When should I hunt it?

[Clarson757]

How long to practice trad before I should hunt it? Been shooting in the yard the last few years fairly consistently. Took my satori on a few whitetail hunts but no opportunity.

What questions do I need to answer before I’m ready to commit to trad hunting?

I’ve got a 1965 Bear Kodiak 51# that I enjoy shooting. I’ve got a moose hunt in AK in Sept. and was planning to rifle hunt but I keep coming back to the idea/ experience of being in the bush for 10+ days with a vintage Bear.

 

[nevadabugle]

Just do it. I went back and forth with a compound and trad bow for years. Never killed much in those years with a trad bow. Went fully traditional more than a decade ago now and guess what. My success rate actually went up.

YMMV, but I bet not.

 

[mtnbound]

How long to practice trad before I should hunt it? Been shooting in the yard the last few years fairly consistently. Took my satori on a few whitetail hunts but no opportunity.

What questions do I need to answer before I’m ready to commit to trad hunting?

I’ve got a 1965 Bear Kodiak 51# that I enjoy shooting. I’ve got a moose hunt in AK in Sept. and was planning to rifle hunt but I keep coming back to the idea/ experience of being in the bush for 10+ days with a vintage Bear.

If you are happy with your accuracy at your max distance, then get out there.

For your moose hunt, if it's not gonna be an issue to get the bow and arrows to camp, use it for a few days; if it doesn't pan out, use your rifle.

 

[Clarson757]

I’m pretty much an all or nothing kind of guy when i take on any hobby/ interest. I’m happy with my groups but being in a hunting scenario, much less in Alaska for moose, I do worry about wounding an animal.

For my first Alaska hunt I’m also worried about bringing too much. As in, worrying about what I’m going to hunt with and plan around that for the whole trip with my buddy. Don’t want to distract from being in the hunt and the experience. First time there and it’s full diy.

For what it’s worth, my Hunt buddy is going compound primary weapon and bringing a rifle.

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

I sure as hell wouldn’t want my first trad hunt to be a fly in moose trip. You would do best to have experienced a good number of max adrenaline shot opportunities before that with your trad bow.

In general though, the answer is hunt as soon as possible with trad, and adapt your setups for short shots. It’ll teach you to be a better hunter.

 

[1Canvas]

I’m pretty much an all or nothing kind of guy when i take on any hobby/ interest. I’m happy with my groups but being in a hunting scenario, much less in Alaska for moose, I do worry about wounding an animal.

For my first Alaska hunt I’m also worried about bringing too much. As in, worrying about what I’m going to hunt with and plan around that for the whole trip with my buddy. Don’t want to distract from being in the hunt and the experience. First time there and it’s full diy.

For what it’s worth, my Hunt buddy is going compound primary weapon and bringing a rifle.

I waited a few years before I took a recurve to the woods, but I wouldn’t take a recurve on a expensive hunt, it’s way to limited for me.

 

[2Stamp]

When I started shooting trad again it was spring time. I gave myself a year to get to where I felt confident (form, arrow tuning, draw wt). The next spring I felt good so I hunted that fall. Killed an antelope out of a blind. Big confidence booster.

If you think you're ready, do it. But for a fly in moose I personally would have a backup plan.

 

[LostArra]

I sure as hell wouldn’t want my first trad hunt to be a fly in moose trip. You would do best to have experienced a good number of max adrenaline shot opportunities before that with your trad bow.

In general though, the answer is hunt as soon as possible with trad, and adapt your setups for short shots. It’ll teach you to be a better hunter.

I'm 100% with the Dwarf for this moose hunt but be aware that you will probably kill that moose with your rifle at 18 yards.

(for deer, be sure to get in some treestand practice)

 

[Beendare]

Shooting 3d tourneys should give you an idea of your effectiveness.

35y on a moose is like 20y on a whitetail- big kill zone.

I had killed so many critters with my compound, I was OK with the lower success rate of a recurve. I think the question is, When you see a moose at 50y and knows its dead with your compound...are you OK with passing that shot with your Recurve?

Trad is a different mentality and getting in very close is a whole different skillset.

 

[wildwilderness]

I would plan a trad specific hunt and NOT bring any other weapon. I don't know where you live ( the west has less opportunities for this) but high success trad hunts are target rich and low consequence.

Ideas I would absolutely do first and get successful:
Pig hunts- cheap, abundant, who cares if you mess up!
Other exotic/feral hunts, maybe a cull hunt or females.
Whitetail doe hunt- ups the jumpy game but a good area with bait will have many opportunities
Baited Black Bear (preferably in Canada with lots of bears) the curious ones are easy to shoot.

For me I was not ready to give up compound success especially for trophy sized animals. I have still only killed 1 feral goat on Kauai with a recurve..... I keep going back to someday I'll go on one of those hunts I mentioned when I "retire" and have more time to hunt, especially the "lesser smaller management" animals....

 

[GreenNDark Timber]

If you really want to kill a moose with your bow and you're confident in your shooting, I say go for it and leave the rifle at home. Most people that take a rifle as a "backup plan" grab it quickly when things get hard. It's supposed to be hard, that's why you're choosing it. But if you're not completely confident in your shooting or aren't fully committed, Alaska isn't the place to be doubting yourself.

If you do decide to take the recurve, one piece of advice I'd give you is to practice on something the size of a moose, even if it's just a piece of cut out cardboard. Their size makes it very easy to estimate their range as being closer than they really are and if you're used to practicing on a deer or even elk size target your sight picture will be completely different (gap or instinctive). A mature bull at 25 yds looks like he's at 10 yds. Good Luck!

A little motivation for you