Hunting Archery Duck Deer

Veteran archer offers insight for new bowhunters - The best thing to do if you are considering taking up bowhunting is to learn - not about archery - but about tracking and trailing.

This advice comes from Joe St. Charles, a lifelong archer and traditional archery aficionado who lives in Billings. He made the statement after being asked what information a newcomer to the sport should arm themselves with before venturing into an archery shop.

So, if you were expecting a dissertation on draw length or the advantages of compound bows vs. recurves … surprise!

“You just need to know that’s something you have to think about,” St. Charles said.

Over the years, I’ve done a lot of thinking about bowhunting .

When I was a child, we used to cut lengths of willow from the bushes across the road from my house and fashion crude bows and arrows. Strung with cotton twine, we were lucky to launch one of our curvaceous arrows more than 10 yards. But the tools fueled our imagination and gave us weapons to stalk imaginary game through the creek bottom thickets and over the rolling foothills.

When I was about 10, my grandparents bought me a plastic recurve bow (think handlebar mustache in shape) with a quiver and five arrows. I remember rushing to grab it during a rainstorm after we saw some deer on the way to our campsite at dusk. I had to put on my moccasins, as well, so I could stalk the deer silently. I never found the deer and ended up falling numerous times on the rain-slick hillside in my smooth-soled footwear - probably a good introduction into the disappointments I will face bowhunting as an adult.

Once I was old enough to hunt, bowhunting wasn’t really a consideration. No one I knew was an archer. And once I became older, the constraints of time made it seem unethical to take up the sport, given that there is a need for consistent practice to become proficient.

But I’ve long admired the sport, especially for the requirement that hunters have to be extremely sneaky to get a shot, most of which are taken at game no farther than 30 to 50 yards distant.

For beginners like me, you might be surprised to know that St. Charles recommended practicing for at least three months, about two to three times a week, before going hunting. I thought it would take much more time.

“It’s best to practice in the field, stump shooting,” he said. “It’s better to practice in the country that you’ll be hunting in.”

Archery ranges serve their purpose, he said, but in general they’re too flat and don’t give archers a sense for the different kind of shots they’ll have to take - uphill, downhill and through the trees. Three-dimensional targets set up on a course - somewhat similar to a golf course or sporting clays range - offer more variety in shooting angles and provide better practice, he said.

St. Charles noted that the learning curve for an archer who has a compound bow is generally a lot quicker than for those using a recurve or long bow, where the shooting requires development of instincts to place a shot as opposed to using a sight.

Another surprise

One last thing St. Charles said about archery hunting that surprised me was:

“The bow’s not that big of a deal. It doesn’t have that big of an effect on getting game. It’s more about the archer’s skills than it is about the bow.”

Upon reflection, that makes sense. But going into the sport, I would’ve thought there was quite a big difference between the capabilities of a $300 bow and one that cost more than $1,000.

I have a lot to learn. Come along for the ride.

Brett French can be reached at 657-1387, or at french@billingsgazette.com.
Brett French
OFF-TRAIL