Brand Spankin' New

[Sir Toddamus J]

I want to introduce myself instead of lurk and haunt the forums, like I typically do. I'm brand new to bow hunting and I would consider myself a novice hunter overall. I took advantage of youth hunts growing up, but really only did small game hunting through my college years. I can count on one hand the number of big game animals I've harvested. I grew up in Idaho, but moved to Texas for work. Once I got my first job out of college, I found it hard to hunt and I put the guns up for a spell. I kept putting off hunting with excuses like, "there's a lack of public land, I'm too cheap to pay for a lease, to get into bow hunting will require a small investment, and I need to spend more quality time with the family". I love my family and they are at the fore front of my life, but without time spent in the field, I can become an unhappy camper. That, and what better way to spend quality time with your son than by taking him outdoors to enjoy the beauty of the earth. So I recently embraced the challenge of hunting in a new and “foreign” state. That is what mainly lead me to bow hunting. There are far more opportunities for bow hunters hunting on public land here in Texas than those who want to hunt with a rifle. So I decided to do some research.
My father introduced me to a guy he knew down here in Texas that was a successful public land bow hunter. We met for breakfast and I started grilling him. So much of the lingo he used was foreign to me and by the end of our conversation all I knew was that he tried to get out further than anybody else, and he hung in a tree by some weird mechanism I'd never heard of. I failed to get his contact info, rookie mistake #1, and after another year or so of putting off the urges to hunt, rookie mistake #2, I finally decided to figure out what the heck he was talking about. I first thought this guy was sitting in a tree with some kind of harness and maybe a climbing rope with a carabineer. So I looked up tree stand harnesses, but that didn't seem to make much sense. Those just seemed like a safety net for someone who slips out of a tree stand while taking a nap.
I finally made my way to a pro shop, I was thoroughly intimidated. I had no idea what I was looking for, and had no idea what this guy was using in a tree. I had only shot a bow once, thank you boy scouts, but other than that I knew I would just look super foolish in a pro shop asking loads of rookie questions. So I described a grown man, hanging from a tree in some kind of harness to the guy at the pro shop. Lucky for me he was well experienced and knew what I was describing. He told me it was called a tree saddle and that they didn't carry any. At this point I was completely clueless as to how I was going to ascend any sort of tree. The pro shop guy must have known I was a total greenie since he immediately started telling me about public hunting regs and how you can't use any screw in steps to get up in a tree. So he told me about climbing sticks and strap on steps.
Back to the internet I went. I typed in tree saddle and found a link to New Tribe and their new hunting saddle. I then found Guidos Web and watched reviews of folks using both saddles on youtube. I was very impressed. Though the saddles were expensive, or seem to me, they are easier to pack in and out of the woods. That was a huge selling point for me, but I still needed a bow, so I went back the internet for guidance. After a few more weeks and pouring over reviews on bows and equipment I've decided on a Bear Attitude. I felt it was a great starter bow for the price. Please don't try and sell me on another bow. I did a lot of research on this one, and for me this is a large investment. The last thing I want to hear is a strong opinion after forking over so much dough. Once I get more comfortable with a bow and learn more about the sport I'm sure I'll upgrade, but for now I need something to learn on that can get the job done. As for a saddle, I'm going to go with the New Aero Hunter. Their website says they are out of stock until... today actually. So hopefully I can order one in before the season starts and if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t have found this website dedicated to other saddle hunters. This site has been a great resource for platform ideas, and loads of other things that I would have never thought of until I was already up a tree, literally. Though pooping in a plastic bag filled with kitty litter doesn’t sound too much of a picnic if you ask me.... Some of you guys are die hards! If you don’t know what I’m talking about, paw through the other newbie posts. All in all I am stoked for my first real bow hunting season here in Texas. Wish me luck, and good luck to you all this season.

 

[Bigburner]

Welcome and glad you made the effort to get back in the saddle. No pun intended. Sounds like you have intent. How far or how little you want to take it is where your journey will begin. If there is one particular forum you may want to keep tabs on it is thehuntingbeast.com. It’s the real deal. Another great resource especially relating to saddle hunting and public land hunting is John Eberhart. Dan Infalt, who runs the hunting beast and John are public land legends. I've been bow hunting for 30 yrs, and not without success and The Hunting Beast turned a lot of things on ear for me a couple years back and if you have the time to invest in this style of hunting it will give you an understanding that is unparalleled by any of the crap that the hunting media and industry tries to jam down your throat. No pixie dust just hard work with winter/spring scouting boots on the ground finding buck beds, how wind and weather and terrain effect where bucks live and how to hunt them. Most people hope for opportunities this makes opportunities. No pee in a bottle, no ozone generating machines, no little devices that make deer sound like they are eating acorns, no super-secret scent eliminating clothing. So your success is in your hands and the work you put into it solidifies your confidence and confidence is key. I watch hunting shows and read major hunting publications as comic relief and the more experienced I gained the more I realized that it is un-realistic and in no way shape or form relates to my success as a diehard public land hunter. You mentioned public land and you aren't going to be the only one hunting it so with understanding and experience you gain an edge. So become extremely familiar with the subtle features that your region provides. The terrain especially and how affects thermals and wind patterns. Study topo maps and learn to read them and study aerial photos on sites like cal topo and google earth. It will make the difference of you sitting and wondering to becoming a calculated predator. But remember its super fun as well and use it as an opportunity to involve your family and friends in just getting out. Good luck on your season and your journey.

 

[redsquirrel]

Welcome to the site!

Everything that Bigburner said is right on. My only difference is that I am a fan of scent control, but I use it in addition to everything else. That is the great thing about hunting is that you can get into it as much or as little as you want. The whole point is to make sure it is fun. Don't get too caught up in this "antler addition" that is going around now. For most people the things you read on the internet are not realistic and I think some of the stuff that people post on sites such as AT is BS and to make themselves look good. Never forget that you are doing this to have fun!

That being said of course everyone wants to shoot "the big one". If you want to do this on public land you are going to have to work harder than the next guy. To consistently shoot deer on public land you have to know your territory and what the deer do. Typically this is going to mean going deep because the deer will be more active in daylight in these areas because there will be less human pressure. Sometimes there may be overlooked areas that aren't deep. The only way to find these spots is to get your boots on the ground. Studying topo/aerial maps prior will help a lot but boots on the ground is the most important thing. When you first start scouting you aren't going to see everything but eventually things will come together. Just be observant and if something stands out take the time to investigate. I love scouting as much as hunting because I love being out in nature and just observing and seeing nature in action.

As far as your bow is concerned I'm sure you are making a good choice. Although I haven't shot any recently I know bear is making some good bows. Despite what you may read on some other sites you do not need the latest and greatest fastest bow to kill a deer. Once you get your bow the most important thing will be to practice practice practice. Once you are accurate you will need to learn to estimate distance and only shoot within your range while hunting. That is part of the fun of scouting is trying to figure out where the deer will go and put your stand within range.

I'm glad you are going to start using a saddle, it is the way to go. I hope this info helps you and we are here to help as you learn you way