really in the mood to get killed. Sometimes you have only a small window of opportunity to shoot and it all can happen in the blink of an eye.......plus you are 20 feet up a tree. So many things can go wrong in that equation it is mind boggling. Point being your lethal range on the ground in summer clothes is NOT your lethal range from a tree with a heavy jacket on and your heart racing like a jackhammer.

Practice, Practice, Practice.............but I am a firm believer in practice for hunting..........not target shooting. If I was gonna shoot paper targets in the woods with fieldpoints then that is what I would practice for. Get yourself confident and feeling good about your gear by shooting at paper and once you are comfortable and get your feet wet a little I would say start practicing for hunting........you will be amazed at the difference!! Throw on your jacket, a face mask, a hat and climb 20 feet up and take a few shots and it will feel like a totally different world. You will also learn that broadheads do not always fly like fieldtips. Some people are afraid of heights (ALWAYS WEAR A SAFETY HARNESS!!!!!!) so they have trouble focusing when drawing because they are afraid of falling........it's important to be comfortable at your hunting height.........heck you might even find out you CAN'T get comfortable at 20 feet and need to start lower.........ya never know until you do it. You have to remember to bend at the waist when you shoot from a tree or your shots will be off target..........lots of new things to learn when you get up that tree.

Which brings me to a topic I think many new people neglect..........becoming proficient with your gear means ALL your gear. Perhaps just as important as your bow is your treestand.......as I mentined already ALWAYS WEAR A SAFETY HARNESS!!!!!! that means always!! Climbing up and down is wear a high % of falls occur. Starpping yourself in when you reach the top is asking for trouble........no harness at all and you are just plain stupid IMO. When I first started I took my Summit out and climbed a few trees and got familiar with it and my harness........I learned how to set the harness up so it didn't interfere with me drawing my bow and I also learned how to judge a trees size so I set my base platform at the right angle to be comfortable and safe when I got to my desired height. I also learned how to be quiet and fast with it.......nothing messes up a hunt faster then clanking around the woods like the ghost of Christmas Past while you are trying to figure out how to get up your tree..........and don't forget when you climb it will be dark so keep that in mind when choosing a stand because messing with pins, hooks, and clamps gets pretty frustrating at 5 am Most of all be sure you are safe.........really, nothing else matters.

So now you are all set to kill the beast and holy cow!!......there he is!!! All your practice and hours of hard work all come together when you settle that pin on him and make your shot........but now what?? If you don't know what to do next you are screwed........BIG TIME!!! You have to gather as much information as possible from the moment that arrow leaves and then use your brain to decide what to do next. They don't just fall over and everything you see and hear AFTER the shot will be the difference in finding him or not. Watch what the deer does when he gets hit.......did he hunch up or mule kick or jump straight up.......was his tail up or down as he ran.........did he stumble.........watch him until you can't see him anymore and make a mental note of something you can identify that is as close to the last point you saw him (tree, bush, log, etc) but don't stop there.......Now it's time to listen very closely.......do you hear him fall........can you hear something thrashing in the leaves.........or maybe you hear him just continue walking. Put all that information into your knowledge bank and sit down, relax (try to) and WAIT.......if you think he is hit PERFECTLY I would say get down in 1/2 hour and check your arrow if you can find it and examine the sign where the deer was hit. Decision time again..........if everything looks good.........follow the red brick road to your deer. If it doesn't or looks even a little iffy........then WAIT some more. I've never talked to anyone who said they waited too long to go get their deer............talked to PLENTY that said they didn't wait long enough.......and they lost their deer. When in doubt WAIT.

I am not gonna go into the details of what to do in certain situations based on what kind of hit you have on the deer.........or how to even know where you hit based on the signs (blood, hair, reaction, etc) That info is all here and elsewhere for you to read..........do yourself and the deer a favor and don't just read it......KNOW IT. There is nothing worse then being in the woods and saying to yourself "Now what?" If you don't know what to do next then you shouldn't be out there.

Oh yea,


HAVE FUN and take lots of pictures of the deer you get.........and join the contest.......your team mates will be a helpful audience I'm sure.

Don't be afraid to ask ANY questions here........you're in the right place. Everything you need to know is in this forum..........use the search engine and read, read, read.

Good Luck and Be Safe!!!!!