I do not use a crossbow for deer hunting although I probably could get a permit to do so with my disability. A friend of mine Andy from “The Connecticut Hunting n Shooting” website hunts with a crossbow and with out that would not be able to otherwise. I personally don’t have a problem with anyone hunting deer with a crossbow. In Connecticut the only way you could use one for hunting is because of a disability that has been signed off by a physician.

By: Rick Kratzke

The critics are traditional bow hunters. One of their traditions is to have a collective seizure any time someone uses the word “crossbow” in polite conversation.

To hear them tell it, crossbows are the crack cocaine of deer hunting. Putting crossbows into the hands of deer hunters is the same thing as giving crack to rodeo bulls. Nothing good can come of it.

Bow hunters are seeing red this month.

The Natural Resources Commission is considering a rule change that will make it easier for a disabled hunter to get a permit to use a crossbow during the archery deer season. That probably means that more hunters will be using crossbows to hunt deer this fall.

An advisory panel that included hunters, doctors, crossbow industry representatives, Department of Natural Resources personnel and the DNR’s Accessibility Advisory Council spent four months drawing up the regulations.

The Accessibility Advisory Council, by the way, isn’t working only to fill the woods with crossbows. The panel is working to make all the DNR’s facilities — everything from state parks to boating access sites — barrier-free and more accessible to all users. One of its members, disabled veteran Scott Severn of Caro, will be competing in the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games next month after the Olympics.

The current regulation requires a hunter prove an 80% permanent disability. It’s vague, difficult and doesn’t really address whether a hunter is capable of using a conventional bow.

The new rules would grant a permit to a hunter, after certification by a doctor, who:

Now this can be quite the controversy and I for one had always thought the more poundage you had the cleaner the kill. I don’t hunt with Bow and Arrow anymore basically because of a shoulder injury so I had decided to give it up and stick with the guns. I do miss it though and I do feel that lowering the draw weight could get more involved but am concerned the the weight change is an important factor. I would really like to hear other’s opinions on the subject so feel free to voice your thoughts.

By: Rick Kratzke

Critics concerned bows won’t produce enough energy for clean kills

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission voted in April to drop the minimum draw weight requirement for hunting bows. Beginning in September, deer and turkey hunters will no longer be required to shoot a bow with a draw weight of 40 pounds or more.

The change was made to encourage more bowhunting participation from women and youth hunters, or any men with physical problems that makes it hard for them to pull 40 pounds of resistance. Hopefully, say veteran bowhunters, the absence of a minimum draw weight will not encourage overzealous fathers to outfit elementary school kids with tiny tot archery sets and encourage them to launch arrows at deer, turkeys or other game.

David Lassetter is one archery advocate concerned about the change. Lassetter is a certified bow hunter education master instructor and he’s also a representative for the Lone Star Bowhunters Association.

LSBA encourages women and youth hunting, said Lassetter, but the organization asked the TP&W Commission to reduce the minimum draw weight from 40 pounds to 30 pounds, then do some research to make sure the lighter bows produce enough energy to dispatch game humanely.

The commission voted to eliminate draw weights altogether and most of the public comment favored that course of action. Approximately 30 states with an archery season require minimum draw weights that range from 30 to 40 pounds. Texas has joined about a dozen states with no minimum draw requirement.

Story By RAY SASSER / The Dallas Morning News

Read complete story:

For those of you who use plastic vanes on your arrows than I am sure you have seen them become wavy from time to time. Here is a nifty little tip from Buckmasters that just might get rid of that wavyness without having to refletch.

Fix Wavy Vanes Without Refletching

Plastic vanes are great, but one of their drawbacks is the tendency become wavy if the fletchings are coming in contact with your rest, or if you shoot through your target. While it’s good to know if your fletchings are coming in contact with your rest, it’s also a pain to have to refletch every time you get a wavy vane.

Believe it or not, these wavy vanes often can be straightened with a hot hair dryer. Put a hair dryer on its hottest setting and heat up your wavy vanes. Often they will straighten up in the hot air and be good as new.

 

With Deer hunting season coming to an end and old man winter starting to act up we can all look forward to spring and the summer months. The Connecticut Archery Association has posted their 2008 shooting schedule.

The CAA is the Connecticut chapter of the National Field Archery Association. Many 3-D field and indoor archery tournaments are held throughout the year at some of the most challenging and beautiful archery courses around the country.

January
20- 450 Vegas Round Warm-Up (10AM & 1PM) Center Sports
26- (Sat) 450 Vegas Round Warm-Up (1PM Only) Harwinton R&G

February
9- (Sat) CAA State Open Championship - 450 Round 1PM Center Sports
10- (Sun) CAA State Open Championship - 450 Round 10AM & 1PM Center Sports
17- NFAA 300 Round Warm-Up (10AM & 1PM) Center Sports
23- (Sat) NFAA 300 Round Warm-Up (1PM Only) Harwinton R&G

March
2- 30 - 3D Bristol F&G
8- (Sat) NFAA/CAA State Championship* - 300 Round 1PM Harwinton R&G
9- (Sun) NFAA/CAA State Championship* - 300 Round 10AM & 2PM Harwinton R&G
16- 30 - 3D Algonquin Archers
28 & 30- New England Indoor Sectionals Lunenburg, MA
30- 30 - 3D Harwinton R&G

April
6- 30 - 3D New England Archers
6- 30 - 3D New Haven Raccoon
13- 35 - 3D Fairfield County F&G
19 & 20- Stan Open Hartford Convention Center
20- 30 - 3D Guilford Sportsmen
27- 300 Field Round Hamden Bowmen
27- 30 - 3D Cos Cob Archers
27- 30 - 3D Traditional Pootatuck Archers

May
4 -30 - 3D New Haven Raccoon
18- International Target Round Pootatuck Archers
18- 30 - 3D Newgate Coon Club

June
1- 35 - 3D Fairfield County F&G
7 & 8- Traditional Only & Primitive Skills Workshop Algonquin Archers
8- 30 - 3D Harwinton R&G
8- 30 - 3D New Haven Raccoon
15- 28 Field Round Hamden Bowmen
21 & 22- New England Outdoor Sectionals Lunenburg, MA
22- 30 - 3D Guilford Sportsmen
22- 30 - 3D Torrington F&G
29- 30 - 3D Pootatuck Archers

July
12- (Sat) CAA State Open Target Championship 600 Round (1PM) New Haven Raccoon
1-3 (Sun) CAA State Open Target Championship 600 Round (10AM) New Haven Raccoon
13- 30 - 3D New Haven Raccoon
20- 30 - 3D Torrington F&G
27- 30 - 3D Pootatuck Archers

August
3- 30 - 3D Guilford Sportsmen
3- Knock-A-Block (8AM) Hamden Bowmen
3- 30 - 3D Newgate Coon Club
10- NFAA/CAA State Field Championship* 14F,14H,14A (9AM
Shotgun Start) Pootatuck Archers
10- 30 - 3D New Haven Raccoon
17- CAA State 3D Championship Fairfield County F&G
23 & 24- 30 - 3D (both days) Bristol F&G
30 & 31- NESFAA New England Shoot Lunenburg, MA
30- 30 - 3D Torrington F&G

September
7- 30 - 3D Harwinton R&G
7- 30 - 3D New Haven Raccoon
14- 30 - 3D Algonquin Archers
28- 30 - 3D Cos Cob Archers

Food served at all shoots
*NFAA/CAA membership required to compete for awards in the NFAA/CAA State Indoor Championship & the NFAA/CAA State Field Championship.

The CAA State Field Championship is a one-day shoot. Start Time is at 9AM sharp.
Assigned targets with 14 Field, 14 Hunter, 14 Animal.

CAA State Target Championship - July 13 & 14.
Shooting times are at 1PM on the 13th and 10AM on the 14th.
Registration - one hour earlier.

Seventeen years ago when I started hunting deer it was with a Bow and Arrow. I had just decided out of the blue I wanted to try it. Through the years I had perfected my shooting ability by practicing in the back yard, going to 3-D shoots and joining archery leagues at the local Archery shop/range.

I will never forget the eight hour course I had to take to get my certificate which would enable me to purchase a Archery Hunting License. The course was held by the CT DEP and was and still is free. They taught you everything from shot placement to following a blood trail.

Before I had to stop bowhunting because of a shoulder injury I had harvested 3 very nice deer. My last one I took with a bow was the best most memorable harvest I think I can say. Here is a picture of that deer,

That hunt will forever be etched in my mind for a few reasons. Archery is a demanding sport that takes a lot of time and patients and skill. If you can master shooting a bow than you can honestly say that you have accomplished something . It is easy to aim a gun and squeeze a trigger. Another reason is that you have to be close to harvest a deer with any kind of accuracy. I call it the up close and personal way to hunt.

To know that you positioned your stand in the right place and stood quietly without motion and held at full draw till the deer was in the magical position to release the arrow and not to mention the adrenalin rush you get, let me tell you I surely miss it.

Since then I have taken to gun hunting. I still get the adrenalin rush and the excitement of know you have done things right but it is not the same. I am envious of those who go afield now to harvest the majestic whitetail with a bow and arrow and I want to say to those who have success “congratulations” and to those who have not has success “don’t give up”

There is something magical about sitting in the deer woods and having a deer come in so close you can here every step it makes. To see every breath it takes on a cold autumn morning and to see the drool from it mouth after eating some tasty juicy acorns is really quite exhilarating. You don’t always see that when you gun hunt because the deer are not that close so give it a try if you have not already. I am sure once you do you will love it.

Archery is not just for hunting either. It is something that can be done year round and can be enjoyed by all. Young and old alike, by families and friends. At one point my wife use to shoot with me for awhile and we use to have a lot of fun. So keep that in mind as well.

Bow hunting is a demanding sport and what I mean by that is you have to practice almost daily to stay in shape and condition your muscles. My tip today is you need to practice from simulated hunting positions.

When I used to bow hunt I would practice from a tree stand at the height that I usually hunted from. I would also use a 3-d target at different distances and at different angles. When I hunt from the ground I would try all sorts of positions like sitting, kneeling, squatting and even try shooting while looking behind me without moving my lower body.

Try shooting through small windows in brush to get into the habit of concentrating on smaller targets. For example I would pick a dense area and put a target behind it and find the smallest hole to shoot through so I could hit the target in the kill area. Another thing I would do is take a 1 pound coffee can and cut the bottom out of it, then I would hang in in front of my target horizontally and try shooting through that at 20 to 30 yards. It is tough and your going to miss every now and then but once you get used to it your accuracy will pay off when the time comes.

Getting ready for the coming archery season can be quite the chore but, it could also be a lot of fun. Fish and Game clubs in and around your area usually hold 3-D shoots which can be an excellant way to practice. They can also be purchased for personal use by going to your local hunting and fishing stores or can be purchased online.

The targets that are used are three dimensional and life size which come in different positions and are light and very easy to move around.

 

I have been to a few 3-D shoots in the past and I found that they help in many different ways. The most important I think is being able to judge distance, that was always the hardest thing for me to get use to but by using these types of targets and going to these shoots I was able to get better at it.

They come life size which also helps in getting use to shooting/aiming at the vital area. I know the full size McKenzie Target that I had was a huge help. It came with a replaceable vital area and the area in particular was marked where the heart, lungs, liver was so you knew where exactly to aim.

So whether you are bowhunting for Turkey, Deer, Coyote, Bear, Elk, Antelope there is a target for you. There are a lot of different brands to choose from and different prices that will fit anyones finances.

I used to hang a stand at the height that I preferred and would place the target at different distance and at different angles. I also would put it in brush, behind small saplings, down low in drainage ditches and elevated spots like ridge tops just to get use to shooting in different scenerios.

That is how versatile these types of targets are. They are well worth the money you spend for them. Even if you can’t afford one at the time you could still go to some of these 3-D shoots. They are always around if you look for them, especially in the summertime. I know when I use to go it was a lot of fun and I met a lot of people. It was also a good way to pick up all sorts of tips and techniques that you did not know about.

I personally prefer McKenzie Targets but, here are a few others brands that you could choose from. Delta Targets , Rinehart Targets, Longhorn Targets.

With archery season right around the corner I wanted to bring to attention what I used to use for broadheads. I had tried quite a few through the years but this one is what I found to be the best cutting, best flying and easy to replace blade system.

New Archery Products has been in business since 1971 and their belief is that they need and want to be on top of the ever changing needs of todays archer so they are constantly evolving and designing new and improved broadheads. One in particular I finally decided on as my broadhead of choice was the Thunderhead which came in three different grains of 85, 100, 125

   

The one I chose was the 100 grain. The tip is hardened High Carbon Steel for excellant penetration and the three blades are made from Stainless Steel with an edge as sharp as a razor blade. What keeps it all together is a patented o-ring assembly that they invented which is at the base of the ferrule. The 85 grain has a cutting diameter of 1-1/8″ and the 100 & 125 grain has a cutting diameter of 1-3/16″

Thunderhead 100 grain

New Archery Products has also created two other types of Thunderheads that were not around when I use to bowhunt, so you can see that the company is always trying to improve.

The Thunderhead Magnum is an all steel construction built tough for today’s high performance crossbows. This heavier 170 grain head was built for penetration. Thunderhead Magnum

Another nice improvement which I am fond of is the cut on contact tip of the new Thunderhead XP. It is available in 100 and 125 grains, fully assembled and ready to shoot. The cut on contact tip comes with replaceable blades.

Thunderhead XP

So I would recommend giving these a try. I have always had a pass thru with this broadhead and am very satisfied with it’s performance.

The one thing I always did before I shot my bow whether I was practicing or going hunting was to check my bow from cam to cam and string to riser.

You can never be to careful when it comes to compound bows. The last thing you want to happen is to have something break especially when you are at full draw.

I always made sure there was no cracks anywhere by check the riser from one end to the other and that includes the sight and arrow rest. I always made sure the limb bolts were oiled and there was no loose parts that would vibrate loose or make something crack because it was not tight.

I always kept the string waxed to keep it from drying out, and by waxing the string I would keep it from fraying and snapping under pressure. I would always check the tiller length making sure that the distance was the same on the top as it was on the bottom. I would check and make sure that the nocking points were tight and if I had a peep sight I would make sure that it had not moved and that the serving was not loose.

What goes with the bow but the arrows. I would inspect my arrows to make sure they were not cracked or split and I would put them on a spinner to make sure they were not bent. Arrows will take as much abuse if not more than a bow. A habit I got into was to take a silicone cloth and rub down the arrow shafts, that seemed to help to not create any drag when the arrows were in flight.

When I was shooting I always listened and when the sound of the bow changed it usually meant that something had come loose, so I would stop and check things out before continuing.

That is the basics so remember to check your equipment and make sure you do your preventive maintenance, it will save you money and down time in the long run.

I know what your thinking, it is only July and this guy is talking about the Archery season. What you might not realize is that it comes faster than you think and if you are not prepared for it you could find yourself going home empty handed or even worse, tracking a wounded deer that you got a bad hit on.

In Connecticut the Archery season start in mid September and goes right on through till the end of the year. So there is plenty of chances to fill a tag if you have done your homework and practiced as much as possible.

I don’t bowhunt anymore due to a shoulder injury but when I did I shot all the time and was confident in my equipment and my ability as an archer to harvest my game. Why was I confident in my ability, well I will tell you. Archery hunting is the most demanding sport of hunting in my opinion because of many reasons. You need to tone your muscles to shooting a bow, you need to be able to judge distance better than say a rifle hunter, you need to be more stealthy and quiet than a gun hunter, you need to be more scent free as well because bowhunting is the up close and personal way to hunt deer and any other game for that matter so you need to be as scent free as possible. It is harder to shoot an animal that is within 10 or 20 yards of your position than it is to shoot an animal that is 100 or even 200 yards from your position.

Practicing is the most important part of shooting a bow and arrow. You need to know your equipment and you need to know your limitations. When I did shoot bow and arrow I practiced and shot all the time, I shot so much that at any given time I could hit a dime at 20 yards and not think twice about. How did I get that good, well I found an indoor archery range near home and before I knew it I was entered in a shooting league, actually it was 3 different leagues. No matter though whether it is one or three leagues it was good to do. I found that it helped in toning my muscles and between talking to the other shooters and getting to know my equipment I became a better archer. We owe it to the game we hunt so we can harvest them in the most humane way possible.

Now I know some people don’t have a lot of time like I had back then but you need to realize that if you don’t do a certain amount of practice that your muscles get weak and your ability to shoot constantly the same way will be effected. Repeatability is the key word, you find a way that makes you shoot the way you want and you stick to it, you do the same thing every time you pull that string back. Another way to practice is that you shoot in different positions. You never know when you are going to get caught by surprise, either sitting down in your tree stand and realizing you have a deer 10 yards away and you can’t stand up ( I speak from experience ) or a deer comes into your area but comes in on the opposite side of the tree where the only shot you have is bending over and crouched like you were frozen in a half seated position ( again I speak from experience ). So practice, practice from a seated position, standing position, kneeing position, sitting and twisted to shoot behind you position, shoot uphill and downhill, shoot through small openings like for example, take a 5 gallon plastic can and cut the bottom off so you can see through it. Put it 10, 15 or even 20 yards away with some brush around it and practice shooting through it without hitting it. That will perfect your accuracy.

Last but not least, don’t expect yourself to shoot constantly for a while and take a break before the season starts. You need to keep shooting right up to opening day and even after, during the season if possible. I am not saying you need to shoot 50 arrows a day but, at least 2 or 3 maybe even 5 say at lunch or even after supper. It doesn’t take much for your muscles to get relaxed and when that happens it is hard to get them back to shooting form. So I hope some of what I said helps and remember to practice because it is not everyone who can shoot a bow and harvest a deer.

Enjoy the sport of Archery Hunting and Good Luck