My new bow....

My trusty old Browning Nomad has finally gave it up. She became twisted from the last move we had to make (found out it had been laid down for too long of a time which caused the limbs to twist). So I had to get a new bow for hunting. I've picked up a Pearson Z-34 set at 65 lbs. with a 28" draw. I've outfitted it with my old TruGlo site with a Peep Eliminator Rifle Site attachment (getting rid of my peep site). I've also installed a Wisker Biscuit for my arrow rest and plan on getting a new quiver and arrows. If you are interested here are some pictures of the bow and attachments I'm talking about (click on picture for link to site or other information):

http://www.ufp-squad.com/images/08PearsonZ-34andZ-32.gif

http://www.ufp-squad.com/images/PictureforAd.jpg

http://www.ufp-squad.com/images/whisker-biscuit-original.jpg

So any other ideas or comments? Remember, I'm on an extremely limited budget now that I've purchased this bow (and no, I did not pay the retail price )

 

Sweeeet! Nice purchase Wraith. All ready for deer season now

 

Nice bow. I'm jealous.

 

AwsomeI'm thinking of getting bow,its illegal to hunt with them over though I assume due to the suffering the animal goes through.

 

Not at all. It's illegal to hunt with a rifle for the majority in England too, and that's a quick kill. Bow hunting equally is a quick kill if you are a good bow hunter. I don't think the government imposed that law because of undue suffering it may cause the animal; after all, they aren't opposed to undue suffering being imposed on the population when it suits (OoOoOoOo did I just open a can of worms? *grins*)

Let's face it...catapults are illegal in the UK too. What's next? toy guns, mental nail files, car keys...anything can be a weapon of destruction if in the wrong hands.

If it wasn't for good 'huntmanship' none of us would be here today.

 

Bow hunting seems more violent to me anyway. Though these pictures look great and overall I like images of weapons, I can't approve of hunting nowadays. I don't understand killing for joy

 

That's okay, I kill because deer are tasty. Actually, there's a small vital area low in the chest that's an almost instant kill if you hit it. Of course the one I've seen hit up close was an instant kill because the arrow deflected off the ribs, and then hit the spine.

 

First let me preface this post. My purposes of this post is not to inflame or infuriate. It is merely an explanation of this particular authors viewpoints when it comes to the nature of hunting (responsible hunting that is) and should be considered as such.

Then I would have to say that you don't understand hunting period. It's not for joy that I or others that I hunt with hunt deer. I hunt for food, much like my ancestors did. Every chance I get to save money by hunting and processing my own food is another dollar I can spend on other necessities of my family. Much like I grow vegetables as well. If I lived in the country I would probably raise my own beef so I could have fresh milk and beef as well. Yes, I could go to the store and purchase any number of types of meat (and I do) that is packed full of additives and preservatives as well as anti-biotics but exactly where is the sense in that if I can supplement my families diet with good healthy food at a minimal cost.

Hunting is also about good stewardship. It's a proven fact of society today that we are the ONLY predator of large game animals in the majority of the lower 48 states. Without a managed harvesting season for these large game animals they would soon become overcrowded which would lead to disease and famine. Ever seen a starving animal? There are few deaths that are more prolonged and hideous than that. It is pain on a wholesale level sir, and one that I could not stand by and be a part of. Good stewardship means many things, some of which are the responsibility of the hunter to make sure he/she has a good, clean kill shot, is able to track the animal and fully harvest it, makes use of as much of the animal as it is possible to do, if he/she is not going to eat the meat themselves then they should donate the meat to one of many needy charities for distribution. It is also good stewardship to supplement the game animals diet and to cull the herd to ensure healthy animals, which means that a responsible hunter does not kill indiscriminately but is EXTREMELY choosy on which animal they harvest. If the herd is down in numbers, you don't take an animal. If the herd is too large, you harvest more.

I'm sorry for the dissertation on hunting ethics and responsibilities but I really don't appreciate the attitude of some people who think that we kill for fun alone. Is it fun? On certain levels, yes it is, on other levels, no it is not. It is rather quite sad that a magnificent animal has to give it's life to put meat on my table but in the same token it IS the natural cycle of life on this planet. Even vegetarians kill in order to eat. Plants may or may not be on the same level as animals (I'm not one to determine that) but they are living organisms all the same. We all kill, it's only a matter of what extent that differentiates us.

 

I don't kill for joy....I kill to fill the freezer. The only things that gets wasted with me are the bones. Even the hide gets used as our son-in-law is a taxidermist.

Wraith said it perfectly. I just wanted to add my agreement. We grow our own vegetables too. Same reason. It is a much much harder way of existence than simply going to Winco or wherever and pulling it out the freezer. But it is clean and rewardable. Each to their own

 

http://www.whipperleys.co.uk/acatalog/catapult_buy_catapult_ammo.html

Its only illegal to use a rifle on land that isn't large enough for the rifle you intend to use,if you start letting off your .50 on every patch of grass you find your gonna end up killing someone we're only a small island not a continent like the US,isn't there laws over there about using rifles outdoors within city limits or something?Its the same thing we just have more urban areas.

I think everyone who eats meat should go hunting and kill something at least once in their life,people really get my goat when they start crying or have to look away when a clip of slaughterhouse is on TV then tuck into a T bone steak later,"Thats life" I always tell them if you don't like it turn vegetarian.

 

If all hunters had your attitude and took on the same responsibility, ethics and respect of animals towards hunting, then I expect most meat eaters (ie non-hunters) most probably would not raise objections to hunters such as yourself.

Personally, I've been aghast with reports of how some hunters have killed indiscriminately, without ethics nor respect for animals and just for fun as a recreational or just a sporting activity rolleyes. Imho, it is this latter, unsavoury types that raise the most indignit cries to cast a blanket shadow upon all hunters.

 

I agree that these are the ones whom you hear the most about. However, they are in the vast minority (in my experience). Most hunters are quite ethical and treat the prey with the respect that is deserved to a magnificent animal. It is the press' fault that they print about sensationalistic stories that sells their magazines and their newsprint. That and the anti-hunter organizations like PETA that causes bad press for the majority of us who hunt responsibly. But then again, there are whack jobs in all branches of society.

Jack

 

As a child, I remember my dad (died when I was a teenager) enjoying his many hobbies which included the making of his own sabres, foils (for fencing). As he also enjoyed archery, he also made his own arrows, bows and a couple of crossbows, (though the first one was a functional model to check accuracy, etc, the second was spot on accuracy and functionality, something he was proud of, then saddened when it was stolen).

So I would love to hear what he would say about your new bow - today's modern style...given his approach was adapting medieval weapon designs

 

I didn't mean to insult anybody too.
I really don't understand hunting at all, maybe because I live in a big city, a megalopolis. I admit, that I there's little in me that links me with the wild.
Thanks for explaining your point of view, that is always interesting to read some sensible thoughts on the subject you've never pondered over too much.

What I said about disapproving of hunting was rather a common thought, than related particularly to any of those who really need it to make a living. You know, people in big cities mainly have access to everything they need, that's why in my mind hunting strongly associates with killing for joy (again, I don't address any of you here).

Sorry, if I wasn't clear enough and insulted anyone

 

Nice, I got a BowTech last Christmas in in anticipation for my departure from the Navy. I got a (small) eight point last fall. First time hunting with a Bow.

No luck during Rifle season, I passed on a 4 point.

 

No, I did not take offense, I just wanted to clear this subject up a bit and make certain you understood where the majority of hunters that I know are coming from. It's not that we need to hunt to "make a living" but more that we are using what God has given us in a responsible and manageable manner. I could spend my entire life without ever hunting if I so choose but there are many things that I can do because I save money by hunting and not having the extra expense of purchasing all of my meats at the store. It has also allowed me to pass on to my children, and hopefully my grandchildren someday, the idea of conservation and respect for nature. There are many lessons to learn from hunting and I always try to pass these on.

Yours,
Jack

 

Congratulations on your first bow kill

I got my trophy rifle kill last year - an 11 point blacktail (big and rare for a blacktail). Challenging little things, aren't they

 

I looked at the Bowtechs but honestly I fell in love with the smooth draw of this new Z-7 cam. Much smoother than any other bow I've ever shot and it does not feel like you are pulling as much weight as you are. My bow is set at 65 lbs and it feels like its only about 50 lbs or so. Real nice!

 

Theodore Roosevelt was an avid hunter. He also believed very strongly in conservation, as most hunters do. (Admittedly it's so we have something to shoot at next year, but...)

PETA, and vegetarians in general seem to be a disease that comes with big cities.

 

Is there a need for such a comment? There has been civility in this thread shown so far until now.

 

As well, as those who stand against using natural fur-coats etc.
Maybe you are right, all these trends originate from big cities and megalopolises. But I wouldn't call that a disease - rather an opposite point of view towards nature and usage of its resources. Hunting to eat or wearing furs to keep warmth in winter is not so vital for us in big cities. Though I'm against hunting today (only because I nicely do without it), I admit that people owe very much to it. I eat meat every day, but these animals are killed by other hands - as it has been said, man is a killer anyway.

 

Every fall as I grew up, my grandparents would come by and give my parents half a grown moose. My mother would prepare all the meat and freeze it, and we ate it for a full year. The weeks before my grandparents' visit was always fun, as we desperately tried to eat all of last year's meat to make room in the freezer.

If my grandfather had not been hunting, my parents would have struggled to keep us well fed while I was little, as neither teachers or nurses get paid much.

Now that I am grown up, and I live in a city where I can buy meat in the store there is no need for me to hunt or for anyone to hunt for me. The reason I think the greatest resistance to hunting comes from large cities is because, as has been pointed out, in a large city, everything you need should be within range, and the only reason for you to hunt would be for the fun of it, which in turn may attract the wrong kind of person to hunting?

Having grown up listening to my grandfather and his friends talking about hunting, how much they loved it, and the ethics and responsibility of it, I have no problem with it. In fact, if anyone ever needs to get rid of some hunted meat, I will be delighted to take it off your hands. Needs aside, there is something to be said for the pleasure of eating, and there is no better meat than that of a wild moose.