Any hunters around here?

Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives

I ask for two reasons. One, I'm going to try bowhunting for the first time this year and I'm just curious as to any tips people might have. I'm in Alabama so I want to find out where the best places to bowhunt are around here, any pitfalls to watch out for legally, and of course any restrictions on using traditional gear.

Second, I have about 10 sets of woodland cammoflage BDU/Cammie tops&bottoms that I want to sell cheaply. I can't find any places that I know of to sell them and I'm not going to just give them away though as I said I won't ask much for them.
I also have black boots to sell, I think one nearly new set of black gortex and one all leather 'cruit boots.

I used to hunt but haven't had time in years. You reckon those BDUs will fit me? I could use them playing paintball.

As far as your bowhunting... Georgia has a free magazine type thing with all rules, public hunting locations, etc. at every store that sells hunting/fishing stuff. Does Alabama do that? It'd be pretty usefull.

Tom,

I haven't ventured into the Bow hunting world. Yet. Perhaps because my wife, who is right, thinks another gear intensive hobby is out of the question.

As for hunting, deer I assume, the key will be practice. Most of my buddies bow hunt (I'm a fanatical bird hunter). They are always, always nocking up in someones backyard. Military training will help here - think swift, silent deadly!

Good luck Fred Bear!

Post pics of the BDU's. Or just tell me what sizes, condition, price, etc. I can see if I can get you a buyer or two or ten.

I've hunted with a bow, both compound and traditional. Contact the fish and game as well as a local archery pro shop, they are usually helpful. Let them know your military, it helped us out when we hunted out of state in AZ. Longbow or recurve, what arrows and broadheads are you using?

I have a friend that lives for deer season. He'll take a months worth of vacation just during bow season. It's all a matter of how deep you want to jump into it. One thing for sure you have to be really really patience and dead quiet for bow hunting. Also have to learn the land you'll be hunting.

Originally posted by Kremithefrog:
I used to hunt but haven't had time in years. You reckon those BDUs will fit me? I could use them playing paintball.

As far as your bowhunting... Georgia has a free magazine type thing with all rules, public hunting locations, etc. at every store that sells hunting/fishing stuff. Does Alabama do that? It'd be pretty usefull.

I'll look for that. I logged onto Alabamas wildlife conservation but it only shows the very basic requirements and it says I have to have a class to get a license.

Also a proficiency test but I can do that I think.

Tom,

Anything specific you want to know about bowhunting? Practice is the best thing for you. I'd also see if you can find someplace to set up a stand or two. It's very tough to ground hunt deer with a bow due to the short range and the movement required to draw the bow. A blind or tree stand are about the only way to fly. If you can set a couple that you'll use for the entire season, I'd recommend practicing out of them while they're in place to get the feel for shooting from a particular stance. Also, shooting downward such as from a tree stand will slightly alter an arrow's trajectory as well.

About the best general practice you'll get is by attending some 3D archery tournaments. They're a lot of fun and I'd imagine you should be able to find one every weekend in your neck of the woods. Go to any local archery store and they should be able to hook you up with a list of clubs holding tournaments.

Let me know if you've got any specific questions. I hunted for a few years, but shot competitive archery for 10+ years.

Rick

Originally posted by Trapps:
Tom,

I haven't ventured into the Bow hunting world. Yet. Perhaps because my wife, who is right, thinks another gear intensive hobby is out of the question.

As for hunting, deer I assume, the key will be practice. Most of my buddies bow hunt (I'm a fanatical bird hunter). They are always, always nocking up in someones backyard. Military training will help here - think swift, silent deadly!

Good luck Fred Bear!

lol, thanks!

You could make all your own gear, people have been doing it for 10,000 years you know.

That is what I'm doing and it is way cheaper than buying all that compound bow stuff.

Also, the performance of a good longbow will take any game in north america. A good recurve can shoot seriously hard too!

Actually, I took up traditional bowmaking and now I want to bow hunt with it. It's not hard to make a functional bow but to get heavy hitting high power bows from natural materials is where it starts to get harder. Then add in making the bow good looking with some artistry and crafstmentship, and it becomes a bit harder.

No biggie, I sold the contour so I needed a new hobby.

I've made several native american style longbows, one from native beechwood that pulled 53# at 28" but it had some flaws I didn't like and it is not the best wood anyway.

The last one I just completed is beautifull! It is 68" long made from Osage-Orange heartwood and pulls 72# at 28" draw.
It's got gorgeous brown-orange-yellow hues to the wood after it aged a little and I finished it in Tung oil so that the natural colors would stand out. I also wrapped the handle with brown leather with a red leather lace overwrap for contrast. Then I made the arrow shelf out of smooth black leather.

Here are two pictures:

another angle:

Originally posted by 1314:
Post pics of the BDU's. Or just tell me what sizes, condition, price, etc. I can see if I can get you a buyer or two or ten.

There are probably 12-14 sets of BDUs, woodland both summer weave and winter weave. I can take pictures and give an exact count if necessary.

Medium long on the pants, Large-long mostly for the tops, maybe a couple of large-reg with a couple of medium-long tops.

Most are pretty new, at least 3-4 sets are brand new with tags still on them.
All are serviceable without holes, the two oldest sets are summers with maybe a little lightening of color but none of the older ones are faded. All ten other sets are sharply colored.

One set of boots are brand new 12R black gortex lined, the other set is older with some nicks and scuffs covered with black polish.
Oh yeah, I also included an harness vest with some pouches and stuff. The harness could use a wash but the uniforms are all clean, some are still starched.
Perfect gear for hunting, paintball, or if you are still in the military and need some extra gear for then next year and a half that the Army will allow them to be worn.

I don't want much money for all of it, I'll let it all go, new boots and all for $150 to one person if you just come get it or with whatever shipping costs if I have to ship it. If you are interested PM me and I'll lay some out and take pictures and you can see how good they are. I'll ask more if I gotta parcel them out piece by piece.
I really just want to recoup a little cash back and clear the space out of the closet because I need to start buying the new ACUs. To top it off the Army doesn't pay their officers an annual clothing allowance and they won't issue the ACUs to anyone not going through a basic training course. Meaning I've got to pay all of it out of my own pocket....and I got mouths to feed.

Originally posted by Buckshot77:
Tom,

Anything specific you want to know about bowhunting? Practice is the best thing for you. I'd also see if you can find someplace to set up a stand or two. It's very tough to ground hunt deer with a bow due to the short range and the movement required to draw the bow. A blind or tree stand are about the only way to fly. If you can set a couple that you'll use for the entire season, I'd recommend practicing out of them while they're in place to get the feel for shooting from a particular stance. Also, shooting downward such as from a tree stand will slightly alter an arrow's trajectory as well.

About the best general practice you'll get is by attending some 3D archery tournaments. They're a lot of fun and I'd imagine you should be able to find one every weekend in your neck of the woods. Go to any local archery store and they should be able to hook you up with a list of clubs holding tournaments.

Let me know if you've got any specific questions. I hunted for a few years, but shot competitive archery for 10+ years.

Rick

There is a 3d range around here that I've been meaning to go try out. Now that you've reminded me I may go ahead and hit that pretty soon. I have a broadhead target I use in the back yard for 15-20 yard shots but its too easy. I've also been practicing at a regular archery range and I can consistently hit the targets at 30-40 yards with very few misses now.
Lost a few arrows in the beginning though.

Hunting from a stand is tough with a long bow, make sure you have room to move and reposition yourself in the stand. Being a good shot with your bow is the easiest part of bow hunting. Byron Ferguson has some excellent books on traditional bowhunting. What is the brace height on your bow? 3D shoots are great practice and fun but many of them I've been to are geared more for the compound guys, some shots over 70 yards and many in the 30-40 yard range. The kill zone on a deer is about the size of a basketball. Find out what range you can consistantly hit a paper plate and consider that your max range, taking into consideration elevation and if it's a quartering to/away shot.

Hmm, paper plate eh? Well those are cheap and easy to buy for targets.
With my recurve I can tag a paper plate consistently at up to 20 yards right now. Above 20yds I need a turkey platter.

My recurve is 59#at28" and it probably hits a bit harder than the 72# longbow in the picture I posted. It is wood with glass back though whereas the longbow is a self-bow.