Learn how to squirrel hunt with a bow today with this guest post.
A good way to practice your skill or get ready for an upcoming season is to spend some time in the woods hunting squirrel. Like much small and big game, you have lots of weapon options.
Using a bow to hunt squirrel is a popular choice that requires skill and patience in order to be successful. A compound or recurve bow is a wise choice for squirrel hunting, but a compound bow could be used if you really wanted. Believe, we’ll go over tips on how to squirrel hunt with a bow.
As a modern-day prepper with so many high-tech hunting tools around you, you may discard the idea of bow hunting because of its antediluvian nature. But even though when we are living in the age of technology, there is no harm in learning bow hunting for survival.
Using a bow and arrow is actually an art form of the highest kind. It may someday become the only way out when you are left with the choice to use what nature provides abundantly as a defense mechanism. Knowing bow hunting may save your life one day when all the other tools fail.
When you are stuck in a wilderness survival scenario, nothing can beat a bow and arrow set up. There are other reasons too that will make you a fan of bow hunting for survival, especially if you have any interest in primitive survival skills. Below are the five main reasons for why you should spend in purchasing a high-quality bow-and-arrow.
An ordinary take-down bow only weighs a couple of pounds making it extremely light for carrying. Moreover, all you need to take down a bow is to twist some lug screws, and you are done. A bow consists of three pieces: two limbs along with a middle grip section. This further adds to the portability of the bow and arrow arrangement. You can easily pack it in your bug out bag along with some five or six arrows.
Enhanced Versatility
With the advancement of almost everything across the world, arrows have also come a long way. Modern carbon-fiber arrows are impressively lightweight and come with a versatile tip that can accommodate various kinds of hunting tips. A good and sensible collection of different tips, for example, standard practice tips, small game stunner tips, and others allows you to use same arrows for a number of hunting games.
Cost-Effectiveness
A simple take-down bow is easily available within a reasonable price of few hundred bucks. Most importantly, a high-quality and well-made bow will definitely last a lifetime making your investment more worthwhile. Apart from the bow, arrows are also very cost-effective. Once you polish your shooting skills, you will be able to retrieve and reuse the same arrows again and again. Crafting your own arrows with wooden dowels or natural wood is another great affordable option.
No Cumbersome Paperwork
Legal laws and regulations are more lenient in terms of using bow and arrow. There is no cumbersome ordeal of extensive paperwork and permits as needed with guns and pellets.
Noiseless Operation
Not only bow-and-arrows are deadly, but they are equally noiseless as well. You may come across various occasions when the silent weapon becomes seems the best.
Should You Choose Recurve or Compound Bow?
The most debatable topic pertaining to prepping is that which of the compound or recurve bow is more competent for a deadly scenario. There are many preppers who believe a compound bow to be inept in critical conditions because of all the complex moving parts it has. While other preppers say that a recurve bow lacks the necessary power and is thus unsuitable for a defensive tool. They think that more practice and skills are required when it comes to using a recurve bow but even then it does not have the high-end range.
Below are the main concerns relevant to both the bows.
Drawbacks of Compound Bows
The main reason many of the preppers consider the compound bow inept for their hunting purposes is its need for high maintenance. There is a finely tuned machine or a pulley system incorporated in these bows that are responsible for bearing all the pressure constantly. They withstand the force which is caused by the high draw weight of the bow. But preppers must not rely on supports. And the maintenance of this compound bow and its articulate machinery make you dependent of the archery technician. The lack of maintenance may cause you to suffer a lot when you are met with a disaster scenario.
Recurve bows require high-end practice before you can use them accurately. They also lack sighting system as seen in compound bows and thus as a prepper you will have to depend on your instinctual shooting. Only a lot of habitual practice has the potential to make you proficient with recurve bows. These bows are inexpensive, very easy to maintain and can be fabricated on your own with right tools and skills. The most important concern about recurve bows is its lighter draw weight, which makes it difficult to hunt from a tree stand. But recurve bows are a great way to learn game stalking skills, and they are highly capable of taking down big-game animals too.
Overall, recurve bows are great for small-game hunting and compound bows for large game hunting.
Use Bow as Your Defensive Tool
Whether you choose a compound bow or a recurve bow, you will need to give the most of you as a prepper using bow-and-arrow. A huge amount of skills and patience is required for bow hunting. Practicing on the range and also in the field with perseverance is a lot to ask for. But bow hunting has its own share of payoffs as well. The utter joy, immense thrill and the love of a challenge are some of the most important reasons that draw the preppers to bow and arrow. Although bow hunting needs a lot of preparations like tracking, setting up and the final flawless shot, it is worth doing all of this. It makes you a more skilled prepper who can now survive in almost any kind of wilderness.
Guns and rifles may fail in case of utmost urgency, but your skills and craftsmanship will pay you well. Bow hunting for survival also boosts your self-confidence so that you can come out safe from any kind of deadly scenario. Your hunting gears remain present around you all the time in the form of reeds and woods. You can pick them and use them as your self-made bow and arrow to escape the deadliest of animals while hunting.
Author Bio:
Jennifer is the founder of BuckWithBow, a great blog that focuses on helping you learn how to hunt deer with a bow. As an experienced bow hunter, she will guide you through the Do’s and Don’ts of the bowhunting world and transform you into a better hunter. Whether you are an experienced bow hunter or an absolute beginner, you will find BuckWithBow a gem!
