Ok, I'm going to start hunting. Bow or semi-auto shotgun?

They were pretty clever in the turkey demo. The instructor was making calls when a real turkey started answering. He asked if we could find the flock, and as soon as he got a few folks to claim they saw it, he had the other instructor stand up from where he was sitting making the 'real' turkey calls. Made the point pretty well.
 
CRSIII said:
Turkey hunting; sit in a bush and make a noise like turkey. What could go wrong?
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This comment is stupid but I can't stop myself from doing it.[sad2] This reminds of the old "elephant" joke that goes:

Question: How do you catch an elephant?
Answer: Hide in the bushes and make a noise like peanut.
 
I was looking at my 20 acre plot on Google Earth and starting to panic that all the McMansions built up around my property within the past ten years were located such that keeping 500 feet away from them all was going to cut down my hunt-able area to just a sliver. Then I reread MGL C.131 § 58. "on the land of another within five hundred feet of any dwelling in use". So, apparently, since it's my own land, I don't have to worry about it. But, I guess I couldn't have anybody hunt with me (because they would be subject to the statute). That's a bit sucky.
 
jdubois said:
I was looking at my 20 acre plot on Google Earth and starting to panic that all the McMansions built up around my property within the past ten years were located such that keeping 500 feet away from them all was going to cut down my hunt-able area to just a sliver. Then I reread MGL C.131 § 58. "on the land of another within five hundred feet of any dwelling in use". So, apparently, since it's my own land, I don't have to worry about it. But, I guess I couldn't have anybody hunt with me (because they would be subject to the statute). That's a bit sucky.
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You might want to rethink that and reference MGL C.269 § 12E

http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIV/TitleI/Chapter269/Section12E

Section 12E. Whoever discharges a firearm as defined in section one hundred and twenty-one of chapter one hundred and forty, a rifle or shotgun within five hundred feet of a dwelling or other building in use, except with the consent of the owner or legal occupant thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than fifty nor more than one hundred dollars or by imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than three months, or both. The provisions of this section shall not apply to (a) the lawful defense of life and property; (b) any law enforcement officer acting in the discharge of his duties; (c) persons using underground or indoor target or test ranges with the consent of the owner or legal occupant thereof; (d) persons using outdoor skeet, trap, target or test ranges with the consent of the owner or legal occupant of the land on which the range is established; (e) persons using shooting galleries, licensed and defined under the provisions of section fifty-six A of chapter one hundred and forty; and (f) the discharge of blank cartridges for theatrical, athletic, ceremonial, firing squad, or other purposes in accordance with section thirty-nine of chapter one hundred and forty-eight.
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MGL C.131 § 58 is a "hunting law". MGL C.269 § 12E more specifically specifically pertains only to discharge of firearms and has no exceptions for your own land.
 
I've gotten back into hunting over the last few years, after not doing much since I was a teen some twenty-something years ago. I've now got a gun for any season. I've also got a newer bow. While I've yet to do any waterfowling I have been afield for most other pursuits. The hunting I enjoy most now is birding with my dogs, and hunting with a bow. And after picking up a black powder rifle, I'm thinking I'm about done with using a shotgun during deer season (but will likely still get that Savage 220F I'd been wanting).

The interaction with the dogs while chasing pheasants, the up-close and tactful use of archery, and the discipline & hands-on use of black powder adds a lot to the hunting experience, to me.

I'd be all set with just a lightweight shotgun for birds, and a bow. I'd only look at a semi-auto shotgun if I were gunning for waterfowl.
 
Well... decision made. Now I've got to get practicing.

hoyt.jpg
 
You've got to practice a lot. Like several times per week. You don't have to shoot hundreds of arrows each time, but you need to practice a lot.
 
M1911 said:
You've got to practice a lot. Like several times per week. You don't have to shoot hundreds of arrows each time, but you need to practice a lot.
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I was grouping pretty well this afternoon at 10 yards, so at least I'm not completely a basket case. I wasn't brave enough to see how badly I opened up at 20.
 
Nice bow. I used to practice an hour at a time at least 3 times a week. Especially in the last month prior to the season before an injury forced me to a crossbow. It wasn't a chore to me as it was something I really enjoyed. The other thing I enjoyed was the 3D shoots. It was a great way to spend the morning. A range finder will come in handy before the season. Inaccurate range estimation is by far the most common reason for a miss or poor shot. JMO

Enjoy, I wish I could still do it.

Bob
 
now get a rangefinder and start researching tree stands while you are at it.

did you go with a lefty or righty?
 
jdubois said:
The instructor at the basic ed class demoed a Realtree Viper climber for us. I was intimidated, to say the least.
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You can always hunt on the ground. I have hunted on the ground for years and I always shoot deer every year. It is definitely more challenging hunting on the ground. You really have to pay attention to the wind, scent control, and breaking up your outline.

Bob
 
Congrats on completing the course and the new bow. Like everyone else said: practice, practice, practice. But don't do all your shooting from the ground, get up in the stand at hunting height and practice from there. When you're shooting from the stand, keep your upper body in the same alignment you use when shooting on level ground, then bend at the waist to make the downward shot, don't drop your bow arm.
 
jdubois said:
The instructor at the basic ed class demoed a Realtree Viper climber for us. I was intimidated, to say the least.
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Jeremy, I have two climbers. A sit and stand style and a hand climber style. If you want we can find some time so you can try both and figure out which you like better and I can explain the pro's and cons of each style too.
 
Congrats on the really nice Bow! Where did you get it if you dont mind me asking. I've been thinking about getting a new bow and I was going to go up to Brian's Archery in NH to look at what they have there.
 
arlow said:
Jeremy, I have two climbers. A sit and stand style and a hand climber style. If you want we can find some time so you can try both and figure out which you like better and I can explain the pro's and cons of each style too.
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Thanks for the offer, Rob! I'll PM you.

Magsrgod said:
Congrats on the really nice Bow! Where did you get it if you dont mind me asking. I've been thinking about getting a new bow and I was going to go up to Brian's Archery in NH to look at what they have there.
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It's a Hoyt Pro Hawk. I got it at Tepee Archery in Acton, MA. They were recommended to me by several folks here. Nice people over there, they treated me right, and their prices were fair. I could have saved a few bucks buying the stuff online (except the bow itself, apparently Hoyt doesn't want their bows to sell over the net), but their expertise was worth paying a little more.
 
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I made a backstop in my yard with some hay bales and took a few shots with the bow at 20 yards. I'm sure I can tighten my groups up considerably, and I'm shooting a bit low because I haven't touched my sight which the guy at the shop adjusted for 10 yards. But I'm not overly concerned now about being able to get the shot, at least at that range.

target.jpg
 
Hay bales make a good backstop but if you use them for the primary target they can be tough on arrow fletchings when the bales loosen up to the point that the fletchings penetrate. While it is not expensive to have the arrows re-fletched by a bow shop it is a PIA. What I use for a field point target is a pillow case stuffed tightly with rags (remove buttons and zippers). When the pillow case starts to get torn up I put it in another pillow case. My pillow case target stops the arrows out of my 200lb crossbow, which produces just under 100lbs of Ke, with no problem so I would expect there would be no problem stopping your arrows. I use a roll of tape and a spray can to spray circles on my target.

Remember to inspect the arrows and give them a flex as carbon arrows can be damaged if you hit an arrow in the target with another arrow. That may not be a problem when you are just starting out but you will be able to drop arrows in right on top of each other in pretty short order as you start to build muscle memory. Very bad things can happen if you shoot a damaged carbon arrow out of a bow.

Also, it is a good idea to make a measurement on your peep sight. You can measure the distance from the nocking point or from the top cam to the peep and record this measurement. Peep sights, even if they are served in, can slide up or down the bow string as the string breaks in and stretches. I used to keep a ruler in my bowcase with an arrow drawn on it so I could quickly check the distance between the peep and the nock point everytime I took my bow out of the case to shoot or hunt. A peep sight that moved cost me a deer once.

It is a lot of fun to get out there on a nice day and fling some arrows, enjoy.

Bob
 
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If your not going to bird or rabbit hunt, you may want to get a muzzleloader. This way you can hunt deer all the way to December 31st. They have some beautifully muzzleloaders these days that are extremelly accurate, which I'm sure your aware of. Acrhery is a great sport, but you need to practice, practice and practice. What ever your choice, good luck. Snowshoe
 
snowshoe said:
If your not going to bird or rabbit hunt
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Well, that was my initial thought on why I wanted a semi. Obviously a semi isn't terribly useful over anything else for deer hunting, but it would be the most versatile gun. Undoubtedly I'll end up with a bunch of things in the end. Problem with muzzleloaders is that I always get quickly distracted toward the antique and replica guns because they're fascinating! While I certainly understand the point of modern muzzleloaders, they just don't keep my attention.
 

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