TOMMOROW!!!!!!!!

[GRIMJIM]

The season starts tommorrow. Who's going out? I just had my bow restrung and am heading to the range today to readjust my sights if needed. I am off work tommorrow and might try some public land nearby. Well a little over an hour away. The only problem is I have never been there before and am going in blind but at least I'll be in the woods.

[d_hiker]

I need to get my tags.  Saturday I plan to get my stand setup.  Scouted the place a couple of weeks ago and saw sign and scared up a nice doe.  Now that the weather is getting cooler it feels more like hunting weather 

[GRIMJIM]

I just got back from the archery range. I had my bow restrung and had to check the sights. Good thing, it was shooting 8" high at 25 yards. I think I got it dialed in though.

[d_hiker]

That looks like a dead deer to me.  Good Luck

[Bill in IL]

Now that is good shootin'

[GRIMJIM]

I got up early and drove over two hours to check out a new place. Lowden/Miller state forest. The parking areas were all packed and it took me longer to get there than I thought it would so it was already sunup by the time I pulled up.

I didn't want to mess up anyones hunt so I just walked back down the road a ways and went in about fourty yards. Man was it thick in there. A 25 yard shot would have been a luxury. I didn't see anything but it was nice to get out.

Thanks guys that actually was not my best group but it was the best after I got the sights set. My best was about 2" with most arrows touching each other but it was about three inches low.

I won't get into my worst group.

[GRIMJIM]

Anone else been out yet? I'm thinking of trying des plaines conservation area tommorrow (Monday).

[Graybeard]

The one thing I learned the hard way long ago is tight groups in round targets on the range do not translate to dead deer in the field. Toss those targets with nice round aiming points and buy you a deer target to practice on and your kill ratio will increase.

Going into a new area to hunt isn't all that bad if deer are present and you are a good still hunter. Just ease around slowly watching and listening and let the other hunters push the deer around to you. Move slowly enough to not be spooking deer but still do move to keep covering ground listening and looking. Most of the time someone walking much faster will move a deer and it will be running or moving fast enough for you to hear it before it is aware you're around. Look especially for things that draw deer such as decent trails and choke points. A saddle on a ridge is a good one as is a well used stream crossing or a narrow funnel deer must move thru. When you locate one hang there for awhile and let someone push a deer to you.

[GRIMJIM]

I'd like to shoot a 3-d target but I don't have anywhere near me that it's legal or I certainly would. Unfortunately I'm a redneck trapped in a yankee's body and you can't fire bows in the city, at least not the one I live in. I have a few forest preserves near me but you can't shoot them there either, I asked.

I have a friend that shoots down his driveway into his garage but he lives in a different city pretty far from me and I think his neighbors just put up with it. I'm pretty sure if any of them called he would get in trouble.

I could get a deer paper target if that's what you meant and put it up at the local range. It probably would help.