How long did it take you to get your first archery animal?

[orionsbrother]

I had been a gun hunter before I took up bow hunting. I had a good idea of where I wanted to set up on my first hunt. I had been given the advice to take a doe if possible to break the ice. So, I was in that mindset.

as dawn broke on that first morning, a doe started moving in at first light. I was drawn and waiting as she hesitated about 18” from my shooting lane. I eventually had to let down.

She worked back around and came in on a different trail, feeding along the way. I drew again. She again stopped, feeding with no shot. I again had to let down eventually.

Then, it happened again.

I got a good shot angle on the fourth try at about nine yards. She crashed within twenty yards.

I had killed several deer with a rifle, but when she crashed, I had to tell myself, “Just sit down on the stand for a few minutes.”

The adrenaline had my legs a little wobbly.

I was hooked.

I also killed my first spike bull several days into my first archery elk hunt. Thought I might tip over then too.

I do fine in the moment, but the rush after the shot is still pretty overwhelming. I don’t ever want that to go away.

I don’t, and never thought, that I was “The Chit”.

In those moments, I am extremely grateful, feel incredibly lucky... and feel more like a six year old trying to hold it together.

Perseverance and attention to detail will get you there. The trip will be worth it.

That rush may affect your gun hunting. I admire and respect the skill set of long range shooters and won’t tell anyone how to hunt, but when I go on a rifle hunt with buddies, I tend to hold out for shots well within bow range, chasing that rush. A few years ago, I killed a buck that was decent, but no monster... but I did it within three yards. I can still feel that anticipation and the after shot wobble.

Enjoy the ride!!

 

[Patton]

First weekend archery hunting I was 14 yrs old hunting the opener behind my house. Shot 2 bucks and a doe on Friday-Sunday. Parents let me skip school Monday to find the second buck.

 

[BucksNBulls]

Actually shot my first buck on the second day that I ever archery hunted.

 

[CApighunter]

Next year is the year for me. Decided I’m going to hang the rifles up and go archery only in 2022. Hoping I can make an AZ trip in January, deer in July and August, and elk in September.

 

[S.Clancy]

It took a bit. I started shooting bow in high school, passed a lot of elk in those years because I knew I would kill one with my rifle. That is the single worst decision of my hunting life. I should have just been stacking bodies early because its easier to deal with the failure of bow hunting as a kid than an adult. My confidence took a huge hit every time I screwed up as an adult because I knew the opportunities were limited.

I didn't bow hunt much during college, then got back into it. For the first couple yrs after college success was real limited. Then started to kill every couple years, for the last 6 or so years I've been pretty consistent.

My advice, stack up the first legal animals you get on for the first 5-10 yrs. You'll get experience and confidence and prob shoot some good ones just by chance. Archery is like life....basically get punched in the d*** over and over, then all of a sudden you get some success!!!

 

[Chedster]

my second year bowhunting I killed a spike elk and a 3x3 blacktail. My first year was a lot to handle as i missed opportunities at some big bull elk.

 

[Blockcaver]

First whitetail was in my third season in WI...got too excited and shot over every one, maybe the first 6 or 8! That was with a 45# short Browning recurve shooting wood arrows instinctively.

Got a Jennings compound w/sights in 1974 and killed the first one I shot at.

Moved to CO and killed an elk the first season...1975.

 

[fatlander]

2 sits for a whitetail. 3 weeks for an elk.


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[Cng]

I killed a whitetail doe my first archery season and a couple of them the next season… but I’m almost 15 years in now and (this is kind of embarrassing for me to admit) I have yet to kill a buck with my bow.

Rifle season has always been pretty good to me, and until now I’ve never had the guts to just take the bow out during rifle.

This year I’m hunting with my recurve, and come rifle season I plan to switch to my compound. We’ll see how that goes…

 

[5MilesBack]

Opening day at 0730 of my first archery season I was 50 yards from a really good 5x5, a raghorn 5, and a raghorn 4 for over a minute and just couldn't get a clear shot at the big 5x5. I could have shot the 4x4 but I wanted the big 5. Never materialized before the wind shifted, but then ended up shooting a raghorn several days later. I was on bulls every day but just couldn't get a clear shot until that raghorn.

 

[Beendare]

Delete

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[Foggy Mountain]

I was killing small game the first year. Deer hunting was 3 actual years but equaling only about 5 days.
I remember my first Bowhunting hunter ed instructor told me it took an avg 4 years back than to kill a deer with a bow. 100 hours between them roughly for an experienced guy.
This was in the early 80s, everyone shot fingers, some still recurves. I’d try and get that 100 hours as quick as possible so I sat all day it seemed.
Within 2 years I started getting a 2 bag limit in a week. The year after that in less than a week for 2 rack bucks.
Nowadays with modern techniques like bait, cameras, do everything for you bows, crossbows in archery season, the passing on of knowledge, etc I’d think most guys could do it in a first year.

 

[TheGDog]

Didn't take long at all really. That was the 3rd deer I've ever taken was in 2017 (started 2014) was with a bow.

I'm currently in a slump though. 2018-2020 were un successful. Near miss in 2018 during archery was only action. Nothing in 2019 except the Bobcat that walked by and came home with me. 2020 was almost exactly a similar repeat... once again had Big ol Bobcat saunter by AGAIN... on the LAST day of the season. Only now we can't take them, (Newscum banned it) so had to go home empty handed last year. This year new zone so we'll see. Could take a bit to make it happen. But I'm thinking not.

I'd just say with bow make dang sure you know what the range is on the animal. When you take your sit, pre-range a ton of objects around you, especially near where you think they might come into your view. Then make sure to repeat to yourself those yardages as you later on thru the day look back around your FOV. Also not only silently say to yourself that yardage of that object... visualize on which pin or bwtween which two pins you'll need to aim.

Lastly... wait til their eye passes behind something, or they dip their heads down to the ground, before you draw back, so hopefully they won't see the motion.

If I can do it, anybody can do it.

 

[cjdewese]

15 minutes into my 1st hunt ever last year. Started hunting late in life was fortunately successful in my 1st hunt ever. Didn't get another shot all last year though in Southern California.

So far this year, I haven't had a chance. I've had 16 deer in range, only 3 bucks 2 spikes and 1 really small forky. Pretty much all of the archery season was closed here for the fires so trying to get it done during general seasons has proven to be tough so far.

 

[Stubborn_bowhunter]

First year killed a 362" bull. Then let my head get too big the next time I had that tag, and passed on everything. Lol ate that tag.

Being realistic, and persevering through the struggle usually gets opportunities.

 

[TheTone]

5 years. I only elk hunted with a bow those years and was set on only shooting a bull. Many of those years weren’t very many days due to college. If I was willing to shoot cows at the time I would have had one the first year

 

[MallardSX2]

About three weeks of hunting every night after school.

 

[Grit2]

About 3 years for my first whitetail. Roughly 1 every few years after that until I started urban hunting.

 

[GatorGar247]

I had a couple friends that booked a bow hunt here in Texas. One of their friends backed out and they needed another hunter so they would be able to book the whole ranch.
They kept asking me to go but I didn't have a bow. I found a used mathews on a local for sale site and bought it 3 days before we were supposed to leave. They showed me how to shoot it and I probably had 50 arrows through it before we left.

On this ranch you built your own blinds out of brush and hunted. Most of these places have a really low success rate.. I grew up still hunting and killed a lot of deer sitting on the ground . Most were within 20 yards. Closest was at 4 yards. But all of that happened with a rifle.

I ended up killing 3 deer and 2 hogs in 4 days with the bow I had bought and shot just a few nights before. That started my obsession with bow hunting . I own a bunch of custom deer rifles most of which aren't even sighted in . If I can't bow hunt I don't really care to hunt..

 

[Holocene]

Whitetail: Maybe 2 or 3 sits? This was in South Carolina. I shot the first deer that came into range, the smallest little buck I've ever killed. Actually thought he was a doe. Arrow knocked him over. I had rifle hunted for a few years and taken quite a few deer within bow range so had that experience to build on.

Elk: Killed my first the last day of my first season in Oregon. Several missed opportunities before that. I'm 4/6 out here with a bow and have had tons of shot opportunities. I've also spent a lot of days afield and believe that success is a combination of 1) your skill getting on game consistently 2) time afield and 3) keeping it together when a shot opportunity happens.

+1 to everyone who said to take the first legal animal and use those experiences to get better and more confident.