You never know when disaster strikes so it is good to prepare yourself with basic survival skills. Bowhunting is fundamental, and getting equipped with the knowledge of archery is highly important as it is one of the most valuable skills you can possess when trying to obtain food in the wilderness.
Benefits
It is important for you to possess the knowledge and skills of archery for bow hunting for many reasons. Firstly, you can get yourself food with ease in the wilderness. Starvation will be least of your worries with bowhunting abilities as you are able to kill any animals with your makeshift bow and arrow.
You can either hunt large game in the woods for a larger portion of food to last you the whole day or settle with catching fish in the streams. When shooting the fish in the water, you can use your arrow as a spear or even shoot it straight with your bow in shallow streams.
Moreover, the bow and arrow you have can be used as your defense if attacked by wild animals for instance. Although not much, the bow and arrow, together with your bowhunting skills can be used as a weapon to survive in the wild. In other words, it is good to have some protection in the form of a weapon when lost in the wilderness.
Apart from that, the best part about bowhunting is that you can make your own makeshift bow and arrow using simple materials in the woods. They are rather easy to make, as you require materials that are abundant in the wilderness such as wood (for the bow) and sticks (for arrows). The vines of plants can pass as the string of your bow.
Tips
#1: Plan Your Strategy Well
When bowhunting especially under extreme circumstances, having a strategy will result in a higher chance of you landing yourself a meal. Therefore, it is important to plan ahead by scouting the area and observing the behavior of your game before bowhunting.
Hunt in the area where animals seem to forage and eat, like berry bushes where you might easily find a rabbit munching away. It is also great if you plan your hunting range and spot so you can be at a safe spot which is also strategic for you to aim from. You should also plan ahead where and when to hunt and the places to stay out from to ensure your ultimate safety from wild animals.
#2: Get The Right Equipment
It would be great if you have your bowhunting equipment with you, which is least likely the case as no one plans on getting lost in the woods when hunting. Therefore, you must be creative and put to use your basic survival skills in making a makeshift bow, arrow, and string to get you going. If you can shoot the arrow from the bow, why not learn how to make a simple bow and arrow? You never know when this simple knowledge will come in handy.
#3: Using a Decoy and Sounds
Using a decoy or lure to attract your game into a trap is a smart move. Your decoy can either be the food source consumed by your game or attractants that will attract the attention of your game, like fake animals. Therefore, scouting the area in which your game usually lurk around is very important.
When lost in the wilderness for instance, you are least likely to carry around a game call with you. Therefore, you should familiarize yourself with the knowledge of making animal sounds the old-fashioned way using your hands and mouth to draw your game to your location.
However, you should take into account your own safety by keeping a safe distance away from your target when calling your game especially if it is wild animals. Hence, you can climb on trees or even conceal yourself using the terrain and nature in the wilderness to ensure maximum safety.
#4: Focus on Posture & Technique
You just have to stand in the proper position with both your legs planted firmly on the ground to give your maximum stability when bowhunting. Proper posture is essential, especially during bowhunting to prevent injuries or soreness if you plan to spend a long period of time in the wilderness.
In terms of techniques, you need to brush up your bowhunting skills and master techniques to shoot an arrow when hunting to ensure maximum accuracy. Always keep in mind that accuracy is more important than speed, so you should be patient and hunt at your own pace to get maximum accuracy of shot.
#5: Firing your Shot
Don’t be lazy and wait for your game to appear at a certain spot all day. Instead find the location of your game to get going so you have more chance in landing yourself a meal. You can most probably find your game near food sources so hunt at the spot with abundant food source, like a berry bush or near water.
Apart from that, don’t take too long (more than 4 or 5 seconds) to shoot at your target. In other words, get a good target acquisition, aim well, and shoot at your target without giving it much thought. Also, when firing your shot, aim for the vital organs of your game to ensure a clean and painless shot for the animal. You might want to get yourself a bow stabilizer as it is good at increasing your stability or even a bow release for better accuracy.
Conclusion
Bowhunting is an important sport which comes in handy not only for hunting but also for survival and defense when the SHTF. Therefore, you should master the skills and technique of bowhunting and put to use your knowledge if lost in a wilderness for instance to sustain your survival. With all these tips on survival bowhunting, you’re good to go and ready when disaster strikes.
Author Bio: John Lewis is an outdoorsman who blogs about his hunting and survival wilderness skills, tips, and experiences at Epic Wilderness.
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