new testing standards for bow hunters at Fort Stewart...

[paulc]

This year the folks running the hunting at Fort Stewart outside of Savannah have instituted a new standard for bow hunters(no test for gun hunters!)

You have to be able to hit a 9" circle with two of three shots at both 15 yds and 20yds otherwise you can not bow hunt the property.  I have always limited my shooting to 12 paces because that is as far as I feel confident.  And you have to shoot field points for the test so the hunting arrows I have been practicing with these last several weeks are out.  Now I am scrambling to either get together some arrows with field points and learn to shoot consistently at 20yds or find a new place to bow hunt this year.  Really wish I had heard about this earlier than last week so I had time to plan for it....The season opens in about two weeks.

How many of you can hit a paper plate at 20yds with 2 of 3 shots?  I don't shoot that far because I can't!

And I tried cooking some flint I collected in Eddyville, KY a couple weeks ago on a quick vacation with family...I blew most of the rock up in the fire...not a good primitive hunting day

[soy]

I hear you loud and clear 10 to 15 is my preferred range and what is good for the goose I say test the gunners to I've seen some poor shots ...good luck

[Little John]

I think I could do it especially on a good day and so can you, you still have time to practice.  Draw deeply with your back muscles and follow thru till the arrow is  in the paper plate.    Kenneth

[Scowler]

Sorry to hear about the changes at Ft. Stewart.  Many primitive bowhunters I've talked to hunt at shorter distances (10-15 yards or so).  Alot of "modern' people think you have to be able to kill at some ridiculus distance.  As far as my accuracy I would not hunt beyond 15 yards.  I can hit a paper plate beyond this (out to 30-35 yards) but not consistantly enough to hunt at.  Good luck and good hunting.

[Pat B]

Have you talked to the hunt master at Fort Stewart? If you explain your situation he may reconsider his rulings.

[Kegan]

If your arrows are matched to your bow there's no reason you shouldn't be able to get two out of three shots into a 9" target at 20 yards. Fairly forgiving test the way I see it?

[zdogk9]

"  I don't shoot that far because I can't!"
Is this because you do not have the space? If so get a playing card and place it about four or five yards in front of you flat on the lawn, shoot at it from a standing position, if you get to a point where you can consistently hit it you'll have no trouble meeting the standard that has been set for Ft. Stewart. If you have twenty yds. available, tape a 6" plate to your backstop, then put a red thumbtack in the center of it. The thumbtack is your point of aim, I'll bet that within a few hours of focusing on the tack to the exclusion of all else the plate will look like swiss cheese and need to be replaced. If this can be done at longer yardage than twenty so much the better.

[paulc]

20 and 30 yds are for the compound guys, 15 and 20 yds are for the wooden bow guys.  I practiced with some carbon arrows and field points 4 nights in a row after work once I found out about the test and my shooting got worse not better:-)  I can shoot a baseball at 12 yds with the carbon arrows, often 3 shots out of 3.  But once I start to go longer than that I am lucky if I can hit a basketball.  I am sure it is a mix of all the factors that make wooden bows a challenge that, combined beyond about 12 paces becomes very unforgiving for me.  I continue to hope I can pull something together in time to test for fort stewart, but I also spent yesterday finding some other public land that I can hunt without having to worry about testing.  paulc

[sonny]

are you shooting properly spined arrows from that particular bow ?? if not then you're going to continue to be
frustrated with how you're shooting........

[paulc]

My bow, osage, was drawing 52lbs when I got it in 2002.  I am shooting some (I have two shootable and a 3rd with broken nock) Carbon Wolverine arrows that are spined for 50-60lbs according to the markings on the arrow.  These arrows are about as old as the bow and a Walmart purchase from before I tried to go completely primitive.  (I would buy some new arrows but I am out of time, they are expensive as he!!, and I would prefer not to hunt with them if I did not make them so why spend the money?)  The arrows are of course from China so no telling how good or bad a quality they are but they do typically leave my bow cleanly, straight, and fast if I do my part.   I did practice some more last night and was shooting terrible at 15yds so in frustartion I went to 20yds and I actually got the bullseye more than once...go figure.  I did find that if I put the bow more into the meat of my thumb instead of my palm I seemed to get better results.  I will try later today to see if I can duplicate the results.  Next test is Thursday, hunting season starts on Saturday.  I am out of town Tues and Weds.  So it will either happen this weekend or I will hunt some other public land. Thanks, paul

[zdogk9]

The Carbon Express Wolverine is running $5.00 apiece at Walmart or at least they were two weeks ago. Compared to .45 ammo, which I use a lot of, this is damned cheap, compared to 30/06 ammo I break even if I get five shots out of an arrow, ten if I'm shooting reloads.
 I'd have to value my time at fifty cents an hour for my bamboo arrows to compare cost wise. When I figure in the time I'd spend making replacements for broken/lost/miss-placed arrows I'd be spending way too much time making arrows instead of shooting. Arrows, like bullets, are expendable, and if you want to get good with either you'll have to send a lot of them down range