If you are just like me, then you might enjoy spending countless hours in the woods. Some of us also happen to be hunters. For those of us who prefer archery hunting over any other method, here are several different reasons why putting your game on the ground might boil down to using a compound or recurve bow and arrow rather than taking it down with some other type of weapon.
Bowhunting Forces You to Get Closer to the Game
There is something peaceful about sitting still in the woods for hours on end. It’s calming, even therapeutic. When the time finally comes to make a move, you must focus on your surroundings while looking out for the right opportunity.
It Makes You Slow Down
Do you enjoy running from dawn until dusk? If so, then maybe hunting is not for you. I’ve been bowhunting long enough to appreciate that this type of hunting makes me slow down, take my time, sit still, be patient, observe; pay close attention to detail, think thoroughly before putting an arrow into motion, locate game with my eyes only (no binoculars), and trust my instincts even more than what seems like usual. Who knows – by doing all or some of these things, perhaps my chances for success will be higher than if I were to do anything.
It’s a Catch-22 Situation for the Animal
If the animal is too far away, you have no choice but to get closer; if it doesn’t offer a good shot, you’ll also need to get closer to take one. Either way, your chance of getting stopped by physical barriers such as bushes or trees is very high. This makes it so that hunters often get much closer than they would ever imagine taking a shot at their prey.
It Forces You to Be Patient and Creative with Your Decisions
It’s not easy to sit for hours on end at the same spot where you believe animals might pass through. To do so means that you must be patient, creative with your decisions, and, more importantly – ready to shoot at a moment’s notice!
It Makes You Observe and Be Aware Of Your Surroundings
It pays off big time as a bow hunter if you know how to be observant and use your surroundings to your advantage. For example, one can move their way upwind to mask their scent or walk softly on dry leaves against the wind direction; this will help hide their approach and keep them downwind from prey long enough before taking a shot. In contrast, moving towards an area with high visibility, such as a clearing, might give you more opportunities to let the animal get closer than it would in low visibility environments. Because of these reasons, I try to use what’s around me to my advantage so that the “outcome” is usually in my favor.