Bow and arrow hunting is considered one of the biggest challenges of hunting. To get into bow range of any big game animal can be a challenge, with taking a mature animal such as a buck deer or bull elk being the pinnacle of all hunting. How to increase your odds of archery hunting and becoming a better bow hunter is what we will talk about here.

Hunting Season:

Tree Stand or Blind Hunting: If you have done your preseason scouting, opening day will find you in the spot you have located your first pick animal. Pick your tree stand depending on the wind. Even if you think one of your stands is in a better location than the others, if the wind is wrong, leave it alone. With big bucks or bulls, one false move may be the end of it and they will go elsewhere.

Get in your stand early; well before light. This will give bow hunting for beginners  things time to settle down. Make sure you can get to and from your stand silently and as quickly as possible. Then it is a waiting game. Be patient and stick it out. If you have done good scouting, then you have already increased your odds.

Spot and Stalk Hunting: Opening day should find you doing one of two things. If you have done your scouting and have a good pattern established on the buck you are focusing on, then your best bet might be to intercept him at some point in his daily routine. This can be at a water hole, at his bedding area, feeding area, or anywhere in between; it will mostly depend on the individual animal and where you can slip into without being detected.

If you think spot and stalk is your best bet for your area, then opening morning should begin just like a scouting morning, except you will have your bow and arrows with you. The goal is to find the animal first, and then decide on when and how to go about getting within bow and arrow hunting range.

The right time to make the stalk may be right away if you determine the wind is blowing right and you feel you have a shot at getting within range undetected. Other times you might have to just watch them until conditions improve, they bed down, and or the wind changes or gets stronger.

One of the hardest things to do while spot and stalk bow and arrow hunting is to be patient and hold off on a stalk if conditions are not right or if the target animal is in a bad position. If you choose to stalk a buck and fail do to getting winded, heard, or seen, then there is a chance you will have a much harder time finding that deer again then if you just wait until things change. More times than not, the animal will change location or conditions will change throughout the day making the likely hood of getting to within bow and arrow range of the buck much better. It is not uncommon to watch a deer all day and not have the opportunity presented to make a probable stalk. At least there is a good chance you will be able to find that deer the next day if you do not spook it.

Tree Stand Bow and Arrow Hunting: You will undoubtedly see more deer out of range than in range, unless you set up your stand in an area where you can only see 40 yards. Many times a nice buck will pass by just out of range. It is frustrating, but at least you know the animals are in the area. If this happens repeatedly, then you might want to consider a quick stand placement change to get closer to where the deer are coming through.

Spot and Stalk Bow and Arrow Hunting: After many years of hunting with a bow and arrow, I have had more than my fair share of close calls. In fact, I have found that it is not all that hard to stalk within 50 yards of a mature buck or bull. The hardest part is getting a shot opportunity. I have found that about one out of six stalks results in a shot opportunity, even if you get within shooting range every time. So if a stalk is unsuccessful, then go find another buck to stalk on. It is largely a numbers game. If you can average at least one stalk per day, then you can expect to have the chance to kill an animal in a week hunt. Sometimes it will take longer though and others it might happen on day one.

Bow and Arrow Practice:

You cannot shoot your bow enough to prepare for an upcoming season. If you plan to begin bow and arrow hunting, then it is suggested that you get your bow and arrows early and practice a long time before the season opens. Some people buy a bow and arrows and then expect to shoot an animal in as little as a couple of weeks. This is not acceptable as it takes time and lots of practice to become consistent with archery.

Practice in the field: If you are hunting out of a tree stand, then you need to practice shooting like you will be hunting. Practice shooting from an elevated position, as it is much different than shooting on the ground. Same goes for spot and stalk; you might find yourself shooting from a number of positions: on a side hill, up or down hill, crouching, off a cliff, or any other angle you can think of. It is best to be prepared, so practice all different ways. You do not want to miss the buck of a life time due to a miss; I speak from personal experience.

Having the Right Setup Tuned Properly

It is pointless to do anything that has to do with archery without having a bow and arrow setup that is tuned correctly. Even the most expensive bow on the market will not shoot a good group if it is not tuned correctly. Make sure you have an experienced archery technician take a look at your set up.

There are things that need to be lined up correctly in order to get consistency. Likewise, your arrows will need to have the correct specs in accordance with the amount of draw weight and arrow length you are shooting. The biggest factor is arrow spine with most arrows having a spine of 340-400, with the smaller the number meaning the stiffer the arrow/spine. When in doubt, go with a stiffer spine.

If you are experiencing difficulties in consistent accuracy, you should have things checked out by an experienced technician. Even if your bow and arrows are dialed in, then the tech might be able to point out problems in your shooting form.

Determine Your Own Luck:

Sure, there is a part of hunting that is luck, but with the information above you will be able to put that luck on your side. Why do some people consistently get mature animals? It is because they know what they are doing and have learned from the mistakes they have made in the past.