Most hunters start hunting with guns, until someone comes along and talks them into trying bow hunting. Many times deer season starts earlier than the more traditional hunting method using guns. That in itself is a big motivation for many hunters, as they will get more hunting time! Another advantage is that it is usually legal to take a doe during archery season. What hunter would not like getting to hunt the woods earlier and possibly take a trophy whitetail deer. They look at it as more time in the woods, more chances to get a deer. Simple really. Or is it?

In areas such as Florida, bow hunting season, for the archery pros, opens in late September, where 85 – 90 degree temperatures and 90% humidity are par for the course. Also in Florida that is the beginning of hurricane season which usually manages to dump additional rain on top of what is the norm. Throw in clouds of mosquitoes and you have an almost perfect description of Webster’s definition of a masochist.

Another important consideration is to make sure your gear is in tip top condition and make sure everything is as it should be. With bows, you need to check the string for wear and wax it while checking your nock points, etc. Be sure to lube all moving parts, dry graphite lube works well for lubricating moving sights. If you use a bow quiver be sure to check its mount, making sure it is tight and won’t vibrate or hum, when you shoot.

So, even with all of the hard work and pain, the main question would seem to be, is it worth it? Most hunters respond that yes it is, normally when they say this it is from a tree stand in the middle of a frost bitten clearing and the sweaty bow-hunting season is still ten months away. What else are they going to say? You might just question their sanity if they went through all of this and then admitted that they didn’t really like it.