Starting out in Bowhunting

By David Laird

David Laird has a long history in the deer and hunting scene and currently works as the Hunting Manager for the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (Victoria). He contributed this article to Australian Deer Magazine in 2014.

In its most basic form a bow can simply be a piece of flexible wood with a string attached to each end. When the string is drawn back the wood flexes and stores energy. This energy when released propels an arrow away from the archer and towards the target. Mankind has been using bows for thousands of years and they have been very effective for both hunting and warfare and many developments have been made over the centuries to make them more efficient. When talking efficiency with bows what we are really looking at is how much energy is put into the system versus how much goes out in the form of the arrow flying through the air.

Once upon a time this pretty much equated to pulling the string back, holding the full energy with your shoulder and then letting it go. Traditional bows, such as a longbow, still operate this way and there are many dedicated archers and hunters who prefer this type of bow. These bows tend to be made of a single piece of wood, with a fairly basic grip area in the centre. It would be fair to say that they offer the greatest challenge to a hunter and if you are after the ultimate test then this could be for you. They are hard to master, require extensive practice and the hunter needs to get very close for certain shot placement as all shooting is done instinctively without any sights.

The next step up in the technology stakes is the recurve bow. This is similar to the longbow except that the bow is shaped so that the tips of the bow curve upwards. When the string is drawn back these tips curve and this gives greater stored energy in the bow. A recurve bow can be shot with or without sights and comprises a riser - the centre of the bow that you hold onto, limbs – the parts that flex and store energy, and the string.

The latest modern innovation in bows is the compound bow and this is what most bowhunters use today. There are many reasons for this and to be honest, I didn’t even consider traditional bows when I decided I wanted to give bowhunting a go. I wanted a challenge but I was also realistic in what my abilities and motivations were. With any hunting the objective is to take the target animal as humanely as possible and no hunter wants a wounded animal on their hands. I felt, for me, that a compound bow would give me the challenge I was after but also minimise the risk of wounding an animal by giving me sights, a relatively high speed arrow and good control over firing that arrow through the use of a release aid.

Compound bows have a riser - the main body of the bow and the part you hold, limbs – which flex and store the energy, a string and most importantly a cam or cams. These cams are what make compound bows so efficient. Whilst it still takes energy to draw them, once the cam turns passed a certain point the mechanics of the bow kick in and it requires less energy to continue to draw the bow and hold the string back than the energy stored in the limbs. As we are keeping this simple we won’t go into the technicalities of this but the result is that the bow is easier to hold at full draw for longer which gives many advantages to the hunter.

In a bowhunting situation where everything is close, movement on the hunter’s part is the major reason for animals spooking once you have got yourself into shooting position. It is not like rifle shooting where you can have a cartridge loaded, slowly raise the rifle and slip off the safety and take the shot, usually from a reasonable distance. In bowhunting you have to slowly raise the bow and then draw it back whilst well within the animal’s comfort zone. For a hunting bow with reasonable draw weight that takes effort and quite a bit of movement and we all know how switched on animals, especially deer, are.

The ability to draw and hold for longer allows the hunter to get set when an animal has its head obscured or looking away and then wait until it is in position for a shot. Probably the biggest issue when swapping from rifle to bow is learning what angles you can take shots on and what you can’t. Over the past couple of years, I would have had 10 deer within 30 metres of me, all of which could have been shot with a rifle, that I couldn’t take a shot at with the bow. The mere fact that the animal is close doesn’t guarantee a shot. This is one of the thrills and frustrations with bowhunting, but getting back to the topic at hand, the longer you can remain at full draw the better your chances are of the animal moving into a position where a shot can be taken. When you can’t hold and have to let down that creates extra movement and is often the end of the hunt. A compound bow can be held much longer at full draw than a longbow or recurve of similar poundage.

Coming from a rifle background I am used to sights and triggers and these are generally incorporated into shooting a compound bow. Whilst longbows and recurves are generally shot using fingers on the string, compounds are almost exclusively shot using some form of release aid. There are many variations of these and it is worth looking at and trying (another advantage of joining a club) a few different types before deciding what suits you. I have a trigger release and found the change over from a rifle was pretty easy using this. Whichever way you go, the aid clips on to a D-loop and draws the string back. It then allows a controlled release of the string without any torque, which would throw off the arrow’s accuracy.

There are also many options when it comes to sights for a bow. Like rifle scopes there are numerous manufacturers, some better than others, offering multi-pin, single-pin, fixed and movable. All have their strengths and weaknesses and the one you choose will depend on personal preference. Basically multi-pin sights are quick and easy to use and will cover most hunting situations well whilst only giving precision aiming at the set distances. Single pin sights will give precision aiming at any distance but they can be slower to set and if an animal is on the move and the distance changes constantly can make it harder to get a shot as they can’t be adjusted when the bow is drawn.

My bow has a basic four-pin sight and a rear peep, which is fixed into the string. You draw the bow, find your anchor point, look through the peep and centre the appropriate pin in the peep and on the target. The trajectory arc of an arrow is quite pronounced, even with high-speed bows, and the major reason for misses, hunting or on the range in competitions, is estimating distances incorrectly and shooting above or below the target. The pins are set for different distances and allow a direct hold on the target at that distance. I have mine on 20, 30, 40 and 50 metres respectively. Distances in between have to be accounted for and hold-over or under is necessary. Even a few metres can make a big difference to where the arrow hits. You should also only have your furthest pin at the maximum range that you are proficient at. If you can only shoot consistently to 30 metres then you would probably have your pins set for 15, 20, 25 and 30. Don’t be tempted to put it out further!

If hunting rabbits or small game at close ranges you would probably set some of your pins at shorter ranges as a few inches can make a big difference, but with a target the size of a sambar the variation out to 20 metres isn’t going to be a worry as all shots would be within the kill zone if the 20 metre pin is used. It is at longer ranges where the trajectory really drops off. That is why I strongly recommend that anyone wanting to get into bowhunting invests in a rangefinder. Knowing the distance to the target is the single best way to guarantee hitting where you want. Obviously you have to practice and develop your archery skills but I wouldn’t be without my rangefinder.

I have a Bushnell Pro Scout and this has functions for both bowhunting and rifle hunting. If you are buying a rangefinder for bowhunting make sure that the one you pick is accurate over shorter distances as some designed for use with a rifle will not give accurate distances in close. Mine also has an angle compensation feature which allows for steep uphill or downhill shots and gives the actual distance as well as the distance to aim at. Bullet trajectories are affected by steep angle shots and arrows are the same – although once again, much more significantly.

Hopefully this column has given a bit of useful information to prospective bowhunters out there and a glossary is attached to explain some of the terms used as well as others that will come up. 

Glossary of Bowhunting Terms:

Anchor point - the point on the archer’s face that the string gets drawn back to. This should be consistent from shot to shot.

Let down - going back from full draw to undrawn without firing the arrow.

Draw – pulling back on the string to get ready for shooting.

Draw length – distance the string is pulled back to reach the archer’s anchor point.

D loop – ‘D’ shaped loop of string off the main bow string that release aid is clipped onto.

Riser – main body part of the bow.

Limbs – flexible parts of the bow that store energy when the string is pulled back.

Cams – rotating wheels on a compound bow that give a mechanical advantage.

Shelf – piece on the riser where the arrow rests.

Nocking Point – point on the string where the arrow contacts the string.

Fletch – feathers or plastic vanes on the arrow.

Nock – point on the tail end of the arrow that holds the arrow on the string.

Shaft – main part of the arrow.

Field tip - arrow point used for practice and competition shooting (not suitable for hunting).

Broadhead – sharpened arrow head used for hunting.

Release aid - mechanical device for releasing the string when firing an arrow.

Drop-away rest – a rest that lifts the arrow off the shelf as the bow is drawn but then drops out of the way, leaving the arrow not touching the bow, when it is fired.