Anyone that has spent any time archery bow hunting can attest that the sport is filled by hours of boredom followed by seconds of sheer panic.  Being in the woods with a compound bow or cross bow, brings challenges unseen by the rifle or gun hunter.  These challenges include:  set up location, wind direction, proximity of the game, natural cover, scent masking and effective distances.  By avoiding the three most common mistakes in Archery Bow hunting, it will greatly enhance the archer’s odds in bringing home trophy game.

Avoid – The Nose…Knows

Hunters drastically underestimate the game’s sense of smell.  The typical white tail deer can smell nearly fifty times that of human beings.  The smart hunter will:

* not wash hunting clothes and dry hunting clothes in any thing but hunting specific detergent and dryer sheets
* store hunting clothes in an air tight bag
* only take a shower using hunting specific shampoo, soap and deodorant prior to going archery bow hunting
* enter the woods wearing scent proof or rubber boots
* not walk into the woods without spraying down their hunting hat, mask, gloves, release, bow, quiver, arrows,
shirt, coat, pants, boots and soles of their boots with a scent masking or erasing spray
* after setting up ground blind or tree stand spray it with scent masking or scent erasing spray

Avoid – Where did it go? The hunter will never be more frustrated than when the game finally approaches and suddenly the lack of preparation causes the prey to disappear.  The smart archery bow hunting hunter will:

* always remember the placement of the stand or ground blind relative to sunrise and/or sunset
* invest in non-fogging binoculars and range finders
* always carry a non-fogging chemical cloth to clean optics
* trim away excessive branches and over growth for clear shooting and visibility lanes

Avoid – How Did I Miss?Often overlooked is the practice vs. hunting environments in archery bow hunting.  The smart hunter will:

* practice sighting in bow or cross bow from a tree stand or ground blind in the back yard
* use practice broad heads to study flight, range and group characteristics prior to entering the woods
* will effectively range and remember certain yardage markers (tree, rocks, bushes, stumps, fence post and
plants) from their ground blind or tree stand
* have an intimate knowledge of where to aim on the animal’s vitals from an elevated position vs. a ground level
position

By avoiding these three most common mistakes, the hunter will greatly increase his/her odds of ethically harvesting game.  One must never forget the power of smell, the ability to see and practice makes perfect in archery bow hunting.

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