By Mitchell Wood

Ultimate Gamechanger Bow Hunting Tricks

Successful bow hunting is a combination of skills, right tools and discipline. Expert tips from an experienced bow hunter can increase your hunting success. You might have failed to hit your target due to minor mistakes. So you will want to fine-tune your skill in preparation for the next hunting expedition. The first thing is to get your tools ready. Make sure you have everything you need before the hunting season to avoid last minute inconveniences. These ultimate gamechanger bow hunting tricks will be helpful.

Know Your Spots Early Enough

Scout your spots early and don’t wait until the last minute. You may want to scout the area several weeks earlier before the season starts. Remember last minute scouting will put the deer on alert. Put trial cams on the perimeter as you scout the field. Trial cameras can be really helpful to get an idea of where the deer are coming and going from in the selected area. Preseason trial cameras won’t be a guarantee that you will know the real behavior of deer, but you will get a good idea.

Once you’ve seen where the deer are coming from and going to, move in and put up your tree stand. Setting up a simple portable tree stand, but it should be sturdy. Now relocate the trial cameras at the tree stand the sight. Before the actual hunting, retrieve the cards from the cameras. You will get a clear idea of where to hunt.

<photo-1>

The gamechanger trick is to focus on the edges. Most bowhunters tend to hunt in the vast woods or middle of open fields where there are few deer. Have you ever known that most deer spend time in the thick, impenetrable edge to avoid hunters? Deer are very sensitive and know that casual hunters won’t penetrate thick edges. Getting a clear shot might be hard or impossible for such a spot. But you can increase your hunting success by focusing on such spots where most hunters avoid.

Most deer hide in the thick edges because of the perceived safety. The older and wiser bucks will less likely show up in the open fields, mainly during the daytime. Another trick is to cover a small portion. Don’t cover the entire woods because you may end up losing everything thing. A small portion will be good if you want to concentrate your efforts. You might also want to use a deer feeder to attract deer to a particular location. The best deer feeder will be beneficial if you want to attract deer close to your tree stand for a clear shot. If you plan to use a deer feeder ensure it’s well set to avoid scaring the deer away.

Hunt During The Rut

Bow hunting requires you to master the most appropriate time for hunting. Most experienced bow hunters know that bucks are active at night and get up midday to feed/browse. Hunters are in the field at morning and afternoon. The deer have also learnt when hunters are likely to strike. The gamechanger trick is to hunt during the rut.

<photo-2>

Most hunters miss this timeframe because they focus on mornings and afternoons. Midday hunting will play magic for you. You should consider this timeframe to increase the chances of hitting a deer. Between 10 am and noon is a good time to be on the tree stand. If this time is not ideal for you, you may want to consider between 9 am and 2 pm. Ensure you don’t miss the time during the rut because it will play magic for you. In case you don’t succeed, try staying a bit longer to see if there will be a difference. Remember deer hunting requires patience.

Scent Control

Deer are very sensitive to scent and can detect when a hunter is approaching. Scent control is an essential thing in bow hunting. While in the woods, deer use their smell sense to predict and survive potential ambushes. You don’t want the smell to scare your target away. Plus a good, clear shot might require you to be only 30 yards. So you will be within smelling distance of the buck. The wind direction and the kind of detergent you use are essential to eliminate early warning signs for the deer that danger is near.

To control scent, shower with a scent-free soap before a hunting trip. Avoid contaminating your hunting attire or costumes on the way to the woods. In areas where you think the costumes will get contaminated, you might decide to seal them in a bag until you arrive at the hunting location. Your costumes should absorb the naturally occurring scent in the fields so that the deer won’t detect your presence. Don’t forget to check the wind direction because it will prevent the deer from smelling you.

Sound Control

The sound is a big issue for bow hunters. Some hunters assume that sound control is obvious while hunting, but it might cost you a deer. Keep accessories like mobile phone and keys properly secured. You may want to leave these items when you go hunting to avoid unnecessary noise.

Remember while setting a shot, you might want to make old adjustments. When it is the time to take your shot, you don’t want to clang the keys against your stand. Keep your mobile phone on silent, unless you’re expecting an emergency call. Your cell phone can be the destroyer! It might ring when you are just about to take a shot and drain your efforts. Some hunters just decide to turn their cell phones off to avoid unnecessary distractions. If you can afford to leave all your stuff behind, just do it.

<photo-3>

Another thing is to get to the tree stand undetected. Getting to the tree stand undetected is equally important when hunting. Avoid stepping on dead leaves and other forest material that might cause some funny sounds. A hunting tree stand safety harness will enhance your safety while in the tree stand.

Final Thoughts

When you are ready for bow hunting, move in, and do your best. These gamechanger tricks will increase your success and who knows, you might hit a giant buck next time. Use every opportunity wisely; don’t let the deer escape while you can still release your arrow.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Author Bio:

Hello and welcome to my blog. I am Mitchell Wood, founder of Musket Hunting. Here at Musket Hunting, I provide guides on how to hunt effectively, answer reader’s questions, and review on the latest hunting gears. Hunting will give you the experience that nothing else in this world can provide with.

If you would like to submit a guest post on food, wine or travel to Where and What in the World, I would be happy to feature your travel experience , drink, special wine tasting, or family or simply delicious recipe. If you go to submission tab, you will see how to submit, as well as have the opportunity of telling me if you would like to would like to be a regular contributor. When uploading a file for submission, you are also able to upload jpegs. Please feel free to put a last paragraph about you and a link to your profile. No html please. You can also include a head shot.