Arizona Outdoorsman

Arizona Outdoorsman / AZOD

MINOR DETAILS

By Frank Ortiz AZOD Contributing Writer

I will never forget the evening I was on stand during Arizona’s archery bull elk hunt. Camouflage 3-D motion suits had just hit the market; these were mesh suits with leaves sewn on that moved with the slightest breeze. I was on stand for approximately one hour when a 5x5 bull came in to water. The bull was only 18 yards away and broadside. For some reason, I came to full draw, and when I leaned out from the tree, the netting material from my cool looking camo jacket caught the bark on the tree like cat claw and sounded like Velcro being ripped. That bull was safe, due to my oversight on not practicing from the stand with my nifty camo duds. That was many years ago but the lesson was a valuable one.

Don’t let minor details cost you a chance to bag your trophy. You still have time to address some critical areas that can turn a blunder into a major success. Here are a few general but all-important tips that have been learned the hard way.

Scent Control

This should be job number one. If you will be wearing it when you go into the field, de-scent it. Admittedly this is too broad to cover in detail, but start with a clean body and clean clothes that have been washed in baking soda or scent-less soap, air-dried and bagged. Don’t forget to run your washing machine through an empty cycle to wash out lingering scents. Think about this one hard folks, mediocre scent control may be our most common failure. Even with today’s scent locking systems, you can still be winded.

Quiet Bow

Before you can shoot your trophy, you have to draw back and anchor as quiet as a church mouse.

Line the inside of your quiver with fleece or moleskin.
Lube your axles.
Silence your string with wool, rubber or navcom-like material.
Line the inside of your arrow shelf window, with fleece or moleskin.
Tighten every nut.
Clean or replace your cable slide.

Finally, go into a quiet room with all appliances turned off including the A.C. Draw your bow several times slowly, your bow should sound like that church mouse.

Noise

Again, think about your equipment.

Squeaky boots.
Noisy camouflage clothes. (Not all camouflage is suited for the bow-hunter.)
Chest pockets on tee shirts and shirts have a tendency to fill up with gear. Make sure you can clear your string.
Daypacks, fanny packs, backpacks, make sure you can adjust them to allow a quiet shot if hunting on foot. Usually, if shoulder straps are used and cinched too tight, they will make noise when drawing the bow.

This can be a chore, but better to think about these things now, rather than on the drive back home.

Full Camouflage

Wearing face paint is not for me but I can wear a facemask without affecting my anchor. If a game animal sees your eyes in front of your head, you better have a bead on him.

Practice Hunting Shots

You have been practicing, you are a good shot, and you are ready!

A couple of weeks ago, me and a couple of buddies went to scout some areas that we would be hunting in the near future. One morning, while I was making breakfast, my buddies set up a 3-D target and started practicing. These were good archers shooting heart and lung shots from different distances around camp.

After breakfast, I thought I would have some fun. I had a tree stand in the back of the truck that I set up at waist high. We decided to climb into the stand and shoot that one all-important arrow simulating a hunting shot under these ideal conditions. After taking turns and being humbled, we realized how tough it really is when you’re not standing on level ground using the same shot sequence to shoot an accurate arrow.

A shoulder hit, a high hit and paunch hit. These were three shots from three archers from an elevated position shooting at a foam deer! It was a good lesson learned. Practice shooting during early and late evening hours. Shoot from elevated positions. Shoot sitting and twisting left and right. If possible shoot at 3-D targets placed at varying angles and distances because doing so forces you to consider anatomy and shot placement. And last but not least shoot broadhead tipped arrows.

So much can go wrong, and so much is out of our control. Attention to details is a lot of work. Starting out they seem like minor details, after success in the field and the long ride home, you will realize that there is not a lot of luck involved. Work hard and you will be rewarded.

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