At last! Thank you for a channel that is NOT about the biggest bucks or the biggest set of antlers, but actually teaches a newbie like me how to hunt and how to enjoy it. You seem to really enjoy hunting. Subbed!
This guy is such a great speaker. Always good information. Very interesting. Also he taught his daughter to shoot very well. Good job. Get the kids in the woods!!!
My favorite hunting RU-vidr. Your videos always get me pumped for hunting season. And it's nice that your videos aren't just one big ad like so many of the channels nowadays. Happy hunting from Texas👍
@@ContentCrewCreator2233 i mean you can make it out of anything. Just make sure it dont have human smell on it. U are probably tryin to stay cheap but man i been eyeing a bling called GhostBlind. I aint got it yet but it looks cool. Look it up when u get a chance
Good video Rich. To add to/simplify the lesson, the way I think of it is: 1.) Think of the deer as a 3D object not as a flat piece of paper. Understand where the lungs, heart and other vitals are and how they’re positioned in that 3D area. 2.) Consider the angle the arrow/bolt is going to be flying at due to height, distance, or position of the deer. 3.) Aim at the spot you want the arrow to exit. Not necessarily where you want it to enter. Keep those 3 rules in your mind when making the shot, and you’ll have a great hunt whether you’re in hill country, in the flats, up in a stand or on the ground. Good luck this year!
You're exactly what I was looking for. I'm a serious deer hunter but have only ever done rifle season (im young and don't have too many toys yet). A friend of mine gave me a crossbow for FREE, good guy. Bow season is much longer than firearm season so I'm very happy to have one but knew almost nothing about crossbows, you are the best I've found to help me. Thank you.
BLUF: Measure distances to reference points in your lanes of fire from the base of the tree. Then, when you are in the stand, use those pre-measured distances for your scope reticle hold-over on the deer. And don't take long shots (my crossbow doesn't dramatically loose bolt speed until after 40 yards, so between 15 to 25 yards it should hit without much drop).
I’m very new to crossbows. I’ve always loved seeing them in movies and tv shows but never had the chance to shoot one until this week. I get bored at home and thought I need a hobby!! So I went to my local Dicks Sporting Good store, and found the Barnett Wildcat. It was decently priced I felt for my first. It’s very basic from my understanding of crossbows, but I feel it suits me for being a beginner and very inexperienced in the crossbow field. I will say in the 5 days of owning it, all I do is think about getting off work, getting home, and playing with this new addiction I have. It’s a very patient hobby, very relaxing, and the perfect escape. The day I purchased my crossbow I got on RU-vid to explore the crossbow world. I came across your page first and haven’t left it since. I enjoy all of your videos and information. Thank you for your time and willingness to educate myself and others.
The take away here for everyone is make your aim at a point of impact that allows an exit point on the opposite side through the vitals you want to hit. From a tree stand your point of impact has to be higher do to the angle of arrow travel. The closer the target is the higher your aiming point has to be. This is the rule for crossbows, compound, recurve, or long bows or fire arms. Aim for a point on the opposite side through the target.
At 76 I quit using tree stands. I could still climb them but would sit up there thinking about how bad it would hurt if I fell. Ground blinds and hides work fine.
Another great video. I just wish I would have seen it a year ago before my first deer season. I took a shot on a decent 8 pointer opening weekend. Unfortunately I watched all the wrong videos about where to aim on a deer, and got a little fixated on making a heart shot, rather than an easier double lung. I also did not understand deer anatomy enough. To get to the point, I aimed low at the heart from 25 feet up a tree and ended up wounding a deer that I was unable to recover. That was a really crappy way to start my deer hunting journey. The next day I did more research and figured out where I messed up. I also went and bought a high quality 3D deer target, which has been indispensable for practice. Any other new xbow hunters out there, heed this video and don't make the same mistakes I did!
Enjoyed your vid! I allus used to shoot from an elevated stand back many moons ago in my recurve days when I had kid arrow fetcher slaves. Today with the crossbow, I have not had that opportunity. The end of your vid illustrates perfectly the angle difference, and your lung thing is something I had not heard before. ( I mean, I have read versions of it, and fretted over it, but not as well as you put it.) Heard about the shooting downhill stuff for decades but never saw it in action. No amount of theory or brain visualization could explain better than your experiment. Got it finally! Super thanks! Just upvoted!
Man this is awesome! I learned a lot in a short time. Thank you! I can't help be reminded of Robert California from the office when watching and I loved that character. I'll be watching more!
My greatest asset is stealthy approach anyway. I need to explode the blood pipes from the get go or no shot. No matter how big they hit the bleed they go out.
What I do to dial in my point of aim, is to aim at the opposite leg. If you are higher in the tree this will be slightly higher than if you are on the ground. Since I don't hunt from a ladder stand, which is a set height, it allows for the exit would to be in a vital area, no matter what my hunting height is.
Here is another technique. If you don't have a range finder that gives a "shoot as distance", range to a tree horizontal from your tree stand position. When I get in a tree stand or climber, I'll lase to various trees, horizontal to the ground and draw an arc in my mind, that any thing along that arc will be shoot as that distance. I'll do the same for trees farther out. Anything inside of 15 is point and shoot with the 10 yd dot on my bow. Thanks for the video--good job.
Rich, nice job again, you really do cover all the aspects of whatever you're trying to focus and present. My NIKON ProStaff 3 is just simply a unidirectional range finder, and doesn't offer that "angle of declination" feature, but I'm fine with not having to buy another one. Most of my deer are well within 25 years or so. I wish I could get my JACKAL to hold center, it seems every time I go out to practice I have to ratchet up the scope to ZERO.
@@michaeloneill411 Hi Michael, yes the first thing I do when I'm comfortable in my treestand is to range a number of trees out fron, so that I know how far I'm shooting. I try to limit my shots to around 25 yards or so. Never really paid much attention to the angle factor since I rarely shoot beyond 30 feet and only go up around 15 FT now.
Good point. So if you get 20 feet up you have a good chance of missing second lung compared to being 16 feet up. 25 ft is crazy but some like shooting a very small targets. They just don't understand why they missed.
Thank You, what a good class you gave, very easy to follow,full of good input, see what you are doing is opening the door to better marksmanship, Bozos will not listen. your advice on crossbows, is the same for rifle and pistol, shooting at ground level,then up in the trees, right to left, left to right, down in a draw, you have to know the point of aim, now when you are in the woods its too late to think about, if you do, you will see the white flag. Anyway you made a friend, keep up the good work, and remember so guys will make the same mistakes 1000 Xs, and never change. Be safe. BOB
Get back at it and shoot another, practice makes perfect, LOL. In all seriousness, figure out what mistake was and correct it and move on, I say. All good, good luck and thanks for watching.
I have been enjoying all of your videos. GREAT information for someone just getting started with a crossbow. The only thing I saw missing was the use of a Fall Restraint System. There have been far to many hunters that have been seriously injured or killed by not taking just a few moments to put one on even just for practice. Would not want to see anything happen to you or Bunjie.
Great video, but it feels like you missed something. Basis question should have been “tree stand, blind, or ghillie suit? The people I know who make three to ten foot shots on elk and deer don’t use stands or blinds, they use ghillie suits…..
I enjoyed your video! I usually get mundaned out, but not with this one! I'm actually in position on my back porch with my crossbow locked and loaded while waiting on a whitetail to appear; but the squirrels are already running about, which has had a track record of not seeing any deer. LoL I don't know if there's anything to it, or just my own misfortune. Thanks, again!
Great video. But I think you may have a safety problem with how you knocked your bolt. Please don’t take offense but load up your bolt by holding it just behind the blade. Saves your fingers in case the bow miss fires.
Awesome channel! Have learned so much from you about hunting with my crossbow. You’ve made me a better hunter and I thank you for that. Btw... Has anyone ever said you remind them of James Spader?
"you don't need the best rangefinder" 1 minute later "anybody else have trouble getting rangefinder to read" Nope. I bought a good one. Still a great video though.
I had a deer lift its leg and turned toward me when I shot at her a 35yard shot(she heard the crossbow go off),and it was a frount opisit sholder shot and she ran for ever #400 yards
Hey let's talk about 100 gr. broad heads vs. 125 gr. heads. I went up in power in my crossbow, so I know I can drive a heavier bolt. What are the the pros and cons of the heavier vs. the lighter broadheads?
With the heavier Broadhead you might have more consistent accuracy. Better penetration, possibly, also. But you lose some speed, and if you are slow enough you may not have enough energy to get a pass-through or open the Broadhead. Not a concern with most modern crossbows though.
Hi Rich , A great venison video as usual.. When I came across Gary Rose’s comment I had to insert my two cents worth.. Are you ready for this .. When he said you were 4.34 yards above the ground he was spot on . Let’s talk about Pythagoras and his Theorem.. images.app.goo.gl/ApsmcVzHC8gYj3cY7 Which = c2=a2+b2. In doing the math (Take it easy on me fellow arbelests ,I’m 85).. Where c =sq root of the sums of the squares of 4.34 + 10.00..Low and behold it’s 10.90..Man Rich you are right on..Just remember we are a crossbow family and every little bit of info that helps us to excel is a plus . All hail Bunjie!!!!
I’ve always wondered if you should aim high, low or where you want the arrow to go on say a deer almost directly under your stand when your 18-20’ in the tree? I’m just not sure and probably wouldn’t take the shot, just not comfortable on where to aim until I practice the shot.
Arrows at different speeds react differently but under 10 yards lots of times you might find yourself aiming with a 30-yard reticle like at 8 yards. This has to do with the fact that the scope sits up above the rail. I did a video on this, and the Oracle X scope calculates all of this for me now but yes that is problematic. Look at the video I did last year during crossbow appreciation month I think.
I'm new into crossball and I've never hunted before I'm really excited. I have a silly question is there a way I can meet you I love your videos and I just would really like to meet you before I go hunting for the 1st time in my life. Your videos are very educational I feel like a professional like I'm ready to hit the woods but I'm still nervous at the same time. I don't know just food for thought I really wouldn't mind actually meeting you. Hell I'm willing to drive to you. Just I never went Hunting till I met your page. I think I've watching your whole channel.
have killed 5 deer since i bought a crossbow most knowledge of which I learned from death by bungie as far as operation and shooting , thanks for videos
From my treestand, I pick a tree in the kill zone, range find the base , then range find the same tree at my level to see if theres any different reading.
Justin Sidervag Well, what does it tell you? Im too old to hunt from a stand anymore, but, I was always curious! The hypotenuse of a right triangle HAS to be longer than the base line. But, Im only 1/2 way through this video.
@@turtleman5111 , maybe a yard or 2 , but nothing where I've had to use a different crosshair. I hunt in the north east with a lot of cover and the shots are typicaly 20 to 30 yds ( even with a shotgun) . So I 'm not much more than 15ft up , maybe if I was crazy high like some of the pros on tv it may make a difference. One thing I have noticed though, alot of shots have always hit a little higher than I thought they would. The last 3 yrs , I've had a shot camera on my scope and replay the shot in slow motion after the kill. Its amazing how quickly deer react to the shot at any distance, faster than your eye picks up on it , until you see it in the replay.
I have to admit Rich, I didn't really think I would find much difference in the shots but I am glad to have learned something useful today. I've wondered why I miss on targets more from height then on the ground. I was calculating the total distance. Thanks for very well made videos and good information.
How about Tater Salad? lol. but seriously, your crossbow, you pick it, I am SURE it will be awesome! it's gotta reflect YOUR personality, etc. But please let me know what you decide.
Arrows or bullets really don't arc, they leave on a flat plane and then begin to fall. Sight displacement will give the illusion of an arc if you you're using a sight point greater than the distance shooting.
Well, kinda...i agree the arrow comes straight off the barrel no matter what but to get an arrow out there you have to aim up, and the arrow goes up and then comes down. Thats the arc. To really see it aim at 50 yards and then look at the side of the crossbow. It's definitely aiming high. The end result is an arc, especially on my older slower crossbow.
Unfortunately the public land nearest my home has a no leaving stands or blinds overnight rule and even if they did a popup blind screams to every one hunt here and no doubt whatsoever spooks bucks especially mature bucks so I this year adapted I invested $60 in a simply superbly effective Ghillie suit made from strips of fabric that do not pick up burrs or other sticky vegetation along with a awesome facemask During a week of entirety ground hunting as there were zero trees I could set up less than 100yds from the deer I instead set up in some good thick waist high cover I had over 50 deer total and over a dozen bucks walk past me in bow range Unfortunately the one and only shooter buck got so close so fast and was with 5 other deer I knew I had zero chance of drawing my vertical compound bow without getting busted as I had two doe about 15 feet away feeding on soybeans I am a bowhunter with over 35 seasons and over 50 bow killed deer under my belt and yes killed more than a few deer from the ground and spot and stalk with a bow but I knew no way I was going to draw aim and release before the two doe a few feet from me busted me and freeked out blowing the entire spot The best week I ever had public land deer hunting The fact I couldn't draw and can't use a pop up blind is why I decided to buy an Excalibur crossbow Two to be exact so my boys can also hunt tge same way Kinda in a bit of deep regret because I wanted to try a crossbow for ground set ups 3-4 years ago just never did. Cost me a chance at a great buck for private land but for public land he was absolutely outstanding Wasn't the first time this happened to me on public land but it will be the last. Sadly getting some crap from my fellow hunting friends for going over to the "Dark Side of The Force" if you will. I told them flat out A crossbow makes no one better at scouting finding and figuring out where big bucks are. I still have to do my HW and get myself under 50 yards from a big buck all a crossbow for me does is when that shot opportunity comes I can make it 90%+ of the time.
I would have enjoyed high school geometry had test questions read, " If the hunter in the tree stand is 20 feet off the ground and the deer is 72 feet from the base of the tree then what is the actual distance from the hunter to the deer?"
I love those laminated targets. I used to push acorns between the layers for bulls-eyes. That was in my compound bow days. Worked great. If you can hit an acorn at 30 yards you're on target!
Im a disabled 42yo combat vet and I can only hunt crossbows and ground blinds. I've had deer within 20 yards and less. Blind is a lot easier to put up unless you have a climber.