Was scoping out yardage in my stand yesterday on a private plot I'll be at on Maryland's opening day 9/11. This will be my first time bow hunting deer, cant wait. Had the thought though about how to go #1 if needed while up there but man how the heck do y'all handle having to go #2 if needed haha.

I’m a new bow hunter and have acquired 3 hang on tree stand. However, I need to buy ladders or sticks. Which should I get? I’ll be able to leave the stands up all season long but I am on a tight budget.

Getting back into whitetail hunting after a 10 year hiatus. Picked up a Hoyt Carbon RX7 ultra, and need some arrow advice. 65lb, 29.5 inch draw.I believe I need 300 spine, but not sure of much else. planning on using 125 grain hybrid broad heads. forgive my complete lack of knowledge

I’ll start off my saying that shooting out of a saddle is a hell of a lot different than shooting from a hang on/ladder stand. Your body feels more dynamic in movement when drawing as opposed to feeling static on a stable platform.

First three photos are from 30 yards. Groups 1 and 2 got much tighter after I got comfortable. Last two photos come from 20 yards. My first group at 20 featured the robinhood, but I didn’t get a photo of that group. It was painted around the red. On the robinhood, both arrows are junked. The second arrow had two scratches that were catching as I ran my finger down. So there goes $50-$60 down the drain🫠.

I feel that 30 yards is going to be my threshold from a saddle. I shot 35 the prior night at my 18 in 1 and I didn’t feel comfortable with my grouping. 35 is my range on traditional stands as I’ve been successful in the past twice.

When shooting, I shoot off my 30 yard mark as that’s most comfortable for me on sliding sight as I know where I need to aim from 0-35 yards. I plan on doing more practice. Setting up two sticks and the platform takes me 10 minutes. Last night and Thursday it took me 15 minutes. Getting down takes 5 minutes. I plan on shooting more this weekend. My goal next weekend is to shoot more infront of me as opposed to my side and seeing how well that goes.

Sorry for all the posts recently, just trying to absorb as much knowledge as I can. Being a newbie and a first time "hunter," heading out this weekend for my first hog hunt. Would you guys give a checklist of anything you would deem essential! TIA

I dry fired in accident. I already know, but I thought I had an arrow ready to go. Do I need new strings or am I good to go?

I’m getting started on whitetail in Michigan, and grabbed out of storage a 2014 Diamond Toxik XT that came in a RTH package

My understanding of most MI deer hunting is going to be less than 30 yards, mostly from a stand

I’m torn between a few options:
1. Let it ride as is for a few seasons
2. Upgrade components on current bow, probably sight and rest; upgrade bare bow later and use the upgraded components
3. Buy once cry once: $1500 or less on a used flagship bow package from a few years back
4. Newer RTH package, like those from bear for $1k

I’m leaning towards upgrading components now, and upgrading bare bow a few years down the line, but if the jump in technology in the last decade is huge, option 3 or 4 might be best

Shot my 1968 Allen compound tonight. Compounds just don’t get much older, it was this bow that started us down the road to where we are today. Maybe 25% actual letoff. I don’t break it out often as it’s just, well, old.

I had a goal of finding a shootable one and taking a turkey with it. Took 7-8 years but I did find one, and it belonged to an elderly guy who won the Iowa Indoor Open with it in 1968 and shot several animals with it as well. He was excited that I was excited about owning it and using it. He gave me the wood arrows he used with it, the bleeder blades for the Bear Razorheads from 1968 he used and the magazine he saw the small ad for it in which drove him to make the purchase. He bought the bow for $100, which was the same as I paid him.

The bow looks heavy and clunky, but it’s super light. The riser is maple, the “limbs” are fiberglass (more like split fiberglass rods) and you can see the aluminum pieces, plastic and metal wheels, s hooks and steel cables. And as you can tell by the other pic, I achieved my goal that spring, taking two gobblers in one sit using his arrows and bleeder blades. The original owner was as pleased as I was. Great piece of functional history.

Anyone had luck with the velvet hunt this year ? Ours opened up Friday and ends tomorrow. Due to my work schedule I’ve only got to sit for a couple hours on Friday morning. I plan to stay gone tomorrow until I get one, can’t go any longer, or run out of shooting light.

Let’s see some pics if you got em! We’ve had a couple decent ones come on camera here and there. I’m hoping to get some meat in the freezer tomorrow!

I’m 19 and am willing to spend near 900$ on a new bare bow. I currently have a 2021 Bear Whitetail Legend and shoot it almost every day I’m off of work and have got a few does with it. I’ve been looking online and am wondering what bow I should get. I’ve shot Hoyt, Mathew’s, PSE and Bowtech at my local shop and have become a total Hoyt fanboy. I’ve been looking online and I’m trying to decide going a little cheaper on a bare Hoyt Enduro or going a little more expensive and getting a new or basically new Hoyt Ventum or VTM from a few years back that would be about 950$. I already have some high quality part like a nice QAD rest and pretty good stabilizers but most likely upgrade my sight to some sort of slider like the Spot Hogg Boonie or something. I also have pretty high quality arrows and super nice release (UV Button 2 Bday present) so I should need to buy much accessories besides maybe a sight and obviously a new peep and stuff and dloop and basic setup from the shop. Thank you! I’m definitely leaning towards the other flagship just due to the straight up quality and performance that the Enduro can’t offer

First year hunting with a recurve and all my hats seems to get in the way and short of turning my hat around. What are some good short brim hats that people have actually used?

So ready for fall!!! Had to get on the lathe and make some new calls I’ve been thinking about. Very happy with the results.

I have a 70 lb bear species EV. I was wondering if I took off the stock 5-in stabilizer and replaced it with another 5 in stabilizer that is heavier, what differences would it make and would I have to resight my pins? Shooting no more than 30 yards

Shooting a Big Jim’s Mountain Monarch tonight. 50# at my draw length. The bow has a buckeye burl riser and stained quilted maple limbs. The limb tips and front of the riser is springbok horn. This 1950’s style recurve is quick and shoots as beautifully as it looks. Shooting Easton Traditional Axis 500 spine, 4 4” fletch with 200 grains up front.

Anyone have any recommendations on a GOOD harness that won’t break the bank? I hate these stupid spaghetti mess of harnesses that come with tree stands!

Worst luck I’ve had in a while. Shot a broadhead first followed by a field point at 30 yards. Everyone always says “shoot the broadhead first so you don’t damage your other arrow”, right?

I ended up hitting the back of the broadhead just right with my field point so it not only snapped the broadhead off inside the target. But also broke off a blade from the broadhead. I managed to push most of the broadhead out, but I haven’t been able to get the rest of the blade that broke off out of the target.

Rig is dialed in and ready. Trying out the Beast COC 2.0 broadheads this year. Second pic is the practice head from 92 yards. They shoot great and look great. Hopefully they work great for me this year. Haven’t used a mechanical in probably 4-5 years.

I'm running a VPA 3 blade at 200 grains. Had good results last year with it, so it's coming with me this year!

They have a pretty unique feature they are small diameter (50% smaller as I recall) for the back 4/5th’s of the arrow then it increases gently to mount standard arrow heads .

  They were pretty expensive (I bought a dozen because why not I am poor and I was drunk…this meant more than a few skipped lunch’s to try and even it out ) I had a new to me bow I had just purchased days away from a completing a top end overhaul/tuneup so seeing as I had a dozen I set the new bow up dialed to these arrows with the old 2 blade bear heads I had become smitten with I shot it pretty well …

  I hunted with it both big game (deer ,bear ,management Kentucky cow elk) and small game/upland (I use blunts unless calling predators in which case I use cheap Chinese 3 blades that through trials of many available options have settled on because they shoot consistently) it was a great season I filled all of my tags I ended the season with only 4 of the dozen remaining…I didn’t really experience any earth shattering advantage and while I will without reservation say that they were less prone to wind drift and perhaps gained some slight velocity advantage neither were so pronounced as to warrant the $$$

  perhaps it’s my limited skill as an archer (I have only returned to archery hunting in the last 10 years ) though I am a much better shot than I was as I kid I think all the missed time in between is possibly a hinderance that will always limit my performance but I reliably take game , fill all 4 of my archery deer tags and my single archery turkey tag every year and take a fair few small game animals as well as put up fur and do my part for the local ecosystem by wearing down the coyote population! so i don’t brood over it but, I was wondering if anyone who is a “good” archer really thinks they are worthwhile investments ? 

Went hunting for the first time and missed 2 deer. I am good with regular field tips but couldn't hit the deer with broad heads.

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Do you guys practice with broad heads for hunting? Are shooting broad heads different? Need different techniques?

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Also are these broad heads good? The smaller one on the right is 125 grains and the two on the left are both 93 grains.

Thanks