Top 10 Tips for Survival Deer Hunting with A Compound Bow

Guns are overrated for survival. There’s denying that a firearm is superior to any other weapon for defense and hunting. That being said, you have to carry it, it’s ammunition, and you have to have everything that goes along with cleaning, maintaining and protecting that weapon as well.

You also have to pay a significant amount of money for all that equipment as well. There’s another compromise to make, plan on using a compound bow. It is certainly a good weapon for hunting and offers many distinct advantages over a firearm for a survival situation, here are the top 10 tips for survival hunting with the best compound bow.

When is it Survival?

Make sure when you’re tuning up and getting ready for the ultimate test of survival, do it legally. Don’t be tempted to poach deer on the outskirts of developments, that you don’t have permission to hunt on.

It’s going to be hard to practice hunting with your compound bow without a hunting license. Stay legal as you practice these skills and have either permission or a really good excuse in case you get caught.

Conserve Your Shots

Arrows only last so long. If you’re in a situation where a working bow can mean the difference between living and die, you need to be 100% you make that bow last as long as possible. Conserve a number of shots you take, during practice, during hunting, and do whatever you can to minimize the wear and tear on your arrows and the moving parts of your bow.

Hunt Close

You need to hunt as close to your game as possible. Mostly because the closer you are, the harder it is to miss. The better your shot is, the more likely you are to kill what you’re aiming at. That is the entire point and you should do everything you can to do to kill the game you need for food. The closer you the less likely you are to lose your arrows as well, ensuring you can continue to hunt.

Stay Clear of Branches & Debris

When you hunt make sure you know if there’s limbs or branches in the way of your bow’s limbs. When your bow fires, your limbs are going to violently shoot forward and slam against anything in their way. This is going to also skew your shot and most likely make you lose your arrow. An impact like this has the potential to destroy your bow.

Don’t Gamble

Don’t make a shot unless you know it’s worth it. You never know if you’re going to get that arrow back after you release it. Improvising arrows for a compound bow is tricky at best and you should do your best to always have your arrows after the shot.

Stay on top of Maintenance

Rust is hard to deal with, in the field but easy to prevent. Keep your bow clean, dry, and lubricated. Dirt and grime in the bearings of the cams is a kiss of death for the bow. Having a bow string caked with dirt and dust is going to kill your bow. Stay on top of your maintenance, your bow is a lifeline in the woods.

Use Quality Components

It may be tempting to buy the extremely cheap bows, arrows, and broad heads for your set up. The worst thing that can happen is when you need these components the most they fail on you. Buy gear that’s you’d consider hunting with, it doesn’t have to the name brand high end gear you’d use day in and day out but stay away from bargain basement equipment you can’t rely on.

CarrySpare Parts

Make sure you carry spare parts for your bow. You need to be able to have spares for parts of your bow set up. Extra bow wax, extra serving string, extra cord for your D loop, extra nocks, extra fiber optics for your sight …ect. You’ll need it eventually and murphy’s law says till happen at the worst time possible!

Consider lighted Nocks

Lighted nocks are great. Not only do they allow you to track your arrow in flight at dusk and dawn, they can be a huge help to finding your arrows after the shot. Seriously consider getting a set of lighted nocks for your survival set up. They’ll help you hunt longer and be a tool for finding your arrows after they’re shot. Make sure if you’re going to test them before hand, it’s legal in your state.

Don’t Expect Your Bow to Protect You

You aren’t in the huge games. Your bow is a bad self-defense weapon and you’re better off with a lance or a knife against a charging bear or moose. You should avoid hunting game, or get yourself into a situation where you may put yourself in a compromising situation. You simply won’t have time to nock, draw, aim, and fire accurately before a bear has its sights on you, or an attacker bum rushes you. Rely on other means of protection because the compound just isn’t fast enough.

Keep your bow Ready

Your bow should be at no more than an arm’s reach when it’s protecting your life by helping you gather food. If for no other reason, you can be absolutely sure it isn’t being damaged you need to keep it in a constant state of readiness.

If you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to live off the land you’ll have a much easier time if you’ve already mastered hunting with a compound bow and have one at the ready. Get your hands on a good quality bow you can afford to keep stocked away just in case, pick upyour best hunting packs and get in the woods and hone your skills with a bow.

Even if you’re a dyed in the wool gun hunter, you might just start to love archery hunting!