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 going to be OK with passing that shot with your Recurve? It can get a little frustrating if you really want to kill a bunch of critters. personally, I go through periods where I switch to my compound becuase of that.

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

 

[Beendare]

Great photo G&D.....gets me fired up. Hopefully it was staged and you strapped everything down after that.....grin

Thats me next year and I can't wait. I have another DIY moose trip planned with a few buddies.

 

[Clarson757]

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

This is a killer piece of advice and quite the picture. Personally, I think I need to get more actual hunting and stick time in with my recurve. Not that I’m not game to roll the dice on a hunt like yours, but I want to go in with as little distraction as possible (and to me that means less auxiliary items).

What bow/ arrow setup did you use on this bull?

 

[GreenNDark Timber]

This is a killer piece of advice and quite the picture. Personally, I think I need to get more actual hunting and stick time in with my recurve. Not that I’m not game to roll the dice on a hunt like yours, but I want to go in with as little distraction as possible (and to me that means less auxiliary items).

What bow/ arrow setup did you use on this bull?

Bow is a 60" Black Widow PSA 57lb at my 29" draw. Arrows are Black Eagle Rampage 300 w/ Iron Will inserts and collars, 250 gr (w/ adapter) Zwickey Delta 2 blade BH. 605gr total arrow weight. Full penetration from 25 yds

 

[dylanvb]

I am currently juggling this decision as well. I have been really enjoying shooting my trad bow this year. I do think I need to get arrow tuning down before I commit but man I would like to get out this year with it. A lot can happen between now and September.

 

[Sponge]

I say hunt it early and hunt it often.
When I started hunting trad 15-ish years ago, I was a purist and carrying my bow during muzzle loader season. Some of the nicest bucks I've ever seen were at 50ish yards during muzzleloader season while I had bow in hand. After those first few seasons I stopped shooting consistently, and when some bow seasons rolled around I sat it out due to lack of confidence in my skill that year.
So, with that experience, In your situation I may or may not take the trad bow on a fly in hunt.

For me the question I am trying to answer is at what range can I consistently make a cold vital zone hit? Cold bow challenge style. I shot it at 29 yds this year, but realistically that range has always been about 20 yards for me, with the occasional burst of skill/confidence/hubris stretching it out to 25-30 yards. It takes me months of consistent, multiple times a week, focused practice to be consistent past 20 - but when its clicking its clicking.

Arrow tune is the other question to answer. Gotta fly straight and sharp. Find your tune, and make notes of brace height & nock height. confirm that before practice sessions and hunts. I typically mark an arrow wrap at the in-tune brace height. Easy to check in the field.


757, you live in the 757, or is that something else?