Learning How To Bow Hunt

Learning to hunt is a challenge, but learning to hunt with a bow is an exponentially more difficult challenge. Here is some advice for hunters wanting to elevate their game to include bow hunting.

Why Bow Hunt?

Bow hunting opens the door to special seasons and bow-only hunting areas. Being a bow hunter may even lower the threshold for permission to access private property. Bow-only seasons tend to be close to population centres, which means hunting opportunities might be closer to home. Property owners seem to be more inclined to grant access to a hunter on foot with a bow and arrow over rifle hunters. Some of these opportunities are bow-only limited entry hunts or special bow-hunting seasons or areas where only a bow may be used.

The downside is bow hunting is that it’s tougher than hunting with a rifle. There are a group of hunters that value the additional effort and skill it takes to tag an animal with an arrow. Some hunters will tell you the reward from a bow-killed animal is greater. It certainly takes more skill to consistently kill big game with a bow.

Options For Your Bow

There are four main options for a bow: the traditional longbow, the recurve bow and the compound bow. The fourth option is the crossbow, but that’s a topic for another article. (See the sidebar on British Columbia’s detailed class definitions of various bows related to hunting regulations.)

Each of these options has its own merits, but the compound bow seems to be the easiest to get started with when hunting is the goal. What I like about the compound bow is that the cams ‘let off’ some of the pull weight. At full draw, a percentage of weight is reduced thanks to the camming action of the bow. This means the bow can be held at full draw with less effort than it takes to draw the bow. When hunting with a long bow or a recurve bow, hunters must hold the full weight of the draw until they’re ready to shoot.

 

Where To Start

A good place to start is your local archery lanes, where you can rent a bow, sling a few arrows and learn the basics of shooting. This provides the opportunity to experience a few different bow set-ups and various releases. Once committed to proceeding down the bow–hunting trail, defining the budget comes next.

Dan Lefebvre, of Wyld Archery, said, “The first thing I’m going to do is find out your budget because the cost of a bow varies from $600 to a few thousand dollars. I’m going to make sure that you are dedicated to doing this.”

When comparing a new rifle setup to a new bow, the budgets are similar. A new rifle will set you back $600 to $2,000, add another $1,000 for scope, rings and sling, and keep a few hundred dollars for ammunition over the next couple of seasons, you’re at $1,500 to $3,000-plus quickly. Of course, there are used options, which might just be the best place to start.

When recommending a bow, Lefebvre considers body frame, weight and what type of hunting the customer intends to do. Tree stand, ground blind or spot-and-stalk hunting are all reasonable options with a bow.

“If you’re spot-and-stalk hunting, you generally want something with a little bit longer axle that’s going to give you better hold on long-range targets. Something like a 30-inch to 28-inch axle is going to be optimal for a ground blind or a tree stand,” Lefebvre said.

Blayne Prowse of Stump Stalker Archery makes his home on Haida Gwaii, and his preferred bow practice is walking second-growth forests and shooting stumps. These older (decaying) stumps are soft and easy on arrows. He gets a good bit of exercise and all the while honing his shooting skill and ability to judge distance quickly. This shooting practice increases his competence in hitting the target consistently. Prowse shoots a traditional bow with wood arrows he manufactures. This is how he makes his living. (See the Stump Stalker sidebar.)

What To Do

Prowse said, “If you spend $1,000 on your bow, you’re probably going to end up spending another $1,000 on arrows over a few years. If you’re going to shoot the number of arrows required to be proficient, you will lose some arrows and break some. Budget for this so you can practice and not be worried about it.”

Lefebvre recommends releasing 30 arrows a day as a regular practice. Over time, he wants hunters to consistently hit a pie plate-sized target at 80 yards. Not that bow hunters will be taking game at this distance, but when a bow hunter can consistently hit that 80-yard target, the confidence to hit a 50 or 60-yard target is high. He recommends shooting from field positions and favours 3-D archery ranges as some of the most relevant spot-and-stalk shooting training a bow hunter can do.

 

How To Hunt

Some new bow hunters have the misconception that you walk into the forest, find an animal and shoot it. Bow hunting is a master’s level game. Because bow hunting requires hunters to be so much closer to game than rifle hunting, the uptick in skill is exponential. Managing your hunt location relative to wind direction and anticipated game travel routes, limiting movement, noise and scent, and how to best use shadows, sunlight and occasional noises in the forest all contribute to a successful bow hunt outcome.

Prowse said, “Adjust your expectations and give yourself lots of time to learn the craft. But don’t expect to shoot something right away. Take your bow in the woods. Limit your shot to something that you can make 100 per cent of the time. Don’t avoid going hunting, but just realize you have a limitation in range. Get used to having the bow in your hand. Sneak around and see if you can see some creatures. Pack your bow almost like a photographer would carry his camera. You’re probably not going to kill something, but you’re getting used to your gear, getting close and sneaking up on things. Keep practicing your shot sequence and doing all that work before you think you’re going go out there and shoot something at 40 yards.”

Lefebvre, who can hit that 80-yard target consistently, hunted 92 days this last past season and tagged just one whitetail. His game, spot and stalk, is probably the toughest. Most bow hunters find success with a ground blind or tree stand placed near game travel routes, so the game comes into range while the hunter remains stationary.

Hunters who have taken the time to practice and become proficient with the bow report a next-level hunting experience. Any successful hunt is an accomplishment, but success with a bow seems a bigger reward.

The Rules

This is an excerpt from the BC Hunting Synopsis 2022:

 

ARCHERY

Bow A (Crossbow) (does not include compound crossbow) — Must have a

pull of no less than 68 kg (150 lbs) or a bolt (quarrel) weighing no less

than 16.2 g (250 grains). For big game, the bolt (quarrel) must have a

broadhead of at least 2.2 cm (7/8 in) at the widest point.

 

Bow B (Crossbow) (does not include compound crossbow)- Must have

a pull of no less than 55 kg (120 lbs) or a bolt (quarrel) weighing no less

than 16.2 g (250 grains). For big game, the bolt (quarrel) must have a

broadhead of at least 2.2 cm (7/8 in) at the widest point.

 

Bow C (Compound Crossbow) – Must have a pull of no less than 45 kg

(100 lbs) at a peak weight or bolt weighing no less than 16.2 g (250

grains). For big game, must have an arrow with a broadhead of at least 2.2

cm (7/8 in) at the widest point.

 

Bow D (Longbow, Recurve, Compound) – Must have a pull of no less

than 18 kg (40 lbs) within the archer’s draw length. For big game, must

have an arrow with a broadhead at least 2.2 cm (7/8 in) at the widest

point.

 

Bow E (Bison only) – For bison, the bow (does not include compound

crossbow) must have a pull of no less than 22.6 kg (50 lbs) within the

archer’s draw length, an arrow greater than 26 g (400 grains) in weight,

and a broadhead greater than 8.1 g in weight and 2.2 cm (7/8 in) at its

widest point.