Archery Women Hunting Tips

This is a great archery hunting story that was wrote by a good friend, Florella Crouch, who has allowed me to publish it. I hope you enjoy it as well as learn from it.

Plan for Success - Tips for Female Archery Hunters (and guys, too!)

You�ve done all that hard work and it�s finally paid off. A well-placed tree stand and hours or practice have provided you with the perfect shot. Are you ready for what comes next?

It�s 7:30 in the evening and you�ve just made a textbook shot at a nice deer. You�re losing daylight fast but you know need to give that deer some time before you climb down and start the search. Finally, you�re down on the ground and it�s just as you thought. Your arrow is covered with blood and there�s a good trail to follow. There�s a problem, though. It�s almost dark and your tiny flashlight isn�t doing the job. You proceed ahead quickly because you know you�ll soon be out of daylight. The trail was so obvious in the beginning, but now it�s almost nonexistent. You look up and realize you�ve been so focused on the ground that you don�t really know where you are or how far you�ve walked from your archery tree stand. Darkness surrounds you and a sense of panic has started to replace that smug competence you had thirty minutes ago. If only you had remembered those trail markers! You take a deep breath and pan your tiny light around in the dark looking for clues to the direction back to your tree stand. Your light picks up a reflection in the brush and you�ve just located your deer. The elation is short lived because your dilemma is obvious. You don�t know exactly where you are; it�s pitch black now, and no one is around to help you or wonder why you haven�t returned. You take another deep breath and look for the blood trail so you can find the way out. Luck is finally on your side. There is the trail, obvious even with your tiny light. You attach your deer drag and after forty yards of progress, you conclude that the deer weighs a lot more than it looks. By now you�re tired, thirsty, and very annoyed at those giant mosquitoes gnawing at the back of your neck. You�ve got to get your venison out of the woods pronto, since it�s sixty-five degrees outside and almost three hours since the shot. Finally, you�ve made it back to your archery deer stand and realize there�s only one hundred more yards to go before you�re out of the woods�

Hopefully, you�ve never lived out this scene like I did when I first started hunting. Plan for Success, and you rarely will. Here are a few tips to minimize the obstacles preventing you from getting you and your deer out of the woods. � Watch where the deer goes after the shot. Find a landmark. � Always carry a backpack (or something similar). � Carry a good flashlight, even if it�s big and heavy. Take extra batteries. � Have a lantern ready back at your truck or archery camp. � Take trail markers with you and remember to remove them when you�re done. � A good, sharp knife is a requirement. � Always pack in a container of fresh water. � A GPS is handy, but a compass will do if you know how to use it. � Take insect repellant with you and apply it before trailing your deer. Mosquitoes are pesky but ticks are deadly. � A game cart is money well spent for female archery hunters. � ATVs are a lifesaver. The game cart attaches to the back very easily. � ALWAYS let someone know where you are going and when to worry if you�re not back. � If you own a cell phone, take it with you. (P.S. Don�t forget to turn the ringer off when you�re on stand!)

Every aspect of the archery hunt is important and should be well thought out, including your Plan for Success. Take the time to consider every detail that affects the outcome and you will enjoy your archery hunting experience even more because of it. Have fun and be safe.

These are next year hopefuls for Florella. She said, she hopes no one shoots them this year and maybe next they will be some wall mounters. Nice bucks Florella!