Learning to Hunt Hosting a hunting- based outdoor skills event in your community Mary Kay Salwey, Ph.D. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources 2004 Station Learning to HuntCredits 15Project Director With Stick and StringMary Kay Salwey, Ph.D. Wisconsin DNR Bureau of Wildlife Management Box 7921 Madison, WI 53707-7921 Editorial Assistance Nancy Williams Carrie L. Armus Artwork Eric DeBoer Mary Kay Salwey Dynamic Graphics Cindie Brunner Photos Robert Queen Mary Kay Salwey Mike Roach Design Concept Blue Raven Graphics Electronic Layout Mary Kay Salwey, Wisconsin DNR Published by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Copyright 2004 by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Madison, Wisconsin. All original illustrations copyrighted. This book is educational in nature and not-for-profit. It is intended to inspire organizations to pass the tradition of hunting down to younger generations. However, all rights are reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or any part thereof in any form except brief quotations for reviews, without the written permission of the publisher. 184 Station Hosting an Outdoor Skills Clinic in Your Community 15 With Stick & With Stick and String String Participants learn the basic Bowhunting basics parts of bows and arrows. They try their hand at shooting a recurve or compound bow and learn some techniques for hunting deer. 185 Station Learning to Hunt 15 Objectives Equipment With Stick and String Participants shall: Bows– recurve, longbow, compound, in various describe the difference weights between a recurve bow, Arrows of various types longbow and compound bow. Arm guards, finger tabs or finger gloves, quivers demonstrate the safe and Hunting arrowheads – blunt, accurate use of a recurve or target, broadhead, fixed and compound bow. replaceable Sharpening tools – small mill recite five of the bowhunting file, razor strop, stiff strip safety rules for target practice. of leather, flat piece of wood, rubber bands demonstrate how to maintain Examples of camouflage broadhead arrow tips. clothing – leaf and bark patterns describe the importance of Camouflage materials for bows shot placement and shooting and arrows – camouflage skills. gun sock, dull primer, crayons describe how to track a deer Game recovery aids— that’s been hit with an arrow. engineer’s tape, strips of toilet paper or facial tissue explain the steps in preparing Portable tree stands with archery equipment for field safety harnesses hunting. 8 or more 3-D white-tailed deer targets Backstop net, if available Ball of string or twine and several wooden stakes or laths Large table (picnic table) International Bowhunter Education Manual (contact: National Bowhunter Education Foundation, Route 6, Box 199 Murray, KY 42071) 186 Station Hosting an Outdoor Skills Clinic in Your Community Station Setup Background 15 Information Set up a large table with bows, With Stick and String arrows, arrowheads and Bow hunting is becoming sharpening tools for display and increasingly popular in the United demonstration. Erect tree stands States, with over 2 million avid safely. bow hunters currently pursuing their sport. Most states have Set up an archery shooting range. special bow hunting seasons. Of Be sure the sun is not in the all the hunting sports, bow bowhunter’s eyes (face range Long Bow hunting is the one that most north, if possible). Use a string or requires special shooting skills and twine to mark off a shooting line. strengths, as well as the ability to Place the string two to three get really close to game. inches above the ground, tied to stakes. Set up five or more Instructors should brush up on shooting stations with deer targets some basic information by set out at 10 yards from the reviewing the International shooting line. Set up one shooting Bowhunter Education Manual. station with the target at 20 Also, review the basic terms below yards, another station with the related to archery and target at 30 yards and a final bowhunting. station with the target set at 40 Recurve Bow yards. Use a ratio of one target Bow Designs for every four participants. Clear Three basic types of bows are used the area between the bowhunters in hunting—the compound, and the targets. Check to ensure recurve and long bow. Depending that the area 30 yards beyond the on the type, a typical bow will have targets and to the side of the a pair of limbs, a handle section, targets is clear so that no one can strings or cables and may include a wander into the area without site and arrow rest. While the being seen. Block off any entries makes, models and materials may into the shooting zone. A backstop vary, all bows work on the net is useful because it stops principal of storing energy in the arrows that miss the target and Compound Bow limbs and transferring that energy reduces arrow breakage. A dirt to an arrow when the string or bank makes a good backstop but it cable is released. A compound must be high enough that arrows bow is the most advanced design. don’t fly over the bank. It has a system of pulleys that help minimize finger strain and muscle fatigue when a bowhunter fully draws the bow back. A compound 187 Station Learning to Hunt bow shoots faster than a recurve shoot comfortably. The heavier 15 or long bow, which keeps the the draw weight, the heavier the arrow traveling in a flatter arrow that can be shot. This in With Stick and String trajectory. turn provides better penetration of the animal being hunted. Also, a Draw Weight faster arrow means less chance the The draw weight of a recurve bow animal can jump or dodge the is the number of pounds of force it arrow. For deer hunting, the takes to draw the bow string back minimum recommended draw to full draw, or 28 inches. For weight for a compound bow is 50- each inch of draw above or below 55 pounds. 28 inches, add or subtract two pounds of bow weight to Draw Length determine the approximate weight The draw length of a bow is the of the bowhunter’s personal draw. distance a bowhunter has to draw For compound bows, draw weight his or her arrow back before is the same as peak weight – the shooting. This length is measured amount of weight the bowhunter from the bottom of the string pulls through before the bow “lets groove in the nock of the arrow to off” in weight at full draw. the front or far side of the bow, Hunters should use a bow with as when the bow is pulled back at full much draw weight as they can draw. This length depends upon the length of the bowhunter’s arms, the anchor point where the bowhunter rests the nock of the arrow when at full draw, and the hunter’s own style of shooting. Arrow Shafts Arrow shafts are made from various materials: wood, aluminum and fiberglass being very common types. Wood shafts, of course, are the most traditional. They are not as heavy and they cost less than other materials. Their light weight gives them a flat trajectory. The draw length depends on Aluminum arrows are lighter than the length of the fiberglass also giving them a flat bowhunter’s arms, and trajectory. They are completely anchor point at full draw and the hunter’s own style of waterproof. Their wide range of shooting. weights and stiffness provides 188 Station Hosting an Outdoor Skills Clinic in Your Community bowhunters with great versatility. Arrowheads Fiberglass arrows have the Arrows are tipped with heads…the 15 advantage that they do not warp in part that enters the target or With Stick and String wet weather and very seldom animal. Field points are simple, break or shatter unless they hit a rugged steel points used for target rock. They are heavier than practice or shooting squirrels or aluminum or wood, resulting in an small gamebirds. Broadheads are arching trajectory. Their added razor sharp tips with two to six weight, however, makes them cutting edges used to hunt big penetrate an animal better. game, small game and turkeys. Most bowhunters prefer three Fletching blades to ensure quick, humane The fletching of an arrow refers to kills. Blunt tips are flat-nosed the feathers or plastic vanes on the arrowheads made of steel or back end of the arrow shaft. The rubber. They are used to “stump- standard arrow comes with three shoot” and hunt squirrels, rabbits feathers or vanes about five inches and smaller gamebirds. Blunts long. These vanes serve to work well for field practice stabilize the arrow as it flies because they either bounce off or through the air. The smaller the shallowly penetrate wood, and fletching, the faster it flies, though never get wedged into wood it becomes less stabilized. Flu-flu tightly like field points and fletching has longer feathers broadheads sometimes do. (about one inch high) that slow the arrow down quite fast. These are Arrowheads are either glued onto used for squirrel or bird hunting. the arrow shaft with hotmelt Arrows, arrowheads and fletching They don’t get lost as easily and ferrule cement or screwed in with come in all different shapes, sizes are safer because they don’t fly as a special point adapter and styles. far as standard arrows. system that lets Advantages of feather fletching the bowhunter include that they are more conveniently forgiving of release errors, have exchange greater stabilizing influence, and arrowheads in are adaptable to all types of bows. seconds. Disadvantages of feathers are greater drag, reduced arrow speed, more noise in flight, and susceptibility to weather. Synthetic vanes offer more speed, are more sensitive to release, are quieter in flight and require an arrow rest.