Recent epiphany with my hunting religion....I bought a bow

[dadof4]

I hunt in Northern British Columbia, mostly for Moose but more recently ELK. I was spoon fed 30.06 since a wee lad.
My father did some guiding and only then would he consider buying a 300mag and that was only after an experience where he emptied his 30.06 into a charging Grizz only to slow it down enough that his partner finished it off.
I did move to a better bullet and I've kinda stayed with my .o6 and Nosler Partition's for quite a years now. (I'm a little over 50)

Last season my son came home from Camp and said he liked archery, well this son did need another activity so I bought a used PSE Nomad for him for Christmas, found a local archery guy who set it all up and got him going at a local rod/gun club. Progress for him is challenging but he is enjoying himself. Well I finally got around to buying a family membership and for his last birthday bought a newer 3 pin sight to replace the single pin and off to the range to help him sight it in. He doesn't have much patience and it was all I could do to keep him interested enough to sight in a 10 and 20 yard and let him practice. After he was played out I finally had an opportunity to ask him to show me what this archery stuff was all about. My son is very tall and gangly so I thought that maybe our draw lengths might be similar. He did his best to explain the basics on how to stand, how to hold the bow and of course how to nock and release an arrow. He was quite good at explaining and had me going in no time. Unfortunately for me my hand was too large and I could not use his release, but he got me to finger release.

I am laughing, thinking back but I was hooked from the first arrow. We shot a bit and I couldn't wait to see what it would be like with a release. So I bought one the next day and a couple days later I was back at the range shooting off the bow. I was really enjoying this and now with the aid of the release was getting some real nice groupings for a beginner. I really wanted to finish sighting this thing in, but it was my son's and I wanted to respect the fact that he needed the learning experience himself, so I just played around at 20 yds and left it at that. Couple days later again I am at the range having fun and somewhere in the back of my consciousness I started a visualization of me using this for hunting.

As I am contemplating all this, i started reflecting back how only a few seasons ago i was hunting and had gotten up close and personal to some elk bugling and screaming away, all the while not having a clue that I needed to be running and gunning and go after them. Think back to your first memories and how your neck hairs almost abandoned you right then and there. It was around that time I first started searching the internet and found a guy named Elknut and I've never been happier that I did. I started having successes the following season with calling them in. It was another 2 seasons before i brought down my first Bull (5x5) using Elknut's methods but I have had many opportunites that didn't all pan out but wow, did my game get stepped up.

So all this going thru my head as i pop arrows into a bag and i started a conversation with a nice fellow with a pretty intense looking bow setup. he had just bought it and was practicing for hunting and was leaving in a couple weeks. We got to talking and he told me he had just bought it on impulse and now was prob going to sell his old Hoyt for a couple hundred bucks. Too bad he had just taken it in and had it all tuned up. Hmmmm did you by chance say you had a good used bow for sale? all to go? with a case and all?

So yeah I am now the owner of a bow myself and am thrilled. Surprised the first time i pulled back a 60#'er (my son's was 45) but I am already used to it. Next time out a very nice fellow explained a bit about arrows and told me that if i intended to hunt big game use a tip called slicktrick. So that's exactly what I have done. Using GT arrows and slick tricks I am very comfortable out to 40 yrds and reasonably happy with the 50yd in only a few weeks of practicing and quite sure i can increase that by next season. So after all those years of wondering why guys used bows I think i may be venturing down a path to find out. So yeah I will be bow hunting this season for ELK Moose and deer, although I will still be bringing my rifle along. Pretty stoked and chomping at the bit. Thankfully i have a wife who understands me although she draws the line on listening to Vol 4 Worse than Wolves while in the car.....I guess she has to draw that line somewhere.

So I am now dreaming of my 1st bow Elk after an epiphany with my hunting religion. Sorry for the ramble just wanted to share.

[BarW]

I've been addicted to bow hunting for 20 years. Welcome to the club.

[planebow]

I have been hunting with a bow since 1962 and still going strong. Getting up close a personable is what it is all about. Welcome to a new passion.

[easeup]

welcome aboard dadof4. I have a similar story too in that I never picked up a bow until I was 48 yrs.
It is an addiction!

[Broken arrow]

I was fortunate that my father worked for York archery and I grew up with bows and arrows. For me a rifle is like hunting a critter tied to a post. Unless it flies all I hunt with is a bow. Recurve or long bow never could shoot with wheels.

[ElkNut1]

Hey dado4, thanks for the thoughts there, it helps us to see who you are & what you're about. Congrats to your son for sparking your interest!! Sounds like you're shooting very well & yes those Slick Tricks will geter done! (grin)

ElkNut1

[snag]

Welcome to the club, enjoy & good luck!!!!!!!!

[dadof4]

thanks guys,

my confidence will grow with use and familiarity
I am very excited but gonna be weird leaving my rifle in the truck, hopefully I will be able to leave it there.

I do have a slight motivation as well, as Mulies either sex are open for bow-only during Elk hunting
I leave in a week